year: 1405
"Stay close Isolde" Elizabeth whispered, her voice trembling as her hands. The breeze sent her blonde hair flowing in the air. She could feel her six years old Isolde's shallow breath against her neck, which served as a constant reminder of the danger that was closing on them.
Her bare tired feet still moved swiftly, almost running as she sorted for a clear path through the dark shadows. A dim glimmer of hope was all that guided her and her two daughters now.
A rustling sound nearby jolted Elizabeth's senses. Her head snapped around, searching the darkness for any sign of pursuit. Her eyes met those of her daughter's half-sister, Selena, Who had been following Sooth from the very beginning of her escape.
"We must keep moving, we are almost out of town" Elizabeth urged, her voice strained.
Suddenly, a group of men bursted from under bush, their eyes gleaming with hostility. The leader, a huge man with a cruel grin, advanced towards them.
"There is no point running witch, you can't escape the council's judgement" he sneered.
Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest. With a swift, fluid motion, she summoned a gust of wind, knocking the man off balance, but before she could comprehend the effect, another figure emerged from the shadows, running towards them with his sword actively ready to slaughter
Isolde's eyes widened in fear as the blade slashed across her stomach, a sharp cry of pain escaped from her lips as she fell on the ground which her mother had placed her on.
"Nooo!" Elizabeth, her mother, screamed. Her magic surged from within, releasing a torrent of flames toward their attackers. Chaos erupted as fire clashed steel, the air thickens with violence from the two parts.
Isolde's eyes fluttered closed, darkness pulling her under. Elizabeth's heart seized with panic as she scooped her unconscious daughter into her arms, blood seeping through her fingers.
"Hold on for me, Isolde" She choked out, tears mingling with the dirt on her cheek. The malicious soldiers have fallen dead. She didn't mean to kill any of them but they had asked for it by attempting to kill her child. That is if they hadn't succeeded as she struggled to hear the sounds of her fainted breathe.
"Isolde please hold on" she cried out as more blood gushed out from her stomach. Selena started crying too.
"Your sister will be fine, let's keep going" Her heart pounded with desperation as she found a corner to place Isolde. Ignoring the risk of her being detected, Elizabeth whispered some incantations, her hands trembling as she tried to channel the healing magic.
The air tingled with a faint glow, a silent plea for mercy to save her child. Selena, Isolde's half sister, watched in terror, even though she couldn't make total sense of the happenings around her. Her tears now coming in muffled sobs.
But just as the faint light of magic began to envelope Isolde, Elizabeth's heart sank. The corner they had sought refuge in was imbued with an ancient protection, rendering her magic useless. Fear surged through her veins as she knew that the scent of magic she just tried to use would have alerted their enemies and draw them closer. She helplessly watched more blood gushed from Isolde's body.
As panic clawed at her, a figure emerged from the shadows, a middle-aged woman whose eyes bore the weight of heavy pasts. With a swift movement of her hand, the woman summoned magic, creating a healing spell that cut through the air like a whispered promise. Isolde's wound sealed shut, leaving only a faint scar as evidence of the grievous injury. She wondered how the woman magic worked and hers didn't but that wasn't a priority at the moment.
Elizabeth's eyes met the woman's in gratitude, but their brief moment of relief shattered as a sudden noise erupted from behind them. A dark figure became visible through thin air, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Elizabeth held on to her two daughters, though exhausted, made a turn to escape with them.
The middle-aged woman assisted by blocking the route with her magic, leaving the figure lost in the other part.
"Who are you?" Elizabeth requested. The old woman eyes full of history stared at hers.
"This is not the right time for questioning, come with me" She urged as she led the way. Elizabeth on the other hand wasn't buying it, she had lived a life full of betrayal. The lady whom had informed the council of her magic was her very old friend 'Alicia'.
"Why should I trust you?" She asked again, her heaving chest mirroring the sound of her words.
"I had watched you grow up Elizabeth, I belonged in the same coven with your mother and I saved her from being beheaded when she gave birth to you" Elizabeth's expression softened as realization hits her.
"You are Lady Aurora. The one who never please" She confirmed.
"Now, do you have enough confidence in me to let me lead, or you would let your children be victims of your foolishness" The woman said. Elizabeth face conformed to a small smile, who would know she could find an atom of joy in the presence of agony. She held her kids tightly and allowed the woman be their guardian.
But her atom of hope didn't last.
Elizabeth was put to halt when a sharp sword cut through her stomach from Nowhere. With a last look at her daughter, Isolde, she pushed the two of them towards the middle-aged woman and her lifeless body crumpled to the ground.
The forest seemed to hold its breath. The woman froze in terror, her eyes moved from Elizabeth's lifeless body to the two orphaned sisters who stood wide-eyed, trying to comprehend their present situation.
Time seemed to stand still as they faced the brutal reality before them. With grim determination, the old woman's gaze hardened, as she readied herself to save the kids. Even if she would have to take them along with her.
"Come with me, my dears" she whispered urgently, her voice a mixture of sorrow and strength. She gripped their hands and led them away from the tragic scene of their mother's death as they walked hastily towards a clear path.