Our Trio
Hands grab at Maria's dress, but before she can react, the sharp shriek emitting from her younger cousin mollifies her. Maria knew Ange's fear was expected, which causes her to snicker. She smiles at the shivering Ange, gently patting the four-year-old's head. She strokes through Ange's wine red curls and giggles as the wide, cerulean eyes of Beatrice bore down on them from underneath the shadowy arbor.
"Ange, there's no need to be afraid," Maria coos, tilting her head. She tugs Ange's hands, beckoning her forward and pouts when Ange jerks her gaze towards the many thorns surrounding them.
Ange whimpers and ducks behind Maria when the Golden Witch chuckles. The rose garden is large and imposing, covering the tiniest member of the Ushiromiya family in hues of scarlet and dew. The drizzling rain has stopped, leading to muted gray clouds above their heads. A strip of sunlight breaking through the clouds shines down on the mystified witch, who raises her knuckles to her cheek. Even the comforting strokes to Ange's hand from her beloved cousin can hardly quell her shivering as Beatrice scans her with a pinpointed glare.
"Uu, uu, no need to be afraid," Maria insists, hugging Ange. With Sakutarou tucked underneath her arm, she cups Ange's hands. "Maria is right here, okay? Always right here."
Ange hiccups. Her head bobs, causing her eyelashes to flick away worried, budding tears. She slowly moves away from Maria and approaches Beatrice, who rises to meet her. The cool air of autumn brushes behind them, making Ange mourn for summer when she sneezes and earns another chuckle from Beatrice.
"So, you are Ushiromiya Ange, the final grandchild of Kinzo," Beatrice croons as she steps out from the arbor, and she rests her hands on her knees when she bends forward. She smirks, a fang splitting over her lower lip. "Maria has told me so much about you."
"R-really? Are you really a witch?" Ange asks, her voice pitching with curiosity.
"Uu! She is, she is! Beatrice has been teaching me so much about magic! We made lots of friends together!" Maria exclaims, bounding to Ange's backside and clutching her shoulders. She gazes at Beatrice like one would examine an idol. "Right, Beatrice? Uu!"
Beatrice cackles, tossing her head back and standing at full height. She towers over Ange, who looks up at her with eyes twinkling in a mixture of awe and fear, just the way Beatrice expects from newcomers. She extends her bony fingers at full length in front of Ange's face, snickering when the small girl leans into Maria.
"Of course! In fact, I would like to test Ange," Beatrice proclaims, wiggling her digits.
"T-test?" Ange squeaks, fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
"Why, yes! A test! It's nothing too excruciating, difficult, or outrageous. After all, you're a child, and it would be lavishly cruel of me to test you in other ways," Beatrice claims, a wry grin spreading into her cheeks. "The test will be a simple proof of magic so you understand us."
Maria claps her hands and gasps. She glances between the witch and her cousin, knowledge of what will happen surging forth in her mind. Her own grin matches Beatrice. Being on the fantasy side, with all answers ending in magic, allows her to retain a faint smugness over Ange.
"Watch closely," Maria teases, bringing Sakutarou out to embrace him, "or you might fail, Ange."
Ange's cheeks lose their coloring as Maria's words hover around her. Her brow furrows, the temptation to shout back at them faltering in her throat. She glances at the thick cobblestone path that would guide her towards freedom or through a maze of the witch's unknown tricks.
From her relatives' rumors, Ange knew Beatrice was the witch of the forest, the alleged true ruler of Rokkenjima. Even though Natsumi-oba-san attempted to end that kind of chatter, their stories of temptation, treachery, and traps from the Golden Witch seeped into her subconscious. Every time she stepped onto her grandfather's island, her thoughts became haunted by the silent shadow of the witch and made her wish Battler were there to hold her hand.
Still, she cannot allow Beatrice to win or simply make a fool out of her. Her own brother would certainly stand up to Beatrice, accepting her challenge with a brave, cool face. Ange knows of the danger and steels herself like a warrior facing a great demon. She clenches her fists at her sides and leans forward, her shoulders hitching towards her earlobes.
"Oh ho! Excellent, truly excellent! I'm thrilled you accepted our bout," Beatrice jeers, and she flips her hands over, showing the paleness of her palms. "Now, as you can clearly see, there is nothing in my hands."
