"Bensiabel! Bensiabel, please! What color is the rooster?" Still no answer. Prunella is weeping. Noita shouts up the stairs.

"Time's up, little wench! Ya failed! I'm coming up to crush yer bones!" Prunella hears the witch storming up the staircase.

"Bensiabel, help me! Please!"

"RED, RED, IT'S RED!" he shouts suddenly.

"Bensiabel, it's too late, she's coming to kill me!"

Bensiabel doesn't reply. Prunella runs to her door and locks it, knowing the witch will knock the it down to murder her but hoping it will spare her some time. She looks to her window and considers leaping to her death. Surely it would be much quicker and less painful than whatever the witch has in store for her. She is fearful that the end is near, but what hurts the most is the betrayal of her only friend. And who could blame him? If only she had been able to see past her prejudice to the person within. Now it is too late.

To her surprise, she hears several thuds and crashes accompanied by a scream. She sits frozen on her bed, panting, until abruptly she hears three knocks on her door.

"Prunella! Prunella, open the door! It's me! The witch is dead!" She hears Bensiabel's muffled voice through the door. She runs to open it. There he stands, brown eyes shining, ruddy cheeks streaked with tears. Prunella embraces him, and kisses him long and passionately on his mouth. It is everything they have ever dreamed of, and more.

"Oh, Bensiabel, I'm so sorry I haven't done that sooner! You're a sweet, kind, and wonderful man, no matter who your mother is! You're the best friend I've ever had, and I love you!" She embraces him again, kisses his cheeks, his nose, his chin, his forehead, and finally his mouth once more. She draws back from him, grins shyly, and says, "I believe those should be enough to repay what I owe you." Her grin fades, and she looks deep into his eyes. "What happened?"

Bensiabel decides not to tell her of his momentary hatred of her for her prejudice. Nor does he tell her of his change of heart, realizing that if he gave in to the darker side of his soul, he would become just like his mother, alone and miserable, trying to make others just as miserable in an attempt to feel better about himself. He had realized that making others unhappy would never make him a happy man, and that in the end, Prunella would have been right to fear him and deny him her love.

However, he does tell her what happened after he changed his mind. "I came out of my room to help you just as she reached the top stairs. She was so surprised that she slipped and fell. I know for sure that she is dead. We're free."

"Free? But. . . where will we go?" Prunella asks. Bensiabel thinks for a moment.

"Maybe. . . maybe we can stay right here. We can fix up the house and make it nice. And Prunella, perhaps I can use the powers I have to help the people in this town. I've seen what Noita has done to them. She made their lives a living hell. We can make things so much better for them. Magic doesn't have to be evil."

Prunella starts to object, then thinks of Bensiabel using his magic to help her, and to help Rhia's slaves through her. "Maybe you can. Maybe I could learn some witchcraft after all."

"Yes! We can reverse all the evil my mother has caused in this town." His enthusiasm is infectious. She smiles and caresses his face. Bensiabel closes his eyes in ecstacy, thinking of all the lonely nights he has longed for a moment like this. "I love you, Prunella. I will love you forever." he whispers.

"I love you too, Bensiabel. Forever."

Author's Note

This story is based on the fairy tale "Prunella", with a few of my own twists and interpretations.

If you caught the little Dark Tower or Catcher in the Rye tributes, give yourself a cookie.