CONTENT WARNING: violence, medical / clinical bits that might be unnerving to some, violence, minor injury (pictured)
Glimmerbrook's part in the burgeoning revolution was comparatively quiet.
The witchfinders' assault was still mainly focused on Finchwick, Withernham and the surrounding villages, and as it had been for a long time, Glimmerbrook was still a quiet place where witches could lead fairly-comfortable lives, and whilst many witchfinders knew of it, their fear of the occult was sometimes bigger than their hatred of it. After all, in Finchwick and Withernham, there will always be people who support the witch-hunts - unlike Glimmerbrook, where you will be more likely to be killed in a haze of arcane fire quicker than you could burn any witch.
Whilst some people in Glimmerbrook felt guilty for not taking to the fight in Finchwick, many acknowledged that, realistically, they would have to defend the one safe place for witches and build community if they were to have a place where their own people could take refuge. Without Glimmerbrook, there was no chance whatsoever.
Kat and Ellie had settled back in at Tsuna's settlement, a nostalgic trip back to relative safety where the two of them first fell in love. Kat knew in the back of her mind that Finchwick would be without its healer, leaving only the Annorin mansion, Josiah and Henry's wife, the apothecary, in Willow Creek - but Kat did not want to end up a target of the witchfinders, nor did she want to lose the support of the people whose support she'd spent years trying to garner. She felt as if, because of her, everyone's hard work would come crashing down.
Kat never really got over what happened and what she did, but the women at the settlement did not judge her at all. Sethunya was a welcome addition to the settlement, allowing them to get around much easier to find food and alchemical and herbal ingredients...
...when she could be bothered, that was.
Sometimes, the local teenagers from the nearby school would visit Tsuna's settlement with her permission, lending a hand, sometimes borrowing books on magic, and often assisting Kat and Ellie with herbal matters. Whilst herbalism was not yet something taught at the school - only something occasionally brought up in Owen's classes - many of the students expressed an interest in learning about it. Others took interest learning she was a Mischief caster, with Matis mentioning there was a woman in his classes who practiced it and wanted to learn more, only she didn't know any other Mischief casters.
Matis did his best to practice movement in his cat form, trying to embody as best as he could the essence of a sleek and sneaky hunter, with perfect balance, that always lands on its feet...
...though Matis, as a human, often landed on his backside instead.
Xander and everyone else found themselves greatly missing Reynold, but life went on, as it always does. It seems the goats have made their peace with Xander, even if some of the sheep still take some issue with him...
Xander found himself surprised by Owen, expecting a much different person to the one who arrived at the settlement a few months ago. Whenever he had the energy, and whenever his condition wasn't affecting him too badly, Owen was helping out wherever he could around the settlement. To Xander's surprise, he even had something of a sense of humour on occasion.
It seemed that, even in this short time, Owen was slowly leaving his old life as a fanciful billionaire behind, and even seemed happier for it. Whilst he still missed his wife, children and house staff (as well as his bed, his bath, his luxuries, his robe, his silk bedsheets, his wife's cooking, his comfy sofa, and of course, his gryphon) he seemed to have taken to village life quite well and with little in the way of complaint. He no longer had such little time to himself that he had to skip meals, and was much healthier and more energetic as a result - at least as energetic as a man in his forties could be.
Owen was incredibly grateful for all that had happened, and all that had stood by him despite everything he'd done in the past and everything his family formerly stood for. He was always completely aware of just how lucky he was - not just to be in his social position, but to be one of the only people who'd mostly benefitted from all that had happened.
Naturally, the children of the settlement had endless questions for a former physician - mostly gruesome things that would be better answered by his surgeon wife. Other common questions were begging to one day see Valravn, most not believing she existed at all.
Owen's place as alchemy teacher was going well. It took some time for the students to come around to him, many wary not just of the fact it was well-known that Owen had killed Lord Volpe, but because of his unintentionally-stern nature. Many had noticed that he seemed to have issues when it came to spellcasting. The students did their bit to help out with what they'd learned during Áine's classes - namely, the Katharis spell, which Owen had taught helped remove any impurities from the alchemical solutions. They did everything they could to assist him on rougher days, thankful for what he'd done for witches in general as well as for leaving behind a life of luxury to come and teach them.
