Enchanted Captivation [InquisitorMaster AU fanfiction]

Chapter 7: A Dull Future Awaits

It was finally time to sleep. After talking to Light, they all felt exhausted. It was like walking on eggshells around him, one wrong word and they'd be burned. 

Fire... before the trials happened, fire used to be gorgeous, how it crackled and shined, how it danced in rhythm to the wind. Now, fire is only seen as torture. Burning wood only reminds them of burning bodies. 

The princes had noticed the girl's exhaustion and said it was alright if they headed to bed, so here they were. 

The halls were empty, the occasional guard stood there but that's it. Their heels clicked against the stone floor as they walked to their rooms.

"This is scary..." Charli commented, looking to the floor. Jade and Alex hummed in agreement, "I wish we could turn back time to where none of this ever happened. I'm just, so scared for tomorrow, I don't think I'll be able to watch another witch burn, especially so up close..." 

It went silent again as the girls made their way to their rooms, they all avoided looking up or at each other, their eyes were glued to the floor as they watched themselves walk. One step at a time. After what felt like forever, they reached their rooms. 

Jade opened her door and looked back to her friends, opening her mouth to say something, but going quiet. It wasn't worth it. 

She just silently went into her room and shut the door. Not even making it to her bed she colapsed to the floor and sat in silence, in the fetal possition. Her very being was at risk, at any moment she could be killed. Magic was her escape and her end, why should she have to abandon herself just for her own survival? 

Quiet hiccups escaped her mouth. Often she cried herself to sleep, not wanting to be burned. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, she tried to convince herself. But that's nonsense. Her feet felt like they were cut and covered in broken glass, walking over broken bottles and fragile eggshells throughout this castle. Her feet felt bloody and rough, she felt like she was in pain and yet nothing was hurting her. Psychically at least.

Then she heard a knock on the door, she went quiet as her fear rose until she heard a soft voice, "Hey Jade, it's Alex. Can I come in?"

Jade wiped away her tears and sniffled, attempting to look presentable, "Y-yeah, come on in."

Alex opened the door and shut it behind her. She was barefoot and in her underwear, still keeping in her hair in place, Jade wondered if she ever took it down.

(A/N: Again, underwear and undergarmets looked different back then, Whenever I say "underwear" or "undergarmets" this is what I'm talking about)

(Alright back to the story :))

The blonde haired girl sat next to the ravenette on the cold floor, the two didn't look each other in the eye, just looked ahead to the wall or at the floor. They sat in silence, the occasional sound of footsteps outside of their room and the cricking of crickets outside acompanied them.

"I don't want to die, Alex." Jade finally mumbled, Alex glanced over to her and nodded, "Me either. It just isn't fair, we shouldn't have to die because of our beliefs and practices."

It goes quiet again until there's a light tapping sound on the window. The two girls look over to see a familiar pink cat with a bow, "Miss Misa!" teh two exclaimed simotaniously as Jade rushed up to open the window. The kitten hopped through and instantly went to sit on Alex's lap. "I can't believe your familiar found you all the way out here," Jade comments, sitting back down next to Alex, the two girls pet Miss Misa as she purred in satisfaction.

"Yeah, well that's the power of magic," Alex giggled, the two cracking a smile while looking at Alex's beloved familiar. They went back to stearing, sorrow glimmered softly on their faces, sitting in silence as Miss Misa quietly purred as Alex instinctivly scratched her. 

"I wish us three could just run away," Jade blurts out, "run away to a forest and never be seen again, run away from society, from responsibilities. Run away from this awful place with everyone and maybe, just maybe, grow a new society, one where witches are common and accepted and... happy."

Alex let out a sad chuckle, "That would be nice, nice to not worry about being burned ever again. We won't have to keep the magic out of sight, we could just practice and have fun all day and night." 

"But we both know that it's just a dream..." 

Silence falls upon the girls once more, Miss Misa began to snuggle up against Jade. That's when Alex noticed Jade was still dressed. "Oh! Jade, shouldn't you be in your underwear by now?" Alex questioned, Jade looked confused for a moment before looking down at her atire, "Oh, right."

Jade got up and took off the shoes and socks, then took off the cloak and dress, laying the dress gently on a chair. She was left in nothing but her underwear. She got out a brush and let down her hair and began to brush it while sitting on the oh so comftorable bed. Alex sat on the opposite side of the bed and laughed to herself, "Want me to stay over, just like old times?"

Ah yes, back when the girls were younger and a lot less experenced, Jade and Alex's mothers were partners in witchcraft. They taught beginner witches about the basics and helped them with spells. Alex and Jade helped too, but they were mostly one level ahead of the others, so they couldn't help much. 

Calling their mothers witches probably would be an understatement, a sage would fit better. They'd be the sages of the Earth, in their small community that was their nickname. They were beautiful, powerful, and wise. Jade never knew her mother's true age, she doubted it was in her 20s like how she claimed, she wouldn't doubt it if they were over a hundred. 

When the trials started, they were the most wanted in the town. The two remember those times well, too well. They had a little house in the woods where they'd hide. Alex's and Jade's mothers lived in different houses but when things were deemed as dangerous, they'd go to the tiny cabin for the night to hide. Often the mothers needed to practice their magic, so they'd leave Alex and Jade in the cabin by themselves, sometimes for days at a time. If Alex and Jade were to die, the sages wouldn't be able to accept it, so even if the night felt as if it had a slight risk, they'd be sent to the cabin to hide. Even when they were in town, they were forced to stay inside most of the time. Only other witches knew of the daughters, and perhaps that was a good thing.

One day while Alex and Jade were in the cabin, their mothers were caught. The stench of their mother's bodies being cooked forever stings their noses, thank god they didn't scream. Their screech would've haunted their dreams. 

Jade smiled and nodded. Ever since they watched their mothers get burned, they've been terrified of fire. 

The girls got in Jade's bed, shuffiling to get comftorable. Miss Misa curled up between them as they looked at the ceiling. "Hey, remember that one time, back at the cabin, when it was pouring rain and it began to leak?" Alex asked, trying to lighten the mood. Jade laughed a little, "Yeah! We made a game where we'd grab a small bowl and see if we were able to predict when we could get a drop inside. Then it began to thunder and we were so scared we slept in the same bed together to keep each other company!"

"Don't forget that time when we got into mom's spellbook and began to practice our magic inside the cabin! Her face when she found out we used up all her herbs to attempt at magic was so hilariously furious, but we were told it was okay."

"If it weren't for that, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be so passionate about witchcraft."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean think about it. We began to accelerate in abilities after we started to have fun with mom's spell book..."

The two talked for what felt like hours before they fell asleep. 

Such a dull future they were headed towards, but it was okay, one day, they'll be free. They have each other. Even if their future is dull, if they have a bright today, who cares in the end?