When I woke up the next day the Prince was laying his head on my stomach, his arms curled around his head. The sandwich besides the bed was gone, and a half full cup of water sat on the table. Light streamed into my room from my window and highlighted the Prince’s hair. He looks like an innocent angel with a halo. I sit up and pet his hair, the raven locks soft and thick.

He nuzzled in and wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled himself closer to me. My chest grew warm and I teared up a bit. As I was caught in the moment he shifted his eyes and dreery opened them, slowly allowing the light of the new day to shimmer off his dark eyes. He grinned and squeezed my hips tighter and rubbed his nose into my lap.

“Hmmmmm…”

He puffed up his cheeks and released me, rubbing his eyes.

“Good morning…”

“Hm, good morning beautiful! The color in your face is back.”

My face flushed up as he sat up and brushed his hand through his hair. I then felt my torso and found it had recovered from my starved state. Malum was nuzzled by my heart, gently wrapped around the muscle. It felt comforting and I wasn’t scared. I felt the pulse going through their molten form, but I took my attention off them as the Prince stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

“That was the first time in a while I've had the chance to get some sleep.”

“I- uhhh”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I had just starved myself and now that i’m better I don’t know if I should thank him or to just keep quiet.

“It’s-could you explain to me what happened these last few days?”

“I’ll try…”

He sits down on the bed next to me and looks down at my hand, taking it in his.

“Well...last time I got this close to someone there was a big backlash in my hometown. A childhood friend of mine, Caleb, got in a lot of trouble for coming over to my house. He had come over one night and stayed over because his dad was drunk... Because of that people were thinking he was forced to because his dad was a well known rich man in the community. If I had enchanted his son to make him think I was a woman and wife material then the Witch would gain power. He ended up losing his reputation and had to go under a new ailis after we ran. He would have been the next mayor had he not come to my house that night.”

“So you were worried about that?”

“Ya...so I thought getting away from here before your reputation was tarnished would help like before but uhh-”

“Got caught.”

“Yeah…something like that. Then they tried force feeding me and- a lot just kinda made me lose it.”

“Well...thanks for explaining it to me Lina.”

He brings my hand up to his lips and flips it over to kiss my wrist. He places it on his check and relaxes a bit when I rub my thumb underneath his right eye.

I wish we could have stayed there, a knock echoed through the room.

-

“Witch! Witch! Witch!”

People yelled at the gate, it was now time to act like a princess and come to an agreement with the protesters along with my Prince. I wasn’t going to run this time, I had made a commitment when I left the small village. Whether I realized it then or now doesn’t matter, I have to move forward.

“So we are going to have a meeting with the leader of the protesters to discuss a compromise. Just follow my lead.”

We walked down the grand stairs arm and arm, the modest skirt hanging just below my knees in case I had to get away from a raging mob. I had done my hair up in a simple bun, my horns out in the open for others to see. There was no point in hiding myself now.

“Let them in!”

The Prince called out to the guards. We stood in front of the raising gate to meet the person who started the movement.

“My Prince…”

She stood confidently, in men's trousers and blouse. Just like the day she chased me down, her platinum hair was tied into a braid and her narrowed violet eyes confronted me.

“Dressing like a doll as normal I see Alex.”

The Captain.

-

The ballroom had been organized into a press conference, where all the protesters could squeeze in and throw in their nickel and dime of what they wanted out of the agreement. The King and Queen were seated to the right of me and the Prince in the middle. Cathen, the Captain, stood in front of us with a paper, listing requests of the crown.

“Firstly, we would like the ‘Princess’ to vow to protect the country's citizens at all cost. A vow to make fair choices and think best of the citizens. A vow to never use Witchcraft against an innocent soul. And…”

She looked me straight in the eye, pausing for what was the most demanding of me.

“The promise that there will be the continuation of the royal blood, whether it be legitimate, or illegitimate.”

There were a few boos, a few gasps, and yells of agreement.

“I-”

The room silenced within a second.

“I agree to vow to the first three.”

Whispers erupted in the crowd, Cathen smirked as I continued

“I, unfortunately, as a Witch, cannot guarantee the continuation of the royal line.”

