Legacy 208: Ways to Be Wicked
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Somewhere in a magically hidden mountain range stood an ancient fortress. The only inhabitant of the fortress, a young man with black hair, was working in the garden in the courtyard, trimming the hedges surrounding the many statues on display. Each of the statues was the hero of a different story, usually a prince or princess that had overcome a great evil or hurdle to earn their happy ending. It was how all good fairy tales ended, with the evil being defeated and the hero finding true love. The fairy tales were meant to inspire the world and teach them that good would always prevail over evil. The young man was their keeper, tasked with protecting the fairy tales and the many artifacts that came from them.
As the young keeper reached the fountain in the middle of the garden, the water rose up and took the shape of a woman. When the figure stepped out of the water, she became solid, transforming into a beautiful young woman with long black hair, dressed in a flowing blue dress.
"Cleope." The keeper said excitedly.
"Hello, my love." Cleope replied. "It has been too long."
The two young lovers embraced and passionately kissed. It had been nearly a year since they had last seen each other, as the keeper was forbidden from leaving the fortress and Cleope was unable to survive out of water for long. It was a wonder they had fallen in love at all, as they had met when the keeper was just a simple apprentice and could still travel the world.
"How long can you stay?" The keeper asked.
"You know the answer to that." Cleope replied. "Same time as always. Let's just make the most out of it."
"In that case, should we head to my chambers or would you like dinner first?" The keeper asked.
"Again, I think you know the answer." Cleope replied with a smile.
The keeper smiled and kissed his love before picking her up and carrying her to his chambers. After a romantic rendezvous in his bed, the keeper dozed off for a moment. When he awoke again, Cleope was gone. He smiled, knowing exactly where she went. He quickly got dressed and headed to the artifact chamber. Cleope was right where he expected her, looking at the many artifacts displayed in the chamber. Her attention was especially drawn to an enchanted shell necklace, once used by a sea witch to store the voice of a mermaid.
"You know you're not supposed to be in here alone." The keeper said.
"Sorry, my love." Cleope replied. "You know I can't resist taking a peak."
"We should get something to eat." The keeper noted as he looked at a clock on display. "Our time is running out."
The two young lovers held hands as they headed toward the kitchen. However, before they could leave, the fortress trembled and the door was blown open by a tornado of green smoke, followed by a manic laugh. As it stopped and the smoke faded, a woman with green skin and red hair had appeared. She wore a sleek black dress and a conical witch hat. The keeper instantly knew who she was, the famous wicked witch from the fictional Land of Oz.
"Ah, it's good to be free again." The witch said.
"How did you escape?" The keeper asked. "My predecessor banished you into the realm of fiction, where you belong."
"That old fool couldn't keep me trapped there indefinitely." The witch replied. "His magic might have outlived him, but it was never going to last forever."
"My love, who is this?" Cleope asked nervously.
"Huh, I thought I smelled fish." The witch remarked. "What is a Naiad doing here? Oh wait, I see. The new keeper is not quite as celibate as the old one. Very naughty."
"What do you want?" The keeper asked.
"Well, what I've always wanted, of course." The witch replied. "To rule this world as the strongest witch to ever live."
"That will never happen." The keeper said. "Evil will never triumph over good. Many before you have tried and failed."
"Wait, I remember the story now." Cleope noted. "The wicked witch of the west. And I know your weakness."
Cleope stepped forward and held out her hands, summoning two spheres of water. She combined them and fired a stream of water directly at the witch, though she teleported out of the way in a puff of green smoke. She reappeared behind Cleope and grabbed her by the neck.
"You shouldn't believe everything you read, dear." The witch remarked. "A splash of water isn't going to melt me. Now what to do with you?"
The wicked witch pushed Cleope to the floor and waved her hand, causing the Naiad to become surrounded in green smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Cleope was gone, having been transformed into a blue colored sea slug trapped in a fish bowl. The keeper ran over to her and kneeled down as the witch laughed.
"Turn her back." The keeper demanded.
"I prefer her like this." The witch replied. "Time for you to join her. Now what should I turn you into?"
The wicked witch smirked as she apparently made a decision. She waved her hand and the keeper became surrounded in green smoke. He braced himself for whatever was coming, though he was surprised when the smoke cleared and he was still himself. The witch seemed equally surprised and let out a scream of frustration.
"Dammit, escaping from Oz has cost more magic than I realized." The witch noted. "I need more power. I need to find some good witches, and you're going to help me."
"No, I won't be forced into helping another evil witch." The keeper said. "I won't be trapped in another mirror."
"A mirror?" The witch asked surprised. "Oh, I see you met my sister. She always had a fondness of mirrors. I'm nothing like her though, I only call her sister because we learned magic together."
"Then what are you going to do to me?" The keeper asked.
