The Royal Witch

A soft click echoed through the silent street, the only sound in the area other than the accompanied occasional chirp from the winged creatures residing in the trees. As i walked along, I remembered a story my mother had once told me.

‘There were once two sisters that held the most power on this earth. They both led their coven together.’

I glanced around casually, running a finger along the edges of the cold, unused benches that stood in rows along the pavement.

‘Although they loved one another, they were two very different sides to the same coin.’

The weather and I were victims of nature’s harsh reality and malice- adapted to our surroundings that once captivated and attracted us. I suppose that was why I had found a great comfort in being around it all. I understood it.

‘One possessed the power of light, and the other of darkness. Neither harboured evil intentions, but their differences began to tear their coven apart. War threatened them all.’

Here I walked along a world of broken dreams and glass, a world shaped by humanity’s mistakes and stupidity. The early morning sun began to wake the occupants of the townhouses which surrounded me, shop windows lit up and windows began to open.

‘Then, eventually coven split in two; there was now no longer a large coven with both dark and light magic users, but a separate coven for each. That was how we kept the peace.’

It was the start of a new day.

Throughout History, two magic users were appointed to be the Royal Witches to assist and protect the Royal family- Always a Light Witch and a Dark Witch. Like the sisters did once, each side balanced and stabilised each other.

“You’re not listening to me!” Cleo sang with a playful glare in my direction. I shrugged and smiled apologetically at her. Usually, light and dark witches didn’t really get along. It was due to our different covens, upbringings, and culture with different rituals.

You can imagine my surprise when Cleo and I were first introduced a year ago- We hit it off almost immediately, and as a result of that we became best friends.

She shook her head and began to flip the page impatiently as I stood to gather the ingredients. “Careful!” I warned. “Break the spell book and Amara will kill you.”

Amara was our mentor, and the current Royal Witch. Cleo and I were her apprentices. We were hired as soon as Amara’s counterpart, the Light Witch died.

She rolled her blue orbs with a huff before throwing her arms up in frustration.

“You try looking for something in this!” She whined. “Unclear markings and symbols are everywhere, Lil!”

It was true. These books were passed down to the next generation of Royal Witches and each generation creates their own to pass down. Some of them were ancient.

“Amara,” I repeated with a chuckle, “will kill you.” I neared her and handed her vials and bottles that I had collected.

“Need help?” I offered with a smile. She sighed and handed me the book. “Yes please.”

I lightly touched the pages of the book. Although the pages were yellowing and the ink was slightly smudged, we did keep these books in very good condition. I leaned down until my lips were inches away from the old paper.

“Muéstrame lo que busco.” I whispered to it. The pages began to flutter and soon the page Cleo was looking for was located.

“Magic!” Cleo yelled in frustration. “Didn’t think to use it!” She exclaimed.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Amara strutted in, a mischievous smile on her face and a tray with three coffees in her hands.

We welcomed her with a smile and a quiet remark from Cleo.

“And where were you?” She muttered sleepily. Amara chose to ignore this.

“Lilith! Cleophus! It is too early for magic, girls.” She chuckled. “The princes returned yesterday and we have a ceremony to prepare.”

I sighed before glancing at my watch. It was six in the morning and we’d been at this for seven hours at this point.

“A little over half the ceremonial potions are finished, Mar.” Cleo told her. We still had until seven in the evening to finish, but we needed to catch up on our sleep if we were to perform the ceremony by each other’s sides tonight.

For the past year, Cleo and I had been in training to take over for Amara. A few months ago, we had successfully passed our trials and were ready for the acceptance ceremony; the only problem was the future ruler of the land needed to be present for it, and he and his brothers were on a business trip around the globe.

Until Yesterday.

“Why, yes!” I exclaimed, fanning myself sarcastically. “How could we even miss the return of His Royal Highness Prince Theodore Sebastian Christopher Rivers of the Autumn Kingdom?” I batted my eyelashes for dramatic effect.

“Very funny.” Mar muttered with a shake of her head. “Get to work.”

I glanced down at my right wrist with a sigh. On the inside of my wrist, I had a Crescent Moon marking on my wrist. Every dark magic user is born with one- A symbol of our powers. Light magic users such as Cleo have a sun instead.

I remember how proud my mother had looked at the news of my new status. “Make us proud, little one.” Was what she’d said.

I intend to.

We finished our tasks, which had left me downright exhausted, leading me to the decision to retire to my bedroom.

“Cleo, you coming with?” I asked her. My question was met with a shake of her head. “No, sorry. I’m gonna talk to my family before heading to bed.” She smiled and waved at me.

“Bye, guys!” I shouted before I left the room. I sluggishly walked down the hallways, fighting to keep myself awake.

Tapestries and portraits were hung on walls; Vases set on centrepieces and various cabinets displayed not only the finest of china, but rewards and display pieces too.

Amongst other past rulers of the country’s portrait, there was an empty space on the wall reserved for Prince Theodore’s picture, and compared to the rest of the palace, the section looked extremely bare.

As I turned the corner, I ran into a wall i did not know resided there until this very moment.

“Oomf-” I fumbled before falling on my ass. “Ouch.”

“I’m so sorry!” A male voice exclaimed. “I was rushing and I didn’t look at where I was going- I sincerely apologise, miss.” Green pools met my chocolate eyes, and I began to ungracefully stutter my words.

“Do you need help getting up?” He asked, extending his hand for me to pull myself up with. I snapped out of my daze.

“Of course I do! I’m sleep deprived and on the floor.” I angrily snapped at him. “Actually, no.” I corrected. “Forget it, I can help myself.” I stood up with help from the wall and met his gaze.

He looked shocked to say the least.

“I’m going to sleep.” I huffed before walking away. Sleep depravation was making me seriously cranky.

“Miss!” He called after me with a slight chuckle. “Miss!” He jogged in front of me and gave me a lopsided grin.

“What?” I glared at him. This boy was really testing my patience. He coughed awkwardly.

"You're going the wrong way." He told me.

I looked around angrily. No I was- Okay, so I was. I pursed my lips. "Okay, yes, thank you."

As I walked away, I could hear his laughter echo through the hallway.