Sent By The Witches of The West

So cute, ” Aliyah gushed with a smile as Esther kept on munching on the candies.

”Ain you going to give me some, ” Aliyah asked and stretched out her hand but Esther shook her head in disapproval, hiding the remaining candies at her back.

”Don be stingy and share some, ” Aliyah said but Esther refused.

”I will stop stealing them for you since you don want to share, ” Aliyah threatened but it never moved Esther to change her mind.

”Gosh, you can be very annoying sometimes, ” Aliyah said with disappointment, she heard a sizzling sound coming from her boiling potion and hurriedly went to check it. Esther quickly stood up and rushed towards Aliyah and tapped her hand.

”What is it Esther, Im busy, ” Aliyah said and didn look at her but Esther kept on tapping her.

”What is it, have the candies finished? ” Aliyah asked but Esther shook her head and looked towards the door to the underground cell which made Aliyah sense peoples presence near her room door. It might be the queen and she doesn want them to find out about this place.

”Oh no! ” Aliyah exclaimed and hurriedly wiped her hands on a neat rag nearby before dragging Esther alongside with her heading towards the stairs to climb out before the queen barged into her room as always.

”Drop the candies quickly Esther, you ain meant to be seen with it, ” Aliyah said with panic when she noticed Esther was still clutching some candies. Esther quickly obeyed and dropped the candies, they headed out of the underground room and closed the door, before pushing a couch on it, immediately the door of her room opened.

”Mother she is probably here with Esther as usual, ” Abigail announced.

”Birds of the same species, ” she scoffed.

”Why is your mouth stained, Esther? ” the queen asked as she saw Esthers lips and the corner of her mouth stained with some particles.

”Oh no! ” Aliyah screamed internally and hurriedly started wiping off the particles around Esthers mouth.

”What did you feed her, you witch! ” the queen thundered which startled Aliyah.

”Nothing, your highness, ” Aliyah replied quickly and stood beside Esther.

”What did you feed her, I repeat? ” the queen asked with anger in her eyes.

”Some baked cookies and milk, ” Aliyah lied.

”How did you get your hands on them? ” the queen asked.

”The butler was kind enough to give me some when I visited the kitchen, ” Aliyah lied.

”She is lying, mother, she actually stole them as usual, ” Abigail said.

”Don easily conclude and lay allegations on people, ” Elliot barked at Abigail, saying something for the first time since they got to Aliyahs room.

”Haven i made it clear to the butler to stop giving out unnecessary cookies and milk these days, the economy is hard, ” the queen said.

”Why mother, but Abigail always got free cookies from the butler twice a day to her satisfaction, ” Elliot said.

”Thats because she is studying really hard and needs energy for it, it helps in replenishing her energy, ” the queen replied.

”Yes Elliot, mother is right, people that ain studying shouldn be given unnecessary cookies, ” Abigail said.

”The butler would probably be punished for this, ” the queen said.

”No your highness, pardon him. I pushed him to give me some, I hereby promise to stop visiting the kitchen and won take any cookies and milk, including baked biscuits and other snacks from today, even if it was offered willingly to me by anyone, ” Aliyah promised.

”Why Aliyah, you don have to do it, ” Elliot said.

”Leave her Elliot, she probably knows how to correct her mistakes involving anyone in it. Keep to your promise, unless you want the butler to be punished severely, ” the queen said.

”I will, your highness, ” Aliyah promised.

”Thats not the reason why we came, ” Abigail announced.

”Thank you for reminding me my dear Aby, ” the queen appreciated with a smile.

”Elliot fish was killed some hours ago and now the expensive ceramic tea cup that his father got him on his birthday has been stolen, ” the queen said.

”I don know what you are talking about, your highness, ” Aliyah replied.

”But i saw you sneaking out of his quarter some hours ago before he discovered the dead fish and stolen tea cup and came to report it to mother, ” Abigail said.

”Thats a lie, your highness. I never did such, ” Aliyah defended quickly.

”Shut up! How dare you say that Abigail is lying, she has never lied or rather she hasn told lies since she was born, I nurtured her specially with my own hands until she grew up. I never taught her how to tell lies, ” the queen announced with anger.

”But your highness_ ”

”Silence… I want your room to be searched, if nothing is found inside then you are free from the allegations, ” the queen said.

”I don have anything here, I never killed Elliots fish nor stole his ceramic tea cup, ” Aliyah said.

”A clear conscience fears no accusations, if truly you ain guilty, allow us to search your room, ”the queen said.

”Your highness_ ”

”Silence, Aliyah! Allow us or we would actually think you are the one that stole it, ” the queen said, cutting Aliyah short.

”Guards, come and search this filthy looking place, my beautiful hands can touch any cheap looking things inside here, ” the queen said with a squeezed face, actually displeased with Aliyahs cheap and lowly looking bedroom. Two guards barged in and started looking around, scattering things under the queens order. Aliyah started shaking with fear, praying that the door to her underground laboratory wouldn be discovered. Esther held her hands tightly, trying to assure her that it wouldn be found. She looked down at Esther and she smiled at her, she recalled the mysterious things that happened in Abigails room and it assured her a bit.

