The Witch

"I can't eat with you staring at me, Kenny."

"Sorry."

"I'm joking." Rowan laughed as Kenny dropped her head to hide her flushed cheeks. She hadn't even touched her soup, and he'd already finished his. "What is it?" he asked when she glanced up again.

Flustered, she smiled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I just wanted to see if you enjoyed the soup."

"I did," he reassured her. "You didn't have to cook for me, though."

"That's the least I could do to thank you for letting me stay."

The silence returned. Rowan kept staring at the bowl in front of Kenny. It seemed like she wasn't in the mood to eat. He pursed his lips while rearranging his thoughts. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many questions to ask; he didn't know where to begin.

"What are you gonna do?" he finally spoke.

"I'm...well...I don't," she stuttered while picking at her own nails. "My money's all gone."

"He can't just keep your money. You earned it."

She'd been working in a bakery before she'd married Gideon. Rowan knew she'd saved every single coin she'd earned for her dream sewing business. Gideon couldn't take that from her.

"He can." She trembled. "He's still my husband...He gets to keep all the money."

"That's bullshit."

"That's the law."

"Fuck the law."

The startled look on her face got his cheeks hot. She didn't like it when he swore. He averted his eyes and muttered, "Sorry." He expected her to change the subject, but then she let out a warm laugh. He hadn't heard her laugh in so long. He lifted his face and their eyes locked again. She was grinning from ear to ear like the little girl he remembered.

"I'll get the money back for you," he said.

"You don't have to."

"I'll kill him if I must."

"Rowan."

He knew that tone. Her warning tone. "Fine," he sighed. "Maybe scare him until he pisses his pants."

She rolled her eyes, too familiar with his violent jokes. "Well, I–" She paused. He knew she was holding something back. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward like he was waiting for her to finish a bedtime story. "I know how...to get the money for my business."

"How?"

She bit her lip. "Do you remember what happened to my father?"

Her father had been found dead on the riverbank many years ago. Nobody knew what had really happened to him. There had been so many rumours, and Kenny had refused to believe in any of them.

"What does that have to do with–"

"Willem killed him."

"What?" A shiver coursed through Rowan. His eyes went round. "Willem Callisto?"

She nodded.

"How do you–"

"My mother had known all along but she'd told nobody," she confessed, her voice so quiet it felt like she was afraid somebody could sneak into his house and eavesdrop their conversation. "He...he was a mole. He worked in Edgar's court and collected information for Willem, but...he wasn't loyal to either of the kings. Willem found out and murdered him in the forest by the river..."

Rowan never would have guessed, but he wasn't surprised. Willem had always wanted to invade the South, and now his son was doing his job.

"How long have you known?"

"My mum told me on the day of my wedding," Kenny replied heavily. Her eyes looked even sadder, which he hadn't thought was possible.

Then it hit him. "Did you know Peach was–"

"Not until I saw her face on wanted signs in the city," she said, her eyes shadowing. "She could be my ticket to get out of here."

"What...what does that mean?"

His heart started racing as she clenched her jaw, her forehead creased. He feared what was on her mind, and he prayed she wouldn't say what he expected her to say.

"I could testify against her. I could tell the Queen that she'd snuck out on the night her uncle got murdered and that you'd been with me. Calanthe would come for you, you know? We can strike a deal with her. The Queen gets her revenge, and we get the money."

"Kenny..." His lips spoke her name, but it wasn't her that he saw. It was a stranger. This stranger might look like Kenny, but she certainly didn't sound like her. The little girl Rowan had grown up with and fallen in love with would never do this to anyone. He flinched when she reached for his hand and squeezed. His gaze jumped back to her face, which was now twisted, just like those ideas inside her head.

"She lied to you, didn't she? She might not be who you think she is."

He quickly withdrew his hand. "You're tired, Kenny. Get some rest."

"Why are you defending her? Her father killed mine!"

"She wasn't brought into this world to pay for her father's sins," he retorted and pushed away from the table. "Are you doing this for your father or yourself?"

