Cailleach

Chapter I ~ Narrated

Once upon a time there was a king and queen, who ruled a kingdom. What else? Would they rule a line?

Anyway, I have to keep up this fairytale vibe. King Fion and Queen Boudicca (yes, named after that Briton who died) were much beloved by the kingdom of Upper Dous. However, they were not happy. The couple were getting on in their age, but without a child. Without an heir. Without said nonexistent child, Fion's nephew, Percival, who positively hated Fion and Boudicca. Yes, although much beloved because of their kindness, they only wanted a child because of politics.

They turned to desperate measures. Fion had a brilliant idea. The king and his herald went to deliver the message to the slums of Upper Dous.

"Hear ye, heat ye! A message from your beloved ruler, King Fion! Are you struggling to survive? Do you only want the best for your newborn, yet can't afford so much as regular meals for them? Well come to the royal palace tomorrow and we shall inspect the child, and when they win, the entire world will be fooled into thinking your child is the heir to the throne!"

After Fion's plan had been set into play, Boudicca had a secret plan of her own. She heard tales of a witch in the woods of the neighboring kingdom of Halkiney. The plan was that in the night, she would make the journey. Boudicca thought she could get there and back before dawn.

The journey was uneventful at best. Boudicca didn't quite know where you would find a witch. In castles? Under bridges? Did they even live anywhere at all? But eventually she came across the witch's residence.

It was a cottage. A run-down cottage with vines climbing up the walls and small windows. The kind of house where if you're an old lady living there alone, young children say, "Don't go there! She a witch!" Of course, this time they wouldn't be wrong. All in all, if you see the house, you just know that it belongs to a witch.

Boudicca had heard that the witch was hundreds of years old, so when she knocked on the front door, she expected a pruney old lady to answer, not a tall, willowy young maiden with jet black hair tied back like all the young maidens did hundreds of years ago.

"Hello. What spell do you want?" the young woman snapped.
"Who are you? How do you know I want a spell?" Boudicca replied.
"I'm Malicia, a witch, and I know you want a spell because no one has come here for a cup of tea in all the 500 years I've been alive."
"Well that's disappointing. You know, I think I'll have a cup of tea while I'm here," the queen said, hoping that Malicia wouldn't kill her. Its the cold-hearted ones that terrify people, not the fiery-hearted.

Malicia smiled. This was someone who'd try to make her happy. These were the people who would squirm when told all about her. "I'll get the kettle," she said, "Come in."

The cottage was an illusion in itself. On the outside, it looked quite rundown, abandoned even, but while the living space was cramped, it had a lovely feel to it. The drawing room had only a worn-yet-comfortable sofa and an armchair, which obviously was only sat in by Malicia (her name inscribed into the armchair might have been a hint). As for the sofa, on it was just piles and piles of books. If there was a name inscribed on it, you wouldn't have seen it. Somehow there was only enough room for Boudicca to sit on it, and even that was difficult.

"Here's your tea," Malicia announces, giving Boudicca a chipped teacup filled to the brim with whatever Malicia thought tea was, then sitting down in her designated armchair. The witch cleared her throat before asking, "Now, let's talk about this spell."