The next day, they left behind the high-walled gorges and forests they had been riding through, and travelled instead over vast plains that draped out before them in emerald green grass. They reminded Percy of the rolls of cloth that he had once found in a forgotten corner of his house, and with which he had amused himself by unfurling them over his bedroom floor. It had earned him a scolding for having so flagrantly displayed a reminder of his father's humble past as a draper – though this he only understood later.

The sun's hand was at their backs, pushing them along with a gentle warmth. He knew they would reach their destination today. It didn't take long for him to spot, beyond all that green fabric, a tidy looking village with white houses and thatched roofs, and a castle balancing on a nearby hill.

"Is that where we're headed?" he asked.

"Yes" Valeria replied. She seemed to have gotten somewhat used to his questions, and was evidently pleased with herself at how patiently she could answer them now.

"So remind me again, what are we meant to be doing there? Putting down evildoers in general?"

"That, and saving the people they did evil onto" she nodded, barely hiding the chuckle that stirred in her features.

Percy looked expectantly at Evans, thinking that interaction would get a smile out of him. But Evans was too intent on the castle ahead of them, and strangely expressionless.

They rode on towards the village, and Percy mucked about in his thoughts to try to keep his mind off the ever-closer castle. He wondered what he might do with his life now, knowing that he no longer was the chosen one – that he had never been. He was incapable of conjuring in his mind a future where he did something else, and he blamed it on what he assumed to be a lack of imagination, or resilience, or flexibility. He lacked – that was all.

He was, at least, educated – he could be a tutor, perhaps. If only he had a taste for it. And going back home increasingly felt like an unnecessary ordeal that he would like to spare himself and others. Perhaps he could stay in this village here. They rode through it now, passing rows of white-painted houses with well-tended flower beds and bushes, all meticulously pruned and standing at attention. There was no one about, and yet the village did not look abandoned: it looked, in fact, ruthlessly well-kept.

"Why is there no one here?" he whispered.

"Maybe the inside of these houses is just so damn good that no one ever feels like going outside" Valeria said flatly. But there was a strain of uneasiness in her voice.

As their horses trotted along the main street, they got a clear view of the castle ahead of them. Percy squinted. Something about it looked odd. He had thought earlier that its walls were made of a dark stone, but the closer he got, the less those walls had the quality of stone at all. There was the faintest, lightest hint of a stirring to them.

They left the houses behind them and rode up the hill. Trying to decipher the outside of the castle was at least a welcome distraction from worrying about what was inside.

"Oh, what the – "

He thought it had been him speaking, for he meant to say exactly the same – but it had been Valeria. Evans choked out a sound of astonishment. They were near the castle's gate, and now they saw what had looked so odd about it. Its walls were covered in fur, feathers and wings that stirred continuously in a gentle murmur. As Percy focused his eyes on the walls, mouth gaping, he saw sparrows and finches, squirrel and mice, dragonflies and butterflies, massed together and covering every inch of stone, sleeping. He could hear the droning purr of their entangled sleep. A violent shiver coursed through him.

The clattering of their horses' hooves as they approached the castle didn't disturb any of the animals. Evans dismounted and walked towards the front gate. He turned his attention to a pillar on his left, covered, as every other inch of stone was, with the amassed shapes of sleeping creatures. He cocked his head and stared, his nose almost touching the gently heaving mass on the pillar.

"I'd never seen a ladybug sleep before" he murmured, fascinated.

Valeria jumped from her horse and Percy scrambled down from his. He felt very uneasy, and was very determined not to show it. Evans drew back from the pillar after a few moments, and all three stared at the tall oak doors facing them.

"Well, if the story about the curse is true, there won't be any need to knock" he said.

"If the story is true?" Percy gasped, his eyes lingering on the placid ripples of fur and feathers that made the walls stir.

Evans stepped forward, placed his hand on the door, and pushed. It yawned open in complete silence. Percy would have welcomed a creak, or any other sound that might make that dozing castle seem more real.

They were greeted by a wide, tall vestibule with curved marble stairs and patient statues lining the walls. A golden chandelier drooped from the vaulted ceiling, and Percy wondered at it being so pristinely devoid of spider webs, until he remembered the spiders were most likely sleeping, too. It smelled of churches. The centre of the vestibule had a small marble fountain, though it was dry now. Curtains of a heavy blue covered the windows. Percy was certain he had read about places like these: he felt a memory of it belonged to him, even though he had never stepped foot there before.

And then he noticed, slumped over the stairs, a couple of well-dressed men. Once he saw them, he spotted the others: an old woman curled up on the floor of the second storey, just past the stairs; a boy snoring mightily; a young maid propped against the wall, sleeping with an expression of disbelieving delight at how much rest she was getting.

"Where shall we go first? Up?" Evans whispered.

Percy watched him draw his sword quietly, and mirrored his gesture, useless as it seemed to him – his heart was making a racket.

"If there's stairs like those in a place like this, you're always meant to climb them. I agree – up" Valeria murmured. She had unsheathed her sword so quietly that Percy hadn't even noticed it.

They tiptoed to the left set of stairs and gingerly navigated around the pair of napping gentlemen.

