Chapter 4 (A whole new world)
"Where am I?” Eloise woke up abruptly to find herself by a small pond, in the middle of a large garden. The cool evening blew wisps of her dark red hair into her face. She looked down to find herself in a different gown. She was in a beautiful white silk gown. A wedding dress, she thought. She slowly stood to her feet confused.
"My wedding day?" That was two days from now, wasn't it, she thought.
Her hands suddenly reached for her stomach to no stab wounds. She found no blood in her palms either. She swore they were filled with blood minutes ago.
The scene of Cole stabbing her was so vivid now.
She died.
She did die. She would never mistake the fear and the shock of it all for nothing. The cold chill in her gut as Cole stabbed her and then pushed her off the balustrade. It was all real. The shock of it all still scared her and confused her all the same.
Did he hate her that much to kill her? She remembered the look in his eyes as he stabbed. The satisfaction and the hate.
Pure hate.
But why? She remembered his words to her as he whispered in her ear right before he stabbed her. "If I can't have you no one else can. Not again" What did he even mean by "Not again"
But why wasn't she dead then? Yes, she was the phoenix. She could rise from the ashes every time she died, but not this time around. She was stabbed with iron and then sealed. Sealed in the circle of the condemned, drawn in her blood.
She knew this so well because they were the only things that could kill her.
Those incantations, she knew them. It was the Crucis curse. One of the six forbidden witch spells.
And the woman who said them. She'd seen that tattoo of the moving serpent somewhere before. But where?
Eloise groaned. Her head throbbed with all these questions running through her head.
Flashes of Cole choking her and pushing her slipped into her mind again. His eyes were cold and emotionless as he watched her fall. She remembered the horror as she fell. She couldn't scream, she was too shocked to. To the bottom of the pool, where she spent her last breath drowning because she couldn't swim.
What a terrible way to die, she thought. By the hands of a lover. Eloise clutched her dress to her chest. Her heart ached at the thought of him. How could he do this to her?
A creaking sound in the woods startled her. She abruptly turned around wiping the tears she didn't realize she was shedding. The very hairs on her neck stood on alert. Was it Cole? Here to finish what she started. Over her dead body, she was going to let him kill her twice. She clapped both hands together and blue flames sparked in both hands.
"Huh?" She stared at her hands confused. They were supposed to be reddish-orange flames, weren't they?
"There she is" two curly tawny blonde women walked towards her. One her height and the other shorter.
"We found her!" The tall one yelled.
"They found her!" Another voice yelled from within the garden.
Eloise frowned as they approached her, cautiously stepping away from them.
Maybe some of Cole's midgets dressed strangely. The tall one wore bright feathery colors while the shorter one wore more subtle but elegant colors, with matching gloves with feathers in their hair. Was there an ongoing play she didn't know about? Eloise thought to herself. They were dressed like they were in the 18th century.
"Oh sweetie, you are going to catch a nasty cold...." The shorter one approached her with a coat.
"Don't you come any closer! Who are you?" Eloise yelled, both her hands in blue flames.
The two gapped at her confused.
"Ellie? It is just us" The shorter woman said softly, her tone sad as she spoke.
"What? Who is Ellie? Did Cole send you here, huh? Come out here and face me, Cole!" Eloise screamed her voice filled with anger, yet she was terrified on the inside.
The two exchanged awkward looks and then looked back at Eloise.
"Mon Dieu, Eloise, you idiot! Who is bloody fucking Cole? It is that farmer's boy that follows you around like a lost puppy, is it not? See, I told you, Catherine. Our idiot of a sister here is going to get us all in trouble, with sister. All because she was out with the bloody farmer's boy!" The taller one yelled. The shorter one glanced at the taller one with a closed look then back to a confused Eloise.
Eloise furrowed her brows in confusion. Sister? Farmer's boy? What was she talking about? And what was with the French accent?
"Calm down, Leah. Ellie, love, it is just us. Catherine and Leah. Your sisters" The shorter sister, Catherine stepped closer to a terrified Eloise.
"I said stand back...." Eloise suddenly tripped over her gown. She stumbled over landing right into the pond.
The two sisters suddenly burst into laughter.
Eloise rose from the pond with a groan. The swans closer to her fluttered away. As if this night didn't get any better. She turned to find the two laughing at her. There were still laughing as they helped her out of the pond.
