Sage
I made the mistake of trusting my mother again. It wouldn't be something that would happen three times. I was going to trust the butterfly and hone my skills without my mother. My plan was now to spy on her, and by doing so, I discovered that she was working behind my back to take over my place as well. Every inch we moved forward, was followed by five steps back. That's when I knew the butterfly was right. Throughout the day I listened to her conversations and at night, I watched her practice her skills and copied and learnt to do them just as she had. Every strike and every hand movement I replicated with perfect symmetry. My next step was to organize a vote to have her removed if she tried to have me removed first.
1 week later
I had been trying to round up votes with no success. I was starting to worry that I would not last here after all, despite all I had given to the people of Sugarland. My mother was just more liked, purely for her status and it appeared, despite her past indiscretions.
I had come up with a game plan to overthrow my mother. the only way now that I could think of to have a chance at keeping my throne was if I took it with magic. I was going to take the butterfly's advice and kill her with magic.
As my mother slept that night, I crept around her tent, looking for a place to settle in. I found the outline of her head against the tent and warmed up my hands. I allowed simmers of blue current to seep out of my hands and through the tent wall. I heard her hair fizzing as I worked my magic. The glow turned orange when she woke, screaming in anger as she jumped from her slumber and barged me to the ground with the tent between us.
I was pulled up into standing position by my hair with immense force as my mother dragged me into the center of our common camping grounds - where my throne and a lot of the Sugarland residents resided. "You want to fight me?" She shouted angrily. "When did this come about?" She was huffing like the anger had wiped her of any breath she had within her.
I stumbled back from her, not too sure what would make her angrier. "I want my throne." I stood my ground, though my knees were buckling.
"Just when I thought we were getting along." She shook her head in mock disappointment. "You want a fight? You have one." She struck at me, lightning bolts knocking me to the ground. Winded, I stood back up and tried to strike her back, but something caught my eye. It was the butterfly. She was watching me. Her presence gave me the strength I needed to gather enough power, and I used it to knock my mother to the ground on her back. I felt accomplished as I watched her struggle to get up, and then, as if all odds were against me, hands were in my hair, around me and upon my shoulders, pulling me upright and forcing me to feet. I was led to the nearest boat and onto the water. My body heaved in pain as I was shoved into the rough wood and the boat rocked as my mother plopped down beside me. I looked up at her through tears, "Where are we going?" I felt the curtain of hair that fell across my face, cover the flood.
"You are going back home to Västerbotten."
"Why are you coming?" I sobbed, unable to stop my voice from breaking.
"I am accompanying you so that I know you made it there and also to ease my curiosity of your father."
"Oh." my eyes met the ground, creating a pool at my feet.
"I tried to make it work, daughter. You just couldn't stop yourself from trying to fight me."
"You never would have let me become queen over you." I whispered the truth as I knew it.
"That's true, but it was never your rightful spot." She said, just as honestly.
"The butterfly told me I would want to kill you with my magic." I blurted with no sure intention.
"Which butterfly told you to kill me?" Her voice was cracking in growing anger.
"It didn't tell me I would succeed." I uttered, I saw the creature's face in the forefront of my mind and it made me cry even more. I probably wouldn't see creatures that beautiful again.
"Stop crying." My mother snapped. "You sound so weak. Just like your father, apparently."
"Do not compare me to him!" I snapped my head to face her. She rolled her eyes in reply and leaned back in the boat like she was preparing to take a nap. "Try to sleep now child, it will be a while until we get to Västerbotten.
I was awoken by sunlight, the gentle lull of the ocean mixed with some depression keeping me asleep until now. I sat up and crooked my neck to see what was facing me. Västerbotten. There was no mistaking it. There was also no one there to greet us. The ship hit the deck and I climbed out, expecting my mother to follow, but she just sat still in the boat with an unreadable expression on her face. "Are you coming?" I rolled my eyes in the direction of the shore.
"In a minute." She bit her lip so hard that I could see the color drain from it. "Whatever." I walked ahead, looking for somewhere to settle. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone or to even be back here at all, so I went and perched myself on a lone log by the water.
"Sage." A voice made itself known. A female voice - one I had known but not well enough that I would recognise it on first puncture. I turned to face the voice, Bodel. I let my feet sink into the dirt in front of me, sighing. She took a seat next to me. "You're back to find Bear, aren't you?" Her voice was sharp but there was a hint of fear in there too. "Relax. I'm not here for Bear." And then I turned to her, suddenly aware that there was a reason for her worry. "Why do you care, even if I was?" I looked her straight in those muddy eyes. She retreated slightly, "Bear and I got married." A little boy ran up to her, grabbing her leg. "Mama, who is this?" He looked up at his mother and then poked his tongue out at me. "That's Sage." She patted his hair and I nearly choked. "You married Bear..." It was a hard pill to swallow even though I didn't have any interest in him anymore. "Is that Bear's son?" I forced myself to swallow the truth. "Yes." She said matter of factly.
"So that makes you, what?" I squinted my eyes to shield them from the sun, which seemed blaringly hot all of a sudden.
"Your queen." She smirked, and I knew that hidden behind that smirk was the old bodel - the one I used to fight and curse openly. This was satisfying her every dream of the shoe being on the other foot. I stood, storming toward the boat where my mother no longer sat. I took a seat in it as Bodel stood to watch me, straddling her infant on her hip. I clutched the sides of the boat until the wood burnt off under my hands. And then suddenly remembered - my magic.
