Witches Don't Burn, Silly

Y'all... Good Husbands and Good Dads

"Good morning, Tobias." I said with a bright smile as I handed the older man tea. "How did you sleep last night?"

He shuffled a little in his seat as he took the tea from my outstretched hand. "If I am being honest, I haven't been getting the best sleep. I miss my family dearly and my worries for them keep me up into the late hours of the night."

"I understand. This situation is rather stressful." I looked into his eyes. His nerves made his hands tremble as he held the teacup. "If you will accept it, I can always make you an herb to help with sleep."

"That would be appreciated, Mariposa." He said with a sad sigh as if he were struggling to hold this conversation with me.

"Is everything all right?" I asked.

"I worry about my presence here." He set down his tea on the table in front of him. "I feel like I shouldn't be among these free witches because only months ago I had been trying to send them to their deaths."

"No one is holding your past against you, Tobias." My voice was stern as I spoke, leaving no room for doubt. "The people here will understand that you didn't know what you were doing wasn't right. They will not put what the king forces you to do against you."

"How can you be sure?" Tobias asks softly with a slight sniffle.

"Because, the people here are not cruel, they are only trying to survive and as long as you aren't making it harder for them they will feel no reason for you to not be here." 

"Thank you." He sighed and looked me in the eyes. His eyes were red and puffy and I don't think he has a break from his tears that have lasted longer than thirty seconds.

"Can you tell me more about the capital?" My voice was gentle but I was able to hide my slight embarrassment as I spoke. "I have never been to the capital so my knowledge is a little lackluster."

"The capital is a busy place. It's easy to blend in with the crowd only because there are so many of them. People are rude and just want to get to where they need to be and aren't into pleasantries so it's just best to avoid interacting with them." Tobias stared at his hands as he spoke and it was concerning how empty his voice sounded. "The guards there are too overwhelmed to actually notice if anything is wrong. Not because they are inexperienced but because there is simply too much happening for them to keep track."

"What does the palace look like?" I asked and Tobias finally glanced up at me.

"It towers over every other building in the entire kingdom. It is impossible to miss it. In my personal opinion, something has always felt off about the building, like it is haunted by evil." His face contorted as he spoke and it was apparent that he did not like the palace. "It's a glittering white that just feels unnatural and it is the only building that never builds up any dirt within the capital."

"What about the grounds around the palace? Is there a guarded wall?" My brows pinched together as I tried to visualize the palace in my mind and an oddly perfect and clear image popped in my mind, as if I had seen this building a hundred times before and wasn't just going off a description given to me. "Do the plants in the gardens surrounding it look fake, like they were never alive?"

He paused, giving me a strange look. "Yes, they do. How would you know that?" I gave him an uneven shrug. "It's an eerie feeling garden. I must say it made my skin crawl whenever I had to walk through it. Now, back to the wall around the palace. It is about ten feet tall if not more and there are guards positioned along every inch of the top part."

"How do you think we should enter in order to not be noticed?" I asked as worry crept into my thoughts. How were we going to save his family?

"I recommend that you go through the servant's passage." He drew out a piece of paper and charcoal and started sketching a map. "It's a hidden portion on the side of the wall so that the servants aren't noticed when they enter and leave the palace grounds."

"Where do we go from there?"

"I think you can enter the palace in the servants stairwell into the kitchen and make your way into the main parts of the palace." I watched as he mapped out the servant's passage ways. "Here." He handed me the map and I was amazed by the detail.

"Thank you, Tobias, this will help us a lot." The awe in my voice was obvious as I admired his quick work on the palace grounds. Hope sparked in my chest as I thought about how we were going to do all of this.

"I will help with anything I can, Mariposa. As long as I get to see my family again, then there is nothing I won't do." I watched as resolve made him sit up straighter.

"I will bring them back to you, Tobias." I grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I promise you that."

"I trust you." He whispered and my heart squeezed as I saw that desperation drowning his eyes in sorrow. This poor man was so strong.

"I'm going to go discuss this with Seth." He nods as I stand up, looking at the gold thread that traveled in the direction of Seth and make my leave.

I was going to make a plan to bring down a monarchy.