Debra L. Rollins - Revenge For the Huntsman

“Cripes! Virginia, it is you!”

“She does look like me or rather I look like her,” Virginia wondered aloud. “But how? Who is she?”

“She is the Princess Gynnia. The artist that painted her labeled her portrait. So I did a little digging in the castle archives in the library. What I found was astounding!”

“Huff-puff, Virginia!” burst out Wolf, unable to contain himself. “The old gypsy…she said you had a great destiny that reached way back in time. Remember?”

“Yes, but…that’s crazy. I don’t come from this world and our ancestors came from England, didn’t they, Dad?”

“That’s the story your Grandma Lewis handed down. But then again, my mother always teased me and said we were of royal heritage, that her mother said the same thing and her mother before her. Family joke I suppose. I mean, look at me! Do I look like some blue-blood to you?”

“You, Tone?” remarked Wolf. “Hardly. But my sumptuous sweetie now, that’s another story.”

“Thanks a lot, Wolf!” replied Tony sarcastically.

“Wait…that’s not all!” cut in Wendell impatiently. “I must tell you all what the book aid and you decide for yourselves. Okay? Right…I’ll begin with once upon a time…”

“A long time ago there lived a great king. This king had two lovely children; both daughters of whom the eldest was named Gynnia and the youngest Rose. The eldest, at the moment of her birth, was betrothed to a neighboring kingdom’s young prince, thus they grew up with the knowledge that one-day they would become husband and wife.

As they grew older, nearing the age when they would wed, Gynnia realized that her betrothed, though handsome, had grown selfish and rude. This upset the princess for she was quite kind and very loved by all of her kingdom of which many of the denizens of that time were Dwarfs. Every time the prince would visit, he would bully any Dwarf he met and flirt outrageously with Rose who had grown as beautiful and fair as the sun on a summer day. Gynnia did not hold any grudges towards her sister whom she loved with all her heart, but the Dwarfs were not as inclined to forgive the young prince. They hated him and rued the day the boy would become king of the lands in which they lived.

The morning of the wedding, Gynnia felt need of fresh air so she decided to take a short walk through the castle gardens. It was a misty morning, dampening her footsteps upon the wet earth. Perhaps that is why the couple she came upon never heard her approach. As you must have guessed by now, her betrothed and her beloved sister could be seen holding one another, sharing a passionate kiss.

They never knew she was there. Gynnia backed silently away, turned and ran as fast as she could into the deep-enchanted woods that surrounded the castle.

Never, she thought, never would she return to the castle nor would she marry the prince to which she was betrothed. As for Rose, she could not fault her sister. The prince was older and very handsome. The younger girl had not a chance in the world against the young man’s charms. His golden good looks had caught many a feminine eye in the past and, sadly for her sweet Rose, so would they in the future.

Finally, after hours of running here and there, Gynnia stopped to catch her breath and decide what to do now that she was a free woman. As she perched on a rather old and rotting log, she heard the sounds of a rooting, wild boar nearby. The rustling of brush near her seat prodded her to action. She jumped up and ran screaming deeper into the forest, the boar inches from her heels with razor sharp tusks at the ready.

Just as it seemed the boar had her close enough to gouge, something amazing happened. A large, dark shadow leapt from out of nowhere, attacking the wild boar and killing it on the spot.

Gynnia reached over and touched the stranger’s shoulder to thank him for saving her life. The man appeared to be busy removing his knife from the animal’s neck when he turned at her touch.

She reared back in horror. The man had no knife and it was no man, but a wolf that had killed the boar. His sharp canines had torn open the boar’s neck to save her life…or had he?

“Am I next to be slaughtered by you, wolf?” she asked bravely. Perhaps he preferred fresh kill to carrion, which is why he saved her…for now.

The wolf stood up to his full height, wiped off his face so that his skin had only a slight tinge of pink left from the bright, red blood and smirked at her.

“Pork is on my plate for today, not human,” he relied. “I saw you in trouble. I saved you. This…” he pointed to the boar. “Is my reward. Is that not fair, Your Royal Highness?”

Gynnia looked up at his shaggy features in surprise.

“You know who I am?”

“You have many who love you, my sweet Princess. I was sent to watch over you by the Dwarves of the castle. Lucky for you that they did.” He stared back down, drooling over the boar at their feet.