She flinched as Catherine wrapped a coat around her. They helped her to the surface, leading her to a long dry log. Eloise suddenly sneezed making them laugh harder.
"Silly Ellie, I told you a nasty cold was on the way. You just had to go and jump in there, did you not" Catherine scolded her. Eloise glanced at her sheepishly and more confused. She sounded more like a mother scolding her stubborn child than someone who was sent to kill her.
"Mon Dieu, Eloise je vais te tuer. You ruined the dress!" Another dark blonde woman walked towards them. Suddenly, kneeling at Eloise's feet touching her wet gown. She groaned dramatically, muttering grumpily as she inspected the wet dress.
More French, Eloise thought. Who were these people? Sisters, from what she picked up these few minutes.
"Come down, Elaina. Ellie, you know you cannot swim. Why do you have to go and jump in there" Another woman stepped in next to Elaina. "Are you hurt?" She asked her. She stepped next to Elaina caressing Eloise's cheek.
Eloise flinched when she touched her but shook her head slowly. She didn't know these people but they were strangely nice to her.
"No way she is hurt. She was more upset we came to find her instead of the farmer's boy. Is that his name again?" Leah asked with a chuckle, slapping Eloise's back playfully.
The four women suddenly burst into laughter again. Eloise gaped at them. If she was confused at first, now she was lost.
"The farmer's lad is Danny, Leah," Elaina said laughing.
"Huh? Danny the drooper? Oh my god, Eloise, you could not do better than a bed wetter?" Leah burst into laughter along with the others.
"You lot leave her alone. Eloise, are you okay?" An older woman in her early fifties stepped into the garden asking.
"Mother" Eloise suddenly stepped away from the others towards the woman. She hugged her abruptly.
The sisters gaped at her reaction, their smiles suddenly disappearing.
At least, her mother was here. Some clarity amongst this madness that didn't stop laughing about the farmer's boy.
"I am sorry to disappoint you, my love. But it is just me, Serafine" The woman said patting her head gently.
Eloise slowly pulled back to look at her. Her hair like Eloise's was copper red different from the other blondes. Taller than the rest. She had the same height as Herren. But her face, her eyes, lips, even the small smile she had on was exactly like her mother, Rebecca's.
Eloise remembered how terrible she was to her mother the last time they spoke. At least she made up with her dad but not her mother.
"I don't care" Eloise hugged her again. Serafine hugged her placing a small kiss on her head.
"Ellie, why were you out here? We have been looking for you for hours?" She asked her softly.
Eloise looked up at her wondering what to say.
They’d been looking for her for hours? Who exactly were these people and what relation did they have to her? What was this place? They seemed very familiar with each other and her. They knew her name too. And what was this calm feeling she suddenly felt?
Minutes ago, she was freaking out and totally confused. Now, she felt calm. Strangely calm with no internal chaos.
It was Serafine, her aura could tame the most agitated heart.
"You do not remember do you?” The sister known as Elaina asked. Eloise shook her head. It better she played along to find out more.
"Sister, I told you, pushing this close was a terrible idea," Alina said with a sigh.
"What is the last thing you remember?"
"Do you remember how you got here?"
"Do you even remember our names?" The sisters suddenly burst into chatter asking her questions, more quickly than she could answer.
"Now you lot calm down. You are overwhelming her!" Catherine, the curly blonde and the shortest amongst them walked towards her. She took Eloise's hands in hers.
"Love, do you remember your name?" She asked her.
"I....." Eloise hesitated for a second. They called her Ellie, short for Eloise probably. They sounded British but had a lingering French accent.
"El... Eloise De Richelieu?" Eloise muttered not sure if she hit the jackpot. The sisters let out a sigh of relief.
"That is good for a start. As I said my name is Serafine and I am your eldest sister. That is Alina and Leah. Your second and third sisters" Serafine introduced pointing to the two blondes next to Elaina.
"I am Elaina your fourth sister," Elaina said giving her a small wave.
"And I am your fifth sister..."
"Catherine" Eloise said, remembering her mentioning her name earlier. Catherine squeezed her hand with a smile.
"Alright then. Come on Ellie, let us go inside" Serafine placed a hand on her shoulder.
Eloise hesitated not sure if this was the best choice.
"Do not worry, I have sent our guests home" she told her quickly reading the lines of confusion on her face.
What guests? Eloise wondered. From the wedding dress she wore to the way they were dressed, she wondered where she was again.
