Intertwined Flames

Blood oozed from her wounds, dripping onto the dirt. It stained the earth, soaking into the soil. The cuts and bruises stung but the pain of her flesh couldn't compare to what ached the most-a pain deep within her chest.



"No mother, you can't do this!"



The scream shot into the air, yet left unanswered. Dozens of townsfolk stood out under the night sky. The only source of light came from the torches that blazed in their hands. The flame's hisses filled the air, replying to to the cry.



"This is evil and you know it!"



The cloaked villages said nothing, hidden in their cloaks and robes, wrapped in silence.They hung their heads low and kept their hands cupped. With lips pressed together they said nothing, only waiting for the Noble's next words.



The young girl's pain increased with every second that passed. Her eyes flickered across the town square, taking in the wood buildings, carriages and horses. What seemed like a peaceful town by day, reversed at night, and the girl saw the proof with her own eyes. That proof showed itself as the entire village standing before her, waiting.





Yet there was one who didn't follow the pact. A young man with a head of golden hair upon the top of his head, a color that shone even in the darkness. He wore the finest clothes in the land made out of silk and jewels. They were the clothes of a Nobel.



His face carried an expression of horror. "Mother this is--"



"Will you be quiet? I'm tired of you trying to speak back to me!"



The second voice came from a middle-aged woman. She dressed herself in the finest clothing, ones that resembled the young man next to her. Her brows pulled down on her face and her lips formed into a scowl. Her ranting continued. "This ends tonight Nathanial!"



The girl watched the two of them quarrel back and forth with tears in her eyes. She tugged her arms, struggling to break free; however, the ties were too tight.



"Please..." she whispered.





That was the first thing the girl said the entire night. The sound of her voice sparked a fury within the Nobel woman. Snarling through her teeth, she whipped her head towards the tied young girl and shouted, "Shut your mouth demon!"



The young man snatched his mother by the shoulders, shaking her with all his strength. He stared into her eyes with tears forming in his own."You can't talk to the woman I love like that!"



However, she hit his hands away. "This is no woman! That demon has charmed you my son, we must execute her at once!"



The crowd cheered her on, torches hitting the night air. They rushed forward, heading for the young girl, while the young man screamed. His screams were drowned out as the torches burned the cross the girl was bound to.



"STOP THIS-AT ONCE!" he screamed. "ALL OF YOU!"



Still, it was pointless. The orange flames were hungry and licked the cross's wood mercilessly. They soon reached the young woman's feet, causing her to scream from the top of her lungs. It wouldn't be long until they reached the top of the cross, engulfing her entire body. The monstrous sight continued on by the townsfolk, and the Nobel woman watched with a hunger in her own eyes.



The young man's hand trembled and shook. He stared at the ground and whispered, "If I cannot have love, demon or not, than I shall die for it!"



That's when pain within his heart snapped. Overflowing, and out of control, the emotions moved his body forward and outstretched his arms. They entire town stared as he rushed into the flames...



...into the girls arms.



Everything stopped: the people, the screams, and time. All three of them shattered as the young man held the girl in the burning fire. The Nobel woman's eyes and mouth bulged, opening as wide as they could. The next moment a scream came out of her own mouth, matching the couple on the cross.



"Get my son! Somebody, SAVE MY SON!"



Yet nobody would move. Instead they all watched the two lovers burn together on the cross. Seconds later the flames devoured it all, reaching high into the sky.The smell of burning flesh tainted the air, overpowering the village streets. Hours passed and the morning rays eventually hit the air; it was then when the blazing died down. At that point nobody stood on the streets, for they returned home when the moon still shone. Even the Nobel woman vanished. All that remained in the town square was a pile of black ash.





Nothing more, nothing less.