Chapter 1

The Charmed Ones are known as the most powerful good witches of all time. Before them though, was their ancestor, Melinda Warren. Her powers were vast and she knew of the powerful witches her line would produce. However, the story behind the matriarch of the Warren line is one of intrigue, deceit, and betrayal. To tell the story of The Warren witches, you must explore the life and times of their founder.

Melinda Warren was a beautiful young woman who had an extraordinary secret. She was in fact a powerful witch.

Magic had always been an important part of her life. Her mother, Charlotte, told her of the three sister witches, who claimed to be related to Melinda, and helped her mother during Melinda's birth. The tale of how she was brought into the world not only strengthened her resolve to practice magic, but gave her the courage to know she had a destiny worth fighting for.

The year was 1692. Melinda and her young daughter, Prudence, lived in Salem, Massachusetts. Usually, Salem was a peaceful and beautiful place to live. Recently, however, there were signs of trouble. Women in the community began to be put on trial after being accused of witchcraft.

Melinda was not frightened for herself, but for her daughter, who was beginning to show signs of magical ability. She knew the dangers of being outed as witches. Her mother told her of how witches during her time were often ostracized and banished.

In the small cottage that the family shared, Melinda was raising Prudence to be a fine young woman. She was also beginning to teach Melinda the ways of the craft. Melinda's former husband never cared for her magic and found it to be too much. He left when Prudence was still a baby, but promised to never reveal the women's secret as he loved them too much to see them live a life of misery and loneliness.

"Prudence!", Melinda called from the back of the cottage.

Melinda was a beautiful young woman in her 20s. She had shoulder length blond hair and high cheek bones that she inherited from her mother and grandmother. She was quite proud of her looks, as her mother told her that she reminded her of her sister.

"Yes mother?"

Prudence walked into her mother's room. Resembling her mother, she was a beautiful child with her father's brown hair with tints of blond throughout.

"Sweetheart, its time for your lesson. Fetch the Book."

"Yes, mother."

Melinda had begun to create and record spells and potions she thought would be valuable in her daughter's lifetime as she learned the craft. She called it the Book of Shadows. She hoped that it would prove useful in her and her daughter's magical journeys.

Prudence brought the book to her mother. It was a book that was large in size with sparce content. There were only 20 pages or so, but she knew with time it would grow. On the cover of the book was a triquetra, which consisted of three parts all connected as one. Melinda's mother was given a pendant with this symbol before she was born and saw it as a sign of the powerful sister witches to come. Melinda chose this as the family's symbol because of the strength and unity it represented.

Melinda sat with her daughter at the table in the room and turned to the page she wrote about fairies.

"Today, my love, I'm going to teach you about fairies. They may be small, but their magic is mighty when united under their queen."

Prudence was excited to hear about this topic and looked on in wonder as her mother spoke. She loved the themes of power and love that combined to create an awe inspiring force.