The wicked witch looked around the artifact chamber, her eyes eventually settling on a genie bottle resting on a pillowed display. She picked it up and waved her hand over it, causing it to glow in a green light. Before the keeper had a chance to object, she pointed the bottle at him and opened it. Green smoke came out of the bottle and surrounded him. When it cleared, the keeper was wearing a green genie outfit, along with thick golden slave bracelets. As the bracelets began to glow, the keeper felt himself being bound to the will of the witch. She was his master now.
"What do you wish of me, master?" The keeper was forced to ask.
"I'll have to think about that, as I don't want to waste my three wishes." The witch said. "As a ground rule though, you will not do anything unless I specifically state that it's a wish. I won't be tricked."
"I understand." The keeper replied.
"Tell me what my sister attempted to do when she had you trapped in that mirror." The witch demanded.
"She wanted to be the most powerful witch as well." The Keeper said. "I told her that three were more powerful than her, the Charmed Ones. She attempted to use these artifacts to kill the sisters, but she failed."
"Are the Charmed Ones still the most powerful?" The witch asked.
"The Charmed Ones are no more." The Keeper replied. "There are many powerful witches out there, including their children."
"Well, I do need magic and I guess I should avenge my sister." The witch replied casually. "It will be very satisfying to succeed where she failed and prove wicked is better than evil."
"You intend to use the artifacts on them?" The keeper asked.
"No, I don't want to be a repeat." The witch noted. "Besides, these artifacts are just that, mere artifacts. The true power is in the story itself, right?"
"No." The keeper said nervously. "You can't."
"Oh yes, I can." The witch replied. "My first wish, genie, is that you bring me the original storybook."
The keeper hesitated, though he knew he could not resist her command. The storybook was the most powerful object in the fortress. It was a magical tome that contained all the fairy tales, its pages held entire worlds of fiction and magic. It was the source of all fairy tale magic. The genie bracelets started to glow, forcing him to bow.
"Your wish is my command, master." The keeper said.
The keeper snapped his finger and a hidden vault door was revealed behind a painting of a knight fighting a dragon. The vault opened itself and revealed only one object inside, the storybook. It was a thick leather-bound book with unending pages. The green-skinned witch walked over to the vault and picked up the book. She smiled as she sensed the powerful magic it held.
"Perfect." The witch said.
"What are you going to do?" The keeper asked.
"My sister attempted to defeat the good witches with these silly artifacts." The witch replied. "I will take it one step further and trap the witches in the world of stories. I shall bend the stories to my will and kill them. Once they die inside the book, their magic will be transferred to me."
"No, please." The keeper begged. "These stories protect the balance between good and evil. If you corrupt them, there is no telling what will happen."
"The stories in which good always wins, right?" The witch noted. "Sounds like they are long overdue for an update. Genie, my second wish is that you grant me control over the book and its stories."
"Your wish is my command." The keeper said reluctantly.
The keeper did as he was commanded and gave the witch the power she needed to manipulate the storybook. The book instantly became corrupted and its red leather turned dark green.
"Let me guess, your third wish is for me to find the witches for you?" The keeper asked.
"Please, I don't need you for that." The witch replied. "You won't be freed so easily, my pet. That third wish might come in handy later."
The wicked witch took the storybook and left the artifact chamber. The keeper felt compelled to follow her, so he picked up the fishbowl containing Cleope and did so. They headed up the stairs to former chambers of his old mentor. He had not changed anything in them, as he wanted to preserve his memories. The witch entered the old office of his mentor and placed the book on the desk. Besides it was a crystal ball, which she took in her green hands.
"My sister might have preferred mirrors, but I was always a fan of the crystal ball." The witch said. "Now let's find these children of the famous Charmed Ones."
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On the evening before the Halloween party organized by Penny at P3, Melinda stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom. Despite it being a costumed party, she was wearing a beautiful floral dress she had bought during her honeymoon. Although she loved it, she had almost never worn it, as she wanted to save it for special occasions. Despite it just being a Halloween party, tonight was going to be special for her. There was something she was going to tell her brothers and cousins.
"Why Mrs. Lancaster, you look beautiful." Ryan's voice sounded.
Melinda turned around and saw Ryan entering the room, dressed in a suit and hat that made him look like a detective in the 1930's. He had chosen the costume because he loved those old black-and-white detective movies. She had to admit the suit made him look very charming. He embraced her and kissed her gently.
"You look quite dapper yourself, sir." Melinda replied with a smile. "I'm still getting used to being Mrs. Lancaster though, but I love it."
"I love calling you that." Ryan said.
"Well maybe don't call me that in front of my brothers and cousins yet." Melinda noted. "I haven't told them I changed my name yet. The Halliwell name is a big thing in the family."
"Do you regret changing it?" Ryan asked.
"No, of course not." Melinda replied. "I want to share your name."
"You could tell them tonight." Ryan said. "It won't be the only surprise we have for them after all. Is that why you're wearing this dress?"
