Work Text:
The first time, ever I saw your face
I thought the sun rose in your eyes
Agatha had known of her existence of course. Few—especially witches—in Salem during the infamous Witch Trials had not known of her. Unfortunately, as a crowd, they were intimately aware of the ever-foreboding and ever-looming presence of Death herself. She had garnered many names from the local population—the Grim Reaper, Lady Death, the Green Witch to name a few—although the last one was known only to the witching folks. Ever-present though she may be, Lady Death rarely let herself be seen by the living population of the world before they were ready to cross over to her realm.
The first time Agatha became aware of her beyond her identity as an embodiment of an eternal concept was when she fled her trial-turned-first-homicide scene, her mother’s brooch clasped tightly within her fist, tears she refused to shed clouding her vision and an unfathomable grief she never thought she would be able to feel for her mother and coven wracking her body. Confused, hurt and overwhelmed, she barely paid any mind to the figure shrouded in shadows and darkness appearing out of the tree line across from her. She had known then who the figure was and why she had come but she had not been in the right state of mind to stay back and satiate her curiosity—and curious she had been right from the start—even after feeling eyes on her being.
The next day when she had woken up in her makeshift place of rest under a black willow tree, she had found a flower resting innocuously beside where her head had been. Carefully picking up the flower, upon closer inspection and trying to recollect her limited knowledge of plants, Agatha recognised it to be a purple oleander. She recalled that the flower was known for its lethal toxicity but also used to symbolise resilience and inner strength because of how it thrived under harsh conditions. What was the most interesting thing to note, however, was that it was not a plant native to Salem, the Americas even. And that could only mean one thing. The flower’s presence beside her was the work of a green witch—a powerful one at that—and considering she would have definitely woken up if any green witch had stumbled upon her the previous night, it was the work of the Green Witch. What Agatha could not comprehend was—Why? Considering her curious nature which had been the cause of her march to a stake only a few hours prior, Agatha was determined to solve this mystery.
Try as she might, Agatha had been none the closer to figuring out the reason for this unexpected gift from an eternal cosmic being who surely had better things to do than grow flowers for a witch who in the grand scheme of things was not worthy of notice. Oscillating between mourning her fallen coven mates and the life she had known and trying to satisfy her curiosity regarding the peculiar gesture from the Green Witch, Agatha had lost track of time. What she had noticed though was that instead of decaying after a few days as normal flowers tended to do, this flower remained as beautiful and vibrant as ever, further confirming her suspicions about its origins. Agatha had taken to constantly twirling it between her fingers, wracking her brain trying to figure out how to reach out to the cosmic entity. The thought of killing someone had passed her mind for a brief second but she had immediately dismissed it, still rattled by her latest foray into such matters.
When a week had passed and her mind was less of a jumbled mess and her emotions were a little less all over the place, Agatha paced along the side of a stream, as usual twirling the flower within her fingers, determined to call the Green Witch to her. After much deliberation, she had decided that she would simply call out to the cosmic being, hoping it would be enough.
‘My Lady Death,’ Agatha’s voice carried softly through the wind as she spoke directly to the purple oleander which had been her unfailing accompaniment the past week, her one source of hope. ‘If you would be so kind as to show yourself to me, I would like to thank you for this wonderful gift you have given me.’
She waited for a minute before adding a soft, ‘Please, my lady.’
At first, there seemed to be no response, the stream flowing gently beside her, the leaves of the nearby trees rustling softly behind her and the sweet melody of birds chirping in the distance. The sunlight beamed gently down on the earth around her, infusing it with a gentle warmth that seemed to warm Agatha to her core.
As she waited for what felt like an eternity, but in reality, it could only be a couple of minutes, Agatha saw the shadows from the trees suddenly coalesce, a figure emerging slowly from the dark, hood drawn over their head. A chill seemed to permeate the surrounding air as the figure drew nearer, out of the shadows and into the light.
And—Oh!
Agatha had always known of her attraction to women, had even had a few tumbles in the hay with a few of them, but never had she had her breath taken away by the sight of one. Every thought, every word she had carefully crafted and planned to say to the eternal being had fled her mind at the sight that graced her. She had never put much thought as to how Lady Death might look like but had been utterly ill-prepared to say the least.
Dressed in an outfit the colour of her craft, the Green Witch gazed at Agatha with big, soulful, brown eyes that seemed to glitter in the sunlight. Black hair peeked from beneath her green hood, framing a face sculptors could only dream of carving. With her head tilted to the side as she looked at the spirit witch, no one would think of her as the end of all roads.
‘My lady,’ Agatha finally managed to utter, still reeling from the sheer beauty of the being before her.
