Title: Charmed: Ultimatum
Subtitle: "Being forever charmed isn't as easy as it seems."
Author: Western Sky
Summary: The Charmed Ones fulfilled their primary destiny to vanquish the Source of All Evil. Then they engaged in their second destiny to fight the Ultimate Power. But as they say, all good things come in threes, and the sisters still have one more destiny to carry out...
The Ultimate Battle has come and gone, and normality has finally resumed at the Halliwell Manor. But six months later, recent times have taken their toll on the Charmed Ones and some serious downtime is in order – and it seems the Underworld has decided to remain on the down low too.
But despite the growing separation between Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) and Paige (Rose McGowan), an unusual occurrence draws the sisters back together, and all of a sudden the Power of Three is back to their old witchy ways once again.
So, shut your Book of Shadows, orb on over and come read a spell in one final journey with the Power of Three as they complete their last destiny and learn exactly why they truly are forever charmed.
Disclaimer: "CHARMED", "The Charmed Ones" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and (c) by CONSTANCE M. BURGE, AARON SPELLING Television Inc (A Paramount/Viacom Co.) and WB (AOL Time Warner Company). All rights reserved. This story is purely fan fiction and was made for entertainment and for amusement purposes only. The story was created by its author but is based on the characters, locations and the show produced by the writers of "CHARMED". All similarities between new storylines with current fan fictions or other shows are entirely coincidental. There is absolutely no ninth season; I am simply creating up my own storylines and episodes. So, enjoy and please take the time to read and review! Thanks.
Chapter 1: Prologue
Salem, Massachusetts. 1692.
The woman slipped on the wet mud under her bare feet as two men in iron masks jerked her through the throng of people. Hundreds of villagers had gathered in the town's center to witness the woman – or witch, as the townspeople had preferred to call her – get burned alive. The woman felt the urge to panic or fight back at these people; after all, she knew very well that her hours left alive were numbered, but something inside of her remained calm. Albeit the cries of hatred from the surrounding citizens, she stayed silent and did as she was told.
"We have gathered to restore mortality." A booming voice rang out above the noisy crowd. "We are here to witness the burning of a witch!"
Although the woman was still being dragged through the mob and the sound of shouting was all that filled her ears, she still recognized the loud voice from the man on the neighboring podium.
"Today," the man continued loudly, "we rid the world of Melinda Warren!"
As the villagers erupted in cheers, Melinda Warren caught sight of the man; Hugh Montgomery, positioned atop an elevation with his arms outstretched toward the township. His smug expression made Melinda recoil in disgust.
Melinda, whose hair had gone dirty and clothes had become nothing but loin cloth due to days spent in prison, had been tried and convicted of witchcraft. Her ex-boyfriend Matthew Tate betrayed and sentenced her to death following the exposure of her magical abilities, and for fear that her daughter would be tried as well, Melinda decided to surrender to the sentencing. Matthew was actually a warlock throughout his relationship with Melinda, and continued to feed off of her three dominant powers until she was exposed. Melinda had cursed him to spend eternity inside a locket, but now, even though she'd managed to banish her betraying ex-partner, she was still being condemned to death – the first of many witch trials to come.
As Melinda stepped up onto the small platform where a post and pile of straw were sited, she remained unusually relaxed. The two men holding her quickly released their grip and Melinda's eyes instantly glossed over, staring out at the aggressive onlookers and then at the conceited, arrogant face of Hugh Montgomery – her executioner. Melinda suddenly felt herself being dragged closer to the stake and the world suddenly became a blur. The muffled sound of yelling and applause from the mob was blocked out as the good witch felt herself being tied to the pole, no mercy being taken in how tight the rope was around her hands. Melinda could feel blood seeping from her arms where the rope had been pulled too tight. Then, Hugh launched a flaming torch at her face, slowly waving it in front of her, as if teasing her with it.
"Well, witch," Hugh spat, "any last words before you come face-to-face with the devil incarnate?"
And, for the first time in days, Melinda spoke.
"You may kill me."
Hugh seemed surprised, and judging by the sudden hush by the townspeople so were they. Hugh hesitated before motioning the torch at the dry haystack below the good witch's feet.
"But you cannot kill my kind." Melinda spoke again just before the flame came into contact with the straw. Her voice didn't quiver nor shake. She kept composed, as if the fact she was about to die didn't bother her. "With each generation the Warren witches will grow stronger and stronger until, at last, three sisters will arrive. Together, these three sisters will be the most powerful witches the world has ever known."
Confusion and anxiety immediately grew among the village. If what Melinda was saying was true then there must be more witches out there. The town vowed to not stop hunting and killing suspects until every last possible witch was gone.
Hugh breathed angrily as he lowered his fiery torch again. He wasn't going to allow anymore words to be said. To him, she was a witch, which meant she didn't deserve to speak at all.
Melinda knew this was it, and she took one last breath before shouting her final words.
"They wi--" She stopped to yelp like a dog; the flames had come into contact with her bare legs, and the pain was excruciating. Melinda struggled to say any more. As the flames completely engulfed her lower body she forced the final, pain-filled words to leave her lips.
"They -- will -- be -- the -- Charmed -- Ones!"
Melinda immediately released an agonizing scream as fire ravaged and burned her. The mother of one, this loving person, this good witch and the honorary ancestor of the future Charmed Ones, died a cruel and unfortunate death.
But this was only the beginning.
Author's Note:From the next chapter onward we enter the lives of the Charmed Ones in the months following the series finale "Forever Charmed". All comments, criticism and reviews are seriously appreciated, and they help to keep me motivated to write more. Feel free to speculate on what you think could happen, post any remarks or comment on your favorite bits and pieces, etc.
I have already planned out the majority of the story (this was originally going to be a virtual season nine continuation, but I have since decided to rework all my planned episodes into one big story, so you can expect quite a fair few chapters in the near future) and I already know exactly where this storyline is headed.
I would like to say I'll be writing on this as much as possible, but I do have a busy life at the moment too so that will be in the way a little bit, but I promise to keep all this going for as long as possible. Even if I haven't updated in a while, I shan't be far away. So, enjoy... and stay charmed.