Chapter 1
3 weeks later…
It was the smartest thing she could have done, moving past to the outskirts of the village to her grandmother’s house. Too much had happened in the place she’d grown up. She’d been hunted, taunted, left as bait for the big bad wolf – who ironically turned out to be her own father – and lost people she cared deeply about. While it was true that she lost two more under the same roof she slept every night, it didn’t feel that way. Even those losses felt connected to the village. She felt free of all those burdens here, and safe.
What she had not anticipated was the loneliness.
Her mother came to the house on a whim a few days after Valerie had left, and had stumbled across her daughter. After much eager persuasion she was faced with the reality that her only living relation was not coming home. Valerie said nothing about the fate of her father. Even the knowledge of it traveling between sacred lips back home filled with dread she could not get rid of it unless she refused to let it out.
Valerie promised to visit, but so far hadn’t, and made no plans to. Her mother had never come for a return visit.
As a distraction from her loneliness, she fixated most of her time on gardening. It was early spring and flowers were blooming all around her. There were plots along the side of the house and blossoms in the trees. In the distant were fields filled with wildflowers. It was a beautiful sight she had always loved seeing growing up. Now waking up to it, it was even more spectacular.
And the little furry creatures from the woods, that she never so much as contemplated killing – thanks to the reminder of her one-time childhood venture from dearest dad – kept her great company.
Still, she missed Peter. She would wait for him. Of course she would wait for him. She wanted nothing more than for them to be together and start a family, maybe even some place far away from here where everything could be forgotten. But she understood, and she loved him all the more for wanting to keep her safe. He didn’t know if he could control any urges on every full moon. And with that night being the only time he could practice – so to speak – it would likely be months before he returned. It had already been almost four and he still hadn’t found his way back to her. In the recesses of her mind a pain clutched at her, the thought that maybe he wasn’t coming back.
She shook away the thought, because he was the only lifeline she had to hold on to. If she couldn’t cling to that, what was there left for her? A life in isolation? She certainly wouldn’t wander past her grandmother’s house. She knew better now. Danger might have hit closest to home this time, but that indicated that the outside world might be far worse.
Some scratching on the front door brought her out of her gloomy trance. She got up out of her chair and went to see who was there. She couldn’t see anyone, so she opened the door and smiled as two bunnies sniffed at her feet. She bent down and lifted them into her hands, carrying them outside to the freshly harvested carrots she’d brought out earlier that morning. When she turned around, she gasped and froze. Then she swallowed. A man in armor came towards her, but before she could ask any questions or even reach for a weapon, he took his helmet off and she relaxed.
“Henry.”
“Hello, Valerie,” he said, lessening the gap between them. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”
“No.” She laughed. “I’m just…not used to visitors. Much less soldiers.”
He looked down at his suit of armor as if seeing it for the first time.
“Yeah, it takes some getting used to, I suppose.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, gesturing to some stone steps where they could sit down. She offered him water and food, but he refused. She made a mental note to get him some if he chose to stay longer, since he was clearly exhausted.
“I’m still with the others,” he said, sitting down on the step carefully. “Part of the job is checking in on the villages in the region, not just the ones who need a wolf extinguished.” He tried to make a joke of it, but it was not going across well by the look on Valerie’s face. He cleared his throat.
“You’re not staying at home,” he noted.
She shook her head.
“No. I couldn’t go back there,” she said. “Too much has happened.”
He nodded. He understood.
“I had to leave too,” he said.
Silence hung between them then and she knew the reason why. She wasn’t very close with Henry, even after the events with the wolf. Thoughts of him certainly didn’t keep her awake at night the way thoughts of Peter did. But she was proud of him for finding his courage and a purpose to his life. She was grateful for all he had done for her and almost considered him a friend. Maybe she owed him this.
“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t run off with Peter.”
He avoided eye contact for a few seconds before nodding.
“Nothing’s stopping you,” he said. “You have no ties to the village.”
“He left,” she said, refusing to explain the circumstances surrounding Peter’s departure. She didn’t owe him that much.