Kenny stood up and slammed her hands on the table, yet she still managed to keep the softness in her eyes as she leaned forward and said in hushed tones, "Her father is a tyrant and so is her brother. How can she be any different?"

He turned away, unable to look at her. "She's not anything like them. She'll be the saviour. She'll stop the war."

He assumed Kenny remembered the prophecy he'd told her that night at Edgar's party. She'd been so worried about this princess, who was just around their age and had to bear such great responsibility for her kingdom. What had happened to that Kenny?

"It's been three weeks and the war is bound to happen. Where's your saviour, Rowan?" Kenny calmly asked. "Either she's in this with her brother. Or she's dead."

She's dead.

She's dead.

She's dead.

No. He slowly shook his head. "Don't even think about going to Calanthe. I mean it."

"God, Rowan, are you even–"

"I'll get you your money tomorrow. Sleep well, Kennedy."

And so he left, the same two words following him.

.

.

.

When Rowan woke up, Kenny was gone.

Last night she'd told him she'd had nowhere else to go, so if she wasn't here with him, she must be on her way to the palace for an audience with the Queen.

Kenny, of all people, had betrayed him.

His whole world flipped as he blindly reached for his sword and headed straight to the stable. If he took Lightning and left now he might be able to catch up with her. He didn't know what to say or what to do, but if he must, he would lie to convince her to change her mind.

When he got there, however, he wasn't alone.

The closest he'd ever been to a monarch was at Edgar's dinner party ten years ago, and he'd only watched the King of Theros and the King and Queen of Isolde from afar. Today, the new Queen of Theros was sitting on her white horse in front of his family's crooked stable. His steps faltered and he stopped, arms raised above his head when the guards stepped toward him.

Her Majesty lifted her palm, ordering them to stay back. One guard came to assist her off her mount while Rowan stood there second-guessing what they would do to him.

Calanthe appeared smaller on the ground. She waved her servant away and took off toward Rowan, her hands resting against her flat stomach, her head held high despite the weight of the crown.

Rowan had heard plenty about Calanthe's unmatchable beauty and grace, and even though she was indeed exceptionally attractive, at this very moment, she looked like a normal girl, who was just about his age and had been forced to put on a heavy dress and a crown and rule a kingdom.

He bent the knees as she stopped in front of him.

"Rise," she commanded.

He did but kept his eyes on his feet. He felt her moving closer. She lifted his chin with two fingers and placed her hand on a side of his face. His first instinct was to glance at her guards.

"They won't harm you unless I tell them to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You are as handsome as I imagined, Rowan."

Rowan met her eyes and immediately dropped his gaze. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Queen caressed his cheek with her thumb; her touch might be tender but it felt dangerous, and he didn't know what to expect. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"No, Your Majesty."

"Look me in the eye as we speak."

He hesitantly lifted his face. She flashed him a beam that was oddly reassuring. Calanthe had a delicate heart-shaped face with a thin nose, pouty lips, long lashes and spotless skin. She looked like what a Queen should look like. And in a brief second, Rowan pictured his Reyna in her place. Without the dirty ragged clothes and messy untied hair, his Reyna would look like this. His Reyna would look untouchable. His Reyna would be untouchable.

She wouldn't be his Reyna anymore. She would be a queen.

"Are you surprised to see me here?" Calanthe asked without answering her previous question.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Rowan said airily.

She gave him a sly smile. "I have my spies, you know? I've let your princess go, did you really think I wouldn't come for you?"

Rowan jolted with a start. He didn't know how she'd interpreted his reaction, but from the way her smile grew, he guessed she was satisfied.

"She already returned to the North with her brother," Calanthe said, running her fingertips down his jawline, slowly, seductively. He didn't like to be touched, but he was surrounded by at least ten royal guards, so if he moved, his head could fall in a blink of an eye.

Calanthe took a step closer, almost pressing up against him. She combed her fingers through his curls and directed his attention back to her face. Their lips were so close he believed she could hear the violent rhythm of his heart.

