A/N: Been a long time since I wrote anything. Hope you enjoy this little oneshot and I really wish this wasn't too ugly. I really enjoyed writing about this couple though. ^_^ BTW, this was supposed to be my entry for the Village Square's Writing Festival.
Disclaimer: Always applies.
Blond hair glistens in the pond as the young witch strolls by the Goddess Spring. She curses silently, muttering profane words of hate towards the Goddess at the spring. It was midnight and the silver moon shines brightly for all the villagers to see. The stars twinkle at a soft pace, like eyes looking over the land. The cold winter breeze passes by and Witch Princess winces at the sting of its icy temperature. It must have been a few minutes just before midnight judging by the moon's position.
"I have been such a fool to actually believe in all of the things," she said, "How could I have been so stupid, so blind?" she mutters. On her right hand, she carries a small brown bag filled with all her magic spells and enchanting formula used for her dark magic. While on her left, she holds an old and smudged letter she has spent weeks trying to write. She sighs and continues to walk to her destination.
It was too much. The weight of the pain she has been experiencing has been too much to bear for her. Every night, she'll have that same haunting dream, snaring voices and a gathering of all her fears, which always ends up her waking in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. For fear that the raspy voices will haunt her once more.
"I hate myself for even believing the impossible," she curses.
She looks up, snow crunching beneath her feet. The moon used to shine so bright to her during night time, why is it now that it only gives out a dull and lifeless shimmer in the air? She remembers all the times they have spent together, all the warm hugs and soft kisses, having the moon and stars witness their times of love and happiness.
Love and happiness over my ashes, she thinks.
She walks for a few more moments in the dark forest, wandering around trying to clear her head of all the confusion and frustration she's been experiencing. It was so unlike her to be the one in pain rather than the one inflicting it on others. "I wish I can be the same after I met him. I'd love to do a spell but I'm not yet powerful enough to even do that."
The witch was caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn't realized a part of her hair got tangled up in one of the tree's branches. Carefully, she chants a spell that will quickly undo the problem. She gives her hair a small tug to test if the spell worked. It didn't.
Doing her best to remain calm, she chants the spell once again and tugs at her hair once more to see if it worked. Still, it was unsuccessful. Impatient, she tries once more and it only ends up her screaming curses in the air.
"Harvest! If you're doing this again because I made all of Jack's cows sick, you are going to pay for this." The witch screams and this time she uses force in pulling her hair free from the branches. She howls in pain, but still she pursues in letting her hair free from the tree's grasp.
"Oh come on, Harvest. Just let my hair go, will you? I promise I'll give an offering to you later."
Silence.
"I'll even throw a strawberry cheesecake with a slice of a strawberry parfait."
Quick scuttling over by the trees sharpens her senses and makes her alert. She was in the deepest part of the forest; surely no one would dare stay out at this late of the hour in this place. The moon was still above the sky but clouds have covered the stars in the sky thus making a dark atmosphere. A shadow appears to her right for a second, and then it was gone.
"Who goes there? I have you know I can turn you into a creature you've been dreading since you were a child. Like a wolf or maybe even a boogie monster-like creature. Show yourself."
"No need to be so grouchy."
A smooth and silky voice makes its way into her as a tall man with silver hair walks up in front of her. Immediately, her guard is up. This man has caused her too much trouble already. Part of her wishes to go away and yet a part of her wishes to stay. His eyes come into contact into hers.
"Why are you here?"
Her eyes quickly come into the other's. Ruby over jade. Two beautiful shades battling, overcoming, fighting with each other to see who can have control in this conversation. Struggling for composure, the witch makes her stand by the oak tree while waiting for the silver-haired man's reply.
"A voice, or maybe a spirit, told me to come here. I wasn't particularly sure why I'd have to follow it, but I just did. Instinct told me you were involved." He takes two fluid steps towards the witch and gives out a smile. "I guess I was right."
Curse you, Harvest, she thought. This wasn't going out as she planned. She only wanted to tell him the truth in a form of a letter which she just wrote a few days back not in a dark forest talking face to face. Truly, she was never more frustrated in the whole 500 years of her existence, maybe even more. She never wanted this, never wanted to hurt anyone anymore.
"Why do you have to make this hard for me?" she says. Seeing him again had struck a chord within her. Witch Princess struggles to control her overflowing emotions, but the battle in oneself is somewhere she hasn't yet experienced in a long time.
Her face fixes into a grimace, contorting into an image of pure agony and pain quite similar to what she was feeling. She couldn't take it anymore. Every time she runs away, he always shows up right before her plan can be of any success. And, for the first time in centuries, she cries.
Tears roll down her rosy cheeks in a flurry, one toppling over the other in a never ending stream. She leans over the oak tree for support and lets the tears just roll downwards across her face. I hate this, she thinks, I didn't want this to happen.
I just want this to end now.
