Curse and Blessing (tarotgal birthday fic 2017)

[Wig_Powder]

So, backstory time; from 2012-2019, tarotgal ran a sneezefic prompt meme over on her Livejournal/Dreamwidth, as a sort of birthday celebration. I enjoyed participating in it, in part because it was an easy way to write her a birthday present. In 2016, however, I missed the main flurry of activity due to some real-life events, and decided I'd do two fics the next year to make up for it. To make a long story short, a combination of real life and not finding any prompts in the new prompt memes led to me not getting any fics out for the next three years. Then tarotgal stopped doing it in 2020, which should have been the end of it.

However, I had started working on some of her prompts from prior years, and I didn't want them to go to waste. So in the end, I decided I would go through all of the prompts tarotgal made on those memes over the years, select ten of them (four for the four years I missed, five for the subsequent years, and then one bonus fic to make up for the long delay) and then post them one per day, ending on tarotgal's birthday, April 19th. I've been working on these on and off for the past few years, and it's now time to finally share the fruits of my labor. The first fic ended up being just 18+ enough to merit being posted on the Adult Board (which is why I posted it first so there wouldn't be any gaps), but the remaining nine should all be showing up here over the next week-plus. I hope everyone enjoys them!

Also, this particular fic is a sequel to the story I wrote in 2021 titled "A Mage and Her Warrior". Hopefully you can still follow along even without reading it, though. But for those who did read it, I hope it's a worthy followup.

~~~

Siofe was just finishing up arranging the fish on the plates when Baldric emerged from their tent, smiling at the sight of the food. “Just what I needed,” he said, taking the plate from her, “I’ve worked up quite an appetite today.”

“I’m not surprised,” Siofe said, “Given all those nets you hauled in, plus five hours of riding, an hour of practice, and chopping wood for the fire, I’d have been more surprised if you weren’t starving. That’s part of why I pulled out the biggest fish they gave us, to make sure you’d have enough to eat.”

Baldric sat down next to her, taking a large swallow of water before cutting into the fish. “Much appreciated. Depending on how hungry I am, I might ask if I can have a bite or two of yours.”

“Of course,” Siofe said, affectionately nudging his shoulder, “I’m not about to let you waste away to nothing.” Baldric just chuckled and started eating.

After they’d eaten (Baldric did, in fact, take a few pieces of her fish) and cleaned up, the two of them turned away from the fire to enjoy the sunset. It didn’t take long for Siofe to rest her head on his shoulder, or for Baldric to put an arm around her. As the pinks in the sky deepened to red, Siofe sighed and pressed herself closer to Baldric. It had been a wonderful day; good weather, beautiful views, more money in their purses, and fresh supplies that had resulted in a delicious dinner. Now she and Baldric were holding each other, watching the evening sky, quietly enjoying each other’s company. She didn’t think it could get any better.

Then Baldric tensed, his grip tightening. “HUTKIRIHSHHHH!!!” He sniffed, then said “I’m sorry. That’s been bothering me for an hour, and only now decided to come out.”

Siofe didn’t mind in the least. The day had just gone from “wonderful” to “perfect”. “Gitsen,” she said, starting to rub circles over his chest, “What brought that on?”

“A tree branch smacked me in the face while I was practicing, and some of the needles got into my nose for a moment,” Baldric replied, and she could hear the knowing amusement in his voice, “It obviously wasn’t enough to make me sneeze, but it did leave a lingering itch. I guess it just needed some deep breaths and the smoke from the fire to help coax it out.”

“You should have said something earlier,” Siofe said, “You know I’d have been more than happy to help out.”

“Forgive me,” Baldric said, “But my stomach took precedence. That being said...” he ran a finger down her back, tracing a wave as he did so, “Perhaps we should make sure there aren’t any more sneezes hidden away inside me. I wouldn’t want to have trouble falling asleep due to a bothersome itch, after all.”

Siofe grinned. “I think that can be arranged. Would you rather we use a quill or an incense stick?”

“Quill, I think,” Baldric said, “The incense stick may be more effective, but I suspect it would leave my nose more irritated instead of less.”

“Fair enough,” Siofe said, the familiar warmth already starting to build in her stomach, “Would you like to get started now, or do you want to watch the sky a little longer?”

“I’d like to see the first few stars come out,” Baldric replied, running his fingers up her back, “But after that, you’ll have my undivided attention.”

Siofe squirmed at the sensation. “Well, you’ve already guaranteed that you’ve got mine.”

***

Two days after that pleasant interlude, Baldric and Siofe stopped at a roadside inn for the evening. Asking about any troubles that they could assist with, they were told of a crisis that had just erupted in Hanzim. It seemed that many years ago, a mage had sequestered herself in a cave near the town, deeming it the safest way to develop new spells. However, years of isolation and using magic rather than more traditional means to sustain herself had warped her perspective, and when she’d finally emerged from her home, she’d decided that the best way to see the full effects of her magic was to start terrorizing the townsfolk. Upon hearing that, Baldric immediately pulled out their map to start figuring out the fastest route to Hanzim, while Siofe dug out her contact crystal to see what Obeis Tower knew about the matter.

It turned out that Velda, the mage in question, was a familiar name to the tutors. She’d always been bright and creative, but she hated sharing credit with anyone, hence why she’d left the tower and moved to a cave. They recommended that Siofe, as a fellow mage, try to talk her down, but if that failed, she and Baldric would most likely have to fight Velda to the death. Nodding grimly, Siofe ended the conversation and ran through her repertoire of spells, wanting to be ready for a fight.

Not wanting Hanzim to suffer any more than necessary, she and Baldric rode for as long and as fast as they could, managing to reach the outskirts of Hanzim in only a day and a half. They took an hour to rest and prepare themselves, and then they entered the town, where they were immediately recognized. A cry of relief went up, and they were able to meet with the mayor and learn about the situation before riding out to the cave to confront Velda.

Velda darted out of the cave as soon as she heard the sound of hooves, her expression wild and a spell already building in her hand. Siofe, having preemptively cast a shield spell over herself, Baldric, and the horses, made a valiant effort to talk to her, but Velda just made a contemptuous comment about jealousy before hurling an unfamiliar spell at them. Baldric and Siofe obligingly leapt into action, Baldric distracting Velda by riding around her and occasionally striking her with his sword while Siofe, constantly changing position so it would be difficult for Velda to target her, tried to hit her with spells that would weaken her, hoping that she’d be more willing to talk once she’d been incapacitated. Regretfully, however, Velda refused to yield, and at last, Siofe and Baldric worked together to bring her down for good.

Hanzim was monumentally relieved when the two adventurers returned to town, bearing proof of Velda’s demise. A celebration was immediately thrown together, and after Siofe oversaw the cremation of Velda’s body (she checked with Obeis Tower beforehand, and they agreed it was best to let Hanzim decide what they wanted to do with it rather than risk potential danger transporting it to the tower), she was more than happy to join in. She and Baldric danced and retold the story of the battle until well into the night, before accepting lodgings at the best inn in town and retiring to bed.

The next morning, the two of them made their way back to Velda’s cave to make sure it wasn’t housing dangerous material that could endanger Hanzim in the future. As soon as it came into view, Siofe felt a powerful pulse of magic emanating from the cave, which meant there was certainly something still in there. Tying their horses to a tree well away from the cave entrance, she and Baldric carefully made their way towards it, Siofe activating a light spell while Baldric lit a torch. Peering into the cave, they saw that it was wider and deeper than it initially appeared, with what appeared to be multiple chambers and pathways. “Let’s see just how far it goes,” Siofe said, “And then we can start to examine the rooms.”

Baldric nodded and stepped into the cave, Siofe right behind him. Despite their plan, they couldn’t help but peer into the chambers they passed, trying to get a sense of what was inside them. From what Siofe could see, they appeared to be used for either storage or practicing magic; some contained items, while others had unnatural markings on their walls and floors. No doubt Velda’s primary work area would be closer to the back of the cave, and Siofe was torn between curiosity and anxiety about what they would find there.

Then, after they’d gone about thirty paces, Baldric held up his torch to look into another room. With a loud rush of air and a chittering noise, a small flock of bats darted out of the chamber, no doubt startled by the light. Equally startled, Siofe quickly retreated a few steps back towards the cave entrance, while Baldric moved both back and to the side. Unfortunately, force of habit caused him to step to his left (he almost always did this while readying his shield), which caused him to actually set a foot into the bats’ chamber. While no further bats flew at him, Siofe immediately felt a sharp crackle of magic, suggesting some sort of spell had just been activated. A second later, Baldric gasped sharply, nearly dropping the torch. “Are you all right?” Siofe called to him, her heart beating rapidly.

“I...don’t know,” Baldric said, hurriedly stepping away from the chamber, “I haven’t been injured, but I felt as though I’d been shocked when my foot crossed the threshold. And now my whole body feels like it’s tingling. It’s not painful, but I don’t think it’s a good sign, either.”

“We’re leaving,” Siofe declared, turning back towards the mouth of the cave, “I need some distance from the cave to confirm my suspicion, but if I’m right...we’re out of our depth.”

“What is it?” Baldric said nervously, “What’s just happened to me?”

“I think you’ve just been cursed,” Siofe answered, “And given the strong sense of magic in this place, I have a feeling every single chamber entrance has been booby-trapped with a hex. I need to be able to sense if there’s magic coming off you before I can say for sure, though.”

“And if I have been cursed?”

Siofe grimaced. “We just have to hope that it isn’t a particularly nasty one. I have almost no training in curse-breaking. I’ll have to contact Obeis Tower and have them send somebody who is more adept at it to both cure you and deal with whatever else Velda cast in there.”