‘Call me Rio,’ the Green Witch said in answer after a moment’s pause, the gentle cadence of her voice settling into Agatha’s bones.
A gentle smile stretched across Lady Death’s face and Agatha knew then that no matter what, she would spend the rest of her days trying her very best to be the cause of that smile.
And the moon and the stars
Were the gifts you gave
To the dark, and the endless sky
‘Rio!’ Agatha called out to the figure leaning against the tree a few metres ahead of her, fingers playing with a flower as she waited for the spirit witch to show.
The joy in Agatha’s voice at the sight of Lady Death was infectious causing an involuntary smile to grace the latter’s face.
A moon’s turn since Agatha had called Lady Death to her by the riverside and she still could hardly believe that somehow, by some grace, the cosmic being deigned her important enough to grant her precious time. Every day since that fateful day, they met under the cover of trees that seemed to pulsate with life whenever the Green Witch was near, hiding away from the world and retreating into one of their own creation—one that belonged to them and them alone. Time seemed to pause as Agatha whiled away the hours with Rio, falling deeper in love with each minute, each interaction.
‘My lady,’ Rio greeted Agatha, holding out the flower she was playing with to her companion. This was also a daily occurrence. Every time they met, Rio gifted her with a flower, each one setting the spirit witch’s heart racing.
As she took the flower, cheeks aflame, Agatha observed that day’s creation. A belladonna lily. Amaryllis belladonna. Symbolising beauty, strength, pride and resilience.
Unlike the very first flower Rio had gifted Agatha—one that was still as vibrant as ever and tucked into Agatha’s hair—the subsequent flowers were not everlasting, following the natural cycle of life, but Agatha treasured them just the same. She collected each flower and pressed them into a journal she had bought from a local market.
‘Thank you,’ Agatha whispered.
Giving into her impulses, refusing to think too much about the consequences, Agatha stepped forward, gently cupping one of Rio’s cheeks and pressing a soft kiss to the other. Whatever was between them, it had remained unspoken for so long but it was apparent that both of them felt it. Neither had dared cross the invisible line that had been drawn before though.
‘Agatha,’ a sharp intake of breath followed by a sigh of her name from Rio’s lips assuaged Agatha’s fear that her affection had been unwarranted.
Before Agatha could step back from Rio, however, the Green Witch brought her hands up to the former’s waist, gentle but firm, holding her in place.
As their gazes connected, Agatha felt like she was living a fever dream, so afraid that she would wake up any moment now to find the cosmic being gone. A thought seemed to permeate her brain suddenly, breaking the daze she was in.
‘What is it?’ Rio asked, noticing a storm of thoughts raging behind Agatha’s eyes, her fingers playing with the ends of Agatha’s long hair.
‘Will—’ Agatha started before halting, unsure if she wanted to breathe her thoughts into existence.
‘Go on, hermosa,’ Rio prompted Agatha, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear, the pet name slipping out involuntarily.
A smile bloomed across Agatha’s face like the first breath of spring after a harsh winter at the name. It gave her the confidence she lacked as she drew in a breath.
‘Will you show me your face? Your true face? Not the one made more palatable for us mortals,’ Agatha finally let slip.
‘Are you sure?’ Rio asked, eyes flickering between Agatha’s. ‘I have gathered that it is quite unsettling a sight to mortals.’
‘Please,’ Agatha spoke softly, a thumb caressing Rio’s cheek gently.
‘Very well,’ Rio acquiesced and a moment later, the flesh under Agatha’s hand fell away, revealing an exposed skull.
Whatever Agatha had thought Rio’s true form might look like; she had not expected this. As she took in the exposed skull of the lower half of Lady Death’s face leading into the muscles and tendons of her neck, Agatha had thought she would be terrified. Yet, all she could feel at the moment was awe. The brown eyes that haunted her every waking thought and her dreams at night were so similar yet so different. They had a gravitas to them, looking as if they held every secret of the cosmos. Agatha felt as if she was peering into entire galaxies as she held the heavy gaze of Lady Death yet she was so very aware that these were the same eyes that looked at her with a love and gentleness she had never known before. These were the very eyes that she sought out when she wanted comfort and reassurance and safety.
‘Beautiful.’
The words passed her lips without thought and Lady Death’s eyes seemed to burn with the heat of a thousand suns at the involuntary compliment, her hands tightening their hold on the spirit witch’s waist as if grounding herself.
And the first time, ever I kissed your mouth
I felt the earth move in my hands
The first time Agatha had kissed Rio, the Green Witch had, as per usual, given the spirit witch a flower. What had propelled Agatha to throw all caution to the wind and act on her desires was the flower itself and what it symbolised.
