Ok, I corrected the name thingy -Where I named Michael isntead of Alec - and the Whish thing :)
SPELLBOUND
Chapter IX: A Witch's Marks
Cherith
"I can't stand her!" I said as I paced around Amy's new bedroom. "And I can't believe that Alec took her side! Over me! I'm his adorable little sister and he called me Spoiled Brat! I'm not a brat. Spoiled I would never deny it but… but…"
"Oh, Cherith, sweetheart," Mrs. Rose said kindly. "Let it go and calm down. I'm not saying that I like her either but if your brother likes her then she must have some good on her."
"A good pair of breast I would say." I replied sullenly.
Mrs. Rose looked alarmed, "Do you think they… oh, no, forget it, what I am saying?"
I laughed. "I don't think they are doing IT, Mrs. Rose, in fact, I'm quite certain Alec is still as chaste and innocent as I am myself."
"Which is to say?"
"Pure as the driven snow."
"How do you know?" Both Amy and Mrs. Rose asked suspiciously. I just smiled knowingly.
"Let's just say that when you got magic you shouldn't go around making promises that you cannot keep."
"What do you mean?" Amy asked.
"Well… back when I was 'bout twelve I was having this argument with Jenna and Laura – Uncle Marco's daughters – about how it was totally unfair that a man never got reprimanded for his premarital sexual exploits. But a woman always had to feel the lashing out of good society. It went on for so long that Alec finally gave up and cut in and said that he for one was going to keep his er… flower… until he married, just to show solidarity with the female population.
"I asked 'do you promise?' and he said yes… and so I made a little spell to make sure that he would keep his word… it wasn't quite as when one takes an oath but, believe me when I say, he'll remain chaste and pure until he marries."
Suddenly, the three of us began to laugh. Laugh out loud in that way that leaves your tummy aching and warms your heart.
"Does he know?" Mrs. Rose asked.
"He figured it out when he and Gerry when to The Belle Mansion to get deflowered on Gerry's sixteenth birthday."
"Oh, Cherith, you're terrible."
I shrugged modestly. "What can I say that hasn't already been said?" I said flippantly.
We just laughed again.
A couple of hours later, though, I wasn't laughing at all.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Gerry
I could hear Cherith's scream clear across the courtyard. She was way over the gardens, at her very own little garden, the one she had kept all by herself since she was ten years old.
Cherith's scream sounded mostly mournful but I could hear the panic on it and the fear as well do I dashed across the courtyard and through the formal garden by the front steps of the Palace and finally to the side garden that Cherith called her own.
It didn't look at all like the cheerful, colorful place it had once been. There was a rancid smell on the air, several flowerbeds were turned and by the look of it, it didn't seem to me there was so much as one single bloom left alive.
Cherith was crumpled in the floor, crying without making a noise. There were only silent tears running down her cheeks and breaking my heart. They would have broken anyone's heart, really. Amy was hugging Cherith, she wasn't crying but bore a look of the utter most panic, fear the likes I had never seen before almost as if she knew exactly what had happened here.
"What happened?" I asked loudly to no one in particular but sure enough one of the gardeners that had come running at Cherith's screams answered me.
"We don't know how this happened, sir, we don't come 'round here much, unless my lady Cherith asks us to help her. I've asked, no one heard or saw anything going on here."
I nodded curtly. "Can you see that this mess is cleared up?" I asked quietly, so Cherith didn't hear but she proved to have a superb hearing as she sprung to her feet quickly.
"No, no my flowers, don't take them away." She said, sobbing now.
"Cherith, they are dead," I said quietly.
"No." She said and began to pond my chest with desperate strength. "Don't say that, they aren't… they aren't dead, some must be still alive, they must..."
"My lady, I doubt it." The gardener said.
All strength seemed to leave her body and she just swayed towards me, I caught her quickly, holding her steady. "Do clean this up." I said in a whisper and picked Cherith up and began to stride back into the palace.
Once on her chamber, I laid her down gently as Amy searched for a blanket to cover Cherith with; she was trembling as if she were very cold.
"Who would do something like this?" Cherith asked. "My garden…"
Everyone knew just how much that garden meant to her. King Christopher had given her that little piece of garden when she was a small girl and Cherith had diligently tended to it for good eight years now. It was a bright spot of colors amid the stately gardens of the palace.
There was a decisive knock on the door and a moment later King Christopher and Queen Kaze were there. I moved out of the way, retiring to a corner where Amy was seated. Amy still looked as if she had seen something terrible.
