Forward: This began as a bedtime story. My friend Kaitlin was quite sick and asked me to tell her one, so I made this up. This is a much elaborated and more in depth version.

The Farmer’s Daughter

Once upon a time, in a land quite like this one, yet so very long ago, green grassy hills occupied the slew of houses and buildings. When there were castles and knights, kings and queens, who swore to protect the land. A world once full of monsters, magic, and all sorts of creatures. A time now lost, yet the stories remain. Here is one of these stories, perhaps even, the most important of them all.

East of the looming Trandence Mountains, west of the Great Sea, on the southern border of the kingdom of Nandril, there lay a farm. The farm stretched, acres upon acres, miles of corn, cabbage, tomatoes, and all sorts of other vegetables. You name it, and it was there. Past the acres of land, to the south, there rested a massive forest known of old as the Dark forest. Tall, looming trees, reached high into the sky blocking out the sun, hiding a wonder of creatures. A long dirt path, led to a small, two-story farm house. Old red paint covered the wood siding, bleached a slight shade of pink from the summer sun, contrasting the dark green shutters. There lived a small family, a mother, father, and their precious daughter. The father spent his time, tilling the land, walking the fields, and tending to his crops. This was his livelihood. Thus, he spent most of his hopes on the prospect of rain. Luckily, it rained quite a lot here, and the farm flourished.

The mother, was seldom in the fields, occupying her time with the household duties. She cooked a myriad of different meals, using the fresh vegetables at hand. She truly was a magnificent cook. Neighbors marveled at her fresh, vegetable chili, a recipe which she taught her daughter, upon her request. She could also be found cleaning the house, doing laundry, and other such duties. She had a passion for crochet, and wove the most beautiful clothing.

The daughter, Kaitlin, spent a lot of time, walking the fields with her father. She would offer her help where she could, but she wasn’t quite strong enough to do the hard labor. She greatly enjoyed listening to her father speak, as he worked, he would often tell her, “These plants need many things to grow, water, sunlight, but most of all, they need love and care, not unlike most other living things.”

Kaitlin loved her father very much. She took everything he said to heart. She would walk the fields, lightly touching the rows of plants, offering her love and affection, hoping that it would help the plants grow. Often, one could find her lying amongst the plants, eyes closed, and arms out, nearly hidden by the sea of green. Most would think she was simply sleeping, yet in reality, she was projecting her love throughout the land, hoping it would land upon those in need.

As much as she loved the plants, she found her true passion lay with horses. Her father had started his farm, with just an acre of land, and one old, crotchety horse, who could barely pull a plow. Over time, as the money came in, more land was bought, and with it, more horses. On Kaitlin’s fifteenth birthday, her father bought her a beautiful white mare. She named her snowball.

From that day forward, most of her time would be spent riding that majestic creature, exploring the many acres she called home. Soon enough, the farmland grew too small for the pair, they longed to ride new, unexplored places. Kaitlin often eyed the forest, it’s deep maze of trails, seemed to call out to her, but her mother always told her to, “Keep out of the forest”, that there was a dark presence there that she must never meet. Kaitlin didn’t believe the stories, so, once she grew older and ever so much bolder, she would occasionally ride into the woods, exploring its web of trees, searching for animals and nature to admire. She found herself staring at the trees, admiring their intricate, detailed mess of leaves.

Sadly, Kaitlin didn’t have any friends, not for lack of trying or any personality flaws. She was truly a nice girl, yet there simply were no kids her age nearby. The farm was miles from the nearest town, the closest people were elderly farmers and their wives, workers, all of whom for some reason didn’t have any children. Occasionally, Kaitlin would visit the old man who lived at the edge of the property. He would tell Kaitlin stories of the world outside. He spoke of dragons, vampires, pirates, and all other sorts of things, that once roamed the land. Kaitlin loved such stories, and wished that these creatures were still around, so that she could go out and see all these wonderful things. Kaitlin especially enjoyed the stories about magic. How she wished that they were true, that magic was real.

One day, Kaitlin asked the man why there were no children in the area. He told her a story, of an evil witch, who used to prey upon the farmlands. She would snatch up children, drag them into the forest, and feed off their beauty and vigor, they were never seen again. Luckily, along came a great knight, who tracked the witch down and slayed her. He warned her to never go into the forest. Still, Kaitlin thought it was just a tall tale, something to scare her, for she had never seen a witch or anything of the like. He explained that long ago, a darkness fell over the land, and evil ruled. The people lived in constant terror. One day, a great wizard, Galdrey he was called, cast a spell to lock them all away, but it backfired. All the magic was wiped from the land, not just the evil. The mystical creatures simply ceased to exist. Galdrey was never seen again, but the land was free and so it flourished.

That afternoon, Kaitlin was with Snowball, riding through the woods following an old, worn deer trail. She was deeper than she had ever gone, when a shadow fell upon her. It was as if something was covering the sun, perhaps a cloud, not a single speck of sunlight shone through the trees. It grew colder, to the point where she could see her very breath. She began to feel uneasy, yet she continued onwards, believing it only to be a symptom of the spooky story she had heard earlier. The pair came upon a thick lining of trees. She felt compelled to continue onwards, but Snowball was clearly agitated and would go no further.