Daffodil. Symbolising unwavering and eternal devotion, a promise of returning someone’s love year after year.
Barely a fortnight had passed since Lady Death had shown Agatha her true face and the latter witch had continued to grow more and more fond of the Green Witch. Each meeting between the two grew more and more charged with thoughts gone unspoken and feelings gone unveiled.
The line Agatha had crossed threatened to collapse with each interaction between the two. Their bodies seemed to be drawn together like two opposing magnets, unable to exist in the same space without collapsing into each other.
Each day, Agatha spent hours in the cradle of Lady Death’s arms, a peace she had thought herself incapable of experiencing settling upon her, burrowing into her veins and finding a home in her heart. Yet for all the two witches seemed incapable of existing outside each other’s arms, neither had been daunting enough to take the next step. Every time they parted, all Agatha could feel was the disappointment of not having kissed Rio but every time an opportunity arose to do so, she faltered. Agatha who was always confident in her poise and charm when it came to women seemed to have lost all her self-confidence when it came to Rio and Rio who was ever-steadfast seemed content enough to give Agatha all the time in the world she needed.
The day Agatha had finally taken the leap, she had as usual found herself sitting in Rio’s arms under a tree when the Green Witch bloomed a daffodil and wove it into the spirit witch’s hair with a soft kiss pressed onto her forehead. Agatha who had been in the midst of recalling an encounter with an artisan earlier in the day had immediately stilled, eyes finding Rio’s who looked at her enthralled, as if she would prefer to be nowhere but there with Agatha.
No sooner had the thought popped into Agatha’s brain than she surged forward and pressed her lips to Rio’s. Time itself seemed to stand still for a moment before Lady Death’s hands wove themselves into the spirit witch’s hair, kissing her as if the latter were a drop of water and the former a woman dying of thirst.
When they pulled back after what seemed like an eternity, foreheads touching and eyes still closed, Agatha felt her heart flutter within her chest. Her body seemed to be screaming ‘Finally!’ and she was still reeling from the feeling of how right it felt to be kissing Rio as if she had been waiting all her life for this. Drawing back, Agatha flicked her eyes over Rio’s face. The Green Witch still sat with her eyes closed, a gentle smile playing on her lips.
A movement at the corner of her eyes drew Agatha’s attention and she turned to find a veritable sea of orchids blooming around them. A flower used to symbolise a rare, enduring and eternal love.
Unable to hold back a laugh, Agatha leaned forward once more, pressing her lips to Rio’s, hoping to convey all that she felt through the kiss.
Like the trembling heart
Of a captive bird
That was there, at my command
My love
A week since the first time Agatha had kissed Rio, the two witches once again sat entangled in each other’s arms, trading kisses as they conversed softly under the shade of a tree. A lull in the conversation had the two shifting positions, Rio spreading out her legs in front of her and leaning back against the tree trunk, fingers threading through chestnut locks with Agatha settling between Rio’s legs, leaning back into the latter’s embrace with her head resting on the Green Witch’s shoulder, twirling the red tulip Rio had given her in her hand. Passionate and timeless devotion.
‘Rio?’ Agatha’s voice filtered through the calm that surrounded them, a question on the tip of her tongue. A soft hum and a feather-light kiss on her forehead from the cosmic being prompted Agatha to continue. ‘I hope you know. I know I do not say it, but I hope you know what I feel for you.’
Stopping her ministrations and causing a soft whine to leave Agatha’s lips, Rio trailed her fingers down Agatha’s face, stopping under her chin and lifting her face towards her. With a kiss on the spirit witch’s lips, Rio took Agatha’s free hand and placed it over her heart.
‘Do you feel that?’ Rio asked, the soft thudding of her heart beating under Agatha’s palm. The latter nodded, leaning up to press a kiss under the cosmic being’s jaw, drawing a blinding smile out of the said entity and an erratic thump under her palm.
‘I have donned this form for years,’ Rio continued after a while. ‘It has been my preferred form to guide humans for centuries, yet for all the times I have worn this form, it never has a heart beat in its cage. Not until you. It is what I feel for you that has led to my heart beating. And though you have never said it, I have felt your care for me. You show it to me with every smile, every laugh of which I am the cause. You show it to me with your actions, with the thought you put into everything you do for me. So, yes, mi vida. I know.’
Agatha’s gaze dropped to where her hand was as if she could see the heart beating beneath her palm. Rio’s confession filled her with such overwhelming love for the other witch, tears rose unbidden to her eyes. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss over where Lady Death’s heart beat, feeling a flutter under her lips and a sharp intake of breath above her.
