What I did was forbidden. I knew there was a punishment waiting for me. Witches like me were beheaded in front of the world. I knew what I had put myself into when I sank my hands into black magic and played with lives.
But it all changed when an in...
The night passed by with ease and the next morning arrived quicker than I expected. The invitation sat inside my drawer, waiting to be accepted, but I couldn't think straight. The letter didn't only invite me to stay at the royal court but also my mother. I recalled mentioning to Alexandria that I couldn't stay without my mother. She needed me more than anything else and she was all that mattered to me.
"What's on your mind?" Mom asked while sitting down with me.
There was no way I could convince her to come with me without telling her the truth and the truth was far worse than she could ever imagine.
"Nothing," I gave my head a shake and circled my fingers around the warm cup of tea. Her hand moved to my back and I turned to meet her worried gaze. "I got an invitation from Alexandria. She wants me to come to stay at the royal court."
Her lips parted and she gasped in surprise, "Why?"
I shrugged, keeping the truth to myself, "I'm not sure. I met her at the winter ball and she suggested the same to me then as well."
"Is it—about the magic? Please don't tell me you're in trouble, Viv." Her face tilted and warmed with even more worry.
"No, no." I grabbed her hand. "It's nothing about magic and I'm not in any trouble Mom," I reassured her. It was her greatest fear that if anyone found out about the black magic I had done all those times to kill my father.
She feared for my life.
"Do you—would you want to?" I asked her while biting the inside of my cheek and wondering what her thoughts were.
"The royal court is a beautiful place, Vivian." She grabbed in a sharp breath and looked away from me. "But it's also a very dangerous place. I've been only there once and there are all kinds of monsters there. Power plays a lot between those old walls and it can get a lot for some people. Some even say the court was built above bodies of werewolves and night-eaters that had been supposedly killed by witches."
I listened to her and a chill ran down my spine. My hand went over my arm, flattening the hair that had risen in fear. Listening to her unleashed something more than I thought.
"It's very unforgiving to witches. But if you do want to go there, I wouldn't mind." Her eyes returned on me and she offered me a smile.
"You'd come with me?"
She gave her head a shake, "It's not a place for me, Viv. The energy there is just not right, but I'll never stop you from anything. I'll stay here and you can spend all your time there if you wish."
"But what will you do without me?" I asked, leaning in closer. My chest became tight at the thought of letting my mother stay alone.
"This is my home," Her head moved as she took in the walls of our home—the home she had been staying in for over twenty years. "And I'm happy here, happier than I had ever been and you did that for me. You don't have to live with me. You have a life and I want you to live it before you rot in this house with me." Her eyes glimmered with tears as she spoke.
I couldn't think of leaving her alone but there was weight in her words.
I took her problem away from her—I killed what made her unhappy, but at the same time I swore I would never leave her side.
How could I now?
She placed her warm hand over my face, "You want to go to the royal court?" She asked.
I nodded, truthfully. "But I can't stay away from you, Mom. It will be amazing if you come with me and we both can stay here, away from all these memories here. We can start a new life together." I suggested, a bit of excitement in my voice.
It was only a dream but now, it could become reality.
Awed by my words, she pinched my cheek and pulled her hand away, "I have a life here and I cannot leave right away, but maybe one day."
I understood her. She wasn't in wrong. Her life was here and it was selfish to take away what bought her comfort.
"You should go, Vivian." She continued, a quiet moment later.
"I can't leave you—"
She grabbed my wrist and shook her head, "You can and you will. You're still young and so powerful that you don't even know. Go outside, go find happiness and go find a life for yourself. Don't bury yourself here, with me, with your father whose ashes still hover in this air. I want you to go." Her hold tightened as she became persistent.
"But you—"
"I'll be fine on my own," She cut me off once more and made her decision clear. "Go because your chance is gone."
Could I? It was going to be cruel to leave her, but it was also an opportunity of life and it wasn't something I could miss. Going there was the only way I could find my true self and the power of the magic I possessed. It was the only way I could forget all that my father had done to my mother and me.
"Would you join me sometime later?"
"Of course!"
I cleared my throat and said, "By the end of winter, I want you to come with me. We'll move somewhere around there and we'll start a new life. And then, I won't take a no for an answer."
"I will. I just need some time to bury the past, but I promise, I'll come to you whenever it's possible." She placed her hand over my shoulder and gave me a little shake.
At the same time, a smile spread over her mouth and over mine. Excitement ran through me like never. Never had I dreamt of something as this, of leaving this place, this town, and ridding of all memories I shared with my father.
It was time for new beginnings.
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