It wasn't always easy to tell from his usual expression, but he greatly appreciated his students and was more than proud of them.
Back home, in the Annorin Mansion, things were far less joyful.
The hospital beds weren't usually so full of longer-term patients, but sick and injured witches as well as injured witchfinders filled the beds fairly quickly. The witchfinders had ceased their attempts to cause chaos at the mansion not only knowing there was an enormous gryphon outside who would tear them to pieces, but because Lydia angrily told them she'd refuse them any treatment if they continued. If she had it her way, she'd refuse to treat any witchfinder, but it wasn't so easy.
Mary-ann, the governess, looked after the children as if they were her own, and Tilly and Alex kept up their usual duties, even going as far as to help fight off witchfinders with nothing but garden tools and brooms until Valravn told them to stay back and let her deal with them.
Eli had been doing his bit for the Annorin mansion for no charge at all, crafting canes as well as wheelchairs for their use. Josiah was completely and utterly exhausted and hadn't seen his family in a long time, sometimes sleeping in one of the spare bedrooms instead of going back home in case he was needed. Trying to fill in for a physician with years more experience than him felt impossible, but he had little choice. The other apprentices chipped in where possible, but as a favourite student of both the university and of Owen, Josiah knew he had a lot to live up to. Until recently, he never thought he'd find himself missing his brother.
As for Lydia, she had not bothered to write any letters to Owen despite Eli's offers to take them to Glimmerbrook for her. She loved her husband, but as well as her dedication to her patients being of more of a priority to her at this moment in time, a part of her wasn't happy about all that had happened despite her trying to keep the peace with him. His recklessness had led to one of the most experienced physicians this side of the world losing his license, and after the event that caused chaos amongst the witchfinders, he'd headed to Glimmerbrook, leaving his wife to pick up the pieces, as well as the village itself - that was how she felt deep down.
Many of the female patients worried about Lydia, and she did everything she could to reassure them that she would be fine...
...after all, in her line of work, there was no room for error regardless of one's feelings.
The Reyes family were doing better with fishing with the snow subsiding for a bit. Even if the yields weren't incredible this time of year, having the help of some reformed witchfinders as well as the townspeople had been a great help. They sold what they could at the Withernham markets, and divided the Simoleons made between everyone that helped them to get the fish in the first place. Edwin, Daniel and Gideon were still happily living off the money made from Owen, though they were a little disheartened to hear that he'd moved away...
As for the first handful of witchfinders that had gone to the Reyes family for a second chance-
Most witchfinders would have never predicted that Madilyn, of all people, would have turned against them. She liked to stroll the woodlands and other areas in her usual witchfinder gear, surprising the witchfinders that greeted her with a sword to the guts. She revelled in their expressions, eyes bulging with unbelievable shock and a sense of betrayal.
To many witchfinders, Maddie could have been the new Volpe herself if her heart were still in it. Word soon spread that she was a 'traitor', but she didn't care at all. She had no fear of anyone, witch, witchfinder or anyone else. She was incredibly grateful to Gideon for what he'd done for her, as were John and Charles, the men who joined her in trying to turn over a new leaf. The three of them were still trying to find a way to truly show their gratitude, which is quite difficult for Maddie, who's never really been known for doing nice things for other people.
Clementia's sermons had begun to lose their hopeful touch, almost sounding Jacoban in some ways.
The Jacobans' assault on the witches had earned them new followers, but their attack on Clementia had also greatly turned people against them, even some Jacobans who hoped that both religions would never return to violent feuds.
A few new converts came to the monastery, and even some people turned up who weren't religious at all just for the sake of supporting Clem and solidifying their support for her just by being there. Clem did not fear the Jacobans even after what happened, and vowed that she'd fight them off until they changed their ways...knowing that there was every potential that it would never happen under Thorne.
Whilst Glimmerbrook cemented what they saw as a certain and hopeful future, Finchwick slowly came to accept that there were many things that potentially would not go away in the near future no matter how hard they fought for it. Glimmerbrook was a place of wonder and magic, and Finchwick a place of stark reality, even with the witches amongst its population.