‘I love you,’ the words passed Agatha’s lips like a confession, impregnating the air around them with a charged energy.
A pause. A breath.
Then, ‘And I you, mi corazón.’
And the first time, ever I lay with you
I felt your heart so close to mine
Two moon’s turns since Agatha had called Lady Death to her side on that fateful day, the Green Witch and the spirit witch had lain together for the first time.
Agatha had had her fair share of dalliances with women, but being with Rio made her feel as if she had transcended to another realm. She did not know if it was the undeniable tension between the two or what she herself felt for the other woman or the devotion with which Rio had worshipped her body or all of these reasons, all she knew was that she was absolutely ruined for anybody else and that she never even wanted to try and find another person to share such an act with again. All she wanted and craved for was Rio.
As they lay together, sequestered from the world in their little haven, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, head resting over Rio’s beating heart, Agatha felt a peace she had never known before. All seemed to be right with the world and the moment seemed to last an eternity, protected in a small bubble from the harsh stirrings of reality.
‘My love,’ Agatha said wanting to ask a question she had been pondering for a while, lifting herself up to stare down at the cosmic being who looked so human, so vulnerable yet so content, her heart ached with adoration.
‘Si, mi vida?’ Rio’s reply caused a kaleidoscope of butterflies to flutter within her stomach like always. Lady Death’s half-lidded eyes caused a delicious tingle down Agatha’s back and for a moment the spirit witch lost her train of thought, almost giving into temptation and coaxing Rio into another round of earth-shattering sex.
‘Agatha,’ Rio’s voice laced with laughter drew her back from her dreamscape and back to the present. A knowing smile paired with a raised eyebrow caused Agatha to swat at the Green Witch with a huff only for said Green Witch to capture her hand and place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
‘What is it, mi corazón?’ Rio continued, turning Agatha’s hand in hers and blooming a red chrysanthemum in it. Love and deep passion.
‘I love you,’ Agatha replied, her thoughts derailed once more as love for the woman she had given her heart to bloomed in her chest.
‘Te amo con todo lo que soy. Eres el amor de mi vida.’
For a moment, Agatha could do nothing but look at Rio, heart bursting with love she had thought herself incapable of ever feeling. As her hand unconsciously settled over Rio’s heart though, she became aware of what she had initially intended to ask her lover.
‘You are a cosmic being who has inhabited the cosmos since the dawn of time,’ Agatha said, shaking away the rose-tinted thoughts so she could ask what had been gnawing at her for a long time. ‘You exist across all species and all the universes. Yet you chose me. Why?’
As the words left Agatha’s lips, the spirit witch sat up fully, tucking her knees to her chest as her mother’s cruel words of neglect and abuse crept into her mind, eyes dropping to the red chrysanthemum Rio had gifted her.
In response, Rio sat up on her knees, facing Agatha and lifting her face so she could look into the witch’s eyes.
‘Mi vida,’ Rio said, tucking a lock of hair behind Agatha’s ear with her free hand. ‘How could I not? You are everything to me. Loving you was not a choice. It was an inevitability and I could not have been happier for it. You looked Death in her eyes and chose to love her instead of reviling her. I have existed for eons yet it took meeting you for me to actually live. You have given me your heart and how could I do anything but treasure it? Giving you mine in return is the least I can do. I would give you the sun if you ask me for it. I would ruin universes if it meant you would be happy. Yes, I have met countless mortals, even a million versions of you, yet this black heart of mine beats for none but you. There is and there will be no other. Only you.’
As Rio’s words settled over her, tears sprung to Agatha’s eyes. She did not know what she had done to deserve such love and devotion from Lady Death herself. She knew that Rio meant every word she said. The Green Witch had never lied to her and Agatha doubted she would start now, especially when it came to something like this.
‘I do not know what good deeds I did in my last life to have found you in this one, my love,’ Agatha replied, eyes tightly shut to not let the tears flow, overwhelmed by the love she felt for Rio.
‘You do not need to do anything, mi amor,’ Rio replied, punctuating her words with a kiss to Agatha’s forehead, two to her closed eyes and one to her lips. ‘I love you for you. You do not need to be anyone other than who you are. You do not need to earn my love. It is freely given without any conditions.’
Agatha’s body, mind, heart and soul yearned only for the woman who kneeled in front of her, whose love for her had led her to do the impossible and create a heart that beat only for her.
And I knew our joy
Would fill the earth
And last, 'til the end of time
My love
‘My love!’
