Lucie backed away, and before she got the chance to speak, the girl darted through the crowds.
The back of Lucie’s dress flew in the air behind her, while the girl ran. It did not take longer than a second, for Eliza to plan her move.
Her feet carried her off, as she sprinted after the girl. Her hand reached out, determined to grab Lucie’s dress.
The night loomed over the two, and the people’s gasps echoed across the town.
Lucie’s head shot back, and she let out a squeal, before shooting around the near brick wall and down an alleyway.
Eliza followed, pounding her tiresome legs against the floor. The darkness of the alley cowered over them, and Eliza saw red once more, stopping at nothing to catch the girl.
The surge of need for answers, revenge, closure. It all ran through her. Three paradox needs, all confined in one strange emotion.
Running at a high-paced speed, Lucie’s free hair blew through the air. They were headed for the evergreen, daunting forest.
The shadow of Lucie disappeared into the forest’s abyss, and she wasted no time pursuing.
A scream came from the woods, making Eliza freeze. It was from near, not too far. Taking a gulp, she pushed past the hanging branches and entered the woods.
The whimpering grew louder, and it sounded like an estranged bird, calling out for its mother.
Then, she noticed a light parting through the overshadowing trees, landing on a small figure. Eliza sucked in a sharp breath, squinting her eyes at the sight.
Lucie lay against a tree, clutching a bleeding ankle. Her leg had a slim, open slice caused by forest nettle. The girl’s dress had ripped entirely, revealing her full injured leg.
As she sat on the grassy ground, Lucie spoke up.
“Are you going to kill me, Elizabeth?”.
21
Rising Dawn
The two eyes met in silence, and a crestfallen feeling crept into Eliza’s She opened her mouth to speak, but what was there to say?
‘How can I answer that?’ Eliza thought, ‘Why did I follow her, at all?’.
A gulp formed in her throat, while she averted her eyes. Lucie shuffled awkwardly on the floor, cuddling her injured leg.
“No,” Eliza whispered, turning back. “Do you genuinely believe that I would? That I would hurt you, or anyone, intentionally?”.
Her voice came out as a plea, desperate for an answer. Lucie shrugged; her shimmering eyes focused on Eliza’s face.
“Do you think you would?” Lucie murmured back, grabbing Eliza’s immediate attention. “That you could?”.
An uneasiness sank into the pits of her stomach, as she searched for an answer. Lucie made her consider it.
“It’s my worst fear,” Eliza whimpered, “It frightens me, because it is not something that I would rule out.”.
She flinched for a moment, unsure of why she was oversharing to anyone like that, let alone Lucie. Yet, the reality of it soon hit her.
Lucie was the only one that ever listened, wasn’t she?
“What changed?” Lucie whispered, her voice preserving the delicate space between them. “You used to be so adamant for good, now you are unsure.”.
Eliza winced, her breaths hitching. She felt like glass, that she could shatter and fall apart at any moment.
If that were true, what was holding her up?
Eliza could not give an answer, it was impossible. Truthfully, there was no answer.
“I changed, along with my life.”.
Lucie took a long, recollective breath. She gripped at her ankle, wiping smears of blood away with the hem of her gown, leaving crimson marks across the pure white.
“What happened to us, Elizabeth?” Lucie said. “I dreamed of my happy ending, but not one without you.”.
“Then, you shouldn’t have done what you did.”.
Lucie shakily reached for the tree’s branches, wobbling to her feet. The girl brushed down her torn gown, flicking back her wild, undone hair.
“I didn’t think it would go this far,” Lucie sobbed, “I wanted to be happy, I never realised that he would take it this far. That’s why I—".
Lucie’s voice cut off, as she buried her head away. Her face had gone a bright red.
“Why you…what?” Eliza prompted.
The girl rubbed at her nose. Lucie looked distraught, as her face creased.
