• Rose couldn't believe her life was about to end this way. Her eyes filled with tears, partly because of the smoke that welled up from beneath her feet, partly because she would never get a chance to show Lee how much she loved him. She closed her eyes and felt the tears slide down her cheeks. The wooden pole she was tied to felt rough against her cotton blouse. The fire beneath her feet started to draw closer and she took a deep breath as if to steady herself and accept her fate, but the breath only brought on a large rib racking cough due to the smoke from the fire, filling her eyes with more tears. Feeling a gentle breeze she opened her eyes, through the haze of the fire and past the gathering of disgruntle town’s people she could see him, on the edge of the woods, watching her. His eyes were sad and hopeless, as if he hadn't tried his hardest to save her from this fate. Rose knew better and despite the fire licking at her feet she tried her best to give him a reassuring smile.

    Lee remembered the day so well as if it had happen yesterday and not several month ago. It had been just after spring started when everything seemed to be shaking off winter’s last hold. The air was crisp and Lee had been out in the woods gathering herbs for cooking. Normally his coven didn't go past the ancient oak tree due to the fact that the town on the other side of the woods didn't take to kindly to his magical brethren. Lee was new at the magical part of his coven, being just past eighteen in his coven and now old enough to wonder the woods. It was on this day that he past the ancient oak tree, following a voice on the winds that seem to sing of the labors of her day. Her voice was beautiful even though it was full of sadness.
    She was sitting there in a garden that was full of flowers of all different kinds, but at this moment she sat among a bed of roses as red as blood pricked from a finger. It was a similar color to this fair maiden’s hair which too was a vibrant red. She had her back to him but only when she turned did Lee realize she stopped singing. Quickly he hid behind the nearest tree hoping that she did not see him watching her. She turned her bright green eyes searching the trees, brows crinkling in confusing, she turned back to her work among the roses, but she no longer sang, as if she new someone was watching her and waiting for him to approach or attack her, Lee wasn’t sure.
    Lee waited there until the sun started to sink and orange rays sprinkled over the horizon, the beautiful women stood and looked back to the trees then started toward the little house that sat maybe a half mile from the garden. Lee watched her, the sway in her step making the long green skirt move like leaves in the wind. He had never seen anyone like her, though he also had never been out of the coven’s care either. Resisting the urge to follow her home Lee turned and made his way back to the coven, picking the herbs he had forgotten to get when first hearing her voice, thinking the entire way back how he could go to visit her again.
    The next day Lee hurried past the oak tree hearing her voice once more on the wind. He had told the coven elder that he needed an herb for the healing balm he been working on. The elder had been pleased by young Lee’s eagerness to learn and granted him access to the woods any time he needed, as long as he did not pass the ancient oak. Lee wasn’t actually making a healing balm; it had only been an excuse to continue to go into the woods and past the tree so that Lee could watch the fair maiden. Lee ran until he stopped short of the tree line. Covered by the shadows of the tree he watched her again, trying to work up the courage to talk to her this time.
    Rose felt that someone watching her once again. She had the feeling around the same time yesterday but when she looked there was no one there. This time she was sure of her feelings and turned around fast as light, frowning when she saw a tall young man about her same age. His eyes where a dark blue as if they held the entire ocean in them, his hair was a strange mix of blonde and brown, like when sand has been brushed with water. Rose took a step back not sure if this man meant harm or not, his eyes where soft saying that said he didn’t, but her husband carried that same look after he hit her. Taking another step back she turned to run before the man grabbed her. She flinched as she always did when her husband grabbed her, waiting for the stinging pain of a hand across her face.
    Lee let her go when she flinched; he had seen this signs before in his coven a girl had been beaten by one of the villagers that lived outside the woods. From that day on she always flinched when someone touched her. Seeing this in the face of this garden maiden made him furious though he couldn’t explain why, except for the fact that he had been raised on karma, and that no man should ever hit a women.
    “Really I mean you no harm.” Lee said his tone as soft as he could make it.
    “You aren’t going to hit me?” Rose asked.
    “Why would I hit you?”
    “My husband always hits me if I try to run.”
    “No one should every hit you!”
    She flinched again noticing his anger and Lee cursed to himself for making her do so. On such a beautiful woman it was too much to handle and Lee brushed her cheek now able to see the faint purple that he hadn’t see yesterday because of his distance. Shaking his head sadly he rubbed her cheek with his fingertips he couldn’t believe anyone would want to abuse her. She still flinched away from him but Lee could see that she was starting to relax now that she had seen he really meant no harm.
    “What’s your name?” Lee asked dropping his hand from her face.
    “Rose…” She said quietly.