Agatha’s voice tinged with laughter filled the air as Rio stood covered in flowers. The sight of the cosmic entity covered in petals and an—dare she say—adorably indignant pout on her lips caused the spirit witch to double over in laughter. ‘You do know that the flowers are supposed to be on the ground and not on you, right?’
As Rio watched Agatha double over in laughter, her pout turned into a soft smile. Shaking the flowers off of her, she said, ‘I was not counting on being distracted, my love. You will have to excuse me.’
‘Whatever could have distracted the Green Witch from completing a task as menial as this I wonder?’ Agatha countered, a smirk forming on her lips as she sauntered over to her lover.
‘You know very well how distracting a sight you are, my love,’ Rio replied with a roll of her eyes before making a show of looking Agatha up and down with a lascivious gaze. ‘And you look especially distracting right now.’
‘Behave,’ Agatha said, reaching out to encircle her arms around the Green Witch’s waist as the latter’s hands carted through Agatha’s brown locks almost reverently.
‘Me?’ Rio replied with a wolfish grin. ‘Never when it comes to you, my lady. For such a lovely sight deserves to be worshipped thoroughly. Deserves to have temples erected in its honour and I am but a mere supplicant, pledging my undying devotion at the altar.’
‘Rio!’ Agatha tried to shove the other witch away, face flushing but the witch in question only held her tighter, her laughter spilling forth.
‘Truly, mi corazón,’ Rio said once the flush receded from Agatha’s face. ‘You look divine. You put the greatest beauties in the cosmos to shame. The stars that burn in the night sky are but flickering candles compared to your radiance.’
‘Stop!’ Agatha countered with a laugh, a hand coming up to hide her face from the Green Witch’s admiring gaze.
With a grin, Rio held up a hand, blooming a long sprig of lavender and fashioning it into a flower crown. Devotion, eternal affection and timeless love. With careful movements, Rio placed the crown on Agatha’s head, tilting her chin up to place a soft kiss on her lips once she was done.
Agatha’s eyes, full of love, flickered over the primordial being’s face, a gentle smile playing on her lips. ‘Te ves deslumbrante. Like divinity made flesh.’
As it always happened when Agatha spoke Spanish, Rio’s breath hitched for a moment before a smile so blinding dawned upon her face, Agatha felt as if she was staring directly at the sun.
‘Gracias, mi vida,’ Rio replied.
‘Now,’ Agatha said after taking a moment to bask in Rio’s arms and under her loving gaze. ‘Will you finish what you started? The blood moon is at its height and I have plans for later tonight.’ Then, with a wanton kiss to Rio’s lips, she continued. ‘Many, many plans.’
A dark look that promised Agatha much pleasure flitted over Rio’s eyes before the Green Witch took a step back and raised a hand. ‘As you wish, my lady.’
With a swirl of her hand, the flowers which Rio had been buried under not long ago were spread beautifully around the two witches. It was as if someone had laid a carpet of red roses, peonies and calla lilies around them. Not a peek of the earth below was visible as the flowers symbolising eternal love, devotion, passion and happy unions surrounded them. A good and hopeful omen for the future to come.
A year since Lady Death had gifted Agatha with the purple oleander, the two had decided to bind their souls to each other under the blood moon. Agatha had known that Rio was her greatest love, her soul mate if such things truly existed. Anyone who came before Rio was insignificant and there would be no one after her.
When she had first asked Rio to bind herself to Agatha, the spirit witch had already deliberated on asking the question for months before. After all, Rio had existed since the dawn of time and would continue to exist until its end, long after she herself would be gone. Lady Death had assuaged her fears, however, with all the patience in the world.
‘There is one more thing,’ Rio’s words brought Agatha back to the present and she raised an eyebrow causing the Green Witch to chuckle. ‘It was a little difficult to get a hold of so many at once without alerting you but I remain triumphant.’
Then, with a flick of Rio’s wrist, the leaves of the surrounding bushes parted and countless fireflies rose from them, illuminating the riverside clearing they had chosen to build their cottage on. With a gasp, Agatha looked around. It looked like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.
‘Oh, my love!’ Agatha said, taking Rio’s face in her hands and kissing her. ‘This is beautiful.’
Rio’s gaze was locked onto Agatha’s, a pleased smile on her face as the light from the fireflies reflected in her warm eyes.
Agatha was captivated. Spellbound. While she was sure the clearing looked like a painting come to life, nothing could hold a candle to the vision that was the woman she loved. In her mind’s eye, she could see a vision of her future, one she shared with Rio where their love would last lifetimes, would live on for as long as Lady Death existed in the world.
The first time, ever I saw
Your face
Your face
Your face
Your face