“How did the Dwarves know…?”

“Apparently they have known of your prince’s deception for a long time now. They despise him, you know.”

“No…I didn’t know.” She worried her bottom lip as she was wrought to do when uncertain about something. The wolf watched as if fascinated. “What do I do now? Where can I go? I can’t go home and marry that…that beast, and Father will be furious.”

The wolf grimaced at the choice of her word. He was the one usually considered the beast, not the prince of a whole kingdom.

“If you can trust me, I can hide you away where none should be able to find you. The Dwarves have told me where. Can you trust me, Princess?” He smiled fully, his teeth, now retracted, were not as daunting and his eyes were an attractive hue. Sometimes blue…sometimes brown, not at all as horrifying as she first thought. He even seemed less hairy now that his hackles had settled back to normal. Could she trust him? She didn’t have a choice…there was no turning back.

“I will trust you, wolf,” she smiled tentatively.

He smiled back.

“The name is Tonan.”

He directed her to a cottage deeper in the woods, far away from her father’s castle and all that she knew, settling into her new life with resolve. Every day Tonan would check on her, bring her food and news of the uproar her disappearance had caused. Thus it went for a month or so until one day, as the young princess looked out to see the wolf striding to her door, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach fluttered in the most peculiar way.

“Oh, dear!” she groaned aloud, distressed that she may be ill.

“What is the matter, Your Highness?” Tonan asked worriedly.

“I don’t know. I don’t feel ill, but my heart is pounding and my stomach feels as if a thousand fairies are beating their wings in the wind.”

“Hmmm, when did you first have these symptoms?”

She looked up at him innocently.

“Why, when I first saw you walk up to my door a moment ago, Tonan. What does it mean?”

Tonan caught his breath as he stared down into her large, beautiful blue eyes and thanked the moon for granting his wish. She was falling in love with him and didn’t even know it. He had loved her from the time the Dwarves had first asked him to watch over her. Her long, dark brown hair shone like silk and her skin was creamy clear. But how could she love a wolf like himself? Perhaps he was wrong. He had to test her.

“There is only one thing it may be and only one way to find out. Do you trust me?”

Gynnia laughed at him.

“Of course I do. Have I not all this time?”

“Very well, first…close your eyes.”

She closed them and gave him a half smile.

“I have them closed but don’t know what this has to do with…”

She didn’t finish. Tonan’s lips caressed her own lightly, the results immediate and astounding to them both as she reciprocated with a passion she had never felt before. Against all odds, the Princess Gynnia had fallen in love with a wolf.

Thus time flew and after weeks of exploring their newfound feelings, Tonan begged her to come with him, far away from her father’s homelands forever, as his wife. To his great happiness, she agreed.

The day of their departure, Gynnia waited impatiently by her door for her love’s knock and the beginning of a whole new life. Once the knock came, she sprang up, swung open the door and nearly fainted in shock. There stood not her beloved Tonan, but her father and his personal guards. Beyond him, she could see Tonan, tied tightly on the ground as a few bullying guards kicked savagely at his head and chest, knocking him senseless. She screamed for them to stop, receiving a forceful slap across her cheek from her father for her efforts. In fact, the slap was so harsh she fell unconscious to the ground.

“No daughter of mine will ever again be touched by such filth,” the king uttered, his face red with anger. “Take them back to the castle. Lock my daughter in her chambers and take the beast to the dungeons. At dawn, he will burn at the stake with my daughter as witness.”

That night, Gynnia lay in her own bed, secured behind solid doors locked tightly with guards posted immediately outside. She despaired of Tonan’s fate as heart-wrenching sobs poured from her chest. A light knock at the door stilled her momentarily, for she wished no one to see her torment, especially her father or her fiancé. The prince apparently still wished to marry her if she were still a virgin. If only she was not, she groaned. But Tonan had been a true gentleman, touching her only where she felt comfortable. She bade who knocked to enter. Perhaps it was someone with news of her love.

An old Dwarf by the name of Piggle entered the room, bearing a supper tray with tempting morsels of food. Gynnia knew she should eat, but couldn’t.

“Please eat, Your Royal Highness,” begged Piggle loudly so the guards could hear her. “You need to keep your strength up for the burning tomorrow!”

As Gynnia went to turn away in disgust from the bloodthirsty little woman, Piggle whispered low so that only the princess could hear her.

