She looked of archaic magic
Hooves kicked up the soft surface of the white snow, leaving shallow holes in the ground. Four horses ran in the cold night, the rhythmic sounds of metal from the saddles following the powerful beasts. The lead horse carried the king himself on his dark, muscular shoulders. The other three carried trusted guards on their haunches. They galloped out of the castle walls and out into the unprotected land, the horses’ heavy breathing echoing in the darkness. The moon illuminated the night sky and shined down on the horses flanks. The king and guards pushed their horses a little past their limit. Time was precious now, and they couldn’t afford losing it. They needed to reach the cottage.
The woods could be seen in the distance, encouraging the men to move their horses faster. One of the guard’s horses nearly tripped as the guard kicked the horse’s hips. The king’s strong horse sent snow and dirt flying with it’s powerful hooves, it’s black coat shining in the moon. It was by far the most beautiful out of all the horses, but not only did it have beauty, it had strength and courage, making it the best war horse out of them all. As they reached the forest, they slowed to a halt, the king observing the twisted trees.
“We need to be back by sunrise!” The king bellowed, his breath puffing into clouds.
The guard’s replied with a quick, “Yes, your majesty.”
They let their horses catch their breath for a minute.
“Your majesty?” Requested Odin, one of the guards.
The king looked over his shoulder at the guard in the back of the group.
“What shall we do if she doesn’t agree, sire?”
There was a hesitant pause.
“Odin,” the king said at last, “let’s pray she does.”
They yelled and kicked their horses back into action, although none of them were eager to enter the dark woods. The witch in the forest gave everyone shivers. No one dared speak her name, let alone mention her.
Thick evergreens stood tall and hid the skyline. Snow covered every branch of every tree, just waiting to collapse to the ground. The snow covered the ground like a white blanket. Everything looked dead.
As they made their way deeper into the woods, the lush evergreens were soon replaced with plants that resembled burnt sticks. The snow was now bare, showing the dead and shriveled plants on the forest floor. One of the horses whinnied.
The air shifted, and if possible, became even colder than before. The wind batted and scratched the guards’ faces, doing no justice to the horses, either. In the corner of the king’s eyes, he could spy shadows running along with them, but he knew not to pay them any mind. Laughs could be heard in the distance. Screams and scratches filled the frosty air, even though there was nothing alive here.
No one dared step foot near her.
The men hopped off their horses and tied them to a hopefully sturdy tree branch, checking to see if their weapons were somewhere they could reach.
“She’s close by.” The king warned. “Whatever you do, do not provoke her.”
The men took the rest of their journey by foot, all becoming uneasy as they spotted the cottage. The king knew what would happen if she were to be provoked, making his heart race with dread. But he had no other choice.
They breached the tree line and entered the clearing.
The cottage was old and run down, with weak wood as support beams and pests as guards. A pang of guilt shot through him. ‘She’s been living like this this whole time…’ He winced. Two giant trees stood tall and proud on either side of the cottage. They were the only trees with leaves and strong branches, while the others in the forest were rotted away and lifeless.
They got closer to the cottage, keeping note that the clouds began to grow dark and swirl above their heads. The king glanced at the sky just in time to see lightning strike the two trees. The men jumped in surprise and took a few steps back, expecting the trees to catch on fire. However, nothing happened.
Confused, they stood there, watching them and glancing over at the others nervously. The king took a step forward, before retreating again as the trees began to groan and creak, writhing and shaking in their place. Their roots began to protrude out of the ground, slithering like snakes on the forest floor. Some of their leaves fell to the ground as one of the trees used it’s roots to stand up. The other soon followed, shaking dirt off itself and standing tall.
There was a pause. No one dared move as the living trees stood still. The king held his breath.
The tree on the left swung its branches like fists at the group, flinging dirt up in the air as it crashed into the earth. The men were lucky enough to be able to throw themselves out of the way before impact. The other tree grew its branches out of its trunk like spikes and spun, sending up a dust storm. The dust got in the men’s eyes, temporarily blinding them. A thud and a scream of agony came from one of the guards.
“Simone!” Yelled Roth, watching his friend get flung into the air and thrown into the woods. The guard ran after him, avoiding the spikes of the tree as it unleashed them in different directions.
The king ducked and watched the spikes fly overhead, knowing he shouldn’t have brought himself into this situation. He shouldn’t have brought anyone into this situation. He rubbed the painful dust out of his eyes and stood before the trees, shaking with fear. “Hey!”
The trees turned to him, rearing back in preparation of attack.
“Wait! We mean your mother no harm!”
They froze.
“Please, we need her help! She knows who I am! She’s the only one who can help… I’m begging you, let us pass!”
The trees hesitated, before relaxing, turning to each other as if they were speaking through a language no mortal could comprehend.
“Kaal, Shoc! That’s enough, my lovelies. Go back to sleep.” Said a soft voice behind the trees.
Roth came back supporting an injured Simone, who was dripping crimson from his right leg and arm. The men watched the trees go back to their spots in the ground, their roots digging into the ground once more. They shook as they got into position, becoming dormant once more.
The king turned his attention to the lady in front of him, his heart dropping as he gazed at the women he had known long ago.
The only parts of her body that were showing was her head, feet and hands, all covered in unnatural tattoos that glowed and moved and changed colors on her skin. If the women were to take off her ripped, worn dress, the tattoos would be there too, swirling and shifting in magnificent ways that were almost hypnotizing to watch. Her curly red hair was tangled and matted, and her rosey cheeks had turned to gray. Her eyes were dark–oh so dark and stormy. Anguish and hate filled those beautiful gray eyes… It wasn’t fair.
