by Julie Law
She had almost expected the woman to ask for her freedom once they had gotten out of the village, and that she had remained silent surprised Amelie a little.
The princess shook her head and tried to ignore these thoughts. She had a plan and just needed to follow it. Take Madeline to the capital, give her to the authorities, gather supplies and continue on her journey. For a moment, the thought of her journey, of her sister, made her glance at Madeline and wonder if the woman would be capable of helping her, and she opened her mouth, but closed it without saying anything.
If only it were so easy, but she doubted she could ever trust a witch to help with Elizabeth. A witch was responsible for her condition after all, and even if she found one able to break the curse she doubted she would be able to trust them.
She must have looked at Madeline again, because the witch was looking curiously at her and for some moments Amelie didn’t know what to do. Should she actually try to ask the other woman for help? Would it be possible that Madeline would be able to rid Elizabeth of the curse affecting her?
The knight almost opened her mouth, but then held back and got to her feet without a word, moving towards her horse. She had nothing to do, she only did the gesture to distract herself, and worse was that she believed Madeline knew it.
Once she had gathered herself, she pulled Madeline to the horse, helped her climb once more and started to set out. She could have forced the witch to follow on foot, part of her reminded her, it would have been safer. They didn’t need to move as fast as before, not now that they were away from the village, and this way the witch would be too exhausted to try anything when they finally stopped for the night, but she couldn’t quite force herself to do it.
More than ever, she was certain the witch wasn’t a monster, and that while she might have made a mistake, she didn’t deserve to be treated as some kind of beast. She tried to ignore the voice in her head that told her what she truly wanted was to keep feeling the other woman’s warmth against her.
They rode for hours, and stopped a couple of times, to rest, drink and eat, until they stopped one last time just before nightfall. Once more, there was some awkwardness as she helped Madeline down, but not as extensive. She had gotten somewhat used to the other woman’s presence, but above all Amelie was tired.
She hadn’t slept the night before, and suddenly she realized she wouldn’t be able to sleep that night either. She didn’t trust Madeline to such extent, and the thought seemed enough to increase her exhaustion twofold.
No sign of her thoughts showed on her face however, and she moved as perfectly as she had the whole day, gathering food and water for both of them, giving some of them to Madeline and nodding when the other woman thanked her, then sitting down and taking her own fill. Fortunately, the weather was good enough they didn’t need a fire to sleep the night, and she could just lay with her back against a tree and watch Madeline, silently warning the witch against trying anything.
Not that Madeline seemed interested. Amelie wasn’t the only one exhausted, and the witch had no compunction about lying down on the blanket Amelie had thrown at her and trying to sleep.
The princess watched as the witch slept, gathered her strength and prepared herself, and still failed to remain awake, closing her eyes as the sounds of the forest inundated her.
Chapter 2
Warmth surrounded Amelie’s body and she tried to crawl into it, still deep in her sleep, but not so deep that she hadn’t started to realize there was something wrong. She released something like a groan and tried to turn around, but there was something pressing her down, stopping her from doing so, and it bothered her.
The feeling was enough to pull her closer to consciousness, and then she gasped as she remembered where she was, and what her task involved. She shouldn’t have fallen asleep, and she only feared Madeline had escaped during the night. What she found when she opened her eyes confused her far more than the possibility of the witch’s escape.
Madeline hadn’t run away, in fact, the witch was right there at her side, pressed against her, and smirking. Then Amelie truly realized the position she was in, and blushed as she noticed she was the one pressed against the witch, and how her head had been laying basically atop the woman’s cleavage.
Her face red, she opened her mouth, and nothing came out. She was simply too embarrassed to focus on her words, and Madeline’s obvious amusement wasn’t helping. “You don’t need to be scared of me.”
“I’m not scared.” Amelie replied immediately, regaining her senses.
From the smile in Madeline’s lips, she couldn’t help but think that had been a mistake. “Ah, then you’re just embarrassed.”
Amelie blushed even harder when she realized how she had fallen into the other woman’s trap, and for a moment she didn’t know how to answer. Then she remembered she didn’t need to, and tried to get to her feet, but only ended up entangling herself in the other woman and the rope binding her, and once more she found herself on the floor, her face pressed against Madeline’s cleavage.
The laugh that was ripped out of the witch’s throat was one that Amelie would never forget, especially how the witch’s chest heaved against her face as it happened, and she almost died of mortification. She did gather her mind, eventually, and disentangled herself from the other woman, but she was sure her blush would never abate.
Only when she took a couple of steps away from the other woman did Amelie breathe, deeply, and relaxed somewhat. Madeline hadn’t run away, and that surprised her, more than she would ever admit. She would have run away, if she was in the witch’s position; she couldn’t imagine someone that wouldn’t.
Worst of all was the harm Madeline could have bestowed upon her, and yet, surprisingly, the witch hadn’t tried to do anything. Amelie had been completely defenseless, asleep, pressed against her body, and yet Madeline hadn’t tried to harm her. It would have been easy, and once more something that she would have done if she was in the witch’s place and that was the only way to escape.
