A/N I finally got off my lazy butt and finished this up! I'm sorry if this isn't too good; I haven't written in a long time, and even before that I had an awkward way with words. Anyways, thanks to EmeraldLily16 who wrote this story idea out! Go check out her stories, she's a great writer and I've been unknowingly following stories that were all written by her!
Once upon a time, in the magic realm of warlocks, wizards, and witches, there were three sisters. They were the best of friends, and experienced everything together - love, hate, sorrow, happiness, excitement, fear - and loved each other like no other could. They had a bond with each other stronger than anything else in their magical realm in which they lived.
One day, the youngest sister, Ondina, birthright of water and love, visited the mortal realm for her 17th birthday. When she returned to the magic realm, she was bursting with excitement. "It is wonderful there!" She cried, her eyes alight. "All the humans greeting each other and children running around and the marketplace full of people laughing! The smells, the sounds, the sights - it is all so vibrant and lifelike!" She paused for breath, only then noticing the forlorn expressions on her sister's face. "What is it?" She asked, concerned.
The middle sister burst into tears. Ondina gasped in surprise. "Are you alright, Layla?" She asked, moving forth to comfort her older sister.
"No!" Layla sobbed, her golden tears falling onto her silk gown. "Today was the first day of the annual magic festival, and in the preliminary rounds I got placed against Seliah!"
Layla sniffed once more, her tears finally drying up. Her older sister handed her an embroidered handkerchief. "May I inquire what happened next?" The oldest sister asked politely.
Layla blew her nose, quite ungracefully, then continued on with her story. "And then, she got mad when I bested her! She said that I was a horrible friend and shouldn't even be allowed into the magic school!"
Ondina rubbed soothing circles on Layla's back. "But you know that's not true at all." She said, attempting to calm her. Layla nodded weakly in agreement. "But that's not all," she said. "Seliah tried to use dark magic on me when I came home!"
The older sister, who had temporarily shown a sign of surprise, quickly gained her composure. "Surely the school must have expelled her?" She queried.
Layla nodded miserably. "But-but she got expelled because of me!" She dissolve into sobs once more, burying her head into her hands.
"There, there." Ondina soothed. "It's not your fault."
The older sister nodded. Eventually, Layla's sobs stopped.
"I, too, have an announcement to make." The oldest sister stated, standing up. "Our mother and father have found suitors for us." She paused, waiting to see her sister's reactions.
Ondina looked up from the couch she was sitting on. "But I'm only just 17!" She cried in shock.
"Yes, and mother and father have held off suitable prospects for as long as they could. But as you are of legal age, they can no longer put off the marriage offers. In addition, we are one of the more influential figures in the magic realm. It is our duty to secure heirs and advocate political stability." Irene replied. Her stony face gave no emotion away to her sisters.
"But-Irene!" Layla said. "I don't want to marry to a stranger!"
Irene held her gaze. "You have been matched to your close friend, Jude." Irene said. "Would you consider him a stranger?"
"Ondina, mother and father have managed to convince the Porla family to marry off their son, Jose." Ondina looked shocked. "But-but I don't want to marry him!" She cried. "He is a slimy, treacherous snake! And I don't want to marry him, I already have a-"
"Ondina?"
"I-nothing." Irene gazed at her skeptically, but she moved on. "I, myself, will be marrying General Rung, of the warlock army."
When silence resounded around the sitting room, Irene nodded. "I suggest you clean yourselves up. Mother and father will be wanting to see us soon."
"Mama?" The small child sitting on the floor asked.
"Yes?"
"Isn't your name Ondina?"
"Yes, dear."
"But the person in the story is called Ondina too."
"Yes, she is."
"Is she you?"
"One day, you'll see, dear. Now please allow me to continue on with the story."
"Ok."
In the dark of the night, Ondina packed her bags - a river stone she had owned for ages, a locket with a photo inside, her pink umbrella - and stole away into the black.
The next morning, when Irene and Layla woke up, Ondina was gone, and only a note left in her place.
The rain pounded down on the pink umbrella. Slowly, a drop slipped off the edges and landed into an outstretched hand. "Drip drip drop." The person to which the hand belonged to said.
Once upon a time, there were three sisters. They were always together. But one day, when the youngest sister skated off to the mortal realm of monsters and terrors and developed ideas about how humans needed peace and prosperity, their bond was shattered into pieces.
The younger sister was distraught, the youngest one concerned, and the oldest one? Well, she displayed no emotion at all, keeping her feelings locked tight under the armor of her heart. But that was certainly for the best.
She wouldn't ever dissolve into a puddle like the youngest; nor be as naive and optimistic as the middle. No, she was impassive, stolid, and unperturbed.
And that was for the best.
The red-haired woman didn't mention how she felt about being married to a complete stranger who had a record of cheating, violence, and abuse; she didn't mention how she felt when her younger sister ran away and left her in pieces; she didn't mention how she felt when she was driven out of her home and suffered through humiliation and pain.
After all, it was for the best, wasn't it?
The scarlet haired witch in armor brushed her hair aside as she waited in the sweltering rain for somebody to arrive. Her hand momentarily hovered above her waist, as if seeking a weapon to wield. "It's for the best." She muttered underneath her breath.
Once upon a time, there were three sisters. They were inseparable; one was always with another. But when the youngest sister rebelled against the strict rules of their family, their bond slowly dissolved away, like golden shimmers of light fading as clouds covered the sun.
As one comforted another, and the other announced their future with no flicker of emotion, that was when she felt her spirit sinking, fading into black pits that every person possessed.
And when the news came that the youngest sister had eloped with a mortal, her spirit broke, leaving her with nothing but shattered pieces and scattered memories.
She just had to be the emotional one, didn't she?
The golden-haired mage's eyes flickered up momentarily before looking at her lacrimal cell once again. She glanced up yet again, wondering at the rain that had just started up. "Odd." She murmured, moving into a dry corner and shaking the water out of her head.
If somebody looked out onto the square, if they had squinted and looked carefully, they would have seen flashes of red, blue, and yellow.
†hanks (i have no idea what that † was) for re∂ding this! drop a review or follow if you liked it and want to read more and maybe, just maybe i'll write one earlier than two months (because i already know i won't touch it for like a long time and then i'll have a sudden burst of inspiration even though you have MAP tomorrow and you're supposed to be going to bed early but you do it anyways)
also i have no idea what the title should be. i named it the Witching Hour on impulse. maybe drop a suggestion in the review? ;)