..."Run Gabriela run," Joanna shouts as they enter a house down to the basement....

..."Mommy please don't leave me...stay here with me." Gabriela sobs as she clenches to her mother's arm....

..."My dear. I want you to listen carefully, you have to stay here and wait for mommy to come back. Don't move away from this spot no matter what you hear okay?"...

..."Will you really come back mommy? I'm really scared." Gabriela said out between sobs....

..."Mommy promises, stop crying and stay quiet."...

..."Okay" Gabriela said releasing her mother's arm....

...My name is Gabriela, daughter of the witch clan named Joanna_my mother. I grew up in this little village named mill village. This place was known for witches and only our kind settled in this area....

... For the past few years we have been in battles with the neighboring lands accusing us for the bad disasters happening such as drought, sicknesses, diseases and many other things but we as a clan have struggled so hard to prove them wrong. Days go by and rumors of war upon our village start to flow in and this worries my mother but what worries her more is who exactly influences the lands to bad mouth us. Unluckily wars falls upon us unprepared even before my mother can get to find out who wants us wiped out....

...When I let go of my mother's arm, I didn't know it would be the last time I would feel her body. She goes up stairs as I watch and finally closes the basement door. I hear her footsteps until they fade away.i hid behind the huge boxes in the basement and held my mouth shut not to make a sound....

...light passes through a small whole next to where I was hiding. The whole was just big enough for my one eye to see through it. I looked out and sobbed terribly as I saw my people young and old being slaughtered. I couldn't believe what was happening which made me worry even more for my mother....

...As I'm still looking, the basement door opens. I look through the small gap between the boxes and a soldier walks in. He comes down the stairs and I move a bit in fear shaking the boxes making a sound that alerts him. He walks towards the boxes and I tremble in fear with every step he makes until another soldier walks in....

..."what are you doing here?" the soldier asks....

..." captain, I was just looking around to see if there is nothing left." replied the soldier....

..." Go on upstairs and finish up these wicked creatures. By dark, we should burn the houses down, so up you go and stop wasting time here."...

..."Yes captain." the soldier replied and up they both went....

...I released my breath after I heard the basement door close. I came out of the basement by dusk. some houses were already on fire and bodies were allover the ground and the air was filled with ash and smoke from the burnt houses. Soldiers where still moving around collecting bodies to be burnt. And as I stood there by the door, I saw elder Melca. That was his name. He was the eldest in the village and children loved him so much. All the stories I knew since childhood, I had learned from him. He was one of the favorite people I treasured in the village. I saw his body lying down there on the bloody cold ground, his body out of breath and no sign of life. He was dead.i sobbed as I ran....

...Soon It was dark, but I had not seen my mother. She had promised to come back, but she hadn't returned and this made me worry. I kept on thinking if she had also been killed just like the others but some part of me had hope to keep me looking for her. I moved carefully around the village looking for my mother until I heard laughter's of the soldiers who had gathered around a fire celebrating and making jokes....

My mother was tied in a cage of metal, so weak and fragile is how she looked. I felt the urge to go out and kill every bastard who had lay a hand on her, but I couldn't. My powers wouldn't support me to that extent. "What I'm I supposed to do?" is the question I kept on asking myself, but I had no answer to.

...Early the next morning, Gabriela boarded the transporting truck from the surrounding villages to the city. In her purple dress and black scarf that she had covered her head with, she climbed the truck and sat in a corner hoping no one would recognize her....

...Earlier that morning, the mill village ground had no dead body left. All the houses were also burnt and non remained standing, they were all burnt to ashes. Ashes and blood stains where the only thing that was left. The soldier trucks drove and Joanna was in the last one guarded heavily heading back to the city. Gabriela watched from a far as the trucks left the village and sobbed terribly....

...In two hours time, the truck had reached the city and from a far Gabriela could see the powerful castle and that's where she knew her mother was to be taken. The truck owner came down from the truck and the passengers one by one got off paying a fare. Gabriela checked her dress pocket, and she had only three coins with her. It wasn't enough. For her to get off the truck, she had to at least have ten more coins with her. People slowly decreased, and she was the only one left....

