[ WP ] Two people promise their first born child to two different witches in return for a favour . These two people end up getting married and have a child together .

“ I beseech thee, a heathen witch, one betwixt hell and earth. Hear my plea! To your arms I entrust my unborn son, and ye shall return my sacrifice in kind. ” 
 
 From an arcane circle woven with thread and blood came a cackle; one which struck fear into the heart of man and beast alike. And from a plume of ever-rising reddened smoke came a hunched figure, covered head-to-toe in dusty robes. It held an elegant staff close to its bosom, gripped tightly by an ancient wrinkled hand, and as the smoke cleared, the being reared its head. 
 
 A gaunt face, weathered by wrinkles and scars alike, teeth as yellow as the eyes which hung above. A crooked nose so sharp it was menacing in its own right. 
 
 The man across rose his voice. “ Have you- ” 
 
 “ Silence, bastard! How dare you speak unwanted! ” The walls rattled at the sound of her words. “ I am Yaegid, a contract witch, why have you called upon me? ” 
 
 The man shivered where he stood, too afraid to say yet another word. 
 
 “ You dare waste my time? ” 
 
 “ No! ” He stammered out words through half-clenched teeth. “ I did not mean to offend you, Yaegid. I wish to make a contract, for my unborn child! ” 
 
 “ An unborn'ling of flesh and bone? ” Yaegid stepped closer to the man, moving with a grace that her own figure did not assume. “ What is your name? ” 
 
 “ Robert. Robert Jenkins. ” 
 
 “ And what is it that you desire? ” 
 
 “ Courage. ” 
 
 * * * 
 
 “ Come witch! Scum of hell and earth alike! Heed my command! Render yourself before me and answer all it is that I desire! ” 
 
 From a rusted bracelet, worn down by the sands of time came a meek laugh; one born from powerlessness and fear. From it came a wispy puff of green, which soon trailed and coiled to form the shape of first a man, then a woman. Soon, the smoke turned to flesh and bone and rags alike, and in its place stood an old woman, her entire body trembling out of fright. 
 
 “ I am Junzo, a- ” 
 
 The woman across from her roared. “ I know what you are! I called upon you precisely because I know! ” 
 
 The frail witch looked up at her with fearful eyes, afraid of her wrath. “ Then you wish to make a contract? ” 
 
 “ For my unborn child. ” 
 
 “ I must know your name, for the contract. ” 
 
 “ Heather. Heather Robinson. ” 
 
 “ And what is it that you desire? ” 
 
 “ Empathy. ” 
 
 * * * 
 
 Two months later, in the wake of autumn, the two married. Robert had gained a new sense of courage and determination and wooed the girl he had loved for years, Heather. And she in turn, learned to love his flaws and his shortcomings, not looking down on him for who he was. 
 
 Three years passed by and the contracts were almost a thought at the back of their respective minds, but something they knew they would face sooner or later. When she fell pregnant, the two fell into a state of woe and misery, but eventually, accepted it, and neither knew what the other had done. 
 
 When the time came, they were side-by-side, both ready for the inevitable. The baby entered the world, crying for its mother and father, and soon it cried no more. Through their feigned shock and horror, the sickly truth unfolded behind the scenes as the witches, together, cackled at their misfortune. 
 
 In a sense, they both failed to fulfil their contracts, and so neither of them were fulfilled, and so as if by some divine miracle, the baby breathed once more; but the parents bore not joy, but shock and horror. 
 
 Robert lost the bravery that allowed him to court his love, and his love lost the empathy required to deal with him. 
 
 And so the two, trapped in a loveless marriage with an unwanted child, lived their days together as a spineless dog and an insufferable tyrant. 
 
 They deserved each other. 
 
 * * * 
 
 ^If ^you're ^interested ^I ^have ^more ^stuff ^at ^my ^subreddit, ^/r/khaarus
