A Hero's Journey To Salem

It was a cold Autumn afternoon when Salem had been wandering aimlessly through a valley near her hometown. She fashioned her usual apparel: the hem of her sleek, white gown fluttering in the currents of the wind, the chime of her golden wrist-wear and many golden necklaces echoing through the mountains and hills. She seemed to be in quite a hurry, her heels clicking against the brick-paved path beneath her in rapid succession, her lowered head overshadowed by the silhouette of untamed hair, her slender arms folded briskly over her chest. Around her rustled the many leaves of Autumn trees that littered the ground, the hills, and even the base of the mountainside. Nearest to her vicinity swayed a little river, where lied her reflection in all
it's angst. Her nose seemed to twitch whenever a fish took off to an ephemeral flight, and she so often swatted the occasional mosquito that she might find herself in a fit of rage. She was not in the right state of mind - but what could she do? Her situation could not have been avoided. Salem came from a royal family of Casters, which was a friendly way of saying Witch. Each of the four royal family of Casters would birth a single child in a generation with a special ability. For instance, Salem’s family line carries the ability of foresight, and so Salem is the only of her generation with the ability to see the future. This disappointed her family, because they would have much rathered Salem’s sibling to be born with the aforementioned ability, considering that the sibling was first-born. While Salem demonstrated extraordinary talents in both foresight and magic, her sister was only subpar. Yet as first-born, her sister was destined to become the next leader of the royal family, and must live up to expectations that precede her. Salem felt bad---so she ran away. Her sister loved her dearly, Salem was sure, but she decided that being around was too troublesome, their parents always comparing them to chastise her sister. Salem hoped that her sister could live a little more comfortably now that she was not around. Salem knew that her sister would be sad that she left, and her parents would be worried. But Salem knew that her sister would be better for it, and that her sister would grow into the strong and independent leader that she was always meant to be. Salem could see the future, after all. She just couldn't see herself apart of it. So Salem ventured from her home, off to find somewhere far away where she could live happily. But in hindsight, she should have taken a map, because she had no idea where she was.
Common sense would tell her to conjure a map using her wand, but it was far too cold for her to think straight, and she was actually quite sad having to leave everything behind. The sun was starting to set earlier now that the seasons had changed, and it was much darker outside than Salem had anticipated. At a certain time, wolves and other creatures would lurk this very valley in search of food, and Salem was a vulnerable target. ’If only Oracles could tell their own future’, She thought, her steadily increasing paranoia heightening the pace of her breaths. It was only after the snap of a twig that she had taken a light jog, though she found it challenging in her heels. It wasn't long before before the fleeting absence of the sun casted a veil of darkness over the land, and hungry eyes began to appear in the void of the forest. Only moments later did beastly growls resonate slowly into existence, and Salem broke into a full
sprint. She would have brought a carriage or a horse before leaving her town, but she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself.
As the sound of paws hitting the pavement drew near, she began to regret having ever left town, and in a fit of panic she began to cry out, her sprint regressing to a desperate flail until finally her heels caved under the weight and stress of her steps. She promptly fell onto her waist, and as a pack of hungry wolves closed in on her she clenched her ill-fated heart, closing her eyes tightly and averting her head, only to befall upon immediate silence. Eyes having expected impending doom opened widely, wandering her surroundings as she raised her curious head, only to find that she lied in what seemed a grassy milieu. She pushed against the ground to sit herself up, before slowly clenching her hair in both hands, and then dragging them down her face and along the frame of her body. What had happened to the valley, the wolves? Where had she gone. “What kind of sorcery is this?” She mumbled to herself, slowly standing to her feet and looking around. She took one step forward and immediately fell to her knees, prodding an index finger along the temple of her forehead. There were suddenly all of these visions flashing through her head, new futures, new
people. It seemed to be close; they seemed to be close. She stood once more, though sloppily, her vision slightly impaired. Multiple blurry images would drift in front of her eyes before slowly merging into each other to form one coherent picture. The mansion. “I---I don't understand...H---how did I get here?” She muttered, looking around to try and find something that would help her. She sounded tired, and looked rather pale. Just a moment ago she was about to die, so she had to be both physically and emotionally drained. But there was nowhere else to go but forward, towards this new setting, towards whatever became of her life here. Salem wanted answers, of course, but for the most part she seemed to accept that this had happened and this is where she would now reside. At the mansion. She trudged forward sluggishly, a gentle sigh escaping the crevices of her heavy-lined matte lips, and she approached the Mansion in solace. “I guess this is home”.