She didn’t understand it, not really, but maybe the truth was simply that Madeline was a better person than she was. The thought made her freeze momentarily, before she shook her head and dispelled it.
The amusement was still clear in Madeline’s face, and forced Amelie to try and ignore the blush she was sporting. “Get ready to leave.” She let her voice become rougher, hoping to unsettle the witch, but from the manner in which the other woman smirked at her it didn’t work as well as she hoped.
Once more, she thought about tying Madeline to the horse and letting him pull her, but she couldn’t justify that even to herself, not after the other woman stayed when she could have so easily fled. For a moment, Amelie wondered if maybe the witch had done something indeed, something more cunning and less noticeable. Her flustering around the other woman was unusual, and that morning she seemed worse than the day before, but eventually she had to admit there was no magic influencing her there.
It would be perfectly normal for anyone to be flustered after waking with their head pressed against a woman’s cleavage.
There was something in the witch’s gaze when Amelie helped her climb the horse once more, and the princess ignored the tingling in her skin where she had grasped the other woman to pull her in, or how her shoulders relaxed when the witch’s warmth pressed against her front.
She shuddered, and the motion was surely felt by Madeline, and only after some effort did she stop herself from cursing out loud. The witch would be aware of the effect she had on Amelie if she didn’t control herself, the princess reasoned. She tried to ignore the whisper inside her head that told her the effect was far too obvious for Madeline to miss it.
The first hours of their journey were spent in silence, and Amelie was reassured by it. She could focus better, try to rearrange her thoughts and even convince herself that whatever was pulling her to the witch didn’t exist, but then, just as they stopped to rest for a bit, Madeline looked at her and smiled, and Amelie fe
lt something ease inside her chest and realized just how foolish she had really been.
She didn’t understand what was going on, not really, but she knew she had been a fool nonetheless.
She didn’t think she could let anyone arrest Madeline. She didn’t believe she would let the other woman escape her sight that easily.
The witch also seemed more animated somehow. In the day before Amelie brought her to the village, the desperation and fear in the other woman’s frame had been obvious, and though Amelie had felt a little for her even then it didn’t bother her much. Seeing what she saw in that village changed how she felt however, and the thought of what the witch might have suffered at the villagers’ hands made her take Madeline away.
Now the witch was far too … happy. Oh, it wasn’t obvious, not clearly, and there was some nervousness mixed with that cheer, but there was a constant smile in her lips. A small one, but it was there.
It almost made Amelie smile in turn, at least before she took hold of her features and stopped it. She didn’t understand why the other woman affected her so. Or maybe she did, but ignored the true reason, just as she always ignored part of herself.
Shaking her head, she tried to focus on her food, ignoring Madeline’s presence at her side. Trying to, at least, but the witch wasn’t making it easy. She had her shoulder pressed against Amelie’s, and the almost moans of pleasure that escaped her mouth as she ate and drank were obviously exaggerated, and yet, unfortunately, they were getting to Amelie.
Her steps were decidedly unbalanced when she got to her feet at the end, and took hold of Madeline’s hand, pulling the other woman unto the horse once more.
This time, she sat in the front and made Madeline slid into the saddle behind her, trusting the witch wouldn’t try anything, needing some moments with the other woman out of her sight. She couldn’t keep looking at the witch without going mad.
Unfortunately, Madeline did try something. Oh, it wasn’t to harm Amelie, or to escape, but it made the princess realize the mistake she had done. The witch hugged her around the middle, pressing against her back, and Amelie stiffened in surprise, controlling her horse by instinct alone, swallowing deeply.
She was so startled she only realized minutes later Madeline would only be able to hold her like that if she had gotten rid of her bounds. The moment she did so she turned around, or at least tried to. The other woman’s head pressing against her neck stopped her from doing so, and her face reddened. She wasn’t sure if it was from anger or embarrassment. “What are you doing?”
“What does it seem like?”
Amelie could hear the amusement in the words, and tightened her hands around the horse’s reigns, not quite knowing if she wanted to bolt, or turn around and strangle the other woman. In the end, she did neither, and kept them moving at the same pace, wondering how to deal with the witch.
She was perfectly aware that now that she was free, Madeline could escape her without too much effort, or even attack her; and yet she didn’t worry. She couldn’t understand why, but she doubted the dark-haired woman would attack; she would have done it already if that was what she intended.
That didn’t mean Madeline would let herself be delivered to the authorities without a fight. What would Amelie do if it came to a fight between them?
She almost let the reigns slip when she thought about that. Did the thought that she had to fight against Madeline unbalance her so? She was so lost in thought, that she almost missed the purr that escaped from Madeline’s throat when the witch started to rub her face against Amelie’s back.
The princess stiffened. “What are you doing?”
“Shush.” Amelie opened her mouth in indignation, but the other woman continued before she could say anything. “You’re warm, let me enjoy it.”
The knight colored at the thought, but didn’t even try to complain, instinctually knowing she would lose the exchange. Madeline was simply too maddening, and she wasn’t sure of how she could interact with the woman.
When they stopped to rest that night, Amelie hesitated before getting down from the horse. There was something different now, something had changed from the days before, and she didn’t want to look at Amelie and see something that unbalanced her even further, she didn’t want to have to wonder on what she felt when she looked at the other woman.
