The Mad Witch (on hiatus)

Ch 10: 300 Year Struggle.

A/N: soo i wrote this chapter instead of my 5 page essay due tomorrow!

SO LOVE IT AND ME BECAUSE I HAVE YET TO START MY ESSAY THANKS TO FUCKING BASTIAN AND LALANA RUNNING AROUND MY HEAD!

Meh.
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Bastian POV:

My father was silent throughout dinner.

Which is naturally a terrible sign in the adalwolf family.

Lalana was gorging herself as my father watched the two of us. She did not trust tables just as she did not trust chairs. Therefor when she wanted more food She would poke and tug my arm until I filled her plate again.

After she was introduced to sweet tarts she mentioned the staff and the eye of nyphadora no longer.

But it did not leave my fathers mind, you could tell that by looking at him.

Nor did it leave mine.

Therefor after Lalana drank a few glasses of wine and dozed off on my shoulder, I carried her to bed.
And then I made my way to the small library our families fortress held within its walls.

Within a locked trunk we held a collection of books on the history of the great scar and legends of The Mad Witch.

Lalana was not sane, and her word not to be taken seriously. But she knew more about The Mad Witch than a peasant girl locked in a cave for who knows how long should.

Most of the people in the clans do not even have the ability to read, and the clan Carden does not place much necessity upon it.

We are a clan of hunt, our knowledge lies primarily in nature. Not within the spine of a book.

Yet as leaders we must learn to read, we must hold knowledge in our hands as we do our weapons.

It was not my favorite pass time, but I did not mind reading on particularly dreadful winter days.

My father was the same. rarely seen in the small library.

Except for tonight apparently.

Tonight he seemed to have the same idea as myself. He spared me a single as I sat across from him, large book in my hands. "Father."

He sighed heavily, "you have brought a mad woman upon the clan Carden."

I flipped the book open, "she is harmless."

He shut his own, "she is a purple eyed woman who claims The Mad Witches staff is her own. You cannot be so blind in the face of a woman in distress if you are to run a clan. Women are tricky creatures." He paused, "your mother herself can be quite deceiving herself. Often the prettier the more deceiving, that woman you brought home is far too skinny and far too pale, painting a weekend picture that seems to spark your protective instinct. Her healthier version may spark something else."

"Father. I am not low enough to bed a women unwell in the head."

My father said nothing for a long moment watching as I opened my book. "You know. Some people wrote that The Mad Witch had long chestnut hair that dusted the ground as she walked."

"Lalana was locked in a cave. She didn't have time nor ability for hair upkeep."

More silence.

"Have you thought that perhaps that she is indeed The mad Witch?"

"The Mad Witch died 300 years ago."

"She was a powerful mange with abilities beyond comprehension. You found her chained in a cave. People do not chain women and lock them in caves without reason."

"...father-"

"She even claims it is her."

I scowled, "she is unwell."

We stared one another down, I normally try not to challenge my father but even if Lalana were The Mad Witch she is far too weak to do anyone any harm. And she is beyond mad, I have more sanity in my little toe than she does in her entire being.

He seemed to know what I was thinking, my father the loud man that he was, was no fool. "Son. There is of course a way to test this. To be sure."

"What good would that do?"

"If she isn't, I will allow her to stay as your charge and you may do what you wish with her."

"If she is?"

My father rested his bearded chin upon his hand, "we have her tell us how to end this war."

I tensed. The Clan Carden is not know to ask nicely. An Adalwolf is even less likely to be kind in the face of an enemy. "How do you propose we discover if she is the mad witch."

"The staff Lalana mentioned. The one that belongs to the mad witch. If it were to be found it should only react to the presence of the mad witch. Legend says she infused The Eye of Nyphadora and alderwood of the staff with a blood charm. Rendering it to nothing but a chunk of wood and a rock until it senses her."

"...so you want to give a woman you believe to be a powerful witch an item that she supposedly could use to kill us all with?"

My fathers lips formed a fine line, "she would not need to touch it. Just be in its presence."

I leaned back in my chair.

Honestly. If it got him to allow Lalana to recover here where she would be safe and warm, where she would live through the winter and not go hungry again, it did not seem like a terrible idea.

"Very well." I paused, "I will find The Mad Witches staff. You can wave it at Lalana then we can move on with this war."

My father nodded, "then we can win this war."

At least in that, we were entirely on the same page.

The Clan Carden will win this war and end our 300 year struggle.