"Nothing, nothing, uu," Maria chirps, rounding to Beatrice's side.
When Ange nods, Beatrice straightens and balls her hands into white-knuckled fists. "Now, because you are stained with anti-magic toxins, you must close your eyes."
"Wh-what? Toxins?" Ange blurts, directing her attention to Maria.
Maria nods, a rare sternness touching her features that makes Ange purse her lips. "Humans are raised in a world where magic can't be used. They are taught to doubt magic. Hence, that causes witches and otherworldly beings to be denied." She softens, but the playful smirk remains etched in her cheeks. "You became open to the world of magic like Maria, but that doesn't mean you're fully cured of toxins. Ange is still a tiny human."
"I am not tiny! I'm four! One day, I'll be bigger than you, Maria-onee-chan!" Ange barks, flushing as Maria cackles.
Beatrice chuckles. The banter between the two young girls is truly adorable. She remembers when she was young, laughing and diving headfirst without a care in the world when she began her journey a thousand years ago. When she was learning magic, she was much like them with their hotheadedness and wide-eyed wonder. The childish Beatrice had been a novelty, a budding mixture of the potential witches before her.
"Let's end this argument," she orders, silencing the girls, "and focus on magic."
"Uu! Okay!" Maria exclaims, her harshness ebbing away in the cool breeze.
Ange groans and scowls. Maria's teasing stings like an open wound, but she shakes her head. Raising her hands, she asks, "Do I cover my eyes or just close them?"
"You may choose. As long as your eyes do not open until I give the command, then I don't mind how you do it," Beatrice says, and she glances down at Maria, who has already shut her eyes.
Ange hesitates when she brings her hands to her eyes. Her skin crawls underneath her dress, but she perseveres. She isn't going to let chills or uncertainty come between her and beating Beatrice's test. Taking a deep breath, Ange cups her eyes and closes them, turning to a world of darkness.
For a moment, all of her sensations are blocked out. Shadows gnaw at her eyes, and they move against her eyelids. Ange swallows down her rising fear. She opens her mouth, ready to call out for Beatrice, but then Beatrice rests her hand on her head.
"Good job. You can open your eyes now," she says, and her voice soothes Ange's worries, calming her like a caressing ocean wave.
Ange lowers her hands and opens her eyes. Beatrice presents her with a palm full of cutely wrapped candies. Behind Beatrice, Maria squeals, jumping up and down. Ange gasps, subconsciously raising her own hands to accept the goodies. Beatrice chuckles, rolling her hand and turning the candies over to Ange.
"With magic, I summoned candies as a welcoming present to my new friend," Beatrice explains, and she withdraws her other hand off Ange's head.
"Uu! Uu, uu! That's like the same magic Beatrice showed Maria! The only difference is that Beatrice used a cup instead of her hands!" Maria gushes, leaping over to Ange. She snatches one of the candies and tears it open despite Ange's shout.
As Maria chomps on faintly melted chocolate and gushes over the caramel running over her tongue, Ange gapes. Her mouth remains open, and she feels foolish for having nothing to say. She glances at the arbor, finding only tea, cups, silverwares, and grimoires. There isn't a candy dish or any sign of wrappers.
"It's okay to have your suspicions due to your young age," Beatrice interjects, a tiny frown indicating her displeasure at Ange's silence, "but as you can plainly see, this is magic."
"Magic," Ange whispers, tracing her finger along the smooth candies. Her heart races in her chest, warming her chilled blood as excitement builds within her. She unwraps one candy and observes the round, brown exterior before popping it into her mouth. Immediately, she's struck with sweetness and melts, her body hunching and head tilting to her left side.
"Delicious, right? It should be! Only magic can bring forth the finest delicacies in this world and in many others," Beatrice proclaims, laughing.
"It's good! It's really good!" Ange shouts, her glee exploding forth as she smacks her lips together, hints of chocolate peeking out of the corners of her mouth. "I've never had such good candy before! Not even Mom can make treats this good!"
Maria beams, tossing Sakutarou in the air and catching him as she shouts, "Uu! Ange loves it! She's entering the world of magic! Uu, uu!"
