Arabelle

Prologue - The Beginning

Arabella's POV

The rain was pouring down with a vengeance, the wind was howling like an injured wolf, imitating the silent screams of my soul, the ropes that bound my hands and feet to the pole cut into my skin with the tiniest movement I made, whoever had them on had gone through great labors to make sure they were very secure

“but were they secure enough to hold me?” I thought

The binds were not what were keeping me here, tied up like a criminal at the stake, even from the distance between I and the ground where the pyre was set, I could see how well drenched in oil the wood was,

“ it will burn very well indeed, I will burn very well indeed” I thought

My black hair clung to my body, my thin, white nightdress that I had picked out with so much care for tonight was no more than a tattered rag on my body,

I had smiled and blushed shyly when my friends teased me about the promises this night held, tonight was supposed to signify the beginning of my new life with him, the love of my life, the man I had swore to hold and cherish to my last breath not more than a few hours ago,

Today had started out being the best day of my life, a few hours ago, I was a beautiful bride basking in the adoration of the whole town, I couldn’t stop smiling and when I saw my groom waiting for me at the alter with a smile that always melted my heart, I felt that I was no doubt the most lucky girl in the world at that moment in time.

He had said his vows and I could see the joy in his eyes, he was happy, I could see it and I am sure he could also see the happiness in my eyes so I couldn’t understand how we had gotten here, how did I end up being tied on the stake waiting to be burnt alive, I couldn’t understand why the very man who had promised to protect me had dragged me from my matrimonial bed and proclaimed me a witch before the entire town and demanded I be burnt alive.

There had been no secrets between us, he had known what I was and he always told me that it was not a crime to be born a witch, he had told me that he would always protect me and love me for who I was and like a fool, I had believed every word that came out of his mouth but today, I realized that they were just lies, they were just tales he had spun rather finely I must say, I had trusted him and now I will die for that.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard a woman scream, it was my mother’s voice, she had been the happiest when her young daughter of 17 got married, today might have been my happiest day but for my mother, it was the day she had waited almost her whole life to see.

“my poor mother” I thought with bitterness In my heart.

“Make sure she is properly secure” I heard a voice say, a voice I knew only too well, a voice that had once made butterflies fly In my stomach, a voice belonging to a man I had loved more than life itself, I raised my head and there he was, standing before me wearing snug, black breeches, black boots, a white frock shirt and he also had a black cloak on, his dark hair was wet from the rain and his eyes, those pools of gray that even now, glistened in the pale light, he was dark and handsome, just like the devil.

My eyes met his and I hoped to see the tiniest sliver of remorse or guilt but I only saw, defiance and satisfaction, my heart broke but the anger overshadowed the pain, the power in my blood screamed for release, I had always kept it in check, not really allowing it to blossom to its true capacity, but today nothing was holding me back, my eyes tore away from his and before anyone could do anything, I was already chanting the spell,

“Viet ma alon sobie te it se lama” my voice rose to the skies, the wind howled even louder than before, the ground started to shake, people screamed and ran in every direction, the rain poured down even harder and still I kept chanting.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in my chest, the pain was excruciating, my chanting stopped and with it, the mayhem I had unleashed, the winds quieted down, and the rain reduced, the ground also siezed to tremble, I looked down at my chest and a silver blade was imbedded in it, I tasted a metallic liquid in my mouth, I felt the blood spill out of my mouth, I looked up to see my culprit though I already had a feeling who I would see but I didn’t want believe it, but I had been hoping for impossible things, grey eyes looked down at my blue ones, for a brief moment I saw pain and hurt flash in his eyes and it was gone, in the place of what I had just seen, anger flourished,

“Die!!! you bloody witch” he said

Tears filled my eyes as the pain intensified and the hurt tore at my soul, he stepped back and leapt to the ground, he collected a burning torch from one of the people in the large crowd, he looked up at me one last time before throwing the torch at the oil soaked pyre, the flames hissed beneath me, scalding my feet, he stepped back, I couldn’t his expression through the haze of smoke and the rising flame, his black cloak bellowed in the wind, once more, he looked so much like the devil.

I was being burnt at the stake for being a witch, this much I knew, but I was dying without knowing why he was treating me as such, why he was standing there watching me die when he had swore to protect me countless times, I felt my heart break one more time, “I deserved none of this” I thought

The fire was dangerously hot now, my skin was burning painfully, this was the end for me, I could see it, with what little strength I had left, I looked to the dark sky and muttered one last spell, I felt the flames engulf me, I looked past the flames at him, he was still watching me, my eyes met his for the last time, his eyes held no expression,

“Until we meet again my love” I whispered

The blade in my chest was more painful than the flames consuming me, I closed my eyes and I felt my soul float far away from all the pain and hate, far away from him.

Somewhere in the distance, I heard the words “till we meet again my love”