Truths Revealed

[Rowena Jones]

When she woke, Rowena felt her magic flare to life as her brain ran through the last moments it remembered. Rosalie. The fire in the room blazed up in response, catching the end of the blanket at the end of her bed. Rowena skitted backwards into the corner as the flames rushed towards her. She refused to scream, not knowing where she was. If she’d been taken by Rosalie, then she’d rather die in the flames.

Then the door opened. A tall stately woman, with hair as black as the night and eyes to match strode in and the fires died down without a word. Rowena blinked. Was this her? Her sister, able to control fire with no effort? She sure looked like she could be her, her regal presence making Rowena cower further into the corner. That black gaze turned to her and Rowena tensed, prepared for the worse.

“’s she awake Gwen?”

The cheerful voice was so much at odds with what Ro expected, but the stranger from before followed the voice. A wide grin spread over his face as he saw that she was conscious.

“Ey, you are awake! Thought you might have died there. Not to worry though luv, we got rid of that nasty woman for you, we don’t want none of her kind h-”

“Eoin.”
The word was like a whip, effectively shutting the stranger, Eoin Rowena supposed, up. He looked bashfully towards the other woman.

“Sorry Elder,” he said. “I’ll leave you to explain then shall I?”

“Please.”

Rowena whimpered, not really wanting the man who reminded her even a little bit of Max to leave, surrounded by strangeness as she was. But he walked out all the same and she was left with the scary woman, Gwen. Gwen didn’t sound like a scary name though… and Eoin hadn’t seemed too terrified of her. Nevertheless, Rowena’s magic crackled as she turned to face the other woman.

“Enough of that Rowena. You’ve caused quite enough trouble as is.”

“Who… Who are you? Do you know where the Gate is?”

Gwen sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed and suddenly she didn’t look quite so frightening and Rowena realised that she was much older than she’d first thought.

“My name is Gwendolynn Embridge. I’m one of the Elders here. You’re safe with us, but you may well have brought us more attention than we wished. Some… some aren’t happy with your presence amongst us.”

That answered nothing. “Who are you though? Who is this us? Where am I? The gate. Please. I must know where the Gate is. Or the Shield. Or the Staff. I have to stop her you see.”

“Rowena… these things are so beyond your ken. My people have spent centuries, millennia even, studying and attempting to understand that which our ancestors fought. It cannot be stopped by one person… if it can be stopped at all. And especially not by one who has almost broken. You have slept for five days already… and you must rest many more. You must learn to control yourself again or you will hurt many. And there is darkness in your mind. Shadows that cloud the truth. I will help you, but first you must help yourself.”

With that, Gwen waved her hand over a bowl full of liquid and within seconds it was steaming, a heady smell filling Rowena’s senses.

“Drink. We will talk more later. I promise.”

Rowena was going to protest but the smells coming from the bowl were too hard to resist and she took a sip, and then another. By the time she realised that Gwen still hadn’t told her where she was -and just what trouble had she caused?! - it was too late and sleep took her again.

[Rowena Jones]

The druids were an interesting people, Rowena mused as she nibbled on the end of some sweet treat they’d given her. She sat on a fallen log at the edge of a glade watching Eoin help out one of the other druids, Alyse as they taught three small children the basics of their own particular brand of magic. It was fascinating, the way they could harness the raw power of the elements to aid them in their every day life. How they could make a feast appear from the Earth, or bring rain to dried land, warm a frost chilled snowdrop back to life. Every night, Rowena would retreat to her room and write down about the wonders she had observed.

It had quickly become apparent that Rowena had no issues with the present, but faced with questions of her past and the air would erupt with what had been described to her as the feeling of thousands of tiny stinging jellyfish that would force anyone near her to retreat. It had slowed down her recovery greatly, and the danger that her Wild magic presented meant that either Eoin or Gwen had to accompany her at all times. Unfortunately, Gwen had many duties of her own, being one of only three Elders who ran the Village, which meant that most days, Rowena spent much of her outdoor time with Eoin.

He wasn’t bad per say… just that, he was rather outspoken and flirtatious… as he was proving as he leant close to Alyse and whispered something in her ear that made her blush furiously. Rowena rolled her eyes as he stretched before turning his gaze to her and walking towards her perch.

“Enjoying the show?” he asked as he sat down next to her, forcing Rowena to shuffle to make room for him.

She hummed, even as she shook her head. “Why do you tease Alyse so much? You know she likes you right?”

Eoin chuckled. “Yeah, but who doesn’t? And why settle down when there’s still so much to enjoy? You wouldn’t want me off the market would you luv? Who would you think about when you’re lonely if I let myself be taken by just one of these lovely lasses?”

There was a sharp yelp as he slapped his arm before glaring at her.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Rowena apologized as she struggled to get her emotions back under control. It had just been that thought of having someone keeping her company when she was alone… and Eoin with his messy mop of hair, and those cheeky green eyes… Merlin… a fresh wave of sadness washed over her as she thought of her deceased love and this time yelps could be heard from the children across the glade.