She dismounted, and walked a bit further, ignoring Snowball’s whinny of caution, drawn by her own curiosity, or perhaps another unseen force. She made her way in-between the fence of trees, where within, was a circle patch of grass, with an old wooden cross in the middle. She approached the cross, her eyes transfixed upon it. On the cross was written “Beware! Here lies an evil that must remain contained.” A small pentagram was etched underneath the words. She reached out, her fingers traced the words. She flinched, a sharp pain in her finger: a splinter. A drop of blood fell from her hand, landing on the dirt below, quickly seeping in. Kaitlin heard what sounded like a hiss, from the ground below, as a thick black smoke, began to ooze from the grave. Quickly she ran back to whence she came, jumped onto Snowball and rode home, fast as she could.

That night, a storm came. Lightning streaked across the dark skies, constantly, lighting up the world below. Rain fell, hard, whipping in the strong winds. The shutters slammed against the house. The family was just sitting down to dinner, when there was a knock on the door, barely audible over myriad of thunder, pounding rain, and howling wind. Her father approached the door, opening it slowly. A streak of lightning illuminated a thin figure. There stood a boy, sopping wet, dirt and grime coated his tattered clothes. The two spoke, some words too soft to hear, Kaitlin caught only the end, as the boy thanked her father. They came inside, water dripping off the boy as he walked, leaving puddles on the dark oak wood floor. Kaitlin’s mother rushed to grab a blanket, one she had made herself, and threw it over his shoulders. “You’ll catch a cold out there!” she exclaimed.

“This is Peter, he’s going to be our guest for dinner.” Kaitlin’s father explained, turning to her mother, “Can you set him a place? I’m going to see if I can find him some dry clothes.”

He headed upstairs to search his wardrobe, heavy footfalls echoing from the front hal. Kaitlin’s mother headed into the kitchen, to grab the boy a bowl and spoon. She called out, “Peter would you care for some tea? You like tea don’t you?”

“I would love that, thank you very much.” He replied.

Kaitlin hadn’t seen someone around her age, so she couldn’t help but stare at him. He had a few scars on his face, one cut right down the cheek. She noticed his green eyes, staring right at her. “What are you looking at?” She asked, abruptly.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He replied quickly, “I’ve just never seen a girl as pretty as you.

Kaitlin felt blood rush to her cheeks, she tried to hide a smile “Have you seen a lot of girls?” she stammered.

“A few, I travel a lot.”

“I’ve always wanted to travel, but my parents make me stay here. My name’s Kaitlin by the way, nice to meet you. “

“That’s a very pretty name.” He quipped.

“Thanks,” she replied, stifling a laugh, “So why are you traveling all by yourself, where are your parents?”

The boy looked down at his hands, held tightly in his lap. “My parents and brothers…” he began quietly, hints of sadness in his voice, “yellow fever, the doctor said. Nothing they could do. I’ve been on my own ever since.”

Kaitlin didn’t know what to say, as she was trying to think of a reply, a shrill whistle came from the kitchen. Her mother returned, holding a steaming cup of tea, and a bowl and spoon. “Here honey,” she said, “This will warm you up.”

She handed the boy the cup. “Thank you ma’am.” He said, blowing on the hot water.

“Come here Peter,” Kaitlin’s father called, and off he went, leaving the tea on the table.

He returned a few moments later, with Kaitlin’s father behind. He was wearing an oversized outfit, hardly clinging to his skinny frame. The four sat, and began to eat. The table was filled with roast chicken, fresh spinach salad, boiled corn, and pumpkin pie for dessert. Peter hadn’t had such a nice meal in some time now. They talked about all manners of things: Peter’s past, Kaitlin’s horse, and the hope that the winds wouldn’t decimate the fields. They joked, shared a few laughs and had a genuinely good time. By the end of the night, the man decided to take Peter on as a farmhand. In return for his labor, they offered him a home, hot meals, and a small wage. Peter readily agreed, thankful for the opportunity.

Peter spent the next year working for Kaitlin’s father. He learned many skills, and grew quite strong, his once emaciated frame now full and healthy. In-between plowing and tilling the fields he spent his free time with Kaitlin. The two became quite close. She taught him how to ride, and the two would ride out each night, and lay in the field, staring at the night sky. They marveled at the myriad of stars burning in the sky. They spoke of their dreams, of exploring the world, and discovering all the magical things that lay beyond this farm. The two seemed so insignificant, looking into the deep, vastness of the universe.

One night, under a dark red moon, the two shared a kiss. Often Peter would gaze into her eyes, such a beautiful, dark shade of blue, like they held the ocean itself. He dreamt of the ocean, its promise of adventure, and as always, she was there, occupying his very dreams. He would stroke her silky blonde hair, and marvel at her beauty. He would often tell her that she was “the most beautiful girl in all the land,” and he felt so lucky to be able to be in her presence. She felt just as lucky to have him. Kaitlin’s parents were glad to have Peter around, not only for the extra pair of hands, but also for the constant smile that he put on their daughter’s face. Kaitlin, her family, and Peter were all happy, the crops were flourishing, and the days were good.

Good things rarely last, soon enough, a darkness fell over the farm. The crops began to wilt, the rain ceased to come. One day, whilst riding in the woods, Kaitlin’s horse fell and hurt her leg. The horse barely made it home, before she collapsed, and would not get up again. Kaitlin cried, and Peter held her as the tears fell from her eyes. The money slowed and soon it too ceased to come at all. Peter tried to offer up what little he had saved, but Kaitlin’s father refused. Instead, he began to sell the very land, and as each piece went, so did a part of him. As the drought worsened, the land grew harder to sell. No one wanted land so infertile. As if things couldn’t get any worse, Kaitlin’s mother fell deathly ill. Kaitlin spent hours by her side, holding her hand, hoping that her love could heal her. Sadly, it isn’t always that simple. They were unable to afford a doctor, who despite the families’ pleas, would not help the woman without sufficient payment. Kaitlin’s crying grew more frequent, and her father began to drink.

