The Baron and his Lady

Twenty-one: Collier

"Kristaaaaa! Come back! Krista!"

"Enough Tristane!"

The forest no longer lay quiet, dawn was rising and the animals were waking. The lone peach tree hovered over the witches, the passage closed. Tristane's fists battled the sturdy trunk in total futility.

"Bring her back! Bring her back!"

Emma raised her hand and slapped her descendant. The sound was ear breaking. Tristane's face turned sideways, caught unprepared.

"Shut your yodelling. There's nothing you can do anymore. She chose him not you!"

"No, no..."

After using his magic several times in one night, his body has gone limp. He laid his head against the tree where the passage appeared awhile ago. When he stared at it the trunk it was just an ordinary trunk, part of the tree and nothing magical at all.

"She's gone. And even if you try to reopen the passage you can't. You're too weak, I've enclosed my own spell this time. They cannot reach out to anyone anymore."

"Why did you have to come back? Why did you have to ruin our lives?"

Emma exhaled, all night they asked her why she was doing this, why she came back, why, why, why. Its growing on her and she didn't like it.

"I am not in the mood to play twenty questions with you. Stand up and we'll go somewhere far, I'll teach you how to properly use your magic. And one day, you'll forget all about this."

"I love her..."

Tristane's voice was really small, the shock was too much for him. How could Krista be gone? She didn't want to go through, she only wanted to help him. Why did she leave him here?

"Love will get you nowhere. Believe me, I've been there. I thought Clayton loved me, afterall he showered me with gifts and attention. But still at the end of the day, he'd come crawling back to his wife."

"I don't care about you. Leave me alone.." He bowed his head fighting back the tears.

"You are my blood, Tristane. The same kind of magic flows into your veins. I cannot let you go to waste."

Emma bent over and touched his face, careful not to brush his injuries she cupped his jaw.

"We are family and family does not leave each other behind. I am not making the same mistake like before, I thought leaving my children and husband was for the best. I roamed the earth for many, many years before learning that I could never find another family than the one I already had. I'll take care of you Tristane, you'll find someone else. I promise you."

She caught his brown eyes and saw her reflection against the clear orbs. How sad he looked, hurt, so broken and so weak.

"I am not like you."

He found his voice again, never will he stoop down to her level. His father taught him everything to use his powers for the good only. He didn't care if he was weak so as long as he did not hurt someone with his gift.

"Don't deny your fate. If you succumbed to weakness your powers will diminish. Our kind is different. We are meant to grow strong. We embrace the darkness like it was our lifeline, we do not let our feelings rule us. I will guide you to greatness."

Emma touched her necklace that glowed eerily. She showed it to Tristane.

"My aunt gave this to me, she was not a wand waving kind of witch. She held her power in her collier and I did too. This way you will not be weakened immdiately after using you powers. I can help you get one, just follow me child. That is all I ask."