The Stregacattivo Witches

Chapter 9 - The end? Or is this just a beginning?

A week later, the sisters were sleeping peacefully, although they knew they were going to die. A guard came in and banged on the door to Elizabeth's cell to escort her to her death. Seconds later, another two guards came and got Hannah and Katherine. As Elizabeth was handcuffed and dragged by the guard, she muttered the protection spell only she and Prince Edmund knew. 

They had arrived at the front of the palace, where the punishments would occur in the next few minutes. Watching witches die always brought a crowd to the palace's doorstep, and today was no different. Elizabeth had stepped onto the crate, and the guard had put the rope around her neck. Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked out to the crowd whom she once thought she could trust. She looked to her left and saw her sister, Hannah. She blamed herself because she had forced her into this mess six years ago. It was her idea to get black at Governor Ivel for revenge. Hannah was tied to a stake with her hands behind her. The people were burning her alive for her crimes. 

She looked over to her littlest sister, Katherine, who was waiting patiently by the large bucket of water, which told the older sister that she was going to get drowned. Katherine didn't deserve this. It was Elizabeth who convinced them to join her in her revenge and everything else, not Katherine or Hannah. She knew both her sisters would die before her and she didn't want that for them. She felt as though she had failed to protect her sisters, failing the promise she made to her parents seven years ago: no matter what, she was going to protect Hannah and Katherine from any danger, but here she was, and here they were, in danger because of Elizabeth.

The sisters looked between each other and made an unspoken agreement that it was time they were to announce to the people "....Art there any last words thee three wretches hast to say?" The guard asked the sisters. Elizabeth smirked, "Oh, we've got a few last words we'd like to say." The guard sighed and gestured to let them speak. "I bethink it's rather unfortunate that thou art losing such most wonderful distaff of society," Elizabeth, still smirking, cackled with her sisters. Edmund, who was away from the public eye, chuckled at his girl's joke. He admired how she was able to crack a joke even though she knew she and her sisters were going to die in gruesome deaths. 

Elizabeth stops cackling and stands up straight "From now on, thy Governors shalt never have a joyous ending and perish in such horrible deaths so that the people of this town shall at each moment know wherefore they shouldn't mess with the Stregacattivo sisters or any relatives of ours." The witches all cackled louder. 

The king walked up to where Edmund stood, watching with anxiety. He patted Edmund on the back. "I didst it, son. I've finally caught the witches." Edmund removed his father's hand from his back. "No, thou can not say that to me. Not when the woman I love is up there about to be killed. Thou art treating like this is a prize after a long witch hunt because they art the most dangerous. I bethink thou underestimate the power of Elizabeth, father." The king only stood there wondering what his son had implied, feeling hurt by his words. 

As they laughed, the guards in charge of sentencing Elizabeth made eye contact with the guards who punished her sisters. They all silently counted to three, then either pushed the crate, set the fire, or dunked each of the sisters, respectively. Edmund ran through the crowd. "NO!" He ran up to Elizabeth's dead body. He grabbed the crate and placed it in front of her so he could reach her face. He cupped her face and looked sadly at her as tears streamed down his face before he realized. "Oh, Elizabeth, please wake up. Please tell me the spell worked. Please, please, please." He pleaded. It took him a moment of closely examining her to see if she was faintly alive. 

Elizabeth's eyes shot open and started to choke on the rope. Edmund was glad she was alive, and quickly unraveled it from her neck. Edmund turned to see if anyone was still there with him and Elizabeth, but only her dead sisters were. Eliza fell to the floor after previously being held up by the rope and began coughing. "Eliza!" Edmund said, and he kneeled to her level and held her until she stopped coughing. 

"I guess it would be stupid of me to ask if thou art alright?" Edmund asked cautiously. That stupid question earned him a glare. Without help, Elizabeth stood up and turned to her now-dead sisters. "I'm sorry." She said to them. Elizabeth turned to leave but looked back at them one last time. Maybe she'll bring them back one day, but that day wasn't today. Edmund handed her her forest green cloak, the one he had gotten her years ago. Elizabeth took out her pin from her messy hair, letting the long hair flow down her back. Edmund looked at her up and down while she pulled the hood over her head.

There were a few things to do on her agenda, but the first thing was to kill the king. It's her way to avenge her sisters. It's what they would have wanted her to do. She felt him staring, so she turned to Edmund and slapped him on the back of his neck. "Keep that up, and thou won't get to have fun later." Edmund massaged the spot she hit and wrapped himself in his gray cloak, pulling the hood over his head. Eliza began walking to the entrance of the palace, and Edmund followed behind her. 

There were a few guards, but this was not her first time breaking through the guards. They were imbeciles and probably thought to be safe since she was dead to them. Elizabeth effortlessly knocked them out with her magic. "Amateurs, thou wouldst bethink they wouldst knoweth how to guard a palace with high security. Too bad they were the high security." Elizabeth walked right over the guards' bodies and motioned Edmund to follow. "Remind me why I fell in love with thee?" Edmund asked, but Elizabeth chose not to answer that question because she was more focused on finding the king. 

They made it to the throne room since Eliza figured the king would be there. When they entered, her theory was proven correct. The king looked curiously at the two hooded figures that entered the room. "What art thee?" he asked. Elizabeth kept hold of the dagger she had kept in her pocket with one hand while the other hand took off her hood "Thy worst nightmare." She said with an evil smirk. Edmund zoned out but came back to reality when Elizabeth smacked him. "What? Oh." he took off his hood "And thy son," he said quickly. 

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned back to the frightened, wide-eyed king. "Impossible. How couldst thee still be alive?" He asked the witch. "That, I feel, should be asked to thy wife. But if thou must knoweth, I used a protection spell from a spell book from thy wife. She permitted me to use it." The king was baffled. To his knowledge, his wife was dead. How could Elizabeth have permission from a dead woman to use her sorcery? "To keep this short because I'm growing impatient, she's alive, and she's somewhere thee will never find." There was a short pause. "And why is that?" The king asked finally, standing up from his throne. "Because of this," Elizabeth said, running up to the king and stabbing him in the heart with the dagger. 

She ripped the dagger from his chest. The king choked and tried to gasp for air but couldn't breathe. He fell to the ground and tried one last time for air. The king closed his eyes, he was now dead and as of right this second Edmund was the new king. Edmund held back tears, after all, the king was still his father, even if he was a horrible one. "Hm," Elizabeth turned to Edmund. "Well, at least that's done now. She threw the dagger to the ground next to the king. 

"Yeah," Edmund sighed sadly. Elizabeth put a comforting hand on his back, and he wrapped his arms around the girl. "Let's get out of here." He said. Eliza looked dumbfounded at him. "What? I thought thee wanted to be king. We agreed on that!" Edmund shrugged, still hugging Elizabeth. "I want to run away for a few years and come back to claim my throne." Elizabeth had a deadpan look on her face. "Technically, thou art the king now." She said dryly. Edmund let go of her to turn her head towards him. "Well, the king says he wants to live freely with the woman he loves." She rolled her eyes at his childishness. 

"Maybe they'll have a child or two together." He added as they walked out of the palace with Edmund holding his witch close to him. "Don't push it," Elizabeth said as they were now far down the hall exiting the palace. 

I never once thought I'd bethink of having a family, let alone a significant other, but that was also because I believed I wouldst not see Edmund again. Let's see if he could change my mind.