Eleven Years Later


Athelyna touched the soft fabric of her newest cloak.

"Thank you, grandmother." She stood up and walked over to the bent figure who stirred a pot of stew. "It is beautiful; just like always." She kissed her cheek and then motioned for the old woman to sit and she began to work at the stove, finishing the meal that her grandmother had started. "Mother packed bread and jam this afternoon. I believe peach is your favourite flavour." Athelyna heard a soft squeal from her grandmother and smiled as she pictured the woman licking her lips in anticipation of the sweet gelled confection.

When the soup was finished, she dished out a helping for the frail lady and herself. Time passed as they conversed about the locals as well as her mother. When it was time for Athelyna to go, she pulled on her new red cloak and picked up the now empty basket. "I'll see you tomorrow, grandmother," she said as she made her way to the door.

"Stay on the path and keep your cloak tied tight, child."

Athelyna smiled and nodded her head. She stepped out into the sunlight and took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the forest. With her basket in hand she began to weave her way through the woods, never straying from her path. As time slipped by she felt a shudder run through her. She pushed it back as best she could, but eventually her thoughts returned to the terror she had witnessed so long ago.

It had taken herself eleven years to return to the path in which her father's life was stolen from her. During those eleven years, her mother had drilled into her that what she saw was not real, but just a little girl's nightmare brought on by stories a demented old woman told to make little girls and boys of the village be good. Athelyna, over time, accepted it and when she began to go back to her grandmother's home it was with a strained confidence that she carried. The snapping of a twig brought her out of her reverie and she stopped walking. A frown formed on her delicate, heart-shaped face as she concentrated on the sounds of the forest. Another snap had her spinning around and peering down the sun-dappled path behind her. "Who's there?" Her voice wavered as she tried to remain calm.

The brush a few feet away from her moved and she stepped back as a man the size of a tree stepped forward. She blinked as he blocked out some of the light and only when her blue eyes had adjusted to the loss of light did she inwardly laugh at herself. The stranger was indeed taller than her, but not as tall as a tree, but he was thick like one. He looked to be over a foot and a half taller than her petite five-foot stature. His hair hung in loose waves to his shoulders, the color was as dark as night, but what drew her closer, unknowingly closing the distance between them, were his eyes. The soft blending of yellow and green seemed to stir something in her, but she knew not what it was.

"I am sorry I scared you."

The stranger stooped down and picked up something from the forest floor and held it out to Athelyna. She looked down and felt her cheeks grow warm as she took her empty basket, so lost in her assessment of the man that she had dropped the woven container.

"Thank you and it is alright. I was just startled. It is not often I meet someone on the path." Her voice still held an edge of fright to it, but as the man stood still, not choosing to reach out to her, or advance, she slowly calmed her racing pulse.

"It is not often I go into town. I prefer my solitude. May I walk with you?"

Athelyna pulled in her lower lip and reached up to tuck a stray strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "If you'd like." She waited till he moved toward her before she turned and resumed her trek through the woods. "My name is Athelyna."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful creature. I am Wolfe."

Athelyna felt a wave of panic, but pushed it aside; telling herself that she was being silly and it had been her earlier daydream that was now causing her to feel frightened. "Mister Wolfe, it is a pleasure to meet you. Have you lived in these woods long?"

He rewarded her with a smile, one that made her heart flutter. "I have, though my home is much deeper into the woods than most travel and like I said before . . . I rarely venture into the village."

"My grandmother lives in the woods. I was visiting her today; then again I visit her every day. She is old and frail, so I take her fresh bread as well as other oddities that I think she'll enjoy. Today it was peach jam." Athelyna grinned as she recalled her grandmother's squeal of delight.

"Perhaps now that I know you travel this path every day I will have to make a point to stray from my home more often." Wolfe stared down on her bright yellow curls and felt his body responding to her scent. She was untouched. Pure. Innocent and so ripe for the picking. He'd waited eleven years to find her, the only one left that knew of his existence. Now he found himself regretting that he would have to end her life. As she walked a few steps in front of him, he moved to grasp the weapon at his waist.

"I would like that."

Her words surprised him, forcing him to drop his hand and quicken his step, once more catching up with her. "You would?"

Athelyna smiled. "Yes." She laughed at his look of disbelief. "You find it hard to imagine that I would want company in these woods?"

Wolfe's lips curled in a grin, but he nodded his head. "The beast of the forest frightens you." His statement was made with a hint of frustration, but Athelyna saw it as mocking humour at her expense.

"There are no such things Though if there were it would not be polite to laugh at one's fear " She turned her head away and increased the speed of her walk, feeling a bite of anger as well as a shudder of fear when she thought of the dreams that still plagued her.

"Athelyna." He reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her back toward him. His free hand came up to touch her face and he smoothed his fingers across her cheek. "I am sorry. I was not laughing, just surprised that you would want my company. Forgive me . . . please." He was surprised that he actually wanted her forgiveness and when he saw her eyes soften and her features relax he knew she had done just that. "Thank you."

Athelyna nodded her head and once more they resumed their walk. When they reached the village she turned to thank her new friend and found him studying the locals through partially hooded eyes. "Do you need help finding anyone or anything in particular?"

Wolfe smiled and winked. "I believe I have found all I desire." He watched her blink and then blush, before she turned and headed toward what he would later learn was her home. "Until we meet again." His whisper only heard by the wind.

Athelyna hurried home. Her thoughts consumed by the man with the haunting eyes. She'd seen eyes like that before, but could not remember where, nor was she overly concerned. Her steps led her to her home and she dutifully kissed her mother's cheek. "Grandmother sends her love."

Her mother smiled and placed the basket on the table. "Another cloak, I see." Her mother watched Athelyna remove the bright crimson garment and place it on a hook. The red hood was lined in a copper band of fox fur. "It is lovely," she said as she sliced at the apples she'd picked earlier that morning.

"It is, but every cloak she crafts is beautiful. I met someone today." Athelyna took a seat next to her mother and began to help peel the skins of the apples that had not yet met their fate.