Forgotten

Chapter 18

Dauphine watched as Kale moved around, completely content and calm. She wondered what was going on in his mind right now. She tugged at her dress and decided to get up off the floor. "Kale? Are you going to turn back or not?"

Kale stopped his movement as he heard the irritation in his love's voice. He didn't want to change back in front of her, he would be exposed, he would be completely naked. Rather he started moving out into the hallway but stopped halfway a thought suddenly hitting him.

Ha was in control now. The Wolf was gone and so was the control the Maid had over him. He could kill her. With her gone, Dauphine would be safe and they could be together. He turned towards Dauphine; she was watching him, a frown on her face. He howled loudly and darted out of the room towards the forest to take care of the evil witch that couldn't take a hint.

Dauphine ran after him, "Kale! Where are you going?" she ran down the stair, meeting Esme halfway down.

Esme felt her heart pound in her ears, in the three years her King had been cursed; she had never seen the wolf he became, until just now. The creature had darted right for her, only moving out of the way at the last minute. She looked up at Dauphine and immediately knew what had happened. "Oh good! Dauphine, dear, you finally told him how you felt?"

Dauphine opened her mouth and closed it again a few times before she finally talked. "How do you know?" Dauphine had long suspected Esme, she knew way too much and from her knowing looks Dauphine could tell she was also a traveller. Before Esme could answer though Dauphine asked another question and another, "Are you a traveller? Are you like me? Do you have powers too?"

Esme smiled taking Dauphine's hand, "My dear, yes I am a traveller, but sadly I am not like you. Only a few of us are lucky enough to be born into a hierarchy family which means that I have no active powers at all." She started walking down the stairs with Dauphine trailing behind her as she continued talking.

"Kale was cursed by an evil shifter, a woman shifter. She had been jealous, because Kale had never noticed her. She had made him that animal and he had killed his parents because of it." Dauphine gasped, but Esme still continued. "He couldn't help it, dear. Kale is no monster. He couldn't control the beast because of her curse, so he would always venture deep into the forest to change."

Dauphine nodded. Not for one single moment had she thought of Kale as a monster. "So, is the curse broken? But why is he still a wolf?"

Esme didn't know the answer to that question so she only answered the one she could answer. "You broke the curse, Dauphine. True love breaks every curse." They had stopped in front of the entrance; the doors had been thrown open by Kale as he had run through them. "I don't know why he is still a wolf, but I do know that he is in the forest now, probably looking for that woman. And when he finds her he will kill her."

Dauphine turned her gaze outside, to the forest. "I...I..." she didn't want Kale to kill again, even if it was only to protect her. Suddenly everything made sense and she knew exactly what to do. She had to save Kale from killing that woman, even if she deserved it. She glanced back to Esme and without a word took off into the forest after Kale.

Esme hadn't expected it and called after her, "No, Dauphine." But it was too late, Dauphine had made her choice. She watched as the princess disappeared into the trees. This was finally going to end, but Esme didn't know if it was going to be a good ending or a bad ending.

She turned around, planning to wait in the kitchen when she heard hooves coming up the pathway. Only when the horses came to a halt did Esme see who it was.

Andrea dismounted her horse along with her sister and Pete. Lilith motioned for Pete to put the horses safely in the stables and so he walked in that direction, the three animals following him.

Esme smiled at the sisters, although they seemed very worried. Of course, she knew exactly why they were worried, so she didn't wait, she told them what they wanted to hear. "Dauphine went into the forest after Kale, who went in there to kill the evil shifter who had started all of this." Esme's words didn't seem to affect the sisters very much and she frowned. "You already know?"

Andrea smiled and nodded. "Kale had a run-in with Pete last night in the forest. Does Dauphine know that he is the Wolf?" Andrea tried to remain calm despite the current circumstances; she chose to believe that her daughter would make the right decisions. She turned to look at Lilith who could sense her sister's dismay. Esme only nodded in response and silence followed for the next few seconds.

Pete, who had been silently listening to the conversation felt uneasy. He walked back towards the stable where he had come from and immediately changed into wolf form and darted into the forest. There was no way he was leaving all this up to fate. Dauphine needed all the help she could get.