A Nymph of the Ossian Forest

The Plan

A half an hour later I was lying on the bed, my head on my mother's lap. She was gently stroking my hair in silence, while all I could do was to stare at the wall.

Only when I got home I fully realized the meaning of my father's words. He was forcing me to take part in the Sowing day, as a punishment for my disobedience. In a couple of hours, I would have to hide in the Ossian forest among other girls and wait for someone to find me and make me his. Forever, as nothing can break this union, according to my father's words.

"Did I offend him with anything?" I whispered into the silk of her dress. "Why is he punishing me this way?"

She sighed.

"I know it's hard for you to see now, but you father truly wants the best for you." Well, mom, you didn't see the cruel pleasure on his face when he was saying this.

"He can't know what's best for me."

Mother hadn't said anything when I came home in tears. I think she wasn't sincere about not knowing about father's plans. It didn't matter how, but she already knew. And she just let me cry my eyes out. I knew what she could have told me to try to cheer me up, but I knew that it wouldn't have helped. So did she.

"There is no way I can disobey an order of the Elder, is there?"

She shook her head, and tears ran down my cheeks in even broader streams.

"There is nothing I can do for you, either, sweetheart," she said quietly, forestalling my next question.

I imagined girls' words when they knew. Unbelievably, to take part in the Sowing day a year earlier than expected!

"Why would someone hate me that much to hand me over to my father?" I asked rhetorically, meaning Aidan, of course, "What did I do to him? He could have left it in the forest."

Mother didn't answer, her hands monotonously stroking my hair. She sighed so deep I had never seen her do before.

"Forest..." she said with undisguised sadness, "The forest is never mistaken, Arian." I know, I know, that's what you say and what they all said.

I raised my head from her lap and looked her in the eyes.

"I just can't help going there, mom," I said, although she wasn't asking for an explanation. "It seems that it's the only place where I can be myself. But now..." I couldn't force myself to complete the sentence. Everything was obvious anyway.

I wondered who it would be, a young man to find me, and felt such a fit of giddiness I thought I was going to faint. Whoever he happened to be, there was no way he would let me go to the forest anymore.

"Arian, I..." Mother said after a long pause but stopped in the middle of the phrase.

I looked at her.

"What's it, mom?" It suddenly seemed to me she was going to cry, but she didn't. For a moment I wondered how badly I knew my mother.

"Nothing," she said after another pause, "It's time to prepare."

Yes, it was. Two horns had already sounded, and there was a little time left until the third. I couldn't imagine what could happen if I didn't show up on the main square straight after I'd heard it.

I summoned all my forces and sat on the bed. Lying around there sobbing wasn't of any help. I had to do something, to come up with a plan, run away or at least dress up so no one would see I was crying.

"I need to change my dress," I said to my mother quietly. She nodded and went out of the room. When she returned in a minute, she held a wonderful dress of light blue satin in her arms. The colors of the fabric beautifully glittered in the candlelight.