Ever After (2/?)
anonymous
August 12 2009, 06:38:32 UTC
“I am sorry, Yekaterina. I thought I could find more mushrooms deep in the forest. Instead I met a thief, but don't worry! The blood isn't mine. I had to kill the thief, and I didn't find any mushrooms, but look! His necklace is solid silver. We can sell it tomorrow. Then I will be able to buy good food and nice clothes for you two!”
“Brother, we don't need those things,” the younger sister said, and threw her arms around Ivan's chest so tightly that he found it a little hard to breath. “We only need you to be safe.”
“And I am safe, Natalia,” Ivan assured her, while trying to pry her off. “But this is a bit of good fortune for us all! Why should I not take advantage of it? Tomorrow I will go into town and sell this trinket, and we can have a big dinner after. What do you think, should I buy a turkey for us to eat? Or would you rather have chicken?”
And so Ivan spent the night planning the things he would buy later, and the following morning he went into town with the crucifix dangling around his neck.
At the center of town he met a young witch. Her name was Elizabeta and she was the only witch in the little village, in spite of her young age. She eyed Ivan suspiciously as he made his way his way to the marketplace, and suddenly grabbed his arm in an iron grip.
“What's that around your neck? Come closer, let me look.”
Elizabeta had never bothered to speak to Ivan before, but he respected her magical skills and allowed her to inspect his prize. Her eyes grew darker and darker as she turned the crucifix around in her hands. “Where did you get this?” she asked, and her tone made it clear that she had no patience for lies. “A thief attacked me earlier. This was his, and I took it,” Ivan said frankly, and was surprised to see tears fill the witch's eyes.
“He is dead, then? Gilbert is dead? He must be, he would never take this off, never! You killed him! You murderer! Monster!”
Ivan could not have known that the thief and the young witch were lovers, or that she had given him the necklace herself. And Elizabeta could not have known that Ivan had truly acted only to defend himself, for Gilbert surely would have killed him otherwise, but at that moment she was too heartbroken to care if Gilbert had threatened Ivan first.
In her grief and fury, the young witch only wished to punish the one who had taken her love away from her, and so she whispered the words to the most painful curse she knew. Ivan went rigid as the magic washed over him, and Elizabeta's eyes burned with hate.
“I put upon you the spell of eternal loneliness. Any who dare to get near to you shall meet a cruel fate!” she snarled, and Ivan felt his skin prickle all over as the curse took hold. He could feel the eyes of the other villagers, who had been watching the entire spectacle nervously. He suddenly wanted to run back home, but he couldn't return without finishing his errand first. He had a difficult time finding anyone who would buy the silver crucifix; no one wanted to risk provoking Elizabeta's wrath by dealing with her dead lover's necklace. At last, an old silver smith, who had always been kind to Ivan, agreed to take it off his hands, and gave him a handsome sum in return. He had been so eager to spend the money earlier, but now his enthusiasm was gone. He pocketed the money and quietly returned home.
His sisters noticed his gray face and nervous expression that evening, but he brushed it off when they questioned him.
The next day, when Ivan returned to town to sell the mushrooms the three of them had picked, no one would speak to him. Everyone avoided his gaze and walked away when he approached them. Finally, he overheard the terrible truth; the kind old silversmith who had bought the crucifix had died last night in his sleep. Elizabeta's curse was already becoming a reality, Ivan realized, and he ran back to the cottage without selling a single mushroom.
“Brother, we don't need those things,” the younger sister said, and threw her arms around Ivan's chest so tightly that he found it a little hard to breath. “We only need you to be safe.”
“And I am safe, Natalia,” Ivan assured her, while trying to pry her off. “But this is a bit of good fortune for us all! Why should I not take advantage of it? Tomorrow I will go into town and sell this trinket, and we can have a big dinner after. What do you think, should I buy a turkey for us to eat? Or would you rather have chicken?”
And so Ivan spent the night planning the things he would buy later, and the following morning he went into town with the crucifix dangling around his neck.
At the center of town he met a young witch. Her name was Elizabeta and she was the only witch in the little village, in spite of her young age. She eyed Ivan suspiciously as he made his way his way to the marketplace, and suddenly grabbed his arm in an iron grip.
“What's that around your neck? Come closer, let me look.”
Elizabeta had never bothered to speak to Ivan before, but he respected her magical skills and allowed her to inspect his prize. Her eyes grew darker and darker as she turned the crucifix around in her hands.
“Where did you get this?” she asked, and her tone made it clear that she had no patience for lies.
“A thief attacked me earlier. This was his, and I took it,” Ivan said frankly, and was surprised to see tears fill the witch's eyes.
“He is dead, then? Gilbert is dead? He must be, he would never take this off, never! You killed him! You murderer! Monster!”
Ivan could not have known that the thief and the young witch were lovers, or that she had given him the necklace herself. And Elizabeta could not have known that Ivan had truly acted only to defend himself, for Gilbert surely would have killed him otherwise, but at that moment she was too heartbroken to care if Gilbert had threatened Ivan first.
In her grief and fury, the young witch only wished to punish the one who had taken her love away from her, and so she whispered the words to the most painful curse she knew. Ivan went rigid as the magic washed over him, and Elizabeta's eyes burned with hate.
“I put upon you the spell of eternal loneliness. Any who dare to get near to you shall meet a cruel fate!” she snarled, and Ivan felt his skin prickle all over as the curse took hold. He could feel the eyes of the other villagers, who had been watching the entire spectacle nervously. He suddenly wanted to run back home, but he couldn't return without finishing his errand first. He had a difficult time finding anyone who would buy the silver crucifix; no one wanted to risk provoking Elizabeta's wrath by dealing with her dead lover's necklace. At last, an old silver smith, who had always been kind to Ivan, agreed to take it off his hands, and gave him a handsome sum in return. He had been so eager to spend the money earlier, but now his enthusiasm was gone. He pocketed the money and quietly returned home.
His sisters noticed his gray face and nervous expression that evening, but he brushed it off when they questioned him.
The next day, when Ivan returned to town to sell the mushrooms the three of them had picked, no one would speak to him. Everyone avoided his gaze and walked away when he approached them. Finally, he overheard the terrible truth; the kind old silversmith who had bought the crucifix had died last night in his sleep. Elizabeta's curse was already becoming a reality, Ivan realized, and he ran back to the cottage without selling a single mushroom.
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