Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Being a tavern wench was not the life Penny had envisioned for herself when she had run away to the city. It really wasn't much better than being a farm girl. The stale smell of manure near the horses, the gossip, the rowdy drunks...

The only real difference seemed to be that nobody minded that Penny herself was often one of the rowdy drunks in question. Well that, and now Penny wasn't required to wake up at the crack of dawn. Just that had her sold on life at the Tavern/Inn.

Seriously, try waking up to a rooster for every miserable day of your life and then sleep until it's midday once. Just once was all it had taken to convince Penny she had done the right thing leaving the farm.

It was also nice that she didn't have to pretend she wasn't sleeping with a guy that hadn't even attempted proper courting. Judge her all you want, but there are frankly not many fun things to do in a farm. And the winters were long, and cold. Penny was utterly unashamed of what she had done in order to keep herself sane and warm. It was an open secret that most girls did that in her village anyway, and everyone understood that if you got pregnant you got married, end of story.

Fortunately her grandmother had taught her a little herbal recipe to avoid that. She had said the women in her family were usually more affectionate than most with a very disturbing wink. Penny had just shrugged and moved on. Like hell she would ask what the wink was about. She was pretty sure she did not want to know. And she didn't really care why she got it as long as it worked.

She was especially grateful on her fifteenth birthday. She had been the only girl of marriageable age not pregnant in their village. It had even gotten Penny the title of Corn Queen that summer.

Her Kernel crown was one of the few things she had taken with her when she'd stolen away one with a band of travelling actors. Just watching them perform on that stage had shown Penny what she wanted to do in life. Not just what she wanted, but what she was destined for. If only the travelling band had made it to the tiny village of Omaha a few years earlier. Then Penny wouldn't be nearly twenty now.

Or at least not nearly twenty and a bar maid. Professionally.

Penny knew she was a spinster, all things considered, farm girls usually married at sixteen, but that had been the year Penny had ran away, and when it turned out that the travelling troupe she had left with didn't mind giving her two bit parts, it soon became clear that she was never going to be their star. No matter how much prettier than the actual leads she was. Or rather because of how much prettier than them she was. Penny was never allowed onstage without something covering her face.

And Penny wanted to be a star.

She wanted to be the center of attention. Penny wanted the world to hold it's breath to hear her speak, she wanted everyone to know how beautiful she was, inside and out. Penny wanted to be a Princess, or a Queen, even if it was just pretend. And when it had become clear that she could never be one with them she left.

No one tried to stop her.

It didn't take her long to realize that most acting troupes had just two real stars, the rest just followed. And no one would take her seriously about starting her own. Penny had taken up tending the bar temporarily. Something to keep a roof over her head and to keep her from the bad side of town. It had taken her not so innocent mind a good year before she realized why those so called stars held their positions.

In the end it all came down to one thing; sex.

Penny hadn't liked that. Not that she had anything against sex, she enjoyed it, actually and wasn't willing to give her own sex life up. But while Penny didn't have much in the way of possessions and proper upbringing she did have her pride. And she would never use her skills in the bedroom as means to an end. It just wasn't going to happen. It made her no better than a working girl. And Penny had talent, damn it! She didn't have to crawl into some guys bed to make her dream come true.

Working at the tavern was suppose to be temporary. A way for Penny to regroup, figure out how to start an acting troupe on her own where she didn't have to sleep around to score the lead role.

That had been a year ago.

She was still working on it.

Meanwhile she worked in one of the more upper class parts of town, looking at her in her fine dress and pretty smile no one would ever guess she was a common farm girl. And those lessons from the actors troupes weren't wasted on her, Penny spoke and walked like an upper class villager, despite the fact that only a disgraced one would work in a tavern, and everyone knew that. But the tips were more than worth the effort.

"Good morning," Penny smiled brightly at one of her regulars. Leonard Hofstadter was one of the most well educated men in the whole of Pasadena. No matter how unattractive Penny found him, she had to admit, the attention was flattering. She always figured that, worse come to worse, she could always bed him. Lack of proper upbringing or no, she knew Leonard would take her, keep her as a mistress, the way most wealthy men did. But somehow that thought made him even more unappealing.

