The day has barely begun, when she packs some dried meats and cheese, along with some bread in a pack. Today is the day he's been called to duty. It's the day they have been dreading. She calls on all the strength she has to keep herself calm and collected. She takes a deep breath, picks up the pack and walks out the door onto the porch. She stood watching him, taking in every inch, not knowing when she would see him again.
As if he felt her eyes on him, he turned to face her. She sees the shadows under his eyes, knowing they both didn't get much sleep during the night. Slowly, he walks toward her, extending his hand. Smiling, she takes his hand and gives it a squeeze. Taking the pack from her, he sets it on the ground then takes her into his arms. Willingly she goes, leaning against him for a moment.
"You better go." She whispers as she leans away to look up into his face.
"I know." He replies. He leans down and presses his lips against her forehead for a moment. With a sigh, he bends down to pick the pack up, then walks over to his horse and secures the pack.
He turns and looks once more at the home they had made in such a short time. Trying to drink in every last bit of it before he rode off to his duty.
"I'll be home as soon as I can." He says quickly. "I love you."
"I love you, too." She whispers, fighting back the tears. "Come back to me."
With that he mounts his horse and begins to ride away. He cant bear himself to look back. He couldn't bear to see her face as he rode away not knowing if he would come back.
She watches him get farther away until she cant see him any longer. Feelings were rushing through her so quickly, she couldn't identify them all. She was sure some were anger, dread and mostly overwhelming sadness. She went about her daily chores as always.
Days passed to weeks, weeks passed to months and months to years. She hadn't heard anything from him. She wondered if he was alright. Part of her hoped he would come riding down the lane back to her. Part of her doubted he would ever be coming back.
Two years almost to the day of his departure, a rider came into town bearing the colors of the King's army. He said he had a list of all the dead and wounded. The townspeople gathered round him, asking about their loved ones and men of town that had gone off to war. Someone asked about her beloved. The man searched his list for a moment then replied, "His name is here under the killed in battle list, I'm sorry."
This person then went to the little cottage just outside of town to tell her the news. After hearing the words come, she sat heavily in the kitchen chair. She didn't hear any sound as she sat in complete shock. She felt completely disconnected from the world around her as her mind and heart tried to process the news. The visitor left without her noticing, closing the door behind them.
She surfaced from her grief and shock and put herself to work. "He would not want me to wallow," She said to herself. "All I have is time to heal." She made her choice to keep on living, creating the home they both had dreamed of. Even after the news of his death, she half expected and hoped that he would come riding down that lane back to her.
Weeks passed before she had a visitor, a man. A man from town that she knew. He befriended her, gained her trust, then asked her if he could court her. She reluctantly agreed. Her heart wasn't quite in to starting over again.
"Can I ask for your hand in marriage?" He asked one night after supper.
"I don't know if I'm ready for that step yet." She replied, looking down into her wine glass.
"It's been almost four years now." He burst out angrily. "How can you be holding onto a ghost still?"
"I can't give you something that I don't have." She replied calmly. "I'd rather tell you, no, than live a lie."
"I guess that's my answer then." He whispered through clenched teeth. She only nodded in response. He grabbed his hat off the hook and said, "I could have given you a good life, but now we'll never know."
She sat in silence a moment before gathering up the dishes and walking them over the sink. She just left them for the night, she didn't have the energy to wash them. Slowly, she readied for bed, blew out the candle and crawled in to lay on her husbands side of the bed. She slept dreamlessly that night.
Weeks later, she could see wagons pass by on the main road going to town. She shrugged it off as travelers in a fairly large party and went about her business. She noticed the birds were strangely quiet as the day grew. Just after noon, she thought she heard the sound of marching feet on the ground. A sense of dread washed through her as she realized they were coming for her. See this was the era of the witch trials.
All she thought of was fleeing. She ran out the back of her cottage towards the forests that had always given her comfort. She heard shouts coming from behind her as they realized she was no longer inside. Her heart beat faster as she heard running footsteps behind her. She pushed her legs to carry her farther and faster.
"Stop! In the name of the Church, I said stop!" A voice shouted at her. She came to a stop a moment later, her legs no longer able to run. She fought to draw air into her lungs. When she was calmer, she slowly turned around to face the voice that had shouted at her.
Her breath caught as she saw most of the townsfolk had also followed the handful of strangers that had come to town. She drew herself up straight and proud before these strangers and her townsfolk. The man that seemed to be the leader of the group then spoke.
"We received an accusation that there was a witch practicing here." The man said, watching her face very carefully. "We had a nice talk with the townsfolk about you, Miss."
"It's Madame, if you please." She replied. "And what all did you talk about?"
"How you conjure up potions and pawn them off on these innocent people for laughs." He replied. "That you use these potions to bewitch the people of this town to do your bidding."
"Funny you should have a conversation about me and I'm not even there." She said sarcastically.
"We didn't want your presence being an influence on these poor people that you've taken advantage of all these years."
"I was born and raised here. These people know me very well." She defended herself.
"Yes, that's true. But then its also why your behaviors have gone on as long as they have." He replied. "I have all the evidence I need to convict you here and now."
"What?" She asked, horrified.
"Don't worry, my dear. Your punishment will be swift."
"Who was the accusation issued by?"
"One by the name of Ichabod." He replied slowly just giving the first name. Deep down she already knew who it had been that accused her of being a witch. She went numb from her head to her feet. Betrayal of the worst kind this was.
The man gave a signal to the other men to move closer with the ropes. They tied her to the nearest tree then moved back towards the townsfolk standing there. "As punishment for your crimes, you will burn. Of course, there is a chance you could be saved by converting to Christianity and repenting for your sins."
"No, thank you." She replied, breathing deeply, trying to slow her racing heart.
"Very well then." He nodded then walked over to another man holding a lit torch. "Any last words?"
"I am so sorry that you all have been put to this because of fear. I could curse you all, but I wont." She said steadily. "Ichabod, is rejection really worth killing over? Because this is what its boiled down to. I don't think any of you will forget this day. The Gods be with you all, Blessed Be!"
The stranger then lit the kindling at the woman's feet, setting it ablaze. Even though tears ran down her face, she did not cry out with pain as the flames licked her flesh. In her minds eye, she saw her husband waiting for her. She went to death knowing peace and love awaited.
