Witch and I

The Witch of the Wood stood on the porch of the cottage, looking out at the gardens. It was morning in the height of summer, and the clouds were rolling in from the north. She contemplated the day ahead of her as she tied her long white hair into a ponytail, resting it over her right shoulder. She shielded her amber eyes from the strong winds and peered beyond the gardens to the woods in the distance.

She thought about going to forage for those plants the pigs didn’t like. They might keep them from trampling the potatoes again, and it might use less magic in the long run, but she had more than enough magic to make that happen without all the searching in the woods. She wanted very much for the plants to finish growing safely, so she always used her magic to water the plants and help them develop a little faster. There's no sense wasting her effort on something that could be done so easily.

She went back into the cottage. There was someone there waiting for her at the table. 

It was Ariana, the owner of this cottage. She was a humble but confused woman. She believed that she could find her son, who never existed. The poor dear had convinced herself that she had a husband and child, but she had always been alone. Though the Witch despised company for the most part, she allowed Ariana to take residence near her forest. She pitied the thing, searching day in and day out for a boy she would never find. 

Although the Witch despised company, Ariana seemed to need it, like a starving animal needs to eat. She would go into the human town and mingle with the humans. It would be fair to say that the humans, too, pitied her meaningless search, so they tolerated her. 

There were some nights when Ariana would cry about missing her poor son, how lost and scared he must be without her, how her arms felt so cold without him in her embrace. It was incredibly irritating; she wasn't sure why she put up with it. The longer it went on, she questioned why she even bothered caring for this wreck of a woman. 

Now and then, the Witch would attempt to teach Ariana magic. It was fortunate that their affinities were the same, but that is where the similarities ended. The Witch was proud, confident, perhaps a bit smug, but she deserved to be, and all-powerful. Ariana, on the other hand, was incompetent, pitiful, weak, and miserable. She fainted from casting even the most basic of spells, a truly pathetic display. Even a mere child had more fortitude. 

Ariana would tell the Witch stories. These stories were clearly made up; Ariana had never left the village, and likely never would. She told tales of making a pumpkin house on the road, walking across the sea on kelp, and finding her son with a magic flower. Silly things, all of them, completely ridiculous fantasies for someone with no magical talent, but letting her believe these stories was harmless. 

Ariana spoke of those she met on the way. She met a lovely little bird that spoke of glittering coins. She met a handsome soldier who loved her dearly. She met a girl with a big heart. They became a family. Foolish nonsense, the Witch had never met any of these characters; it was simply another of poor Ariana's delusions. 

Ariana could do nothing for herself. She needed help with every task. She couldn't cook. She couldn't clean. The Witch was shocked that this pitiful creature could even breathe on her own. 

Even still, the Witch stayed by her side. That's what a mother would do for their child. 

...Their child?

What was she talking about? Ariana wasn't her child. The Witch of the Wood made no such attachments. Ariana was merely...

...Who was she? How could the Witch not know? She had been caring for Ariana since...

...How long had they been together? They'd been together since Ariana stepped out of the woods...

No...

She was the one who stepped out of the woods, not Ariana. 

But then...

Where did Ariana come from? Had she always been there? For the first time in a long time, the Witch found herself... Uncertain. 

Who... what was Ariana?

...What was the Witch?

As she pondered these things... Ariana was getting up from the table. She was moving for the door. 

"And just where do you think you're going?" the Witch questioned.

Ariana looked at her meekly. "I'm... out of time... there's not enough left of us, and... it's better if it's just you."

The Witch stood. "What are you talking about? Sit down."

Ariana shook her head. "I can't... If I don't leave... We'll both disappear!"

The Witch took hold of Ariana's shoulder. "More of your delusions... You clearly aren't well enough to go out. Come off to bed with you."

Ariana struggled against her. "Please, I'm not worth it, you're the strong one, I'm not worth saving!"

"I'll hear no more of this, go to bed!" She started to drag Ariana by the arm. 

"Stop, you're hurting us, you'll kill us!"

"NO, YOU STOP! I'll entertain no more of your nonsense today!"

"I need you to live so you can save Alex!"

"I don't CARE about your Alex! I never did! He doesn't exist!" 

"Why won't you let me go!?"

"Because you are unwell! You can't live without me, and I can't live without you!"

They both stopped struggling.

The Witch struggled to come up with excuses; she didn't know what she was talking about. There was no connection between them; she just took care of Ariana out of pity. 

Ariana embraced her gently. "I never belonged in this world... in any world... my mistake is what got us into this mess."

The Witch gripped Ariana. "More nonsense... You belong here, in this cottage where you can be safe."

Ariana shook her head. "It was never mine... I was just... your parasite..."

The Witch gripped her tighter. "Stop this, your madness will become infectious at this rate."

"I'm the parasite; I deserve to die. You need to live, to save everyone."

"I told you to stop! No one is going to die!"

"They will if you don't let me go!"

"I refuse! You belong in this world, you belong to me! You will live with me and be alive, you pitiful fool!"

A wind outside rattled the cottage. 

Ariana cried. 

The Witch sighed and held her close. "So be it... If you think me so weak that I'll die from your mere presence, then try to kill me if you can."

"I don't want to kill you, I want you to live in my place!"

"Fool! If you are so certain that being near me will kill me, then I would have died an age ago!"

"You don't understand!"

"No, YOU don't understand! I am the Witch of the Wood! I don't die so easily. I slew White Tusk, I single-handedly slaughtered the Blackleaf Clan, I am the mother of the Demon Lord Himself!"

The Witch processed all of the words she'd just said. They weren't just her story.

They were Ariana's, too.

She sat quietly for a time with her.

"Go rest, Ariana. I will fetch some strawberries from the garden. I know they're your favorite."

"Don't... I should be the one..."

"Silence. This is not a discussion. You need to rest now."

"I can't... do this without you..."

"And you won't. I will be back. This, I promise you."

Ariana cried again.

"And... together... we will search for your Alex in the morning."