peaceonearth | They're Burning Witches

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They're Burning Witches | So Light Me Up

Gieruchna couldn't rule out that her parents knew about Samuel, but whether they did or not, she was certain they didn't approve. Her final clue had been when her father had mentioned the arranged marriage to Herbort, a man three times her age who'd been a widower twice and had children older than her. He was one of the wealthiest men in their village and she would be taken care of, which was probably what her father had been thinking about. He wasn't an unkind man, so Ruby should have felt bad when he 'suddenly fell ill' with gastrointestinal issues. He'd tried everything in the apothecary to no avail. All of his cows had started giving sour milk and most of his crops had failed. Unfortunately, that had only delayed the appointed marriage (and Ruchna didn't feel bad).

At least it had given her more time to sneak around with Samuel and try to convince her family that she didn't need to marry anyone (marrying a witch hunter was out of the question since she was an actual witch and had made the deal to save her little sister from the Black Plague last year).

She couldn't be certain who had first raised the witch allegations, but Herbort or one of his children were high on her list. They'd dragged her from her bed in the middle of the night and thrown her in a makeshift cage in the center of the village square to await her trial and punishment. Samuel's father had led the charge. Ruchna couldn't even protest because she was the reason Herbort, his cattle, and his crops had fallen ill, but she was also the reason not a single person in the village had died from the Black Plague (it hadn't been her goal, but she hadn't known her own power). Rather than scream her innocence, she'd tilted her chin up and remained silent. She'd maintained that silence when they threw her in the cage and poked at her with sticks.

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The allegations against Ruchna had spread like wildfire across the village, but at home things were very quiet about it. The only reason Samuel had heard anything about it is because he'd been reading outside as villagers whispered in passing about the witch that been thrown in the middle of the night into a cage at the town square. A lump formed in his throat the second he realized what he heard. In a village as small as theirs, there weren't many young girls in the population. Even less that had been married off to secure some form of protection against poverty much less baseless accusations. It was the middle of the day when he ran with a start to see who it was. His fears were only cemented when he pushes through the crowd of hecklers to see the red hair he'd recknogize anywhere. For the first few seconds, he stood frozen at the sight before him. Accompanied by her ruby hair, he could see a cut here or there with fresh blood coming from her forehead or the side of arm. It wasn't anything new to witness town's folk throwing rocks at the accused. It never sat well with him then; it sat even less well when it was someone he loved.

Without so much of a thought, he stood in front of Ru and out the crowd to put down their arms. "It is God that passes judgement, no one else." The crowd looked stunned but perhaps feeling some shame started to disperse. His reputation at the witch hunter's younger son perhaps gave him some grace. Definitely not enough to not also be spread like wildfire to the ears of his neighbors. What he did would have consequences on his character later. He turns to Ruby when the numbers of noisy neighbors is fewer. His eyes pleaded with Ruby's for answers at the same time searching for anything in her body language to prove to himself that this was all a lie. "Tell me you didn't do anything wrong. Ru, I'll get you out of here." Samuel sees how her chin remains up and dread fills him all the more.

His father's position in the community definitely helped Sam calm and disperse the crowds. As she has found, it's also very hard not to like Sam.

Her eyes harden a little at Sam's question. "They were going to marry me off to someone three times my age because he had cows that give good milk and successful crops." It's not an admission of guilt really. "He's not going to die and if the Lord wills it, I'm sure he'll recover."

He's had doubts about some of the claims put forth of witchery that have see people burned. The only person he's ever even hinted at that with is Ruchna. His lips tingle with how they pull into a thin line at Ruby's hard stare. He'll never allow himself to believe she is evil even if she came out with her guilt. "His family has made a false claim against you. Then we, I- I'll get this settled. There is neither proof or justice in punishing you when he's alive and in recovery. Let me talk to my father. See that there's time to prove your innocence."

It's not uncommon for women to wed older men; his soft disgust in voice for the man gives away that he can't stand the idea. They may have only known each other for a few weeks, but he trusts his feelings for her are real. "Are you cold? Hungry? Thirsty? Let me get you what you need." Sam steps within reach of the bars, hands holding a bar and face pressed in between. There isn't a bone in his body that warns him that he's too close or in danger.

