You are heavy

Stephan's eyes abruptly shot open as a sharp pain erupted in his heart. It was a strange pain that travelled alongside his pain and pulled him from his dream world. It was as if he fell from a height and his body shattered on the ground. His whole body convulsed moving upward but he couldn't sit and suddenly he was wide awake with a sight in front of him that he didn't expect or more, he didn't expect her to appear that way.

"Good morning, her apprentice!" Soprana's voice resounded cheerfully, her lips painting a wide satisfying smile.

He glared at her but she just smiled at him cheekily, sitting on his stomach cross-legged. His head moved slowly for his eyes to check on his companions. They were glaring at him. Something in their eyes was promising if they were free, they would murder him. He was sleeping the whole time when the two of them were pinned against the tree and imprisoned in the tree's roots.

Soprana was humming to herself a lovely tune that made birds and animals come to her and feel safe by her side. She picked a rabbit by the ears and secured him aside with a hand movement. Everything was done by magic and she was still on top of Stephan, waiting for him to regain his consciousness.

"Get off me, red-haired witch," he told her in a suffocated voice. His lungs threatened to stop any moment. "Please, get up. You are HEAVY."

Hearing the word heavy from his mouth made her irritated. No man should tell a woman she was heavy because her features existed for them. The hormones made the female body grow up in a sexual way; they would get fatter obviously. Furthermore, she wasn't that fat. Just before she could hit him on the head as a punishment, Stephan quickly grabbed the closest body parts of her. He was confident her chest would be the best part to cause the most damage.

He grasped them tightly, using her as a support to pull his body upward. His hand next pushed her using all the strength he had in his muscles to flip her over and switch their position from her being on top of him to him being on top of her. Stephan jumped down on his feet to be ready for any retaliation from her. However, he soon realized he didn't have his equipment. He was left with his cape only. His sceptre was tightly put next to the dwarf and the elf.

Her mouth gaped open at the unexpected result. She regained her standing posture slowly while he glanced down at her and sniffed disdainfully.

Gillibrian couldn't stand the humiliation he faced because of the brat. He recalled how the witch found them and presented herself as the red-haired witch of the West then with a wave of her hand, they were brought to the biggest tree around them and were chained by the roots. He swore if he survived, he would murder Stephan until he was satisfied. He expected the witch to kill them but she simply sat on Stephan and waited for him to wake from dawn.

The whole time she was humming her tune like a lullaby for children to sleep. The unexpected reaction of Stephan made her stop and gaze at him with the urge to laugh. She came for a reason and she didn't intend to leave until she got it.

Stephan watched her for a moment as she brimmed with energy like a worm on caffeine but he soon let his guard down and attempted to speak to her. He knew she would come since his confidence of the previous day would put doubts inside her mind.

"Do you know what you did?" Soprana started. "Do you know how much energy I spent on making that soup? From the moment I sat on your body and it wasn't comfortable. Do you realize how hard it is to work in an uncomfortable environment?" she said with a determination that pushed him to look to his left and see a spilt marmite of soup.

"What?" he asked innocently, feigning ignorance. One eye turned bigger than the other showing a confused expression next.

"I was making a fragrant soup for breakfast. Not only you disturb me yesterday but you spilt my soup today as well. How much are you willing to pay for it? It's only morally right to pay back the things you made me lose."

"Does that include also the fact that you sat on me for hours? I thought I was dreaming of a gorilla smashing me continuously. Do you know how hard it is to sleep in this world? Do you even know the worth of sleeping? Are you ready to pay back for the lost hours of sleep?"

After hurling a few curses internally, they both came to an agreement. Stephan would make another soup for breakfast and both prisoners would be freed. The witch sounded satisfied with the outcome. He didn't chase her away like the others. If he had done so, she would just kill them and go over it. It wasn't like she was losing anything.

Soprana sat down cross-legged and started humming another tune. This time it didn't look like a lullaby but a gentle breeze brushing over his skin. He closed his eyes for a few seconds enjoying it.

"Giving hospitality to a witch ain't morally right, lad," Gillibrian voice pulled him out from the cool sensation of her melody. "You cannot be smitten by her good looks and her beautiful voice. Even mermaids have beautiful voices yet they are deadly."

"Come," Agandaur said walking ahead. "We have something to discuss. Isn't it morally right to just explain what happened? Do you realize what happened?"

Stephan rolled his eyes and at that moment, his eyeballs met Soprana's, she smiled at him waving at him to go ahead and enjoy his time away.

"I guess I can explain some things. If you think you can escape a witch's den unharmed then you are wrong, the moment we stepped inside her barrier and reached her hut, we were doomed," he crossed his arms. "I just had to take advantage of the situation. If we were to die, why not take advantage of everything around us? I am sure she would be a great travelling companion."