People started to scream at me, a few chucked pebbles at me which I allowed to hit me.

“When it comes to the marriage contract, it is a forever lasting contract, wear even if I wish it, we can never part.”

The crowd goes quiet. I take the chance and explain.

“We won’t be able to part even in death, we will never be able to have another partner or be intimate with another person. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.”

“How do we know you are telling the truth!?”

Someone yells from the crowd, there are screams of agreement.

“I have made a sort of blood contract with the Queen, I am binded by that to always tell her the truth, if I fail to, there are consequences.”

The Queen sighs and stands up from her seat and pulls out the contract and unrolls it on cue.

“What she says is true, as you can see this has not only her signature but mine. If she lies I know. I knew of this before I had her agree to these terms. I was worried about the future of the country along with the safety of my son. If the royal line dies out, so be it.”

She sat back down and the crowd roared again, panicked at the idea of the end of the monarchy. Cathen stiffened up, her argument thrown out the window by the Queen herself. The crowd seemed to die down and there were now whispers of a new era, an era free of a monarchy and the possibility of the people ruling the country.

The Prince squeezed my hand, I looked over to him and he gave me a wink that was hidden from the crowd.

“I will mark the vows with my blood, that should be able to let you know if I break any of them.”

She tsked, coming up to me with the agreement. I took the paper and swiftly strike my thumb with the thin edge. I hissed at the pain but swiped my thumb underneath each vow, handing back the agreement with an empty space at the bottom. I sucked at the stinging wound that started to heal from the inside out, mending the cut skin. The crowd cheered and the room brightened up, glad they were heard and knew what they had a say after generations of stuck up royalty.

The Queen and King stood up and walked over to us, the Queen holding a rare smile.

“I doubted you Lina, I really did.”

She took my hand and helped me stand up.

“But I don’t think I can doubt someone so responsible, someone like yourself. You took it head front, with a little help, but you still held our high as hate rained upon you. Literally.”

The King chuckled and patted my shoulder a bit rougher than a ladies.

“I knew my son would find a beautiful person to share his life with, I had a feeling it might even be not what I would expect. He surprised me, not unusual for him.”

“Dad-”

“But you were one of the happiest people I've seen in my lifetime. And you have made my son so happy already, Thank you for being alive Lina my dear.”

I felt the tears well up at the inner corners of my eyes as they both hugged me. Everyone had filed out, including Cathen. It was only us now.

“Mom dad!!!!”

They both chuckled and released me.

“What’s the matter son? Too sappy? Haha!”

“DAD!”

I chuckled along with my future mother in law as the men in our lives joked with one another.

-

Music went cold. People stood, turning their anticipating faces towards the door. Women filed out with men hooked alongside them, all from the small village with no name. They had a name now, Witch’s Lane. In honor of the woman, Witch, that brought to light their ever growing loyalty to the crown and its people. They had no regrets supporting the Witch that now walked down the aisle. Arm and arm with a dear friend, a merchant named Caleb. Always there supporting her, forever regretting their separation. All the people who call her Lina must call her something else now. She steps closer to the altar, the fabric following her steps as Caleb drifted off with a kiss to the cheek. She showed her horns proudly, with the help of Ms.Lix she had her hair pulled out of the way so it was left to stay tied up in a braided bun. Her Adam's apple would always be there, but so would her smile from that day.

“Lina, Prince, do you vow to love each other till death do you part?”

“I-”

Lina pauses, worried whispers rise.

“I vow to love him, for we shall never part.”

The Prince looked to her adoringly, bringing her gloved hand to his lips and kissing the simple band.

“I vow to as well.”

A soft glow surrounded them as their marriage turned into a forever binding contract, by Which code shall they ever part they will be forced back together by fate.

They were the happiest couple that birthed in the Kingdom. They have their spats and arguments, but always fall into each others arms in the end.

No one can call their names except close family. The King, the Queen, and me.

My father, now King, Finis, rules alongside my mother Lina.

What's my name you ask? How did I know the tale of the greatest Queen alive from the inside out?

Remember that little charm, a vile filled with Lina’s blood along with her grandmothers?

I am Malum.