Tales of the Big Bad Wolf: The Red Riding Hood Arc (A Fairy Tale)

Chapter 25, Part A: Within These Walls

The snow fell quickly and heavily, making the roads an unpleasant place to  travel.  And yet Edmund had navigated them, only to wait  with his horse in front of the iron gate that marked the entry to the Wolfram property.

He stood in front of the gate pondering Ilva’s claims and whether her mood might be responsible for the miserable change in weather.   She had said little to him as he prepared to leave, choosing to sit by the window and watch the sky.  But as soon as he put his hand upon the doorknob, she had run after him in order to place an item into his hands.  

“For your host,” is all she had said, with no other instruction or explanation offered to him.

Edmund had inspected the book, and found it to be from one of the shelves in the store. Assured it was ordinary, he slipped it into his bag and left.  But now, as the sky wept, he wondered if he should have asked her more.

He understood her worry over brewing conflict between himself and the Count.  However, even if he might be a hunter and the Count a real wolf in human shape, he did not see things the way she did.   He loved Elanore, but did not have any rational reason to go after the man.  

Was it that she feared that he might act rashly and be killed by the Count? Or was it the reverse?  Ilva was a beautiful woman who had hidden her service to the man. Could it be that she felt more towards her master than what would be permitted a servant?   

Edmund hefted the pouch that contained that simple book. His instinct told him that this ordinary object held a message to the lord, one that he would not fully understand until he himself delivered it into Wolfram’s hands and watched his reaction.  

As the minutes passed and no one came to greet him as promised, Edmund tried the gate once. When it did not give, his eyes traveled to the right of the gate to evaluate the stacked stone wall that ran down the road, keeping the curious passersby from looking inside the large property grounds.

He wondered what would happen if he tried to climb that wall.  Before he could consider it, a stone lion was swiping at the gate’s metal grill.

"EDMUND!"  The lion was excitable and uncontainable in its efforts to access him, its paws repeatedly attempting to reach through the open portions of the gate.  "WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU. EVEN THE MASTER WAITS.”

The young man shook his head.  He was certain the Count did not wait eagerly for him. Rather, the man likely dreaded his intrusion. “Good morning.”

The wind gusted in response as the one was joined by three others, poking at the gate while they chattered.

“I am supposed to meet someone here,” Edmund tried to reason with these creatures whose useless activity caused his own horse to paw nervously at the ground.  “Marrok was his name.”  

They stopped their noisemaking, but only to stare. “WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR US.”

Edmund sighed. The lions would not move without some incentive.  “Come now,” he muttered at them.  “Will you not fetch this person? It is cold and you are frightening my horse. I’ll give you what’s inside my pockets once I’m INSIDE the gate.”

“There is no need for that,” came a thin, wispy voice out of nowhere.

The grey man took one step forward and scattered the lions out of his way.

"Good day, Mister Marrok." Edmund offered a friendly greeting.  

The solemn man did not respond, instead turning his attention to addressing some mechanism on the gate. It took a few moments before the gate clicked and it swung loose, allowing Edmund to step inside.