"Oh, Cherith, I'm so sorry," Lady Kaze said as she hugged Cherith.
King Christopher kissed his daughter's brow. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. And I know it hurts, I know how much you loved your flowers, but don't give it up, you can start over, make it grow again and this time it will be ten times more beautiful, I promise you."
"Oh, Daddy," Cherith wailed. "I don't know if I can."
"Of course you can, sweetheart, you're stronger than what you think. And whoever did this –and I will find out, I swear it – wanted to hurt you, striking your heart and your will, do you want him or her to win, do you?"
It was, I suppose, an odd thing to say to someone as grief stricken as Cherith, but King Christopher knew his daughter well. Cherith needed to rebuild her garden, otherwise it would hurt forever, but she wouldn't do it unless she was angry, no other thing will give her enough energy to drag herself back to a place she once loved so much and saw destroyed.
"I… I guess you're right…." She said quietly but the listlessness had left her eyes and she looked a bit more focused now and a little less inclined to break down crying.
King Christopher cuddle Cherith for a while more, making plans on how he was going to write to her aunt and uncle – at Circe and Lhite – for them to send her seeds of all the flowers she liked from their gardens, and saying how Cherith was excused of any sort of royal function until she felt she had done good enough progress in her garden and other things. All the while Lady Kaze just smiled indulgently and let them get on with it, just interrupting briefly when they asked their opinion. That was when I realized something was terribly wrong here. Alec wasn't present.
By then he surely must have heard of Cherith's distress, yet he wasn't there to comfort his sister. If this day had come, then something was certainly wrong with him.
Terribly, terribly wrong.
Finally, Cherith's parents left and it was only Amy, Cherith and me.
I went to sit by her side and she quickly grabbed my hand, holding it loosely enough that I knew I could pull it out any moment I wanted. "Gerry?" Cherith asked quietly. "Do you think I can rebuild my garden?" She asked in the softest voice imaginable.
"I'm sure you can," I answered.
"It will be a lot of work."
"I'll help you."
Cherith snuggled closer, until her head was on my lap. Idly I began to stroke her hair. "I will hold you to that, you know." She said softly, sounding drowsy.
"I know you will."
Cherith yawned a little and gave one tiny sleepy nod, settling more fully over me. She appeared to be falling asleep. I looked at Amy, looking for signs that she was leaving, if Amy left then I would have to do so as well, it was only proper. But Amy caught my eyes – she looked quite a bit less in shock as than she had when I had brought Cherith here – and smiled, setting herself on a straight backed chair near by.
I nodded and focused back on Cherith, stroking her hair once and again, slowly lulling her to sleep.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Amy
For a few days it seemed things had gone back to normal. Cherith and I – along with Gerry – spent most of our time working on Cherith's garden, we were making some progress, and it was the middle of the spring, so the weather was most favorable for our purposes. Erik came too, offering to help, I guess once a farmer always a farmer, Erik always did love growing things.
Alec was always absent. I mean, he put on an appearance at dinner time and sometimes I heard that he had gone out with Dionne, but he just wasn't around like before. He used to love being at the gardens, throwing sticks and Frog for him to chase, that kind of stuff. But he just remained missing.
Gerry was angry about it, Callie was even angrier since –after what had happened to Cherith's flowers – King Christopher had asked her to tag Alec like his shadow, just to make sure he wasn't in danger. But Alec wasn't cooperating at all.
He finally resurfaced a week later; Dionne was clinging from his arm as usual.
"Mother, Father," He said as he came to the dinner table. "I've an announcement to make."
Cherith caught my eye across the table, she looked ill at ease.
"What is it, son?" King Christopher asked.
"I've decided I must marry. I've asked Dionne and she graciously accepted to become my wife. We want to be married as soon as possible."
Silence settled over the table. Such a heavy, oppressing silence… but amid of it I could hear very clearly how my heart was shivering and blowing up, breaking into a thousand sharp pieces. Alec had never been mine to lose, but it hurt of the same.
This too, Dionne was taking from me, and the look she gave let me know that she had done it on purpose.
"Have you thought carefully about this?" King Christopher asked in a quiet but steady voice. "Are you sure."
"Yes, father."