A month went by like this, until her mother passed in her sleep. The next night, Kaitlin’s father drank more than he had ever before. Kaitlin was with Peter, sitting in the now barren field. She was crying, holding tight to him, as he stroked hair, planting kiss after kiss on her forehead. He whispered in her ear, assuring her that everything would be alright. Kaitlin’s father stumbled upon the two, seeing the two embracing, he began to yell. “This is what you’re doing!?” he screamed anger tight in his voice, “The night after her death, consorting with the farm hand! You disgrace her!”

The words echoed through Kaitlin’s mind. She began to sob, a flood of tears streaming down her already wet face. She looked at her father, and saw a man she did not recognize anymore, a bottle in one hand, and a crazed look in his eyes. He began to advance upon them, raising a fist, aimed toward her. As he swung, Kaitlin shut her eyes and screamed, waiting for the blow which didn’t come, for Peter got in the way, the blow landing hard against his chest, sending him sprawling backward. Peter quickly got back to his feet and stood in front of Kaitlin, blocking her off from the drunken rage. The two began to shove each other, both growing in their anger. “Stop it Dad! Look at yourself! What if mother could see you now?” She yelled over the confrontation, her voice cracking as she screamed.

Her father fell to his knees, and began to cry. His face in his hands, he spoke in a tear soaked voice, “Peter, I want you gone by tomorrow night. There is no more farmland. There is no more room for you here.”

The next day, Kaitlin attempted to change her father’s mind. Yet he would not. It was as if the man she once loved so much was gone, replaced by another. He spoke harshly, and didn’t give her words a single thought. The look in his eyes, eyes which once held so much light, was now dim. She feared her father was truly gone. He was adamant, Peter must leave.

Peter tried to convince her to join him, to run away, and explore all the places they spoke of, to see all the wonderful places that this world held. She wanted nothing more than to say yes, to run away, never to return, but she couldn’t leave her father, not in this state. So with one last kiss goodbye, and a promise to see each other again, Peter left. He had only a few gold coins, some food, and a dagger in his knapsack, and a bedroll tied to the top. Kaitlin watched as he walked away, the sun high in the sky, beating down on her back. She cried, as she watched her only friend, her only love, leave.

A few months passed since Peter’s departure, and Kaitlin’s father continued to drink, spending the majority of the day and what little money they had, drinking away his sorrow. Kaitlin found herself constantly working to keep up the house and take care of her father, whom she often found stumbling in late at night, or passed out on the couch or floor. One night, as Kaitlin was cleaning up the most recent of her father’s drunken rages, this time he broke the old coffee table in the family room, a gift from her grandmother, given at her parents’ wedding, Kaitlin’s father returned home, however this time he was not alone. There was a woman with him, helping guide his drunken self into the home. She had pale skin, seemingly perfectly white, in comparison to her dark black gown. Jet black hair, flowed around her face, like a wild river, contrasted her light brown eyes. “Hello my dear,” she began, “I have heard so much about you, I am Griselda. Your father has been telling me all about you at the bar. I’m afraid he is quite drunk and needed a hand home.” She smiled wide, showing her perfectly white teeth. She helped her father to the couch, where he quickly passed out and began to snore.

The woman seemed nice, and yet, her presence was unsettling. It reminded her of that day, long ago, in the woods. She put on a smile anyway, “Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for helping him, he hasn’t been the same since my mother passed.”

“Oh poor girl, I am so sorry to hear that.” She stated, with just a hint of something sinister behind her voice, as she briskly walked out the door, her gown flowing behind her.

Despite Kaitlin’s pleas, her father soon began to court the woman. She tried to explain the feeling she felt, the dark depth of the woman’s eyes, yet her father simply ignored her words. The woman was quite wealthy, promising to help her father in their dire situation. They seemed to be happy, she hadn’t heard her father laugh in quite some time, and so, Kaitlin tried hard to be happy for him. She found herself constantly wearing a fake smile, a mask, whilst Griselda was around.

The next few months went by quite fast. Next thing Kaitlin knew, she was standing in a church, watching Griselda and her father take their vows. She clapped and smiled, but still, she felt a darkness in this woman, something that she could not explain. The newlyweds took off, heading to some faraway place for their honeymoon. They left poor Kaitlin at home, alone, with barely enough food to get her by. Despite the lack of supplies, these two weeks were quite peaceful for her. She spent her time reading and exploring once again, no longer with snowball or Peter, spending the days in quiet solitude.

She decided to head out into the forest, wanting to find that grave again. She wandered for quite some time, not entirely sure where to go. She followed her feelings and after a while of walking, she saw once again the thick line of trees, which marked the burial site. She forced her way through. Kaitlin’s eyes grew wide, as she beheld the scene before her. The entire area of ground, and the nearby trees, were scorched. There was a large, hole in the ground, the cross lay a few feet away, snapped in half. Whatever was once buried here, was buried no longer.

She hurried home, unsure of what to make of the desecrated burial site. Perhaps it was grave robbers, coming to find whatever whispers of treasure lay below. That very day, her father and now, stepmother, returned. Kaitlin ran out to greet her father, yet her stepmother refused to open the carriage to let her see him. She claimed, “He has fallen ill, contracted some strange illness from the jungles of Norm. He will need some bedrest and you must not get too close, else you too will fall ill.”

