1 16 years ago...
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG! Loud banging on her door suddenly woke her up from a deep sleep! BANG BANG BANG! Nes jumped out of bed and rushed for the door hoping her babies would stay asleep. Hastily covering herself with her robe she finally gets to the door and peeled through the small opening wondering who it could be banging on her door in the middle of the night. She recognizes the gentleman standing in the pouring rain wearing a very worried expression.
She opens the door and ushers him into the parlor. "Please have a seat and I will make up some tea. I can hang your cloak by the fire place if you would like." Nes was always a gracious host even in the middle of the night. Especially for the people who sought her help. The man replies "My lady, I appreciate that but I'm afraid there is no time. I will get right to it. My wife, she fell and injured her head earlier this evening. The bleeding won't stop and she hasn't woken since she fell unconscious. Please, I beg of you to come and help us. I don't have much money but I will figure out a way to pay you just please come save my wife!"
Nesana stood in shock for a split second realizing what he was needing. With an unearthly quickness she goes to her room and throws some clothes on she wakes her husband Thomas to inform him that she has to leave quickly but that she will return as soon as she is able. She stops by the nursery to see her babies sleeping peacefully with a slight smile on their beautiful faces probably from a dream they are enjoying. Nes runs to her lab to gather her supplies. She comes back to the parlor wishing a few minutes to leave with Randall, the man gives an apologetic smile and they leave.
Retrieving her fastest horse they ride as fast as they could a few towns to the west where Randall lives. When they get to the home Nes runs inside while Randall puts their horses in the barn. Nesana rushes to his wife to see exactly what the husband explained. Blood is trickling down the side of her forehead onto a pillow soaked in blood. Nes rests her hands on her head to heal the bleeding. The bleeding instantly stops yet she could feel the damage to the brain. Severe damage. Damage she knew if she healed would cost her herself. She glances at the husband and the three small children looking up at her healing their mommy with tears in their eyes.
A migraine for a few days would be worth it. It wasn't deciding if the migraine would be worth it she knew this was a deep internal injury and she wasn't even sure she could do it. Yes she was a powerful witch but even the most powerful witch can't stop fate. She decided to try it anyways. She laid out the crystals, the herbs, she lit the candles and with silence she needed she began her chant. Focusing on the ladies brain she saw through the wound finding the source of the hemorrhage. She started chanting louder and pushing her magic deeper and deeper until she could feel the healing begin. As the healing process was almost finished something pushed through her and she felt her head spin, her body was becoming weak and all of a sudden the world went black.
She woke up and looking around feeling groggy and her head feeling like it would burst she closed her eyes. She could smell and unfamiliar scent mixed with the metallic yet old smell of blood. "Where am I?" She mumbled. "My lady, you fainted as soon as my wife started to wake. You healed my wife and saved her. How will I ever be able to thank you." Feeling confused she slowly started to open her eyes again. I saved his wife she thought to herself. Not know what exactly happened she looked around and saw the cutest little kids smile of at her in awe and glancing behind them she seen a beautiful woman who bowed to her graciously. "Thank you my lady, as my husband said I don't know how we will ever repay you for the gift you have given us." With a shakey voice Nes hesitantly asks "And what is it that I did exactly?" The husband and his wife glanced at each other nervously and with a few moments passing the husband explained what happened.
Grateful that she was able to help them Nes just wanted to get back home. After accepting a cup of tea and something small to eat she bids them a farewell. As she was traveling back to her home she felt dizzy and couldn't shake the feeling that something else happened. She felt strange. Almost like a piece of her was missing. Almost like a hallow feeling in her heart. She rode back home slowly wondering why she would feel such a way. Yes, magic always came with a price but never with feelings such as this.
She arrived home as the sun was starting to peak over the horizon and the sky was starting to be painted in different shades of purples, pinks, oranges and blues. She loves sunrises but not as much as she loved looking at the stars at night. She takes her horse into the barn and made sure she had food and water. She thanked her for the ride and left her to rest. Coming into her house she took off her cloak and looked around. Oh how she hated coming home to an empty house. One day she thought to herself... one day this home will be full of babies and love. Remembering that her husband passed away almost a year ago she goes to the mantle to stare at his portrait. Thomas was the most loving and handsome husband a woman could ever dream of the few short years they spent together were the happiest memories of her life.
She started to head back to her lab to cleanse her supplies and she almost tripped on something on the floor. A teddy bear. What in the world was a fat little teddy bear doing in my home. She bent down to pick it up and examined it closely. Something strange yet familiar came over her. Why would a teddy bear make me feel this way she thought to herself. There was an oddly familiar smell from the teddy bear. A scent laced with love and affection. "Strange" she murmured "it must be my imagination." Going back to the parlor she places the teddy bear right next to the portrait of her husband and stares at it a few more minutes before walking back to her lab.
Just another day...
The shop was busier than usual and it seemed to be like this all week. Not that I would mind nor was I really surprised because it was October and it gets this way around this time every year. However, something was very different this season. I could feel it in the air around me. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling. Which is odd for me not to know. Anyways, I didn't mind. I've been preparing for this for the last few months.
It's also my favorite time of year. Not because of the holidays but the significance of what this particular full moon will bring to my coven. The significance of how close the realms are around this time makes our magic much more powerful. The veil is lifted which gifts us the privilege to communicate with our ancestors so we can ask questions and receive answers. The time we get to spend with them is looked forward to every year by our coven and it's something we happily prepare all year for.
Don't misunderstand me, I do love the autumn leaves changing colors into vibrant shades of red, burgundy, purple, gold, and yellow. The smell of the trees as the wind whispers through the air making the leaves dance as they descend to the earth below. I love the fire crackling at night and the images I can see through the fire and the smoke. I enjoy the temperature of the water changing to a cool and enjoyable taste. The rain even has a beautiful scent as it washes the summer heat and all of the dirt away. Autumn was truly my favorite time of year. It is breathtaking and magical in its own right.