"Well, we'll see what's to be done now, but first Kaze and I will speak to the both of you in private. Later though. Now let's continue with out meal. Cherith weren't you telling me-"
"Are you saying that I can't marry?" Alec interrupted
"Did you hear those words leave my mouth?" King Christopher answered without any particular inflection. When Alec shook his head King Christopher nodded regally and turned his attention back to Cherith. He wasn't pleased with this turn of events, everyone could see it, but he wasn't about to cause a scene.
For the rest of the night I went through the motions but I wasn't paying much attention to anything. When dinner was over, I didn't notice until practically everyone was gone.
Cherith touched my arm lightly. "Are you all right?" She asked.
"What? Oh, yes, yes, of course I am." I answered.
"I'm sorry," She added quietly. "I know…"
"What's done it's done, Cherith."
"Well, it isn't final yet… there is time still…"
I shook my head and stood up, I wanted to be away, far, far away. I wanted to run until I couldn't catch my breath. I stood up.
Cherith sighed sadly "I- I thought he loved you," She said quietly. "I thought he did…" I froze for a second. "That's why I kept pushing you two to be alone and together, I thought he would realize of his feelings, if he got the chance."
I shook my head. "I will go now, if that's okay with you."
I was walking as quickly as I could without breaking into a run; I had almost made it out of the Palace when Dionne caught with me.
"I told you I would get him. Didn't I?" Dionne said in a mocking voice.
"Why do you do this? If you want to hurt me that's fine! But you hurt Cherith, and you will hurt Alec…please, leave them alone." I pleaded, silly, I know but I hoped…
"That insolent brat had it coming, she took your side, so did the queen… but I don't think it's on my best interest to have her as an enemy…the others are insignificant… but Alec… well, I have no reason to leave him alone, he'll be mine and I'll become a princess and eventually a queen. He's what I call a long time investment."
She laughed that awful laugh of hers.
"And don't even think on opening your mouth. One peep against me and I'll kill your brother. I swear it!"
I bit my lip, hard, to keep from crying. I just spun around and ran outside, into the night but her voice followed me into the woods.
"Don't think you're safe, little sister. I'm not done with you yet!"
I ran and rant until finally I collapsed under a big weeping willow… it seemed fitting. Then I cried.
"Why do you cry, Amy?" Jadzia's timeless voice filled my ears blocking away all other sound. "Do you cry because the prince has chosen a lady of his own?" Her voice was cruel, for the first time ever I heard her being cruel, mocking me.
"I don't cry because of that, my lady." I answered truthfully; there is no point of lying to a unicorn anyway.
"Then what is it? Ahhh, don't tell me, you thought He would actually fall in love with you. Isn't that so?"
"Hardly, Lady," I sobbed. "I just want Alec to be happy."
"And you think you would make him happy? Happier than the lady he has chosen for himself?"
"I want him to be happy," I repeated, fearing weary. "His happiness doesn't have to have anything to do with me. If a fine, kind lady of his own class came and gave him the happiness Alec deserves, I wouldn't stand in the way. I would feel happy for him and his happiness would fill my life, even if I wasn't part of it."
"Are you sure? Could you live watching him make his life with someone else? Give his love, his life, his children to someone that wasn't you?"
"I could. I would!" I said firmly. "If she loved him completely, if she made him the happiest man on earth, I would do it without a doubt. It would hurt but, to be honest, I never actually believed he would love me like I do. It would hurt, but I would learn to live with that if it meant his contentment. That's what true love is all about."
Jadzia's whole stance changed and she regarded me with warmth and something like respect. "You have spoken the truth of your heart, Amy, you do understand true love."
"Sometimes I wish I didn't! I wish I could be selfish about all of this, I really do"
Jadzia smiled sadly. "We all wish for that, Amy, believe me, I know."
The sadness in her voice told me that she did know. She came closer, there was s silver flash of light, a bright moonbeam and then, in front of me, there wasn't an unicorn's form anymore, but the form of the White Lady, the Lady of the Forest that I had seen but once before: White blond hair, alabaster skin, a star-shaped silver mark on the forehead, and amethyst eyes.
She knelt down next to me and her arms came around me. I would have cried had I had some tears left but in her embrace I found a measure of peace.
"Dionne hurts you, I know."
"You- You know?"
"I know all about Dionne, don't worry, you can talk to me. You can't tell me something I already know, so it's safe. Dionne never quite learned to be precise with her spells."
"You know her?"
"Of course, I do. She was a gifted child… would have been one of the best witches ever, hadn't she been so arrogant."
"I wish I knew what I have done to deserve her wrath. To have her haunting my every step."