Nearly two years went by, Kaitlin’s father remained quite sick. Kaitlin was nearing her 18^th birthday. She was soon to be a woman. Normally at this time, a girl’s father would be searching for men to court her, hoping to find someone for her to love and be taken care of. Rather, Kaitlin was being forced by her stepmother to work to the bone. “Clean this”, “Sweep that”, “Wash there”, she would say, incessantly.

Kaitlin grew to dislike the woman, but if she showed any signs of disobedience, her stepmother would not hold back, slapping her with all manners of things, from a broom, to a wooden ladle. Always she would say, “My dear stepdaughter, it isn’t your fault. I know that. It’s that dead mother of yours, for not raising you proper. I will fix that.”

This would make Kaitlin’s very blood boil. She still loved and missed her mother very much, and hated that this false mother would even think of tarnishing her name. There was nothing Kaitlin could do to fight back, or say otherwise. She knew in her heart, that her mother was truly a great woman, and that’s what mattered in the end, nothing this evil woman could say would change that. So, she did as she was told, without complaint, waiting for the day that her father would wake, come out of bed, and see what this woman was doing. That day never came. He lay in bed, clinging to life, motionless. He slept most of the day, every so often he would cry out for Griselda, Kaitlin, or Kaitlin’s mother.

Kaitlin spent the nights, laying in her bed, wishing for a better life. She loved to dream, for dreams were her escape from this reality and her pitiful life. She dreamt of all manners of things, but most of all she dreamt of Peter, riding up on snowball, her knight in shining armor, to take her away from all this. If only she could go back, and accept his offer, she would. Some nights, while she lay in bed dreaming of far off lands, she would be awoken by strange noises. She would lie there, listening to the inaudible, unintelligible whispers of words creeping up the stairs.

One night, curious as to what it was that her stepmother was doing downstairs, she crept out of bed. Slowly, quietly she made her way down the stairs, careful not to step on the creaky floorboard that’s halfway down. Green light exuded from the kitchen. As she grew closer to the source of the light, the noises grew louder. They seemed to be some form of a chant, in a language unknown to Kaitlin. She peeked her head around the corner of the opening to the kitchen.

There she saw her stepmother, back turned, hunched over a large black cauldron. The cauldron was filled with a strange glowing, green liquid, bubbling and smoking, as her stepmother threw all manners of strange looking things into it, constantly chanting, reading from a leather bound book in her left hand. Kaitlin recognized what looked to be frog’s legs and some sort of teeth, tossed into the cauldron. They were engulfed by the liquid. It hissed, as if satisfied. Her stepmother began to mix the fluid with a large wooden spoon, still chanting.

Griselda reached for another ingredient. In her hands, she held two eyes, human eyes. Kaitlin gasped upon seeing their dead stare. Quickly she turned away, and moved as fast and quietly as she could back up the stairs, to her awaiting bed. She sunk in, and pulled the covers up over her face, lying motionless. She heard the door creak open a moment later, followed by footfalls in the room moving towards the bed. She dared not move, pretending to be sound asleep. After a few moments, the door creaked closed and Kaitlin resumed breathing. She did not know what was going on downstairs, and wasn’t sure she wanted to. Her suspicions of her stepmother grew, yet still, there was not much she could do without the help of her father. She feared to confront Griselda, and didn’t know what to say even if she could muster the courage. What was the woman doing down there? What was that concoction? Kaitlin had no answers, only questions that grew more and more, every day.

Word of Kaitlin’s beauty began to spread through the land, as well as word of her soon coming of age. Men began to show up at the door from all sorts of far off places, hoping for a glimpse of the most beautiful girl in all the lands. Her stepmother would always send them away, claiming that, “She is not beautiful, quite the opposite, and you are not to return here.”

Her stepmother grew angry, she didn’t like that Kaitlin was so beautiful. Her youth and beauty drove her mad. She kept Kaitlin indoors, no longer would she allow her to wander the farm, in fear that she would disappear, never to return Kaitlin grew sad. She longed for company. She would often think of Peter, and the time they had shared. The kisses in the night, the long days of talking. How she wished he had never left, or that he had returned for her. She should have gone with him that day. Left this all behind, none of this would have happened.

One night after finishing the sweeping upstairs, upon her stepmother’s demands of course, Kaitlin walked into the kitchen to see her stepmother cooking some stew. This was the first time she had ever seen the woman cook, it was normally her responsibility. The stew smelled incredible. “What’s going on?” Kaitlin asked, skeptical of this good deed.

“What? A mother can’t cook for her daughter? You’ve been working so hard, and I thought you could use a break.” She answered, smiling sweetly.

She poured Kaitlin a bowl and sat her at the table. Something was off, Kaitlin could feel it. “You’re not having any?” she asked.

“Silly girl, I’ve already eaten. Now eat up!” She responded.

“I don’t think I’m very hungry. “ Kaitlin replied.

“Eat!” The woman screamed, scowling.

She waved her hand through the air and Kaitlin felt compelled to eat. She ate vehemently, barely using her spoon, simply lifting the bowl to her lips and sipping down the steaming fluid. “Good girl.” Whispered her stepmother.

As Kaitlin gulped down the last remnants of the stew, she began to feel drowsy. Her eyes began to droop, she tried to keep awake, yet as the stew settled in her stomach, she fell to the table. The last thing she heard was the cackling sound of her stepmother’s laughter.