Everyone had always turned to Peterism for some sliver of hope, and even if Clem's speeches weren't the most hopeful at this moment in time, they would grasp at whatever straw they could for a fleeting moment of a better future. Clem promised the people that she would do nothing but fight for them - there was at least hope in that.
To honour the goddess that had 'saved her life' twice, Clem began to wear moon-related pieces of jewellery now and again, some of which she'd commissioned from Eli, who'd recently began dabbling in more delicate metalwork and working with precious materials - and she occasionally offered something of a prayer to Lunvin at the wolf statue in her father's house.
Róisín was more than glad to have her father back. Whilst she occasionally thought of her friends back at Glimmerbrook, her focus was mostly on the townspeople - trying to create a community that was safer for witches even despite all that was happening. Róisín was doing what her entire family had been doing for years, that's how she saw it. Reynold ended up moving in with Clementia, after Róisín suggested he do so for her sake, saying she and Alistair could look after themselves. Róisín worried more for her Aunt Clementia than she did for herself - after all, in a few years' time, Róisín would find her wolf - something she found herself both excited and impatient about. Three wolves in Henford? It'd be over for the witchfinders! - but that was still some time away, and there was still the now to think about.
Róisín turned up to Katlego's home repeatedly in the hopes that she'd come back. She was deeply let down that she'd left at all. The townspeople loved her, but she'd heard stories and read in the newspaper about a witchfinder supposedly taking his own life after she'd performed a spell of him. That couldn't have been true, and Róisín never believed it. The likelihood was that he'd asked her to use her magic for some purpose, like reading a fortune or looking for something lost, and he didn't like the answer that he was given. Perhaps he was mourning a lost love? Either way, Róisín knew whatever had happened wasn't Kat's fault.
So why did she leave, Róisín wondered? Why leave when so many people had her back and wouldn't have believed anything spread in the papers about her? Kat knew how important she was to the village, and yet she left away... She felt awful for all the people who might be left out because of this.
Róisín helped out at the monastery, usually helping to give food and supplies to refugees, helping the children, cleaning and such.
She remembers a few bits from watching Eli do woodwork, and so where she can, she fixes up any broken toys and other bits and pieces for the witch refugee children...
However, Róisín wasn't always honest with her father and Alistair about her whereabouts on late nights. Neither questioned that she was helping Clem every night at the monastery - why wouldn't she, after what happened that night? - but on nights with clear skies, Róisín kept an eye out for any injured witches who she could help with her healing abilities.
Some nights ago, she heard the cries of a child who had a badly-scraped knee after she tripped running from witchfinders. In the shelter of the graveyard behind the Peteran monastery, Róisín knew she wouldn't be spotted.
The little girl told Róisín that she wasn't a witch, and Róisín told her it didn't matter if she was a witch or not - she'd help her. She healed her wound with the moon's magic. The little girl smiled at Róisín and put a finger up to her lips - she'd never tell a soul about what happened, even though Róisín did not ask for her silence at all.
What Róisín didn't realise...
... is that the witchfinders were keeping an eye on her.
Though Alistair and Reynold had warned Róisín against using the Moon Sight until she was older, she was desperate for a glimpse of the future, no matter how vague. She wanted to know if the witches would survive, if she'd be happy, if her family would survive. She scried in the moon's light on the River Glimmer.
The sensations she got from the Moon Sight terrified her.
She'd never experienced emotions like these before, not even during the full moon. Sheer terror, unimaginable dread, a sense of deep emptiness and burning rage. She didn't know it, but it wasn't too similar to Reynold's own experiences with Moon Sight some years ago.
Nothing else - that was all she got from it. Lunvin's messages were never clear, and of course they weren't - deities weren't known for clarity. What did it all mean? Was Róisín in danger? Was her family in danger? Were these emotions to do with her potentially becoming a werewolf eventually?
Lunvin had shown her this for a reason, and Róisín knew she would have to keep this to herself until she could figure it all out. If she didn't, she risked giving people the wrong information...She wouldn't even tell her family.
Róisín found herself still shaking, trying to stare into the moonlit water for more clarification - and she got nothing.
Lunvin's gift is a both a blessing and a curse - there's a reason their name in their tongue translates to 'moon-shackled'. In everything that happened, and everything she did, this vague foresight remained in the back of her mind.