It was hard remembering what her life had been like before, but Marigold tried to keep her head up.  Three years of living with her husband had made quite a few things blurry, and not just her vision after he finished hitting her.  She was glad that they did not have children, Marigold was sure that they would have suffered as well.  After a pair of miscarriages, her husband ignored her except when he was angry.  Looking out the window, it was starting to rain.  He had left for the pub after beating her again, the bread hadn’t been just right at dinner.  Holding a cloth to her head, the bleeding had mostly stopped.

Maybe going out in the rain would help.  Gathering her strength, the young woman rose from the fireplace, and stepped out on the small landing.  The cooling rain did feel good on her bruised head, and the bad thing was it got her to thinking.  Why was she even still here?  Surely there had to be something else out there.  Something beyond being beaten for not having dinner ready properly, or not getting all the weeds.  Staring out across the planes, she could just barely make out the torchlights of Adeluna.  She had once dreamed of going there, she had a talent for dancing, and Marigold had wanted to make a living for herself.  Not stuck on a farm outside of Adeluna with her horrid husband.

Would it be so hard to leave?  The thought came into her head so quickly Marigold couldn’t resist the urge.  She didn’t see any other way out, and anything had to be better than this.  She turned quickly, perhaps too quickly.  Her vision blacked out for a moment, but the young woman stayed on her feet.  She started throwing things into her husband’s hunting pack, her best clothes, some food, a water bottle.  Where she would go, Marigold had no idea.  But there had to be something else out there for her.  And he wouldn’t be home from the pub for a couple hours at least.  Enough for a headstart.

Taking off into the rain, she headed north.  But it was darker than she thought, and Marigold had no lights.  Maybe it was better if she found shelter for a bit.  And her head was starting to hurt again.  It could have been five minutes, it could have been an hour, Marigold wasn’t entirely sure.  But she was curled up under an overlook, cradling her head again.  She had tripped, and had barely crawled to this place.  At least it was dry.  But she was feeling weaker and weaker.  ”Oh gods… don’t tell me I made here just to die?  I don’t want to die…  Help me?” she thought.  She had never been a devout woman… but it wouldn’t hurt now, would it?

Tick. Tock. Tick.

It was an odd sound in her head that night as she laid awake. The swirling mists of the divine were cracking. In her blood she knew it was true but that night simply changed everything. It began a nightmare or maybe it was just her mind telling her the horrid truth. The world of Revaliir blurred with the world that she knew. It was a grotesque monster that she tried to destroy. She found earth not listening and more so her heart was hurting.

Her dreams were not candied clouds or anything sweet most of the time but this carnage and damage she saw made her stop. Even in her divine state she had no power to help. The voices of her children, what how many were there? Soon her head was spinning as their voices filled her head. Scared they needed her and she wanted to protect them even though she could not reach them.

From her bed she bolted up and let out a horrid noise. Panting she found sweat beads decorating her crimson locks. Looking around she found herself in a new but familiar place. It took her only a moment to recognize new forces at work. “Mama?”

Startled by the little voice she looked down to see a young girl at her side. Soft brown eyes and long red hair. Moving her hand over she brushed the girl’s hair back. “Nothing sweetie just a bad dream.” She gave her a kiss and tucked her back in bed. 

She wandered the great halls she felt she had created on her own. She lost herself in the gardens and eventually the farmlands. She found herself with a new sphere but yet it did not feel new to her. Finally she ventured out into the lands. Slowly knowledge of what she did know started to come back.

Revaliir

She ventured the old haunting grounds near Adeluna and found an interesting sight from within the earth. She ventured to the trees and watched for a few moments to see how interesting the situation would become. She did, however, hear a prayer and that was something foreign to her. Debating on how to interact with the woman she poked around the cave a bit before coming out of the cave walls. “Tell me child why do you pray to me yet not tell me your problems?” She touched the girl’s ankle seeing what the damage was.

“You suffer from much more than just a hurt body,” her words were gentle and yet there was wonder as well. “You run from something yet you barely made it here. What has you so afraid?”

Had she the strength to move, she would have shied away from the strange woman’s touch.  It wasn’t so much that she was afraid of the stranger, it was that every touch lately had been painful lately.  And her skull seemed to be throbbing, something that Marigold found she couldn’t ignore like she had everything else.  ”Hurts… everything hurts,” she murmured through the haze.  Maybe she was hallucinating, but that wasn’t such a bad thing right now.  Perhaps talking things out would make things make more sense.

