"As time foretold, a hero came. He was strong and gallant, but only a child. I had no choice but to fight him, for that is destiny. As we fought, I saw him grow weak. I decided to give him a choice to surrender. Crying on the ground, he took it.
"There there," I said as I picked him up, "you could have never beat me."
"Yes... I could...have.." the little boy was out of breath.
He looked about twelve at most, maybe eleven. He had blonde hair and green grey eyes. He was tired, and I knew I couldn't imprison him like the others who have come. I took him to my private quarters, and set him down on a chair.
"Who sent you?" I wondered out loud, "Who would make a child fight the most feared sorceress in the land?"
"No one. I came myself you, you horrible thing." He glared at me.
Maybe I could imprison him.
No, I thought again, that's not right. He is just a child, he was raised like this.
I set him on the bed, and he sprung up and ran. I looked down the hall, and he was running like mad. I decided to follow him, because I can't just let him leave, and I caught up to him extremely quickly. He fought me with all his power, but I just picked him up and took him to the dungeon, a floor below my red castle.
He screamed and kicked, but I assured him it would be ok.
"Lies, it's all lies, you're just saying that to lure me into a state of security and then kill me!" He yelled as we went down the stairs.
"Now who told you that? I don't kill children, I never have on purpose at least." I pulled out my wand to immobilize him, just in case he decided to be bad again.
"My father, he said you were the worst being to exist, and that you were the reason we all have to hide at night!" He stopped flailing. I set him down in front of a cell.
"While it is true I used to send my servants out at night, I didn't after I had a child. That was years ago, Willis is long.." I let my voice trail off.
"Long what?" The boys voice was calmer now, clearly seeing I was hurt, not physically, but emotionally.
I cleared my throat. "Dead. Long dead. Look, you can either live in this cell for the rest of your days, or you can live with me.. what's your name?"
"Jackie," He said, back to being unsure.
"Well, I'm Veronica. Now what do you choose?" I said.
"I'd rather live in this cell than with you, witch," He was crossing his arms in defiance.
"So be it, Jackie. Get in the cell, and I will check again tomorrow."
Every day for a year I checked. I wanted to have a child to care for again for so long, I kept asking. Over meals, I would ask him about his favorite and least favorite things, his hobbies, and at all costs avoided talk about his past. More hero's came by during his stay, and I told him about none. I figured he didn't want to know.
"Has anyone come to rescue me?" He asked one day. He was sitting on his bed, next to the paint set I had got him.
"Well, no, but people have come," I said, and that was the whole truth. Every time someone came, I asked why. Not one had mentioned Jackie.
"And no one for me?" He asked. I looked into his eyes, and they were near tears.
"No one,"
He shut down after that, refused to eat, refused to talk, he just sat and slept. Three days of that, and he finally started to talk again.
"Veronica, I haven't been entirely truthful," He said.
I stopped knitting and listened.
"I don't want to go home as bad as I say I do. There isn't anything waiting for me there. My family is nice and all, it's just everyone is better than me. Taller, smarter, and, I don't know, just better! I don't want to go back. I don't want to go home. So... can I be your son?" He asked.
Tears were running down my face.
"Of course,"
We lived very happily. I had made him a room during his stay in the cell, personalizing it with details I had learned while he was confined. He loved it. I made sure he was properly schooled, and that he learned wizardry (he really had wanted to). He made a good wizard. It went like this for two years about. We decided to let go everyone who came to our castle, to my dismay.
This was a mistake.
One day, during tea, there was a rumble in the distance. We looked out the front door, and there was a mob running straight to our castle.
"Jackie, you need to run," I said.
"No Mom, we need to fight," He got out his wand. I did too. And together, we cast our spells.
Countless people died, but no one got through our defenses. At least not for long. It was too much. I couldn't keep everyone away. Someone broke through the barrier, swords blazing, and then I knew it was over. I looked over at Jackie, my precious boy, and he was on the ground in a pool of blood. There was a throwing knife lodged in his intestines.
"Run Mom, run," I watched the light in his eyes go out.
And I screamed.
I ran into the broom room in my castle, and grabbed the fastest one, opened the window, and flew out as the mob got into my room."
"And you have been on the run ever since?" You ask.
"Yes, so may I stay with you as I die?" The old woman named Veronica asked.
"I'm afraid I can't house witches. Guards!! Someone, this woman is insane! Lock her up!" You shout. As the guards come running towards Veronica, she pulls out a broom from her red cloak and flies away.
