Devil's Spawn

Heaven on Earth

"Lily?" Zelda Spellman didn't dare breathe or hope that Lilith was as lucid as she appeared to be.

Wincing as she moved, Lilith slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and swung her legs off the bed and onto the floor. Sitting beside Zelda, the Mother of Demons pressed her palms into her thighs as her body began to shake. One hand lifted to her mouth in horror as her eyes filled with tears and suddenly, her body was sliding off of the bed and onto the floor. Twisting as she landed, she threw her arms around Zelda's waist and her head in the witch's lap as she began to sob, "Oh Zelda....I remember everything. Oh Satan no....no no no."

Zelda felt her own eyes moisten both with gratitude to have her lover back and with grief at what Lilith was about to experience. Bowing over the witch in her lap, she relished in the feeling of being able to press a kiss to her head, smooth the hair from her face, hold her. She wanted to be closer so she pushed and shoved in order to meet Lilith on the floor, wrapping her arms viciously around the sobbing witch, and holding her tight as if she were about to disappear. Her own quiet tears wetting the dark hair beneath her as she felt Lilith squeeze her tightly.

"Zelds...." Lilith's voice cracked into an anguished moan and she pulled back to look Zelda in the eye. "...can you ever forgive me? Ohhhh....how could you ever forgive me??" Lilith fell back onto Zelda, sobs racked her slight frame violently as she became overwhelmed with the severity of the events that had occurred over the last few weeks.

"Hush Lilith, you never intended to cause any harm." Zelda purred tenderly, petting the witch in her lap and letting the grief wash over her, thankful to have Lilith back. "Come with me..."

Helping Lilith to her feet, Zelda took her lover's hand and led her into the bathroom. Turning the taps to release water into the bathtub, the redheaded witch sprinkled dried lavender, bergamot essential oil, and some epsom salts into the water. A snap of her fingers extinguished the lights and lit the candles around the room, their flames illuminating the space around the bath as they levitated into the air above the witches. Turning to Lilith, Zelda gently began to pull the singed and melted black velvet from her skin, realizing the depths of her injuries and using magic as well as force to pull fabric from flesh. Tears snuck quietly from beneath Lilith's closed eyes, traveling down her cheeks and trembling at her chin where Zelda softly kissed them away. The touch of the High Priestess' lips against her face made Lilith tremble, such a juxtaposition of softness compared to the Dark Lord's violence.

Bit by bit, Zelda removed Lilith's dress, wincing at the scars and raw flesh the fire in the clearing at left behind. She hadn't realized she was crying until Lilith reached out and wiped at her tears, "Don't worry my darling, the scars will heal quickly. Pain is temporary."

Zelda bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She wanted to cry and scream about how unfair Lucifer's treatment of Lilith has been over millennia, she wanted to rage on about revenge and retribution, she wanted to burn Hell to the ground and wreak havoc on any and all souls who have caused her love harm. But right now, it was more important to focus on healing and gaining strength, Lilith's road to recovery was nowhere near complete and she would need Zelda's strength. The High Priestess also had to come to terms with her own trauma and vulnerability, seeking to heal herself before she could be an effective weapon in the fight against the Dark Lord. Now was a time for rest and restoration.

The Mother of Demons stepped out of what was left of her gown and into the bathtub, sinking into its depths, as Zelda stirred the water with her fingers and murmured a spell of protection; "Aegir of the rolling sea, keep your watchful eyes on she. Protect her with your precious salt, and keep her far from harm and fault."

Lilith marveled at the way Zelda loved her. Her memories were still clouded in thick fog but they were present, like watching a film through a windshield during a thunderstorm. This witch had told her she loved her and Lilith hadn't been able to respond the same and yet, she was being cared for, catered to, saved multiple times. Long ago she told the Dark Lord she was not worthy of his love but that, she was beginning to realize, was nothing like love - that was ownership and possession. Here was a witch who wanted nothing more than to support Lilith's true self and take only what was freely given to her. In the many millennia in which Lilith had survived, never had she been loved like this. It was as unfamiliar as an unmarked road in the dark and yet all she wanted to do was travel down it.