Kaitlin awoke in her bed, with a pounding headache. She assumed her stepmother brought her up here, after she passed out on the table. She wondered why she had fallen asleep at the table, and couldn’t quite put a finger on it, assuming she was just exhausted. She rose, slowly, the clanging of metal ringing through her ears, exacerbating the pain. She got up and walked toward the door, still the clang of metal followed. As she neared it, she was yanked backward by a sharp pain in her ankle. She looked down and saw a metal cuff, attached to a metal chain, tethering her to the bedside wall. She began to scream, what came out was more like a screech. Confused and angry, she watched as her stepmother sauntered through the doorway. “Ah, I see you’re finally awake.” She said, smugly.

She tried to utter a few words, to curse her stepmother, demand to be let go, yet the words were stuck in her throat, she could not spit them out. Her stepmother cackled, “I see you’re having trouble speaking, nothing to be worried about. It’s completely normal in the state you’re in. Come, come, take a look at yourself, my dear.” She said, holding a small mirror up to her eyes.

Kaitlin looked in, yet what she saw was not her face. Staring back into her eyes, there was some sort of creature. It had dark grey, stone-like skin. It’s faced was covered in an assortment of pus-filled warts. Hideously greasy, black hair, fell around its face, tangled and knotted. Yet, the creature had one redeeming feature, its beautiful blue eyes. As Kaitlin stared into those eyes, it dawned on her, this creature was her. She began to cry, as she looked down at her stone-like skin covered arms. She felt her face, what was once so smooth, was now rough and cold. Kaitlin fell to the floor, weeping. “I’m so sorry my dear, you truly were once so beautiful. Look at you now, you’re hideous. No one will ever love you.” Her stepmother said, Kaitlin stared into her eyes, projecting as much hatred toward the woman as she could.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, you always knew what I was. Hell, don’t you remember, you’re the one who brought me back. With just one drop of your blood, I am reborn, and I shall not stop, growing in power, until I am able to open the portal and bring back the magic into this world. You feeble mortals, you believed we were gone, you believed that they were all just stories…Well, here I am, and there you are.”

Unbeknownst to Kaitlin, on that fateful day, when her single drop of blood landed on the thirsty earth, it seeped down. It was drawn to the bones below. Bones which belonged to a long dead witch. The blood touched them, and the process began: she was regenerating. A dark power was released, summoning that storm so long ago. Lightning struck, over and over, it’s tendrils of energy reaching beneath the earth, striking the blood soaked bones. The energy was all the witch needed to return to this world of life. As the family was sitting down to dinner, welcoming a new member into the family, the witch was busy, digging herself out of the ground. Kaitlin’s eyes widened, her heartbeat rose, she could feel it beating out of her chest. This was her own fault, she resurrected the evil witch of the forest.

Kaitlin tried to speak, all that came out was some sort of guttural growl. The witch snapped her fingers, and the growls turned into words. “It was all you. Everything, from the very beginning. My mother, my father, the drought, sending Peter away, now this? You’re insane!” She screamed, tears still falling from her terrified eyes.

“I fear it was, my dear. Do not fret, I am going to change this entire world. All of your darkest nightmares and deepest fears will run free. All of you mortals shall become prey for the second coming. You shall watch it all happen from this room, in fact you are now one of us, a hideous monster.”

“I am nothing like you. I would never hurt anyone.” She replied, angrily.

“That may change. In fact, you will remain in this form until you have changed your mind. My stepdaughter, join me, infinite power at your fingertips. I could teach you all the wonders of dark magic, the power, the pleasure of other’s suffering. Join me.”-she said, sinisterly.

“I would rather die than join you!” Kaitlin growled.

“You shall not die. You shall remain here, in this state, it will eat at your mind, until you beg me to take you on.” With that, the witch left.

Kaitlin lay there for quite some time, in a half-conscious state. She cried and cried, hoping for someone to come and save her, yet who would come? She stayed there all day, not moving, and late into the night. She could hear the sound of a kettle bubbling, coupled with the whisper of strange, dark words. She should have known before that it was witchcraft, but how could she. All those stories, the witch of the forest, that’s all she thought they were: stories, until now that is.

The next day, Kaitlin woke up on the floor. She had had the most vivid dream. Her stepmother had turned out to be a witch, and had transformed her into some sort of disgusting creature. She stood up and walked to her window. Once again, the chains stopped her in her path. She screamed out, as she realized that it was not a dream, that it was all reality, her stepmother was a witch, and she was a horrible creature. She reached out, and shoved the window open.

Sunlight flooded into the room, stinging her eyes. She stared out, at the acres of land, which once used to be so full of green, now only yellow and brown. The dry infertile land once so full of life, now only death. Perhaps death would come for her too.

She spent many days staring out the window. Always hoping that someone would come for her. Be it a knight in shining armor, or even death himself. Yet the hope faded as the days went by. Eventually, whilst she was staring out the window, as she did most of the day, her stepmother came to the door. “We will be having guests over, and there is something that I’d like you to see. I’m going to bring them up here.” She said.

“Stepmother please, don’t let them see me like this.” She pleaded.

“Ah don’t worry, they won’t say a word, at least not when I’m through with them. Neither will you for that matter.” She said, as she snapped her fingers.

Once again, Kaitlin found herself unable to respond, other than a series of grunts and growls. An hour went by, until Kaitlin heard the sound of people speaking downstairs, and the sound of many footsteps, heading her way. Three men entered the room. Each was dressed in a manner of expensive clothes. They were followed closely by the witch. “Here lies the creature I was telling you about. I found her whilst I was wandering the woods, searching for mushrooms for soup. My husband captured her, however he was injured in the process. He hasn’t left bed since, I fear that he has been poisoned.” She said, maniacally.

