She Wasn't Always a Witch

The Dream

I stayed there, staring after his retreating form as he ran and fell a few times before he finally made it out of my sight. I was not able to get the idea out of my head that someone sent that boy here to gather intimate information about my son. 

Narrowing my eyes at the space where the boy once was, I began walking back to the castle. 

Now I truly will not be able to sleep.

I walked towards Cain's grave and stopped as his stone came into view. I watched my surroundings, listened to the noises around myself. I watched the castle especially. There were no candles burning, which shrouded the castle in darkness. 

That boy wouldn't have been able to get anything at this time of night. It is completely unnoticeable. 

I began walking once again and did not stop until I reached my chambers. Only when I had flicked my wrist at the fire place, allowing a fire to burn, did I drop my magical cloak of warmth from around my body. 

I undressed myself and got into the big bed. Turning over so that I faced the moon, I breathed in deeply and drifted into a dream that brought a cold sweat to my body.

***********THE BEGINNING OF THE DREAM********************

Braiden was smiling and laughing along with his second in command as his sister told the story of how Ectore lost his temper which resulted in his meeting the apple of his eye. 

I sat off where no one paid much attention to me. It's how I preferred it these days. I saw where Ectore was sitting; next to Igraine and the women that has steadily become one of the most important women in his life. He turned many different shades of red as the tale escalated and climaxed. All laughed as Igraine told the tale in vivid detail. I myself smiled every now and then.

Grabbing for my goblet, I proceeded to take a drink when I realized that my goblet was empty. Going to pour myself some more wine, I walked towards the brass pitcher.

The brass pitcher was situated on the far left side of the dinning hall next to a wall of open windows. I turned with my goblet of wine and proceeded to look out the windows up into the sky at the very pure white moon.

How odd.......it's never this bright.

I drank the wine slowly, savoring its cool sweet bitter taste on my tongue.

I smiled as I recalled a night like this. A night which was many many years ago. A night when Cain was still alive and well.

"I hope you're doing well Cain." I whispered to the wind

I do not recall how long I stood their simply staring at the moon. I drank goblet after goblet of wine and yet I did not feel the tiny bit of the wine's affects. I simply felt lighter; slightly more cheerful. I turned away from the moon and began to walk back towards my seat when I realized that I almost left without refilling my goblet. Turning back once again, I proceeded to pour until I saw a movement in the darkness a few yards away from the castle. 

Freezing in my actions I saw as a man emerged from the shadows of the trees with battle axes across his back. I tried to move but my body would not move even a centimeter. It was as if I was frozen in time. To my horror, I saw as hundreds of men emerged from the tree lines from the south lawns and quietly began descending upon the castle. 

I tried to yell at Braiden to ready for an attack but no sound came out of my mouth. I was able to see that Braiden was just now beginning to feel the affects of the wine and more than half of his men were either sleeping on the table, jesting, leaving for bed, drinking, or having intimacies in the dark corners and not one of them were prepared for this. 

My horror grew with each step that the enemy took towards my castle; towards my sons and daughter. The men approaching broke down the castle doors and stormed the castle. Within moments a half dozen of Braiden's men were slain. Braiden was a bit woozy on his feet but he was not my concern. Igraine was being cornered by four men near the fire on her way to escape the massacre. Ectore was trying his hardest to fight off and sometimes kill the men that were going near to his beloved. 

Braiden was quickly regaining his senses and began storming the enemy down with his axe. One by one and at time two at a time, men were falling at his feet, bloodied and disfigured. I could now hear Igraine screaming as the enemy men pulled at her hair and tore at her silk dress. 

Braiden heard her scream and made his way towards her and within seconds all four men were dead. Braiden moved on to the burning parts of the castle as his men dealt with the dozen or so enemy men that were still plaguing the great hall. More of Braiden's men fell than the enemy did with those half dozen men left to kill. 

I tried to move once again but my body was immobile and refused to move. I watched with growing horror as the last of Braiden's men fell to the ground with his head rolling around his lifeless body. The last three men turned to Igraine who was shocked into immobility and descended upon her.

What happened next, will remain within my memory for the rest of my life for as long as I live. Igraine remained immobile and would not move. Her face was contorted into one of shock. I tried to see if Ectore was still in the room but it became apparent that he was not. No one was here to save my daughter from sure rape and murder. Tears began to form in my eyes as I realized that not even I, her own mother, would be able to save her from this fate.

The men slowly approached her before two of the men split off to her left and right sides. Upon reaching her sides they grabbed her and held her close. This made her finally react. When she refocused her eyes, they filled with tears.

"Are you going to kill me now?" She asked

The three men laughed and the man in front of her shook his head before saying, "We 're gone ta have us a wee bit o' fun with yee 'fore we kill yee."

Igraine's face paled to the point that I thought she might faint. She regained her senses enough to try to tell the men that if it was money they wanted they need only take her for ransom. The three men laughed at her and began squeezing her arms as the one in the front began to loosen her dress to expose her breasts. Igraine pleaded with the men to allow her to go and that she'd make sure Braiden wouldn't kill them.

Upon the mention of Braiden's name the man undressing her called to the man on his left and had him close and block the great all door and all its exists. It was then that I knew, Igraine truly had no chance of survival. Igraine was rapped repeatedly by all three men before they finally decided to kill her.

She screamed and cried and pleaded through out it all. All the men ever did was laugh at her and make it more painful. Blood was everywhere from her female parts and she was already half dead before one of the men decided she was no longer "fun" and incapacitated her before my eyes.

I had to watch, immobile and unable to help her through out it all until the very end. I felt something inside of me crack, break, and shatter. I dropped to my knees as the three men escaped out of the windows, leaving my daughters body, mangled and bloodied.

I ran to her and cradled her head less body in my arms and screamed my sorrow.