She glanced at her right middle finger to find two rings on it. A beautiful rose diamond ring and a golden ring wrought in infinity.
Eloise gasped softly. She was already married. Where did the past two days go?
"Ellie, are you okay?" Catherine asked noticing the shock on her face.
"I'm married" Eloise muttered staring at the rings in disbelief.
"Yes, this afternoon. You do not remember that either?" Leah asked.
"What day is today?" Eloise asked turning to Catherine urgently.
"Eh, Sunday?" Catherine replied.
"Date?" Eloise asked abruptly. "The 6th of November 1722...." Catherine replied slowly wondering what was going on with her.
"1722!" Eloise's eyes went wide as if she'd seen a ghost.
“Look at her.” A small voice whispered. “She is so beautiful. Even in her sleep.” Another whispered.
“Sshhh… keep your voice down. You will wake her.” The first voice hissed.
“My voice is down. Are we not supposed to wake her up? Is that not the reason we came here?” The other asked.
The two voices began quarreling. For a second, Eloise's mind went blank and all she could focus on was the two voices. Children, she thought.
Memories of the previous night rushed into her mind.
1722, the last thing she heard Catherine say before she...
She didn't remember what happened afterward. Eloise woke up with a start to find two male identical twins peering at her. Their faces were so close to hers that she screamed.
The twins leaped off the bed screaming as well.
"Good Lord, what is happening... William, Wilson, did I not tell you two not to bother your aunt?" Serafine walked in with a stern look.
"But mother, we...."
"No buts, go down to your books. Sir Aiden is here" Serafine ordered the two.
The two eight-year-old boys turned to leave with long looks.
"Are you two forgetting something?" Their mother said clearing her throat. William and Wilson walked back to Eloise's side of the bed.
"Aunt Ellie, we are sorry for waking you up" Little William began. "We only wanted to show you, the little swan we made with our magic" Wilson continued. Eloise glanced at Serafine and then at her children.
"It's okay, boys. Why don't you go meet Sir Aidan now, then you can show me the swan later. How does that sound?" Eloise asked the two with a smile.
"Amazing, Willie let's go" They two ran past their mother and outside the room.
"No running in the halls!" Serafine said after the two.
"Don't you think you are being a little too hard on them?" Eloise fell back into the pillows looking around the large room. A Victorian setting with light colors like her old bedroom.
"Look at you, telling me how to handle my boys. You are more stubborn than they are" Serafine said as she sat next to her.
"I'm sorry. It's not my place to...."
"Do not be. You have every right over those children as much as I do. You have helped me a lot, Ellie. I wish you could remember" Serafine said patting her hair with a small smile. Eloise looked up at her and she smiled. Instead of dying, she ended up in the past. How and why? She had no idea. But the past was not that bad, her sisters here in the past adored her. That was a good start in a world she had no clue about.
"Me too. What... How long have I been out..."
"Two days. Seemed you needed your sleep" Serafine told her, her brows furrowing up with worry.
Eloise sat up abruptly. "Two days?"
"I know you have a lot of questions. What do you say, we get you a hot nice bath? Rosemary-scented just like you like it. Then I tell you everything you need to know" she told her.
A bath, that sounded nice, she thought to herself before taking Serafine's hand.
"So, we are the De Richelieu. Strongest and the first original witches. We are like witch royalty. Since our mother and father passed away, you took the reins and have been Queen for the past ten years. You are the first of my five sisters. Most importantly, considering the recent events, our kingdom has allied with the Imperium. My marriage to the Lord Imperio serves as a newly reformed alliance between we witch folk and the Imperium. I got all that right, right?" Eloise glanced over her shoulder to Serafine.
She was seated in a bath filled with hot rosemary-scented water. Serafine was seated on a chair close to the bathe washing her back with a soft sponge. Three servants stood quietly as she bathed. From the start, she felt shy and awkward. She wasn't used to bathing with an audience much less someone else bathing her. But Serafine made it easier. As if sensing her uneasiness, she indulged her, telling her all the things she needed to know. She took her mind off her awkwardness. Filling her curious and confused mind with more information.
Serafine felt more like a mother than a sister. She was so easy to talk to and a good listener.
"Yes. You have all that right. But you should know, Ellie... I never intended to put you in such a position..." Eloise placed a hand on hers stopping her from saying anything else.
It didn't matter which life she was in. Her fate was sealed indeed. She was to marry Lord Imperio whether in the past or future. She's come to accept that.
