The witch bride and her familiar

Chapter 2: The demonic prince

Morning dew dripped off the leaves of the herbs in the garden that stood outside the small cottage the following morning, the small village only just starting to wake back up.  There was nothing stirring from the building-  not a sound in the area aside from the faint rustle of leaves that stirred in the early spring breeze and the subtle crunch of footsteps that gradually started to approach the cottage. 

The mailman Gus was now walking over to the fence, a notice in his hand as he hummed faintly to himself merrily.  The day before he hadn't gotten much chance to talk to the local wide lady about much, since the old woman that visited carried him off. But today he had an excuse to visit once more, there being an announcement to a festival happening in a local town near the village.  He wanted to use the chance to hear from Erika who the letter she reciprocated was from... and to also ask if she nay be interested in going to the festival with anyone.   The young boy flustered a little at the thought as he scratched his head and cleared his throat as he got to the fence.  Well... it wasn't as if his chances were totally out if the question... afterall, Erika never really left the cottage at all for any reason.
"E-Erika, I have your mail here... huh...?" He started off in his usual chipper tone... though his words started to trail off as he noticed that the front door of the cottage had been left open... and not a reply came from it...

He would not get a answer to his calls, or to his offer to the festival... nor would he get his mail stolen from the small cat that lived there again... as, as quick as the night rain had graced the small village in a valley with water and departed, so too had the young girl and cat in the distant cottage vanished without a trace...

Down a path that was much smoother than any you would find in the tiny little village, a small black carriage wobbled about, being led by a white horse and driver-  guards also riding horses to either side of it... at a first glance you would think they were protecting somebody incredibly important inside there... one wouldn't guess that a potential convict in the eyes of the countries laws was being transported in there. The carriage had rode through the night without stopping, giving it's inhabitants very little chance to sleep... though even if they were comfortable enough to, sleep seemed out the question for the two.  The carriage was now approaching what looked to be a large city with giant walls-  one that could only mean a bad omen to them both.

Erika stared out the carriage nervously, looking up to the towering castle gates up overhead, the tower spires looking down at her almost judgementally.   The scale of this giant palace in contrast to the tiny cottages in her village quite suddenly made her feel incredibly small.
"Sweetie, we are no longer in Asul..." Mira muttered from Erika's lap, staring out the window as Erika shrunk up into herself nervously... She had spent a long and tiring night with her thoughts in a whirl, scared and only with Mira at her side to keep her company.  After quite literally yanking Erika from her home, the guards promptly threw her into the rather fancy looking carriage without much more to say to her other than she shouldn't try jumping out the carriage as it moved.  They said nothing further about the person who had asked for her or the place they were going.  Though she had a rather clear idea in her mind of the importance of the place she was now being carted away to had.

This palace was the heart of her kingdom... the place that was the heart of all the witch persecutions round the country... and now she was being taken there. Erika clenched her hands against her dress, feeling a little sickly as the carriage road on through the large golden laden gates, down into the field sized courtyard of the palace.  They had not mentioned a word of her being a witch neither when she was captured or on the journey up to the palace... however she couldn't think for what other reason somebody like her would even be called to there... her mind had thoughts of escaping throughout the night, however, she realised that in doing so, she probably would be setting her fate more in concrete than she would just staying put.  Right now, the worst thing she could realistically do was panic...