A hand against her cheek made her startle, and her eyes met Madeline’s. What she saw in those orbs bothered her more than she could explain, and it was hard to rip her eyes from the sight of the other woman, but it was needed.
She almost fled from the witch, embroiling herself in the woods with an excuse of searching for water, wanting more than anything to think for a few moments in solitude. Amelie didn’t even consider that Madeline could have run away without her there to stop her, but if she had she wouldn’t have thought it likely.
There was something going on between them, she believed, and she was certain Madeline felt the same way. It made her feel a little lightheaded, and she had to stop with her back against a tree, breathing hard.
Eventually, she gathered herself, breathed deeply and returned to her horse and her prisoner, focused on ignoring whatever was going on between them. She only realized how impossible that would be when she stepped closer and let her eyes fall on the other woman.
Madeline was there, caressing Amelie’s horse, running a hand through his face, petting him, and looking more beautiful than she had before. So beautiful it provoked a pang in Amelie’s chest, and she shuddered and almost ran away once again, and only stopped herself from doing so when the witch looked at her.
She wouldn’t show Madeline more weakness than she had already.
“We should try to rest,” Amelie said, eventually, moving forward and ignoring Madeline’s gaze. “If we set out bright and early tomorrow, we should reach the capital just before nightfall.”
“Is that what you want?”
Madeline’s question was so surprising that Amelie tilted her head, confused. “What do you mean?”
The witch smiled. “Is giving me a way to judgement what you truly want?”
“You committed a crime.”
“Did I?” Madeline raised an eyebrow, and for a moment the princess hesitated.
“You were prepared to curse the village.” She pointed out, but the witch only shrugged.
“One of them thought he could try to force me to be with him, simply because I showed a little more cleavage than he could resist. I dissuaded him from that notion, and his friends weren’t happy and thought they could do what he hadn’t managed to. When I showed them wrong, they came running to you.” Madeline smiled at the startlement in Amelie’s face. “The curse I was preparing was one of impotence, and it would be temporary. The villagers would simply be unable to fulfill their desires for a while, and hopefully learn to respect a woman’s wishes at the same time. Maybe illegal, but not immoral.”
Amelie opened her mouth and closed it right after. Thinking back on it, and remembering the reagents Madeline had gathered, it was possible that had been the curse she had been weaving. Now, if that impotence would be temporary or permanent, she couldn’t say, her knowledge wasn’t that detailed, and from what she knew the difference between a permanent and temporary effect had more to do with the power or intent used than anything else, but she wanted to believe Madeline was telling the truth.
Did that mean she should let her go, however? If it had been anyone else, she doubted she would be so indecisive about it, and in truth she didn’t know if she would have been undecided one way or the other. If it was the truth, her crime wasn’t that great, and only in response to several attacks. Letting a witch go simply with a warning would have been good enough. She wanted to believe it at least, but was that thought colored by how it would affect Madeline’s situation?
“Magic is dangerous, you shouldn’t play with it like that.” Was all she ended up saying, still confused about her own thoughts.
Madeline shrugged, and Amelie resisted t
he urge to stare at her cleavage, and at how it moved at the motion. The witch noticed it nonetheless, and the smile that adorned her lips was small, but it was there.
The witch made to reach out to her once more, and Amelie grabbed her arm, tight, only realizing how her fingers trembled when she pressed them against the other woman’s skin. She breathed deeply, and quickly, and tried to think of something to say, but nothing came to mind.
Madeline smiled and leaned in, and Amelie could only watch her come, watch her mouth reach forward and almost press against hers. When there was only one inch between them, she managed to disengage, take a step back and avoid those lips, ignoring the flash of pain in her chest as she did it.
Her breath came in big heaves, and she felt as if she had just finished running for her life. A hand against her shoulder made her move again, and she turned and looked directly into the other woman’s eyes.
Madeline gazed at her face for a few moments, searching, and then smiled sadly. “You’ll never trust me, will you? Not unless you’re sure of who I really am.”
Amelie didn’t know what to say to that.
The witch smiled the same sad smile. “Then I hope you can forgive me for this.” She looked into Amelie’s eyes once more, and the princess was lost.
She couldn’t describe what happened. Suddenly the ground fell from under her feet and she dropped into Madeline’s eyes, bathing in their amber pools as if it was water or honey. She was lost, and searching for something, she was drowning and breathing as she should for the first time, and above all she was confused.
Amelie saw images while she moved against those currents, and it took her a while to realize they were memories from Madeline’s past, as seen by her own eyes. There was sound too, but amidst her confusion and startlement she couldn’t hear them correctly. She still got the gist of them however, and realized she was getting a glimpse of the real Madeline, of her thoughts and emotions, of her actions.
It would be impossible to explain all that she saw, to put what she felt, and what Madeline had felt, into words, and yet it was enough for her to say something: Madeline was bright, she was good and glorious, and Amelie breathed a little deeply as each facet of the other woman became revealed, from the darker ones, few and small, to what made the core of her, a bright and happy woman, one that could forgive the world its slights against her because she was a witch.