The Wonderful Wood

The Mistress of the Marsh

"The welfare of the Marsh Kingdom rests in your hands. But as you are very young, I will choose advisors for you. They will help you rule your kingdom until you are of the right age to take more responsibilities into your hands."

Ethan was relieved to hear this. "At least there is going to be some help," he told himself. Yet, deep inside him, Ethan felt very uncomfortable. "How can I be so special when I have just been just a normal boy all my life before I came into this strange world!" he thought as there was another flash and the Mistress of the Marsh clapped her hands.

Then a troop of little men came marching, emerging from the crack. They came marching with tools in their hands. They had pickaxes, shovels, spades, hammers and axes. Some were carrying and wheeling building materials such as rock, bricks, sand and stone in wheelbarrows. A few were playing the drums to whose beat the others marched. They all went parading to the open marsh on the mud, stepping ever slow lightly as if their feet were feathers.

They walked on and stopped. One of the little men sounded the horn, and the Mistress of the marsh started giving orders. They worked so fast that you could hardly see them laying bricks. The buildings seemed to grow out of the ground, and in no time, there was a city standing where there had just been a muddy batten land. Everyone stared and gasped in awe.

"The city is complete," announced the voice of the small man carrying the horn. He blew three blasts, and men, women, and children entered the newly built city and walked amongst it. "The houses will have names of those to who they belong," said the Mistress of the Marsh as the people trooped into the city.

In the middle of the city was the most beautiful palace that Ethan had ever seen. The Mistress of the Marsh came and took Ethan by the hand and led him to the castle. "This will be your home!" she said as the two massive oaken doors were thrown open by two small men.

"Tell her everything that happened, Ethan," said Diana putting her hand on Ethan's shoulder. He told everything that had happened to the Mistress of the Marshes since he had brought that notebook from the bookshop, which strangely felt more unreal every time he told the story.

"Well, in that case, I will act as regent until your return!" said the Mistress of the Marsh, shaking his hand. Then Ethan, Drizzlemister and Diana waved goodbye. They found their horses waiting for them. They got on and rode down the paved paths.

She clapped her hands, and three goblins came to her. One had something silver clasped in his hand. The other had a handkerchief and the other a small vial.

"For you, Drizzlemister, I give this whistle, my minions, the goblins will come to you when you blow it. You can use it whenever you wish to summon them."

"Thank you, my lady," said Drizzlemister and bowed his head as he took the gift from the Mistress of the Marshes.

Then the Mistress of the Marshes turned to Diana and said, "and for you give this littley table cloth. All you have to do is lay it out, close your eyes and stretch your hand and imagine the food what you want to have and whatever you wish will appear on it."

Then the Mistress of the Marshes looked at Ethan and said, "I give you the vital vial. This will restore anyone to health if he or she is sick, injured and beyond remedy.

"Thank you so much, my lady," said Ethan bowing his head. "I will put it into good use."

"Your majesty, but I think the celestial crown might have made a mistake. I'm just an average person, and I'm not from this world,' said Ethan as he put the vial into one of his pockets.

"You are from this world. You were taken away from this world by a hag kidnapped you from your birth parents." said the Mistress of the Marshes. "Your parents are fairies. That is why you could see ghosts in the first place! only people with magical blood in them can see ghosts."

"What do you mean?" asked Ethan, and then the Mistress of the Marshes said, follow me. This won't take long. It is high time you knew the truth."

She took them to a table and took a bowl filled with water, and dropped a ring into it. Instantly, the water became cloudy, and then on the surface of the water, an image appeared.

It was a beautifully decorated room. In the room was a blue cradle, and it was a baby boy fast asleep. The window was open. A silver-haired woman with a long pointed chin and nose leapt down from a broomstick out from the window.

She went to the cradle, took the baby off it and carried it, got on to the broom and flew right out of the window on the broomstick. The image faded.

"The child that hag kidnapped? can you guess who it was?"

Ethan knew the answer. He couldn't speak for a few moments, and he said, "It was...was... me?"

"Yes. You are that child!" said the Marsh Maiden as the picture in the bowl faded away.

"Who kidnapped me? Who was that woman?" asked Ethan, unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that it was the truth.

"She is an enemy of your true parents. She wanted to take revenge on them for not obtaining her services to heal your mother when sick. So she decided to kidnap you, to get back at your parents."

"Who are my parents? and the ones I've known aren't my real ones?"

"Your real parents are royalty. No. The ones you left behind aren't your real parents."

You mean my parents are a king and a queen?" said Ethan in disbelief. 

But the more he thought about what the Mistress of the Marsh said, the more he felt like it was all true.