He wasn't excited. He was troubled.

"I've come here," she said at last, "because you are valuable."

"I am?" He sounded more indifferent than surprised.

"Yes, of course," she replied breathlessly. He thought she was going to kiss him, but then she didn't, just stroking his hair like a little girl touching a horse for the first time. "The Princess would do anything for you, wouldn't she?"

"I believe I'm nothing in comparison to the fate of Princess Reyna's kingdom, Your Majesty." He really meant it.

Calanthe gave an understanding nod, her eyes fixed on his mouth as she brushed her thumb across his bottom lip, her hand cupping his jaw.

"If you're going to have me beheaded or take me as a prisoner, go ahead," he said. "I don't want to waste your precious time."

"Oh, I assure you you're not." Her perfect brows furrowed as she pouted. "I just need to know you're loyal to me."

"I am loyal to Theros and therefore to you."

"That's what your head says. Your heart, however," her right hand touched his chest, looking rather impressed by its frantic beats, "is loyal to her. And I want to change that." Then she took his face in her palms. "Come to my court, Rowan. I can give you and your family all that you ask for."

"I don't think I'd be very useful to you, Your Majesty."

"Oh, you are," she taunted. "Kidnapping you and holding you captive is easy, but ineffective."

"You want to hurt Reyna by having me by your side."

It wasn't a question. Calanthe answered anyway. "Yes, that is true."

Rowan sucked in a steady breath. "As long as I'm alive, I will never do anything that might hurt Reyna. You said it yourself. You and Theros may have the rest of me, but my heart will forever be loyal to the Princess of Isolde."

Calanthe seemed unfazed, yet the look in her eyes said otherwise. "She abandoned you."

"If I were her, I would have made the same choice."

The Queen straightened. "Very well. You said the rest of you was loyal to me?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. If I don't have to do anything that harms Reyna, that is."

"Kiss me then."

He froze, his eyes widening.

"It's an order." Calanthe sneered. "Reyna Callisto isn't here to watch so it shouldn't be a problem, should it? Prove your loyalty to me. Kiss me."

Rowan knew he was trapped. If he said no, her guards would kill him, and if he died, Reyna would be alone in this world. There was nothing he could really do to help her. But she loved him, her heart belonged to him, so he must keep his head on his neck.

He took a breath and leaned down, pressing his lips upon Calanthe's for a second before pulling away.

She squinted her eyes and gave a disapproving shake of her head. "No. Kiss me like you would kiss her."

Rowan unclenched his fists and reluctantly held the Queen's small face in his palms. He reattached his mouth to hers while imagining Reyna. Calanthe's lips were warm and soft. She tasted like the life he could never have, no matter how long he managed to survive. She tasted like everything he'd ever wanted, and at the same time, nothing at all.

When he hoped he would live to say he'd kissed a Queen, this wasn't what he'd expected.

They finally pulled away. A grin spread across Calanthe's smeared red lips. Taking in her satisfaction, he imagined the rest of her lip balm had been transferred to his face. His stomach tightened with sheepish guilt.

"Now I see why my late husband's niece is completely besotted," she said smugly, wiping the stain off his mouth and her own. "I will give you time to think, and when I return tomorrow, I demand an answer."

"What if I say no now?" he dared to ask when she turned away.

She stopped and shot him a smile over her shoulder. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

He watched silently as the Queen mounted her horse, then the guards escorted her out of the village, disappearing into the distance.

Once they were out of sight, Rowan shook off the tension and started to rearrange his thoughts. If the Queen had come to him then Kenny mustn't have gone to her. He didn't know where Kenny might be, but he was relieved that she hadn't betrayed his trust.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to search for Kenny now. He must get out of here, for his and his family's safety. He must go North. He must find Reyna and warn her, save her, fight with her, or just watch her celebrating her victory from afar. He wasn't sure what he'd be needed for or if he was needed at all, but he'd be more useful in Isolde than he was here.

"Rowan?"