Kaitlin struggled as she heard these lies. She tried to scream out, to tell the men to run away. The growls and grunts coming from the creature scared the three men. “Quite a feisty one here.” Said one.

“She’s hideous. What even is this beast?” Another asked.

The last man, stood, his mouth wide open, staring at Kaitlin. She shrunk in his startling gaze. The other two men continued to speak of her ugliness. She shied away from their words, but couldn’t stop the stinging pain they left in her chest. The witch behind them began to whisper. She blew black smoke out of her mouth, aimed at the men. It moved swiftly, seemingly with a mind of its own, creeping around their heads, silently slithering into their unknowing nostrils. They inhaled its toxins. The three men fell into a deep sleep, their bodies thumping as they hit the floor. The witch snapped her fingers once again, giving back Kaitlin’s speech.

“What are you going to do to them?” Kaitlin asked, vehemently.

“My powers are still too weak. I need to feed. Now watch as I take away their life force” the witch explained.

“Please don’t hurt them!” Kaitlin cried out.

“What do you care? Did you not hear the terrible things they were saying?” The witch asked, confused.

“I don’t care what they said! I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” Kaitlin pleaded.

The witch snapped her fingers again. “Well then, watch and see what happens. Perhaps you will grow to enjoy this.”

The witch knelt over one of the men. She grabbed his face, and pulled him into a deep kiss. As the two kissed, the veins around his mouth began to turn black. The black spread throughout his face, as it did, his skin began to turn pale white. Kaitlin screamed out, trying to get the witch to stop, yet stop, she would not. Once all the man’s veins turned black, and all his skin turned deathly white, the man disintegrated into ash. “One down, two more to go. And then, more. Until I am powerful enough.” Whispered the witch.

She moved onto the other two men, doing the same. Then, she left the room. She came back a few moments later, with a broom in hand. She whispered to it, and Kaitlin watched as the broom came alive, and swept up the ash on its own.

Over the next few months, many men came and none ever went. The witch’s powers were growing. Every day, she would offer Kaitlin release, in return for her loyalty. And every day, Kaitlin would adamantly refuse, yet her will was growing ever weaker. She was not sure she could hold out for much longer. The temptation, ultimate power, freedom, it began to seem sweeter and sweeter.

It was soon to be Kaitlin’s 18^th birthday. She feared that she would spend it in this dark room, as this ugly creature. She feared that she may never leave. It was coming time to make a choice, could she live this way forever, or should she just give in to the witch? She decided that she would make a decision by her birthday. If she chose to stay true, she knew what she must do. She must end her life, else the witch will eventually break her down.

Soon came the eve of her 18^th, the moon was high in the sky. Bright light shined in through her window. She stared at the stars above, thinking back to the days in which she would share this view with Peter. She thought of him quite often. She hoped he wouldn’t be upset with her. There was simply no way she could go on living like this, he had to understand. She wondered if he would even recognize her in this form.

She sat at the window, watching the moon fall, hours passing like minutes. Unbeknownst to her stepmother, Kaitlin had salvaged a piece of a bowl that she had thrown one morning at the wall in anger. She planned to use the sharp edge to slit her wrists, hoping that she would then bleed out, finding freedom in death’s loving embrace. As the moon fell further, she made her way to, her bed, she reached under the pillow and pulled out the sliver. She fingered its edge, contemplating its sweet release. She sat there for quite some time, contemplating death.

She didn’t want to die. No one ever truly does, yet what choice does she have? She placed the edge to her wrist, closed her eyes. As she was about to pull the makeshift blade against her skin, there was a noise at her window. She quickly glanced over, expecting to see the witch. Yet there, crouched in the window sill, was a dark figure.  The figure leaped in, landing softly on the ground. He was dressed in all leather, from his riding pants to his cuirass. A dark hood covered his face. Strapped to his waist, was a cutlass. Upon laying eyes upon him, she was taken aback. Was this some sort of trick? She asked herself, a clever trap lay by the witch perhaps.

Her eyes were drawn back to the sword on his waist. She couldn’t stop staring at it. She moved closer to the man, as he moved towards her. As soon as the man came within arm’s reach, she made her move, quickly grasping the hilt, pulling the blade free of its scabbard. She put the blade to her throat, cold metal against her cold skin, prepared to end it all, when she noticed something glistening on the man’s face. He was crying. She had never seen such a reaction to her form, she was so used to the ridicule at this point. Shocked, she dropped the weapon. It fell to floor, clanging as it hit the ground.

She stared at the man, tears fell to the ground. Slowly, she removed his hood. “Kaitlin.” Whispered the man, in an all too familiar voice.

She cried out, recognizing the voice, falling into his chest. He held her in his. She stared into his deep green eyes, green eyes that she had been imagining for years, never thinking she would see them again. “My love, what has happened to you?” He asked, sincerely.

Kaitlin began to cry, tears falling like rain from her swollen eyes. “Shh. My dear, don’t cry.” Peter said, staring into her eyes, “I’ve missed you so much.” He said.

Peter lightly brushed away the tears. He moved his hand, brushing the knotted hair out of her face, resting it on the back of her neck, and pulled her closer. “Happy Birthday,” He whispered, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss.

Light filled the room, emanating from Kaitlin. The two held the kiss, as Kaitlin’s stone skin began to shed, falling from her body in large strips. Her black, greasy hair turned once again bright blonde and silky. By the time the two finally released the kiss, letting go of each other, Kaitlin was returned to her former, beautiful self. “I’m free from that cursed spell, how did you do it? How did you know it was me?” she asked.

