the trial
Rio opened her eyes in the forest where she first met Agatha. “It’s like we’re back here.” She turned to Agatha and squeezed her hand so it’d stop shaking. Only then did it dawn on her how hard it might be for Agatha to see it go down again. “You don’t have to stay. I know how hard this is for you.”
“No, I should— I should face this.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” Agatha nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
Rio watched as the other coven members dragged Agatha to the gallow.
“How old were you?” Rio asked.
“I, uh, I had just turned 18.”
Rio closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s not fair.”
“Nothing is.”
Past Agatha shuddered. “No, no, no! Please, no! No! No, please!”
“Agatha Harkness, are you a witch?” The woman Rio had found yelling at Agatha asked.
“Yes. I am a witch.”
“Who’s that?” Rio asked.
“My mom,” Agatha quavered as her vision narrowed and her heart started racing.
Rio took her shaking hand. “I’ve seen enough. This was a bad idea. We can go, it’s okay–”
“I’m fine. I’m fine”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” Agatha gulped. “I’m fine.”
“Yet you have betrayed your coven!” Agatha’s mother stated.
“I have not!”
“You stole knowledge above your age and station. You practice the darkest of magick.”
“I know... I know nothing of these crimes. I... I swear it!”
“Enough deception!”
“I did not break your rules. They simply bent to my power.”
The coven started chanting.
“Wait. No. I cannot control it! I... If only you would teach me! Help me! Please! Mother, please! Please! Mother!”
Even though she knew it was coming, Rio looked away when Agatha’s mother joined in the chant.
“Please, I can be good!”
“No, you cannot.”
Rio had to hold herself back from punching a vision. How she could say that, she’d never understand.
The witches attacked her, and Rio watched as what had happened a few days prior happened again. After they had all fallen, Rio turned to Agatha and wiped her tears off her cheek.
“It’s okay.” She hugged Agatha. “It’s okay.”
“I killed them,” Agatha said, still looking at the trial, her breathing unsteady.
“You survived. That’s what matters.”
“I just— This wasn’t meant to happen. I just wanted to learn how to control it and—”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, just slow down, steady your breathing, my love.”
“After that, how can you love me?”
“How can I not love you?”
Agatha put her head on Rio’s chest. “Why can’t things be easy for once?”
Rio stroked Agatha’s hair. “I wish it could be.” She pulled away. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Agatha forced a smile. “Okay.”