Part 24 In which Marlot tells her story (part 1)

Lilly sat on the other end of the window seat and hugged her knees to her chest mimicking Marlot. “What happened?”

The witch lifted her face and looked out the window, “He was a lot like your Eric, tall, strong, admired by everyone. But he loved himself more than he could anyone else.”

Jack sank to his knees next to her settling for a story, one of his hands found its way up her back and fell into the comfortable motion of smoothing her hair. She turned slowly and smiled fondly at him.

“His name was Peter.”

“Peter Peter pumpkin eater.
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her!”
Jack recited absently.

“Quite the opposite really” Marlot reached out and ruffled his hair, “I finally got up the courage to tell him how I felt after years of trying to get him to notice me.”

“Hello Peter.” Marlot was only twenty years old and she thought that she was quite pretty for a witch, her black hair fell in ringlets down her back and her eyes were a stunning shade of violet.

“You’re the witch aren’t you? Marry, Margaret, … something like that.”

“Marlot actually,” she blushed and smoothed her skirts wishing her name wasn’t quite so strange, “I was hoping you would go with me to the summer solstice festival next month, that is if you aren’t otherwise engaged?”

“Don’t witches have to go to some cult gathering or whatever then?”

“We only have to go to one out of every three, I went last year so I could stay here with you.” Marlot smiled hopefully up into his golden amber eyes.

He sneered at her, “can’t you find some little magician to swap spells with at the festival.”

Marlot tried to smile seductively up at him, “No Peter, I want you.”

“And what, you think I will realize that you are the girl of my dreams and marry you?”

“That is the general idea,” Marlot said a little more boldly than she felt.

“So if we did get married, what you expect me to have some crazed spell casting old hag with warts and wrinkles for a wife. You have what, maybe one or two more years of your good looks before you start going sour?”

Young naive Marlot should have realized then that this young man wasn’t the fairy tale prince she had imagined him to be, but instead all she took from that unforgivable speech was that he thought she was pretty, and that one thought sparked an idea. “It doesn’t have to be like that Peter, I can make sure it doesn’t happen.”

“Now we all know that I have a bad habit of acting on impulse” Marlot said to her small audience, cupping Jack’s face in one hand, “and although some of those rash decisions have led to wonderful things,” she kissed the golem on the forehead, “others would have saved me a lot of trouble and grief.”

The little witch rushed home to her small flat above the tailor shop. She spent the better part of the next week preparing for and performing the ritual that would stop her aging forever. Witches are born immortal; however they age at the same rate as humans. If they never perform the ritual they would spend eternity ancient and unable to care for themselves and can forget about performing any magic. Someone through the ages finally discovered a way to stop the aging process at any giving time, the trick being that the witch would remain that age forever, or until they were killed by some unnatural means. Just because they are immortal doesn’t mean they are invulnerable.

Most sane witches put off the ritual until they are middle aged or perhaps a little older and with a wart or two, it makes them seem more respectable and intimidating. But occasionally there is a young fool that thinks they know better and they are stuck as a child, looking young, ignorant, and impatient for the rest of their lives. This is exactly what Marlot did.

Part 23 In which Lilly demands an apology

A week later Marlot was sweeping the cabin floor when she happened to look outside. It was a pleasant day but the fall wind had a bite to it, so she had fastened a cloak around Jack’s neck before she let him leave the cabin. He now sat with the cloak pooling on the ground around him as he leaned against the apple tree, one leg was pulled up and was being used to prop up his book, the other was stretched out in front of him. It was the same book he had brought in town, full of most of the fairy tales that Marlot had lining her bookshelves, but without the lovely illustrations so that considerably more of them fit in the single volume. He had read it all the way through at least five times and the witch wondered why he hadn’t tired of it yet.

There was movement at the garden gate and Marlot was shocked to see Lilly there, lifting the latch and entering the yard seemingly without a second thought. The witch was so distracted that she tripped over poor Jinx who was trying to attack the broom as it moved across the floor.

When she righted herself again it was to see Lilly standing at Jack’s feet, he didn’t seem to happy. Marlot couldn’t see Lilly’s face, her back was to the window so instead she watched Jack as he slowly got to his feet and shook the leaves and dirt from his cloak.

Jack bowed his head and looked sorry about something, then Lilly was up against him, one arm around his neck the other hand buried in his green hair. Marlot could no longer see Jack’s face. She felt odd, like there was a pain in her chest and a prickling in the corner of her eyes. Then to her amazement Jack pushed Lilly away, ducked under her arm and walked back to the cabin.

Marlot wasn’t any good at lip reading but Lilly was very obviously yelling at the young golem and Marlot could just make out the sound of the woman’s voice even if she couldn’t make out the words. Jack turned around for a moment to say something back and then continued his trek to the cabin. As he opened the door Marlot heard Lilly yell “You Stupid Golem How Can You Possibly Not Want…” and then the door was shut with Jack leaning against it with his eyes closed.

