Debbie Banna - Shattered Dreams, New Beginnings

The scent was stronger in this part of the woods. The great, hairy beast lifted his nose and sniffed. It was an unfamiliar smell to him…part man, part animal. Or could it be that a man and a wild thing traveled together? He couldn’t be sure but curiosity led him to find out who or what had chosen to invade this part of his forest. He drew near cautiously as the scent grew even stronger. It was not that he was afraid. What could cause such a large, burly creature such as himself to fear? But he moved cautiously so as to sneak up on the creatures silently and not alert them to his presence. Stooping down, he carefully parted the brush in front of him where he expected to find the travelers and, in a pile of crumpled leaves, he found his quarry. The beast was a bit confused at first. The scent he’d followed belonged to only one creature, and it seemed that the smell of both man and beast emanated from him. He was a man by the looks of him but there was more than met the eye here. He was also a beast. A…a wolf! Ah, thought the beast. This I have heard of before. Creatures who are half men-half wolf walk in the kingdoms to the south, though I have never before met one. Surprised that the man-wolf didn’t move or sense his presence, the beast pushed the brush back further and immerged into the partial clearing. He sensed that there had been a struggle here the previous night but saw no signs of injury other than the scratches on the man’s face. Neither did he find the scent of an assailant in this place. Just what had happened here? he wondered.

With his great, hairy toe, the beast nudged the wolf-man. He didn’t move. The creature bent down to assure himself that the man was alive and was rewarded with the warmth of skin beneath his paw. Now more curious than before, the beast pushed the man onto his side and backed up to observe his reaction. But still, the man did not move. Remarkable, he thought, that I stand in the presence of a man and he has no fear. He laughed at himself, thinking that only the foolish and the dead would not fear him. Then, in a moment of decision, the great beast reached down and lifted the man up into his arms. When the man still did not stir, he arranged him in his arms comfortably and gently, which seemed odd for such a frightening looking creature, and he stepped back into the woods. The brush closed behind him and they were gone, leaving behind only the scents of two strange but similar misfits wandering through the forest.

Tony stalked down the road leading from King Wendell’s castle with a pack on his back and a small fortune in his pocket. That he was determined could be seen by the tension on his face and the stubbornness reflected in his eyes. He was a man with a purpose but what that purpose was, even he himself could not say. At present, his main intention was to put as much distance between himself and his former life as possible. Only later did he need to find a further reason to go on. Not inclined to set off into the woods alone, Tony chose a familiar path that wandered through green fields and shady glades. He only partially considered the place where he knew the road would lead. He had been there once before, with Virginia and her future husband (although no one expected the romance to blossom at the time). But there was something special about this town. In it, Virginia had come to realize that her annoyance with and concern for Wolf was actually the beginning of love. And here, Wolf found a hope that his love might actually feel the same affection for him. Here he also lost that hope and sunk into the deepest, darkest despair. And Tony? What had he found the last time he followed this road? Fun and adventure, failure and defeat. Yet here he walked once more, on the road to Kissingtown, though for what reason, he did not know. But if there was a future to be found for him, Tony was sure that this would be where he would find it.

The sun was warm on his back and before too long, he was feeling the need to rest. It couldn’t hurt,” he reasoned, “to lie down for a short nap.” There was plenty of time to reach town before nightfall and so, finding a shady spot beneath an elm tree, he slipped off his pack and sat down. Prodding and kneading his pack to just the right position beneath his head, he settled down to sleep.

The afternoon had been a busy one at the castle with servants bustling from the war room to the stable, the tailors, the kitchens and the greenhouse. The first order of business for Wendell was to send a message to the kingdom of the dwarves, asking if they might be able to create another glass coffin like the one they had crafted for Snow White. Within the hour, the message returned informing him that there actually had been a second one prepared in case of an accident and it had been stored in the caverns of Dwarf Mountain for years. King Eranthis would only be happy to offer this precious gift to honor Princess Virginia. The messenger promised it would be delivered by the end of the day.