“Please! I did not mean that! Don’t despair, dear Princess. There are many that love you and wish to see you happy. I am here to help you escape. Will you trust me?”

Gynnia sobbed softly at those words. Tonan had asked her to trust him and she had no regrets. So too, would she trust this little woman. She nodded her head in agreement.

“In your dressing room there is a secret door that leads to a dungeon passageway. When you reach the bottom, blow out your torch so you will not call attention to yourself and wait quietly. Others like myself plan to release Tonan and bring him to you there. For the moment, take him back to your chambers. The King will not think to look for him here. After all, there are guards at your door. No one can get in or out without going through them first...eh?”

“When do we know the way is clear?” she whispered back.

“After the guards have searched the dungeons, you can reenter the secret passage and escape from the prisoner tunnels. There are many tunnels to choose from if one knows where to look.” Piggle smiled a toothy grin. “And believe me, we Dwarves know all the best escape routes from the dungeons. We will mark them well. Look for the sign of Tonan’s pack. You know it?”

Gynnia nodded. Tonan’s pack sign. A circle with a straight line protruding from the middle. A tethered full moon, to remind the pack that they were always bound to the moon and her cycles. Tonan had showed her his scar, branded into every wolf cub at birth upon his or her left shoulder. She remembered caressing the raised tissue and shuddering at what pain it must have wrought. Now, with luck, it would help them escape.

After Piggle left, she ate her fill and did as the Dwarf bade. Sure enough, a tiny catch opened a door to a passage between the thick walls of her dressing room. All these years and she’d never known it was there. She shook her head in amazement. Swiftly she lit a candle and stole down the passage, waiting at the bottom in darkness for something to happen.

It didn’t take long. A cry rang out, raising the alarm that a prisoner had escaped. The shuffling of footsteps in a hurry raced towards her hiding spot. She held her breath, so afraid it would be a guard, then sighed in relief as Tonan flung open the hidden door from the dungeon side and snapped it shut in time as a group of armed castle guards swept by searching frantically for him. In minutes, they were back in her chambers, safe…for the moment.

Tonan stood staring hungrily at his love and she at him. No words were spoken as they reached for one another. No words were needed. Both knew there was a strong possibility that they would not make it beyond the castle walls, even with the Dwarves’ help. There were too many guards…too many eyes to see the star-crossed lovers try to escape. Here and now was all that they may have left to them. She was his wife in heart and spirit as he was her husband. They took what time there was left to them to quench their desires until the storm abated outside their doors, then reentered the tunnel.

Stealthily they crept along the dungeon passages, looking into unlocked cells for his pack sign. Occasionally a groan from other prisoners could be heard, sending shivers up Gynnia’s spine. Had those imprisoned been thieves and murderers or had they been like Tonan, locked away at the whim of a selfish king? A sob tore from her lips for their families and loved ones.

“Look there!” Tonan exclaimed. “The little ones have done well. It is my pack sign. A tunnel must be behind the stone wall.”

“We truly are to be free!” she laughed happily.

“Free if you call death such a name,” a haughty voice said from behind them.

They stared in horror at the prince standing there in the doorway of the cell. Behind him stood a dozen armed men with weapons raised and at the ready. They had been duped once by Tonan and his accomplices. They would not let it happen again.

With a howl of anger Tonan pushed shut the cell door, locking himself and Gynnia inside. He would not let them take her, not if he could help it. As the men outside battered the door, trying to gain reentry, Tonan pulled away the stones covering the tunnel entrance.

“Hurry, Gynnia…they are almost through. Go now! Quickly! I will keep them at bay as long as I can.”

Gynnia gasped. What he was saying?

“I won’t leave without you. I’d rather die first!”

“I’m as good as dead now, Gynnia. Please my sweet love…go. The Dwarves are waiting for you, to take you to safety. Please don’t let my death be for nothing. I have given you part of me to cherish until we meet again.” He smiled at her tenderly. “Wherever or whenever that may be. Promise you will never forget me?”

“Forget you?” she cried tears of anguish. “I will love you for all time. Do you hear me? All time!”

With that, they kissed one final time, then she was racing through the tunnel, muck and mud clinging to her hands and knees until fresh air hit her face. From there, tiny hands reached for her, helping her up, then spirited her away into the night.