“I don’t understand,” he said slowly, clearly confused.
“I thought you two were…”
“Oh we were- are. Things just…happen…that you can’t prepare for sometimes.”
He nodded, aware she wouldn’t say anything further.
“Are you okay out here?” he asked, looking around the colorful landscape. “Must be very lonely.”
“I have friends,” she said, a smile shining on her face as the two bunnies that had knocked on her door came over to join them. She lifted one into her hand to show him. “This is George.” She looked down at the other one. “And that’s his sister, Lucy.”
Henry smiled a little. “Do they know they’re brother and sister?” He raised his eyebrows.
“I remind them,” she said.
He smiled wider, not looking away from her and she knew there were only two options left: politely kick her off her property or invite him in for refreshments.
“Are you encamped in the village?”
He nodded, his smile disappearing, but not into a frown.
“Just outside it actually, in the other direction.”
Her eyes widened briefly.
“And you walked all this way to see me? You must be exhausted.”
He shrugged. “I needed to see a friendly face.”
She understood. While he didn’t necessarily have public shame from his time in the village, his father had died. There was nothing there for him except pity for his past and likely praise for his present deeds that he was probably used to hearing in every village he passed. Nothing genuine. Nothing real. On the barest of levels, she had always been honest with him. Or had tried at least.
“I have water,” she offered.
The smile returned to his face, little though it was.
“Water sounds good.”
She stood to her feet and helped him to his, watching as he made a valiant effort to conceal his blush.
“I have bread too,” she said, smiling. “Inside the house.”
His stomach growled as he began to follow her to the well near the back of the garden, and she giggled. She didn’t turn around though because she knew he’d probably blush again and she wanted to spare him that.
“How long will you be staying?” she asked instead.
“A few days,” he said. “Maybe a week.”
She nodded, stopping at the well to lower the bucket and then pull it back up.
“You’ll stay with your men then?”
“We have to make some routine checks. There has to be no sign of anything vile having threatened the safety of the village.” He paused. “Or you.”
“So all of you will come out to my little cottage to see if I’ve had any animal crossings?” She glanced across the meadow to see the bunnies chasing each other and deer prancing in the fields.
“I will,” he said, and she looked up at him. Those eyes of his were so intense. She’d always thought so. It was a mystery to her how every girl he encountered hadn’t fallen deep into them. She suspected though now they might. After all, he protected countless villages from fierce creatures and danger now. What woman wouldn’t fall at his feet?
Me.
Her mind flitted briefly to Peter, and she longed for him. Those eyes she could drown in forever. And maybe now she never would.
She blinked to bring herself back to the present.
“I’ll carry that,” Henry was saying as he took the pitcher of water she’d robotically poured into.
“Bread’s inside.” She forced a polite smile and led the way.
Despite the unintentional reminder of Peter’s current state and unknown location, she felt better than she had in weeks, maybe months; maybe even since everything had fallen apart almost four months prior. Henry’s sudden appearance practically on her doorstep had lightened her mood, distracting her from morbid thoughts that more and more had started to consume her. He was right in his assumption that she was lonely. And it felt wrong somehow, though she knew it definitely wasn’t, but she was glad he had come and that he was deliberately spending time with her. It made her feel wanted and loved, even if he quite possibly had moved on and that was perfectly fine with her.
His eyes widened when he spotted the bread on the table, revealed immediately when Valerie unveiled it from the cloth that had been keeping it warm.
“Help yourself,” she said, setting a small plate on the table and a knife. He looked up at her hesitantly, as if seeking permission. “Take as much as you’d like,” she said. “I’m already making another.”
He nodded and sat down as she turned to pull out more ingredients for another loaf of bread.
“Thank-you, Valerie.” He took a bite and looked up at her again. “This is very good,” he said, sounding astonished.
She smiled where she stood, bent over.
“My mother was an excellent baker,” she said over her shoulder. “She taught me everything I know.”
“I taste cinnamon,” he said and she continued to smile.
“That’s my special touch.”