”Ran away, husband kept hitting me.  Think he broke my head.  In more ways than one.  I’d rather die her though.  Don’t want to go back to him,” she managed to get out, shivering.  With her parents being dead, there really wasn’t anyone that she could go to.  Her brother had joined the army, and Marigold didn’t even know if he was still alive.  Curling her hands into fists, she took another shaky breath.  The woman wasn’t going away, and she wasn’t wavering, so maybe she was real.  ”You’re really here, aren’t you?  One of them?” she said, trying to blink away the haze from her eyes.  Marigold couldn’t bring herself to straight out ask if this woman was one of the great Deities.

But if her prayer had been answered, perhaps things would change…  ”Can you… help me?  Can’t go back.  And I don’t want to die,” Marigold asked.  Perhaps it was all in vain, but at least she would not be with her husband anymore.  A thought crawled into her mind, maybe this woman could help her get away from her husband.  ”Kill him.  I want to kill him.  ‘cause he tried to kill me,” she added, her voice stronger for a moment.  It was the careless cruelty of the beatings that had brought her to that conclusion, and Marigold suddenly realized what had been happening all along through the marriage.  She had been slowly dying anyway.

The redhead listened to the girl's words. Gently her fingers moved and tucked strands of gold behind her ears. “I can sense the pain you feel. I can see it in your eyes.” She said it very softly as she continued to listen to what this girl had to say. It was always a stupid tradition for humans to marry off their precious daughters and sons to morons however humans only lived so long she supposed. The woman in front of her was no proud creature she had been broken but not beyond repair.

Angela turned a mental smile into a physical one as she nodded. “I am  The Mother. I heard your plea and answered the call. You asked for help did you not?” Help came with a price and she wasn't sure if this woman was all that prepared for it. Though Angela was the kindest of the Triune, at least in her mind.

Getting down on her level Angela's dress went into the mud and she stared at the girl's eyes. “I will help you but at a cost. There are always costs to these kinds of wishes. I will give you the power to end his existence painfully however, you must join my court and my family. I will give you the gift of my people. I will make your body stronger than any human man.” Well non magical at least.

Thinking for a moment more she put her head closer to the girl's. “If I give you this gift you will need to become stronger. You will need to never let anyone break you down to this level again. You will become one of my many daughters. However, you can have your revenge let it be on your husband or your family that put you into this predicament. Say the words and I will make you one of mine.”

Her eyes seemed to brighten just a bit when she found our her prayers had been answered, and in those moments Marigold resolved that she would live.  And that she would follow this woman who had come to help her.  "Mother, I have nothing left but my body and soul to give you," she said, thinking that no cost would be too high for her.  After the life she had lived so far, anything had to be better than what Marigold had now.  No more scrabbling through the mud, or worrying where her next meal would come from.  Or the next beating. 

The idea of being part of a real family brought her something to cling to, and Marigold nodded.  "I'm yours.  No one… almost no one will miss me," she said.  Her brother, assuming he was still alive, would miss her.  But Marigold would finally perhaps have a means of finding him.  Would he be welcome in the Mother's court?  that was something to worry about later.  First, the fire of revenge lit in her eyes, and Marigold thought of just how beautiful it would be to wring her husband's neck when he finally came home from the pub.

Blinking again, the gray haze was starting to creep in around her vision again.  "Mother, I am yours," she whispered.  whatever this goddess was going to do, she had better to it quickly.

The Mother's smile was warm as her hand stroked those golden curls. “Child do not doubt how much a soul is worth. How much your body is worth. I like you was once lost. Maybe the circumstances were not the same but lost all the same. Eventually someone or something comes and saves you if you are patient enough. In this world there are many who will harm you but you have to become strong enough to protect yourself.”

Her words made Angela angry. How could no one miss a girl with such a good heart. Internally she was shaking with anger but knew that vengeance was the beacon at which this girl summoned her. “Very well.” Taking the girl into her arms she pressed her lips firmly to hers. It was different then how the vampires did their turning. Her essence would flood the girl's body. Her power would flood the girl's senses. “What's too come will hurt but with it you will be granted a gift.” The transition was always the most painful out of all she had ever seen be it werewolf, vampire, rosenite, or what have you.

She laid the girl down so the turning could begin. Only the willing could be made a Rosenite and she figured that's why it hurt so much. It always hurt in some way to obtain power. 

The idea of being valued for being herself was… strange to Marigold.  But it was something that she could cling to.  "I wanted to dance.  But he took that from me.  I think you can give that back to me," she said, trying to smile.  She had gotten through so much so far, but Marigold was sure that she could get through this.  When the Goddess kissed her, it was like her body caught fire.  The warmth was almost too much, but it was something had to be endured.  It hurt, oh gods did it hurt, but Marigold reminded herself that it would be over soon.  One way, or the other.