“Alright, out of here before the Other’s use this as more reason we should kick you out,” Eoin declared, bundling her up and rushing her back to her small cabin at the edge of the village.

When they arrived, Rowena saw his skin was red and slightly blistered and she sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to,” she babbled as she rushed over to the sink to get a cool cloth. She handed it to him before burrowing into the corner of her room and trying to control her emotions and with them, her powers.

“It’s ok Rowena. I know it’s not intentional. And it’s my fault… I shouldn’t have said what I did. Look, no lasting damage…” Eoin said, holding out his arm which was slowly returning to its normal colour.

Rowena glanced up through dampened eyelashes, and wiped at her cheek as she saw the truth of his words. “I’m still sorry. They’re right you know. The others in the Village. I shouldn’t be here. I just cause pain and bring death to all who know me. I should just leave.”

“Nonsense. You need our help and that’s what we’re supposed to do. Now, do some of those pesky meditation exercises Gwen’s been teaching you and I’ll be back later ok?”


Rowena nodded slowly before settling down trying to get comfortable and beginning the difficult task of clearing her mind.

[Rowena Jones]

A few days later, Rowena was sitting on a small boulder by a small brook, her eyes closed, her breathing slow. There was a hum in the air as she focused herself, trying to clear her thoughts as she buried deep within herself to find the source of her magic. Ever since her attack, her powers had been wild and unpredictable, lashing out at every flash of emotion. It was like she’d removed a gate she hadn’t known she’d had and released more power than she could actually hold within her.
But she had to learn to control it. It was the only way they stood a chance. Rowena was determined to fix the mess her family had caused. It was all that kept her going, the sheer determination to protect those that were left.

If anyone had told her a year ago that she would be doing meditation, she would have laughed in their faces. But there was a lot of things she wouldn’t have believed would happen that had in the last twelve months. She lost her parents, been reunited with old friends and betrayed by the same, found out her Ravenclaw heritage and fallen in love with her lifelong rival. And then lost him.

Merlin, the memory of him falling at the hands of Warghollow still caused her whole chest to convulse in pain, the tears to pool in her eyes… and the twinge of darkness to swirl in her mind. Her magic sparked and Rowena started. She wasn’t supposed to be thinking about those things, not anything but the gentle in and out of air into her lungs. In. Out. Back straight. Feel the rising and falling of the chest… but wait. Rosalie…

A frown marred her otherwise peaceful appearance. In. Out. In..

If Rosalie was alive… But that should have been impossible. Rowena had killed her. Felt the gushing blood from the stab wound to her chest. Rowena was a healer… or rather had been. She knew a death wound when she saw it. She’d felt the heart stop, seen the chest stop rising. Rosalie couldn’t have survived… and yet the Dark witch had been here. Had almost caught her. Rowena had felt the awful cracking of her chest as the other woman had pressed her into the ground.

In. Out. In. Her breathing sped up as she thought about the implications. If Rosalie was indeed alive… then what else had she imagined? The air was full of static now as Rowena delved into memories she hadn’t been able to bear until now. Days of torture, death, lies, pain… ending with the worst pain of all as she watched the love of her life murdered in front of her very eyes. And then later…he’d appeared to her, holding her and soothing her and she’d thought herself mad. Convinced that he was just an illusion of a memory… but these memories… they didn’t seem marred by the shadows that sometimes clouded her other thoughts. Could it be…?

“Urm, Rowena? Is there a reason you’re floating?”

Rowena started. And promptly fell several feet to the ground with a solid thump. She was up in a second, meditation the furthest thing from her mind as it whirled with thought.

“Eoin. Rosalie, the witch who attacked me? That really happened right? She was alive?”

The druid frowned as he took in Rowena’s frazzled state. “Yeeeesss” he said slowly. “Aren’t you supposed to be meditate-"

Rowena cut him off. “If she was alive… then I didn’t kill her. If I didn’t kill her… then maybe everything is a lie. Max. Oh Merlin. Is Max alive? I have to go. I have to go now.”

She was turning on her heel before Eoin could even process what was going on, but he was grabbing for her even as she popped out of the air…. leaving several fingernails behind and appearing only 1 meter away.

Why was she still here?! She turned again and now her ear was left to drop in her wake.

“Rowena! Stop! You haven’t got a wand!”

Her eyes were wild as her gaze narrowed in his direction. She held her hand out. “Give me yours,”

“Rowena. You know I don’t have one. Even if I did, you can’t just leave the Village. The wards keep us in as much as it keeps others out. Just calm down. Tell me what’s going on.”

“No! Max! Max might be alive. He’s alive and he was there and I didn’t know. He isn’t dead and I have to see him.” Her last word was barely finished before she turned again, but this time when she reappeared several meters away, what she left behind was ghastly. Her lung fell the floor with a wet thump and she cried out at the sudden loss.

“You’re going to kill yourself. Stop!”

“MAX!” She was gasping, and oh merlin, it hurt but Max was alive. And there was so much she needed to say. But before she could attempt another apparition, Gwen charged out of the nearest hut, followed by two other druids and the next thing Rowena knew was blackness.