A Lover's Folly

"Mother!" I screamed, pulling much at the tough material digging into my wrists and ankles. "Mother, please! Don't do this!"

She looked at me with cold, expressionless eyes. "I gave you one chance, Annie, and you failed me!"

"No, mother, please!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face. "Mother please! Please!"

Mother clicked her tongue and walked to a cart. She tugged a handkerchief out of her pocket and picked up a pair of huge silver scissors.

A shiver ran through my body. I was terrified by the shears, but even more so that my own mother was going to do what they wanted: kill me.

Questions raced through my mind at the speed of light. When was she going to do it? What benefits would it bring? What would happen to John once there was no one left to protect him? Would I go to Heaven, after I'd failed the woman who had practically raised me?

"Percy!" Mother called for her butler. The small man scurried into the room. Mother handed him the scissors. "Go sharpen those. I need them as sharp as possible for this."

Percy bowed and headed out of the room. In a way, I thought he was either a genius by leaving, or a coward because of him not standing up to her.

I'd found out my mother's weakness months ago, my "traitorous" acts had finally caught up to me.

Sadness coursed through my body. Before now, I had only been the only one in the entire kingdom who was going against my mother, but now that I would be gone, who would do what was right? 

I only hoped that once I was gone, she might finally rule this kingdom as it should be. She walked to me and crouched to my level. “Why did you do it? Why did you betray me?”

“I was seven!” I defended myself. “Come on, Mom, that was ten years ago! Why can’t you just let it go?”

“Annie, you knew what your grandmother would do.” She said. “I told you, and you promised! Why couldn’t you just keep to yourself like I asked you?”

“Again, Mother, I was little!” Tears streamed down my cheeks. Why couldn’t she just let it go? “I just thought I was helping people!”

“Aubrie, you stole my wand!” The woman screamed. “You took my place as a fairy. I was in love with Eric but when you stole my fairyhood, he went for you! Annie, I trusted you!”

“Then you put your faith in the wrong person.” I mumbled. Mother walked to me and tightened the bonds on my wrists. I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming as the dirty, soiled cloth dug into my muscles.

“Maybe that will teach you how to behave!” Mother snapped. “Now be quiet, I must think.”

The door to the tower opened and Percy walked to her, scissors in hand. “Here you go, madam.”

“Thanks, Percy, now leave us.” Mother said. The door closed a second later.

“Mother, what will you do?” I asked. “Kill me? I will gladly die if that means I don’t have to witness your pathetic ruling over the fairy kingdom.”

Mother thought for a second. “No, I won’t kill you. I’ll do something even worse. Something even more painful.” She leaned close to my face. “I’m going to kill Eric.”

“No!” I screamed. “Don’t! Please, Mother please! I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll go with you. I won’t fight, I’ll be good. Please just don’t kill him!” I sobbed.

“And that is exactly why I will kill him.” She said coldly. “You would rather die then see Eric killed. But you shall know my pain!”

“I already do.” I said sadly. She looked to me with a quizzical look. “The last spell was a Time Curse. I knew that if I was to understand you, I had to see it for yourself. Once I saw it for myself, I told Eric. I… I left him.”

Mother regarded me with an angry look. “You think this is supposed to make me feel better?” She shook her head. “Oh no, this just made me see how stupid you are. Honestly, I thought I’d raised you better then that.”

“What you did teach me, I will remember for eternity, Mother.” I said. I took a breath and looked to her. “Do you remember the book you read to me? About the mother going to the ends of the Earth to find a remedy for her daughter’s illness?”

“Honestly, Annie, that’s just a story, a fairytale. Real life isn’t like that.”

But we could make it like that. I thought. If only you just gave me a second chance.

 She snorted. It was at that time that I realized I’d spoken my thoughts aloud. “Grow up.”

“No, mother, I won’t stop believing in stories because they give me hope.” I said bravely. “And that’s something I need more of right now.”

She raised her hand and struck me across the cheek. “I shall hear no more of your foolishness. Now, be quiet, girl.”

She turned away from me and left the tower I was guaranteed to spend the rest of my life in. The door locked, but I was too lost in my maze of thoughts to hear it latch.

***

Something nudged my foot. I sat up and rubbed sleep eyes out of my eyes. Mother was back. Something loud sounded behind her, like someone crying out for help.

She stepped aside and I saw Eric. His once princely clothes hung in tatters and were less then their normal bright shade. His eyes were sunken in and his hair was bedraggled. “Aubrie!” He yelled when he saw me. That was the first sign he was still very much in love with me. He looked to Mother. “Why-how could you do this to her?”

“She betrayed me.” Mother shrugged. “And I was tired of never getting what I wanted.”

“Eric, tell me something.” I spoke to him. He nodded, encouraging me. “Why did you ever leave Mother, if you hadn’t left her, none of this would have happened.”

“I-uh… So-mmm…” He stuttered. Mother and I impatiently at him. 

“Eric, just spit it out!” I yelled. “Try to do something that you’ve never done one day in your life: tell the truth.”