“Why I chose to help you, in our plan to swap places,” Lucie sighed, “I was buried in sleepless nights and guilt. When Richard first offered the agreement, it sounded harmless. Then, I found out what it really took, and it was too late to backtrack. Richard would have killed us both, so I thought if I helped you, it would ease my suffering.”.
Lucie’s voice was desperate, begging in sharp whines. She started crying, wiping away her own tears. Eliza realised then; it was the first time she had cried before Lucie did.
“You still trusted him and agreed to his scheme.” Eliza grumbled, shuffling away.
Lucie nodded, struggling for breaths. She clutched her arms and rubbed them for comfort.
“Yes, I did,” Lucie sighed, “I was naïve. When you confronted me, I was outraged and blinded by hate. I convinced myself to forget it, to focus on the future, but still I wept, unable to look at myself in the mirror.”.
Eliza understood, in a strange way. Hatred blinded both, and it rebounded in two vastly separate ways.
“I understand.” Eliza mumbled, unsure of what else to say.
She found it difficult to forgive Lucie, but a part of her urged her to do so. The two stood in still tension, and Eliza turned away, whilst Lucie’s eyes remained solely on her.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me,” Lucie whispered, “Understanding is a grace, and it is enough.”.
Wind brushed past her shoulders. For once, Eliza’s mind silenced, and she felt more at peace than ever before. She thought back to her talk with Richard, and one question stuck in her mind.
“Did he ever mention her?”.
Lucie’s eyes perked up, only to be replaced by a strange look. Her eyes averted away, appearing in thought.
“Did who mention who?”.
“Richard, did he ever mention his sister?”.
Lucie was clearly disturbed. She shrugged.
“Yes, I suppose he did.” Lucie awkwardly answered, “Why do you ask?”.
Eliza froze, staring off into the sky. She wondered how, from her previous state, she had gotten so calm. There was a change of heart in her, a part that told her, it was for the best, even if she regretted it.
“No reason,” Eliza softly replied, “Simply curious.”.
‘That’s not a lie,’ She thought, ‘Lucie doesn’t need to know, for now.’.
Lucie did not appear convinced, but lightly shrugged it off. The girl thought for a silent second.
“Richard never spoke to me. We met to discuss our agreement, and no more,” Lucie pondered, “Once, we stood beside a portrait of his mother and father, with him and the princess. I did ask then.”.
After speaking, the girl forced a laugh, before turning red. Eliza could sense Lucie had the same feeling that she did, wondering why she was oversharing information so easily.
“And what did he say?”.
“That she had disappeared and was likely left for dead.” Lucie shrugged, counting her points with her fingers. Eliza sighed, frustrated that she still found no answers.
‘I suppose I will never know if he did kill her’ Eliza thought, ‘It might forever be a mystery.’.
The tension looming over the two was suffocating. It was an indescribable feeling within her. In ways, she wanted to hate Lucie, but in others, she wanted to speak to her and giggle like old times.
Perhaps, reminiscing on the old days were the closest they would get, to being that close again.
“There was a thud earlier, and a scream I convinced myself I didn’t recognise.” Lucie shook, her voice trembling. “Tell me the truth, did you kill Richard?”
El
iza’s stopped, staring into her lost friend’s eyes. Lucie’s face was long and exhausted, freckled with excess tears.
The girl stood awaiting an answer, sobbing in the shadow. Eliza’s heart tore at the sight of her. The girl was hoping, praying that she was wrong.
The exact same way Eliza had, when Lucie had done her wrong.
“I’m sorry,” Eliza whimpered. “He tried to push me from the tower, to kill me. I shoved him off, but I never realised how close the window was.”.
The girl’s face creased, in a flood of tears. Lucie held out her left hand, staring at the shimmering wedding ring.
“If I could have convinced him to end our fight, I’d have done it.” Eliza whispered, “But it was my life or his.”.
In that moment, she had no idea what Lucie would do next. If she had tried to kill her in that moment, Eliza would not have blamed her.