"Good morning Penny," He replied with one of his little grins, squinting at her through the glass things only nobles could afford. She thought they were supposed to help him see.

"The usual?" She asked, Leonard nodded. And Penny would have gotten him his toast and bacon as usual, and forgotten all about it, if not for one little thing.

The way Leonard was looking at her.

Now Penny was used to being leered at, especially by Leonard. She was a beautiful girl, and many of the eligible and modestly wealthy, as well as those that were neither, covertly appreciated her looks on occasion. And that wasn't factoring in all the leering done blatantly.

So Penny was used to male attention, and what that particular gleam in a mans eye meant. Which was why the way Leonard was looking at her bothered her. It wasn't just lust, or even a mix of affection and desire. The way he usually looked at her. No, there was an eagerness to it, an anticipation that made Penny's stomach turn with dread. Whatever it was Leonard was thinking about couldn't be anything good.

The last time Penny had seen a man eye her like that she had to take a thick glass tankard to his head. No one had ever managed to force themselves on Penny. But it wasn't exactly from lack of trying.

So she smiled cautiously at the man when she returned with his order. No one had noticed when she had spirited away a particularly sharp Kitchen knife into her apron. No matter what was said of chivalry, Penny knew the truth. Most of the time, a girl had to protect herself.

xXx

Leonard watched her in fascination.

His goddess.

His golden haired soul mate walked with a grace he found far above any others. But then, how could mortal women hope to equal her in anyway? Especially in beauty. The Queen herself wasn't half as lovely.

He had never found it difficult to find company among the women of lower class. It was simply one of the many privileges his status and upbringing had afforded him. Money was power after all, and Leonard had plenty of it.

But none of that power seemed to sway Penny.

The sight of her smile alone had convinced him to enter the tavern, an establishment he would have easily deemed far too beneath him otherwise. And she had him to the point where he would come in for whatever meal was provided during her shift. Despite having eaten at home, and that he could never finish anything on his plate.

No, Leonard only entered the tavern to look at Penny. Something he knew his goddess was well aware of. He had made careful overtures for her favor, but Penny would simply thank him with a smile. And while that alone did make the trinkets well worth it, it did not change the fact that he wanted Penny to grace his bed. Nor the fact that she seemed to hold no interest in doing so.

But Leonard knew better.

He had spoken of her to the manager, when inquiring about her schedule, and he knew his Penny was an actress. And that she spoke and acted the way she did on her shifts for her tips. It would have been unprofessional and unwise for her to show him the favor and affection she felt for him. And, if the way she wouldn't agree to meet outside of the tavern was anything to go by, he was sure she was also rather shy.

She was something of a spinster after all, no doubt having kept herself pure whilst waiting for him. Penny probably had no idea about what pleasure two people could find in bed. And Leonard was truly looking forward to educating her. To gently, slowly rid her of that innocence so that they could truly enjoy their time together. Of course, a proper courting came first.

But Leonard had grown impatient.

It had been three months since he had discovered Penny. They should be well into their honeymoon now. Or at least in the beginning of a fiery affair. Penny's shyness was costing them time they could have been spending together.

So he had called in a favor with the witch at the castle.

As someone of noble blood closely related to the king, Leonard had the good fortune to be a frequent visitor at the castle. And thanks to his studies, he was in line to be a court adviser. It was during his quest for knowledge at the library that he had met the witch. Though not many knew that was what she was.

Miss Leslie de Winkle posed as a lady in waiting for the princess. Her post at the castle granting her access to the myriad of hidden magical tomes in the Library. According to her, if not for his own sizable intellect he could have never seen the real title of the tome she had been studying.

It had been one of the best decisions of his life not to report her. Miss Leslie had opened his eyes to the wonders of magic. Showing him how to bend people to his will, making those of his acquaintance forget social faux passes or embarrassing scenarios he had undergone in his youth.