They emerged from the cave, making it easier for Siofe to see the color draining out of Baldric’s face. “How long would it take for them to reach us?”

“I’ll need to look at the map,” Siofe said, “But several days, at the least.”

Baldric swallowed. “Does that mean that there’s a chance that I’ll...”

“Yes,” Siofe said, knowing it was best to be honest, “But depending on what kind of curse it is, we can probably keep it somewhat controlled through magic and medicine until the other mage gets here.”

That didn’t seem to reassure Baldric (to be fair, it didn’t make Siofe feel any better either), but he nodded and followed her back to their horses. After putting out his torch with some water, they rode away from the cave until they were halfway between it and Hanzim. Then Siofe had them stop their horses and closed her eyes, sensing the magic around her. When she felt a tiny but persistent flicker to her right, she sighed and opened her eyes again. “There’s definitely some sort of magic inside you,” she said, “But it doesn’t feel that strong, which may be a good sign. How are you feeling?”

“My nerves make it hard to truly answer that question,” Baldric said, “But while my mouth is dry and my heart is racing, I don’t feel that much different than I usually do. Although...the tingling from earlier has mostly subsided, but I can still feel it in and around my nose.”

Even through her concern, Siofe couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Do you really think I’d tease you at a time like this? I swear by Artet’s bow, I’m telling you the truth.”

Siofe nodded. “All right. Let’s get back to the inn. That way, we can have a doctor examine you to make sure there’s nothing else happening to you, and I can contact Obeis Tower.”

They rode back to Hanzim at a gallop, only slowing when they neared the town’s doctor. Leaving Baldric there to start the examination, Siofe hurried back to their inn, grabbed her contact crystal, and then returned to the doctor, wanting to hear the diagnosis before activating the crystal.

Despite her time away, it still took another five minutes before Doctor Helwig, a kindly looking woman in her 50’s, stepped away from Baldric and gestured for him to put his armor back on. “Based on what I’ve seen, he’s overall in good health,” she said, “There’s no fever, no discolorations on his skin, and nothing unusual-looking about his blood. The only thing that seemed out of the ordinary was a faint buzzing feeling under my fingers when I touched his nose. In fact, perhaps you can help me. If you’ll cast a light spell, maybe I can look up there and see if I can see something.”

Baldric quickly finished buckling on the armor around his left leg and obligingly sat back down, tilting his head up, while Siofe cast the spell and held her fingers under Baldric’s nose (unable to stop herself from recalling decidedly different times when she’d had her fingers close to his nose, but trying to focus on the seriousness of the current situation). Helwig squinted and turned her head this way and that, then finally nodded and stepped back. “I think I saw something light grey in there, certainly not something I’d expect to see in a nose. We’ll have to wait and see to be sure, but I suspect whatever this curse is will be concentrated in that area. I’m afraid I can’t make any suggestions for medicines, but if his nose starts bleeding, I may be able to help with that, at least.”

Siofe nodded. “I’ll need you to say the same thing to Obeis Tower so they can start to have an idea of what they’re dealing with. Give me a minute...”

Soon thereafter, she was talking with Head Tutor Durai, relaying everything that had happened over the past hour (had it really only been that long?). Just as Helwig was giving her report, Baldric, who had just finished putting on his armor, abruptly pitched forward with a sneeze. “AKTISHHHFFFF!!!”

Siofe, Helwig, and Durai all jumped, and Siofe promptly turned back to look at him. “Gitsen. Did that...change anything?”

Baldric peered into the handkerchief he’d manage to retrieve before the sneeze. “I haven’t sneezed out anything odd, if that’s what you meant. As for how I feel, the tingling in my nose increased several seconds before I sneezed, but it’s gone back to its previous levels. Really, it didn’t feel that much different from a normal itch.”

“I’d like to think that’s encouraging,” Siofe said, before turning back to Durai, “There’s an extra bit of evidence for you to consider.”

Once Helwig had finished speaking, Durai rubbed his chin and pursed his lips. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a curse that produces results like this,” he said, “But then again, that’s not my department. I’ll send someone out to you right away. If they move quickly, they should arrive at Hanzim within a week. In the meantime, keep an eye on Baldric, and contact me if there are any changes.”

“Of course,” Siofe said, “Thank you for your help.”

“If it helps fellow mages and Quaysit, it’s my pleasure,” Durai answered with a faint smile, “Good luck, Siofe. May things remain as relatively calm as they currently are.”

Siofe nodded and ended the contact spell. “What will you do now?” Helwig asked.

“Unless Baldric disagrees, we’ll go to the inn, collect our things, and set up camp near Velda’s cave to wait for the cursebreaker. That way, we can make sure no one else tries to enter the cave, and just in case things get worse, we won’t cause any damage to Hanzim.”

“That’s probably the best course of action,” Baldric said, “Though if Doctor Helwig’s services end up being required, I’ll have to trust you to be able to bring her to our camp qui...ihh...”

He promptly took out his handkerchief and brought it to his face. Helwig grimaced and pressed her hands to her ears. And Siofe, despite herself, bit her lip. “IFSCHHHHH!!!”

“Gitsen,” Siofe said, “I promise, I’ll give Hartwin his head and let him run as fast as he likes to make sure you’re examined as fast as possible.”

“Then we’d better get started,” Baldric said, “I’ll go back to our inn and pack our things; you should speak to the mayor so he can inform the town to stay away from the cave.”

Siofe nodded before turning to Helwig. “What do we owe you?”

After paying Helwig two gold pieces, she and Baldric went their separate ways, eventually meeting back up at the edge of town. “Any changes?” Siofe asked as Baldric rode up.

“No,” Baldric said, “I sneezed three times, but nothing’s changed. My nose still tingles, but otherwise, I feel fine.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Siofe said, “And there’s a good chance it will. From what I remember, most curses manifest after an hour, and we’re coming up on the second hour now. As long as nothing changes by the end of the day, we’ve probably seen the full extent of the curse.”

Baldric visibly relaxed. “So what you’re saying is that I’ve likely been afflicted with a sneezing curse?”

“It seems that way,” Siofe said, laughing a little, “It seems a little tame for Velda, but perhaps that was one of her earlier experiments.”

Baldric smiled and turned Milburga back towards the cave. “And unluckily for her, she happened to be defeated by the one pair of adventurers who don’t see it as a curse. I might not wholly enjoy the next week...but I suspect you’ll make sure to distract me from my discomfort as much as possible.”

Siofe grinned, her own anxiety starting to fade. “You have my word on that.”

***

The rest of the day passed without incident. Baldric sneezed every few minutes (there was no set pattern; it could be as little as one minute or as much as fifteen), but didn’t develop any further symptoms. By the time they went to bed (after deciding Baldric shouldn’t stand watch, in case sleep would help keep the curse at bay), most of their fear was gone, replaced instead by wry amusement. As long as they kept monitoring Baldric for any changes, they might actually end up enjoying the next week.

The next morning, the two of them woke up and, after confirming that Baldric didn’t look or feel any different, began their normal routine of getting dressed and making breakfast. As Siofe was putting her hair up into its ponytail and Baldric was starting on the arms of his armor, she heard his breath catch for what would probably be the first of many times that day, and turned to watch him, partly to make sure nothing had changed and partly just to enjoy the sight. Baldric noticed and smiled, then brought the handkerchief to his face. His breath caught again, and then...

“Tchii!”

Siofe blinked. Baldric lowered the handkerchief, a similarly startled look on his face. “Was that it?” Siofe said.

Baldric nodded. “The tingling has died down again, and I don’t see anything odd in my handkerchief. And I still don’t feel anything out of the ordinary.”

“And your appearance hasn’t changed, either,” Siofe assured him, “But that was...”

“Absurdly tiny? I agree. And while I admit that I appreciate not being thrown forward by the force of the sneeze, the change is...disconcerting.”

“This has to be part of the curse,” Siofe said, “I can’t see any other reason why your sneeze would change so dramatically.”

“What do we do now?”

“If a small sneeze is the only change from yesterday, I don’t see a reason to fetch Doctor Helwig. I will contact Durai, but I doubt he’ll have any suggestions. Besides that, all we really can do is keep monitoring you to make sure nothing else happens.”

Baldric resumed tightening the straps on his armor. “All right. But for both our sakes, we should probably try to continue our normal routines to the best of our ability. That sense of normality will hopefully keep us relatively calm.”

“Agreed,” Siofe said, taking the contact crystal from her bag, “Let me go talk to Durai, and then we’ll do just that.”

As expected, Durai couldn’t offer any advice on what to do about the sudden change in Baldric’s sneezing. “But I’ll pass on your findings,” he assured her, “Maybe it’ll help make it easier to eventually break the curse.” Siofe thanked him, then returned to the tent, just in time to see Baldric bring his handkerchief to his face. “Ichii!”

“Gitsen,” Siofe said, shaking her head, “That’s going to take a long time to get used to.”

“You don’t think this is permanent, do you?” Baldric said, sounding surprisingly concerned about the prospect.

“I can’t know for sure, but I doubt it. It’s starting to look like this is a curse that constantly changes the way you sneeze, though we won’t know for sure until tomorrow. But if it is permanent, would that be such a bad thing? You just said they weren’t as forceful, and you once called your regular sneezes a ‘nuisance’. If nothing else, these seem a lot more manageable.”

“True,” Baldric said, his eyes sliding away from her as a bit of red came into his cheeks, “But...I’ve grown used to my normal sneezes. Especially since I’ve found someone who actually appreciates them.”

Realizing what Baldric’s real concern was, Siofe put away her contact crystal and then came over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “If you’ll remember, we started courting each other months before I heard you sneeze for the first time. And there’s plenty about you that I love besides your sneezing. And while I said these new sneezes would take time to get used to...I didn’t say that I disliked them.”

