Celeste's life is far from the enchanting fairy tale one might expect from a princess. Her father, a ruthless and self-absorbed king, leaves a trail of death and destruction in his wake. To seal alliances and maintain his power, he arranges for Cele...
We let our horses stop a metre in front of the warriors. A bit nervous, I slide better onto the saddle.
'What is your business here?' the warrior on the right asks. His face is serious and devoid of emotion.
'Good day gentlemen. We come to speak to Alpha Troy and Luna Mercie,' Novak answers the warrior. The other warrior takes a step in our direction and lets his eyes slide over both of us.
'Are you known to the Alpha?' the warrior asks Novak further. The other warrior's eyes glide over me as if trying to read me.
'I think he will know the name Novak.' The warrior nods and seems to disappear into his thoughts. His eyes are empty, he stares ahead and doesn't move. Suddenly he disappears from his petrification and nods his head.
'Beta Alex has granted you access and is aware of your presence, welcome.' I look at the warrior, confused and not understanding. Granted access? How can that be if the man hasn't left his spot? Apparently there is still so much I don't know about this world, although I learn more every day. Novak nods his head at the man.
'Thank you.' The warrior nods his head again and then takes a step aside. Novak is finally the one to get his horse moving again. Together we ride into the pack.
The sounds of daily activities come to me, something I have missed during our journey. From the outside it looks like a quiet town, but inside it is busy and full of life. Dozens of wolves in human form walk down the street, you hear doors slamming and loud chatter. The sound of running water, birds and various animals echoes in my ears. There is even a wolf walking here and there, which is a strange sight to me.
Our horses take us through the streets at a run. Here and there, passers-by look up, stare for a while and continue on their way as if they had not seen anything. The town is bustling with residents who seem happy with the way things are going.
Before my eyes, a wooden door creaks open. An eight-year-old boy is pushed outside by an older man. In some unidentifiable way, my eye is drawn to the scene. I stop my horse and look at the man and the boy a few metres away from me. The man grabs the boy by his shirt, pulls him violently towards him and then hits the boy in his face. I look at the scene in front of me in total bewilderment. The boy grabs his red cheek.
'You little brat,' the man shouts. The boy shrinks. I sit stiffly on my horse. I would like to look away, but I cannot.
'Why did the Moon Goddess give me such a failure as you!' As soon as the man raises his hand for the third time, something snaps in me.
'Stop,' I shout through the street. Several residents raise their heads and look in my direction. The man looks in my direction in surprise and lowers his hand. He is still holding the little boy by his shirt.
'What are you meddling with?' the man spits out at me. His whole facial expression is aggressive. The man has grey hair and a small grey beard. His brown eyes look at me angrily; they remind me of Christiaan's.
'Maria, we are expected,' Novak tries to distract me from the scene. I cannot and will not leave the situation. I let my horse take a few steps towards the man.
'You should not hit your son.' I wish it came out confidently, it didn't. I stammer and the fear is audible in my voice. I hoped the man would do something with my disapproval but on the contrary, he grips the little boy even tighter. The boy's blue eyes look frightened and his cheek glows from the blows.
'And who are you to tell me that? Get out or I'll slap you too.' My fear begins to give way to a placed anger. I clench my fists around the horse's reins.
'What are you thinking? Are you too emotionally unstable to take your aggression out on a child? You should be ashamed of yourself. Keep your hands to yourself and take your aggression out on something that has a part in it.' The man only becomes more aggressive by my words. He pushes the little boy hard to the ground and takes a few steps in my direction.
'Excuse the lady. We have a long journey ahead of us and fatigue is taking its toll. What she is trying to say is that you have different values. Now if you will excuse us, we are expected,' Novak cuts off the conversation. I look at Novak as if he has gone mad. That is certainly not what I meant and I am also not finished with the man. I want to open my mouth, but am stopped by the man.
'Keep your lady in tune.' I am able to jump off the horse and do something to the man. The past few days, something has come up in me that was hidden for a long time, aggression. Aggression against men like those who wrongfully harm someone. Novak just nods his head at the man, looks at me and starts his horse in motion. Reluctantly, I go after Novak.
'I'll get you for this lady.'
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