Gaining My Abilities

I found myself out in the courtyard one day, enjoying the sun and the nature around me. I had not been allowed outside in years so it felt surreal to me to be sitting out in the grass. I had asked the cooks to save me some of the seeds from the fruit they cut up for our meals. I intended to start a small garden in the corner of the courtyard to give myself something to do since I was no longer doing chores. I still was not allowed to eat with the family, that was one rule the king refused to budge on. I just went to the kitchen and ate there, in some ways I preferred that to sitting and trying to enjoy a meal with a family that hated me as much as I hated them. I was curiously awaiting the arrival of the messenger John had said he was sending. I was anxious to start learning what I could do so that I could get away from this awful palace. I almost missed being imprisoned because then at least I would not feel trapped. I gently dug my hands into the soft, moist earth. It moved to my will and I dropped a fruit seed into the small hole I had made. Immediately a small green tuft of a plant sprouted from the seed. I stared at it in astonishment. It was not supposed to grow that fast, was it? I planted a few more fruit seeds, I was not sure what kind they were as the cooks did not tell me. I also planted a few seeds Mary had gotten from the market for me a few days ago. She claimed that they were herbal seeds, we shall see. Each seed I planted immediately sprouted the second I covered them with dirt. I grabbed the pail of water I had brought with me and watered the small plot. "You must be Clara." a warm, but unfamiliar voice said behind me. I was so distracted with the garden that I had not heard them approach. "Yes, I am," I said as I turned to face the newcomer. I was struck by how tan she was as soon as my eyes landed on her. She had copper-colored, pin-straight hair, her eyes were storm-cloud gray, her lips were plump, and her cheekbones were high. "I see that you have been given a new dress. That makes my job a little easier." She pointed out, smiling at me kindly. Looking down at the new ruffled lilac-colored dress Mary had given me, I raised my eyebrows at her, puzzled by her comment. "Let me start with my name, it is Mabel. Prince John asked me to make sure your relatives were treating you the way they were supposed to. That included giving you appropriate clothing." She clarified. I nodded my head, "Yes they have been treating me appropriately most of the time." She cocked her head at me, waiting for me to continue but I had said my part. "You do know that one of the reasons Prince John has sent me here was to make sure conditions at this palace are fit for you?" She pushed. I nodded at her again and watched her. he had an aura about her that was comforting. "Are you not also here to help me learn?" I questioned. It was her turn to nod at me. "I can sense great power coming from you, young girl. You have not unlocked it yet, have you?" I shook my head, "What do you mean by unlocking it?" She sighed, "You have much to learn. Come with me, we shall start now." She said wearily, extending her hand towards me.

She took me out the front doors of the palace and we were walking up to the front gate when I was suddenly struck by a great fear. Shaking and involuntarily crying, I could not step foot outside of the front gate. "Sweet girl, what have they done to you?" Mabel said, concern lacing her voice. She stepped closer to me and rubbed my back, "Have you ever been outside of these gates?" She asked me. "No." I whimpered, trying to calm myself down. She looked at me in shock. "Well, we will have to do this like ripping off a bandage then." She took ahold of my uninjured arm and yanked me through the open gate quickly. Not giving me time to think about it at all. As soon as I was on the other side I felt fine, with no crying or shaking in fear. "That was weird, I feel nothing at all now." I calmly said. Mabel narrowed her eyes and walked closer to the gate with her hands held out. Sparks bounced from her open palms as she approached it. She smirked and nodded to herself with satisfaction. "I did not believe prince John when he said that your uncle had an alliance with another witch but this proves it. This gate was enchanted with a spell that only affects you if you try to leave the palace. It was placed inconspicuously well. I could not even detect it as we walked upon it." Coming back over she motioned for me to follow her as she walked towards the river that ran next to the castle, woods surrounding it on the opposite side. The river was running lazily, the water bubbling and lots of little animals running around it. Neither one of us was wearing any foot coverings, so we just lifted our dresses and waded slowly through the chilly water. We walked for what seemed like forever until we came across a clearing in the middle of the forest that hid us completely behind the trees. Mabel broke from my side and walked around gathering clippings from the assorted plants that surrounded us, muttering to herself softly. She made her way back over to me, "You need to eat some of this herbal blend. They will put you into a trance so that you can see your truth and awaken your abilities." She said, handing me a bundle of green leaves and stems. A couple of flowers poked out from the middle. "How can I trust someone I just met as much as you are expecting me to? How do I know these herbs will not have me dead on the floor of this forest in seconds?" I said, cautiously. Mabel slapped her hand to her forehead, "Do you think prince John would send someone untrustworthy to help you?" She had a point, I guess. I had to trust John to be able to trust her. I raised the greenery to my mouth and ripped a huge bite off with my teeth. Mabel rushed forward, pulling the greenery apart and nodding at me, "That should be enough." I winced as an overwhelmingly bitter taste flooded my mouth. I gagged and my eyes started to water. "Keep it down or you'll have to eat more," Mabel ordered, slapping her hand across my mouth. I gulped the nasty stuff down and sat down on the grass, waiting for abnormal things to start to take place. "It will take a few minutes, but they will work," Mabel informed me, sitting down next to me. "What will happen?" I asked, fear starting to take hold in my chest. She shrugged, "You will have to wait and see. Each witch's journey is different. We all have different truths and reasons for our ability to manifest." I started feeling woozy about a split second before my head hit the dirt.