Baldric returned the embrace with a soft chuckle. “I’ll take your word for it.”

“Oh, now you’ve made it a challenge,” Siofe said, “When evening rolls around, I’m bringing out the incense and proving to you that your sneeze will always please me, no matter what it sounds like.”

She looked up just in time to see Baldric’s eyes gleam. “I certainly won’t say no to an offer like that. But what if the curse means I can only sneeze when it wants me to?”

“That seems unlikely,” Siofe said, stepping away from him and returning to the saddlebags, “Surely a sneeze-based curse would actually encourage still more sneezing. But you’re right that we should probably make sure.”

Digging out her box of incense, she withdrew a stick and held it out to him. “Go on, give it a try.”

Grinning wryly, Baldric took the stick and sniffed it, his nose immediately wrinkling. He gave it three more sniffs, then held the stick as far away from him as he could, his eyes closing and mouth dropping open. “Hih...hitshee!”

“Gitsen,” Siofe said, taking the stick back, “I don’t think we’ll have any problems tonight, do you?”

Baldric shook his head, rubbing his handkerchief against his nose. “Though depending on how close you keep the incense, we may have trouble getting the sneezes to stop.”

“I’ll make sure you get regular breaks,” Siofe promised him as she put the incense away, “It’s the least I can do, given everything.”

Baldric shook his head affectionately and came forward to give her a kiss. “I’m sure you will. In the meantime, though, we’d better start our day properly. I’ll keep an eye on the cave while you exercise Hartwin.”

The rest of the day passed without incident. Other than a visit from Mayor Broden’s aide to make sure Baldric was still feeling all right, no one else from town came by. After exercising the horses, Siofe and Baldric spent the day enjoying the sunlight, Baldric taking inventory of their supplies while Siofe made some repairs. Baldric continued to sneeze every few minutes (as before, there was no noticeable pattern), but given their small size, they didn’t particularly hamper his work. Siofe made sure to bless each one, and every so often, they’d meet eyes and grin at each other, thoughts already drifting to the evening. But they resisted the temptation to get started early, Baldric doing his usual hour of practice and Siofe cooking dinner when they believed it was close to sunset. Then they retired to their tent, Baldric cleaning his armor while Siofe changed into her nightclothes and (mostly) prepared for bed. But as soon as Baldric had set down his final piece, Siofe was standing next to him, a fresh handkerchief in one hand and a stick of incense in the other. “We’ll let the first one come naturally,” she said, smiling teasingly as she held out the handkerchief, “And then we’ll start helping them along.”

Baldric smiled back, squeezing her hand as he took the handkerchief from her. “And how will we pass the time until then?”

Siofe inclined her head towards their bedroll. “Well, we can start by getting comfortable.”

Two minutes later, the two of them were pressed up against each other, kissing and caressing, the incense lying safely at the foot of the bed until it was needed. And four minutes after that, Baldric pulled away from Siofe, snatching up his handkerchief and pressing it to his face. “Hah...hatsii!!”

“Gitsen,” Siofe crooned, sitting up just enough to grab the stick of incense, “And I’m sorry in advance.”

“I’m not,” Baldric answered, arranging himself a little more comfortably on the bedroll, “Because I know you’ll make it up to me.” Grinning, Siofe pounced on him, giving him another few kisses before she got to “work”.

***

Since they’d stayed up late the night before, Baldric and Siofe didn’t get up until late morning, though thanks to Siofe’s various spells, they weren’t too worried about having slept so long. After doing another check to make sure Baldric still looked and felt the same (all was well other than the tingling in his nose), they started dressing, though Siofe kept glancing over at Baldric, waiting to see if his sneeze had changed. This time, he managed to get one arm of his armor attached before his breath caught. “Ah...At-shh!”

Siofe waited for a few seconds, but that was apparently the end of it. “Gitsen,” she said, “It seems that I was right. The curse’s two primary effects are to constantly irritate your nose, and to change the sound of your sneeze every day. I’m still not entirely sure what Velda’s intent was, but we’re both lucky that you got hit with this particular curse.”

Baldric smiled. “Indeed. Though I have to admit, today’s sneeze seems particularly mild. The volume and force are...shockingly ordinary.”

Siofe laughed and shrugged. “Maybe part of the curse is that the sneezes occasionally become more typical, lulling the victim into a false sense of security that things are going back to normal. It just so happens that your normal sneezes don’t fit the usual standard.”

“I suppose I should enjoy this, then,” Baldric said, slipping on his right shoulderpiece, “Even if this curse isn’t as frustrating for us as Velda intended, I’m sure some of the sneezes it comes up with will, indeed, inconvenience me at times.”

Siofe rested an arm on his left shoulder. “Maybe. But no matter what, I’ll be close at hand to help you through it.”

Baldric tightened his pauldron, then put his hand on her cheek, giving her a smile that was half teasing, half sincere, and all affectionate. “I’m sure you will. And I appreciate that. I can only imagine how I’d be feeling if I had to be dealing with this on my own.”

Siofe pecked his cheek. “Let’s not deal with that particular hypothetical. Instead, let’s enjoy this relative respite from the curse.”

The day passed much as the previous one had. Siofe gave Durai an update on Baldric’s curse, they performed their usual routines, and used the remaining time to chat, while Siofe brewed up some new healing potions and energy regeneratives for when they finally returned to the road. As before, Baldric’s sneezed regularly (in more ways than one) throughout the day, but they were a minor nuisance, acknowledged with a blessing but then swiftly moved past. When night fell, they went to bed at the usual time; while Siofe was tempted to indulge in Baldric’s sneezing again, they agreed that they should probably get a full night’s sleep, since they had no idea what the next day would bring. That didn’t stop her from kissing Baldric every time he sneezed, though, which at least allowed them to both fall asleep with smiles on their faces.

***

Siofe was abruptly awoken the next morning by a sharp, but certainly not unpleasant sound. “Eh...heh...” Grinning slightly, she braced herself for Baldric’s sneeze, just in case it had gone back to normal.

But Baldric didn’t sneeze. Instead, he exhaled in a sort of disappointed sigh. Surprised, Siofe rolled over and looked up at him. “All right?”

“Yes and no,” Baldric responded, lowering his hand, “I generally feel fine, but the tingling in my nose has gotten sharper. Instead of being a mild but persistent itch, it’s the sort of sting that tells you you’re going to be sneezing in the next minute or so.”

“Hmm,” Siofe said, “I can’t tell if that’s related to your sneeze for the day or if the curse also gradually increases the feeling in your nose. Another odd data point for Durai, apparently.”

Baldric nodded. “Let’s hope for the latter. The previous tingling has been a mild discomfort, but this is much less easy to tolerate.”

As Siofe sat up to give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, she saw Baldric’s nose twitch, and ended up gripping onto his shoulder to offer some support. He nodded briefly before bringing a handkerchief up towards his face. “Heh...hehh...”

He sat frozen in place for a moment, then made the disappointed sighing noise again. “It backed down,” he explained, rubbing at his nose, “The itch is still there, but the urge to sneeze has subsided.”

Siofe winced in sympathy. “Try to ignore it as best you can. Perhaps anticipating the sneeze is scaring it off.”

“Easier said than done,” Baldric said, “But I’ll try.” Siofe kissed his cheek and got out of the bedroll, preparing to dress. As she was letting her robes fall over her head, she heard Baldric’s breath catch again, only for him to let out another disappointed (though now it was starting to sound frustrated) sigh. Turning around, she saw Baldric rubbing his nose sharply, though it was hard to tell if he was trying to drive away the itch or encourage the sneeze to come out. “Damn!” he cursed.

Siofe frowned. This was looking more and more like the sneeze “type” of the day, and if the last few minutes had been any indication, it wasn’t going to be a particularly enjoyable day for Baldric. “If you’re willing, I’d like to try something,” she said, “If we’re lucky, it will offer you some relief, but there’s a good chance it’s going to make things worse instead.”

“What did you have in mind?” Baldric asked.

“Perhaps we can coax the sneeze out,” Siofe said, moving to her saddlebags, “I’m hoping this particular variation of the curse can be influenced by normal irritations. But if it isn’t…”

“I’m willing to take the chance,” Baldric said, “Though I think a quill would be better, just in case.”

Siofe nodded and took a quill from her bag. Coming over to Baldric, she held the quill out to him. “You should probably be the one to wield it,” she said with a faint smile, “After all, you know where your nose is currently the most sensitive.”

Baldric huffed, then took the quill and carefully ran it around the edge of his nose, making sure the barbs were brushing against both the inside and the outside of his nose. His nose immediately wrinkled, but there was no sign of a sneeze. When he’d finished tracing a circle with the tip, Baldric slipped the quill into the left side of his nose, angling it to the right, presumably where the curse’s tingling was strongest. His nose started actively twitching, and after a particularly sharp jab, Baldric’s mouth dropped open. “Heh…HAHH…”

Siofe tensed in preparation, but a grimace passed across Baldric’s face, and he removed the quill, groaning. “It’s no good,” he said, scrubbing at his nose, “The quill certainly increased the itch, but it still retreated at the last moment. And now the left side of my nose is outright burning.”

Siofe took the quill from him before sympathetically stroking between his shoulders. “I’m sorry.”

Baldric shrugged, though he still looked annoyed. “Assuming this curse keeps following its usual pattern, this should only last for a day. And while it’s a nuisance, I don’t think it’s entirely debilitating. As long as we don’t get into a fight, I should be able to follow the usual routines.”

Siofe nodded. “For your sake, I hope so.” Moving back to her bags, she put the quill away before retrieving her contact crystal. Then she went outside so both of them could have a bit of privacy.