"Haunting is all about envy." Jadzia recited. "And as Kaze said correctly once, Envy is the path that will lead you to hell." There was a pause; she was choosing what to tell me. "Like I said, Dionne was one a gifted child, once of my students, she learned fast and remembered it all but no matter how much you praised her, she wanted more. I saw the ugliness in her heart soon enough and I cut her off. She grew angry, said she would learn it all by herself. Which she did, I suppose, she did learn a great deal, in her hands good magic turned bad… but I thought she was contentment, and that as long as she was happy she would keep her knowledge to herself. But then you happened.
You had beauty to which she couldn't compare, and even when you stripped the physical aspect of it, you were still beautiful inside. You had the unconditional love of your brother, so she took that from you, thinking it would destroy you; she marked your face to spoil your beauty. She thought it would be the end of you, but then you came here and you were happy again… not long ago you knew a moment of perfect happiness, she felt that.
Dionne leaves ties in her spells to the people she casts them on; she felt your happiness and got angry. She came to take something more from you."
"She already had my brother, and I had nothing else to give."
"You did something bigger. Don't you understand? She came for your future… Alec."
I felt a rock settle on my stomach. "You- You mean I brought this on Alec?"
"No. I never said that." Jadzia said. "Each person is responsible of its own actions, and only for that. But have no fear; there is always a solution for everything. I promise."
I nodded, no sure of what solution she was talking about. "I think I should go back."
"Yes, go." Jadzia said, helping me up and before I left he placed a small object on my hand. "It's for protection." She said and I sipped the cord abound my neck, from it a star-shaped token glowing with otherworldly light. "Be safe Amy, Don't provoke Dionne, and we'll find a way out of this."
I nodded and walked back towards the Palace, I took the ten flights of stairs up to my room in the fifth floor as I walked pass Alec's bedroom I heard a little whinny sound, I looked around and found Frog cowering under a table in a dark corner. He whined again.
I went to him, and soon noticed that he had a big cut on his muzzle, it was oozing blood, I tried to pet him but he whimpered in pain. I ran to Callie's room and knocked hard. I called her name but she didn't open, so I moved to the next door over, Gerry's.
He opened almost immediately. "What?" He asked but before I could answer he grabbed my hands, they were covered with blood. "What happened?"
"It's Frog, he is hurt, I found him in the hallway just now." I cried.
"What is it?" Callie yelled, throwing her door open, he saw me crying. "What did you say to her Gerald? Oh my god! What in the hell..?"
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Gerry
Frog had one ugly gash on his muzzle and Amy just kept crying she just fell to the floor and sobbed.
"Amy! Amy! Calm down!" Callie yelled, never good with crying people. We had a little commotion going on in the hallway. Cherith came out of her room, wearing nothing but a rather thin nightgown if you ask me. Erik came too.
"What happened?" Cherith asked, kneeling down next to Amy and putting and arm around her to still her.
"Amy found Frog like this just now."
"But who would do something like this?"
I exchanged a glace with Callie.
This wasn't the first times bad things happened. First Cherith's garden, then Frog… this kind of thing hadn't happened at the Windam Palace ever before. Every member of the household had life long ties to the Windams, no one would harm them or what they held dear on purpose. There were only three new members on the household. There was Amy, but she had been living here for about six months and this had never happened before so that struck her out.
Then it came down two Erik and Dionne.
Erik –for the little I knew him – didn't seem the type to hurt any living thing. Frog disliked Dionne.
And that's it! One prime suspect!
"We need to stitch this up." Erik said. "Can you call for some sort of pain dulling concoction?"
I nodded and instructed an on-looking servant to bring the necessary supplies.
"Calm down, Amy." Cherith kept saying soothingly. I turned and Amy didn't look any better, and Cherith was growing worried, I could see it. So I went to my room and poured a stiff glass of whiskey.
"Gerry! This is not the time for a drink!"
"It's not for me!" I snapped and trusted the glass into Cherith's hand. "Make her drink it." I instructed just as the servant returned and Erik and I made forced Frog drink the painkiller concoction and set about stitching his wound.
Frog was a very trusting and obedient dog, so he didn't even twitch and we were able to finish the job quickly. Frog was also very loyal, and when he noticed how distressed Amy was, Frog hauled himself to his paws and padded to where Amy was and places his head over Amy's bent knees.
By then Lady Kaze and King Christopher were there too, and I could tell they were just as surprised as me when Amy broke down crying again and said "Now you look just like me."