Sam's father (and all the other witch hunters) have burned far more innocent human women than they have witches. In fact, she'd wager a good guess that his father has never burned an actual witch. Apparently, there's a first time for everything. She would argue that she's definitely not the evil one involved in this situation. She sighs softly and glances around, moving closer to the bars. "If you're going to do that, there's a little bag underneath Herbort's bed and underneath the feed trough in the barn. You should get those and burn them first." It's the closest she'll get to admitting that she did anything.

She covers his hand with hers, forehead resting against the bars. "You shouldn't be this close to me. People are going to talk," she warns him.

Just as he believes Ruby couldn't have done it, he would have a hard time believing his father burned all innocent people. It's a shame he's indoctrinated as much if not more than a towns person. He's definitely looking for every excuse in can find to believe Ruby's innocence. His eyes look around when hers do, widen when she comes out and makes her request. He pushes himself back from the bars startled. "You want me to– How could you know there are bags to burn?" He's not exactly quiet nor is he loud enough to bring back prying eyes on them. He looks around to check if anyone is listening again. His thoughts and feelings are thrust into sea of anxiety, but change very little about how he's come to feel about her. He steps closer, this time not touching the bars. "No, you can't be at fault. Tell me who is truly at fault. Do that and you can get out of here. Everyone will see you are a victim too." His eyes plead with hers.

Eventually his steps back as her advice gives him little choice but to listen. He has a lot to think about with her involvement and his mortals while the sun still graces the sky. He can't know yet that he will rationalize that Ru is innocent enough to burn the bags to secure her innocence. He takes action in the darkest hour whilst clumsily leaving the manor.

For now, he doesn't mean to turn to leave her when the conversation runs dry, a betrayed glance caught in his eye; the best he can do for her is come back late the next day. He sorted his feelings out for the better and talked to his father to implore him to look deeper into the accusation. If Ruchna was guilty, the only way his head could get around it was that someone else had to be pulling the strings. His father had not liked the push back nor his son vouching for a promised woman, but Sam didn't let up until he had a promise the church would do a fair investigation. He believed he came with good news. His hands pushed a loaf of breed between the bars with his apologetic eyes, and a bowl of water in the other. "I did not mean to leave you alone yesterday. Forgive me?"

She gives him a look that clearly says 'you know why'. As far as she's concerned, she's already stated her justifications. She wasn't going to marry him or kill him. She was just going to make him a less desirable husband. She shakes her head a little at Sam. "I'd rather die than marry him." Her feelings for Sam are one of the reasons she'd rather die than marry Herbort. "I am a victim," she agrees, just not the kind he thinks she is.

She's not surprised when he pulls away from her, but she expected it and she knows it's better for him in the long run. If he continues to associate with her, he's putting his own life at risk. Once Sam leaves, she curls up in the corner of the cage and tries to figure a way out of this. She will not die here, or at least she doesn't want to.

When Sam returns, her eyes go wide and she rushes to the bars of the cage. She starts to tell him that he shouldn't have come back then she sees the bread and water he brought. She takes the bread with frantic hands and tears a bite off with her teeth. They haven't fed her since they dumped her in here. She chews her first bite before she responds. "I would forgive you almost anything, Samuel, and as glad as I am to see you, with or without food, you shouldn't have come. They will make this hard on you because of it."

He thought about what she said about how she was the victim and how she'd rather die after he left. It affected him in ways he didnt understand. He could offer her his hand in marriage, but somehow got the feeling that she wouldn't want that. It seemed to him that she didn't like the idea of being controlled by societal expectations. He had to come up with a better idea to save her. Maybe they'd run away if no one would listen to his plea to consider her case. He thought about it all. But he, ultimately, came to the conclusion that the right thing to do was help her make her case. He'd be willing to omit some truths of what he heard her tell him along the way if need be. His heart tells him he can't leave her there.

His tries his best to overlook her wide eyes but part of him feel shame that he left her. His eyes dart down at her hands before he look at her straight. Watching her eat in a frenzy offers this feeling tinge of satisfaction that he is doing right by her now. "You'll choke if you don't slow down." He offers in caution. He hands her the water next with the expectation that she'll drink it slower. "I don't care what they have to say. You deserve a fair trial, and I decided to help you prove your case."

He's a little more careful, leaning in to say this next part. "I checked for you and no one died." He hopes she'll catch his drift. The spell bags no longer are a concern.

