Finally updating! Yeah! This chapter is the longest so far, hopefully not the longest one in the entire book.
Enjoy!
Chapter Three
It was getting darker. The light had just begun to fade. It danced through the openings from the forest, creating mysterious shadows that were beckoning Dauphine to enter.
And oh how she wanted to enter.
Dauphine had always felt close to nature and it didn't just mean plants; she also had a remarkable gift with animals, getting any animal to do what she wanted, though she had only tested it on the livestock in her kingdom; but she had never felt as close to nature like she was feeling now.
Standing in front of the forest of Edduen, her horse happily grazing behind her, every breath she took felt like her first sweet breath of life.
It was amazing, incredible, and delightful, almost every descriptive word she could think of couldn't possibly describe what she was feeling.
The soft, green grass wiggled beneath her bare feet and the wind slowly blew all the scents from inside the forest towards her, like it was tempting her to go into the forest, to explore, to live.
She closed her eyes letting the last rays from the setting sun touch her face, making her golden hair shine even more.
This was where she belonged, she felt it and so she believed it. She had always known that her green thumb had to be something other than that. She had thought she was magic, not only could she plant new thriving plants she could also bring dead plants back to life.
But when she had told her mother about her abilities and that she thought it was magic, she had gotten a cold reply.
Of course, she knew now that claiming to have mystical powers was rubbish and things like that didn't exist. Even more horrid was that her grandmother had also claimed to be magic and was burnt for it. Now she knew why her mother was so scared that she'd tell other people.
Dauphine smiled, opening her eyes again. Her mother just wanted to protect her.
"Dauphine? Where are you?" She scowled when she heard Pete's voice calling her. He was such a drag!
"I'm here!" She turned to get Sarafine, her chestnut saddlebred, who was still grazing in the beautiful green meadow.
She had successfully mounted her horse when Pete made his appearance.
"What have you been doing here all this time?"
Dauphine smiled, "I was just looking into the forest, wondering what it would be like to be inside."
Pete made a disgusted noise. "What is wrong with you, cousin? The forest is a dangerous place...."
Dauphine let him ramble on about the dangers of the forest. He was being ridiculous. Nothing could hurt her inside the forest, it seemed so magical. Suddenly she spotted an opening. It seemed to be a path that leads into the forest. She motioned her horse to move forward.
Pete threw up his hands. "Wow wow wow! Where are you going? I'm talking to you!"
He grabbed Sarafine's reigns, gripping them tight. Dauphine started getting annoyed. Sarafine could feel her dismay. "I'm going into the forest." She kicked Sarafine softly trying to get the reigns back. "You're not going in there!" Pete screamed at her. Making Sarafine's head move as she tried breaking free from Pete's grip. She reared, almost sending Dauphine into the dirt. Now really angry, Dauphine ripped the reigns out of Pete's hands. "She doesn't like that, stop it!"
Sarafine snorted viciously and Pete let go of the reigns, taking a quick step back. He watched as Dauphine led her horse to the entrance of the forest in a trance-like state.
Dauphine didn't even have to nudge her horse to move, Sarafine knew where she wanted to go. The forest loomed before them, giving Dauphine goosebumps. Excitement and fear gripped her as Sarafine moved into the forest.
Inside it was dark, no light from the slowly setting sun made its way into the depths of green? Shadows moved and branches creaked. But Dauphine remained calm. Although she could not protect herself, she knew no harm would come to her in here. She was safe. Or she thought she was.
Sarafine whinnied, she didn't want to go forward but at the same time she couldn't deny her mistress' wishes.
Cautiously Dauphine took in her surroundings. Surprisingly there was no animal activity. She frowned, disappointed. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Something big.
And then, a growl. It rumbled through the silence.
Sarafine immediately started back, no longer worrying about what Dauphine wanted, she trotted out of the dark forest, whining loudly.
Finally out, the horse and her rider watched the darkness they had come from. Dauphine waited, almost expecting a huge animal to pounce on them. But there was nothing.
She patted her horse, "That was scary, wasn't it Sara." Her voice seemed to soothe the horse, who slowly started walking back onto the road.
But before they reached it, a huge, black mare appeared with her Mother securely on the saddle, a stern look on her face.
Dauphine grunted. Of course Pete would tell on her, he always did. Ever since they were small children, every move she made was repeated back to her parents. She had never gotten away with anything because of Pete.
"Dauphine! For heaven's sake! You cannot go gallivanting around in the woods at night! You could have been hurt! Who knows what horrid creatures live in there?"
Dauphine's heart began to race as she thought of the growling shadow she had seen. She shook her head deciding it would be best to keep it to herself. "Mom, I didn't even go in that far! Besides, if you would have let us pass through the forest, we would have been in Edduen by now!"
It was true. The village lay right next to the forest. Her Father had once told her that when he had visited the old King, the forest was in their very backyard.
