Chapter 6: Sweet, Sweet Revenge
"Oh my god, mother!" Amélie exclaimed. "That was spectacular! No mercy!" She hugged her mother.
"I'm so proud of you, Amélie. You're more than fearless. You could do absolutely anything," Eleanor praised her firstborn.
"Mother, we must punish the children, for believing they can simply run away from their fate!" Amélie brainstormed. "We shall smite them all for their insolence!"
"No, dear. Worse: cast spells on them all. Make them become the opposite of what they are, trapped inside monsters committing what they hate most, forced to watch themselves do it when they cannot bear to watch someone else."
"That's a bit harsh... I like it!" Amélie responded.
That's when the true witch Eleanor was born.
However, they were hindered in their endeavors when Eleanor crept ever closer to having her fifth and final daughter. Amélie delivered it, but she was not named. All Eleanor could see in the baby was weakness and failure. She was left to die out in the open.
Walking home from trading for crops, Damian heard a baby nearby. He set down his luggage and hurried to the source of the sound, and at it, he found a female newborn with a birthmark down the left side of her chin and neck.
"Oh, dear, come here, little one," Damian picked up the baby and comforted it. "Where are your parents? Hellooo? Is anyone out there? I have a baby!" he yelled. No one answered.
"Here, little one, let's get you home and get some milk, eh? What shall we name you? Hilda?" he spoke softly with a warm smile. "Yes, my little Hilda."
He took her in and raised her as his own. Damian was a good, trustworthy man, totally capable of raising a strong woman. It was just him and her living on his farm. She made friends with children from the nearby town and lived a happy, calm life. When she turned sixteen, she got her father's permission to set out and search for her biological parents. She asked everyone if they knew anyone who lost their baby sixteen years ago who had her birthmark, down her chin and neck.
Eleanor and Amélie spent years performing witchcraft, trying to concoct spells with direct and catastrophic outcomes and no downsides, but it never worked. She ended up using the four catalysts to amalgamate four curses, more than she needed, but it worked out. Each curse needed an opposite: a catalyst. And the opposite of death was life or immortality, and she promised this Life Curse to her firstborn daughter, Amélie. The Death Curse would be cast to Anais, the Fire Curse to Audrey, and the Ice Curse would be cast to Aurélie. They were making progress when on the door to their secluded hut, they heard a knock knock knock.
Eleanor opened the door, and the first thing she saw was the birthmark.
"Oh, look at this, my daughter has returned," she said with no excitement. "Can I help you?"
"W-wait, you mean to say, I-, you lost a baby with this birthmark sixteen years ago?!" she asked.
"Yep, that's the one, sweetheart," she replied.
"Mother, these curses will not simply concoct themselves! Oh, hello, who is this?" Amélie said casually.
"Amélie, this is your long lost baby sister," Eleanor said.
"Oh, how do you do? What's your name, then?" Amélie asked, a little more interested than Eleanor.
"Hilda," she said, trying to act less enthusiastic and innocent. "I just wanted to meet my parents and see if they were anything like me; I've always been a shady one," Hilda manipulated.
Eleanor perked up a bit. "I'm Eleanor," she said before shaking Hilda's hand. "Perhaps I should not have abandoned you, girl. Why don't you come in, I believe you'll be interested in what you see." She led Hilda into their hall.
Hilda was disgusted at what she saw and hid her regret for seeking her real family. "This is brilliant," she acted. "Wherefore is it all?"
"My three children before you, and after Amélie, here, were defiant. Weak. They ran away."
Thank the gods of old they did, I hope they're alive and well, she thought.
"That's awful," Hilda pretended to sympathize.
"Indeed! That's why we're creating four curses," Amélie put.
"Why four? I thought they were three in number?"
"These are the four catalysts. They are opposites to each of the four curses. This is the death fruit, which catalyzes the Life Curse. It will grant immortality to my dear daughter, Amélie. The Golden Flower catalyzes the death curse, which will be cast on Anais. The Solstice Water catalyzes the Fire Curse, which will be cast on Audrey. The Solstice Ring catalyzes the Ice Curse, which will be cast on Aurélie," Eleanor explained.
"What will the curses do, exactly?" Hilda asked, nervous about the answer.