“What did she want?” Marlot asked trying not to sound to interested.

“Me apparently,” Jack answered his eyes still closed, “but it doesn’t feel right. In all those fairy tales it’s like the hero always knows right off that the girl is the one he wants and then he kisses her and they ride off to live happily ever after. How can I kiss someone that I don’t see a happy ever after with?”

“Oh Jack,” Marlot hugged him tightly around the middle, he didn’t even hesitate in hugging her back, his face buried in her dark curls. “you read far too many fairy stories, no one ever really lives happily ever after.”

“How do you know?”

“Marlot! Jack! Open this door right now or I will…!”

“Marlot moved Jack out of the way and opened the door, “Or you will what? Last time I checked I was the witch here.”

“I don’t care! I demand an apology.”

“For what, opening the door?”

“You know very well for what. For the way you embarrassed me in the village last week.”

Marlot actually threw back her head and laughed. “You think that was bad, well then come back when you have had your wrists tied, your nose broken, and the life of your best friend threatened, not because you did anything but for what you are, then we can talk. Get out of my garden before I do something I will regret.” Jack squeezed her shoulders, she wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort her or hold her back, but it worked either way. The static that Marlot had started to feel as raw power began to build inside of her slowly ebbed away.

“I’m sorry about all of that,” Lilly said in a small voice, “I would never have thought that he would behave like that. He always seemed so kind and sweet.”

“Did he?” Marlot looked at the girl, “Or is that just what you wanted to see?”

“What do you know about it?” Lilly snapped.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Stop being so cryptic, I’ll never understand if you don’t tell me.”

“Because I was you once, but no one told me that a love potion wasn’t a way to get what you want.”

Part 22 In which people are kind sometimes out of fear

Marlot woke up with the sun shining in her eyes, she reached up to rub the sleep out of them and made the mistake of hitting her nose.

Her yelp must have woken Jack, “Are you alright Marlot?” he said yawing from her other side, she rolled over and smiled at him, “did something bite you?”

“Have you been dreaming again?” she giggled as he stretched like a cat and nodded sleepily. Without thinking Marlot looked to the foot of the bed where her cat usually slept at home. “I miss Jinx, we haven’t been apart this long in years. Are you ready to go home?”

Jack actually pouted, “I thought we were getting shoes and a book.”

“I doubt we will have any money after I pay for this room, the food, baths, and laundry. I’m not even sure we have enough for that. It was a stroke of luck that the little seamstress let us have these clothes for free.”

“But I wanted a book,” Jack whined.

“And I didn’t want to stay the night in this village but we weren’t given much of a choice. Come on, get up. I want to leave before the townsfolk think of another way to get rid of me, and if they touch you again I’m not sure I will be able to stay in control.”

“Control of what?” Jack sat up and tilted his head to the side.

“Did you hear me when I told Lilly it wasn’t a good idea to insult a witch?”

Jack nodded and Marlot was amazed once again by how much he had picked up while in the cauldron, “Well it’s not just that I have a short temper and would get upset with her, it also has to do with the amount of control I have other my magic. Raw angry power isn’t easy to keep contained.”

“Have you ever lost control before?”

“Once,” Marlot whispered, “a very long time ago.”

They both got up and gathered their few belongings. Out in the hall a maid was sweeping the floor and she directed them to her mistress. The inn keeper sent a little girl who looked so much like her she had to be her daughter, off to gather the pair’s robes.

“They should be clean and dry by now, or at least dry enough to travel.”

Marlot thanked her and bowed low out of respect, “How shall we repay you?”

The woman crossed her arms and looked sternly at Marlot and Jack in turn, “You can repay us by never coming back, my father is a kind man, a little too kind if you ask me, but I am with him on this one, neither of you actually started the fights, but you were still in the middle of them and I will not tolerate that behavior in my pub.”

“But our room and dinner?”

“We aren’t short on rooms here, giving up one for the night shouldn’t hurt profits much, you were attacked here after all, and I thank you for leaving my inn in one piece, I have heard stories of what witches can do when provoked, and not just the fairy stories.”

“So does this mean I get shoes?” Jack looked hopeful.

Marlot bowed low to the inn keeper again before linking on arm through Jack’s.

“Yes dear, and any book you want, but can we make it fast, I’m sure Jinx is hungry.”

Part 21 In which Jack finally learns why no one likes witches

Marlot placed the empty food tray outside the door. She turned to see Jack lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Why do they hate us so much Marlot?”

“Because they believe the stories.”

“The ones you don’t want me to read.” He turned his brown eyes to her, his face unreadable.

Marlot sat next to him, “Maybe if I had let you read them… no it wouldn’t have done us any good.”

“I want to know why they hate you so much.”