To Baldric’s credit, he did indeed manage to keep his typical schedule, from putting on his armor to exercising Milburga to practicing his sword work for an hour. But every few minutes, he’d either freeze in place or falter, breath catching twice, before exhaling and resuming his task. Based on what Siofe could see, he was trying not to rub at his nose, since he’d realized it was pointless to do so, but he still did it fairly regularly out of habit. As a result, his nose had become noticeably pink by the evening, which Siofe knew better than to draw attention to, even though part of her was tempted to do so. As frustrating as the inability to sneeze had to be for Baldric, she had to admit that his constant hitching breaths and her glimpses of him frozen on the verge of a sneeze was teasing her in an entirely different way. But since she suspected Baldric wouldn’t be in a mood to indulge her tonight, she tamped down on her urges and did her best not to squirm. Even if every gasp made her feel like she’d be able to tear his breastplate in half with her bare hands in order to speed up the act of dragging him to bed.

While Baldric did change out of his armor before dinner, as he normally did, he’d brought his sword and shield to the firepit. At Siofe’s quizzical look, he said “If I want any hope of getting to sleep tonight, I think I need to exhaust myself. Which means spending at least another hour working on my footwork and sword te…eh…ehh…”

He tensed for a moment, but when the itch died down, he simply finished saying “technique.” before turning his attention to his food. Siofe nodded in understanding and tried to come up with something else to discuss, not wanting to call attention to the current situation. Especially since his nose would be sending him a constant reminder every few minutes anyway.

After dinner, Siofe cleaned the dishes and retired to their tent, leaving Baldric to do what he needed to. Once she’d prepared for bed, she settled down in the bedroll with a book, trying not to dwell on the sounds from outside. While it was easy enough to block out the noise of rustling grass as Baldric moved through it, the moments when his activities were interrupted by soft gasps were a little harder to ignore. Still, she did her best, even though she suspected that she’d need to reread this chapter at a later date in order to make sure she’d retained the information.

She had no idea how long Baldric stayed out there, but she could tell he’d accomplished his goal when he finally returned to the tent. He was panting for breath, a noticeable sheen of sweat on his face, and every step seemed to take him a tremendous effort. After assuring her that he was fine, he managed to change into his nightclothes, then, after waiting just long enough for his breath to catch again, climbed into the bedroll and closed his eyes. While he didn’t fall asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, it certainly didn’t take long before his body relaxed and his breathing changed. Not wanting to risk waking him up, Siofe slowly moved to put out the lantern, then laid down beside him without touching him. While part of her wondered if he’d be awoken by a particularly loud sneeze right on the cusp of midnight, all was still quiet by the time she, too, fell asleep. Her last thought before drifting off was a hope, for both their sakes, that the next day’s sneeze pattern would be a touch less obnoxious.

***

Thanks to Baldric’s exertions from the night before, Siofe was the first one to wake up this time. Not wanting to be the one to wake Baldric up, she gingerly reached for her book, turning back to where she’d started the night before in order to catch up. While she was able to concentrate a little better now, the memory of the previous day, combined with anticipation of what today would bring, was already causing the warmth to gather in her stomach. With any luck, she might actually be able to do something about it today.

She was three pages in when she felt Baldric stirring beside her. Lowering the book, she turned to watch him, waiting until his eyes had fully opened before speaking. “Good morning. How are you feeling?”

Baldric took an experimental breath through his nose, then sighed in relief. “Much better than yesterday. The tingling’s returned to a faint itch, and the extra irritation from the quill seems to have disappeared.”

Siofe squeezed his hand before giving him a kiss. “That’s wonderful. And the fact that the tingling has gone back to its previous levels suggests that the curse isn’t gradually worsening, either. We’ll have to see what today brings, but it’s already looking like it will be much better than what you were dealing with yesterday.”

“I hope you’re right,” Baldric said, stretching, “Because yesterday was particularly maddening.”

Getting out of bed, they began to dress for the day, discussing what they wanted for breakfast. Baldric had just finished putting on his undertunic when he tensed, and Siofe stopped midsentence, waiting to see what today’s sneeze sounded like. To her surprise, Baldric proceeded to bring his hand up to his face, pinching his nose. “IKNNNXT!! HEPFFFFTT!! EXTFFFF!!”

His shoulders continued quivering as he stifled, each breath between sneezes sounding increasingly ragged. After about ten sneezes, he let out a loud exhale, finally dropping his hand from his nose. “Thank Artet,” he said hoarsely, “I wasn’t sure if the itch would subside on its own or not. It has the few times I’ve had to stifle for long periods, but given this curse…”

“What happened?” Siofe said, “I know you would never stifle voluntarily.”

Baldric grimaced. “I’m not entirely sure. I felt the tingle increase, and just as it reached the point of sneezing, I felt like I had to pinch my nose, and then my hand moved almost entirely of its own accord. That was disconcerting, to say the least.”

Siofe winced as well. “And given what happened yesterday, it’s probably best not to try to fight against it by sitting on your hands; I suspect all that would happen is that the itch in your nose would become increasingly more painful until you finally were allowed to stifle.”

“What should we do, then?” Baldric said, and she could see the frustration and desperation in his eyes, “Yesterday was an irritation, but I could at least perform my usual tasks. But if the curse follows its usual tendency to bring on sneezes every fifteen minutes or less, I’ll have to deal with this constantly, interrupting everything I try to do. I’ll be utterly useless, not to mention in increasing discomfort.”

The answer came to Siofe immediately. “I can put you to sleep. My sleep spell renders people unconscious for an hour. Perhaps that will trick your body into thinking another day has passed, and give you a new way of sneezing.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“I can just keep casting it on you until tomorrow. You’ll still waste a day, but at least you won’t end it with an aching chest.”

Baldric nodded and returned to the bedroll. “Let’s try it now, then. Before the curse forces me to start stifling again.”

Siofe stretched out beside him, waited until he got comfortable, then lightly touched her fingers to the back of his neck, casting her sleep spell. Baldric immediately went limp, eyes falling closed, and Siofe rubbed his neck as a semi-apology before standing up to finish getting ready for the day. Once she’d brushed her hair and put on her shoes, she went outside to take down the protective spells and start making breakfast. She debated contacting Durai while she was at it, but decided to see if her sleep spell had any effect so he’d have all the facts.

Since Siofe didn’t carry any sort of timekeeper, she had no idea exactly how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was almost done with breakfast when she heard a noise from the tent. She immediately picked up another plate and began filling it, looking expectantly towards the tent as she waited for Baldric to emerge.

When Baldric did appear, he was still in his undertunic, and the expression on his face told her that her idea hadn’t worked. “I felt the urge to sneeze almost as soon as I woke up,” he confirmed, “And then my hand immediately went to my face.”

Siofe sighed before holding out the plate. “You should probably eat something before we put you back to sleep. You’ll probably still be hungry when you finally are able to stay awake, but I’d rather you deal with a grumbling stomach instead of one that’s attempting to eat itself.”

Baldric nodded and took the plate from her. “And as much as I hate the idea, we should probably wait until I’ve finished my current round of stifling before you cast the spell again. Maybe that will keep me from having to sneeze immediately after waking up.”

“We’ll have to wait and see,” Siofe said, “But it’s not a bad idea.”

She finished her breakfast, then set to work recasting the protective spells, since her priority would be looking after Baldric today; she’d check to make sure everything was clear during Baldric’s brief periods of consciousness. Just as she’d finished the shield spell, she heard a sharp clatter of cutlery, and turned around in time to see Baldric’s back starting to shake, one of his arms bent. “IGNFFFTT!! EFTCHKKK!! HKNNNKT!!”

As he continued to sneeze, Siofe turned her attention back to casting, figuring it would be safest to keep working rather than hovering over him. Once he finally stopped twelve sneezes in, she called “Gitsen.” over her shoulder.

Baldric just groaned. Concerned, she finally approached him, and realized that the clattering noise she’d heard was the sound of his plate falling to the ground, ruining his breakfast. “I almost ended up choking on it, too,” Baldric said, gesturing to the plate, “I had just enough time to spit out my mouthful before my hand came to my nose.”

“At least you managed to eat some of it,” Siofe said, “And you can probably manage a few dried mizernes before you have to sneeze again. Let me finish casting my spells; you wrap up anything else you think needs to be done, and then get settled on the bedroll. I should be there in about six minutes.”

Baldric nodded and moved towards the tent, leaving Siofe to her work. Siofe listened as best she could in-between spells, but didn’t hear anything that suggested that Baldric had sneezed again. When she finally returned to the tent, she glanced inquisitively at Baldric, who had already stretched out on the bedroll, and he shook his head, confirming her guess. She pulled out a flask of energy restoration and her contact crystal, then moved to join him. Just as she sat down, she saw Baldric’s expression change, and a second later, his hand was back to his nose. “NCHNNXXTT!! IXPSSTT!! MPFFFTTT!! EPBXXTT!!”

Siofe waited, quickly swallowing her potion, counting the sneezes in her head. After the eleventh sneeze, Baldric lowered his hand, groaning and sniffing. “Gitsen.” Siofe said gently, before reaching out and touching his neck. Best to let him hear something sympathetic as he fell asleep.

Once she’d confirmed he’d fallen unconscious, Siofe got up to report to Durai, clean the breakfast dishes, then feed and exercise the horses in order to get the last of her daily chores out of the way. She didn’t think she’d be able to get them all done in an hour—it was best to give both horses at least half-an-hour to stretch their legs—but at least she’d mostly be done by the time Baldric woke up.

Sure enough, she was just securing Hartwin back to the tree they were using as a post when Baldric stuck his head out of the tent. “Anything I should know about?” he asked.