He could offer his hand in marriage and she would probably accept it, if it weren't for the fact that his father is a witch hunter. There's no way his father will ever accept her as Samuel's wife. He's right though; she doesn't like the idea that society expects her to get married to someone 'eligible'. She wants to be able to marry who she wants, when she wants, and to have children when she's ready for them. She didn't really want to drag Sam into this, but she hadn't exactly planned for this.

At his admonishment, Ruby takes the water and sips more slowly. She takes another, smaller bite of bread and chews more slowly. She narrows her eyes at him, not positive he can ensure a fair trial. "And if I'm found guilty?"

She leans in when he does to catch his quieter voice. She nods a little, understanding his comment. "Good. They weren't supposed to." It's important to her that he know that death wasn't her point. After another bite of bread and a sip of water she finally asks "so what now?"

Exactly. Too much had gone wrong to make marriage a viable option. Still, his heart is already in this with her to even consider to withdraw from the matter. Her story matches up with what he likes about her. Spoiler: He sees Ru as a free spirited girl that loves to read. A rarity, if not the only one of her kind. His justification is that everything she's done is misguided at best. He's sure she would have never done it if she hadn't been put in the situation from the beginning.

He allows her to eat with the softness of a small smile faintly at the corner of his lips when her bites heed his words. Part of him is naive enough to think the Church will give her a fair trail with his backing. He meets her narrow eyes with earnest in his own. "I don't think you will. There-"

His voice grows a little lower than a monent ago. "There's nothing to tie you to it. You won't be found guilty." He blushes when he realizes how close she is to him. But he doesn't scoot back just yet.

"Be honest with me; could something bad have happened if it was left there?" He's relieved that no one dead and death wasn't her goal. He still has the burning to desire to know if it could have robbed someone of their life with the way her comment subtly hints at a more nefarious outcome. The cup he gave her is empty before long and he takes it back. To answer her, "We wait until the trail. I'll talk to my father about what evidence there is about you. I'll speak on behalf of your character. In the meantime, do you want anymore water? I'll bring you whatever you need."

Too much had gone wrong in this town to make staying here a viable option, but Ruby doesn't say that. Her family is probably ruined because of this whether or not she's acquitted. And no, up to this point, she's only used her witchcraft for good, like saving the town (however accidentally; she'd only meant to save her sister) from the Plague. She feels like life forced her to make this choice or to give up who she is entirely.

He's got far more faith (and naivety) than she does, but for now, she'll humor him. She nods a little when he confirms he took care of the hex bags and murmurs a thank you.

She hitches one shoulder up in a shrug. "Maybe. He could have thrown up and shit himself to the point that he died of it, but had I not been locked up here, I would have made sure that didn't happen." She would have fetched the hex bags, broken the spell and made the argument to her father that Hurbert was no longer a good match; his health was suspect, his crops and his dairy cows had failed. She would have begged to be allowed to wait to be married until a better match came along. "A little more water," she nods. "They're supposed to feed me, but everything they've given me has been moldy or the water has spilled before they got it to me." She hesitates. "Can you check on my sister? Make sure she's okay and is being treated fairly. She doesn't know anything at all."

His faith stems from the side of her he saw when they were together. If her smile is any indication of the kind of person she is – down the earth, witty, and ahead of her time – then he'd rather remain somewhat naive than allow his faith in her to be stripped away from what the town's people might say.

The laughed out of ther mouth catches him off guard – not because she could see her suitor die of diarrhea, but because of the swear word itself. He blinks back at her until the surprise leave him in the next moment.

"For your sake, I, too, am relieved that he survived a terrible night of sweats." Had things gone differently, Sam would have found out about her betrothal in another way. He would have asked Ru's father for her hand in marriage in lieu of someone that could be her grandfather. He'd have more to offer, even as the second son of a holy man. Cetrainly he had no inheritance rights, but he had more potential to out earn a man with failing crops. He'd have stepped up to be someone worthy of Ru.

His eyes turn to the empty bowl than back to her, showing with a nod that he hears her. "I'll bring you some more water first," he decides. Then he can go check on her sister – the only way to do that, he decides, is to properly talk to Ru's father too. There would be trouble is he was seen speaking with an unaccompanied lady. "Is there a message you would like me to pass to her?" He loves that Ru cares for her sister.

She appreciates his faith more than she can say, but she also won't lie to him about what she is and what she's done. In a way, that's worthy of its own kind of faith.

