Page 3 of Wedded Witch

I didn’t even need last night’s freaky dream to tell me that it’s a bad idea. But here I am, with twenty minutes to go, sitting in my black gown – a final fuck you to my family that I couldn’t resist – and I’m all out of ideas on how to get out of this.

Running is futile. My parents remortgaged their house to pay for a powerful warlock to place a tracking spell on me the last time I tried to do a runner. And I’m not sure what other options that leaves me.

I don’t want to die.

Yes, I’m a Leo and we lean towards being slightly dramatic, but on the whole, when my womb isn’t being dragged into every conversation, I’m happy enough. My life is good enough. Suicide would be a very drastic last resort.

But as the clock ticks ever closer to mid day, it starts to feel like a viable option.

“Swyn!” My mother calls, knocking on the door once before pushing it open, without waiting for a reply. Typical.

“Hmmm?”

“You’re going to be late!” she exclaims, her eyes wide with panic. Her once vibrant violet eyes that match mine perfectly, now seem to have dulled over the years from the constant stress, and the dark shadows under her eyes hint at many sleepless nights.

“You can’t just ruin your family’s legacy like this! Do you have any idea what would happen to us if you refuse to go through with this marriage?”

I force a smile, trying to mask the resentment I’m feeling. “Mother, it’s not just about our family’s legacy. I have my own life to live, my own dreams to pursue, my own choices to make.”

I gesture to my black gown, the symbol of my defiance, as I fold my arms over my chest. “I have time. If you’d all just back off and give me space, I’d fall in love and maybe even come round to the idea of having kids.”

“What do you mean,come round to the idea of having kids?”my mother demands sharply.

I sigh, cringing that I’ve inadvertently let the cat out of the bag, but is it any wonder that I don’t want children, when all my life I’ve had the burden of the entire family’s dwindling fertility stacked on my shoulders?

“It’s not like my inability to produce an heir is going to cause everyone I know and love to suddenly drop dead. We’ll just…dieout naturally. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like there’ll be anyone around to care.”

I’ve never understood the human fascination with wanting a male heir to carry on the family name, and my family takes that whole premise to the extreme. They don’t even care about male vs female heirs. They just want babies. And lots of them preferably. It’s stupid.

God, I wonder how they’d react if I lied and told them I was gay. Maybe I should have gone with that all those years ago. It might have gotten them off my back…

No, it wouldn’t.

I sigh.

“Swyn, you don’t understand. Our family has been cursed for centuries?—”

“I know!” I cry, fed up and frustrated with having our family history, or curse, parroted at me once more. Surely today of all days, I deserve a break from having this shit rammed down my throat?

“Well, there’s things you don’t know, young lady,” my mother snaps back at me. “Things your father and grandfather wanted me and your grandmother to keep from you, but I think it’s high time you knew the full truth and got with the program. It’s time to stop being so selfish, Swyn. As the only fertile female left within our lineage, if you don’t produce an heir before you turn twenty two, yes, we will all die at the stroke of midnight on your birthday.”

Tears well up in my eyes as I lock gazes with my mother, the weight of her words hitting me like a sledgehammer to my chest.

“What? No! That can’t be right,” I whisper, attempting to reason with her unbelievable revelation.

That’s a year from today. I have a year to get married, get knocked upandgive birth. The timeline’s cutting it fine, I will admit. Maybe my parents should have married me off at thirteenlike chattel. I could have spawned an entire football team for them by now. Five aside at least.

“It’s the truth, Swyn,” she says, her voice steady and firm. “Our family curse holds a darkness far beyond your imagination. If no heir is born within your generation, not only will our bloodline perish, but so will the magical abilities of all Galdurs. We stand as the final barrier against a formidable foe that has coveted our powers for centuries. Without you, without your babies, we lose that protection and perish. And even if we aren’t around to care, the darkness that will be unleashed on the world in our absence doesn’t bear thinking about. So this isn’t just about you, or even us Galdurs. It’s about saving the world.”

“But how can this be?” I question, still grappling to understand. “You’ve mentioned before that the curse could be broken.”

“Yes, but no one knows how, and in centuries of trying, no Galdur has ever managed it.”

The colour drains from my face as I grasp the enormity of my predicament. My decision to forgo parenthood could spell doom for my kin and expose the magical realm to a threat that has loomed over us for generations? That’s a heavy weight to bear.

My mother seems to sense my inner turmoil. “Swyn, we know you resent this burden, but it’s not just a burden for you to carry alone. We’ve all been there, sweetie. We’ll stand by your side, guide you through the process, and protect you every step of the way. This isn’t just about our family legacy or the curse; it’s about the survival of our entire magical community. And the human race.”

I take a deep breath, wiping away the tears that threaten to spill over. The weight of my family’s fate bears down on my shoulders, but a spark of determination ignites within me. I may have resisted the idea of marriage and motherhood before, butnow I see it as a duty, a responsibility that goes beyond my own desires.

---