The Taming of a Beast

Chapter 9

A/N: I own nothing but plot. Enjoy!

Warning of light mentions of abuse.

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"I suppose my story starts when I took the blame for my brother murdering our father. But it was an accident. He only meant to protect me."

Evelina's mother, Miranda, hid her lineage of descending from the witches. Miranda did not have pink eyes and  didn't  portray any abilities of a witch, but both her sister and mother were witches. Miranda was able to live a normal life and ended up catching the eye of Reginald Aislin.

When Evelina was born with pink eyes and the power of the witch, Reginald was angry but Miranda eventually wiggled back into his good graces, mostly by neglecting Evelina. Miranda was furious that such a child had interrupted her "normal" and luxurious life. Then Zeph was born, seemingly with no signs of magic at all.

Miranda lost Reginald's love for birthing two imperfect children, but she was already weakened from Zeph's birth and passed away shortly. That was the last straw for Reginald Aislin, who always believed that his life would be absolutely ordered and perfect. He had a most reputable and influential position as the master of the magic tower, someone even the King of Galvador respected in his court. His wife had been beautiful and elegant. Yet, both of his children were flawed, two imperfections that he could not stand.

Reginald began abusing his children after the death of his wife, trying to beat Zeph so his magic would manifest. Her father would often place Zeph in dangerous situations, hoping that Zeph would produce his magical abilities in order to save his life. His abilities never did, and Zeph narrowly escaped death several times. Yet, Reginald was not pleased that his son lived each time without showing his magic.

In contrast, Evelina was not allowed to use her witch's magic at all. Her father tried unsuccessfully to craft a pair of magical restraints to trap her burgeoning powers, but regardless she was punished with starvation or isolation if she ever showed an inkling of having used her powers. Secretly, Evelina practiced her power as much as possible, determined to one day leave the magical tower with Zeph.

In Reginald's tyranny, the two siblings bonded close to each other. Evelina played the role of both mother and older sister to Zeph. She protected Zeph as much as possible and carefully treated his wounds. And if it wasn't for Zeph, Evelina wasn't sure how she would end up or if she would have just given up on life.

That was how their life continued until Evelina turned sixteen and Zeph was turning ten. Only Zeph's magic would manifest in a way Reginald didn't expect to.

During one particular harsh punishment, Evelina tried to protect Zeph, who was only ten. In fury, Reginald turned his anger onto Evelina, hitting the back of her calves again and again. Evelina cried out for the whipping to stop, fearing that she might never be able to walk again.

Eventually, Evelina had passed out in pain. When she woke up, Zeph was sobbing, pulling at her arm to try to wake her up. Then Evelina saw what made her brother so desperate and frantic.

Their father, the great Reginald Aislin, crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, blood smeared on his head. But before Evelina had passed out, she was sure that she had seen one thing.

Zeph had been tugging at their father's legs, begging him to stop torturing Evelina. Then, just as Evelina began slipping into unconsciousness, she saw what happened clear as day. Zeph pushed out with one hand, and Evelina felt the swift whoosh of wind blow past her. Reginald's body flew past her and crumpled through the door and out into the hall to tumble down the stairs. Zeph stared, dumbfounded, at his own hands that had produced the wind.