“How am I supposed to feel?” Lucie sobbed. “I wanted to love him; I really did.”.
“I’m sorry, Lucie.”.
Lucie’s head shot up, eyes flaring in the light.
Eliza’s heart skipped, amazed at the unseen side of Lucie, one she would be insane to not fear, by the look alone.
“I’m not crying because he’s dead, Elizabeth.”.
Eliza’s face fell, as she stared helplessly. A confused hope fell into place.
“…You aren’t?”.
Lucie shook her head, turning her glistening eyes to the stars, which reflected within them.
“I wish I was, I wish I truly loved him, that I was smitten in grief, because it would have been a love worth living.” Lucie cried, “It wasn’t love, but I wanted to pretend it was. I was willing to live like that, until recently.”.
Eliza had never been in love, and clearly neither had Lucie, but she tried her best to relate. The two stood sniffling in the dark, a few feet away from one another. It was a sentiment, a practice of peace.
A crowd of voices came from behind, making both girl’s heads shoot up. They stared at one another with an unsure glance, before voices overpowered the scene.
“The witch is in there!”.
“Spinner captured the lady! She’ll hurt her!”.
They were getting closer, advancing towards the woods. Lucie’s face turned pale, and her eyes connected with Eliza’s own.
Eliza did not move, she barely flinched. Instead, she smiled to the sky, laughing while the tears streamed down her face.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Eliza spoke to the sky, in a soft tone. There was no running away or fighting back.
“No,” Lucie said, softly. “This is a new beginning.”.
It was clear the people had found The King. A few muffled voices spoke of that, and her name was mentioned in the same sentence.
Eliza turned her head, and took a breath, taking in the night.
“Our story took a tragic turn; it was never meant to end this way.”.
“No, it’s nothing like we dreamed.”.
“We don’t have to shut our storybook; we don’t have to throw away the key.” Eliza said. “This is a turning page for us both, it’s a new beginning.”.
Lucie sighed, nodding. For once, it looked like she understood.
“I need to leave, to get far from here.” Eliza whispered.
The two shared a knowing glance, while their sticky faces glimmered in the moonlight. It would be a bewitching scene, if not so tragic.
Eliza strolled across the grass, getting closer to where Lucie stood. Smiling to herself, she reached into her blouse pocket, pulling out a flower.
Curling the stem, she tied it into one of Lucie’s loose hairs, the pinkish flower brightening her face. With that, Lucie looked more like a bride than before.
“It’s rosemary.” Eliza commented, wiping her final tear away.
“Rosemary is for remembrance.” Lucie quoted back, smiling to her.
In one quick movement, Eliza felt herself being tugged into the girl’s arms, pulled into a tight embrace.
She awkwardly patted Lucie on the back, as the girl held onto her without release. A louder surge of noise came from beyond the woods.
The people shouted Lucie’s name, then Eliza’s, then some Latin saying neither could interpret.
Lucie gripped onto Eliza’s shoulders and hurried her along, urging her to run.
“Elizabeth, take this.” Lucie said, clutching her hand. She tugged off her silver ring, and reluctantly pressed it into Eliza’s open palm.
“I can’t take this.”.
“I don’t want it, you can sell it to a merchant, for a reasonable fortune.”.
Before she could object, Lucie folded her fingers shut, enclosing the ring in her hand.
“Where will you go?”.
Eliza thought about it, before staring into the distance.
“I’ll find my father on his path home,” She murmured, “Then, I have the world and more ahead of me.”.
Lucie smiled with a nod. She pushed Eliza along, letting go of her hand. The crowds were increasing pace, like a restless swarm of birds.
For one, final time, Eliza turned back. She leant into Lucie’s ear, lowering her voice to a whisper. She whispered a few words, leaving her with simply that.
A few words that changed it all.
Yet, if a few words were enough to cast a spell, to change a nation, to turn a person’s life around; It was enough.
THE END
Bewitched Page 27