"Essentially, they will flip my daughters to opposite of what they are. Amélie is too good to be true, so she shall be eternal. Anais had a pure soul and an alive heart, so she shall die slowly. Audrey is beautiful and innocent, so she shall be cursed to watch herself murder until she dies, herself. Aurélie is honest and humble, so she shall watch herself steal, hurt, and destroy in the cruelest manner possible until she perishes."
Hilda flinched. She knew she had to do something. "That is the most brilliant thing I have ever heard. How could I ever help?"
"In order to cast the curses, we need to know the three girls' locations. Search for them while we finish up here. You need to bring back soil from whatever region in which they are. Once you have it, return here, and they shall be aptly damned," Amélie requested.
"Thank you. I shall get started immediately," Hilda knew she had to warn them, but she also knew that she was dealing with witches, so she had to be careful.
"You will be perfect, my dear Hilda," Eleanor rubbed Hilda's shoulders and took a hair from her head. "Good luck," she smiled and Hilda smiled back.
As Hilda left, Eleanor used the hair to display Hilda on a crystal ball to spy on her.
For months while searching in the warmth of late spring, Hilda pretended to be someone she was not. She knew she was probably being watched. When she finally tracked the sisters down, she did not greet herself, and she did not warn them. She could only scoop up the soil of the region and be on her way. As much as it broke her heart, she completely hid every bit of emotion. She had hoped that she earned the witch's trust.
Hilda was about to knock when Eleanor opened the door to the hut.
"Good job, dear! I watched you, and you were flawless in your task!" Eleanor exclaimed.
"You-you watched me?" Hilda said.
"Why, of course! And now we know we can trust you! Now, now, the soil!" Eleanor demanded eagerly.
Hilda tried not to be reluctant when she handed the soil over. Eleanor sprinkled the soil in the center of the catalyst circle while Amélie chanted old Latin. Aurora-looking waves shot up from the circle. First, a column of black smoke, then a thick, bright yellow-white wave, then a bright column of flame, then a blue flurry of icy waves. The white wave engulfed Amélie, and when she was exposed, she appeared brighter and more lively.
Hilda pretended to be happy for the mother and daughter as they rejoiced.
"I say we celebrate with loads of alcohol!" Hilda suggested, secretly plotting something genius.
"Oh, perfect!" Eleanor said with a smile.
"I'll fetch the ale!" led Amélie, with Eleanor following close behind.
Hilda swiftly snagged a dagger and hid it in her boot. She then searched around for a Death Fruit while Eleanor and Amélie prepared the drinks. She found one in a satchel and slipped it into her own just before they walked in with three big bottles of ale. She immediately perked up. She was an impeccable liar.
One emotional story-telling session and a horrible a Capella sing-along later, Hilda offered to get everyone seconds. After she filled the bottles, she set out a bowl and left it on the table.
"Shall I fill us up?" Hilda said, pretending to be drunk. The mother and daughter just laughed, while Hilda grabbed their bottles and deliberately stumbled on her way out to get them their seventh refill, her fourth. She immediately became urgent and serious when she got out of sight. She pulled the Death Fruit out of her satchel, squeezed juice out into the bowl and tossed the fruit quickly into the trash. She then washed her hands in a pail, poured the juice into Amélie's bottle, and topped off the deadly concoction with ale.
She believed the only hope now was to try to use the catalysts to break the curses. And if not, perhaps the fruit would kill Amélie anyway. And if not, she'd have Eleanor dead, and if she can't save her long lost sisters, then at least she can rid the world of the horrible darkness that was in currently this hut.
She walked in with the bottles topped off and made sure everyone had the right bottle.
"To sweet, sweet vre- le- revenge," Hilda stuttered.
"Yeah!" Eleanor and Amélie agreed.
Everyone drank, and Hilda eyed Amélie as she did so. Suddenly, Amélie opened her eyes wide, showing the life dwindling fastly from them. She spat up and choked as her skin began to wrinkle and at that same exact moment, Hilda grabbed the dagger hidden in her boot.
Eleanor noticed her precious firstborn daughter and knew exactly what was happening. "NO!" Eleanor screamed a piercing, shrill, screech right before Hilda slit her throat.