Which was surprisingly accurate. Amy's scar and Frog's wound – saved the proper proportions – looked remarkably similar.
"You two need to rest." Callie said, intruding in my thoughts. "Would you like Frog to stay with you, Amy?"
"Y-Yes."
Callie nodded and instructed me to pick up Frog while Erik picked Amy up. Cherith ran to Amy's room and opened the door and placed a spare quilt over some cushions so I could lay Frog down by the side of Amy's bed.
"You two can go now," Callie said. "Cherith and I will stay with Amy; she's too upset to be left alone."
Erik and I left.
As I passed Alec's room I realized that he hadn't come out, with all the noise he hadn't come out, was he even alright?
I opened the door; he was asleep over the covers.
I shook my head. Something was very wrong here; I needed to speak with Alec soon and seriously.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Amy
The next day I was on the garden, helping Cherith with some flower beds. She had gone for a moment so I sat down and petted Frog. Ever since his attack he hadn't moved more than two steps from my side.
"I see the two of you are doing better."
I quickly got to my feet. "Your Majesty." I said respectfully at King Christopher.
"Chris will do." He said kindly and crouched down to pet Frog gently and then surprised me by whispering "Witch Mark" in tones of sadness.
"I beg your pardon, my lord?"
"This is a witch's mark of revenge or spite… very much like the one on your face."
I gasped, giving myself away.
"I imagined it so." He said. "Are we in danger… no, don't answer. I understand you can't say anything or you would have already. I have no doubt you're loyal to us." He sighed again. King Christopher wasn't and old man but right then I could see how this not-knowing, this helplessness burned him. "I guess I'll have to let it be. It's something I've learned. In life, Amy, one must sometime let things be.
I mean, there is nothing wrong with giving fate a push in the right direction if opportunity presents itself but there is an elemental part of life that will always be out of our control. Life must happen, one must let it be. I believe there is a reason for everything, even when it's not always obvious and clear. That's how Kaze came to my life. Why you came here. I must believe it's all for the best."
"I wish I could do something but I don't understand magic."
"There is always something to be done. Magic or not. He said, reminding me of what Jadzia had said before. "And in any case I must believe on Magic's Oldest Rule." King Christopher said.
"What is that?" I couldn't help to ask.
He winked at me, and grinned in a way that reminded me of Alec. "The good ones always win." He said.
And I was left wishing that he was right.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
End of Chapter Eleven
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Notes:
This chapter is long! I hope you like it and plase review
Nurin: Yes, she did put a curse on Amy and if Amy says anything, her brother dies. She's evil!
Lady Aries: Oh I love long reviews! And I hate Dionne as well. Alec is under a spell, much of how he's being is because of said spell. I can say that next chapter we'll get a little inside his head.
Connie: LOL you made me laugh! Thanks for reading!
P.M. Well, she didn't kill him… but that was mostly because of the first rule of torture, as everyone knows, never go for death when you can go for pain. Besides, his dog dying may have caused an emotional upheaval that might have caused Alec to snap out of Dionne's spell, that's whey she wasn't taking risks.
Drea:hugs Drea: Missed ya! We so need to talk! Have lots to catch up with!
Maggie: Thanks! Well, as I said to PM a strong emotional upheaval may cause him to wake up. And Jadzia could intervene, I suppose, but it would take too much magic to remove Dionne's spell and with that it always comes a risk… so other than that Alec needs or an old powerful magic, him snapping out of it by himself – or a little bit of both – or Dionne taking the spell off or dying.
hoolihoopgrl131: Thanks so much! There is a little of Dionne's past in this chapter.
Picchic: I love Frog as well! He'll recover… I promise!
Katty: Well, you know me, everything is alright at the end, if it's not alright then it's not the end!
Pink-Raven: Thanks! Yep reviews make me write faster! Heheh, I'll try to update soon again!
SerayaNeko: Thanks! I live on candy all the time! Heheh, I'm glad you like this story.
Masked Dragonfly 0926: I hate Dionne too! But don't hate Alec he's mostly clueless! There are parts of his character that haven't changed but Dionne's will curls about his own…
EreshkigalGirl: No she didn't. But has a trick or two under her sleeve yet.
Cutie4ever: I hope you didn't cry! He'll recover, you'll see!
li'l bling bling: Thanks. I'll work on more.
Once again, thanks for reading and now go push the purple button!
Love,
Clavie