"They look well rested" Evans whispered.

"Lucky fucks" Valeria whispered back.

"Shouldn't we be more respectful of these poor people?" Percy mumbled through gritted teeth.

"Joking about this will leave us in a better mood, which will make us more competent in dealing with the matter, which will benefit them all in the end" Valeria muttered back.

"Wait, why are we whispering?"

They reached the top of the stairs. Valeria cleared her throat.

"Normal to have that instinct around sleeping folks, even when we know they won't wake up" she shrugged.

Evans held his sword to his side. The hallways on their left and right looked identical, with a long stretch of mauve carpet and placid pastoral paintings.

"This way" he announced, turning to his right.

Percy fumed with the urge to ask how Evans could possibly know that; but he was too glad that he did not have to make any decisions himself right then. They stepped over a few more sleeping figures, some clearly servants, some clearly nobles, all sharing the same floor and contented expression. Evans examined the three doors in the hallway, all identical in their polished white and golden frills, and made for the one in the middle.

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The room on the other side did not look like it belonged to the same castle. It was airy and fresh, with lush potted plants, a cream coloured divan, bookshelves with gilded tomes, and a four-poster bed with a canopy of gossamer veils. It looked lived in, rather than displayed.

And, sitting at a desk by the window, was a striking young woman with long blond hair, a heart-shaped face and crystal blue eyes. She wore a satin nightgown that melted lead-like over her shape.

"Oh, gee golly, you found me! Thank goodness, I was beginning to get bored."

Evans and Valeria exchanged a glance. Percy noticed he had strategically – which was to say instinctively – positioned himself behind Valeria. Funny how someone so intimidatingly tall could become so reassuringly tall with just a few adjustments to the situation at hand.

"Are you the sorceress who cursed this castle?" Evans asked.

"I sure am" she smiled proudly. "Do you like it?"

She stood from her desk. Valeria stiffened and held her sword at the ready.

"I'm impressed" Evans said.

He sounded terribly earnest, but Percy reassured himself that his words would soon be followed by a sarcastic remark.

They weren't.

"I'm interested to know why you did it, too" he went on.

Once again, Percy dug deep with skilled ears into Evan's voice, trying to unearth even the slightest hint of mockery in it. There was none. Evans said he was interested to know, and there could be no doubting that he was.

She placed her hands on her hips and pouted a little.

"Do you really need to know why?"

"I don't need to, but I would love to" he smiled. "Please?"

Percy stared at him in horror. Evans should never have been taught the word "please" if he was going to use it so liberally on sorceresses.

"Well... When a girl isn't invited to a party, and she's got a reputation to keep, consequences need enacting, you know?" she said in the tilting and twisting melody of her voice. She glanced at the canopy bed, and only then did Percy notice the sleeping figure lying behind the veils. "She knew I wouldn't take it lying down, pardon the pun, when she didn't invite me. My specialty is sleep curses. She'd be mighty stupid if she didn't expect me to put one on them."

"You put all these people to sleep because they didn't invite you to a party?" Valeria asked in a wooden voice.

"Like y'all would need a better motivation than that" she glowered.

Evans still gripped his sword, but he had lowered it further and further down since first speaking to the fae, until its tip almost touched the carpeted floor.

"And did you really mean to curse everyone?" he asked.

"Well, I declare! Sure I did!" she bristled, digging her hands deeper into her hips.

"Fair enough" he chuckled, running his free hand through his hair and lowering his eyes like a shy schoolboy. "You're much better at this than I'd ever be. I think I'd just make a mess of things if I tried to curse a whole castle like this."

Percy wondered why he felt seasickness creeping in. Perhaps, he thought, it was because he was floating on a raft, after it had been set adrift on wild currents. He had fully expected to enter that room terrified, and to be terrified still when a fight ensued. But to not know the script of a moment, and where the hell it was headed, was more terrifying.

"Well..." she sighed, mirroring Evans' gesture and gliding a hand through her glossy hair. "I reckon I did get a bit carried away. I just wanted it to fall on the family. But you know how it is, a girl gets excited and then, bam, the whole castle's under, you know? It all went a little cattywampus."

"That's incredible. You must be astonishingly powerful to do that without meaning to" Evans beamed at her.

She had a little giddy giggle. Percy felt the raft float over to some rapids, and tip over. Valeria crossed her arms and stared ahead woodenly, with the expression of one who was at peace with the world come what may.

"And you've been here since then? Waiting for someone to come and break the curse so you could be on your way?" Evans asked with a helpful, gentle smile.

"Yes, geez" she drooped against the desk. "I've missed two card-game nights with the gals already."

"Oh, which ones do you play?"

"I'm sorry" Percy heard himself croaking up, "but can we maybe – "

"I suppose you want to know how to break the curse?" she sighed, before tilting her head towards the bed. "True love's kiss over yonder should sort it out."

The three of them turned silently to look at the bed. Percy saw Evans' relaxed posture stiffen and curdle a little.

"Who is she?" he asked in a voice that was suddenly strained taut.