..."Hey! Come down and pay your fare. Hurry up." the man shouted....

...Gabriela came down slowly and took out the three coins she had in her pocket with her shaking hand....

..."Three coins! This isn't enough." the man shouted again....

..." Sir this is all I have. I have no more money." Gabriela replied softly with a shaking voice holding her dress tight in fear....

..."I don't care, you have to pay me what u owe me now!" the man shouted pushing Gabriela to the ground. "Poor people like you don't deserve to be in the world. I won't let you off until you pay me my money."...

..."sir please have mercy." Gabriela begged, but the man wasn't willing to listen....

...The lady who was seated facing Gabriela in the truck noticed how rude the old man was acting and turned back to go stop him....

..."Here is what she owes you, please let her go" the lady said stopping the man....

..."The poor indeed help the poor, it's good you had someone to save you otherwise I would not have let you off."the man said and moved to enter his truck....

..."Come child let's go." the lady said helping Gabriela off the ground....

..."Thank you for saving me earlier." Gabriela said softly....

..."Are you hurt?" the lady asked checking her, but Gabriela withdrew from her....

..."I'm okay, it just a few scratches, but I will be fine."...

..."okay, what brings you to the city? Do you have any relatives here?"...

..."Yes, I have come to see my aunt. I had taken a while without visiting here."...

..."Do you still remember the way to your aunt's place?"...

..."of course I do, I will be leaving now, thank you again for you kindness."Gabriela said and turned to walk away....

...That afternoon, Eileen wife to king Paul walked in into king Paul's study and made herself comfortable in one of the seats....

..."What brings you here?" king Paul asked not lifting his head from his work....

..."Why?" Eileen questioned....

..."why what?"...

..."You slaughtered a whole village basing on some baseless rumors."...

..."Are you trying to say that I should neglect people's concerns?"...

..."Are you trying to say that even if I'm framed you would kill me to make others happy? You have no proof to what those people are claiming."...

..."I do have enough proof for what I have done. I thought you would be on my side in this. Why are you all of a sudden supporting the wrong side."...

..." Because I don't want you to regret the actions you're taking in the future. You have to think things through carefully before you act."...

..."Those witches have caused us more harm than we can handle and the only way to settle this is by wiping them off the lands. I won't regret anything as long as my people are happy."...

..."be careful Paul." Eileen said and rose to leave....

...That evening, Eileen was escorted out in a carriage to the prison cells. She was escorted inside by the prison guards until Joanna's cell....

..."Is she the one?" Eileen questioned the guard....

..."Yes my Queen."...

..."Leave us." she ordered and all the guards around left....

..."Won't you turn around to greet your Queen?"...

...Joanna who had settled herself in a corner facing the wall turned slowly towards Eileen....

..."And after I greet you what will happen?" she asked in a helpless voice....

..." You should be respectful when you speak."...

..."You have killed all my people and left me with nothing, what should I fear? Don't talk to me about respect after what you have done. You know what? I thought if your husband wasn't wise enough at least you could be, it's really shameful that you are the same."...

..."You!"...

..." It's completely useless to get angry with someone who has hours left to die. The reasons You based on to slaughter all my people won't end if we're dead and that's when you will know that you did wrong and your hearts will bear guilt till your deaths."...

..." Is that a curse or a spell you people do? I'm warning you...."...

..."What bring you here Eileen? I'm sure you're not here to warn me."...

..."You're right, I came here to ask you if what they accuse you of is true.?"...

..."and then? What will you do? Save my life?"...

..." Why are you so arrogant even at this point? Aren't you scared that you will die soon?"...

..." If you were in my shoes, how would you feel? There's no point in collecting spilt milk. You have already done what you've done and there's no going back, even If we did or did not cause what they accuse us of, it's useless now. So let me live my last hours without seeing any of you."...

..."you arrogant bitch! Since you want to die then death is what you will receive huh!" Eileen said and walked away furiously....

...Eileen came back to the castle to the dining room. Food was served, but king Paul was nowhere to be seen....

..."Where's the king?"she questioned the maids....

..."My queen, his Majesty moved out."one of the maids answered....

