(c) 2012 Jessica minor 

                                                                                 A Root of Fate

It was a gorgeous spring afternoon, with tulips and daffodils in full bloom. Marietta was picking herbs in the garden for a  potion, when Amstead had returned from a  trot through the forest. He went galloping every afternoon, as if it were some kind of ritual. Marietta rose from her knelled position  and saw that her familiar had returned from his forest run. Sprinting across the land, she greeted him with a hug.

"Good to see you have returned, old friend." She spoke gently as she stroked his soft white mane.

                                         Amstead simply bowed to her with love and respect. He was bound to her; their souls seemed to have a mutual understanding . He always felt at peace every time he saw her. It was a bond built on a deep spiritual level.

 As the hours passed by them, unnoticed a young man stumbling through the forest didn't see a raised branch poking out of the soft earth. He tripped over it making a loud thud as he hit the ground directly in front of her white stone cottage. 

                                 Hearing the commotion, she bolted to the front of her home to see what happened. In her haste she didn't see the broomstick laying in the front yard and tripped over it. Luckily she caught herself before landing flat on her delicate face.

 Suddenly she remembered an omen involving a broom and the home. Realizing this was no accident. The young man was supposed to fall in front of her cottage; it was his destiny to trip there. However he had no idea that it was anything more than his not so good luck of day to day mundane life. He had seen her nearly fall out of the corner of his eye. 

"Are you all right miss?" He asked.

For a moment she stared at him as if she could read everything he was thinking by looking into his majestic pale blue eyes. For what seemed like a long pause he was uncontrollably fixated on her. It felt as if he had been hypnotized by the sight of her.

"What about you sir, are you okay? It looks like you had a hard tumble." She asked in the most soothing voice he had ever heard.

For a long moment he couldn't speak, it was as if his brain had gone numb. She put him in mind of the mother goddess. He took a deep breath and tried to answer her without sounding like a moron.

"I believe so; my name is Jareth by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Marietta, and this is my cottage right here. Would you care to come in for tea?" She invited with a sincerity he had never been accustomed to until now.

He nodded yes as he followed her into the little cottage. She walked quickly to her stove and put the kettle on. Then they were seated in front of her kitchen table, to get acquainted. She gave him a tour of her home, then the herb garden.

 By the time they went back into her small house, the tea kettle was whistling on the old stove. The two of them got settled at her kitchen table, perfect for two. She brought the kettle and two porcelain tea cups. They sat together and began to get acquainted. 

              After the first cup she turned to look into him as she asked, "How long have you lived here?"

He took a long dip of the tea before responding to her question.

"I think my family relocated here when I was still in diapers."

"I have lived here my entire life," replying as she sipped her tea until the contents were emptied. She smiled as she refilled it once more. Then she looked at him a good long hard look and asked, "Jareth what is it you do for a living?"

"I am a warlock's apprentice until next season." He replied with a bit of apprehension in his voice, he hoped this wasn't something to offend this sweet woman.

"Have you heard the stories of the earth witch, often called the natural one?"

"Yes, I loved hearing the tales when I was young, why do you ask?" He replied with a peculiar look on his face.

Marietta began to giggle like a young school girl, in-between sips of her infamous herbal tea.

"Because you have been having tea with the natural witch for the past hour." She gave him a bit of a sinister grin as she finished her cup and carefully set it on the table.

His eyes widened just a little as he replied, "Really, it is you?"

"Yes in the flesh the natural one." 

'So it is safe to assume that you don't mind that I'm a warlock?"

"Not it the least bit, in fact it's nice to know another of the old ways." She seemed to be looking in him, who could blame her; the gentleman had a wonderful loyal soul. She also couldn't get over his mesmerizing eyes.

"I have to agree with you there, I'm glad to know another of the craft, too." He replied.

"I'm not that busy tomorrow afternoon, if you care to return." She invited him with a shy hint.

"I'll be here then. I'd love to get to know more about you and the old ways." He nodded then finished his cup of tea as well.

He looked outside of her kitchen window and saw it would be dark very soon. He smiled and then thanked her for the tea. He stood from the table and just looked at her for a moment.

"It is getting late, I must go, but I will definitely return tomorrow afternoon to see you." He thanked her for the wonderful company before heading back. He needed to return to his cottage before it got too late. As he walked home he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even later that evening while he slept he had dreams of her. 

After Jareth left her cottage, she tried to work on her rather well known potions, but she had lost focus. Unable to concentrate her mind, only on the fellow who had just left. Even when the darkness engulfed the day and she was supposed to be sleeping, thoughts of him kept her from it. Eventually in the late hours of the morning the exhaustion won and she drifted off to sleep. Due to her late night awake she didn't stir from that slumber until just before noon. 

                                                Groggy and slightly disoriented she rose from her goose feather mattress and rubbed her eyes. The moment her feet touched the cold wood floor she remembered that company would be arriving within hours. She leaped up, making a pot of tea, getting dressed for the day she began to fidget and rearrange as much as she could. She wanted the cottage to achieve perfection by the time that he arrived. Marietta was so anxious to see Jareth again; she thought she was going to burst. She paced through the small cottage and twirled her hair. In mid stride through her kitchen there was a knock upon the door.