"I wanted to wear it as long as I still fit in it. I love how beautiful it is." Melinda replied with a smile as she placed a hand on her belly. "Pretty soon this little one will start showing."
"You look beautiful no matter what." Ryan said.
"Thank you." Melinda said. "I'm nervous about telling everyone about the baby."
"Why?" Ryan asked. "They're your family. Your dad was so excited to become a grandfather."
"I know." Melinda replied. "I'm glad we told him first. I don't know why I'm nervous. Maybe it's because I'm the first of the cousins to become pregnant? Or at such a young age?"
"You were also the first to get married." Ryan noted. "We are living the life we've always wanted. Your family will be happy for you."
"You're right, I'm nervous about nothing." Melinda admitted. "We've always wanted to start a family sooner rather than later. It's one of the reasons I stepped away from magic in the first place."
"I know." Ryan said. "Have you decided what you're going to about your powers?"
"No, not yet." Melinda admitted. "I wanted to bind them, but with everything going on, I feel safer having them for the time being. I've even been practicing my combustion power."
"How is that going?" Ryan asked.
Melinda turned and looked to a vase standing on the small table by the window. She had never liked it, so she flicked her hand and blew it up. In the same motion, she flicked her other hand and froze the shattered pieces in midair.
"Does that answer your question?" Melinda asked with a smile.
"You know that was a gift from my mom." Ryan noted.
"Yeah, I know." Melinda admitted. "But I always hated it."
"Yeah alright, she has horrible taste." Ryan replied with a smile. "Maybe you could blow up that Hawaiian shirt she bought me on their last trip as well."
"Definitely." Melinda said. "So how do you feel about me keeping my magic?"
"It was always your choice, Mel." Ryan replied. "I'll support you either way. Besides, our kid is probably going to have magic as well, so I might as well get used to it."
"I guess she will." Melinda noted.
"She?" Ryan asked surprised.
"Just a feeling, I don't know for sure." Melinda replied. "We agreed to wait."
"I hope it's a girl." Ryan admitted.
"Really?" Melinda asked. "Why is that?"
"I don't know." Ryan admitted. "I guess that's just always how I envisioned it. I'd be happy with a boy as well, of course."
"Well, my family has a long history of having only girls." Melinda replied. "My generation is the only exception so far, so I guess we'll have to wait and see."
"I can't wait." Ryan said. "Just six more months."
"Easy for you to say." Melinda replied. "I've been lucky with the pregnancy symptoms so far, but that probably won't last forever."
"Yeah, I'm really glad that I'm a man." Ryan replied with a smile.
"Don't consider yourself lucky just yet. I'll be taking everything out on you." Melinda noted. "Speaking of which, you can clean that up."
Melinda unfroze the shattered vase, causing the pieces to fall to the floor. She smirked as she headed to the living room, leaving her loving husband to clean up the mess.
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An hour before the Halloween party officially started, Penny was making the final preparations at P3 and instructing her staff. The club had been having a bad month due to a costly plumbing problem, so she had decided to throw the party to bring in some extra revenue. The ticket sales had gotten them out of the red, so she needed the party to be a success. The club had been dressed up to look as scary as possible and even the drinks had been changed into spooky versions of the regular ones, including blood dripped glasses and ice cubes in the shape of eyeballs. It was hardly original, but people loved classic Halloween stuff. Penny herself was dressed as the devil, wearing a short red dress and red wig with devil horns attached to them.
"We need some more cobwebs in that corner." Penny said to one of the waiters. "And don't forget the skeletons in the bathroom stalls."
The waiter nodded and walked away. Penny walked over to her bouncer, Jerry, who was dressed to look like the monster of Frankenstein.
"Do you have the guest list?" Penny asked.
"Sure thing, boss." Jerry replied. "Nobody is getting in without an invitation."
"Good, the place is going to be packed, we can't have any party crashers or we'll risk going over the number of people allowed by the fire department." Penny said. "And my family is on the VIP list, right?"
"They are. Don't worry, you've got this." Jerry said. "And thanks for saving tickets for my wife and her friend."
"Of course." Penny replied. "The club is always open for friends and family, Jerry, you know that."
"I know." Jerry noted. "My wife just wanted to make sure I'd thank you again. Her friend has been having a hard time in the love department, so she needed a night out."
"Oh, I know the feeling." Penny remarked.
"Who knows, maybe a prince Charming will show up tonight." Jerry said.
"I'm not counting on it." Penny replied. "Besides, I'm no damsel in distress. I'm the devil, you see?"
"Even devils need a little love at times." Jerry said. "I'll get to work, people always show up early for these things."
Penny nodded and walked back to the bar as Jerry headed to the door. Perhaps he was right, everyone needed a little love at some point. However, she had sworn off love for the time being. She wasn't ready for it, she knew that. But if that was really the case, then why had she added a certain police inspector to the VIP list again?
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