A couple of girls were looking at the fragrances and deciding which scents were their favorites. The shop is starting to be consumed by the smell of every flower and herb on earth. What the girls didn't know was the perfumes were subtly enchanted with different magical abilities. Each one laced with certain desires. This town has been rumored to have witches living among them. I know of a few myself but none are as powerful as I am. We have been living in harmony with them for centuries and we mutually came to the understanding that we need each other to thrive.
The coven of witches opposite to mine were the kind you would see profiting off of others dreams and deepest desires and taking advantage of them while doing so. Their power wasn't enough to bestow their wishes upon them but showed just enough magic to fool the human in believing that it worked. Its wicked witches like them who give the rest of us a bad name. The repercussions are always uncertain and more often than not the desired effect was never what they wanted.
That's the problem with lower ranking witches, their power is often as weak as they are. The spell has to be perfect but more than that the heart has to openly accept the spell and most humans are doubtful and therefore the magic doesn't work to its fullest potential. Often times it might have the reverse effect but it never gives the sought after desire. The very few times it does work correctly the lower ranking witch will charge more and the price is often not pretty. Those witches are as greedy as the humans they serve. However, for some reason the most desperate humans still seek their help.
Many has sought my help but I won't help just anyone especially if it's for selfish reasons. I help the humble and the pure hearted people. I don't serve greedy selfish people, nothing is ever enough for them. A very long time ago I learned that lesson but not before it cost me dearly. I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday. That is the day my whole life changed. I can still feel the pain as if a knife was permanently impaled through my heart. In the time I have learned to embrace and yield my full power I have learned not to meddle in free will nor the destiny already set in motion.
All of a sudden I hear glass shattering! I turn to see the girls laughing and I look down to see two bottles broken on the floor. If the potions merge together the properties in magic will change dramatically and just inhaling the smoke from the combination will harm the humans. I rush to grab certain cleaning supplies that will properly dispose of the potions. Some part of me feels this was intentional, yet the safety of the humans has always been important to me and my coven.
When I get back I see a girl who wasn't with the two girls before using her jacket to clean up one of the potions. How did she know to clean them separately? Why was she doing this? Her jacket is now ruined! "We didn't know you work here Charlie! Now you're a maid for a run down shop?" said the brunette girl who broke one of the bottles. "I don't know why you're surprised, you know she's a poor freak and that drunk father of hers can't hold a job." taunted the blonde girl.
The young girl named Charlie ignored the two girls and continued to carefully clean the potion. I walked over to the group and took in the sight before me. The two girls were dressed well, beautiful jewelry, expensive manicured nails, perfectly arched eyebrows, and enough make up on their faces to last a year. By their appearance anyone would know these girls came from prominent families and their attitude showcased their spoiled and pampered personalities!
"Your going to have to pay for both of the broken fragrances. The items in my store aren't toys and should always be handled with care." I explained firmly. The blonde looked at me with a smirk on her smug face "Why would I pay for something I wouldn't want? I was just looking at this crappy stuff and it definitely isn't my fault it slipped out of my hand?" she remarked as her and the brunette giggled.
The girl who cleaned up the mess rolled her eyes and looked at me as if I was crazy to imply these girls would pay for their mistake. "I am sure you can see the sign on the door which states 'ALL ITEMS ARE TO BE HANDLED WITH CARE, NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES, YOU BREAK IT YOU BUY IT, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK' that sign applies to all who enter here, including you."
The blonde asked "How much for both of the fragrances?" I looked at the shattered glass to see the labels, I replied "Fifty-five dollars each. One hundred and ten for both." The girls exchanged a glance and laughed. The blonde sarcastically asked "Does this shop even have a credit card machine or do you only accept cash?" I smiled coyly and replied "I accept all forms of payment!"
They had no idea. I have accepted payments of all kinds. Especially for the families with very little. Fruit baskets, home made goods, a few times just their gratitude was enough. They needed spells to heal a sick child or parent. Or a spell for their crops to thrive. Sometimes, they sought spells to ward off evil spirits. Those spells I always did free of charge. I enjoy helping those with good intentions and I often didn't accept payment, however, they would insist. I understood why of course. If it made them feel better to give me something for my effort then I would oblige.
However, these girls weren't getting off so lucky. I might not have made pay if they wouldn't have been so snotty but that wasn't the case. The blonde girl took out her credit card and handed it to me, I had to suppress my smile that was trying to show. These girls weren't happy about being held responsible for their actions and if I had to guess this might be the first time for them to have any kind of accountability. It felt nice to treat them the way they should be treated. I didn't like bullies and I was literally making them pay for not only breaking my merchandise but also for treating the girl who was cleaning their mess so rudely!
I swiped the card and handed the girl the receipt for her to sign. "Your mother is gonna be so pissed that your buying nothing!" the brunette laughed. "After I explain what happened I'm sure she will come down here to get my money back." she replied with a perfectly raised eyebrow while implying I should be worried! I finally allowed my smile to break through "I look forward to it, please tell your mother Nesana sends her regards." I meant every word.
Woman like her mother know full well who I am and when her mother makes her way down here, which I'm sure she will, it won't be to get her money back. The woman like her mother seek my youth potions... they know how pure my magic is and it's always my fountain of youth they seek. The girls left my shop in haste, trying to slam my door in the process and instead the blonde smashed her beautifully manicured nail in my door and broke it as she cried out in pain. The young girl still cleaning the mess let out a small chuckle as she looked up at me with the most beautiful vibrant green eyes.