It was the smartest thing she could have done, moving past to the outskirts of the village to her grandmother’s house. Too much had happened in the place she’d grown up. She’d been hunted, taunted, left as bait for the big bad wolf – who ironically turned out to be her own father – and lost people she cared deeply about. While it was true that she lost two more under the same roof she slept every night, it didn’t feel that way. Even those losses felt connected to the village. She felt free of all those burdens here, and safe.
What she had not anticipated was the loneliness.
Her mother came to the house on a whim a few days after Valerie had left, and had stumbled across her daughter. After much eager persuasion she was faced with the reality that her only living relation was not coming home. Valerie said nothing about the fate of her father. Even the knowledge of it traveling between sacred lips back home filled with dread she could not get rid of it unless she refused to let it out.
Valerie promised to visit, but so far hadn’t, and made no plans to. Her mother had never come for a return visit.
As a distraction from her loneliness, she fixated most of her time on gardening. It was early spring and flowers were blooming all around her. There were plots along the side of the house and blossoms in the trees. In the distant were fields filled with wildflowers. It was a beautiful sight she had always loved seeing growing up. Now waking up to it, it was even more spectacular.
And the little furry creatures from the woods, that she never so much as contemplated killing – thanks to the reminder of her one-time childhood venture from dearest dad – kept her great company.
Still, she missed Peter. She would wait for him. Of course she would wait for him. She wanted nothing more than for them to be together and start a family, maybe even some place far away from here where everything could be forgotten. But she understood, and she loved him all the more for wanting to keep her safe. He didn’t know if he could control any urges on every full moon. And with that night being the only time he could practice – so to speak – it would likely be months before he returned. It had already been almost four and he still hadn’t found his way back to her. In the recesses of her mind a pain clutched at her, the thought that maybe he wasn’t coming back.
She shook away the thought, because he was the only lifeline she had to hold on to. If she couldn’t cling to that, what was there left for her? A life in isolation? She certainly wouldn’t wander past her grandmother’s house. She knew better now. Danger might have hit closest to home this time, but that indicated that the outside world might be far worse.
Some scratching on the front door brought her out of her gloomy trance. She got up out of her chair and went to see who was there. She couldn’t see anyone, so she opened the door and smiled as two bunnies sniffed at her feet. She bent down and lifted them into her hands, carrying them outside to the freshly harvested carrots she’d brought out earlier that morning. When she turned around, she gasped and froze. Then she swallowed. A man in armor came towards her, but before she could ask any questions or even reach for a weapon, he took his helmet off and she relaxed.
“Henry.”
“Hello, Valerie,” he said, lessening the gap between them. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”
“No.” She laughed. “I’m just…not used to visitors. Much less soldiers.”
He looked down at his suit of armor as if seeing it for the first time.
“Yeah, it takes some getting used to, I suppose.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, gesturing to some stone steps where they could sit down. She offered him water and food, but he refused. She made a mental note to get him some if he chose to stay longer, since he was clearly exhausted.
“I’m still with the others,” he said, sitting down on the step carefully. “Part of the job is checking in on the villages in the region, not just the ones who need a wolf extinguished.” He tried to make a joke of it, but it was not going across well by the look on Valerie’s face. He cleared his throat.
“You’re not staying at home,” he noted.
She shook her head.
“No. I couldn’t go back there,” she said. “Too much has happened.”
He nodded. He understood.
“I had to leave too,” he said.
Silence hung between them then and she knew the reason why. She wasn’t very close with Henry, even after the events with the wolf. Thoughts of him certainly didn’t keep her awake at night the way thoughts of Peter did. But she was proud of him for finding his courage and a purpose to his life. She was grateful for all he had done for her and almost considered him a friend. Maybe she owed him this.
“You’re probably wondering why I didn’t run off with Peter.”
He avoided eye contact for a few seconds before nodding.
“Nothing’s stopping you,” he said. “You have no ties to the village.”
“He left,” she said, refusing to explain the circumstances surrounding Peter’s departure. She didn’t owe him that much.