“No. Durai thought my idea of letting you sleep through today was wise, but otherwise, everything’s gone smoothly. All that’s left now is to give Milburga her exercise. But I’ll do that after we’ve got you back to sleep. Have you sneezed yet?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Baldric said, “Though at least I had a few minutes to sit up before the tingle became a sneeze.”

Siofe returned to the tent. “I’m sorry about that. Hopefully I’ll be on hand to make sure you only have to stifle once per period of awakeness. And at worst, you’ll only have one more hour where it happens twice.”

Baldric nodded. “Thank goodness for that. Even with the hour of rest, my chest is still starting to get sore from all the stifling.”

“If it helps, your nose got pretty pink yesterday, but it’s almost entirely faded today. With luck, the soreness will disappear just as quickly tomorrow.”

“I suppose it depends on what the curse decides to do to me,” Baldric said, “But that is comforting to know.”

They settled down on the bedroll, Siofe noticing that Baldric had retrieved a handkerchief to clear out his nose after his sneezing, which he explained was due to a combination of comfort and politeness. Then they chatted about the book Siofe was reading until Baldric eventually brought his fingers to his nose again. “EXGTTTT!! IFHHTTT!! NTKXXTT!!” After fourteen sneezes, he dropped his hand, groaned, gave his nose a quick blow, then laid down on his pillow and glanced up at her expectantly before closing his eyes. Siofe touched his cheek, then brought her fingers to his neck, blessing him as she cast the spell. The moment she saw his body relax, she got to her feet and left to exercise Milburga.

This time, Baldric was still asleep when she returned to the tent. Pausing by her saddlebags to get another book in case she managed to finish the first one (she’d have a lot of time on her hands today, after all) she stretched out on the bedroll beside Baldric, taking up her book and starting to read, keeping a vague ear out for signs that he was waking up again.

The moment she heard Baldric make a sort of humming noise, she set down her book, looking down at him and smiling so he’d at least have a nice sight to wake up to. Baldric shifted slightly, then his eyes fluttered open and he glanced upwards, smiling faintly. “All finished?” he asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes.

Siofe nodded. “The horses have been fed, exercised, and watered, the dishes are clean, the spells are cast, and I think we’ve got all the supplies we need. Which means we can spend the rest of the day right here.”

“Good,” Baldric said, “That means that I can do this.”

Before Siofe could even open her mouth to ask what he meant, he scooted a little closer to her, then laid his head on her side, putting an arm around her to help him press himself against her body. Siofe chuckled affectionately. “What’s all this?”

“If I’m going to spend most of the day unconscious, I’d like to enjoy my few brief minutes of alertness,” he responded, “What better way to do that than to wake up close to you?”

Siofe felt herself blush. “You’ve come a long way from the man who couldn’t make eye contact with me when he realized he was attracted to me. I can’t imagine him saying things like that to me.”

“You bring out the best in me,” Baldric replied, “And my nerves were because I was afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. But we’ve known each other long enough that I have a better sense of what appeals to you.” He chuckled faintly, “Though the sneezing was, and continues to remain, something of a surprise.”

Siofe grinned. “I’m just glad you’re willing to indulge me.”

“And I’m sorry I haven’t been able to indulge you over the past few days.”

“Don’t trouble yourself over it,” Siofe said, sliding her arm around his shoulders, “I doubt you’d have fully been able to enjoy yourself, what with the pain in your nose yesterday and the one in your chest today. I have no doubt we’ll be able to make up for it later. If nothing else, we’ll probably celebrate your ability to sneeze normally again once the curse has lifted.”

“True,” Baldric acknowledged, “And I’ll look forward to that for more than one reason.”

Abruptly, he grimaced and lifted his hand off her, bringing it to his face. “HMMPHHH!! EKTCHKKK!!”

Siofe felt his body tremble against her with each sneeze, and while it did cause the warmth in her stomach to flare up a bit, mostly what she felt was a rush of tenderness. More specifically, it was a mix of indignation that he’d ended up in this situation, sympathy for his discomfort, pleasure that he trusted her enough to look after him, and a general feeling of love, but it all added up to wanting to help him through this. She squeezed his shoulder before rubbing it softly, waiting for the sneezing to subside and hoping he was able to get a little comfort from her touch.

After fifteen sneezes, Baldric finally dropped his hand, only to bring it back to his face to blow his nose. Then he placed both his hand and his head back on Siofe’s body, preemptively closing his eyes. Siofe gave his shoulder another squeeze, then put her fingers on his neck. “Gitsen.”

Once he was asleep, Siofe picked up her book and started to read again, her other hand moving to Baldric’s hair, running her fingers over and through it, pausing only to turn a page. She doubted Baldric could feel what she was doing, but she hoped it brought him some unconscious comfort. If nothing else, it was giving her enjoyment, and that alone made it worthwhile.

This became the routine for the rest of the day. During the brief periods when Baldric was awake, they’d remain pressed close together, talking about this and that (though unsurprisingly, the topic often drifted back to either his curse or sneezing) until Baldric was forced to stifle. As soon as he’d finished and tended to his nose, Siofe put him back to sleep, blessing him as she did so. Then she’d return to her book, using her free hand to stroke his hair. Despite the circumstances, it was peaceful, and Siofe was mostly enjoying herself. Though given their conversations and the regular sight, sound, and feel of Baldric’s sneezing, Siofe could gradually feel the heat building in her stomach. It wasn’t anywhere near as intense as it had been the previous day, but it certainly made her wish she and Baldric could do something about it. Sadly, given the circumstances, she suspected that wouldn’t be happening for at least another two days. But at least the memories of all this would make the moment when they did have a chance to take advantage of his sneezing all the better.

When evening fell, Siofe lit a lantern and ate some of their dry rations during one of Baldric’s conscious periods, then resumed serving as his pillow. But there was a new factor to consider; her own tiredness. She and Baldric normally went to bed an hour or two after dark, but for Baldric’s sake, she needed to stay awake to, ironically, get him back to sleep. She knew she’d only need to stay up for an extra three or four hours, and it wasn’t as if she’d exerted herself much that day and needed the rest, but as the time crawled on, she had more and more difficulty concentrating on her reading, and she had to resist the temptation to doze. Given Baldric’s proximity, she’d probably have woken up when he did, but she wanted to be alert and ready just in case he woke up and immediately had to sneeze. So for his sake, she did her best to read, splashing a little water on her face if the urge to sleep got particularly strong.

Baldric must have been aware of what she was doing, because the first time he woke up and saw that it had gone completely dark outside, he got off their bedroll and got out his timepiece, setting it close at hand. Then, when he woke up again, he immediately rolled over to look at it. “Two more hours,” he told her, “And then you can hopefully get some rest while I tend to the camp. I just hope I’ll be able to find enough ways to pass the time until you wake up again.”

“You can always borrow my books,” Siofe said, “I know we have different tastes in reading material, but at least it will give you something to do.”

“I may do that,” Baldric said, “Leave them out for me, will you?” Siofe nodded, and they continued to talk about this and that until Baldric had to sneeze again.

Two more “cycles” later, Baldric checked his timepiece, then turned back to her, smiling. “It’s done, or at least it should be. We’ve officially begun a new day.”

Siofe smiled back and gave him a kiss. “I’ll stay up long enough to see what we’re in for, but then, if you don’t mind, I’m going straight to bed.”

“Of course,” Baldric said, squeezing her hands, “Thank you for all your help today. I can’t imagine how much more frustrating and painful it would have been if I’d had to spend the whole day stifling. I might well have sneezed several hundred times instead of the hundred or so I actually had to endure.”

“Now there’s an image,” Siofe said, “I know it would have been miserable for you, but the idea does have a certain appeal on my end.”

Baldric chuckled. “I’m afraid I don’t think I ever want to try it. But I’m sure we’ll have plenty of other ways to satisfy your desire for my sneezing.”

“I don’t need too many,” Siofe said, standing up and moving to her saddlebags to change into her nightgown, “Just the sight of your nose twitching can be enough sometimes.”

Baldric laughed again, then let a comfortable silence fall as she changed. Just as Siofe was turning back towards the bedroll, Baldric abruptly pitched forward with a sneeze. “HEKRISHHHH!!!”

Siofe jumped in surprise; even though the sneeze sounded like Baldric’s normal sneeze, the lack of warning (not to mention the fact that she hadn’t heard it for awhile) was enough to startle her. “Gitsen.” she said after a moment.

Baldric looked equally stunned. “I’m sorry,” he said after a moment, “I would have warned you, but I had no warning myself. I didn’t get the usual spike and catch of breath from the tingle—there was just a split second between the spike and the sneeze.”

“That’s probably the unique wrinkle for today,” Siofe said, “No advance notice. Velda probably designed it that way for maximum inconvenience, increasing the odds that you’d either drop something or sneeze on someone.”

“That seems likely,” Baldric agreed, “Well, compared to the last two days, I think I can live with that. However, I should probably spend the rest of tonight outside, so I don’t disturb your sleep any more than I already have. You should cast the silencing spell on the tent as well.”

Siofe would normally have disagreed with him, but at least one of them needed to be alert during the day. Nodding, she handed him the book she’d finished, then gave him a kiss. “Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Baldric said, shaking his head ruefully, “I’ll try to get my armor on as fast as I can, then leave you in peace.”

Fortunately, years of practice meant that Baldric was able to get dressed relatively quickly, even after one sneeze caused him to drop a fan-plate and another caused him to pinch his finger in a buckle (which apparently stung but didn’t do any damage). Each sneeze gave Siofe a brief burst of energy, but it didn’t take long for the fatigue to set in again, and by the time Baldric left the tent, she was more than ready to fall asleep, despite all the excitement. Nevertheless, she made sure to cast her silencing spell, then climbed under the covers and closed her eyes, drifting off in a matter of minutes.