Thanks to her, he was closer to being a court adviser than ever before.

He was sure he could use magic to make others forget about Penny's lack of station when they were wed. That way it wouldn't impact his ambitions. Or her future position in court as his wife. A position she would soon take. After her shift that night.

Leonard had payed off some thugs to bring her to a dungeon in the castle. There the witch had prepared him a spell. She would enchant Penny to pursue her true desires whilst glamouring herself to seem some horrid warlock. He would then burst into the room and rescue her. After, the chips would fall where they were meant to be. And Penny would finally be his.

Chapter Text

Lady Leslie Winkle was a remarkably sly specimen. She had always been smart. Too smart for a woman, her mother would often say, no man would ever wed someone so preoccupied with books and learning.

Leslie had cursed her mother silent as a birthday present to herself. The woman hadn't spoken a word in ten years. She only lived because her death would mean Leslie would have to take time away from her magical studies to tend to the Winkle estate. Leslie was not willing to suffer so much time away from the magical library hidden within the castle.

It was a remarkably clever design, the magic tested the residents of the library with an intellectual puzzle of sorts. Beginning with the regular books of everyday subjects and leading one, if you were intelligent enough to figure it out, to everything from flying spells, to necromancy. Every book Leslie uncovered as merely the key to finding yet another. Leslie had amassed hundreds of magical books in her time at the castle and there seemed to be no end in sight.

Her hunger for knowledge had almost gotten into trouble a few times. But nothing a few spells here and there couldn't fix. At least, not yet.

Of course then there was the kingdoms attitude towards magic as well. Practitioners of the art where loathed nearly as much as they were feared. Sadly something about the royal line made them impervious to the myriad of enchantments Leslie had tried to cast upon them in order to change that. It really was a pity that magic was not infallible. It was just so useful, Leslie couldn't possibly give it up.

She had always been cautious, and still there were rumours. Whispers among the servants of the castle. If anyone found out about Leslie they would attempt to hang her. They would fail, but she was not strong enough to keep an entire castle under thrall, her powers didn't even work on most of the nobles, and most servants at the castle were their bastard children. She would be forced to flee, from the castle, and most importantly, her wonderful library.

She didn't want to stop, but while she practiced magic she would run the risk of someone noticing there was a sorcerer in the castle. Fortunately Leslie had never been one overly burdened with the virtues famous of her sex. She had never had much in the way of sympathy or kindness. It cost her nothing to find some fool to frame.

That Leonard actually had some skill in the art was interesting, but of no actual consequence. He was far too ambitious for his skill level, and he was utterly enamoured with some village girl of lower standing. He was, in other words, perfect for her purposes.

When he approached her about enchanting his village girl in order to follow her 'true' desires Leslie knew it was time. She had long since convinced Leonard that if one of them were to be caught they should hold their silence. That way the other could free them using magic. Leslie had made up some very convincing lies about an enchantment that would allow one to fake their death by playing along with the executioner. Leonard would go to his death believing Leslie would save him.

Leslie could not find it in herself to care about how cruel that might be. She was, after all, so terribly preoccupied with books and learning.

xXx

Sheldon was of the opinion that he should find Penny awaiting his order every Tuesday. It was a steady part of his routine, and anyone who knew anything about sorcerers could testify that they were creatures of habit. When he entered the tavern and didn't locate her by his table of choice, he knew something was wrong.

Penny was often exasperating with her tendency to go off script, especially for someone who claimed to be an actress, but she was always present to be exasperated with. The tavern was her only source of income, as she, for some reason beyond him, refused to charge for coitus. She couldn't afford to miss a day.

When he cast a minor locator spell, followed the magics pull, and found her attempting to fight off two brutes in an alleyway, he knew he had been right to be worried. Especially when Penny, spirited as always and unsurprisingly vicious, twisted in a manner that defied expectation. Nailing one brute in the groin and the other in the kidney with her elbow. Causing them both to drop her in order to clutch at their respective aches. Which would have been a cause for celebration instead of concern. Except that they dropped several vials of something, Sheldon can feel the potency of the magic when they shattered on the floor, first.