    They spent the rest of the day talking about random things, mostly about herbs and how they were used in cooking, they found that they both loved to cook and use the herbs from the woods as spice. They talked until the sun started to cast orange rays over the horizon when they were finally forced to go their separate ways. Rose felt closer to him then she did her own husband, which wasn’t hard since Rose and her husband barely talked. She knew it would be wrong to see him again, but agreed to meet Lee the next day despite slight feelings of guilt that she had because of her vows to her husband. Watching him walk back toward the tree she waved before turning and walking back to her own house. It was a slow walk, because she always hated to go back home, where her husband was waiting. Walking up the path to the small but cozy house she stopped at the stone steps that lead to the doorway. Tilting her head slightly she was sure she heard voices, feeling a little more comfortable now that someone was home with her husband she walked in quietly. Rose kept her head down and turned a deaf ear to the talk going on in the living room. He husband was the town parishioner, so people where in and out of the house all the time. Lately, Patrick, who was one of the town’s people, had been trying to tell her husband that witches resided in the woods. He husband would only drink and listen, telling Patrick there was no such thing as witches.
    Going straight to the kitchen to cut the stems of the roses she picked while talking with Lee. Rose gathered a vase and a pair of kitchen scissors she started to cut the stems and put them in the water she had filled the vase with, taking her time until she heard the front door close and footsteps coming toward the kitchen. Rose put the scissors down not want anything sharp to catch her husband’s eye; she started to arrange the roses when her husband came into the kitchen, the worst part of the evening started. She never knew what would spark his temper, hopefully it was close to bed time and there wasn’t much she could do. With her back to the kitchen door Rose heard him come into the kitchen and toward the pantry.
    “More roses?” She heard him say in a gruff voice.
    “Yes…the others were dying, and I know you hate to see them that way.”
    “Humph.” She heard him say then listened as his footsteps left the kitchen.
    Rose let out the breath she had been holding since her husband had entered the kitchen, maybe tonight she could just go to bed. With a slight smile on her face she finished the roses and set them on the table to replace the ones she threw out that morning. Glad to have at least a little bit of peace this night she turned around only to feel the sting of a hand on her cheek. Seeing stars for a moment she blinked before looking into the face of her enraged husband. She smelled whiskey on his breath and knew instantly that Patrick had indeed been over, which would mean two things; she would have to buy some more whiskey, and she never had a chance tonight, if anything it would be worse. He was big and beefy much too large to try and overcome, so she stood there and took his beating, one large hand after another until he knocked her down to the floor where she laid until she watched him walk away muttering nonsense. Rose closed her eyes feeling tears slide down her stinging cheeks.
    Rose stayed there, on the kitchen floor, until she heard her husband snoring in the chair where he had passed out. Slowly she stood, careful not to make any noise as she moved to the bedroom where she got dressed for bed and then laid there watching the door to the bedroom, in case it should open, until her eyes became heavy and she fell asleep.
    The next day Rose waited for her husband to leave before she ran to the rose garden up the path where she promised to meet Lee. It went on like this for a months, Rose would meet Lee in the garden, telling him of the day before. Trying to explain each bruise and cut on her body. Each time she told the story Lee would become more enraged, wishing there was something he could do but was afraid to out his coven, telling her he loved her and that she deserved so much better for herself. Over time Rose herself began to fall in love with Lee, taking his gentle touches over her husband’s abusive hand, until one night they spent more time holding and loving each other, Rose falling asleep in Lee’s arms.
    When Rose woke she was staring into the eyes of hell, her husband had come looking for her after dark and found her in the garden, in the arms of another man. He grabbed her by the hair as she screamed waking Lee up who tried to fight her husband, but Lee wasn’t a fighter, and Rose’s husband knocked him out as soon as Lee tried to stand. From then on the way home he beat Rose dragging her home by the hair, hitting and kicking her once they got home. Rose, no longer able to take the pain passed out, only to awake and find she was sleeping on a mat of straw and men shouting around her. Her husband, the town parishioner, had accused her of being a witch, using her body to seduce him, since he was the wealthiest man in the village, and now to seduce another man. She had no trail, due to the fact that her husband’s word was law, and was quickly sentenced to burn at the stake by sundown.

    Rose watched as tears slide down Lee’s check, matching the one that slide down hers. She knew he could do nothing more, for he was only human. Lee had never shared with her that he was a witch and still did nothing since he was to new to the craft, and to condemn many for one was selfish. Around Rose people chanted waiting for her to scream as the fire had finally started to lick at her skin. She wouldn’t scream, the ache in her heart overcoming the pain of the fire that now danced along her skin. She closed her eyes waiting for death to come to her and whispered a final “I love you.” to Lee as she burned.