"Daughter of the family. The party was for her. Can you imagine she didn't invite me after years and years of attending? Not that I like their damn parties that much anyway."

"Right. I don't know her at all, you see, so I don't think the true love's kiss thing would work."

"Oh, bless your heart, that doesn't matter" she smiled. "It can be retroactive, you know. You could kiss her now and grow to love her in time."

Evans looked down at the floor and nervously started drawing circles on the carpet with the tip of his sword. He was humming a little fidgety tune. Percy widened his eyes.

"And she's asleep, is she?" Evans asked in a meek voice.

"Best sleep she's had in years. She'll thank me for it when she wakes up" the enchantress smirked.

"I see. Well, my apologies, but I'm not touching any of that with a bargepole."

The woman flapped her arms with a look of perfect exasperation.

"Well I'm sorry if my curses aren't to your liking, hun" she huffed. "You're just going to leave her in eternal slumber, then? Too principled to kiss a sleeping girl, are we?"

Percy opened his mouth to tell Evans to just kiss her and be done with it, but found he didn't really want to say it after all. The room had seemed fresh and airy when they had first stepped in, but now Percy felt icy cold air etching onto his skin.

"Alright, listen" Evans sighed. "I'm not kissing her, and I respect that doesn't break your curse. But would you consider lifting it for all the servants and guests who were here? It's not their fault, and I really don't see why they should be punished for the family's social blunders."

She crossed her arms and tapped a long, immaculate finger to her chin as she considered it.

"I suppose it was a little overkill of me. But if you think I'm mad, you should see one of my friends. She once cursed a prince or something and turned all his servants into sentient objects just to teach him a lesson. She always was a little cuckoo."

"Surely you agree that's not decent?"

"I don't know about decent, but I know about effective, and that ain't it. I don't think the prince gave a damn about the help."

"And they probably weren't paid enough to be put under curses."

Percy gripped Evans' arm, eyes wide.

"Wait – you're not going to save the girl?"

Evans lowered all of his glorious, knightly height until his lips reached Percy's ear, and whispered:

"This land is full of adventurers dying to save her. Think of all those knights in the tavern with their guild, or whatever it was. But I'm worried they'll care less about the servants and leave them as they are."

"But – you're the chosen one, you have to save her!"

Percy could not understand why he raged so. He barely noticed that, without a moment's thought, he had given Evans the title he still secretly coveted himself.

Not so long ago, he had mocked Evans for going about the world as though its very ground was nothing more than ink-traced roads mapping his quests; as though its encounters were simply rules in a story he mastered, and the fae he met simply chapters in a tale he knew by heart. But now that he saw Evans doubt those rules, Percy was seized with a strange panic. Though this tale of greatness was no longer his, he had been weaned on it for so long that he could not help but feel the injury of having it pieced apart. He looked up at Evans, feeling the distortion of his own furious features.

"I'm the chosen one?" Evans smiled softly. "Perhaps, but frankly, sometimes I think I have no idea what that means. And I need to focus on what I know. I know I'm not going to kiss that girl, and I know I have to try to save the others if I can."

"And I know I'm gonna miss a third card-game night if you two keep that up for much longer" the fae's voice snaked towards them with a dangerously bored tone.

"My apologies, you're absolutely right" Evans turned to her with an enchanting smile. "I do understand why you resent this family, and I'm afraid I won't be able to break the curse on your terms. But would you consider releasing the others from your spell?"

She still tapped her finger on her perfect chin, though she had the impish smirk of someone who was all done considering and calculating, and was now merely savouring the suspense of their decision for a moment or two.

But Percy, skilled as he was in picking out the subtleties woven into the voices and faces of others, missed her playful air – perhaps because he was so determined to exclude playfulness from what he thought ought to be a grave affair. It pleased him, and his view of the world, to think of that woman as a mighty foe who would not be convinced easily, and he did as he pleased.

Once again, he remembered what Valeria had told him when they had first met. The royal seers had seen him by Evans' side. He too could contribute, rather than just stand there being a little man making little sounds. That woman clearly cared about appearances – he could work with that.

"And think" he started, addressing the sorceress, "what that would do for your reputation – how noble and merciful it would make you look!"

Her eyes suddenly flared with the glint of a new thought sharpening itself in her mind. Her posture lost the languid laziness she had displayed so far, and took on a rigid cold.

"Is that so? Now that you mention it... I did rather enjoy how fearsome this whole thing made me look. If I went and lifted the curse for most folks here just because some strangers asked me to... Why, I'm not sure my reputation would survive that. Thank you for bringing that to my attention! On second thought, then – sorry, won't do."

Percy blinked, though he was sure it had been the whole world blinking instead.

"Percival" his name oozed out of Valeria's gritted teeth with thick, viscous contempt.

She readied her sword, and Evans gripped his as well, a hiss escaping his lips. Every inch of him bristled as, with disorienting speed, he became ready to fight. Percy held onto his sword with both hands, as though that might give him a better grip on the world. This at last was familiar territory. Why had he yearned for it so much?

"Well, if that's how it's gonna be" the enchantress sighed before raising her arms, palms-up. A bowstring of a smile drew across her face.