Sorry, her religion was a kind of witchcraft long before the Catholics showed up to evangelize everyone and burn women at the stake. Words only have meaning if they're given meaning, if one believes in them, and her curse words are far more effective than the ones claimed curses by Catholics.

Her father might have considered Samuel as a proper choice in that case. Ruby could care less if anyone thinks he's a proper choice or not. She is a little concerned with his father's choice of aspiration because of the fact that she is a witch. She knows eventually she'll have to tell Sam that she's a real witch, not the fictional kind the church hunts.

Ruby hesitates, considering what to tell her sister. She presses her lips together and finally says "tell her I love her. Tell her not to let Daddy marry her off to anyone. She needs to marry someone she cares about."

He already recognizes that there is some truth in the claims of her being a real witch. Why else would she have asked him to remove a hex bag? Certainly if he heard her say that she was a real witch would make it all more realer. More gears would need to turn in his brain to finally click into a place of acceptance.

He switches the weight of his footing while giving Ru the time to consider her message. He finds himself leaning as close as possible to memorize the message. "You can trust me to get your back to her. But do me a favor and don't count yourself out yet. We can still get you out of here. I promise I'll speak for you."

A little time later, he brings her more water in a bowl and a small hankerchief of food. "Make sure you save some for tomorrow," he advises her, looking flustered. He can't bring himself to tell her that he's worried the extra food will go noticed as missing at home... but it's fairly evident too. The town is in recovery.

If it helps, she wouldn't expect him to stick around. It would hurt (probably more so than the town's persecution), but she gets it. His father is a witch hunter. She is, according to his religion, a abomination against his god.

"I know I can and I know you will. I don't doubt that." She doubts that it will be enough to sway anyone.

She nods at his warning to ration. She takes a small bite and drinks some of the water. She is still hungry and thirsty, but they're both bearable. "How is everything out there? Has your father said anything to you about me?"

It would hurt more for him to stay away from her than not. He found that out when he decided to turn away from her once already. He won't do it again (not if he has any say in it at least).

He smiles, believing naively in the good he can do to change her fate. He's never seen how brutle witch trials are. He's never witnessed well meaning witnesses get dragged down to the stake either. Though it is only in his favor that he has familal ties that will protect him. "Good. Please, wait for me to come back. We can put your defense together once I have my things." Paper. Ink and a quill. Those types of things. He won't stay away as long this time around.

He won't tell her but tomorrow he will eat a little less to bring her even more. He'll gladly bring her more water if she just asked though. The town's well is open to everyone. (Most folk are steered clear of bullying him even though they've already seen him hanging around the cage and the well alone.)

He shakes his head. "No one is saying right now. It's very quiet in the streets. I've seen a few folk rush by me back inside. Everyone is on edge right now. My father hasn't come back from the church yet either. He told my brother and I that he had a council meeting and it was all he could say. He didn't have to say anything about you to know the town is looking into it. I'll talk to him when I do see him."

She won't blame him for leaving her at some point if it means his survival. Selfishly, she wants him with her until the very end, whatever that end is.

His father will protect him. Ruby has no doubt about that. He's a harsh man, but Ruby knows he loves his sons. She taps the wooden enclosure and tilts her head toward it. "I'm not going anywhere," she half smiles at him.

She'll probably assume it when she sees bits and pieces of his meals in the package he hands to her. She can't blame him because it's what she would do as well. As long as she's got water, she'll be okay.

His assessment of the situation makes her nod. "Okay. Good." She takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I didn't mean for that to happen."

There are some things neither of them can know about each other in such a short time. For Sam, it's that he will likely be there for her until the end. His youth makes everything the end all be all. He's only doing what he feels it right. Losing the chance to get to know Ru better is what he can't ignore.

His father will likely be harsh with Sam about befriending an accused witch, too. Sam sees what Ruby means by tapping the enclosure. He glances down apologetically. "Sorry, you... I didn't mean to remind you like that." He clears his throat, push away the nervousness that might make him otherwise tongue tied. "What I mean is hold tight. Don't let them move you until I get back." As if he doesn't know that Ruby wouldn't be able to stop them if they did have to move her. He has to fight to keep pushing down that bit embarrassment inside.

Water is certainly more important than food, but a little less on his plate won't end the world for him. Besides he wouldn't be able to call himself a gentleman if he let her go hungry. Especially in his youthful heart that he sees her as the one.

