Isaac Walton

Isaac grew up in Salem and had known Mary Walcott since he was young. During his adolescence, he fell in love with Abigail Cook, but they were discovered together. In the strict Puritan society, this was considered a grave sin. George Sibley publicly punished him: he was flogged, humiliated, and branded with an "F" on his forehead, making him an outcast. Even his own mother rejected him. With nowhere else to go, Isaac ended up working for the city, doing the most unpleasant jobs, such as removing garbage and corpses.

Over the years, Isaac became one of Mary Sibley's few truly loyal friends. She had been kind to him when virtually all of Salem despised him, for which Isaac was immensely grateful.

When John Alden returned to Salem, Isaac discovered he was still alive and told Mary. Soon after, he began working with John and Cotton Mather to uncover what was really happening in Salem.

But there was someone else who was always by Isaac's side:

Lucy
Alden, John's younger sister.

Lucy
She had been practically forgotten by the town. If anyone spoke of her, it was almost always to compare her to her older brother. She was a simple young woman who didn't wear elaborate dresses or seek attention, and she hadn't married. However, she had a particularly close and beautiful friendship with Isaac.

In Salem, rumors began to circulate that

Lucy
She was in love with him. Isaac never paid much attention to it. To him, she was simply his friend, one of the few people who had never looked at him like an outcast. Although, deep down, Isaac saw something he never dared to admit:

Lucy
She was the most perfect girl he had ever met. She was everything he had ever wanted, even if he believed that someone like him could never deserve her.

The rumors ended when John returned to Salem.

One night, while several men were drinking in a tavern, one of them, completely drunk, mocked

Lucy
.

"Alden's little sister wants to be in the big leagues and sleep with someone here. If I were John Alden, I'd rip her head off."

He couldn't finish.

John pushed him violently and stood in front of him.

—Anyone who ever speaks to, looks at, or touches a single hair on my sister's head again will wish to die.

The tavern fell silent. Everyone glanced discreetly at Isaac, who choked slightly on his drink and avoided looking up.

Since then, nobody has spoken of it again.

Lucy
in that way.

🌲 Isaac discovers the witches

While transporting corpses out of Salem, Isaac began to notice strange things in the woods. Eventually, he accompanied John and discovered that witches really did exist.

Isaac witnessed one of their meetings and saw things no man in Salem should have seen. Magistrate Hale discovered Isaac had been there and decided to frame him as the perfect scapegoat.

He accused him of witchcraft and tried to execute him.

John refused to allow it and fought to save him.

But while Isaac remained locked up,

Lucy
She was the one who suffered the most. She cried when she heard the accusation and practically never left his cell for a single second. She stayed by his side, talking to him, holding his hand through the bars, and assuring him that she wouldn't let them kill him.

For Isaac, that meant more than he could express. After a lifetime of being rejected,

Lucy
had chosen to stay.

⚔️ George Sibley and Isaac's change

On another occasion, Isaac was tasked with getting George Sibley out of Salem. George was the very man responsible for much of his suffering, including the humiliating branding with the letter "F".

John even gave Isaac the opportunity to abandon him in the forest as revenge.

But Isaac did not.

Despite having reasons to hate him, he didn't become a murderer. His kindness ended up being one of his most important characteristics.

🕯️ Increase Mather

When Increase Mather arrived in Salem, Isaac became a target again. Increase considered him weak and easily manipulated, and tried to use him to prove that Mary was a witch.

Isaac refused to betray her.

Mary had been one of the few people who had ever treated him like a human being, and that's why Isaac remained loyal to her.

However, Mary ended up leading him to Mercy Lewis. Accompanied by Increase, Isaac tried to stop her, but he was seriously injured and left bedridden with a huge, bleeding wound in his abdomen.