Summary: Given powers have their price, this time it’s a stable mindset. Only that’s figured out all too late.
Pairing: Belarus x Belgium
Prompt by @ziggy-zaggy-doggo
--
The witch stands in front of her, a smirk on her face, her fingers playing with her magic cards methodically. Natalia sits in front of her. Her tattered dress is fanned out around her on the grass in the forest she ran in to. She ran to save herself from her thoughts though they have followed her.
“What do you wish for?” The witch asks with a light tone that tells Natalia the witch knows exactly what she wants. She flips one of her cards, showing it to Natalia for a second. It’s a red heart wrapped in a green ribbon. The ribbon sends Natalia’s mind back to the bankers daughter.
“Is that so?” The witch giggles softly, shuffling the card back into the deck. Natalia fiddles with her fingers. The impure thoughts as her father calls them have plagued her. The witch pulls out another card and tsks at it. Natalia shuffles back at the sight of herself with spikes in her head painted on the card.
“I didn’t mean to..” She says softly. Oh no she never meant to. It was just so easy to fall in love with that bubbly laughter and ever patient smile. How sweet she had been to Natalia when she found it hard to be pleasant. How gentle had it been to hold her in a hug and how soft those kisses felt on her cheek.
“I can help~” The witch coos. Natalia jerks in her spot. The offer not yet even on the table is tempting. To be able to have Emma without fear. The witch laughs and flicks a card down to her. It lands perfectly in Natalia’s hand and the witch is gone with a lingering laugh in the wind that sweeps her away. Natalia gulps, flipping the card in her hand.
It makes her stomach uneasy to see Emma on the card, sweet and smiling with her lips to Natalia’s hand, while Natalia herself is wrapped in a glowing light that she knows is given by the witch. It’s too close. She nearly crumples the card in her hand.
Instead she takes it home with her mind now more plagued than before.
--
Seeing Emma with worry in her eyes as Natalia is pushed back breaks her down just a little bit more. The banker’s son got protective, calling out Natalia for being too close to Emma all the time, in an attempt to get money. He’s wrong but Natalia can’t tell him the real reason. Emma comes to her in the night to calm her but Natalia has made up her mind.
The card is in her hand, glowing slightly in the darkness. Small wisps of pink curl out as Natalia holds it to her chest. She’s desperate.
“Let us be happy, let us be together,” She whispers, begging, the card to help her. A soft laughter rings out and Natalia can feel the power twirling into her system. It hurts just enough for her to let it consume her.
--
The changes are easy to see Natalia feels proud as she walks through the town, walking right to Emma and able to pull her close right away. The townspeople simply turn their heads. Emma laughs just a little awkwardly, nuzzling right into her.
They no longer think twice as the people no longer think. They care not for Natalia and Emma’s cuddles any more. They care for nothing any more.
--
“It has to stop,” Emma pleads with her. Natalia stares down at her love in horror. Everything had been going so perfect. They could be together, in private, in public, wherever they wanted to be. The people stopped fighting them. The people stopped all together.
“Please, my father no longer talks to me,” Emma breathes heavily as an onslaught of pent emotions comes forth. Natalia shakes her head. This isn’t what’s supposed to happen. They could be happy now.
“Natalia listen to me,” Emma comes to her, holding her hands tightly but Natalia rips them away from her. She ignores the pained look on Emma’s face. It’s not right. That look does not suit her. Why is this happening?
Natalia backs away from her, scared of what she does not know but she is frightened. It’s not fair. They can be together and Emma wants it to go back to normal, back to hiding, back to not being able to see each other.
“Why aren’t you happy?” The question comes strangled out of her throat. Emma stares back at her.
“What happened to you?” Emma backs away. It sets Natalia right to the edge and over. She puts her hands to her head as pain shoots through it. A scream escapes her. The magic she accepted is starting to take it’s payment.
It feels like knives going through her skull when he body buckles to the ground. Her screams are joined by another. It overstimulates her into unconsciousness.
--
Natalia is lead through the town with her hands bound in front of her with rope. Her sister cries as her brother holds her back with their father looking on in shame. Natalia is ashamed too.
She walks up to the pyre without a fight in a white dress the same color as the one they sent Emma off in on a boat over the river’s edge. It’s easy to let them tie her up with calls of ‘witch’ echoing in her mind. She’s numb to them as they were numb to her when Emma had been next to her
Tears slip through as she remembers how it used to be, sneaking off in the night, just for a glimpse and the smallest of sweet words from Emma. The banker’s daughter gave her all the kindness in the world and more. It’s all her fault.
She does not cry for the fire flickering around her body but for the love she lost. The love she pushed away. She cries out in pain for that.
The fire stops suddenly. Natalia looks up to see the flames frozen in the air along with the people. The forest witch stands in front of her, playing with her cards simply, a smirk on her face.
“Do you regret it?” She asks showing a card with her and Emma on it, smiling in love like they should be now. Natalia shakes her head. No she doesn’t regret Emma, never would that happen. The witch smiles softly, stepping aside to show Emma there, dressed in white and tears in her eyes. Binds of silver are over her mouth. Natalia struggles to get to her but the forest witch covers her again.
“Ever wonder why you hated so much loving her?” Natalia flinches at that. She never had before, blaming the guilt on her father’s remarks and Emma’s brother’s animosity. Another card is shown, with Emma on her knees in front of the witch in the forest.
“You’re not the only one with a price to pay,” The witch says. She shows Emma again, the bonds gone now.
“I’m so sorry,” She whispers. Natalia ducks her head. Her sudden feelings make sense now.
“Making a deal condemns you to me,” The forest witch goes on. She walks to Natalia, placing her hands on her shoulders and pulling her soul out of the body that will soon be engulfed in fire and ash. Natalia goes willingly, letting herself be guided to Emma. The witch puts their hands together.
“No one can bother you with me,” She says and begins to walk off. Natalia stares at their hands. Slowly Emma guides them up to place a small kiss to Natalia’s hands.
“Forgive me,” She whispers once more. Natalia knows now, though maybe her feelings had been forced from the start, they have grown into something real. She angles and kisses Emma’s hands now.
“Forgive me as well,” She whispers back. Emma whimpers out a cry but a smile slips through. A smile makes it’s way onto Natalia’s face as well. With their hands still together they follow the forest witch back into her home in the trees to live an afterlife in peace.