It felt remarkably like a cannon going off to his sense when Penny fell into the spilled potions.

xXx

Leslie's plan was simple.

She gave the men who were to subdue the tavern wench several elixirs, one to use, and the rest to deliver to their master. A blue one to lull her into the land of dreams, as to easily smuggle her into the castle. A red one to fill her with lust, so that Leonard might believe he had succeeded at long last. And a green one she'd told Leonard would cure the tavern wench of the 'curse'.

Of course what it really did was cause her to hallucinate and bind her under the 'mum' curse of old. She would not be able to speak, believing her mouth full of cotton, she would only understand another's speech as wails, and on the off chance that she attempted to write in order to communicate she would believe her fingers to have become snakes that would try to bite her.

Leslie had originally created the elixir with her mother in mind. Sadly it was one of the most well recorded curses and obvious witchcraft. Leslie had instead convinced her mother, and her servants, once they came to supposedly celebrate her day of birth, that her mother had suffered some terrible shock that rendered her mute. Cursing her mother had been terribly satisfying, especially once she no longer had to tolerate the long winded laments about her lack of a husband, which had doubtlessly been the true aim of her mother's visit.

No one even thought to wonder at magic, her mother was not of noble blood, having won her place as her husbands wife through her fathers shipping prowess and newfound wealth. The court was only too happy to find a reason to rescind her usual invitations. It was cruel to speak to someone who could no longer do so, or so they reasoned away any guilt. It was not as if Leslie herself were particularly well liked. No one sought her favor fervently enough to think to be kind to her mother.

What had once stayed her hand was now the best fit for her plans. It would not take much investigation to connect the obviously cursed villager with Leonard. His carriage footman alone would recognize her. The nature of the curse was obvious as well, a very cruel and efficient way to 'silence'. Once it occurred to anyone in court why a village girl a noble was smitten with would be cursed silent Leonard wouldn't live very long. Once Leonard was dead, Leslie would remove the enchantment, and everyone would believe the foul sorcerer's magic had faded with his death. Laying everyone's fears about the Sorcerer in the castle to rest.

Leaving Leslie with her beloved library.

It was a very good plan, which was why she hadn't considered how utterly it would fail if they couldn't capture the village girl first.

Chapter Text

The men who attemted to abscond with Penny were knocked back into the ally's walls by magic.

Sheldon knew magic.

He came by it honestly. He'd been six winters old when his grandmother had pulled him aside and explained just why her garden was the best in town and the envy of anyone passing through. Missy, his twin, had the gift as well. But she had never grasped the true extent of magic the way he had. Missy was his opposite in most things. Female where he was male, whimsical to his more serious nature. While she had spent the majority of their covert magical education making flowers and enchanting butterflies, Sheldon had focused on function. On how magic worked, and how he could learn to make it better.

It had made him remarkably sensitive to it's nature.

The venerable explosion coming from Penny's body feels dark. Demonic, specifically, the hint of sulfur in the air is all the confirmation he needed. In his travels, before he had set up near the castle, and the magical pool it had been built upon, he'd come across a few possessed humans here and there. He'd even assisted in an exorcism, once. Out of curiosity. He would have known if Penny had been possessed.

She wasn't.

Even at the center of the dark magic maelstrom, she didn't feel possessed. There was no demonic presence suppressing her own. It felt as if she was the demonic presence. But that made no sense, He has been in Penny's presence for months now.

They're neighbors. There was no way she could have hid such a thing from him. Sheldon religiously screened his acquaintances. Some may call him paranoid, but he had only to look at his current situation to feel validated. although the purpose behind the magical screening was to avoid such situations. Sheldon had clearly missed something.

Penny groaned, rolling over slowly and pushing herself gingerly to her knees. Sheldon couldn't help a shiver of fear when he saw that her pupils had become slit, like a cats. The only reason he could tell in the dark of the ally was because they glowed, some other worldly poison green.

