Hamilton Oneshots

Maiden of the Catacombs (TheoBurr)

Theodosia sighed as she paced in the cage she had been locked in. She'd been here for years, five years to be exact, her crime? Witchcraft. It wasn't as if she was an active witch or even magic user but when she gave birth to her daughter all those years ago she couldn't let the newborn's life be snuffed out only hours after being born so she used the dark craft to bring her daughter newfound like. The town soon found out about her use of dark magic and locked her in the catacombs inside a cage, each year they checked if she had died yet but she had not even though they didn't feed her she was using magic to force the small mice who scurried in these forgotten corridors to bring her food and water. Theo had lost weight, of course she had, she survived on next to nothing as mice couldn't carry much, but she was alive and that was all that mattered. For some reason her magic couldn't work on or in the cage, she couldn't get out, she couldn't even stick her hands our because it would burn. The one thing keeping her going after all these years was the thought, the idea, the burning hope that her daughter was still alive and waiting for her. She had been in this cage for five years and logic said that the townspeople punished her daughter for Theo's crimes but a mother never gives up hope for her children.

Theodosia shook her head to clear it and held her throbbing head, the lack of food made her more susceptible to headaches and migraines. Slowly she sat up and pulled her box braids over one shoulder, cringing at how greasy her hair felt but the braids helped. She stood up and fell down from the lack of energy, she sighed and held her hands out, feeling the warm and electric surge through her body that she focused on finding a living animal which she then gave a mission to find her food and then another to find water. As soon as she gave the two animals their mission she collapsed onto her chest, breathing heavily. It took so much out of her to do this, to send them on these missions that her survival depended on.

Theo's head snapped up when she heard the old iron door to the catacombs open with a squeak, it was too early for another year to have gone by already. Who would come into here? This is where memories go to be forgotten.

He walked over and knelt before sliding a proper meal into her cage which had her flabbergasted, "What?" She hadn't seen a proper meal in years.

"Um..." The man shook his head and looked at her, he looked almost as confused as she felt, "Who are you? Where am I?"

"I-" Theo looked at him to determine if he was lying or making a terrible joke but he looked genuine so she sighed and explained, "I'm Theodosia Bartow and you're in the catacombs, the place where memories go to die. Only dead bodies and I reside here though both are probably not by choice, I can't imagine anybody choosing to spend the rest of their eternity down here." She edged closer to the food and slid it to herself, picking a strip of bacon up and putting it in her mouth, "So who are you? Why are you here? Why'd you feed me? On that note, thanks for the food."

"My name is Aaron Burr," The man said slowly, "I don't know why I'm here or why I brought food I just...did? One moment I was reading and the next I was here, giving you food. Why are you here? And trapped in a cage?"

Theo stared at him, how could he not know who she was? She looked at his clothes and assumed he was a traveller, "I used magic to save my dying daughter so I was locked in here. It's been five years. I'm sorry, by the way, I used my magic on you but I didn't mean to." She had already connected the two dots, "I was just trying to get food I didn't mean to make a human get it, it was supposed to be a rat, but it got you instead."

"That makes no sense," Aaron said as his eyebrows furrowed, "You're being punished for saving somebody? Especially somebody so close to you?" Magic was present in their world though it was persecuted and treated terribly most everywhere as it went against almost all the teachings of the church and the natural state of the world.

Theo shrugged, "It was magic." She told him simply, surprised he was being understanding, "But it worked. Its been five years but I'm comforted every day by the fact that my daughter has survived. Even if I die here...she didn't. I named her after me, Theodosia, and I was named after my father so it all came full circle. Sorry, that's a lot of rambling but...I haven't talked properly to anybody for years so excuse me."

Aaron shook his head, "You won't die down here." He got up and put his hands on the lock, instantly his hands began to glow golden and Theo gasped at the familiarity of the feeling in the air, "Because I'll be damned if I let another of us die, our numbers are already dwindling."

"You use magic too," Theo whispered in awe, watching his light become brighter as he poured more magical energy into it, "Just give up. The cage is resistant to magic, don't you think I've tried?"

Aaron shook his head, "I can feel it budging." He growled through his teeth. Theo squeaked when she saw his tooth chip from the pressure his teeth were clamped down with and a moment later the gate swung open.

"Oh my God..." She got up and fell to her feet before getting back up and shuffling to the exit, "You did it." She whispered, looking at his face before collapsing.

Theodosia woke up in a bed, an actual bed? She hadn't known a mattress in half a decade. Carefully she sat up, putting a hand on her frail stomach as she did, it was screaming with the pain of hunger again. She sniffed the air and followed the smell of apple pie into a kitchen where she stood in the doorway, her eyes wide. Her biological link burned as she gazed at a small child stood on a counter telling Aaron what the ingredients.

"A-Aaron..." She stuttered and he looked at her with a smile while the little girl jumped off of the counter and ran over to her. Theodosia slowly got onto her knees, "Th-Theo-Theodosia?" She whispered quietly.

She nodded, "The big man said you're my mommy!" She cheered and Theo slowly nodded, "Hi!"

"Hi, baby..." She couldn't get her voice any louder but she hugged her daughter nonetheless, "Oh my God hi."

"Miss. Trunch said you was dead but she was wrong," Little Theo told her, "Because you're right here!" She added and hugged her mother.

"And I'll always be here." Theodosia whispered, "I know I wasn't here before but I will be with you forever. We can move! Do you want to move? We can move and find really cool animals and maybe a unicorn? I can teach you magic too!"

"Yes!" Theo replied and Theodosia smiled happily, only now realizing she had been crying from happiness.

Theodosia looked up at Aaron, "How can...no I really can't make this up to you. Thank you so much." She sniffed and brushed her tears away, looking at Theo and realizing how much she looked like her mother. Her father had died while Theodosia was pregnant and although she wished Theo looked like her father she was glad she had a little mini-me.

"How's about you let me care for you financially?" Aaron asked, "I already paid for the adoption of Little Theodosia as she was in an orphanage and I know you don't have any money yourself so I just...I mean I need to help."

"No, I really-I really couldn't," Theodosia said quickly, standing up with her daughter in her arms. Little Theo kept silent as she was confused and wanted to listen to them to figure out what was going on.

"Well I want to," Aaron told her, "You went through utter Hell for five years so I want to make life easier for you." He smiled kindly, "And also the other Theo because she's so kind and nice. Plus she knows how to make really good apple pie."

"Yeah!" Theo shouted, "Pie!"

Theodosia laughed softly and kissed Theo's temple, "Alright. For Little Theo...we're going to move away from this wretched city though." She couldn't stand one more moment in this city as it was full of ignorance and bad memories.

"Of course, of course." Aaron said understandingly and turned back to the apple pie, "I can't abandon my maiden of the catacombs though." He added making Theodosia blush.