“There is a deep magic in true love’s kiss, deeper than any known to man or witch. How could I forget those eyes? Just as blue and beautiful as the days that we spent together, as I slowly fell deeper and deeper in love with you. I thought about them every day while I was gone. They kept me alive at times, and gave me hope.” He responded, “Quickly though, there is little time. We must stop the Witch, before it’s too late.”

As the words left his mouth, the house began to shake violently. Kaitlin nearly fell to the floor, holding onto Peter for stability. “What’s going on? How do you know about her?” She stammered.

“There’s no time to explain.” He said quickly, pointing a finger towards the chains on her ankle.

A blue light began to shine from his fingertip. Blue light surrounded the cuff. In a moment, it released. “How did you do that?” She asked, astonished.

“There’s much I have to tell you. First, we must deal with the problem at hand. Come on.” He stated, grabbing her hand and rushing out the door.

The two ran down the stairs, and headed straight for the large living room. All the furniture had been removed. What replaced it, was a pentagram, painted on the floor, in stark red. In the center of the pentagram, there was a man, laying there. His throat had been slit, his blood used as paint. Empty eye sockets stared up at the latticed ceiling. Kaitlin gasped as she realized who the dead man was. It was her father lying there, covered in blood.

The witch stood across from them, at the point. She held in her hands the heart of Kaitlin’s father. Kaitlin fell to the floor, “I’m so sorry Kaitlin,” Peter said, as he moved in front of her, blocking her view of the horrid scene.

“Stop this, Witch!” Peter screamed.

“Oh well look at that. The farm boy returned, just in time too. You shall watch this world fall. I, Griselda, shall bring back the dark queen, and all of her minions. There is nothing you can do to stop me!” She ranted, cackling.

She raised a hand toward Peter, and out shot a green streak of lightning. “Peter! No!” Kaitlin screamed, expecting Peter to fall to the ground, to join the rest of her loved ones in death.

Yet, before her bewildering eyes, he stood fast. His hands raised, a blue shimmering, field of energy holding back the blast. He moved his hands outwards, and the lightning dissipated. The witch’s eyes widened, she began to snarl. “Who taught you such magic, boy? It’s not possible!” She screamed in frustration, sending another bolt towards him.

He held his shield, the bolt simply rebounding off, striking against the wood floor, leaving a large smoldering hole. “Wicked woman, I was taught by Galdrey himself.” Peter told her, aiming one hand at her, sending a golden stream of light towards her.

She leaped out of the way, landing hard on the floor. “He’s dead!” She screamed, firing off bolt after bolt towards Peter.

Kaitlin watched, wide eyed, as Peter moved around the room, dodging and deflecting the witch’s magic. Firing his own in return. Gold and green streaked across her vision. The two seemed to be engaged in a complicated dance, ducking, diving, and twirling around the room, all the while sending bolt after bolt of energy towards each other. Both hell bent on the others demise.  “Kaitlin” Peter screamed over the battle, “Stop the spell! It’s not yet complete. The circle! You have to disrupt it!”

Kaitlin moved towards the pentagram, keeping her head low to avoid the fury of magic. As she got close, the witch screamed out, sending a bolt directly towards Kaitlin. “No!” Peter screamed, leaping across the room, landing in front of her. He tried to throw up a shield, nearly making it in time. The blast hit the half made shield, deflecting it wildly, right into Peter’s face, searing off his left ear, and burning off most of his hair. He screamed out in pain. “Stupid boy, you thought that you could best me? You thought that a few tricks could stop me? And you Kaitlin, you could have joined me, you could have lived, ruled even. Now you shall both!” she screamed, raising her hand toward the two.

“I love you Peter,” Kaitlin said, grasping his burnt face, and pulling him into what she believed to be their last kiss.

A green blast headed right for the pair. It was about to strike them, when the two kissed. The blast turned to smoke, and flooded around the two, surrounding them in a green ball of energy. “What magic is this!” screamed the Witch in fury, firing bolt after bolt, all of which followed suit, dissolving and joining the shield of energy.

Kaitlin opened her eyes, expecting to have died. The smoke flooded down, swarming Peter’s face. “No! Stop!” she screamed, believing this to be some of the witch’s magic.

Upon her words, the smoke dissipated, revealing Peter’s face. The burns which were once covering most of the left side, were now gone. His skin completely healed. The only thing that remained of the witch’s magic, was a small stump of skin, where Peter’s ear once was. “What is going on?” Kaitlin asked, tears falling from her eyes.

“I’ve heard of this magic before! It can’t be! It isn’t real! True love doesn’t exist.” Shrieked the witch.

“Come on now, together.” Peter whispered into Kaitlin’s ear.

Kaitlin’s heart leapt at this. The two slowly stood, and turned to face the witch, hand in hand, together. The witch stood once again at the head of the pentagram, hands raised up, she was chanting some words. With a great bang, and a force that sent the two sprawling onto the ground, a blue light exploded out of the witch, rising high, ripping a hole through the roof of the house. The witch screamed, seemingly in agony. Peter once again sent bolt after bolt at the witch, but the blue beam surrounding her simply absorbed the magic. “It’s too late! The spell is complete. That which has been banished shall now return! You have failed boy!” The witch screamed, cackling, wicked laughter filled the room.

As the light reached into the heavens, the entire earth began to shake. The sky turned a dark shade of purple. “We have to go!” Screamed Peter, “I was too late.”