"Jenny!"

He met his sister halfway and locked her in his arms. She froze in response to his sudden hug. "W-What happened? Was that the Queen who just left? What did Her Majesty want from you?"

He gripped Jenny's shoulders and pushed away, looking straight into her eyes. "Listen to me. You take care of Ma and both of you stay at Caleb's. I'll be gone for a few days." Or weeks. If I ever come back, that is. "I don't want you to ask questions. Just do not return to our house while I'm gone."

"What–"

"No questions, Jenny. Please." He tugged her in for another hug and kissed her forehead a couple of times. He felt like shit for not saying goodbye to his mother, but if she held him and called him by his father's name, he wouldn't be able to leave.

He was a ghost in this town. Nobody knew or cared enough to find out that he had a sister and a mother, and not until now had he felt glad for it; the Queen wouldn't be able to come for his family if she didn't know they existed.

He ignored Jenny calling after him and bolted back to the house to grab a few things before he left.

He stopped dead in his tracks the second he got to the door.

Kenny was curled up in the corner, her face and her clothes stained with blood. She saw him and burst out crying. He rushed to her side, gathered her in an embrace, and pressed her head close to his chest, rocking her shaking body back and forth.

There was so much blood. He'd thought it was hers, but she wasn't hurt.

"I killed him, Rowan...I killed him."

A shock ran through him. "W-Who?"

Kenny sobbed violently into his chest. "Gideon...I killed him...I came back and threatened him with a knife so he'd give me my money back...I didn't want to betray you...but then he jumped on me and I had to fight back. He's dead, Rowan. He's d-dead."

Gideon. Dead.

Curses exploded in Rowan's mind as he clutched her shoulders, sweat dampening his back. "It's okay, Kenny." He didn't know if it was okay. He didn't know what to do next. He wanted to protect her, but how?

"Let's get you to Caleb and Jenny. They might know what to do."

"Wait!" She tugged at his arm before he could rise. "What about you? Where are you going?"

"I have to go North, Kenny. The Queen–"

"Take me with you."

He stiffened and broke away from her. "What?"

"Take me with you, please." She got up on her knees, her knuckles turning white as she gripped his forearms. "Please. I can't stay here. If they find out–Rowan, I would get your whole family in trouble!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Fine." The word slipped out before he could reconsider. He didn't know if he was in the right mind to make this decision, but there seemed to be no other choice. "Let's get you cleaned up and then...we'll get out of here."

.

.

.

Reyna jolted awake.

She'd had another nightmare in which she'd plunged a blade into Egon's chest, but she'd been the one who'd started bleeding out. She'd called for help and heard Rowan's voice calling her name and telling her to wake up. And so she had. Only to find herself sitting in this dark cell.

She stretched painfully, not knowing how long she'd been asleep. It seemed to be long enough for her limbs to go numb.

A voice came from the shadow in the opposite cell, "Are you going to eat that?"

And it was then that she noticed, outside her cell was the food tray that had been served to her in her chamber. Of course Egon wouldn't let her starve before meeting the Prince.

The smell of bread and soup entered her nostrils and she wrapped both arms around her growling stomach. She felt like she might faint, but if she ate, she'd surrender to him. It was better to die here than be healthy and alive and eventually get married off to a stupid prince.

"No," she told Maggie. "You can have it."

There was that clunking sound again before a slim figure emerged from the darkness behind the bars. Maggie wore a black dress, her silver hair falling down to her hips, most of her face still hidden in the shadow. Reyna froze as a hand white as that of a corpse slipped between the bars and gestured for her to toss over the loaf of bread.

"I thought you were cuffed," Reyna muttered, squinting her eyes to see Maggie's face, but she couldn't.

"My neck." The answer made her shudder even though Maggie sounded rather amused. "I called your brother a dog, so he chained me up like a dog. Because, obviously, that's how a king should take an insult."

Reyna couldn't even muster a smile as she tossed the loaf of bread toward Maggie, who caught it effortlessly.

