''Another day, another fight.'
Winifred sighed and massaged her temples as Billy left the cottage. She was not as naïve as he thought her to be, she knew as she grew older her beauty was fading, but that didn't give him the right to leer at every woman who so much as glanced his way. They'd argued about that same topic yet again, him fervently denying it and her protesting. She cursed herself as his horse's steps faded. It was her own fault for loving him.
She sank into her favorite chair, head in her hands. Surely there was some way to control his wandering eye? Book floated over unbidden, sensing its mistress' need. She was unsurprised. After all, what good was a demonic book with no intelligence? She flipped through its pages rapidly, hoping for a miracle. She slammed the cover shut moments later, growling softly when there was no solution to be found. What was she to do?
"I hath seen how thou look at my sister!"
Her sentence hung heavily in the air, startling the man.
"I hath no idea of what thou speaketh," Billy replied calmly, but his eyes darted to the corner of the room where Sarah was happily and obliviously dismembering a mouse.
"You do!" Winnie hissed, static crackling at her fingertips.
"My darling," Billy said, sidling over to the woman, voice like velvet, "I swear on my soul that my heart belongs to thee alone."
His words caressed her, wrapping her mind in a cocoon of silk, but it wasn't quite enough to sway her. She eyed him uncertainly, the back of her mind screaming that he was lying. She chose to ignore it, deciding instead to believe his words, foolish though she knew it was.
"Thou doth swear?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"On my soul," he repeated solemnly.
"Then thou must prove it."
Later that night, as she lay awake exhausted and pleasantly sore and stared and her lover's back, she could almost convince herself he had been telling the truth. Almost.
'I hath seen how thou look at my sister.' Her own words echoed through her mind as she stared at the two. They had yet to notice her there, eyes wide and face flushed. She was torn between rage and sorrow, and for perhaps the first time in her life didn't know what to do. She couldn't blame Sarah, not as dimwitted as she was. She knew Billy had been behind their coupling as much as she knew that hell awaited her after her death.
"What dost thou think thou art doing?" Winnie asked lowly, her mind finally lurching into gear.
Sarah and Billy froze, neither daring to move, much less answer. The woman watched as he finally rolled off her sister, at least having the decency to cover himself.
"W-Winnie, I—" Sarah stuttered, obviously afraid of the elder's reaction.
"Hush!" Her attention never wavered from the man in the bed. "You miserable wretch. I gave all that thou asked and this is how thy deems to thank me?!"
"Winifred, please—"
"Don't you dare say I know not what I'm seeing!"
"Then you know why this happened!" Billy snapped back. "Thou may be more powerful, but Sarah shall always be fairer than thee."
He saw no need to continue pretending, not now that he'd gotten what he wanted. Winifred has never been his true goal, but he'd had to find some way to get close to Sarah, and if that meant using the eldest sister as a willing bed warmer then he wasn't complaining. But enough was enough, and he'd made his move. He just hadn't planned to get caught.
Winifred resisted the urge to flinch, the words stinging the same as if he'd slapped her. Instead she glared, the look promising death, and indeed she'd delivered. Perhaps both poison and the thread were a bit much, but well, he was a low-life swine. It wasn't until much later in the night that she allowed herself any tears.'
A quiet whimper cut through the night but it was enough to wake Cora, ever a light sleeper. Confused, she blearily looked around for the the source of the noise before another whimper sounded from right beside her. It took her a moment to comprehend what she was hearing. Her girlfriend never cried out in her sleep, as calm unconscious as she was awake. She couldn't really make out any of the mumbled words, but she could just barely see the glint of tears on her face in the pale light of the moon.
More concerned than before, she lightly laid a hand on he woman's shoulder.
"Winnie," she whispered, gently shaking her. "Winnie, honey, wake up."
Gradually the older woman began to stir, eyes immediately locking on her partner once she realized she was no longer dreaming. They slipped closed in relief soon after, Winifred glad to be freed from her nightmare. She grimaced upon feeling the dampness on her cheeks, reaching up to brush it away without realizing her hand was shaking. Cora, who had until that point been watching in silence, reached over and grasped her hand. Winifred jumped at the unexpected contact, calming once she realized it was merely her lover. She looked at her, noticing the small smile the woman gave her.
"Are you okay?" Cora asked, having yet to release her hand.
Winifred's first inclination was to lie, assure her she was fine and roll over, away from her loving gaze. But something stopped her. A nagging feeling that perhaps it was time to trust her young lover with her pain, seeing as she had been nothing but caring since the start of their relationship. Even when arguing she knew she was loved. Lying there in the dark and the silence of the night, she took a deep breath and decided to share her weakness. Cora had proven time and again that she loved her, that she wasn't nor would she ever be like Billy.
"No."
The soft whisper took the younger woman aback. She had fully expected the woman to lie, roll over and ignore her or perhaps even get up. It was just Winifred's way. Ever the untouchable goddess, never the helpless damsel in distress. As long as they'd been together, several years now, Winifred had yet to let down her walls. She had accepted that, and never expected her to actually answer. Instead she was pleasantly surprised, and she wasn't about to waste a rare moment.
"Was it your dream?" she asked gently, flipping their hands so that they were properly holding hands rather than her just grasping it.
"Yes."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
To her surprise, Winifred found she did. So with a deep albeit shaky breath, she began to talk, and Cora leaned slightly closer to listen.
"It wasn't so much a dream as a memory. About Billy, and how I found him with Sarah. And the things he said." Cora sat silently, eyes locked on her lover, with hatred beginning to burn in her heart and deep through her veins. "I know, and have known my entire life that my beauty pales in comparison to other women, especially Sarah. But to hear him say it, the man who said he loved me…" She trailed off, taking a steadying breath. "And then to see them together, as though I meant nothing!"
Another tear escaped unbidden, and Cora decided she'd heard enough. She slipped her arms around the other woman and pulled her close.
"I'm not going to pretend to understand how that felt," she began quietly, "or how it feels, but I'm going to tell you he was trash. I don't like cheaters on the best of days, especially ones that cheat with family members. But he was wrong. Beauty is more than skin deep, and you're absolutely gorgeous. You're smart, and independent, witty, protective of those you love, and loyal. Your hair is fiery and amazing, you have a great complexion, and I can see sunbeams in your eyes. To me, that makes you the most beautiful woman in the world."
Winifred was stunned. How could this woman see so much goodness in her? Her, who served Satan himself. She herself saw none of those things in the mirror, only her large teeth and aged face.
"How?" she managed to whisper, eyes wide.
"Because I love you," Cora said, smiling and leaning over to press a soft kiss to her lips.
Before she could pull away Winifred grasped the sides of her face, capturing her in a deep kiss that conveyed all she was unable to say. When they separated Cora smiled, and pressed a series of kisses across her face, ending with her forehead. The older woman sighed quietly and, just once, allowed the young woman to care for her. Her eyes slipped closed, causing her to miss her partner's tender smile. She settled back down, calm enough to sleep once more.
Cora readjusted her hold, making sure to keep her ensconced in her arms. It was rare that the other woman showed any signs of weakness, as fiercely independent as she was, but Cora was immensely glad she had allowed her to glimpse it. She knew in the morning Winifred would be back to her usual demanding self, but she vowed that she would always be there to comfort her whenever and for however long she would allow.
After all, even the strongest sometimes crumble and need a helping hand.