Peter pulled her towards the door, running as fast as he could. They ran out onto the front lawn, running from the terrifying sound of the witch’s laughter. They ran, and run, hundreds of feet away from the house, until they could no longer hear her cackling. “What’s going on Peter? What did she do? My dad…” Kaitlin asked, breaking down and sobbing on the ground.

Peter pulled her tight against him. “I’m so sorry, I tried to come sooner. I wasn’t fast enough. All those stories you’ve heard, of witches, vampires, werewolves, and mermaids, all of them, they’re not just stories. They’re real. They used to run free. A powerful witch, known as the queen, began to enslave them, turn them evil. She ruled the lands. My master, Galdrey, he was a great wizard, he fought the darkness, to protect everyone. The queen though, she was too much, in order to stop her, he locked them all away, not just the evil, all of the magical creatures and all of the magic in this world, were sent through a portal, to another dimension, where they have been for the past four hundred years. That witch, in your house, she just re opened the portal. We can’t stick around to see what comes out. We have to keep moving.”

As if on cue, a loud roar sounded from the house behind them. Tentacles burst from the ground, some hundreds of feet long, ten feet thick, green. They flailed around, ripping the house apart. “Run!” Peter screamed, ducking to avoid the dangerously fast swipe of one of the arms.

The two turned to run once again, as they moved, Kaitlin felt something wrap around her ankle. She screamed out as she was lifted into the air. She dangled, upside down, flailing against the tight grip of the tentacle.

Upon hearing her screams, Peter spun around in a tight circle. There he saw Kaitlin, high in the air. Out of his peripherals, he noticed two tentacles speeding towards him. He fired a blast at one, striking true. It quickly receded, its skin seared. He pulled out his cutlass, held in his right hand, dodging the swipe of the other, he slashed at it as he moved past, spilling purple blood. The beast let out a blood curdling screech. Quickly he ran towards Kaitlin. She was being brought back towards the decimated house, tentacles pouring out of holes through the ceiling, the windows, and doors.

He fired another round of blasts, from his free left hand, towards the tentacle which held Kaitlin. Two struck true, the beast released its grip. Kaitlin began to fall, hundreds of feet, plummeting towards the ground. She screamed. Peter aimed, golden light glowed from his hand, he grimaced, sweat falling from his brow as he concentrated. Right before she hit the ground, Kaitlin felt a cushion of air caress her, slowing her to a stop. She was saved. She ran back to Peter, embracing him. “Thank you, you’ve saved me over and over again.” She whispered, through tear soaked words.

“I will always save you.” Peter replied, “Come on, It’s not over yet.”

A loud, howl emitted from the house. Followed by the answer of what sounded like an entire pack of wolves. “Werewolves…” Peter muttered, his eyes growing wide with fear, “We have to move. Right now!”

He grabbed her hand and the two began to sprint, as fast as they could away from the house. “Don’t look back,” Peter panted, between breaths.

Releasing her hand, he fired a few hurried blasts behind them. Peter raised his fingers to his lips, letting out a loud, shrill whistle. A few seconds later, a neigh answered in response, followed by the sound of galloping to their right. “Don’t freak out,” Peter said.

Galloping up next to Peter, matching his stride, was the most majestic horse that Kaitlin had ever seen. Its coat colored the lightest, most subtle shade of pink, boasting a long white mane and tail. She gasped as she noticed that on its head, glimmering in the moonlight, as if it held stardust itself, was a long, sharp horn. She was looking at a unicorn.

Peter quickly leapt onto its back, using its mane to pull himself on. He rode the creature bareback. He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling her on behind him. She held on tight, her hands wrapped around Peter’s waist, as the creature began to increase its speed, going faster than any horse she had ever ridden. It was as if they were galloping on the wind itself. As they gained speed, the howls receded. Her house fell away behind them, her last glimpse was a large explosion, the massive Kraken finally pulling itself out of the portal.

“Julia, we need to find Galdrey.” Peter said.

“Who’s Julia..?” Kaitlin asked, quite perplexed as to whom Peter was addressing.

“Yes, well hope you’re ready for this one as well. Kaitlin, meet Julia. Julia, Kaitlin.” Peter responded, gesturing toward the unicorn’s head.

Sitting there, tangled in the mane, was what looked like a small woman. She was beautiful. She couldn’t have been more than six inches tall, dressed in a bright blue, sparkling dress, blue slippers adorned her tiny feet. She had long blond hair, nearly down to her ankles. In her hand, she clutched a small staff, spiraled blue and white like an odd candy cane. On the top, rested a glowing ball of light, like a small star. As if not shocking enough to see such a small woman, she had long, thin, nearly see-through, teal tinted wings on her back. “Hello Kaitlin,” the small woman said, in a high pitched, sing-song voice, “I have heard ever so much about you! Peter never stops talking about you. I’m Julia. I am a fairy!”

As she spoke, she did a quick pirouette. Kaitlin couldn’t believe her eyes. “Nice to meet you.” She said, bewildered.

“There’s a lot I need to tell you, about the time that I’ve been away. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you along the way.” Peter said to Kaitlin.

“On the way where exactly? What are we supposed to do now?” Kaitlin asked, in a weary voice, resting her tired head on Peter’s back.

“I’m afraid that the trouble has only just begun my dear. It’s time you met my master. We are going to find Galdrey.” Peter answered.

The End…Of this Story

Next: The Story of Peter

Hope you Enjoyed My first fairy tale. If you did, leave a comment!