Princess and the Pea Chapter 38

Chapter 38:
“Two hundred years ago, both the White Witches and the Dark Witches were united into one big coven. We all lived in peace and spent our time creating elixirs and potions to sell in the markets. That’s how we lived our lives. We were merchants.
“Helen was my older sister. She always hated me, for some reason. She thought I would be a threat to her and her power…And her inherence. So she always made sure that in public, I would look terrible while she shone in front of the crowds.
“One day, Helen suddenly left home. My parents were frantic. They had no idea where Helen was.
“But I knew. She had told me that one spring morning. She had informed me of a magical place in the Great Woods where there was enough enchantment to give even the weakest witches unbelievable power. I wondered why she had told me.
“I told my parents what I had heard from Helen. They immediately sent out many witch soldiers to go find my sister. And my parents and I went with them.
“With our coven empty of supplies and protection…Oh, I should’ve known. Helen was creating an army. She manipulated many of our finest witches and turned them over to her side.
“Helen took over our coven, and while she was taking care of things, we found ourselves facing an iron gate that was blocking the Great Woods.
“All of a sudden, we all fainted. When I woke up, I found myself in the centre of the Great Woods. Helen had lied. I felt no presence of power or enchantment there.
“Many other soldiers and witches were with me, still unconscious. I shook them awake, and there, in the centre of the Great Woods, we built our own coven. Our coven was dedicated to goodness. Helen’s…Well, you know already.”
Neleh sighed. Then she looked directly at Fiona. “A few months later, my dear sister-in-law Anoia came running to me, holding a bundle of blankets.
“‘What do I do?’ She asked me. ‘I lost a bet with Helen, so I had to give my baby to her.’”
Fiona looked shocked as if she knew what Neleh was going to say. Everyone else turned to Neleh expectantly.
Neleh closed her eyes. “That baby was you, Fiona.”

-Vociferously yours, Vicky.