***

When Siofe woke up, it took her a minute to remember everything that had happened the night before. Quickly removing the silencing spell, she moved to the mouth of the tent and poked her head outside. “Baldric?”

Baldric looked up from his seat by the fire, his handkerchief lightly pressed to his nose. “Good morning,” he said, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes,” she assured him, “But what about you? How have things gone for you?”

He shrugged. “It seems our guess was correct. My sneezes keep coming without any warning. There haven’t been any serious incidents, though I certainly have dropped several items over the past eight hours. Still, I’ve kept my distance from the fire and have been holding my handkerchief at the ready to avoid spraying anything, just to minimize anything going wrong.”

“Smart of you,” Siofe said, “Have you eaten?”

Baldric shook his head. “It didn’t occur to me until I was outside that I’d forgotten to bring out our saddlebags. And I didn’t want to risk disturbing you.”

“I don’t think I’d have been too put out,” Siofe said with a slight smile, “But thank you for that. Still, you must be starving. Let me throw on my robes, and then I’ll make something for both of us. Including some strong tea to help you stay awake.”

Baldric laughed wryly and nodded. Just as Siofe pulled her head back in the tent, she heard a loud “EGISSSHHHHHH!!!” and smiled slightly herself. Even if the circumstances were less than ideal, there was something comforting about hearing that sound again.

When Siofe emerged from the tent with the saddlebags and came to the fire, she noticed the book that Baldric had on his lap. “How is it? You look like you’re over halfway through, so you must like it well enough.”

“I admit, it’s much more engaging than I’d expected,” Baldric said, “I wouldn’t have thought a book about the history of brewing would have quite as many twists and turns.”

“Well, Enec had to become the most popular drink in Quaysit somehow,” Siofe pointed out with a laugh, “And given the nature of alcohol, are you really surprised that things got heated?”

“Apparently so,” Baldric said, “Then again, I’m not one for drinking, so that type of thinking doesn’t cross my mind all that often.”

“Probably for the best,” Siofe said, opening the bags, “Now then, what would you like to eat?”

After some discussion, they elected for an oat mash, something that would lower the risk of choking if a sneeze came on mid-swallow. While they waited for the water to heat up for the mash and tea, they talked about the book, occasionally interrupted by Baldric’s sneezes. Thanks to his strategic placement of the handkerchief and the fact that he kept his other hand firmly on the book, there were no accidents, though it made Siofe wonder how, exactly, they would manage to get through breakfast without something going wrong.

However, Baldric must have spent part of the night trying to figure out how to avoid disaster, because he sprang into action as soon as the food was finished. After accepting the bowl and mug from her, he carefully set them down on the ground, then waited until he sneezed again. As soon as he’d done so, he picked up the mug and took a large swallow, then set it down and picked up the bowl, taking two mouthfuls before setting it down as well. “That’s probably all I should risk for now,” he said, when he saw Siofe looking at him curiously, “Once I’ve sneezed, I can eat a little more.”

Siofe nodded. “The meal will probably be cold by the time you’re finished, but better that than the alternative. Good thinking.”

Baldric shrugged modestly. “Thank you, but I would have thought it was just common sense.”

“Given the week you’ve been having, you’d be forgiven for not having your thoughts in order,” Siofe said, “But you’ve kept your wits about you, and that’s wonderful to see. No wonder you’ve done so well as an adventurer…and why I fell in love with you.”

Baldric immediately flushed, looking down at his lap. Siofe reached out and squeezed his hand. “It’s true. An adventurer needs to be quick on their feet, no matter what they encounter. And while I never really thought about what I wanted in a partner, I’d almost certainly have insisted that they could look out for themselves, so I wouldn’t have to worry about them as much. You proved you could do that when we first met, and that hasn’t changed.”

Baldric glanced up, giving her an embarrassed smile. “…Thank you.” he said again, taking her hand and kissing it. As much as she enjoyed teasing him, Siofe knew better than to get him too flustered, so she just moved her hand to his cheek, looking into his eyes and smiling. Gradually, Baldric’s blush faded, though the affection in his eyes remained. As she started to slide her hand down his cheek, planning to lightly tap his chin before pulling back, Baldric abruptly sneezed. “APHITSCHHHHH!!!”

The spray from the sneeze hit Siofe’s wrist, causing her to jump in surprise and remove her hand early. Baldric’s blush returned full force, and he started to offer her his handkerchief before thinking better of it. “I’m so sorry,” he said, “I suppose we should have expected something like that to happen, but I just…got caught up in the moment.”

“It’s all right,” Siofe assured him, “I don’t mind.”

Baldric still looked abashed. Siofe gestured to his bowl and cup. “Shouldn’t you take a few more bites?”

Baldric did so, but as soon as he’d swallowed his third mouthful of mash, he looked back at her, obviously about to start apologizing again. Siofe shook her head. “Baldric,” she said, “When I said I didn’t mind, I meant it. In fact…” she gave him a sly smile, “Now that I’m thinking about it, I think I rather liked it. In our particular circumstance, it feels like a type of kiss.”

Baldric considered that for a moment. Then he smiled back, the blush fading again. “You have a point. Though I think I prefer the normal type of kiss.”

“I do too,” Siofe assured him, “But that sort of kiss certainly helps liven things up every now and then.”

Baldric sighed. “I know you’re making an invitation, and I want to take it. But between our normal tasks, my weekly worship of Artet, and my late night, I don’t think I’ll be able to fully commit myself to the task.”

“I understand,” Siofe said, “And don’t feel too badly; hearing you sneeze will be more than enough for me.” Baldric nodded, and they let the conversation turn to other matters.

And so the day progressed. Baldric performed his normal routines to the best of his ability—the sporadic sneezes made his normal hour of battle practice a bit more difficult, but he had very little difficulty while giving Milburga her exercise—then turned his attention to his prayers to Artet. Siofe puttered about the camp doing odds and ends while he did so, smiling every time he sneezed but refraining from blessing him, not wanting to disturb his (relative) tranquility. When he’d finished, however, she made sure to give him a kiss, seeing it as a different sort of blessing. Given the smile on his face when he pulled away, Siofe thought Baldric agreed.

As the day wore on, Baldric’s energy gradually faded, though he was determined to stay awake until sundown. Siofe tried to help by engaging him in conversation, having him assist with the washing of their clothes and bedding, and making him two more cups of tea when they had their afternoon and evening meals. It worked to a certain extent, but even with the tea, Baldric was clearly having trouble keeping his eyes open by the time they’d finished dinner. Siofe glanced up at the sky, then said “I think you only need to hold out another hour. Come here, and I’ll do what I can to keep you awake.”

Baldric obligingly moved to sit beside her, and Siofe draped an arm around him as they resumed their conversation, digging her nails into his shoulder whenever she felt his body starting to go slack. Baldric grimaced each time she did so, but seemed grateful for her efforts. Sometimes, of course, they weren’t needed; every so often, Baldric would sneeze, and it was enough to jolt him awake for a minute or two. While he’d resumed keeping his handkerchief to his nose to avoid sneezing directly on her (after all, her robes had just been washed), he was still close enough to her that Siofe was able to feel his body shake with each sneeze, which in turn caused the warmth in her stomach to flare up yet again. She ignored it to the best of her ability, focusing her attention on keeping Baldric awake. It didn’t entirely work, but at least the feeling was more like a warm comforting bath instead of the much more distracting flame of desire.

As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, Siofe nudged Baldric with her shoulder before getting to her feet. “Well done for holding out this long, but I think it’s safe to go to bed.”

Baldric nodded and stood up. “Hopefully the curse won’t cause any more late nights…or early mornings, as the case may be.”

“Even if it does, we shouldn’t have to deal with it for much longer,” Siofe said, “When I talked to Durai today, he said the cursebreaker had spent last night in Monlin, which is only two days from here.”

“That’s reassuring,” Baldric said, “While things haven’t actually been that bad, I’ll be glad when things go back to normal.”

“I will too,” Siofe said, as they took their nightclothes from the saddlebags, “I may enjoy your sneezing, but I don’t like seeing you uncomfortable and frustrated.”

Baldric smiled. “A certain amount of discomfort is inevitable with a sneeze. But I know what you mean, and I appreciate the sentiment.”

They let silence fall after that, with the exception of one more sneeze, which Siofe blessed. Baldric drifted off to sleep very shortly after they got into their bedroll, and after finishing a chapter of her current book, Siofe did the same.

***

The next morning, the two of them woke up at about the same time, which felt like a return to normalcy after the past few days. Siofe smiled at Baldric. “Good morning. Feeling more alert?”

“Yeeeshhhh!!” Baldric only just managed to turn away from her as he sneezed.

“Gitsen.” Siofe said, torn between surprise and amusement.

Baldric picked up a handkerchief from the corner of the bedroll, rubbing it against his nose. “I’m sorishhh!” He caught this sneeze in the handkerchief, blinking in confusion.

Siofe, on the other hand, was already forming a theory. “Baldric,” she said, “Don’t say anything more, and keep an eye on your timepiece. The curse causes you to sneeze in increments of fifteen minutes or less. If twenty minutes passes without a sneeze, tap my shoulder.”

Baldric still seemed bewildered, but he nodded, getting out of bed to start the day. Siofe did the same, and they dressed in relative silence, at least until Siofe started humming to fill the space. While she wouldn’t have caused the silence uncomfortable, there was a certain anticipation in the air, and she didn’t want it to get too oppressive.

