❝ MERLIN'S GHOST! ❞
❝ I MEAN, YOU'RE NOT WRONG. ❞
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Albany Bronwen was no Chosen One by any means, but being haunted by the ghosts of the greatest sorcerer of all time and a former king had to count for something, right?
❃ in which a lone...
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"KEEP IT UP, AL! THAT'S IT!"
Albany's breaths were deep and laboured as she focused hard on spreading her concentration over her various tasks. One was swimming, which, in her beginner stages, was separated into several different things: kicking her legs, alternating the strokes of her arms, and directing her body to keep it beneath the surface. The other was maintaining her Bubblehead Charm at the same time, and was by far more difficult. George's words of encouragement were muffled given the water that separated them, and though appreciated, they were unfortunately distracting; Albany went to curse as she lost focus on her magic, but swallowed a mouthful of lake water instead.
She resurfaced with a choked cough, and began paddling back over to waters shallow enough in which to stand.
"You did great that time!" George praised her, grinning broadly as he waded over to meet her. "You held the charm for like, a whole thirty seconds!"
"You distracted me!" Albany accused him, and then spat out another bit of lake water, making a face. "I totally could have held it longer."
George grinned apologetically. "Sorry," he said, "you totally could have."
"Yeah," Albany agreed, shivering in the cool air before wading back out again. "I'll try again, look, I'll show you."
George snorted in amusement at her determination. "You're so cute," he chuckled.
Albany blushed crimson and whipped around to face him again. "There you go again, distracting me!"
George raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smirk crossing his lips. "Oh? You find it distracting?" he teased.
Albany mumbled a flustered curse under her breath before marching back into the lake. George laughed.
"For real though, your swimming has come on so well!" he called out to her, grinning.
"Stop complimenting me!"
The second task was tomorrow. Albany was nearly grateful for the numerous activities she had to focus entirely on while practicing her swimming; it helped distract her mind from panicking completely over the next day's events. The very thought made her stomach want to empty its contents — and the memory of what had occurred last time she was facing a task the next day was not one she wished to relive. That said, easing her anxiety was as impossible as avoiding tomorrow's task.
Especially given that she was still a total beginner at swimming, and thirty seconds was her record with the Bubblehead Charm.
The clock was ticking, and her denial of the fact that she had little hope for success was the only thing keeping her going.