“I don’t understand,” he said slowly, clearly confused.
“I thought you two were…”
“Oh we were- are. Things just…happen…that you can’t prepare for sometimes.”
He nodded, aware she wouldn’t say anything further.
“Are you okay out here?” he asked, looking around the colorful landscape. “Must be very lonely.”
“I have friends,” she said, a smile shining on her face as the two bunnies that had knocked on her door came over to join them. She lifted one into her hand to show him. “This is George.” She looked down at the other one. “And that’s his sister, Lucy.”
Henry smiled a little. “Do they know they’re brother and sister?” He raised his eyebrows.
“I remind them,” she said.
He smiled wider, not looking away from her and she knew there were only two options left: politely kick her off her property or invite him in for refreshments.
“Are you encamped in the village?”
He nodded, his smile disappearing, but not into a frown.
“Just outside it actually, in the other direction.”
Her eyes widened briefly.
“And you walked all this way to see me? You must be exhausted.”
He shrugged. “I needed to see a friendly face.”
She understood. While he didn’t necessarily have public shame from his time in the village, his father had died. There was nothing there for him except pity for his past and likely praise for his present deeds that he was probably used to hearing in every village he passed. Nothing genuine. Nothing real. On the barest of levels, she had always been honest with him. Or had tried at least.
“I have water,” she offered.
The smile returned to his face, little though it was.
“Water sounds good.”
She stood to her feet and helped him to his, watching as he made a valiant effort to conceal his blush.
“I have bread too,” she said, smiling. “Inside the house.”
His stomach growled as he began to follow her to the well near the back of the garden, and she giggled. She didn’t turn around though because she knew he’d probably blush again and she wanted to spare him that.
“How long will you be staying?” she asked instead.
“A few days,” he said. “Maybe a week.”
She nodded, stopping at the well to lower the bucket and then pull it back up.
“You’ll stay with your men then?”
“We have to make some routine checks. There has to be no sign of anything vile having threatened the safety of the village.” He paused. “Or you.”
“So all of you will come out to my little cottage to see if I’ve had any animal crossings?” She glanced across the meadow to see the bunnies chasing each other and deer prancing in the fields.
“I will,” he said, and she looked up at him. Those eyes of his were so intense. She’d always thought so. It was a mystery to her how every girl he encountered hadn’t fallen deep into them. She suspected though now they might. After all, he protected countless villages from fierce creatures and danger now. What woman wouldn’t fall at his feet?
Me.
Her mind flitted briefly to Peter, and she longed for him. Those eyes she could drown in forever. And maybe now she never would.
She blinked to bring herself back to the present.
“I’ll carry that,” Henry was saying as he took the pitcher of water she’d robotically poured into.
“Bread’s inside.” She forced a polite smile and led the way.
Despite the unintentional reminder of Peter’s current state and unknown location, she felt better than she had in weeks, maybe months; maybe even since everything had fallen apart almost four months prior. Henry’s sudden appearance practically on her doorstep had lightened her mood, distracting her from morbid thoughts that more and more had started to consume her. He was right in his assumption that she was lonely. And it felt wrong somehow, though she knew it definitely wasn’t, but she was glad he had come and that he was deliberately spending time with her. It made her feel wanted and loved, even if he quite possibly had moved on and that was perfectly fine with her.
His eyes widened when he spotted the bread on the table, revealed immediately when Valerie unveiled it from the cloth that had been keeping it warm.
“Help yourself,” she said, setting a small plate on the table and a knife. He looked up at her hesitantly, as if seeking permission. “Take as much as you’d like,” she said. “I’m already making another.”
He nodded and sat down as she turned to pull out more ingredients for another loaf of bread.
“Thank-you, Valerie.” He took a bite and looked up at her again. “This is very good,” he said, sounding astonished.
She smiled where she stood, bent over.
“My mother was an excellent baker,” she said over her shoulder. “She taught me everything I know.”
“I taste cinnamon,” he said and she continued to smile.
“That’s my special touch.”