Marlot sighed then recited the tale of Hansel and Gretel, the story that most closely resembled Eric’s childhood misfortunes and misconceptions of witches. Jack listened closely, his expression thoughtful.

“Do witches really have houses made of gingerbread and sweets?”

“The witch laughed, “What do you think?”

“Our house is made of wood, it seems much more practical, and wouldn’t a candy house just melt in the rain? So that part can’t be true… what about eating children?”

“I have never harmed a human in order to use them for spells or nourishment.”

“What about other witches?”

Marlot stood up and went to the window, “Not all witches are like me Jack, some are cruel and wicked, like the stories, but most of us keep to ourselves or our own kind, it’s safer that way.”

“Will I ever get to meet them Marlot?”

“Yes, we all gather for the summer and winter solstice, and I need to register you with the council. They won’t be happy, but you will just be one more mark on a long list against me.”

“Witches aren’t supposed to make golems?”

She turned around to face him, “For all I know, it’s forbidden.”

He looked thoughtful and a little sad for a moment, he then reached out his arms toward her, like a small child who wants to be picked up. She crawled onto the bed next to him, hugging him tightly. “I’m sorry I’m so much trouble,” he whispered.

“I wouldn’t trade you for anything my little scarecrow.” And so after a rather long, painful, and exhausting day they fell asleep safe and warm in each other’s arms.

Part 20 In which Marlot loses a friend

Sitting at one of the tables in the large dining room were the men that had abused them that afternoon.

Marlot leaned close to her golem, “We can probably avoid them Jack, if they don’t see us then they can’t hurt us.”

“Marlot, Jack! Is that you? I thought you would be home by now.”

The witch groaned, standing up at the table that they were trying to avoid was Lilly. The young woman ran over to them and gave Jack a tight hug. “You two look amazing, did you get those clothes here?”

Jack nodded, “The girl from the tailor shop brought them over.”

Marlot could feel the men at the table staring at them and she tried as hard as she could to avoid their gazes.

“Oh Marlot, what happened to your nose?” Lilly reached out and touched the red and swollen part of Marlot’s face, the witch winced.

“It was supposed to be a lesson she obviously didn’t learn.” Marlot slowly looked up into the eyes of her tormentor. On his arm was a very pretty woman.

“Oh Eric, be nice.” Marlot noticed that the woman had a smudge of flower on her face and more on her skirts. Marlot stared at her, then at the man Eric before she turned a look of disbelief on Lilly who was still hanging on Jack.

“Are you serious Lilly, this is the man you wanted, the one who choose the bakers daughter over you.”

“Marlot, stop.” Lilly was a deep shade of red, tears of embarrassment shinning in her eyes.

The witch was about to say something else when Jack pushed his friend away, “How can you love someone who would hurt Marlot?” His arms found their way around his witch and Marlot didn’t realize her kind sweet creation was capable of a look so full of disgust that it made Lilly seem like the lowliest of nasty bugs.

“Isn’t that charming” the pretty woman on Eric’s arm tittered, “even a golem doesn’t’ want you Lilly, now what are you going to do?” Eric laughed a big loud, head back kind of laugh. The woman gave Lilly a vicious smile. Jack still refused to touch their friend, but Marlot pitied her and she was on the verge of apologizing when Lilly, tears pouring from her eyes now, stomped up to Marlot and slapped her across the face. She had to hold Jack back when he tried to follow Lilly out of the inn. Marlot had never seen him so angry to the point that he was actually growling.

Even though her check was stinging she still wanted to comfort her young friend, she wished someone had comforted her nearly two hundred years ago when her heart had been broken, things would be so much different if they had. “Jack calm down, I would have done the same thing if I were her.”

“That would be because worthless trash like you deserves it.” The large man pushed Marlot into the stairs behind her and she stumbled up a couple before she fell with a thud.

“What is going on in here!” The stern inn keeper stood in the doorway to the kitchens, one hand on her hip, the other brandishing a frying pan like a sword.

“Master Jack, I ask that you stand down and look after your mistress, if you cause more damage I will charge you for all that I see.”

The golem was muttering angrily under his breath as he came to Marlot’s aid. “What were you going to do?” Marlot asked him as he helped her up. The inn keeper passed them without a second glance and started yelling at the man who was easily twice her size. Jack wouldn’t answer Marlot but she was able to make out four words from his mutterings, ‘Jack the giant killer.’ She grabbed her golem’s face and forced him to look at her. “Jack the giant killer used cunning and cleverness to defeat his foes, not brute strength, or did you not actually listen to the story.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he seemed much calmer, “I’m sorry Marlot.”

“Good, I won’t see my sweet little Jack become as bad as those men, your better than that.” Jack nodded.

“As for you two.” The inn keeper turned on the witch and golem, “your dinner will be served in your room and then you will leave first thing in the morning. You are not welcome back, understand?”

The pair nodded and then made their way back up the stair case in silence.