The more I struggle against the witch's weird magic, the tighter the binding feeling gets. Eventually, I stop thrashing around, and take in my surroundings. The witch brought me to a decrepit looking castle made of thorns, deep in the heart of the forest. Or at least, that's where I assume it is, since I actually have no idea where I am or how to get out of here.

    The witch emerges from her castle with a creepy expression on her face. The manic smile freaks me out, so I look away. When I turn back, she's right in front of me, and I let out an involuntary squeak of surprise and throw myself backwards. I land on something hard and cold, a small bottle of some sort. 

    "Where is it?" the witch yells in my face. 

    I flinch, "Where is what?" My hand probes the ground underneath me, searching for the object that could be my way out of here.

    "You know what!" she shrieks, "Now give it to me or else I'll take it." Her voice drops to a whisper on the last two words, a sinister glint in her eyes. I slide the vial into my belt, then raise my shaking hands into the air.

    "I don't have it."

    "LIAR!"

    A burning pain races through my body, setting my cells on fire and blocking any rational thought in my mind. I scream like a child, but focus on the vial digging into my back, the cool glass a beacon in the raging inferno. Finally, the pain dims enough for me to see clearly again. The witch looms over me, a smirk playing across her lips.

    "So sorry, darling, but I had to teach you a lesson. If you're to stay here with me, my pet, you must learn NOT TO LIE."

    I struggle to sit up, every muscle in my body aching. "I'm not your pet, and I'll never stay here with you!"

    She cackles, waving her hand at me again. I flinch involuntarily, and she laughs again. "Not so confident now, are we? How about another small taste of pain?"

    This time, even though I'm bracing myself for it, the pain is so intense I have to fight the urge to curl up in the fetal position and cry. But I won't give in. Hopefully.

    Suddenly, a bright light flares behind my eyelids. Instinctively, I cover my head and shuffle backwards, shielding myself from whatever horrors await me. But the pain has diminished, and I open my eyes. A woman, wearing all white and - is she glowing? - stands in front of me.

    "Rise, brave warrior, and introduce yourself to the faery of the forest," she says, in a soft, yet commanding voice. 

    "I am but a humble member of the King's Hunting Party," I say, bowing my head. I am distinctly aware of the cold bottle pressed against my spine.

     "So, Mister Member of the King's Hunting Party, what brings you to the middle of my woods?" she inquires, waving her hand around the clearing.

    I turn to look around, and nearly fall over. What had recently been a dirty, overgrown patch of weeds had become a flourishing field of flowers, and instead of the crumbling castle of thorns, a beautiful gold and glass castle stood proudly in the center of the trees. "I- I don't understand," I stammer. "The witch- her castle...it's all gone!"

    The faery's brow furrows. "The witch? But we banished the witch, long ago. To keep the kingdom safe, you see. So it couldn't have been."

    "I know what I saw," I insist. "She tortured me. She- she was looking for the vial of starlight."

    The faery goes pale. "She wants the vial? Then give it, give it to me. I will keep it safe; I will protect the kingdom."

    I consider this, but in the end, something still feels off. It might be my personal greed, or maybe it's the sense of wrongness that surrounds the faery, like she's not exactly what she seems. So I keep the vial safely tucked away in my belt. "I'm afraid I can't, your faery- uh, your highness. You see, when we were traversing the woods, the vial was lost."

    "WHAT?" the faery yells. "You LOST it?"

    I put my hands up, "I didn't lose it, the Huntmaster lost it!" Good job Rheid, throwing Alfred under the carriage like that.

    The faery sighs, "This complicates things a great deal. We must find that vial before the witch can get her grubby hands on it. When you find it, deliver it to me."

    I bow slightly, "Yes ma'am!" and she slowly dissipates into white light, leaving me alone in the clearing. Her castle and flowers disappear too, and soon I'm back at the river where I'd first run into the rest of the Hunting Party. 

    Only now do I consider it safe to remove the bottle from my belt. Just as I'd suspected, the vial of starlight rests, gleaming, in my hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written August 26, 2023

Word count: 834