..."Where exactly did he go to?"...

..."He didn't say where he was going my Queen."...

...This angered Eileen the more. 'At this late hour, where could he have gone?' Eileen questioned herself....

......................

..."My love, you had abandoned me for awhile." lady Marie said as she lay her head in king Paul's chest....

..."how can I forget you my dear. You know I love you so much."...

..."Hmm...are you sure my king?"...

..."Of course my darling, let me kiss you to prove it." he said kissing her forehead....

..."Anyway how far with the case you're handling?"...

..."I did just as you suggested and indeed it was the best method to deal with those creatures.I should listen more to you in the future."...

..."Oh you flatter me my king."...

..."Of course you deserve to be flattered."...

..."So what do you plan on doing next?"...

..."What do you have in mind my dear?"...

..."From the people's perspective I think they wouldn't want to have some of that kind around, they would be scared. so I think an execution would be the best option in order to calm the People's anger "...

..."Hmmm...."...

..."I mean it wouldn't be necessary to keep her around. She would only pose as a threat don't you think so?"...

..."You're right indeed. Tomorrow we shall hold the execution at the city hall and kiss the witch clan goodbye."...

..."You're the best my king, you're wise and care about your people."...

......................

...early the next morning, Eileen walks in the dining room and finds King Paul busy chewing on his meal cheerfully....

..."you seem to be in a good mood."...

..."Is it a crime if I'm happy?"...

..."Where were you last night?"...

..."I went out for a walk. Things have been tight lately so I had to cool off."...

..."Don't lie to me Paul, is it that woman again. Did you go see her?"...

..."Eileen I just explained what happened, what more do you want to hear?"...

..."You lier of a king! You better straighten up because I don't wish my son to have a cheating man for a father." Eileen said seriously and rose to leave the table....

...Later in the day,Joanna was brought out from the prison cells into her metal cage and driven to the city hall as everyone shouted cursing words and threw evey kind of disgusting thing to her, but Joanna didn't flinch because the pain that had been inflicted upon her couldn't compare to the words and rubbish that was thrown to her. She could only think of her daughter and remember her soft hands let going of her arm. At this point she couldn't even tell if she was alive or dead....

...They reached the city hall, Eileen and Paul where seat up the stage and the gathered people where all shouting,'kill her!'...

...Joanna was brought down the cage to the stage and tired to the pole. In a few minutes King Paul raised from his seat and moved to the center of the stage....

..."Calm down my people, calm down. it's a good day today for we have reached the end of all our miseries today. Finally we have no more reason to worry of our children dying, our crops dry and all those other disasters. Today we mark the end of all that."...

..."Yey!kill her." the people shouted....

..."You have to worry no more for I your king will solve every problem that you carry."...

...Gabriela struggled to pass through the crowd of people in order for her to have a clear view. She looked around and moved towards a pole where she could climb to have a clear view. She climbed the pole and she could clearly see how brutally they had treated her mother. She couldn't help but sob....

...Lady Marie couldn't miss this event for the world. She was around. She stood by and watched Joanna. She made sure she stood where she could see her easily and indeed Joanna saw her. She couldn't be mistaken of her sister's face, this is when it hit her hard when she realized that everything that was happening was because of her, her sister was the person she was looking for all this time. Tears rolled down her eyes but all the sudden bursted out into laughter, she laughed and laughed out hard that king Paul paused in his speech. Everyone looked at her quietly for a while until she said out,...

" you will live to regret this all your life!" she shouted.

...No one knew whom she was talking to but lady Marie whose expression had now changed to anger with fear knew the message was to her....

..."Has she fallen mad? Or is she cursing us? Execute her immediately." a lady shouted out and the others followed....

...King Paul raised his had as a gesture and the guards untied Joanna to the execution table. Her head was laid and as she struggled, she saw her daughter....

..."My dear Gabriela." she said struggling....

..." Mother, no..." Gabriela sobbed terribly....

...The guard held a large sword and in no seconds Joanna's head was cut off....

^^^"moth....!"Gabriela shouted but before she could finish her mouth was shut and carried away from the crowd.^^^

.....................