I opened my eyes, my head still laying in the grass but Mabel had gone. Instead, there was a black wolf in front of me with its teeth bared and a growl escaping its jaws. I sat up quickly and jumped back, trying to gain as much distance as possible. The wolf did not move, it stood there frozen. My voice rang out around me, "Why do you fear it?" I thought for a moment and realized I had no reason to be fearing the wolf after everything I had been through in my life. I got up and walked towards it, putting my hand out cautiously. As I got closer, the growls and snarls got louder. Still, I persisted, getting close enough to lay my hand on top of its head. Suddenly, it turned into a playful puppy, licking my hand, and bounding around me. I laughed at how cute it was. My voice boomed around me once again, "You shall not fear anyone now. You are the master of your fear, nobody will make you be someone you are not again." I looked up around me, trying to find the source of my voice. "Oh, how you have grown my sweet daughter." A familiar voice boomed behind me, surprising me. My eyes welled up with tears as I turned around and found my mother standing behind me. Her long blonde hair billowed like smoke behind her and the bright green eyes I had inherited shone. She ran her fingers across my cheek and looked at me lovingly. "You have been through so much. So much that you never should have had to have gone through. My sister is not who I thought she was." She said, anger in her voice. "It is okay mother. I am starting to learn that I had to go through it all to become who I am meant to be." I consoled her. She beamed at me with pride. "You will go through many more trials before you become who you are meant to be. Your father and I have been by your side even though you do not see us. I am proud to be the one presenting you with your abilities." She said with a smile. She reached out to me with her hands clasped together, a bright green light shining in the palms of her hands. "Go ahead, grasp my hands." She urged. I reached out and took hold of her hands, instantly being snapped back as the green light zapped its way into my body. The world spun a little bit as I came to once again. Mabel's face was inches from mine, her wide eyes staring at me. My mother's voice rang out in my head, "I love you, my sweet baby. You are never alone." I smiled. "I have never seen anyone come out of a visual journey smiling like that," Mabel commented, her eyebrows raised and her face still inches from mine. I sat up slowly, feeling dizzy. My body felt like a sack of potatoes. Mabel moved from her position and got in my face again, staring at me. "Can you give me some space?" I asked, irritated by her constant presence. She awkwardly scooted back away from me and mumbled a quick apology. Something nudged my hand where it was placed on the grass, holding me up. I looked down and saw flowers sprouting all around both of my hands. "Uh, Mabel?" I caught her attention and signaled with my eyes to look down. She gasped as she saw the flowers, which were still growing and swirling around each other. "Are you doing that on purpose?" She asked, quizzically. I shook my head. "No. It is also not the first time this has happened. I was planting seeds earlier and they sprouted as soon as I put them into the ground." I informed her. Her jaw dropped. "You mean to tell me that you were using your abilities before they were even awakened?" I just shrugged at her and stood up, grabbing ahold of a nearby tree to steady myself. New branches broke out where my hands touched the bark. "I have never seen the likes of this before," Mabel said in awe. "I am going to have to learn how to stop this from happening if I want to keep this secret. I do not want to be put to death." I said, annoyed. "Put to death? Is that a law in this kingdom? Where I come from it is not a dreadful thing to have abilities. It is only bad if you use them to hurt someone else maliciously." She said, mostly to herself. "You are weird. Only weird people talk to themselves" I told her. She elbowed me and laughed, "It is better to be weird than to be normal. The weird ones have a lot more fun."