WITCH - The Queen

Bonus 14

Chloe grew up with her twin brother in a small village in the woods. One of several villages was built deep in the forest. Her home village was considered the youngest of these villages, as it had only existed for about a hundred years.

Her parents, Renata and Diego, owned a small house, which they had built themselves. They were the founders of the village and therefore highly respected in the village. Of course, they had not built the house alone a hundred years ago. Their two elders, Ximena and Javier, helped them. The two were 20 and 30 years old at that time.

Ximena and Diego had their own families now. Just like her three other brothers Taemin, Jae, and Archie. These three were also a lot older than Chloe, and Benjamin, the two babies of the family. Today, on a glorious autumn day, was their fourteenth birthday, and therefore the whole family was gathered in the evening.

All their siblings with their partners and children. Chloe enjoyed being part of a big family. Even if this usually meant chaos when everyone came together. Just now, a few of her nieces and nephews were throwing the leaves of the trees at each other, and her older brothers were involved in a water fight. Her father scolded them that they would all catch a cold.

Benjamin defended the birthday cake against their one-year-old niece, who had climbed onto the table to help herself to the cake with her hands. She screamed in frustration as Benjamin carried her away from the table to her mother.

Her mother scolded them about her daughter always being allowed to eat with her hands, and that Benjamin should not interfere. Chloe rolled her eyes and rushed to her brother's aid.

"Manon, we haven't cut the cake yet. And Benjamin doesn't like it when others take food with their hands. He loses his appetite. Lina will have to wait. We always start together. You know that. And today is our birthday", she said.

Chloe and Benjamin didn't like Manon very much. Manon was a selfish beast. At least that's what Benjamin secretly called her. Chloe didn't understand why Javier had married her. The elf ignored family traditions and constantly tried to get her will.

Manon glared angrily at them. "You two are still children. You don't know anything about raising kids. Lina is only one year old. She wants cake now. She doesn't understand why she should wait. So please, give her cake NOW."

Her mother heard this and angrily stood up in front of her daughter-in-law. "If you continue like this, Lina will be a spoiled brat!", she said. "We start together. Stop always trying to put your head through the wall! You're not ruining my children's birthday! Bad enough that Lina was sitting in the middle of the cake I baked her on her birthday. And that was right at the beginning of the celebration! No one could eat any of the cake."

"It was Lina's cake", Manon objected, snorted, and walked to her husband with the screaming Lina in her arms.

"I can't stand this woman!", growled Renata, stroking Chloe and Benjamin's hair. "You two did everything right. It's your cake, not Linas."

Benjamin smiled.

They watched as Manon and Javier left the party feeling insulted, together with Lina. Javier was soaking wet, which displeased his wife. Renata laughed. "We must have hurt Manon's pride. And Javier dances to her tune, of course."

"If she's not there, she can't start a fight." Chloe shrugged.

"I want cake now. Shall we cut it?", asked Benjamin.

So Renata called the family to the table and Benjamin had the honor of cutting the cake. The family talked and ate the cake together. It was beautiful. And a bit chaotic. As usual.

Some of the children preferred to eat under the table. One of her nephews tied Taemin's shoelaces together so that he fell on the table when he wanted to get up. Cake now stuck to his clothes. The family laughed, Taemin grinned and licked the cake from his clothes. One of the children giggled as they could see his belly.

But then, all of a sudden, burning arrows shot across the sky. Her family's house was on fire. They heard screams. Their neighbors ran out of their homes in panic, while soldiers came riding horseback into the village. Witches and wizards with flickering flames around them.

Their fourteenth birthday was the last Chloe and Benjamin celebrated with their family. In search of the princess, the soldiers destroyed their village, killed the adults, and took all the children to a cold, unfriendly tent camp. And from there?

Some were sent to a children's home, others were taken to the large slave market, and some were placed directly as slaves to rich buyers. Many of the soldiers gave them vicious looks and they treated them roughly. Only one witch, Charlotte, was friendly and defended the children. Until they were handed over to the slave traders. They also looked at them with cold eyes.

Chloe and Benjamin were supposed to be sold individually on the slave market, but before they were taken there, two servants of a witch bought them so they could serve a witch. A man and a bound servant. Nervously, the two twins looked at the elf, who looked at them friendly, almost fatherly.

They hadn't had time to mourn until then. But the sight of this elf, who resembled their father, made the two cry in silence.

Soon after, they met Princess Lea. And finally, they could grieve their lost family. Shay lovingly cared for them and the princess gave them time to get used to the new environment. She provided them with clothes, books, food...

Then they started working at the academy and eventually they got used to the princess, who was never mischievous or cruel.

And now, at seventeen, Chloe saw the princess as a kind of sister, and mother. Even if she didn't want to admit it. She was too angry with the royal family to accept Lea as family. This was different with Shay, whom she and Benjamin now referred to as 'Papa two'. But this one terrible night had left its mark. Benjamin didn't like it when humans touched him (except for Lea), and Chloe was afraid of confined spaces and unfriendly looks.

Nothing was worse than cold eyes.

Therefore, she avoided making eye contact with humans.

(c: sasi)