Chapter Text
WITCH IN A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES
CHAPTER 1: SKYLAH
Today was a bad day. Skylah sat in her car at the local lookout point. Her knuckles were white as she clung to the steering wheel of her old and rather crappy car. Angry tears kept escaping from her traitorous eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her boss, Andy had called her into his office and told her he would no longer have any work for her. She let out a sob. Without work, she couldn’t pay the rent on her apartment. She would be homeless. She desperately tried to come up with a solution. She did gigs but that wasn’t regular work. She pulled out her phone shaking. She would have to do it. Go back home to her parents. She huffed trying to think of another solution. She could ask to sleep on a friend’s couch. She sighed. She hated asking for help.
She dialled her childhood home phone number. After a few rings her father picked up ‘Hello?’ She said shakily, ‘Hi Dad, its Skylah’ He answered quickly, ‘Skylah, how are you?’ there was a pause. Skylah said croakily ‘I am not great. Can I come home for a bit?’ Her father said ‘You can but if you live under our roof its under our rules. No taking off without explanation’ Skylah answered ‘Okay, I can do that’ her father asked, ‘Shall I come and get you?’ Skylah said dejectedly ‘I will drive over. Thankyou Dad’ she hung up. She took a breath, and tears freely rolled down her cheeks. Somehow living in that house was worse than being homeless.
She went back to her apartment and packed up the pitiful amount of things she had. She filled up her car with the last of her money going on petrol and a chocolate bar and drove the couple of hours to her hometown.
Familiar places flashed past as she drove. It was nice to see familiar things but as she drew nearer the dread started to get to her. She was willingly putting herself in the hands of her family. Her hands shook as she drove up to the front gate. She pressed the intercom button and said ‘I am here’ the gate opened, and she drove in. She was careful to drive her bomb of a car round the back of the house. Her parents would be embarrassed if anyone saw Skylah’s car.
Her father came out to greet her and gave her a big hug. He looked at her intently ‘Okay my girl?’ she nodded and looked down. She really didn’t want to go in the house. Her father seemed to read her thoughts ‘She’s not home yet’ Skylah smiled. He helped her unload her things. Some went into boxes in the garage, and some went up to her bedroom.
She looked at her untouched bedroom. It hadn’t changed at all. So much had happened since she left and here was her bedroom untouched as if nothing happened. It unnerved her.
She had a shower and put on a dress that she had left in her room five years ago. It smelled musty.
She waited until 6:59pm to go down to dinner. There were gasps when she entered the dining room. Her father stood up and pulled out a chair for her. Her mother was looking at her hatefully. Her brother gave her a wink.
He smiled sincerely, ‘It’s good to see you Sky!’ She gave him a small smile ‘How are you, Nick?’ He said ‘I am doing well. I am seeing a girl from the Eldridge coven, Maybelle’ Skylah smiled ‘That’s great’.
Her mother gave her a glare ‘Benjamin married a girl from the Firenze Coven’ Skylah nodded. Her mother spat ‘You embarrassed us’ Skylah huffed, ‘I wasn’t ready to get married’ Her mother said furiously ‘It is your duty. Witches are dying out. We all need to do our part!’ Skylah said defiantly ‘I refuse to marry for anything but love’ Her mother looked ready to blow.
Her father patted her hand. He said ‘Perhaps a magical mixer? Skylah could meet someone and fall in love?’ Her mother looked her up and down with disgust ‘I will arrange a stylist to come tomorrow. She can’t go out looking like that!’ Skylah just sat there and took it. She couldn’t say anything. She had nowhere else to go. If her mother had her way, she would be married off and making babies. Skylah sighed.
Nick smirked, ‘So, you have been roughing it with the humans?’ Skylah stabbed her potato. Her brother grinned at her. ‘My friend Tom had a human once. He wanted to try something exotic’ Skylah frowned ‘What happened?’ Nick shrugged ‘He got bored and broke up with her’
Her mother asked waspishly, ‘Why would he want a human girlfriend?’ Nick shrugged ‘She was cute, just helpless. Honestly, she was a bit like a toddler. He had to do everything for her’. Skylah explained ‘They can’t do magic, so they find other ways to get things done. They have a machine that washes dishes for them’ the family looked stunned.
Skylah suggested ‘You should venture into the human lands. They aren’t much different than us’ Her mother laughed at her scornfully ‘They are different Skylah, and they are of no use to our kind’.
The next day, Skylah was groomed, her hair trimmed, nails manicured and polished. A stylist brought her a few outfits and took measurements and promised to bring more in a couple of days. Skylah looked at her reflection in the mirror. She scowled. She had only been here for a day and already she looked like one of them.
Her father hugged her ‘You look beautiful’ she looked up at him tearily ‘I am sorry I just ran away’ He nodded ‘We were worried sick’ She explained ‘I didn’t want to face what I had done’ He said reassuringly, ‘Obviously that marriage wasn’t meant to be.’
He looked at her ‘Will you give the magical mixer a go? You never know, you could fall in love’ She nodded miserably.
She asked quietly ‘Will she try to force me again?’ Her father frowned ‘Force you?’ Skylah nodded ‘She drugged my pre-marriage cake, and I could feel her influence. That’s why I ran. She was controlling my body, and I needed to get away from her’ her father looked stunned and hugged her tightly. He said, ‘I had no idea’ and he hugged her tighter.
She heard her parents arguing later that night. Her father had obviously confronted her mother about her control. Skylah grinned listening to her mother try to defend her choice. Her father was having none of it.
Nick opened his bedroom door and smiled brightly at Skylah. She asked, ‘Where are you off too?’ He grinned ‘A party. Want to come?’ She nodded and quickly got changed. They snuck out the gate together and walked down the street. He smiled ‘This is a bit like old times’ She grinned at him, and they walked along the street in companionable silence.
Nick asked, ‘Why did you run?’ She took a breath ‘I didn’t want to marry him. I didn’t love him. Mother drugged my pre-marriage cake, and I could feel her trying to influence me’ He sucked in a breath ‘Seriously?’ she nodded. He said ‘Dad and I would have helped if we had known’ she nodded tearfully.
He glanced at her smirking, ‘Did you get any human cock?’ She wacked him ‘Of course. I have needs’ he roared with laughter. He asked, ‘how was it?’ She shrugged ‘The same but with less stamina’ he smirked ‘That sounds awful’ she grinned, and they both roared with laughter.
He took her down the main street and into a bar. They walked over to a wall and Nick mouthed a spell. The wall became translucent. They stepped through the wall and found themselves in a club. The staff were all nude as was the entertainment. Skylah grinned at her brother wide eyed, and he laughed ‘You wanted to come!’ she nodded, and they went and got drinks.
Lots of Nick’s friends came to speak with him. He introduced Skylah. Some of her brother’s friends remembered her and asked questions about where she had been.
After a couple of drinks. She found herself sitting at a grand piano and singing her heart out. The crowd clapped wildly.
Nick smiled at his sister ‘You are even better than when you left!’ She grinned ‘It has been five years’ he nodded ‘Don’t do that again. If there is a problem, please come to me or dad’ she nodded.
She was very popular after her performance. She sat back and drank and laughed. Nick smiled watching her closely. It was nice to have his sister back.