Then her entire body began to tingle as her heart was beating so hard she thought it would explode. She then darted to the front door. She took a long deep breath before swinging the door open.

"I'm so glad you made it, would you care for a cup of tea?" She asked in the sweetest goddess like voice he had ever heard.

"Yes I would love a cup." He responded in a soft gentleman's tone before stepping inside. He followed behind her then took a seat at her cozy table and waited for the tea.

As Marietta put the kettle on she turned to Jareth. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yes, how about yourself?"

"Me too, however I kept dreaming a lot more than normal." She admitted to her guest. After a very long pause Jareth gave her a twisted smile.

"Did you happen to dream about me?" He asked halfway knowing the answer to his own question. Suddenly the tea kettle whistled a long loud shriek. Marietta then rushed to get up and bring the tea pot and two large mugs for them. Once the two of them were settled, she answered his question.

"Yes, I did dream of you. Don't worry it was all very pleasant."

He nodded, slowly sipping on her home made herbal tea. He cleared his throat before responding to her statement. He smiled and set the tea cup down.

"I had a dream of you too. In my dream you were out in these woods picking these bright and vivid wildflowers, I could almost smell them."

She just stared at him for a long moment, amazed by what the warlock's apprentice had just revealed to her. It was another omen.

"I haven't frightened away your friendship have I?" He asked with great concern, looking at her with fear in his heart.

"Oh no of course you haven't, I just found it to be a little odd, similar dreams of each other on the same night. In my dream you too were in those very same woods."

"Wow that certainly is an interesting coincidence."

She nodded and took a long sip of tea. The two of them sat together enveloped in conversation all afternoon. They discussed everything from idle village gossip to rituals and potions. That compared different spells acquired over time. He showed her a little rune and crystal magic. She in turn showed him how to grow herbs and what ones were best for herbal magic potions.

The two of them had a unique chemistry together, as well as a  true passion for the old ways. Over the next few days he was finding any excuse he could to stop by and see her. He also loved her cottage; it felt more like home to him than his own place even though they were built  the same way. Within the next week he stopped by one afternoon only to bring her a basket of fresh herbs and flowers.

                   She had adored it and how thoughtful he had been. She was really starting to enjoy his company, easily getting comfortable with him. Days later she arrived at his cottage. She was curious to see where he lived and brought him a gift; she really hoped he liked it. She had hand crafted a huge leather bound spell book for him. When she gave it to him, his reaction to it was price less. He smiled wider than she'd ever seen. She saw just by the look on his sweet face that he couldn't have bought a better one.

Over the next several months they went on like this in perfect harmony. Often they would go on nature walks for hours that felt like minutes, admiring the beauty of the local forest. They spent their evenings comparing notes and different spells. They worked on perfecting rituals and conjuring different potions together. In the months that followed he began to want more than just friendship. 

He was beginning to feel the great bond of souls when it came to Marietta. He never wanted to be in his own little cottage across the trails because she wasn't there in it. He needed her; he was in love with her. It felt like a love deeper than love itself. He felt as if a cosmic force had driven him to her and now there was no going back. His soul felt lost without her near him.

Then next morning he paced back and forth, his nerves on edge. He had to tell her how he felt; being that he could no longer keep it a secret. He waited to meet with her, passing the time reading through ancient books and tinkering with his magical tools. He even began to dust old potion bottles, spare cauldrons and anything he could to speed up time. It had done nothing the time seemed to turn into ages instead of hours. Finally the time came and he sprinted through the forest to get to her. When he was in front of her cottage he suddenly heard the tea kettle whistling.

After a few minutes to catch his breath he knocked on her front door. He could hear her skidding across the old floors to answer it. Her heart was beating harder and faster than it ever had done before. She was thrilled that he had come to see her again. She felt lost whenever he was gone, it was a bond stronger and more intense than anything she'd ever known. The omen was slowly coming true; their souls were bound together by fate. She took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

She hugged him as she invited him inside for tea, the table completely set for two. She poured the tea, and noticed a panicked look on his face. She wondered if something terrible had happened, but just looked at him a moment.

"Is something wrong?" She asked trying to hide the fear from her voice.

'Oh no it is anything of the sort. I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Well what is it?"

"Over the past few seasons we have gotten to know each other pretty well, and I have grown very fond of you." He paused taking a slow sip of her tea before going on. She just listened to him intently.

"I don't like to set foot in my cottage because I know you aren't there. Marietta I'm in love with you." He nearly choked on his own words as he shot them out of his mouth. There he had said it. His heart nearly froze in place as he anticipated her reaction to his words. He waited for her response, hoping that she wasn't about to crush his soul. He watched as she smiled and slowly sipped at the contents of her mug. She set it down and cleared her throat.

"I feel the same, I don't sleep without thinking of you, and I love you too. I just didn't know when... or how to tell you." She then leaned forward and kissed him.

He froze for a moment letting his mind catch up to his emotions, and returning that kiss with another. After a moment he spoke so soft it was like a whisper.

"Would you consider marrying me?" he asked.

Her aura suddenly went from one color to the next as she spoke. "I'd more than just consider it." 

�Cr��xe