”Please, move away from the couch, we want to search underneath it, ” a guard said.

”It ain there, ” Aliyah said, and didn move away as they were standing beside the couch where the laboratory door was hidden.

”Why wouldn you move away, is it there you hid it? ” the queen asked suspiciously.

”No, your highness! ” Aliyah replied.

”Then move, and give them enough space to push the couch away and search there, ” the queen commanded, but Aliyah reluctantly moved. Esther tugged on her hand indicating that she should obey and move away. Aliyah reluctantly moved away with Esther. The guard pushed the couch out from the place and found nothing, they searched the couch and found nothing. Aliyah could see the handle of the door to the underground laboratory but was surprised when nobody reacted like they ain seeing anything.

”Is he not seeing it? ” Aliyah asked aloud with wonder, before looking at Esther who in return smiled at her. Aliyah instantly knew it was related to Esther, she could see the handle of the door but others couldn . if they actually saw it, they would have opened it to go look what was underneath there, and would find out the potion and spell books she kept in there, the queen would frame her of witchcraft and she would be hanged publicly after going through trial.

”What did you say? ” the queen asked when she heard Aliyah say something.

”Nothing, your highness! ” Aliyah replied.

”We didn find anything in here, ” the guards announced after searching and scattering Aliyahs room to the disappointment of the queen and Abigail.

”But Abigail you said you saw her leave Elliots quarter with the cup, ” the queen said, staring at Abigail.

”Yes I did, I cannot just accuse her falsely, ” Abigail said as she remembered clearly that she kept the cup under the bed inside Aliyahs room.

”Have you searched under the bed? ” she asked the guard.

”Yes, your highness! ” the guards chorused.

”What about under the pillow? ” Abigail asked.

”Yes, your highness, ” the guards chorused.

”You just hate Aliyah, thats why you are doing all this, trying to stain her name. I disagreed with this, but you and mother kept on indicating that you were sure about it. Now who is getting punished instead, ” Elliot said.

”Elliot, don talk to your younger sister that way, she cannot just make up things she didn see, the queen defended.

”Seriously? Now where is the ceramic tea cup, was it found inside Aliyahs room. Isn she innocent… Why take your hate for her to another level? ” Elliot asked.

”It is enough! ” the queen thundered.

”Lets leave, everyone, ” the queen announced.

”Im sorry, Aliyah, ” Elliot apologized.

”It is nothing, it is just that Im now being given another work to get busy with. I mean putting back my room in shape and arranging everything back, ” Aliyah replied.

”The guards that scattered it would fix it alongside Abigail the accuser, ” Elliot announced.

”Me? Im not touching any disgusting cheap stuff here. my hands are too expensive for that, ” Abigail said.

”I don care, ” Elliot said.

”She ain fixing anything, including the guards. if only Aliyah didn attract suspicion, her room wouldn have been scattered and searched, ” the queen said.

”But mother_ ”

” Silence Elliot and don try to say anything against me. my order stands and nothing is changing it, ” the queen said, cutting Elliot short.

”Im telling father about this, ” Elliot announced with rage.

”Go ahead! ” the queen replied.

”Lets leave this suffocating place, ” the queen thundered, everyone turned around to leave before Abigail asked them to wait. She quickly hurried to Aliyahs window that was closed and shaked the large curtain covering it, the ceramic tea cup fell down making a loud noise.

”Oh my God! ” Aliyah exclaimed with wide eyes.

”How did it get, get here? ” Aliyah stammered with horror. Esther frowned, getting angry at herself, she hadn been smart enough to hide the ceramic tea cup very well. She was the one that made the ceramic tea cup invisible before removing it from under the bed and hiding it inside the large curtain.

”Very well, ” the queen said triumphantly.

”Now, Elliot, see who you have been defending and in return said harsh words to your own sister, ” the queen said. Elliot, who was stunned by the discovery, stared at Aliyah with disbelief.

”Elliot, it ain true. I was framed, you know I cannot do such a thing to you, ” Aliyah explained as her eyes got wet, Elliot looked away before storming out of Aliyahs room with anger.

”Elliot, Elliot! ” Aliyah called and told go after him but the guards seized her.

”Take her to the dungeon before we inform the king about what she had done, ” the queen commanded.

”Yes your highness! ” The guards chorused and started leaving with Aliyah.

”Im innocent, I didn do anything, ” Aliyah screamed with tears pouring down her cheeks but the queen didn listen. The queen looked at Esther who stood rooted to the spot she had been standing staring at them with anger in her eyes.

”Stay away from her, this is the only thing you would learn from her, ” the queen said and started leaving. Abigail smiled triumphantly, rejoicing that everything worked out well at last before following the queen. After they left, Esther opened the underground door and climbed inside, she moved towards the boiling potion and stared at it for some seconds, the fire under it went out and the potion became cold instantly like it hasn been cooked at all. At least this is what she has to do for now, in order not to allow the potion to cause havoc as Aliyah wasn there to check on it anymore. She climbed out and shut the underground down before using her eyes to push the couch to its normal spot which hid the underground door from sight. She walked out of Aliyahs room quietly and shut the door before heading out.