The Unraveling

Aielle

It had been a day since the trials and Aielle was still shaking. She was unsure if it was shock or terror. After all, no one expected her spell to do what it had. She definitely hadn't. Not in her wildest dreams. Dreams? Or nightmares? What had occurred was not dream material. But it did secure her place as the champion. As champion, she was now Mathair's sole apprentice. When Mathair abdicated her position as the advisor to King Vier, Aielle would take her place. It seemed as if all of her wishes were finally being fulfilled. Aille wasn't quite sure this life was all that she hoped.

"Aielle. Are you listening?" Mathair looked concerned. Aielle knew why. She was finding it hard to speak after her encounter with the couple. They forgave her. Before they even knew what she would do. What had they done to deserve...she blinked away tears.

"I'm sorry Mathair. My mind has been drifting."

The truth was her mind wasn't drifting. Aielle just kept reliving the outcome of her spell. The couple. So in love. The way that love had killed them. The way she had killed them.

The Mathair nodded in understanding. "Sometimes there are consequences that we cannot foresee. You did well, child. I have been looking for my successor for nearly a decade. None have possessed your natural abilities. Do you know why I chose you to be my apprentice?"

Aielle shook her head. She remembered receiving the letter. She remembered her excitement. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I had been observing you. And the other apprentices. One day, you were all practicing the inferno spell. You set fire to the laundry line when you misspoke the incantation."

She remembered that day. Aielle had expected to be let go for her mistake. But it was never mentioned. She had quickly forgotten the mishap. She had been messing up incantations her entire life. Leaving mess after mess in her wake. There was the tree that sprung up during breakfast at the orphanage. She had just been trying to help the sapling in the kitchen grow a little faster. There was the boy who turned into a dog when she called him one. He had insulted Nesta and Aielle was upset with him. A nearby witch was able to reverse her spell, but mess after mess after mess followed Aielle. This was nothing new to her.

"No one has had that level of natural talent for a century." Aielle looked at Mathair. She was sincere. "I knew then that you would be spectacular. So, I offered you the apprenticeship. You have something special, Aielle. Don't let your gift waste away due to guilt. You have the opportunity of a lifetime before you now. You can make a name for yourself. Leave a legacy. But you have to choose. Do you want it?"

She took a moment to consider her future. Did she want this? Of course she did. She would be crazy not to. But would it be worth it? To build a legacy on the loss of life? She met Mathair's eyes.

"Yes."