The Truth of Magic

The rain beat viciously down on the castle walls in the early morning haze. It was not yet dawn but two figures could be seen through the thick fog. One, slightly taller than the other stood, gazing lovingly at the other. The man, of sallow completion and jet-black hair smiled ever-so-gently at the woman. Their robes billowing around them like a blanket.

"If he finds out, there will surely be a consequence," the woman's voice echoed.

"Then he must not find out!" the man grumbled.

"It is quite obvious what we're doing," she responded.

"Yes yes but I refuse to lose you again!" her lover said, quieter this time.

He took her face in his hands and kissed the top of her head, which was covered in a graceful bun. The couple clung to each other as a large gust of wind blew the rain around them.

"Come, lets go inside," he said, motioning for her to follow.

"Yes," she responded, following him inside the large stonewalls.

This is how it was every day for the past three years. They would rise and meet in the woods before dawn and then go their separate ways, exchanging the usual courtesies of being colleagues. They refused to let anything stand in the way of their love.

One night in late December, their love for one another would be put the ultimate test.

The couple sat cuddled by a blazing fire. The man caressed his lover's cheek as she sat drinking her evening cup of tea. The firelight cast warm, friendly shadows on the wall opposite them. They were waiting for the rest of the staff to show up for an urgent meeting but were not worried when it was just the two of them even after half and hour had gone by.

However, when the clock struck the hour, eleven o'clock, a cold, bone-chilling breeze surrounded the couple. Shuttering, the woman looked over at the wall and saw not two but three shadows. She slowly turned her gaze and met a pair of beady, snake-like red eyes.

"Oh-my-god it's him," she whispered, scared to death.

"Yes i know that," her lover responded, suddenly wincing in pain.

"What do we have here?" the intruder hissed maliciously.

"What do you want," the black haired man questioned standing.

"Don't be a fool, you know what I want," the snake-like creature rasped.

The woman reached for her wand but before she could she screamed.

"Crucio!" the intruder bellowed.

"No! Leave her out of this!" the sallow-skinned man screamed, his face going paler than it already was.

His lover lay on the ground, writhing in pain. The snake-like man laughed and raised his wand again, this time at his disloyal follower.

"You have double-crossed me far too many times! Now you shall pay!" he roared.

"Impedimenta!" he shouted.

His opponent's wand shot out of his hand and flew across the room, landing with a dull 'thud'. The woman forced herself to ignore the pain in order to utter one sentence.

"You don't need a wand to do magic, it comes from your heart," she gasped.

"Ha! She doesn't know what she's talking about!" the hideous man replied, shooting a disgusted look at the elderly woman on the floor.

"No! You're wrong!" he shouted at this demonic creature.

With all of his will power and hatred for the man, he forced the intruder to his knees and then caused his wand to go shooting out of his hand and into the fireplace. With the wand burning rapidly, the spell on his lover ceased. She took in several deep breaths. By now their adversary lay on the ground, crystalline tears streaming down his face in small tributaries.

"Get up you pathetic piece of trash and leave! NOW!" her lover bellowed.

The man resembling the snake disappeared into thin air upon demand. The younger man, collapsed into his lover's arms, exhausted from the exertion of energy.

"You're right, I don't need a wand to do magic," he whispered quietly.

"I knew you had it in you," she whispered back.

The couple exited the room, hands firmly clasped. They had proven their love could withstand all evils, but more importantly had learned the truth of magic.