"Don't apologize. You're not at fault. And I'm doing this because," he cuts off briefly, digging deep for the courage to just come out and say it. He remembers not to long ago about what his brother told him when he asked how to talk to girls. He jumps right back into his words. "Because I care about you. At least I certainly wouldn't want to see something bad happen to you before I could get to know you better."

She feels the same way; her perspective is a little different because of the deal she made with the witch last year. She knows she wants to spend the rest of her life, however long it may be, with Sam. She's not counting on him feeling the same way, but she hopes for it.

She hopes that his father isn't too hard on him, but she knows that she's only messing up his life at this point. It's part of the reason for her apology; she feels guilty, not for the hex bags that started this whole thing, but for ruining Sam's life. She shakes her head at his apology. "No. You have nothing to apologize for. I know where I'm sitting. It's not something I can forget."

And that circles back to her feeling as if she's ruining his life, but she'll accept the food simply because she's pretty sure she doesn't have much life left.

When he hesitates, she tilts her head, but can't help but smile when he says he cares about her. "I care about you too," she whispers. "I really want the chance to get to know you better," she admits.

There's very few instances where his father has never allowed him to learn his own lessons. There are even fewer where his family hasn't ever had his back. Call him naive. But there's some part of him that believes that they will support Ruby too.

He firmly shakes head in kind, unable to take back his feelings around his apology even so. "How about we both agree that we should be mindful of each other," he says in compromise.

If she wore really ruining his life, he would be next to her in the cage. That is, in fact, not the case. The food isn't any trouble on his part either. He's eaten enough to make sure he's not hungry. Besides it makes him smile when she perks up when he brings her food. He's not doing it to win any points, only to show his concern for her.

When she tells him that she cares about him too, he tries to play it cool, but his smile pushes out widely. "When you get out of here," he starts in a high tone, but clears his throat. "When you get out, we can do that. We can go to my favorite place in town... or if we can't, we can go anywhere but here. Your choice." It takes him a second to realize what he really meant behind that. Yes, he would run away with her.

There's little doubt in Ruby's mind that he's naive. However, she wouldn't change that about him, and she sincerely hopes that he's right about his family. She nods in agreement of his compromise, but he had no part in putting her here. She doesn't want him to feel guilty about that nor does she want him to feel guilt about helping her. She knows where his heart is and what his intentions are regardless of his word choices.

She thinks he wouldn't believe she were ruining his life regardless of where he was sitting. However, selfishly, she's glad that he doesn't believe she's ruining his life. At this point, she's content to be able to make him smile in any way.

For a moment, she will allow herself to dream about getting out of here with him. She smiles in return and nods. "Maybe we should find a new village. Start over just the two of us where no one knows that I was once tried for being a witch." She's not thinking about running away with him with this hanging over her head. Not yet.

Sadly, young men like Sam have so much more freedom to be naive in the world that he may never fully realize it. His family assisting him in her innocence is a big part of that dream. He nods when she mentions a new village. "If we want one that no one will ever know who you are, we will have to travel for days maybe even months. We'd see the whole world out there. Maybe that's what's supposed to happen." It would be dangerous, but thrilling to see what's out there if he knew he'd be seeing it with her. The more they talk about it the more he won't be able to abandon it easily.

It would be nice if things worked out that way. Unfortunately, she is a witch, and his father is a witch hunter. The combination is a ticking timebomb. "I'd like to see the world with you, Samuel."

Hope (delusion) is all either of them have, if anything at all. He offers his hand to hers to squeeze it enthusiastically. "And live by the ocean or the mountains?"

She takes his hand, fingers gliding along his palm and wrists. "The beach, I think. We could fish and swim in the ocean. I've never seen the ocean, but I've heard about it from travelling merchants." She pauses. "Have you ever seen the ocean? Have you and your family travelled that far?"

His wrist tickles under the touch of her fingers on his skin. He tries his best not to feel flustered. The memory of the ocean rushes forward to his mind. He was but a child when he been there but the tangy smell of vast blue water was ingrained in his mind. "Yes, one time. There were fish of all colors that I've never seen anywhere else. They tasted pretty good too. Anybody would be lucky to live by the ocean. We would."

He wishes he could describe it better for her but his memory of it was limited to the boat.

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