8 Hazel

Giving a huge sigh, Hazel began narrating.

"There was a girl named Forsythia. She was born as the sole heir of the Hallows, a family of witches and warlocks."

"Her mom, Heather Hallows was known to be the strongest and most powerful caster in the entire coven."

"Forsythia grew up making potions, casting spells and learning curses and jinxes. For years, she witnessed rituals and traditions of the coven which were considered as taboo in normal setting."

"Some of the members of her coven would capture children and feast on them. Others would curse unsuspecting members of royalty into hideous creatures. Thus, people often hated witches and warlocks."

Hazel stopped for a time to compose her thoughts. Truthfully, she had already forgotten some parts of the story.

"The young witch did not want to be like her mother." Lily filled in for her. "She doesn't want to be like the other witches who were scorned by society."

"She wanted to be free and she wanted the townspeople to like her. In other words, she wanted to be a normal girl." Lily finished with a frown on her face.

"I would have given anything to be on Forsythia's shoes." Covering a yawn, the princess added as an afterthought. Her lids started to become heavy as sleepiness started to set it.

Being used to her lady's usual attitude, Hazel cleared her throat and continued.

"By the time she turned thirteen, Forsythia ran away to find her own path. She cast a spell which made her look like a simple girl and lived in a small town."

"That was the last spell she was able to utter before she abandoned magic and witchcraft."

"Due to the physical changes, no one recognized the young Hallows. People accepted Forsythia and she got her wish, but she paid a huge price-" Hazel stopped short when she noticed that the little lady had finally fallen asleep.

Hazel gave Lily's forehead a gentle kiss before she blew the candle out. Quietly, she left the room.

~~~

The princess woke up with a scream. Sweat coated her body due to the unpleasant dream.

It was the same recurring one which had been haunting her for the past few weeks.

"Lily, are you okay?" Killer asked groggily. He had woken up when he heard his mistress scream.

"I am okay."

Confusion was written on her face as she absentmindedly took a glass of water by the side table and gulped it down.

With her erratic heart beats becoming steady, she could not help but think that the dream was like a presage.

"Is it possible that our kingdom will be under attack?" She mused. The very idea unsettled her.

"It is highly unlikely. For the past 2 centuries our country's defenses have never been breached." Killer answered for her.

Noting the time on the grandfather clock, she discovered it was half past twelve. Despite the ungodly hour, she found herself unable to go back to sleep.

As the seconds ticked, she was becoming listless-tossing and turning on her bed. In order to forget about her nightmare, she decided to go to another adventure.

"Where are you going?" the stuffed toy asked when she get off from bed.

"I'll just take a stroll." she answered while wearing her robe. 

After putting on her cloak and sandals, she took Killer and put him in her pocket.

Making her way to her bookshelves, she pressed a loose stone just a few inches away from the bottom shelf.

There was a slight tremor before the shelves moved and a trap door was displayed into view.

She took a tear-shaped charm which was given to her by Zeke when she was 10. The object glowed after she chanted a spell. Its light was not so bright that could illuminate the entire room, but enough to make her see through the darkened passage.

Opening the trapdoor, she immediately slipped inside and navigated through the narrow hall towards the secret room, her sanctuary.

But before she could reach her destination, she froze. She seemed to hear footsteps coming towards her.

"Lily, I think someone is still up." Killer muttered. "Is it possible that someone discovered about the hidden escape routes?"

She paled at the thought.

With her presence of mind, she put the light of her charm out and waited for the inevitable to happen.

However, instead of a person coming her way, she caught a glimpse of a flickering candle shining through a portrait. Taking the risk, Lily peeked through the portrait.

"Isn't that Hazel?" the bear asked. "Haz..."

Before the bear could call the lady-in-waiting, Lily managed to cover its mouth.

"Quiet down. I wonder where she is going."

Curiosity got the best of Lily. She had forgotten her original goal of going to her sanctuary, instead her goal shifted on investigating what her lady-in-waiting was up to.

She saw Hazel going to the opposite hall. Using another trapdoor below the portrait, Lily was able to follow her.

"Where is she going?" Killer asked.

The hallway that they were walking through was a bit foreign even for Lily. "Funny... I don't think I haven't been in this part of the castle before."

Hazel made a turn towards a corner. Following the brunette, Lily stopped short when she found a dead end.

"How could she disappear?" Lily asked. "There is no other way from this hall except from the one we had gone through."

"Perhaps, there's a trapdoor here somewhere." Killer suggested.

Thus, she began searching for a trapdoor. Finding none, she almost gave up.

At the last minute, she noticed the heavy tapestry at the end of the hallway. Moving it out of the way, she was surprised to see a small opening.

Without any hesitation, Lily got on her knees and sneaked inside. She was greeted by a staircase which leads down to a chamber.

From the top she could barely hear voices talking.

"I think Hazel is talking to someone." Killer muttered.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she tiptoed towards the chamber and looked through the door which was left ajar.

Her mouth fell open wide as her eyes fell on a human sized mirror in front of Hazel. But instead of her own reflection, she could make out a familiar male form looking back at her attendant.

"Zeke, send my regards to Master Chervil." Hazel's voice echoed through the room.

"I will." A voice which sounded like Zeke replied.

The mirror gave an eerie glow before it receded and left the room dimly lit by a few candles.

Oblivious of her young mistress's presence, Hazel drew near a cauldron situated a few feet away from the mirror. She opened a book and threw in some herbs, which made the concoction emit light.

The light from the cauldron slowly took shape and form into human-like figures. Moments later, the figures huddled into groups and a fight ensued.

Hazel was filled with terror while witnessing such a scene. She began chanting a spell but before she could finish it, Lily made her presence known.

"Hazel, you're a witch!" the princess exclaimed.

"I knew it!" Killer interjected.