"Well, that's the men in my family," said Reyna.

"There was goodness in your father, you know?" Maggie told her before retreating into the gloom

Reyna flopped back down on the dirty ground, her head resting against the metal bars. "Was there?"

"Your mother," Maggie replied. "She was his redemption. The Gods took that away from him, so he must accept his fate."

Reyna wished that made any sense to her, but she was glad it didn't. The last thing she wanted was to think about her dead parents. "Who are you, Maggie?" she asked. "You never answered me before. I thought you were a product of my imagination. I thought I was going insane."

Maggie was quiet, and Reyna almost thought the woman had deserted her again. But then Maggie spoke, "You've met me once before. By the river."

In a second, the memories flashed through Reyna's mind, and she saw herself standing on the riverbank in her soggy dress. She was still a little girl. It was after she'd met Rowan for the first time, and before her father had beat a maid to death.

Silver hair. Stormy eyes. Gold tooth.

A goddess.

'Are you lost, Your Majesty?'

"You're a witch," Reyna blurted as she scooted away from the bars.

"I'm the witch, Reyna," Maggie said calmly, there was a playfulness in her voice. "And you're the one in my prophecy."

The prophecy Rowan had told Reyna about.

"That day," she trailed off, "you called me Your Majesty..."

"Yes. And you were too frightened to figure it out."

"I was six! I was a child!"

"So?"

"You don't impose such responsibility on a child!"

"I did no such thing, my dear. It's always been your fate." Maggie kept her tone light, as if she was telling a story. "You see, everyone has their own fate. You, me, your idiot of a brother, the boy you love." Rowan."Everyone must accept their fate. It was for the best if you found out so soon."

"I didn't, though."

"Right," the witch sighed. "You were locked up in the tower during the party. Otherwise, we would have met again."

"But..." Reyna wet her lips. "I don't understand. You're supposed to be–"

"Oh, darling," Maggie scoffed. "I don't age the way you do. Witches age slow and live long. I'm not immortal, but I can be if I practice my craft well."

"So–"

"That is all you should know, human girl," Maggie cut her off, sounding as if she was sneering. "Now that you know your fate is written in stone. You ought to do something about it when you get out of here. And you will...get out of here."

Reyna tipped her head back and let out a mirthless laugh. "I suppose you cannot tell me exactly what I must do."

"I'm not the master of the universe, Your Majesty. I can see the future but I cannot change it. In fact, I cannot even help you change it. Everyone must be in charge of their own fate."

"Can we talk of something else?" Reyna blew out her cheeks. "If you're not going to say something helpful for me to plot against my brother then let's not talk of it at all."

"Ahhh, you're accepting your fate," Maggie pointed out. It was only then that Reyna realized that she was no longer in denial of who she was supposed to be. She knew she had to dethrone her brother once she got out of here. Now she only needed to feel like she wasn't powerless. That she wasn't a feeble little girl waiting for Prince Charming who would never come.

No, he would come.

Kavan Gennady would come.

And she would leave on his white horse. As his wife.

The thought made her shiver.

She couldn't die here now that she knew her fate was to rule or to die. She wasn't normal. Even if she pretended to be.

"So you've crossed the Wind Valley?" Maggie asked, and a part of Reyna was grateful for the witch's effort to change the subject.

"And nearly fell into the abyss and died, yes."

"So have you heard the tales about that place?"

Reyna squirmed as she recalled what Rowan had told her on their first night by Vidarr River. "An old friend told me if you fell into the abyss you would just fall straight to hell."

To her surprise, Maggie burst out laughing. "People have to earn their spots in hell, my dear. You don't get to free fall into hell."

"So if you fall into that abyss, you just keep on falling then?" Reyna asked. "Is there even a bottom down there?" This conversation was absurd, still, she couldn't help but get drawn to it. Something told her witches like Maggie knew everything about this world and was only asking questions to test the knowledge of a human.

"From the tales I've heard," said Maggie, "the abyss of the Wind Valley is the portal to another world."