His fear only grew when he heard Penny's voice, because he's looking right at her and her lips don't move, she doesn't speak. It felt like a touch inside his very mind, Sheldon, I'm hungry.

xXx

Leslie was having tea with the princess of the castle. It was one of her few duties as a lady in waiting. She was no dear friend to the royal, but the princess enjoyed having tea at court with Leslie the most.

It was almost clever of her, really. The princess was not terribly plain, but she had chosen her ladies in waiting for their inability to look half as lovely. Next to Leslie, she looked twice as fair.

Leslie hated the princess, she hated everyone in the castle actually, but the princess especially. One of the first enchantments Leslie had ever tried was the pox curse upon the princess unblemished flesh. It had failed miserably. As had most of the other attempts Leslie had made to mess with the inhabitants of the castle.

It was how she had discovered their bizarre immunity to magic. She had yet to discover the source, but Leslie was not a quitter. Hidden somewhere in the magical book maze of the library there had to be an answer. A way arround the bothersome resistence. Leslie merely had to be patient, someday, she would find it.

And when she did there would be quite a few changes in the castle.

Until then Leslie delicately sipped her tea, waited for Leonard to dig his own grave and buy her more time.

xXx

Leonard ducked out of his alloted time at court with a story of feeling unwell. He'd always loathed how easily, even eagerly, everyone accepted any excuse for his absence. Even when it was useful, it still angered him He couldn't wait to find a spell that would make the castle resident's wish to wait on him hand and foot.

It would be glorious.

He'd been thinking about it lately. As he went about making plans to finally be with Penny the way he knew they both truly yearned to be. After he made Penny his, after their marriage, why stop at just making her a royals wife? Why not make her a queen to his king?

He was sure the witch would help him. Leonard thought the only reason she hadn't dethroned the current rulers of the castle was her love of books. Everyone knew it was all the witch hungered for, knowledge. It wasn't as though she were some great beauty like his Penny, it seemed prudent of her to him for her to stick to the one area she could be of any use in. She probably didn't want to waste her time ruling the country when she could be reading.

Although perhaps he would be kind and suggest she find magic to alter her appeared. Magic was such a wonderful thing-it could do anything.

From making the witch beautiful to making him king.

xXx

Penny was starving. The hunger felt like a monster, angrily caged by her insides, raging against her body. She couldn't recall ever feeling something like this before. She hadn't known it was possible.

She opened her eyes and met Sheldon's. She was mildly surprised to find them wide with fear. Sheldon was not someone who frightened easily. You couldn't be, living in the bad part of town the way they did. Penny had been astounded someone as finky as Sheldon had rented a room in such a shoddy house, much like herself. But about the only good thing about living where they did was that no one asked after anyones business. It was about the only place in town that would rent to an unmarried bar wench without a mans permission.

She'd avoided so many scandals involving her person just by making the decision to rent there. It was more than worth the danger-in her opinion. But Penny couldn't think about that now. She was too busy looking at Sheldon.

He looked delectable. She wanted to put her mouth on him more than she wanted anything else in the world. She would get up and do so right that second actually. Except that her limbs felt far too heavy and it was a struggle to move. Penny could barely think past the hunger-she's just so tired.

There was a grunt by her ear and Penny realises one of the men who had tried to kidnap her was awake. She blinked, trying to wrap her mind around the thought that he looked edible as well.

Not as good as Sheldon, nowhere near, but good enough that she couldn't resist. Penny ignored the protest of her limbs long enough to reach out a hand and touch the skin of his neck. The resulting burst of energy was like the first cold drink of water after laboring in the corn fields all day. Blissful and refreshing.

So Penny touched some more. Tracing his pulse with the tips of her fingers and groaned. He wanted her, she could feel the fog of his lust, both energizing and heady. It seemed to be the most obvious thing in the world to kiss him. To seal her lips over his and take the nourishment she needed.

Penny feasts.