Chapter Two: Menace of the World Beyond the Wall
Everly was the daughter of Tristan and Yvaine? But how? That girl didn't even know to keep her elbows off the table, never mind be royal blood!
Jack didn't want to move the next morning when she woke up, but with a long sigh, she stood up and moved to her wardrobe of dresses and other fineries. She pulled on her corset herself and then called for a servant to help her lace it up. To be sure, she was greatly troubled as she slipped on her gown and let the servant button up the back. She had often been spoken to in dreams, but never with such urgency, and never had the unicorns come to her themselves in those hallucinations. Apparently, she needed to go back to Stormhold, and soon, but what if Everly wasn't really the one? The unicorn could have been wrong, and then Jack would be pulling an innocent girl into a ruthless battle. She had to make certain Everly really was the one, but how?
"Jack, you're uncommonly quiet," Grandmother spoke at the breakfast table as Jack joined her and the rest of the family.
"I had an unsettling dream," Jack sighed, sitting down next to Everly.
"What would this one be about?" Grandfather asked, immediately concerned. Jack's dreams were never ones to be taken lightly.
"Nothing that has to do with here," Jack smiled warmly. "Everly, how did you sleep last night?"
"All right," Everly said slowly. "I'm not much of a heavy sleeper, so every noise disturbs me."
"Ah," Jack nodded. "I understand."
"What plans do you have for the day?" Grandmother asked. "Jack, I'm assuming you'll be training Everly some more?"
"Yes," Jack nodded. "We're going to go to the general store and get some supplies, and then I'm going to begin teaching her how to play the piano. After that, we'll work on sewing, do a little cross-stitching, and then we'll go over mannerisms again."
"Very good," Grandfather nodded. "We shall all have our afternoon meal out on the back porch later. Now, let us eat."
They prayed and then ate, and Everly couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. Jack wasn't saying anything, making the girl wonder if perhaps she had done something wrong. She couldn't understand, of course, that Jack had exceptionally heavy things on her mind revolving greatly around the young woman in training. She couldn't understand that Jack had resolved to find some way of proving who Everly really was or why.
"Do you like horses?" Jack asked a short while later as she and Everly made their way to the general store, both with parisols and great hats.
"Yes," Everly said curiously. "Why?"
"Because I'd like to take you to see one tonight," Jack said, gazing ahead, dark green eyes serious and thoughtful. "He lives right next to the wall. His name is Philippe, and he's the sweetest creature."
"Does this have anything to do with my training?" Everly asked.
"Perhaps. Now when we go into the market," Jack said abruptly, "you aren't to speak with the store boys unless they speak to you, which, if they have the proper propriety, they won't. We'll let them carry our parcels for us when we've finished buying. Part of your training requires that you gain the ability to care for a busy household. Therefore, I want you to buy the proper products for a family of two. You'll need to get food for one meal. Do you think you can do that?"
"I've never had to buy food before," Everly said uncertainly. "Back at home we had servants do it."
"We want you to learn how to be self-sustaining as well as proper," Jack said easily. "Here we are."
She stopped outside the general store and waited as a store boy, tall, thin, and completely enamored by the lovely ladies, opened the door. Jack then nodded to Everly, and both girls stepped inside.
Everly had never been in a general store before. Servants had always done the shopping for whatever she and her guardians needed, and so she really didn't know where to look or what to get. Jack watched her with amusement as she moved throughout the store, looking at the different harness, bolts of cloth, candy, and other items that the store had to offer. This young lady was so uncertain, so naïve to the ways of shopping for a household!
Jack offered what assistant she felt necessary, pointing out different foods and letting Everly decide on the quantities. When finally Everly said she was ready, the women went up to the counter and told the clerk what it was they wanted. He immediately supplied them with a loaf of bread, a bulk of white cheese, and two brilliant red apples. He sent along one of the store boys to carry the goods for the ladies and then bid them good day.
Upon arriving back at the house, Jack put the supplies away, informing Everly that they would be using those groceries for dinner, and then she took the younger woman into the drawing room and sat her down at a baby grand piano.
"Do you play?" Jack asked.
"No," Everly sighed. "Mother of course bought a piano for the front room but never taught me to play. Too expensive to hire a teacher. Though sometimes I'll sing with her when she plays. She would show my voice off at parties." This last phrase was said with a snort, as if Everly didn't believe her voice was worth showing off.
Jack eyed her. "They say some voices can charm the curses from witches," she said quietly, so low that Everly didn't hear. Louder, the woman said, "Well, we'll see if she was right. Do you know this song?"
She placed her slender fingers on the delicate keys and drew a few chords from them. The sound of the sweet music caused Everly's eyes to light up.
"Yes!" the girl cried, "I do!"
Jack laughed. "Alright then. Let's hear it." She played the introduction to the song.
Everly took a deep breath, and sang.
This is surrender
To a war-torn life I've lived.
Scars and stripes forever
In need of change I can't resist.
No need to hide anything anymore.
Can't return to who I was before.
The melody to this first part of the song was slow and sad. Everly's voice warbled over the words sweetly, creating a beautiful contrast between the haunting words and her sweet voice. Jack was impressed. She kept playing.
I can finally breathe.
Suddenly alive.
I can finally move.
The world feels revived.
This long of a struggle
Finally opened up my eyes.