At last, Baldric rested his hand on her shoulder while she was pulling items out of their saddlebags for breakfast. She immediately turned to face him. “All right. Now say something. Anything.”

“What’s going onishhh!” Baldric turned away and sneezed again. When he looked back at her, rubbing his nose, she saw the flash of understanding in his eyes. She nodded, her suspicion confirmed.

“One more test, just to see the extent of things for my report to Durai. Try to say several sentences this time. When you sneeze, just pick up where you left off.”

Baldric nodded, retrieving his handkerchief and holding it at the ready. Then he said “For the sakitchh!...sake of your report, tell Durai that the sensation in my nose is similar to what it was yesterday. I’m not geeshhh!...getting any advanced warning before the sneeze.”

“Gitsen,” Siofe said, holding up a hand to indicate he should stop, “That’s enough. We’ve been lucky enough to get a type of sneeze you have some control over, and we might as well take advantage of it. I suggest you refrain from speaking today unless you absolutely need to. That way, you can have a relatively normal day, without having to worry about the curse disrupting things.”

Baldric nodded, giving her a grateful smile. She smiled back and kissed his cheek before returning to the saddlebags.

Despite the semi-imposed silence, the day passed fairly quickly. The two of them did their usual set of chores, then sat outside and read. During their meals, Siofe found topics of conversation that Baldric could respond to with a nod or a shake of the head, but other than that, she felt no need to talk. The silence felt comfortably domestic rather than stifling, and overall, Siofe would have described the day as pleasant. Certainly it was a welcome break after the oddness of the past few days, and she was sure Baldric appreciated the break from sneezing.

After dinner, Siofe was just finishing cleaning the dishes when Baldric tapped her on the shoulder. When she looked over at him, he smiled, eyes twinkling, then inclined his head towards their tent. “It’s a little early, isn’t it?” she said, “The sun’s only just starting to set.”

He shook his head, his smile getting a little wider. Siofe raised her eyebrow, but obligingly followed him to the tent, curious as to what he had in mind.

Baldric waited until she’d put the dishes away, then held out her nightgown. Giving him another look, Siofe took it from him and changed, Baldric doing the same with his own nightclothes. “All right,” she said, once she’d closed her saddlebags, “What’s this all about?”

Baldric took her hand and kissed it. Then, after giving her a surprisingly wicked grin, he said “I thought I’d thank you for everyishhh!...everything you’ve done for me while we’ve been dealing with this curse. And I figured the best way to do thaachh!...to do that was to tell you, in detail, just how much I appreciate you.”

Siofe’s eyes widened, feeling a tiny spark of heat take root in her stomach. “Baldric, that’s incredibly sweet of you, but you don’t have to…”

“I waashh!...want to,” Baldric insisted, leading her to their bedroll, “I think we’d both appreshii!...appreciate a bit of stress relief after the past few days. Besides, I spent a lot of time today coming up with the right words, and I don’t want them tushhh!...to go to waste.”

Siofe stroked his face. “Then go ahead, by all means.”

He smiled, stretching out on the bedroll and waiting for her to do the same. Then, once she’d settled in, he began to run his fingers over her nightgown, tracing random patterns as he spoke.

“You said yesterday that my ability to keptchh!...keep a cool head even in a tough spot was one of the reasons that you fell in love with me. Now it’s time for me to tell you all the reasons I feehhshh!...fell in love with you.”

He touched her cheek with his other hand, and while he was giving her a sly smile, there was no hiding the tenderness in his eyes. “Firssst!...firstly, and admittedly shallowly, I thought you were beautiful. It was the way your hair caught and reflesshh!...reflected the sunset that first made me notice that, but it didn’t take me long to notice other, more subtle things. The way you carried yourself, and the sheeeeshh!...sheer confidence you radiated. The way your eyes glowed when you were haptchh!...happy. The curve of your lips when you smiled, and the clear, pure note of joy intchh!...in your laugh. Given all that, it would have been imposhhh!...impossible for me not to find you at least a little attractive.”

Siofe could feel her cheeks burning, her heart swelling with affection even as her stomach got warmer and warmer with each sneeze. Baldric paused to rub at his nose, then resumed his speech.

“Secondly, you hadishh!...had a lot of qualities that I admired. Kindnesshh!...kindness to others. A willingness to put yourself at ritsskk!...at risk for a good cause. A curiosst!...curiosity about the world. I think I always would have wanted to marry a woman with that sort of spishh!...spirit, but it took spending time with you for me to realize that.”

Baldric continued in this vein for a few more minutes, expressing his gratitude for her taking him under her wing and the comfort she gave him when he was low. The combination of his voice, his touch, and his sneezing had Siofe wriggling on the bedroll, feeling flattered, embarrassed, and lustful by turns. Then, to her surprise (though she really should have seen it coming), the compliments went in a very unexpected direction.

“I’ll admit, I wasn’t entirely sure what to think when you first confeshh!...confessed your love of sneezing to me. But it didn’t take me long to realiiizzztt!...realize that I was the luckiest man in Quaysit. A woman who was attractive, adventurous, good-harchh!...good-hearted, and saw my loud sneezes as a benefit rather than a flaw? I truly mushh!...must have been in Artet’s good graces. And when I saw what a siptchh!...a simple sneeze could do to you, I thought you were even more beautiful. I love how your chektchh!...cheeks go pink.” He brushed his hand across her cheek. “I love how your eyes go wide with every snifffttt!...sniff and twitch.” He grinned, his voice lowering into a deeper, more seductive register. “And I love the way your lipshh!...lips part after I sneeze in a way you particularly enjoy.”

“I assume you’re hoping I’ll do that now?” Siofe said faintly.

Baldric just lowered his head to her shoulder. “Perhaaaptshh!!”

Up till now, he’d turned his head to the side during every sneeze. But for this sneeze, he deliberately touched his nose to the space where her neck and shoulder met, his breath rippling her nightgown while her skin absorbed the dampness of the sneeze. Siofe gasped, eyes closing involuntarily, toes curling as the heat in her stomach moved to engulf her entire body. When she was able to open her eyes again, she saw Baldric looking down at her, grinning in satisfaction. “I hope that maktshh!...makes up for three days of frustration.”

Siofe just grabbed onto his nightshirt and pulled him down beside her. It was high time both of them stopped talking.

***

When the daylight woke Siofe the next morning, she was reluctant to start the day, wanting to revel in her memories of the previous night. But if her examination of the map yesterday afternoon had been right, the cursebreaker would be arriving today, and she needed to be awake to greet them and provide some extra magic if necessary. With a sigh that was a mix of resigned and contented, she opened her eyes.

Baldric was already awake, reading her book on brewing history. When he felt her stirring beside him, he immediately lowered the book and turned towards her, giving her a warm smile. “Good morning.”

“The same to you,” Siofe said, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, “Have I missed any...developments?”

Baldric chuckled. “You did, which surprised me a little. Then again, given what we were up to last night...”

Siofe gave his shoulder a playful shove. “So? What can we expect today?”

“I think it’s easier if you heard it for yourself,” Baldric said as he got out of bed, “I imagine it won’t be too much longer before I need to sneeze again.”

Siofe nodded, following his example. And a minute or two later, she was rewarded by the sight of a shirtless Baldric bringing a handkerchief to his face.

“Heh...hahh...hatchh! Ak-SHHH!! EPKSHHHH!!!”

Siofe waited until he’d lowered his handkerchief and straightened up before offering a blessing. “Gitsen. I take it it came in threes before as well?”

Baldric nodded. “Three sneezes, each one louder than the last. Though not quite as loud as my normal sneezes, since they didn’t wake you up.”

“Perhaps they were partially responsible for rousing me,” Siofe pointed out, smiling faintly, “But that’s neither here nor there. All that matters is that this sneeze doesn’t look like it’ll be too much of a nuisance. And if all goes well, the cursebreaker should arrive sometime this afternoon, meaning you’ll probably be cured within the next day or two.”

“And what happens after that?”

“For the sake of gratitude, I’d suggest we stick around and keep the cursebreaker company while they deal with the hexes in Velda’s cave. After that, we can go back to travelling. And given everything you’ve been putting up with, I’ll let you decide which way we go.”

“I appreciate that,” Baldric said, “I’ll spend some time looking over the map while I wait for my savior to arrive.” Siofe nodded and bent over her saddlebags again, gathering up the map as well as her robes.

Once the two of them had finished dressing, they left the tent to make breakfast and perform their other routines, as usual. Today, however, both of them kept glancing in the direction of Hanzim, waiting for the sight or sound of an approaching traveller. Now that they were on the threshold of curing the curse, it seemed that both of them were becoming a bit more impatient. It made sense in Baldric’s case, but Siofe was surprised that she was feeling a certain anxious anticipation as well. After a little reflection, she decided it was because deep in her heart, she wanted Baldric back to normal. As enjoyable as (some of) the past few days had been, there was always the lingering fear that the curse would manifest in some way that could injure or even kill Baldric. Knowing he was all right would ultimately make her much happier than him constantly sneezing, hard as that was to believe at first blush. She smiled a bit at the revelation, but decided not to say anything to Baldric just yet. He’d probably want to make some sort of apology that she wouldn’t be hearing him sneeze as frequently now, and being told she actually preferred it this way would probably be comforting to hear.

Baldric was in the middle of exercising Milburga when Siofe, who was dividing her time between watching him and looking towards town, heard the creak of wheels. She alerted Baldric, who promptly dismounted and came to her side, both of them watching and listening intently. Shortly thereafter, two horses crested the hill, pulling a cart behind them. The driver brought them to a stop in a spot almost directly in-between Velda’s cave and their camp, then turned and raised a hand in greeting. Siofe raised her hand back and approached, only to blink in surprise when she recognized the woman. “Aldreda?”