It seemed too good to be true, but Dauphine really hoped that it was. Sara walked up onto the road and came to a halt next to Dana, her Mothers mare. The carriage was moving slowly behind her, with Alexis' head stuck out the side. Pete was sitting next to the driver, an oh so smug look on his face.
Dauphine rolled her eyes and started moving forward again. The sun was already gone, but there was still enough light to see.
"Come on guys! We're almost at aunt Lil's house." Dauphine smiled as she saw Pete's face change.
They were spending the night at her Mother's family home, now owned by her sister, Lilith. She was Pete's Mom. Dauphine had always loved aunt Lil, she was always understanding and more than once helped Dauphine to master her skills.
This was the first time Dauphine had ever left the sanctity of Sanko, and she was super excited to see where her aunt lived. Where her Mother grew up and where her Father had fallen in love with her Mother.
It was quiet as they moved; everyone was busy with their own thoughts. After a while Dauphine could make out the form of a house. Her stomach fluttered. Excitement or hunger, she couldn't tell. She kicked Sara and the two of them sped off in the moonlight towards the house. "Dauphine!" Her Mother shouted after her, but she was already far away.
She made it to the building in one piece at least. Dismounting, she started forward into the property, the fence was covered in vines, green and thriving, beautiful purple flowers bloomed in between. Her feet found the worn out path leading toward the door.
But before she could reach out it opened, revealing her aunt Lil.
"Dauphine!" Her silky voice squeaked with excitement as she rushed forward hugging Dauphine. Dauphine smiled. She breathed in the sweet aromas coming from inside and immediately her stomach growled. Lilith held her niece at arms length. "Daphy! Are you hungry dear?" Dauphine nodded. Lilith patted her shoulder, "A hot plate is waiting for you on the table." She ran past her Aunt, leaving Sara behind.
Lilith smiled at the horse. "She loves her food, doesn't she?" Sara whinnied. Slowly Lilith unsaddled the horse, taking off the saddle and lastly the bridle. Sara waited, even when she was unbridled. Lilith smiled, patting her. "Go on dear, stables are that way." Immediately Sara turned, leaving to go to the stables.
After a few seconds, Dana showed up, carrying her mistress. The Queen slid off of her horse and ran towards her sister. They embraced, only letting go when the carriage appeared with Pete and Alexis. "Lilith! Is Dauphine okay? She ran off when she saw the cottage, and in the darkness I swear she couldn't see anything!"
Lilith stroked her sister's long brown hair, "Oh Andrea, she's fine, made it here in one piece. She's just like her Mother, knows her way around, even though she's never been here before."
Andrea smiled as she shook her head. The two sisters were as thick as thieves. As young women, you wouldn't have found the one without the other, even now, with Andrea living in the castle as the Queen of Sanko, they were still always together.
The one always knew where the other was, if they were safe or not, if they were happy or sad. They were linked and not just because they were twins, no, it was something else, something they never talked about with anyone. Something that they had kept secret, even from the ones they loved.
Lilith smiled as her son Pete passed her. She opened her arms for a hug but he just moved past her grumbling a hello. She sighed, feeling hurt. Andrea, who knew about her sister's strained relationship with her son, hugged her again. "Don't mind him; he's probably tired and hungry." She reached out and tucked a strand of red hair behind Lilith's ear. "Come on, let's eat, I'm just as hungry!" Andrea turned and found Alexis standing behind her. "Majesty, the horses are all in the stables. Hi, Lilith thanks for letting us stay here." Lilith smiled. "No problem, my dear, come let's go eat."
Andrea frowned. "Alexis, you put the horses away by yourself! You should have said something. Pete was supposed to help!" Alexis just waved her hand. "It wasn't hard; when their saddles were off they left for the stables on their own. Strange, right?" Without another word, Alexis went inside. Andrea smiled as her blue eyes met those of her sisters.
—-
Kale opened his eyes. He was cold and wet. He looked around him, of course, he was in the woods. The memories from the transformation slowly started to form in his mind. He remembered the rabbits, the deer and the cougar he had killed. They whirred around in his thoughts. He looked down; he was naked and covered in blood. Slowly getting up, something else formed in his mind, a horse and its rider.
A girl, alone in the woods on her horse. He shuddered, imagining if she had gotten too close. Was he at the border? Or had that child really wandered into the woods at night?
It wasn't actually night really, the sun was just starting to set, but still. It was dark in the woods, even with the sun shining brightly in the sky.
He stumbled around; looking for what was left of his clothes, all he could think about was the girl. He didn't have a clear view; all he had seen was blonde curls, shining in the setting sun. Who was she? He started thinking of the places she might be from. Did she live in his kingdom? He shook his head remembering the shining silver breastplate the horse had worn. Definitely from Sanko. He slowly made his way out of the woods, wearing his tattered clothes. Was she the princess? Or just a companion? Curiosity took a hold of him and in that moment he decided. Maybe he wouldn't scare them away just yet.