The Wicked Witch

Everyone has talked about the wicked witch of the bog. How she ate children, turned princes into frogs, enslaved princesses…

They never talk about the “witch” having a good reason to go against royalty.

My name is Agnes. I was the kingdom’s mage. I started young at the age of ten, I have been studying ever since I was old enough to read. My father was a powerful wizard. He taught me how to turn people into monsters, and back again.

I started my job at fourteen years old. To a recently married couple. A prince and a princess. They were perfect for eachother in a way that they were both rotten. Prince Mathew the dragon slayer and Princess Ideline the fair. I knew them as the screaming couple who took their anger out on the servants.

Except for one. That was the Jester. Now Jesters are more powerful than anyone gives them credit for. They could mock the king, and not get punished for it. This Jester, they called him Jack, was also charming and handsome, which I guess, helped a lot with his job.

I remember when I saw him for the first time. He was nineteen when I started. I was not much to look at. I was small and scrawny no matter how much I ate, my nose would have looked handsome on a man’s, and my brown hair was always a mess no matter how much I brushed it.

He did a couple of tricks, and then winked at me and flashed a pearly smile.

“For my next trick, I vould like to have the magician help.” he boomed.

I felt very conscious. I usually did my magic in secret. Princess Ideline glared at me. She had sharp nails, so I couldn’t risk making her angry. I scrambled to Jack’s side. He took my cold hands into his warm ones. My heart started beating quickly. 

“Your father told me all about vhat you can do,” he whispered. 

He placed a red piece of paper into my hands. I looked at him and smiled. I cited a few spells. The paper started glowing. He took the paper out of my hands and showed the entire court. Whispers erupted around the room. He then took a torch and some sort of concoction. He emptied the bottle, then before anyone could react, he blew the fire onto the paper. Red butterflies fluttered around the room. The court gasped in amazement. Then a roar of applause.

“Ladies and gentlemen! Our magician!” Jack boomed.

My entire face bloomed red. I was kind of proud of myself. 

Years flew by and unfortunately, Mathew and Ideline became king and queen. I started seeing my own worth, and started looking a little better. Jack and I became close friends. We would often perform in court together. We spent time together more than anyone else. He started calling me his “Enchantress.”

And then, three months before my eighteenth birthday, something happened. King Mathew and Queen Ideline had a baby boy. Now, I like kids, but I also happen to be honest to a fault. The prince was one ugly baby. I don’t think that permanent little scowl that he has done him any favors either. Now, after the king saw his son’s face… he went to me to see if that child was really his. I cast a few spells and sure enough, it was his. Now the king got mad at his own wife for “making his son ugly.”

That is when things got ugly. Like, uglier than usual. The king and queen put the baby into my cousin, Molly’s care. Bless her heart. The king started going on a lot of trips without the queen and came back suspiciously happy. That drove Ideline crazy. She threw things at her servants, she kept on demanding that I change the child’s appearance, and at one point, she was convinced the boy was a changeling. Molly and I found that out the hard way. I saw her in her nightgown holding the child upside down over a boiling pot of water, screaming at the child to “give her real son back.” Luckily for the baby, me and Molly saved the beastly boy just in time. To make matters worse, she had taken a certain interest in Jack. Jack was very uncomfortable with the whole situation, so he made every possible excuse not to be anywhere near her. He would cough violently and loudly every time he would see her coming. He also started to stick with me a lot more, which the queen didn’t like. I was always on edge. I felt like the king and queen will do something that will end up in Jack’s demise. Or mine. Then on my eighteenth birthday, the incident happened.

The day started off well, Molly made me a cake, and Jack gave me a beautiful necklace. 

“It brings out your eyes,” he murmured.

I smiled. We performed a couple of tricks… it was all so perfect. Then…

“We’ve already seen that trick!” The king protested.

Jack and I bowed respectfully.

“Ve are so sorry. Ve vill find a brand new…” Jack began.

“I actually have a suggestion!” the queen piped up.

We all looked at her curiously. She smiled at me. I felt cold.

“Agnes, dear… I heard you’ve been practicing shapeshifting…” she told me.

I was not the best shapeshifter. The best form that I could do was turning myself into an old lady.

“Well, yes, but…” I began.

“Bring out the fish tank!” she ordered.

My heart started to race. Something that I forgot to mention was the fact that I was deathly scared of drowning.

“Now. Something that would really impress us, is if you turned yourself into a beautiful mermaid. Can you imagine how wonderful it will be for the Snowfall ball?” the queen told me.

The king’s interest peaked. I stood there like a statue. The queen ordered the guards to throw me into the tank and close the lid. I panicked and thrashed around, trying to get the lid open. Just when I thought I was done for, Jack grabbed his spector, and broke the glass. I spilt out, and broke down coughing and crying. When I got the water out of my ears, I heard laughing. From the king and the queen.

That was the last straw. I’ve tried to be a good mage for them. I gave them magic. I suggested what would be good for the kingdom, even when I knew that they wouldn’t listen. I dealt with their taunts, their name callings, their violence…

My anger bubbled. Just before it reached the surface, I felt two hands on my shoulders.

“Let’s get you dry.” he whispered softly.

I changed into a black dress. It was the only thing that was clean. Jack sat in front of me. Saying nothing. We gazed at each other for a while. I sat next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. He started crying. I startled back.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry for crying… the king… he taxed my mother. She’s really sick. He took all of her money. Thought she vas going to die anyvays!” he sobbed.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him. He hugged me back. I felt him burying his face into my hair.

“We need to get rid of them.” I said finally.

Jack pulled back in shock.

“Vhat?!” he asked.

I stood up.

“You heard me. They are terrible people. We need to get rid of them.” I replied.

Jack blinked. I could see the wheels turning in his head.

“How do you suggest we do that?” he asked.

I hesitated. Then I smiled.

It took a lot of work and a lot of planning. I told the king and queen about my idea.

“You want us to dress up like a dragon?” Mathew asked.

I nodded and smiled enthusiastically.

“Think about it! You host this ball every year to show the other kingdoms your power! What creature is more powerful than a dragon? Your highness, you already have the dragon’s skin. You can show off your trophy!” I explained.

The king rubbed his chin.

“You make a great point for once… have the royal seamstresses make my costume!” he ordered.

I smiled and nodded. The Snowfall ball arrived. I was wearing a midnight black gown with red roses. I looked great. The king and queen were in costume. I explained the plan to the king and queen.

“You are going to catch us on fire?” the queen asked.

I waved my hand dismissively.

“Don’t you worry. I put a spell on the costume. The fire will not consume you.” I told them.

It was showtime. Jack introduced the dragon, and then he lit the fire. The crowd gasped. It was time for Jack and me to leave.

One thing I forgot to mention, I made the dragon suit fireproof. Not heat proof. By the time everyone figured out what had really happened, me and Jack were already in the forest, heading towards a land that was a bit more kind to the poor.

Years later, Jack and I were married with beautiful children. Jack kept on sending money to his mother. She had gotten much better. The kingdom we used to live in became more prosperous. Until the beastly prince turned fourteen. He became king. He wasn’t as bad as his parents, but he was still not great. My eldest son saw me pack my things.

“What are you going to do, mother?” he asked.

  I took a red rose, and turned into an old lady.

“Don’t worry sweetie… I know the perfect spell for this beast of a prince.” I replied.