Shakily, she pushes him away and attempts to walk back to the path she's been tracking for so long. All she wants is to be alone, to be isolated from the world outside her.
"I just have to go."
She takes a shaky step, and then another, and before she knew it she was in a full-on sprint, not knowing where her feet are taking as long as it's anywhere away from him. She'd be more than happy to use her magic to teleport instead, but her kind of magic is weak at this time of the hour. She'll just have to wait until the next auspicious moment came.
"I see the redwood tree," she smiles and victory has never tasted this sweet to her before. The giant redwood always meant that the end of the forest is near. Only 50 feet left. Forty feet. Thirty. Twenty and then CRASH!
Witch Princess fell to the ground that caused her to drop her things and scatter all over the forest floor. She quickly grabs the nearest bottle but a quicker hand grabs her arm before she could do anything. She struggles and winces at the pain as she felt on her right knee. It must have gotten scraped when she fell down.
"Skye, will you just let go—"
"Why are you running away from me?"
It was a simple question. She would have answered another blunt retort like she usually does with the rest of the villagers but the only thing she could only say was, "You won't understand even if I told you."
Their eyes locked onto each other and for a moment. Time stood still between. Looking into his eyes, the witch was in the verge of crying once more, but she forced herself not to show anymore signs of weakness just like a while ago. The pain in her knee suddenly grew sharper and she gave a soft yell.
"Don't go running in this condition. If you do, I swear I'll use my maiden chick beam on you," Skye said as he took out a small kit from the pocket of his purple pants. He quickly took out some ointment and quickly cleaned her wound.
She shrugs and lays herself down on a small stump. "You know, I taught you that spell. I can always reverse it using a chant of mine," she replies, "So it will definitely be useless on me."
"That's true. But I only made that threat so you can actually just stay still for a while," he laughs, "I'm just curious on how you can do a spell without using your hands."
"It takes practice. Just a few hundred years of hard work will do you good."
They laugh for a few minutes but silence still overtakes the two. He looks into her and says, "I still don't quite understand why you're running away," He holds her hand and she turns into a sudden shade of crimson. But then she lets go and looks away from his gaze.
"I can't love you, Skye. I just can't," she says bitterly. Even if she wanted to have a beautiful wedding and have children with him, it just can't happen. "Besides, I've heard you've taken a liking to the new farmer here in the valley. Her name's Jill, right? I've been seeing you two…hanging around," she was struggling not to say dating.
"Yes. But don't look at it that way…"
"She seems okay," she smirks. She then looked at him a mischievous glint in her eyes, "But that won't stop me from making her life miserable though."
"Why can't you love me? I thought we'll be together forever, just like what we vowed beneath the stars." He looked at her with a serious face once again, but she managed to avoid his gaze.
She was trying really hard not to cry now. Not even he can even change the traditions and rules the Harvest King has bestowed upon her and her other siblings.
"Here's the reason why," she choked, tears forming up in her eyes, "Someday you'll grow old and you'll have a hard time walking, seeing or even hearing. Someday you'll have the most difficult times of your life while your body is becoming old and fragile while I… I'll still be the same. No matter how much I want us to be together, we can't. I have no spells of immortality, and even if I do, I'm forbidden to use it."
The burden in her heart became lighter but the wound that has formed within it will never heal. No amount of magic or potions will ever cure something that's embedded in one's heart. "I'm sure you and Jill will have a wonderful life together. She will be able to give you beautiful children and a simple life, something even a powerful witch can't do for a mortal like you."
After she said that, her knees just gave way and she began crying once more. All the pain and sadness she had been holding in was now released away from her. Small tears slid downwards once more from her cheeks, but this time someone wiped them off of her face. She was about to say to just leave her alone but then Skye grabbed her…
…and gave her one last parting embrace.
"I'll miss you, my sweet. And remember that no one will replace you in my heart," he kisses her forehead, "I don't fully understand why you are doing this, but as they say, if I love you very much then I'll have to set you free."
The witch just nodded at his words and instead of running away from him, she just stood there, being in his arms, until sunrise came to welcome their new direction in their lives.
Slowly, the witch fades into a soft shimmer, casting a soft glow in Skye's face.
"Skye," She grabs his hand gently, giving him one last squeeze before she leaves.
"Yes?" He looks back, confused.
"My name's Vivi," she smiles once more. He smiles back in return.
"I'd really wish I can make you immortal, Skye. But I just can't."
"Vivi," he walks up to her and looks into the witch's red orbs, "I don't need to live forever. Just for me to have been a part of your life and a part in your heart is immortality enough for."
Before she can reply, a gust of wind takes her to her new place in a faraway land. And then she fades out completely.
-0-
A new place. A new home. A new identity.
The girl is teleported to an old mystic house and there she settles for her new life. She walks in and sees a mirror. She chants a spell and her hair becomes a shade of silvery white and cut at the same length Skye had always wanted her to have.
"I'll always have you in my life, Skye. Whether you like it or not."