The castle florists were given directions to plan the most beautiful and extravagant display of flowers ever seen in one place to honor their departed heroine. The castle tailors were even now cutting, measuring and preparing a gown of pure gold weave for Virginia to wear when she would be displayed before those who would come to grieve her passing. But the busiest of all were the horseman and riders who were commanded to travel throughout the nine kingdoms to proclaim that a day of honor and mourning for Princess Virginia would take place on the morrow. By then the plans would all be in place and the day would be declared a national day of mourning for all. All shops must be closed and all visitors would be welcomed into the fourth kingdom for the event. King Wendell and Queen Rose would provide refreshment for those traveling long distances and a camping area would be prepared for those who would need to stay within the protection of the castle by night.

Now that plans were set in motion and the responsibilities rested on the shoulders of many capable others, Rose could feel a deep depression beginning to creep up on her. Already she found that she sorely missed her brother, and she realized that he would not see all that they had prepared for Virginia. How would he feel when he returned, she wondered, about her decision to entomb his beloved in glass? She only hoped she had made he right choice.

Feeling heavy headed and dazed, Wolf almost gave in to the urge to pull the pillow over his head and fall back into oblivion but a curiosity awakened by the singing voice persisted. With a groan, he rolled onto his back and opened his eyes, and took in the sight of a place with which he was not familiar. The room itself was bright and clean with few adornments. Besides the massive bed in which he found himself, there sat, near the bed, a crude nightstand carved out of a tree stump and a basin resting on it’s top. The windows were covered in simple white cloth but the edges had been embroidered with fine lace. Though there was no other furnishings in the room to draw his attention, the person whose voice had awakened him clearly belonged in a different category.

The woman pouring water from a pitcher into the basin by his bed was of medium build with golden yellow hair that looked as if the sun had become entangled in it. She wore a brown dress, plain and without ornamentation yet she wore it as if it were a gown made of satin and lace. Her face was hidden from him by her hair, but when she heard him stir, she looked up and her hair parted to reveal a face and a smile that caused his heart to ache. Suddenly, upon seeing the beauty of the woman, the memory of all that had transpired in the last few days came rushing back. And with his memory came the feeling that he’d been kicked in the stomach. Wolf moaned and the woman moved near to his side.

“Are you hurt? What it is? What can I do for you?” she spoke with a voice gentle and reassuring. When Wolf did not speak, she took a wet cloth from the basin and placed it on his head. Patiently she waited to see if he would speak.

Wolf moaned again and pushed the cloth from his head. “Go away. Why did you wake me? I don’t want to wake up. I want to go on sleeping forever.”

“We almost thought you would,” she said with concern in her voice. “Now what has happened to make you want to sleep forever? If you wish to tell me, I will listen.” She sat, lightly perching on the edge of the bed, and took his hand.

The sympathy and warmth reflected in her face led Wolf to think that she just might be hiding heartache or two of her own. He was tempted at first to tell her his story but then realized that he could not share it with anyone without reliving the agony again. Though he did not want to reject her overture of friendship, he pulled his hand from hers and rolled over so that she could only see his back. He felt the bed move as she arose and walked across the room. Wolf hoped he’d not offended her but he could offer her no explanation at this moment. “It’s all right,” the sweet voice said. “If you need us, we’re here. I’ll be back in a while with your dinner. Rest, dear man. You needn’t be afraid. Rest as long as you need and in time, everything will work out. I’m sure it will.” As the door closed behind her Wolf curled himself up into a ball again as the tears began to roll from his eyes.

The day grew cool and the light began to fade from the sky and still, Tony slept on. His body and mind were worn with the strain under which he’d been functioning these last two days. Though mealtime had become increasingly important to him in the last few months, Tony never noticed the rumbling in his middle. Even when the sun dropped below the hills and the night crept up on him, he continued to sleep. Around him, the creatures of the forest began their nightly search for food, allowing their noses to direct them to a meal and possibly an adventure or two.

Yet, as near to the road as he was, most wild things would not venture very close to him, and so Tony slept on. Sometime later, as the deepest of darkness surrounded the stand of trees where he lay, there was a movement in the nearby wood. A thin, wispy shadow slid from the trees and worked its way closer and closer to Tony. It came to rest beside the sleeping man and the silhouetted figure bent down to touch him. Then it settled itself down beside him to keep watch over this helpless visitor to the wood until the darkness began to fade and the blacks and grays became purples and pinks. Then, as the sky began to lighten, a dark-haired, feminine figure became visible. She arose from her seat beside the man and silently, gracefully she slipped back into the woods and disappeared.