The Cursed Lands: A Dream of Apples and Roses

Chapter Two - Gryffyn

Shaking the thoughts of my father from my mind, I focused on the moment at hand. The sun was warm on my back and a gentle breeze carried the scent of greenery and late spring. Birds sang in the trees and small critters scurried in the grass. A part of me hoped to hear the crunch of gravel and the laughter that had disturbed me the afternoon before. I squashed that feeling down, but the memory refused to be put aside.

At first I had thought the steps to belong to a servant looking for me, but then the person, no, the woman, laughed. I rocked back on my heels, blinking in confusion at the unfamiliar sound. It was a sound of pure joy and before I could fully process the sound, the woman laughed again.

Quietly, I stood and made my way down the path to where it curved and met the path on the other side of the rose bed. Peering around the corner, my breath caught at the sight of a beautiful young woman with raven black hair shining in the sun, lips like rubies, and pale alabaster skin twirling with abandon on the path, her laughter ringing like a clear bell. She suddenly stopped with a gasp and I saw at once that the skirts of her dark blue dress had snagged on a thorn. I hadn't meant to speak, or even approach her, but my traitorous feet carried me forward and my mouth opened before I could stop it.

Shaking my shaggy head, I firmly turned my mind to other things, but the peace I had found in my simple task was gone. Standing, I brushed the dirt from my paws and picked up the basket to empty in the compost by the shed. The head gardener, Frederick, had been wary at first when I had asked him to teach me gardening. But with my father gone and not much else to do after the curse, the desire to restore my mother's garden had resurfaced.

Frederick had been employed at the castle since before my mother had married my father, and once she took up residence at the castle, they had spent many hours planning out and planting the castle grounds. Her pride and joy had been the rose garden just outside of the library. It had been designed as a simple labyrinth with benches and water features tucked away in the dead ends. At the center was an elaborate gazebo with a wooden swing and room for a small table and chairs. It had been my mothers favorite place to read and take tea when she had been alive. In the years after she had died, my father had ordered the rose garden abandoned, and the head gardener had done what he could to help maintain it without my father noticing. But maintaining the gazebo would have been too obvious for my father to miss.

I had discovered that I liked working with my hands, er...paws. I learned how to prune and fertilize, all about watering and treating diseases, how to identify pests and how to get rid of them. I raked the crushed rock paths, learned how to clean and maintain the water features, and how to fix up the gazebo. I had ordered a feast to be served in the gazebo the night that we were done getting the garden cleaned up. The servants had still been tense, they had never dined with me after all, but once the food and drink were served, they relaxed and enjoyed themselves. I refused to eat in front of them, my fangs made such endeavors less than appealing to watch, but I laughed and joked with them as I nursed my glass of wine, heart lighter than it had been in ages.

It had taken some time for the inside servants to trust me after I had apologized for my poor conduct and helped them clean up the castle from my rampage, but I got to know the servants who had not been chased off by my new face. When my father had been alive, even the thought of speaking to a servant outside of giving an order was met with harsh punishment. "Servants are not worth your notice, it gives them ideas above their station." His rigid voice echoed through my mind. "Punish one every so often to keep the rest in line." And that is what he would do. A maid accidentally spilled some tea? Ten lashes. A footman didn't move quite fast enough? A night in the stocks. I was determined to not fall into that way of thinking.

At first they were wary, trying to read my motivations and avoid any traps set to catch them, but after a while they relaxed. I began to ask for their help. I approached the horsemaster about my stallion, Maximus, fearing that the powerful horse wouldn't let me near him in my new form. But the Monro assured me that there was a good chance he would accept me if I gave him my worn shirts to put in Maximus' stall, "Let the boy get used to your new scent, Your Highness. If that doesn't work, we can try something more hands on." I was almost giddy when the ploy had worked, and made sure to ride almost daily. That was one thing the curse couldn't take from me.

I had also approached the weapons master about training. It was awkward to hold a sword with my paws, but I had already found that my new form was stronger, faster, and more agile than my human self. Dorian had approached the problem as a challenge to be overcome. Putting me through my paces, he modified a version of hand-to-hand combat with close quarters dagger training. "You have built in daggers, Your Highness, I know this was not a focus of your training before, but I have faith that it will not take long for you to master."

I was in the practice arena a few days later, working through a complex sequence on my own, when a gasp at the door made me look up. Wide hazel eyes met mine and I couldn't help but grin, hope soaring before I squashed it down.

"Pridy," I said, bowing deeply to her, "forgive my state of undress, I was not expecting visitors." She curtsied in return and smiled. "I did not expect to visit. I have only recently discovered that I have some control over where my dreams take me." She frowned and the bowed her head. "Please accept my apology for leaving so suddenly the other day. I do not have any control over how long my dreams last."

Rushing to her side, I took her hand in my paw, careful that my claws did not injure her. I started to raise it to press a kiss to her knuckles, but then stopped. She would not want me to do that. Instead, I warmly covered it with my other paw. "There is no need to apologize, but I am curious about why you keep calling me a dream. I assure you, I am completely real. As much as I would wish otherwise." I added ruefully.  Shaking my head slightly, I grinned. "But where are my manners? Would you care to visit the rose garden again?"

Her eyes brightened at my invitation and I was pleased that I had made the right decision. Dropping her hand, I offered my arm. After only the briefest hesitation, she took it and we strode out the door.