“Good to see you too, Siofe,” Aldreda said with a grin, before glancing over at the cave, “Goodness, she really did saturate that place with magic, didn’t she?”

“I can only imagine what sort of hexes she prepared for her workroom,” Siofe said, “I doubt they’re as mild as what Baldric’s been dealing with.”

“Speaking of which,” Aldreda said, glancing over at Baldric, “I think some introductions are in order.”

Siofe nodded, Baldric taking this as his cue to come closer. “Aldreda, this is Baldric, my husband and fellow adventurer. Baldric, this is Aldreda, one of my good friends from Obeis Tower. She was invited to our wedding, but wasn’t able to make it.”

“I was actually in the middle of dealing with a curse,” Aldreda said, shaking Baldric’s hand, “Raivo got drunk and annoyed when the tavern owner cut him off, so he turned him and all the patrons into animals. It took about a week to restore them all, especially since we had to track down the ones who had literally flown off.”

“I hope Raivo did something to make amends,” Baldric said, “Since that sounds like it could have thrown the whole town into chaos.”

“Let’s just say that a lot of money changed hands, that he’s been banned from drinking there, and that he’s going to spend the next few years helping with the town’s growing season. But enough about that for now; let’s get a look at your problem. Durai’s been passing on your reports, and I think I know how best to dispel the curse. But I’ll want to do a proper examination to be sure.”

“Of course,” Baldric said, helping her down from the cart, “Is there anything in particular you need me to do?”

“Just try to stand relatively still,” Aldreda said, as her palm started to glow with a pale orange light, “It’ll make it easier for me to see what’s going on inside you. But if you have to move, that’s all right; sometimes it’s impossible not to, especially when you’re cursed.”

As she reached her hand towards Baldric, he held up his own hand, lifting his handkerchief to his face. “Ihh...itchff!! Et-CHISHH!! HETISSHHHH!!!”

“Gitsen,” Aldreda said, “I appreciate the demonstration, even if it was unintentional. Now then, let’s have a look...”

She spent the next few minutes passing her hand down Baldric’s body, and while it didn’t appear to be doing anything, Siofe knew from her schooling that the magic was projecting images into Aldreda’s mind, letting her see what was going on inside Baldric’s body. Once she reached Baldric’s face, she kept her palm hovering over his nose, frowning pensively. “All right,” she murmured to herself at last, “It actually seems to be a combination of a fetizo and a nagovor, rather than the carovinc I expected. Kind of an ingenious combination, actually. Now, what’s the best way to combat it...?”

As she considered, Siofe saw Baldric’s expression change, and she raised a hand in warning. “Aldreda...”

“I know,” Aldreda said, stepping aside, “I can see the curse expanding and contracting. Which is actually useful.”

“Tha...ahh...atkshh! Et-KRSHHH!! HEH-GISHHHHHHHH!!!...that’s comforting to know.” Baldric said.

“Gitsen,” Aldreda said, stepping back up to him and resuming her examination once he’d lowered the handkerchief, “Give me just another minute to work through this. With luck, you won’t be dealing with this for much longer. Though I imagine Siofe sees that as a mixed blessing.”

Siofe blushed. Baldric’s eyes flicked between her and Aldreda. “You know about her...”

“We’re friends,” Aldreda said, grinning slightly, “We shared a lot of secrets over the years. Though I think she let me in on that particular one so I wouldn’t keep asking why she got so flustered during blooming season. But if you’ll be quiet for the time being, I think I’ve almost got this.”

Baldric obligingly shut up, and Aldreda examined his nose for another minute or two. Then, at last, she lightly pinched the bridge of his nose and began to chant an incantation. Wisps of dark green magic flowed from her fingers, sliding over Baldric’s skin and into his nose. Siofe saw his nose wrinkle slightly at the sensation, and held her breath. If the magic made him sneeze, would it disrupt the spell? Or would sneezing actually be a benefit in this situation?

As it turned out, the wrinkle must not have been signaling an itch in the nose, because Baldric didn’t sneeze. Instead, Aldreda finished her incantation, raising her voice as she did so, and her fingers pulsed with a burst of slightly brighter green light. Baldric jumped, eyes widening, and then his shoulders dropped in relief. “Feeling better?” Aldreda asked with a knowing smile as she removed her fingers.

Baldric nodded. “I felt a jolt, similar to what I felt when I was cursed. But then the perpetual tingling sensation in my nose just...disappeared. I think you’ve done it.”

“We’ll need to wait a little bit to be sure,” Aldreda said, moving back to her cart, “I’ll check your nose again, and we’ll wait for an hour to see if any more sneezes materialize. But your description suggests that we’ve solved the problem.”

“Thank you so much, Aldreda,” Siofe said, “It was a relatively mild curse, all things considered, but I never could have dealt with it on my own. Much less whatever else is lurking in there.” she added, jerking her head towards the cave.

“Glad to do it,” Aldreda said, taking a flask of energy restoration from a bag, “Especially for a friend. Now, give me a minute to give your husband another look-see, and then we can all sit around and catch up.”

Aldreda’s examination didn’t show any sign of the curse in Baldric’s nose, and the hour she’d suggested passed without incident. When Baldric confirmed that with his timepiece, Siofe gave him a hug, before turning and doing the same for Aldreda. “You’re wonderful,” she said, “How can we repay you?”

“I wouldn’t say no to a cut of the reward, especially after I’ve cleared out the cave,” Aldreda said with a grin, “And I’d appreciate having you two along for the ride back to Obeis Tower. I have a few spells that can help me defend myself, but I might as well take advantage of more professional help.”

“Of course,” Siofe said, “Unless Baldric disagrees.”

Baldric shook his head. “It’s the least we can do. Besides, I wouldn’t mind having a look at the Tower for myself.”

“It’s settled, then,” Aldreda said, stretching and getting to her feet, “But that’s a ways off in the future. I’d better get into that cave and get a sense of what other nasty hexes I’m dealing with.”

***

In the end, it took Aldreda a week and a half to break all the curses Velda had left behind. Over dinner every evening (the three of them had moved back to the inn in Hanzim by this time, since it was far more comfortable), she would regale Baldric and Siofe with stories of what the curses were meant to do, making them very glad that they’d wound up with a simple sneezing curse. Apparently, the curses got worse the deeper into the cave you went, with the earlier rooms lined with more inconvenient curses that served as warnings. The milder ones were things like curses of clumsiness or making it difficult to control the volume of your voice, the harsher ones did things like strike you blind or slowly petrify you, and some of the worst ones would kill you in a matter of days. Given all that, Baldric and Siofe were more than happy to let Aldreda have two-thirds of the reward, since she’d done much more to ensure Hanzim’s safety.

On the evening before the three of them were to set out for Obeis Tower, Baldric and Siofe were preparing for bed when they heard a knock on their door. Opening it, they found Aldreda standing at the threshold, a book in her arms. “Can I come in?” she asked.

“Of course,” Siofe said, stepping aside, “Is something wrong?”

“No,” Aldreda said, entering the room and closing the door behind her before offering Siofe the book, “I just thought you might want to take a look at this.”

Siofe opened it curiously, discovering that it was a hand-written book, full of lines and drawings common to magic textbooks. She glanced up at Aldreda, who nodded. “Velda’s notebook. She was documenting all her spells, probably in the hope that she’d eventually be able to publish them and gain some renown. I’ll be turning it over to Durai and the other tutors for study, to see if there’s anything in there less megalomaniacal mages can use. But I thought you might want to have a look at it first. Especially this bit here.”

Stepping up beside Siofe, Aldreda flipped to some pages about a quarter of the way through the book, which, in addition to the usual drawing of hands, also included a picture of a nose. Siofe immediately turned red. “Aldreda...”

“What?” Aldreda said, “We’ve got a week until we get to Obeis Tower. That should be plenty of time for you to look those pages over—or copy them, if you feel like you need more practice—and add it to your skillset. I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Siofe looked over at Baldric, still blushing. She had to admit, it was a tempting prospect. But she couldn’t do that to him. The curse may have been mild, but it had caused him plenty of inconvenience and discomfort over the past week. It wasn’t worth...

Then Baldric smiled at her, somehow managing to look affectionate and sly at the same time. “That sounds like a fine idea.”

Siofe blinked at him. “What?”

“I wouldn’t recommend casting it on a regular basis,” Baldric said, still grinning, “And you should always lift it if the...target...is too uncomfortable, especially if they end up being forced to stifle again. But I think it might come in handy during the summer months, when we’re travelling on a long, deserted road and have a ways to go until the next town.”

Siofe felt herself turning redder, but at the same time, the familiar heat began to gather in her stomach. Glancing between Baldric and Aldreda (who was also giving her a teasing smile), she finally nodded. “I’ll swap it out for my evening reading for a few days. And I’ll make sure it’s back in your hands before we get close to Obeis Tower.”

“Hope it’s interesting reading,” Aldreda said, “Well, goodnight, you two.”

With a nod, she let herself out. Siofe gingerly stroked the pages, eyes darting over the words, already starting to form a picture of how the spell worked. When she looked up, she saw Baldric standing by their saddlebags, still smiling, her box of incense already in his hand. Siofe finally smiled back, closing the book. She’d have six days to figure the spell out; in the meantime, she might as well reacquaint herself with Baldric’s normal sneeze. Purely for comparison and research purposes, of course.

~~~

The original prompt: “Another sneeze curse... someone is cursed to sneeze a different way every day for a week/month (stifled, long build-up, triples, tons of build-up but then the sneeze goes away, super loud, super tiny, etc.). There’s no telling what the next day will bring.”