The Knight and the Witch

"Burn the witch!"
         A cacophony of voices echoed through the town, chanting bloodthirsty encouragements for the witch's demise. The witch herself, a young woman with a flowing river of dark hair and pale skin, was tugged along by two large knights. They cared not for any discomfort they brought her, whether by their rough handling or the chains around her wrists.
         She listened to their jeering, recognizing the faces of all she'd lived with for the past two decades of her life. There was the older woman who she'd always sat with, knitting away into the night or tending to her garden. There were the children with whom she'd always played and read to. But nowhere did she see the young man she'd fallen in love with.
         As she found herself bound to the pyre, hands behind her back, she let her eyes ease shut and her memories return to the forefront of her mind. She reminisced about her time with the young man, the first day they'd met as sweet little children in the center of the village.
She remembered him kicked around by the others his age, and the kindness she'd offered in tending to his wounds. The flowers she offered and the food he brought. The conversations they held, wherein she learned of his wish to be a brave knight, and where she told her first half-lie about her future as a witch.
         As they grew, so too did their affections for one another. Wherever they went, they went together, exploring the forest or playing in the river.
         It was one such day at the river when she finally told him the truth, having grown to trust him with her life. But rather than disgust and hatred, as she'd been expecting, she was met with warmth and adoration. And in that moment where she laid bare her soul, it gave the young boy all the encouragement he needed to chase his dreams.
         Over the years, his training progressed, and though the young girl found the sight of him swinging a sword unsettling, she showed nothing but excitement in his presence.
         The day that he came of age was the day he set off for the city, and the day he professed his love publicly. It was the day he promised to wed the young witch upon the moment of his return. Everyone present acknowledged the vow, and everyone approved, believing the two to be made for one another.
         The witch found herself drawn from her thoughts at the sound of a commotion far off in the village, and as her eyes slivered open to the growing warmth at her feet, she saw a sight that filled her heart with warmth.
         It was the young man, all grown up, covered head to toe in a shining coat of armor. He had done it. He had achieved his dreams and had returned, but alas a moment too late.
         The flames sprung to life around the witch, singing at her clothes, licking at what little skin was exposed.
         The knight forced his way through the crowd, knocking aside those who dared to stop him, grabbing simple farming tools-made-weapons and shattering them in his grasp. There was no force in the world which could stop his forward advance, as the townspeople soon discovered.
         The witch watched as guards threw thick chains over the knight's back, citizens trying with all their might to slow him down. She watched as he threw off the people they'd grown up with, the friends they'd made and the families therein.
         Tears sprung to her eyes as the flames grew ever more forceful, engulfing her in her entirety. The pain was tremendous, yet nothing compared to the shattering she felt in her heart.
         Past the flames, she saw the knight drop to his knees, staring in disbelief as the girl he loved faced the final moments of her life. His head shook, tears sprung to his eyes, but the fight had left him.
         With the last of her strength, the witch spoke, and though her whispers were inaudible over the roaring of the fire, the words reached the knight's heart.
         "I love you, my dear knight, as I know you love me, but do not let love ruin that which you have built here for yourself. Live your life for us both. Have faith that fate will reunite us."