This time, Reyna was the one who laughed. "Sounds like those fairytales my mother used to tell me."

Maggie ignored her. "That other world is much larger than ours, and there are four seasons in a year. I've never been there. Those who have gone there never return."

"Four seasons in a year?!" Reyna gasped. "That would be quite unpleasant if you ask me." She cringed at the thought of snow and rain coming down at the same time while the sun was blindingly bright above.

Maggie dismissed that idea with a hiss. "Not at the same time! The year in this other world begins with spring, then summer, then autumn, then winter. One season only lasts for a few months."

Reyna's heart fluttered as the other world came into view in her mind. If she lived there, she wouldn't have to travel all the way to the south to get away from the ice and snow; she would only have to wait a few months to dip her feet into the cool river and feel the sun on her skin. How wonderful this otherworld sounded.

But Maggie had to shatter her little fantasy. "It's not easy to get there, so don't throw yourself into the abyss once you get out of here. There's always a price to pay."

Peach shuddered. "Even for witches like you?"

"Especially for witches," Maggie sighed. "To cross it, you need a pure soul. And witches don't have that. Some of us don't even have souls to make the bargain."

"Where do you get these...pure souls?"

"Babies."

"You have to murder babies?!" Reyna gasped.

"God, no! We're witches, not murderers," said Maggie. "Well, maybe sometimes, but not babies. We take the souls from unborn ones. Before they even exist inside their mothers." She probably noticed the puzzlement on Reyna's face because she added, "To make it simple. You ought to exchange the ability to become a mother for a ticket to the other world."

Reyna swallowed understandingly. "So what will happen to these children who are supposed to be born?"

"They will be born, just not in this world. When you make the bargain, you'll give the ability to bear the child to another mortal in the other world. Apparently, there aren't enough pure souls over there."

"The other world...is a dark and evil place then?"

"There's darkness and evil everywhere, Your Majesty. In a world that big, it's expected to have more."

The more answers Reyna got, the more confused she became. "Then why would you want to go there? Why not just stay here?"

"I have no reason to stay here."

"Your sisters–"

"Are dead. Egon killed them."

The atmosphere turned sour. Reyna bit her lip. She supposed she should say she was sorry, but she had a feeling that Maggie didn't want to hear those words. Words wouldn't bring her sisters back to life.

"They weren't powerful enough to fence for themselves," Maggie went on, though her tone was casual, Reyna could feel the resentment in it. "He couldn't kill me because he didn't know what would happen if he killed the one who told the prophecy. He was afraid that he'd anger the Gods."

Reyna felt her head shake. "Egon thinks he's God."

"Most tyrants do. He's been sick since he was a child, then he let the evil take control. But you..." Maggie trailed off in an eerie tone. "You are goodness."

"Reyna!"

"Step away from the cell, you!"

Reyna sprung up on her feet as Jo whipped around and glowered at the guard. She couldn't believe Jo was here. The last time she'd seen Jo, Reyna had been so angry at her, but the Jo she'd left in the castle corridor and the one standing outside her cell now looked like two different people. Jo's baby bump was beginning to show, and she didn't look like a maid anymore; now she dressed like a member of the gentry. However, the distress in her eyes was apparent. That was what happened to the people close to Egon. He sucked the life out of them.

"Lay a finger on me and you'd have to explain to His Majesty why you intended to harm his future heir," Jo snapped at the guard, who faltered and eventually stepped back. "Open the cell!" she demanded.

"His Majesty said–"

"Please let her in," Reyna spoke, staring pleadingly at the bearded man. "I just want to hug my friend. Please?"

Reyna knew her effect on the servants in the castle. Even the guards who had dragged her here and locked her up had shown some sympathy for her sufferings. She believed it was because she resembled her mother – their most admirable Queen, or maybe they hated Egon just as much as they feared him.

"Fine," sighed the guard as he pulled out a set of keys and stalked toward the cell. "Step back and put your hands where I can see them, Your Highness."

Reyna did as she was told.