Heart Spell

Chapter 7

"There were two princes who lived in that castle once," the stag began. "Both of them lived their lives as royals with not a care in the world."

Evolet listened, holding the flowers close to her. "So what happened?"

"One day, the elder brother saw a white doe out in the Forest."

"A white doe?"

"Yes. There had never been a recorded sighting of one before, which could mean only one thing."

Evolet turned her ear toward him, looking at him with silent encouragement. "What?"

"It was Fae."

Evolet's eyes widened a small fraction at the word, still new to her despite that one was right in front of her.

The stag continued. "He followed it, and when he couldn't catch it, he came back to recruit his younger brother. At first, the younger brother was hesitant, not really sure of such an usual request, but his brother promised him something that finally made him agree to its capture."

"What did he promise?"

The stag opened his mouth, but the sound that instantly followed was the soft, lolling knells of a bell tower in the village. They both turned their heads toward it as the chimes permeated through the density of the trees to reach them.

"Ugh", Evolet groaned to herself. "I forgot, I'm supposed to be helping with the festivities for the Harvest Revelry." She turned

"Oh no," the stag frantically looked from the bell sounds to her, then to the sky, and all around. "What is the hour?"

"I'm not exactly sure."

"I've kept you too long," he began backing up, "You must go now."

"But wait!" Evolet reached a hand out toward him, "What did the prince promise? Is that all?"

The stag stopped and looked at her. "No, there is more to the tale."

"When can I hear it?"

The stag remained still and silent.

"Tomorrow? After noon break?" Evolet suggested, almost pleadingly.

"Very well," the stag tipped his head and bounded off, gone within the trees before Evolet could blink. The chimes had stopped but the echoes still resounded within the Forest. She picked up her skirt and rushed home to place the flowers in a vase before arriving at the prepartions.

Sashes and gauze, carts and wagons, flowers and weaves, pastries and meats – the whole town was in a frenzy preparing for the festival. Evolet had become busy helping Vanadey secure bouquets of weeds, blooms, and herbs to make the roasts and fires smell sweet, the smoke just as cloying, and the wine more fermented.

The evening had come and gone and the moon shone its white glory on the sleepy little village before giving up its prestige to the golden, waking rays of dawn.

Evolet, crushing the bulbs of Reishi with her mortar and pestle, was watching the sun's crawl in the sky. She busied herself with offering clients little bottles of ground bark from willow trees and crushed leaves of Gingko or Hibiscus, helping Vanadey prepare complex tonics for the more fickle clients, picking vegetables in their garden, and sorting a new batch of herbs and flowers into bins for later use.

As soon as Vanadey left to make her errands, Evolet made her dash and grabbed her cloak off the wall, securing it at her neck before emerging outside.

She kept to the side streets, deviating away from the main roads to avoid possibly running into a certain someone. The sky was thick with clouds, threatening an impending rainfall.

Realizing she might be trekking in mud and slimy forest growth if it did rain, she decided to get Apollo.

Soon, Evolet was leading Apollo out of the stable when she heard a giggle. She turned around and internally groaned.

Iza – one of the other town prostitutes – was awkwardly making her away over, giggling loudly.

"Oh, you!" she called out upon seeing her placing a fist on her hip. The loose, worn shawl around her shoulders wasn't as in much of a disarray as her short, blonde hair which was cut off just above the shoulders and stuck out at odd places.

She merely offered a small nod while pulling Apollo to follow her. Iza was not kind like Desi, but she wasn't as bad as the other prostitute, Jeza.

Iza suddenly gasped and quickly scuffled over to whisper, "don't look now, but he's watching you again." She had a mischievous grin on her face and a glint in her eye. Evolet knew exactly who she was talking about. She followed Desi's gaze over to the shadows that sulked between the buildings. Within them, she saw a figure partially shrouded. His large frame was hard to miss underneath a black cloak, and his exquisite eyes watched her intensely – like a true Hunter's gaze that watches its prey.

"Theron is still interested in you, you know." Iza sighed.

"Unfortunately." Evolet continued walking, avoiding Iza's remark, and the Hunter's stare from afar.

"Ridiculous. What is it about him you don't like?" Iza asked, tripping over her foot and stumbling.

"I don't really want to talk about this, Iza. I have my reasons." Evolet quickened her pace. "And get inside. The last thing you want is a cold on top of your hangover." She heard Iza "harrumph" behind her.

Still feeling the gaze of the Hunter's eyes on her back, Evolet kept her head down and used Apollo as a barrier between her and Theron. Iza had trudged off, in search of a new friend to talk to. Evolet saw Desi near the tavern which Iza had disappeared into. They offered each other a small smile.

The line of trees stirred her spirit. She quickly mounted onto Apollo and encouraged him onward into the Forest.

She ventured for a while, and at first thought she had lost her way and forgotten where the boundary marker was before it suddenly appeared ahead in front of her. She dismounted and tied Apollo's reins to a nearby shrub. She placed a hand on the stone surface of the pillar and felt a tingling sensation in her. She didn't think of initially, but then she began to wonder. What is this feeling? ....Magic? She dared. She din't know why she though that. She'd never felt magic before, hadn't even thought it existed. But then again, Fae Folk didn't exist a day ago to her.

A ruffle in the grass snapped her attention around. The stag once again was standing tall, his dark brown coat gleaming even without adequate light filtering through the trees.

Evolet stepped forward. The stag stayed in his place. "You came back."

"Of course," Evolet replied credulously. "I want to hear more. And plus, now I can properly patch that wound on you."

The wound from the wolf attack had healed into an ugly scar. It was obvious something had infected it from the mangled look of the scab which oozed around the edges.

Evolet pulled out of her satchel some herbs and ointment. She took a step toward the stag but noticed him leaning back, still wary of her. "I just want to help," she gently whispered.

The stag allowed her to touch his hide where the wound was. His mahogany brown fur was soft under her fingers. She had him lay so she could kneel and better work the ointment onto the wound. She worried she would hurt the stag, but he never uttered a sound while she worked and patched him up.

Finally, she had cleaned it and placed a poultice on it. After both of them had regained their feet under them, Evolet said, "Okay, I'm ready to hear more now."

The stag took a step toward her. "Are you now?"

"Yes." Evolet was within touching distance. She raised a hand near his face, but he turned his head away, and she respectfully dropped her hand. "Sorry."

"It's not yout fault. I have not been touched in a very long time. It's rather overwhelming to me."

"Then I will not touch you unless you allow me." Evolet assured.

The stag nodded, sincerity on his face.

Evolet straightened. "So?"

The stag tilted his head. "So?"

"The legend. Tell me. What did the prince promise his brother?"