As suddenly it started, it was over.  And a sort of euphoria flooded her senses.  For the first time in longer than she cared to remember, Marigold's body didn't ache from the constant bruising and occasional broken bones.  She felt like she could dance again, and she took a moment to flex her right ankle.  It had never quite healed right after she had stepped in a hole, and of course her husband hadn't taken her to see the village healer.  Her sky blue eyes seemed to light again, and she smiled up at the Mother.  Pulling herself up from the floor, Marigold knelt before her Goddess.  There was peace in her expression, but a hint of madness in her eyes.

"Thank you, Mother.  With your permission… may we pay a visit to my husband?  He deserves to know what happened," she said.  The slight madness in her eyes seemed to intensify, and it was clear that she did not intend that to be a friendly visit.

“Child I can give you so much more than just dancing. All that will come with time but for now we will complete our pact.” Her ivy eyes watched her as the kiss and process began. She watched how the girl dealt with the pain but she had a strong soul. A smile crossed her lips as she watched Marigold get up. If this was a sick fairy tale than she was the fairy godmother. At least this little Cinderella did not have until midnight.

“You are quite welcome my child.” She lifted her hand and stroked the blonde hair that Marigold had. With a smile she watched those blue eyes. “We may but first.. Let us make you look like a grand duchess.” A smirk appeared on her face as the finest of clothes appeared on Marigold's body. Her hair was done up beautifully and of course, she was a nightmare within.


“Let us go to him child. We can beat him there and set up the scene.” She held out her hand and opened the portal to her home. “Let's not waste anytime. Oh and one more thing; under no circumstances stop when he begs you. Let him feel the full force of his sin against you. Make him suffer through all that which you have.” Leading her through the portal she looked around and huffed. "You husband is a sleaze but soon he will get what is coming to him and you my dear will be living in luxury like you should have been." She gave her another motherly smile before finding herself a chair.  

The hand in her hair was the first gentle touch she had felt in years, and Marigold savored that moment.  This woman had replaced her family in only moments, and she only felt concern for her lost brother.  With time, she would seek him out.  Damian was the only one of her family who had shown her concern, and she knew that her marriage would have never happened had he been around.  When her clothing changed, Marigold was almost certain she was in some kind of fairy tale.  Only this one wasn't going to end with a good night for Prince Charming.

There was a cruel smile on her face when Angela settled herself into a chair.  There were only two, and her husband would not like finding his occupied by a strange woman.  When she heard his staggering footsteps coming up the pathway, she took a deep breath.  Remembering her Goddess' words, she took the first thing he had beaten her with, the mallet that he used to repair the cottage.  "Hello, dearest Ian.  I see you're finally home," she said, her tone purring.  He just stared at her for a few moments, trying to process the strange scene of his wife dressed like royalty and a strange redhaired woman in his chair.  Looking back and forth, he pointed a finger at Angela and slurred something about getting the bitch out of his chair and for her to get into bed.

But Marigold had finally had enough.  Especially when he dared insult Mother Earth.  Screeching like a banshee, she was deeply satisfied to see the fear reflected in his eyes for once.  Swinging the mallet, she repaid each and every insult and beating that Ian had ever paid her.  In the first few swings, he was yelling.  But it quickly regressed to begging her to stop.  But Marigold didn't.  There was just too much anger finally being released.  When she was finally done, there wasn't much left of his head, other than a pile of gooey bone.  She had taken care to break every bone in his hands, and his elbows first though, causing him as much pain as he had caused her.  Perhaps even more.  Catching her breath, she looked towards Angela for approval.

"May we leave now?  There is nothing left here for me now… oh, wait a moment," she said, moving to the kitchen area.  Moving a stone from the hearth, she pulled something out.  It was a pretty fan, a birthday gift from her brother, and the only thing from here she wanted to keep.  Nodding, she returned to Angela's side, and said "Now I'm ready".

There was a hint of madness in the girl that Angela sensed. She smiled a bit at her newest daughter and watched her greet her husband. She propped herself up and stared at the stupid man. He was far too gone to know what was about to happen to him. Watching her pick up the mallet the Mother knew that she had just chose the instrument of his demise.

It wasn't long before the man said something wrong and the beating began. She listened to the sweet pleas of a man who deserved it. A smile crossed her lips as Marigold took out everything he had dished. Revenge was a dish best served cold after all.

Getting up once she was done Angela took the girl's arm and walked her out of the house. “Are you ready to celebrate your birthday?” She brought a thumb up and cleaned some blood off Marigold's cheek. She licked it and made a face. Still tasted rather like a tart berry to her but she still offered her daughter a smile. She walked her out of the cottage and turned around. Soon the cottage was up in flames. “Happy Birthday Marigold Rose.”