War of the Roses

21. Making Amends

The fog covered the deep forest making walk ahead a hard task, this part of the forest looked terrifying and for that reason only a few were brave enough to step foot in it.

"We are here my lady." The maid finally said turning around curious to see Lady Alice's reaction.

"For all the gods, finally." Alice looked around, the sight of her surroundings provoking chills everywhere in her body.

The maid nodded for Alice to walk towards the front door of the hut. A deep breath and then a long swallow helped to build up a little bit of courage to do what she had to do. More than once the thought of walking away from that hideous place crossed her mind but she new it was now or never, she have made it this far anyways.

She knew she had to knock on the old wooden door but by then the little bit of courage she had forced to built up have already slipped like clear water thought her fingers. Alice looked back just to get a glimpse of the maid's reaction only to find her as petrified as she was.

"You may enter." A voice from inside the hut startled them both. Alice decided to ignore all her self preservation senses and pushed the door open, she then removed the cap of her cloak and her brown eyes encountered a set of blue ones, not just the average blue eyes, but the kind that cuts through your soul with a simple stare. Alice gulped the knot that formed in her throat after realizing that those eyes became the only thing she could clearly see in the darkness of the place. 

"Please come closer, and have a seat I'm sure you did not come all the way here to just stand at my door."

Alice obeyed not daring to go against the wishes of the woman. She took a seat right across from the witch in front of a wooden table, the maid remained standing behind Alice.

"What can an elegant lady like you could possibly need from me?" The woman asked.

"I ... I ... I'm loosing the man I love, I need your help to stop that from happening."

"Mmmm ... I see, and how do you suppose I will be of help in all this my lady?" The woman's gaze never left Alice, almost as if reading her entirely.

"I don't know, that's why I'm here because I don't know what to do anymore."

"Before pursuing my help you must understand that I can only help you to control this man's mind, his heart no one can change, is called destiny. Do you understand that Miss?"

"I .. I do, yes." Alice replied with shaky voice.

"Good, I believe I have something that might help you with a powerful man like the one question, let me look." The woman started looking through some small crystal bottles, some took more of her attention even to the point where she opened them up and smelled it's contents.

"These two will do. Now listen very careful, you are going to dink this one tonight, all of it and this other one the king will need to dink tomorrow. You have to make sure you spend the night with him after you give him the contents of the bottle, that will be your only chance. "

Alice's upper lip trembled, in shock.

"II never said who the man in question was ...." She said with a shaky voice.

"I know certain things that most people don't, reason why you came to me on the first place, isn't it my lady?" The old woman replied with confidence.

A chilling sensation clouded Alice's mind, if anyone knows about this her life will be taken away in the most terrible way, if practicing witchcraft was punished by public burning she couldn't bring herself to imagine what the punishment will be for using witchcraft with no other than the king. Realization that her life and well being was in the witch's hands was terrifying.