Archaic magic coursed through her veins as bright as day. A magic that has been long forgotten, for it was a dangerous art that no one wanted to try, let alone master. It was so dangerous, in fact, that many ignorant people believe it to be a curse… One of the reasons why the king banished her in the first place. He was blinded by fear and his own selfishness when he exiled her, believing that she would attempt to overthrow him. He knew she would win that battle, so he threw her into the woods, decreeing that if she were to step foot in the castle walls, she would be beheaded.
However she dared not lay a finger on him. She had loved him oh so long ago, and though he was cruel to her, she still did. She loved him with all her black heart. She never wanted anything more than his love. She didn’t care to rule, or to be wealthy, or even wear a single jewel from the castle’s treasury. The women just wanted to be by his side.
Before he was crowned king, and when his father ruled, Gerald had known and loved a beautiful healer who lived in her own quarters of the castle. Levana was her name. Known throughout the whole kingdom for her kind yet witty heart and her amazing gift. She was the only healer, so she lived in the castle, where she was needed most. There, Gerald and the healer’s friendship started when she moved in.
Right after she got settled, the prince fell ill with a horrible flu and was bedridden for days. Levana was ordered to heal him, or the king would personally kill her. Of course she didn’t care about his threats. She knew she would be able to take anything he threw at her.
Levana knocked on the mahogany doors to the prince’s room, waiting for them to open from the other side.
A maid answered the door, her thick, graying hair secured in a tight bun and her eyes tired with worry. “Are you the healer?”
“Who else would it be?” Levana pushed the maid aside, walking to the prince’s bedside. She looked about the room and scoffed, thinking it absurd to have such a large room. 'What a waste of space…’ A lavish bed sat in the middle of the room, big enough for a family of ten to sleep in. There the prince laid, looking nearly dead with his hollow eyes, pale skin, and shallow, ragged breaths. Levana pulled up a chair and got comfortable, before holding the prince’s weak hand.
The maid choked on her saliva, petrified. “Y-You’re not allowed to touch the prince!”
“If the king wants him alive, then I must.” She spat with a glare.
The maid flinched, holding her hand to her heart, before cowering into a far corner.
“That’s what I thought.”
She held his hand with both of hers, the veins under her skin beginning to give off an eerie, golden glow. The color spread like wildfire, and soon she was brighter than a bonfire, her eyes clouded and smokey white.
Sweat began to drip off her forehead, but she paid it no mind. Healing someone took an extreme amount of energy, and it wasn’t uncommon for a healer to die during the process. She could feel her life force getting sucked out of her, and she began to gasp for air. The prince’s temperature began to lower, and his appearance became healthier. His eyes fluttered open, and the healer yanked away, drenched in sweat as her heart pounded like a war drum. The fog clouding her eyes cleared, and her veins returned to their original state.
“The… The prince…” Levana panted, “is… is healed… The king may see… see his son, now…”
The maid scurried away.
Gerald groaned, catching the healer’s attention. He lolled his head to look at her, his eyes half lidded tiredly. The prince examined her for a minute, before a tired smile formed on his lips. “Thank you…”
She smiled back. “My pleasure…”
“Levana,” king Gerald whispered in a hoarse voice as his eyes began to tear up, “what… what has happened to you?”
“What did you expect would happen when you exiled me? I’d live in a magnificent castle?” She snorted, grinning in disbelief.
He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, before repeating the same action again and again. Finally, he said, “You shouldn’t have used black magic.”
She snarled. “It wasn’t black magic! It was *archaic* magic. Very old and almost extinct.”
“Never mind. Levana, the reason I came here is for your help. Not to fight.”
She laughed maniacally, throwing her head back. “Help you?!Why would I help you? You threw me out of my home because you were stupid enough to think I’d overthrow you! I didn’t even care about a throne, I cared about you! I loved you, Gerald!… But what did you do? Exile me because you were too cowardly to do anything else.”
He took a step back, ashamed in himself. “Please, Levana, the kingdom is under great threat. The Giants claimed war; we stand no chance!” He got on his knees and grasped her hand, looking into her eyes pleadingly. “Thousands of lives will be lost! I know you don’t want that to happen. Please, I’ll give you anything, just help!”
She stared down at him, cocking her head to the side in thought. “Anything, you say?”
“Yes, anything!”
A grin spread on her face, and the king’s eyes widened as he gulped in fear. She knelt on one knee to meet his eyes, smirking as she patted his hand. “I heard that you finally have an heir. An only son among many daughters.”
His hand began to shake under hers.
“I’ve been thinking about having an apprentice for some time, now.” She continued. “I will help you… If you let him live with me so I can teach him magic, and once he is thirteen, we shall both move into the castle, and he shall be crowned king. Do we have a deal?”
The guards looked at the king. Surely he wasn’t selfish enough to give away his only son for a war and to continue being king… Could he?
“… How have you become so heartless? Taking my only son away from me!” He began to sob.
“You took my life, home, freedom, and love and threw me in these dark woods alone! This is merely delayed justice.”
Pain was written all over his face as he looked down, his thoughts reeling.
“May I remind you, your majesty, that the giants are merciless and will easily wipe out your kingdom. As well as that, there are no other beings that will willing help you, seeing that half of the races on this world are against you. The only way you’ll survive,” she put a finger under his chin and lifted his head, forcing him to meet her eyes, “is if I step in and stop all this.”
He avoided her gaze, contemplating. 'If I agree we could stop the war… I could have another son in the future…’ he greedily thought. He looked back up at her, tight lipped. “I agree.”
She hummed and kissed his forehead, standing up. “Very well. Send him tomorrow, and I will give you all the help you need.”
thank you @character-prompts for the inspiring prompts