Revolution's not easy
With a Civil War on the inside.
No need to hide anything anymore.
Can't return to who I was before.
I can finally breathe.
Suddenly alive.
I can finally move.
'Cause I realize.
I can finally breathe.
Suddenly alive.
I can finally move.
The world feels revived.
It was the chorus where Everly's true talent showed. The higher notes were better-suited to her high-pitched vocal range, and she could belt them with all the triumph the music incited. And yet she sounded like no other singer that Jack had heard. There was a uniqueness to the girl's voice that gave it an angelic quality.
A heavenly quality.
Jack stiffened and stopped playing.
"Jack?" the younger girl asked, concerned.
Her mentor didn't look at her. "The last bit repeats a lot. It isn't necessary to play it."
"Oh."
"I think that's enough piano for one day," Jack said, getting up from the bench and smiling softly. "There's so much more to be done!"
The day moved much faster and was far more enjoyable than Everly thought it would be. She had expected it to be boring and tiresome, but Jack added her own bits of flavor to the day, making each task amusing and exciting for Everly. Who knew that cooking, with the way servants always complained about it, could be fun? Jack had shown Everly the delight of making and baking cookies, and both girls couldn't help but have fun blowing puffs of flour at each other and getting their aprons dirty.
Sewing hadn't been the greatest part of the day, for Everly knew very little about sewing, and Jack didn't particularly enjoy it, but between the two of them, they managed to sew a small handkerchief and then cross-stitched a beautiful flower into it.
Dinner was very pleasant, as the family came together and shared the meal. Everly was then instructed more on mannerisms, having to sit up straight, hold her silverware properly, and eat in a dignified and gracious fashion. She had never been a slob at eating, but there were so many rules she had never known!
After dinner, Jack took Everly out under the stars again and introduced her to Philippe. He was a large work horse, situated in one of the fields connected to the mysterious wall, Upon seeing the women, he had immediately sauntered over, grass drooping from his Palomino mouth and pieces of the green lush clinging to his cream-colored nose. He nibbled on one of the apples Jack and Everly had bought from the store earlier, and then he set about to grazing contentedly as the girls sat down in the tall, soft grass.
"This place is so beautiful," Jack said presently, her warm voice quiet and gentle. "When the time comes, I'll be sad to leave it."
"Are you leaving soon?" Everly asked, concerned. "Don't we have lots of training to go over still?"
"I may be leaving very soon," Jack nodded.
"But where you will go?"
"Back where I came from," Jack sighed, running her fingers through her long, tousled hair. "Back to trouble and responsibilities that I don't want to return to."
"Where are you from?" Everly frowned. "And why do you go back to such trouble?"
"I'm from over there," Jack said, tossing her head towards the wall in indication. "As for the trouble, there's someone I love dearly who needs a great amount of help. I have to do something to help him."
"Him?" Everly grinned.
"Oh, this isn't a light matter at all," Jack said, lying back and gazing up at the stars. "This has to do with my brother. But never mind all that. Look at the stars. They're making patterns tonight."
Everly lay back next to her and gazed up at the black velvet sky, staring at the shimmering stars. She could see an eagle in the constellations, and she smiled in satisfaction.
"Oh dear," Jack said a moment later, and her words were followed by a long sigh.
"What?"
"Don't you see the unicorn?"
"A unicorn?" Everly asked, squinting up at the stars.
"Your eyes glow in the starlight, rather mysteriously," Jack sighed again. "There's a unicorn, straight above us. See?"
Everly looked up to see the figure of a magnificent horse hovering overhead. He was holding his head high, and a line of stars atop his head made up a constellation that looked very much like a horn.
"He's pretty," she smiled.
"And he's stalking me," Jack snorted, sitting up and then pushing off the grass so she could stand up. "Let's go. I'm afraid I'll be leaving sooner than I thought."
"Wait! Can I come with you?"
"You want to come with me?" Jack asked, a fine eyebrow arched. "Why would you want to do that?"
"Maybe I can help," Everly shrugged.
"I don't want you going through that wall with me," Jack said, shaking her head. "No."
"But Grandfather and Grandmother won't let you go by yourself."
"I don't know about that. They know where I'm from," Jack said, reaching her hand out to Everly. "Let's go."
"I'm serious," Everly said, getting up and walking alongside her. "I'm from over the wall. I'm from Stormhold. I want to see what it's like there."
"Dark, evil, scary," Jack shuddered. "I should know."
"How? How would you know? Why did you run?"
"Look," Jack frowned. "You have no idea the things I've seen, and you don't want to. You've never watched someone you love be torn to shreds by bitterness, nor have you ever been sold as a servant to someone, forced to do their every bidding, but it good or bad."
She shivered again and shook her head violently.
"I don't want you coming. It's too dangerous for you. Your place is here."
"Is it really?" Everly asked. "I don't think so."
"What would you know about that?"
"You've been studying me carefully from the moment I got here. I'm sure there's a reason for it."
"Yes. You're under my instruction and my training. Is that not reason enough for me to study you?"
"There's more to it than that. I do have a brain, Jack."
"You're still not coming. It would take a lot for me to bring you over there."
"What does a lot entail?"
"Mmm… Something bothering me so much that, for some odd reason, I have to take you," Jack shrugged.