"I understand. Trust me, I do" Better than you think, she left that part unsaid.
Back in the future, she was to marry to protect her people from the Enclave Society. Here, she was to marry to bring peace amongst her kind and other creatures. Tensions were rising on the borders. Witches were being persecuted for not being part of the one. An alliance between witches and the Imperium would bring peace and witches could leave peacefully with the other creatures.
Another factor was her power as the phoenix wasn't entirely known to the other creatures here. Only the witches knew of her powers and the Lord Imperio. It turns out not everyone was a fan of the phoenix in these times. The witches believed she was a goddess and a savior but the outside world, vampires, wolves, daemons, shifters, and fairies, believed her a threat and more of a curse. Of course, there were rumors of the phoenix amongst the creatures. But none had seen it with their eyes. They believed her a myth and prayed it stayed that way.
"So how much more time do I have left?" Eloise asked Serafine an hour later as they stepped out of her room, all dressed up in a beautiful purple gown.
This era did have great colors, but the gowns were a whole situation to be handled. Standing in this heavy corseted dress made her miss her jeans back home. She wondered if she would ever go back. But did she want to go back?
Serafine gave her a sad smile. "You leave tomorrow, Ellie"
"Oh" Eloise muttered in a disappointed tone. The idea of going into a world she barely knew terrified her. It was like her first day in New York by herself all over again.
She wondered where the brave Eloise had gone to. She would've faced this situation head-on.
"Not to worry, we will write you, Ellie" She turned to find her sisters, all dressed up in the most beautiful gowns.
Catherine walked to her side taking her hand.
"We will write so many times, you will be infuriated" Leah placed a hand on her shoulder. Eloise laughed. she saw more of Corentine in this one.
"Not as if you will need our silly letters. You are the strongest person I know, Ellie. You are going to give those vampires a hell of a time" Alina told her.
"Hell yeah" Eloise replied and her sisters laughed.
"Is it just me or do you sound different, ma Cherie?" Elaina stepped closer to her with a narrowed look. Eloise smiled nervously.
"Aha! it is the dress. You look magnifique. Come on then, you ride with me and Catherine?" Elaina pulled her along.
"Not after you have had all the meals you missed for the past two days" Catherine took her right arm pulling her along.
"Wait, what" Eloise turned back to Serafine mouthing help me.
Serafine laughed. "Stuff her face until she gets fat," Leah said after them.
The three older siblings Serafine, Alina, and Leah stood at the stairs watching their younger sisters as they ascended the stairs.
"There was a massacre at Oaken town last night. The whole village was burnt to a crisp. My informants found what seemed an incomplete sigil around the town. The Enclave, my best guess" Leah turned to Serafine with a serious look.
"It gets worse, Furrfold was attacked last night, and several fairies have disappeared in a matter of days. It seems we are not the only ones" Alina told Serafine.
"Have you gotten word from the Lord?" Leah asked Serafine.
"I did, yesterday. He sent out a dispatch of five hundred soldiers, to our aid. And five councilmen to assess and investigate the attacks" Serafine said to the two.
"More like spy on us. He just could not help it, could he?" Leah spat.
"Five hundred? Is that not a bit much? It is not like we are going to war" Alina said with a frown.
"A gift to honor this alliance he says. Lord Imperio is a wise and crafty man. He knows we are at our weakest, and we will need aid. But all that in the name of the alliance, I do not think so" Serafine said quietly.
"What do we do now?" Leah asked.
"We wait on those five hundred. I believe they are to arrive at the docks at noon. Send a rider to the coven leaders. We will discuss your findings at Oaken town and that sigil. And for the Furrfold, write to Old Stan. Tell him I need a full assessment on Furrfold before the councilmen arrive there" Both Alina and Leah turned to leave instantly to attend to their tasks.
"Do not keep long at your tasks. Remember tonight is all about, Ellie" Serafine told the two.
"How can we forget that? The little one has to bear all our burdens from today" Leah said with a sad smile.
Until she saw it, she didn't want to believe it. Now she'd seen it, she still didn't believe it. It was 1722, how on earth did she get her? Eloise gapped around her new environment.
"A beauty, is she not?" Catherine turned to a distracted Eloise. Her eyes were intently scanning the people at the docks. She looked like she'd never stepped outside before. She noticed her staring outside the carriage windows in awe on their way here. As if she'd never seen any of it before.