Beatrice relaxes. Her shoulders lower, and she examines the two giggling girls. She sighs, her posture sinking as she bends down to Ange. As Ange licks her lips and swallows, Beatrice says, "You know, I was uncertain about you, but it seems your heart is open to magic."
"It is now!" Ange replies, bobbing her head.
"Uu! Beatrice, can Ange join? She proved she believes in magic!" Maria asks, clinging to Beatrice's hand. She swings it. "Maria knew Ange would pass, so she can join now, right? She'll make an amazing witch!"
Beatrice's expression tightens for a moment, one which Ange catches, but she exhales all of her worries with a cool breath. She turns to Ange, resting her hand back on the small girl's head and says, "I was worried about letting you join us. You didn't seem like one who would believe in magic."
"But she does now!" Maria shouts, and Beatrice clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
"Even a thousand-year-old witch can have her opinion change," she says, and she rolls her shoulders as she stands up. Cupping Ange's ruddy cheek, Beatrice smirks. "There you have it, Ushiromiya Ange. Like Maria, I, the Endless and Golden Witch, Beatrice, will welcome you to join Mariage Sorciere."
"And Maria welcomes you, too!" Maria gasps. "U-uu! Beatrice already said Maria did. Oops."
Beatrice chuckles, patting Maria's head as her apprentice pouts. She turns her full attention to Ange, drinking in her excitement and wonder. Ange is like the exact replica of her when she had been a demure girl lunging into the glorious realm of fantasy. The way the light in Ange's eyes shine reflects the true purity of her desire to learn.
"I want to learn! I-I want to know all kinds of magic!" Ange proclaims, her fingers lacing together in front of her chest. "Will you two teach me? Please!"
Beatrice throws her head back and cackles a witch's tune. She thrusts out two fingers, beckoning Ange to join them as she grasps Maria's hand. Wrapping her larger hand around Ange's pudgy one, she swings her in the air with Maria's help.
"Welcome, Ushiromiya Ange, to Mariage Sorciere! Learn all that you can, and one day, you just might reach sovereignty in the land of witches!" Beatrice titters, which would have sounded insidious to all other ears.
Their laughter mingles and banishes the emptiness in their chests. The rose garden blesses them as shivering wind rushes through the flowers, shooting up fallen, velvet petals as if they are dancing. Ange laughs, bouncing on her heels as Maria spins in place with Sakutarou. Their magical world expands, encompassing the garden, the butterflies, and even the finest dirt stuck in the cobblestone.
Beatrice takes her spot back underneath the arbor, allowing Maria to babble about the rules of their alliance. She notes Ange lapping up each word as if downing a sweet elixir. Resting her knuckles to her cheek once more, Beatrice turns away and allows the shadows to conceal her.
She rolls her wrist, and from the sleeve of her dress, several cute candies flow out onto the table. With her teeth gnawing on her chapped lip, Beatrice evenly scatters the candies between the three of them. Taking a deep breath, she breaks into a grin and beckons the girls to enjoy the rest of her summoned treats.
Beatrice knows these happy days will not last, but when she observes Maria and Ange gobble down the sweets as they gabble about magic, she wants this moment to last just a little longer. She hopes Rudolf and Rosa keep bickering with Krauss and Natsuhi, demanding to see the father who will never arrive. She even tries to will the sun to never set when pink hues begin touching the sky.
Clutching the low hem of her dress, Beatrice digs her forefinger into her collarbone and eases back into her role. She catches Ange's bright grin, feeling it burn into her like the torturous rays of the sun. Beatrice ruffles Ange's hair, her mask of pride returning as she rambles about the kinds of magical friends she has created with Maria.
Maria smiles, the unifying force between the two other members of the alliance. "Uu! Maria can't wait for Ange to meet everyone!"
Yet, Ange will forget those friends until years later when her heart is brittle and fragile from a long decade of abuses, and even then, she will deny them.
By that time, Beatrice will be the ruler of the Golden Land and nothing more than milky white bones on the ocean floor. Maria will be her loyal friend even if her bones are hidden from the world with the only remnant of her existence being a broken jaw with mangled, cracked teeth.
Until that time, during this late autumn day in 1984, the witches of Mariage Sorciere smile and laugh as their cares fade into the budding sunset.