"Ellie" Catherine nudged her with her elbow.
"Yes...yes she is" A distracted Eloise replied looking at the large ship before them. They were at the docks welcoming five officials, she heard were sent by Lord Imperio. Along with the five, were five hundred soldiers. Serafine along with the coven leaders welcomed them. Alina and Leah were with them, while Eloise and her sisters, Catherine and Elaina stood a good distance.
"Magnifique, if you ask me. Not only is he rumored the most handsome man on the face of the earth, but he is romantic too. You are one lucky lass, sister" Elaina turned to find Catherine with a disapproving look. Too soon, Elaina thought.
Elaina bit her lips nervously "Erm...I will go talk to Leah about the erm...." She scurried off towards her sisters quickly.
"Taking in as much as you can?" Catherine asked her with a smile once Elaina was away.
Eloise sighed with a nod. How could she explain to her this was all new to her?
"I wish I could come with you, but sister will not let me. She says you will never grow if I am around to baby you" she told her. Catherine placed a hand on hers with a smile.
"She's not wrong," Eloise said with a chuckle. She'd not known Catherine long, but she was fond of her. She pampered her like she was a child and said the nicest things to her.
The Catherine she knew back in the future was nothing close to her. In truth, none of her sisters back in the future were like her new sisters. Her other sisters in the future hated her, but her sisters here adored her.
"I wish I had more time" Eloise muttered. More time to get to know them before she got shipped off to her fate.
"We will, Ellie. But most importantly, be careful when you get there. You may be Queen now, but the vampires of Valeria are not kind to witches. Hide your powers and always be vigilant" Eloise nodded to a serious Catherine.
Eloise turned back to The Whiten Eden, the ship she'd be sailing on tomorrow. A gift from her husband to her. "Here they come?" Catherine said earning her attention. Walking towards them were the three coven leaders along with Serafine and the five councilmen.
"The three to sister's right are the coven leaders," Catherine told her noticing her confusion. "The woman to sister's immediate right is Circe De Martel. She is the leader of the Sreme coven. The coven of weavers and spell casters" she explained to her.
Eloise nodded. She knew the Sreme coven, they had the same one back in the future. There were four covens in the future, the Heretic, Sreme, the Hallan, and the Balcoins.
"The man next to Lady Circe is Mael Deville. He is our second uncle and leader of the Hallan coven, the coven of healers" Catherine went on to explain earning a nod from Eloise.
"And that grey-haired man next to Uncle Mael is Claude Balcoin. He is the head of the Balcoin coven, and he hates us. He has always coveted the throne and thinks us De Richelieus unfit to rule because we are women. Be careful around him, he is as vicious as he looks" Catherine warned her.
Eloise glanced at Claude and their eyes met.
There was nothing she hated more than a man who underestimated women.
"Suprema, it is a pleasure to see you doing well," Claude said with a bow once they were close. Eloise forced a smile. In the future, she still had the title of 'Suprema' meaning the all-powerful witch and it looked like that hadn't changed.
"The pleasure is all mine, Lord Claude," she said.
"I believe you can join us today as we visit the covens, Suprema" Circe told her. "Of course, Lady Circe" Eloise responded.
"These are the five councilmen, the Lord Imperio sent over" Serafine introduced them to Eloise.
"It is an honor to finally meet you, my Lady" The Lead councilman, Damien Croft said kissing her gloved knuckles.
"The pleasure is all mine, Sir Croft" Eloise replied gracefully. For someone new to this, she was picking up very fast.
"Shall we begin the tour then?" Serafine asked them.
"Yes, my Lady" He responded.
Eloise walked in next to Serafine as they strolled down the docks and into the town with people bowing in greeting at each turn.
On the quiet side of the docks stood a black crow watching Eloise intently. Its eyes followed her every move. As if sensing it was being watched, it stared across the docks to find the three De Richelieu sisters watching it. Leah, Elaina, and Alina had their eyes on it all this while. The crow quickly flapped its wings flying away toward the direction Eloise and the others headed.
"He watches us even from this far" Elaina said in awe.
"You need not be surprised, sister. I expect no less from The Lord Imperio. He has decided to watch our every move" Leah said. "You think we should inform sister?" Elaina asked.
"Serafine is aware of its presence. Let it be" Alina said with a sigh.
"We have sold our sister to the devil himself, have we not?" Leah said quietly meeting her sister's eyes with dread.