Chapter 9 The Lady in the Lake
The forests of the 9 kingdoms have changed since Virginia last visited them. The path she remembered walking on their last adventure was buried under fell trees. The large oaks that surrounded them looked sick, and black as coal. The soft lush grass was gone, replaced by twisted vines and weeds. The air felt heavy and a thick fog filled the dark purple sky. Virginia sat underneath a towering oak tree, absentmindedly playing with the dark red leaves as they fell around her and gazing at her own reflection in the beautiful, cool, crystal clear lake next to her. Wolf and Will had gone hunting for their dinner, taking Aiden along with them. Aiden seemed to be growing taller and stronger every day. He was only 5 months old but was already the size of a 10 year old and an avid runner and hunter. Virginia felt tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about the fact that in another few years Aiden would be a full grown adult, and wouldn't need her anymore. She watched the tears rolling down her cheeks in her reflection in the water. Her biggest worry when she found out she was pregnant was that she wouldn't know how to be a good mom. She remembered her own mother growing up. In the beginning, her mother had been kind, nurturing, and completely in love with her little baby girl. But then a darkness slowly began to consume her, until she finally succumbed and turned into something twisted and evil. What if the same sickness consumed Virginia? Virginia sat still, letting her mind wonder for quite some time. Her body began to go numb as she continued staring into the lake. Her mind began playing tricks on her; she could swear her reflection was smiling at her. It looked exactly like Virginia except for the eyes. The reflection's eyes were silvery like two mirrors. The reflection lifted her pale delicate hand and beckoned Virginia to come closer. As if in a trance, Virginia leaned in and raised her own hand reaching out to touch the water. Before she could stop herself, she lost her balance and fell into the lake. She felt something pulling her deeper into the dark water. Virginia tried to kick her feet and swim toward the top of the lake but she couldn't move. Her whole body felt like it was constricted by invisible chains. The more she tried to move her arms and legs, the tighter the chains coiled around her. Her reflection was floating right above her, smiling down at her. The reflection laughed, a sweet musical sound, as she watched Virginia drown. Virginia's eyes grew heavy. Slowly her world went black and her mind was occupied with only one thought, she was about to die.
Far away in her icy palace, Nimue watched through her mirror as the life left Virginia's body. Her fingers curled around the arms of her throne as ice and snow swirled around her, the crystals growing more hectic as her anticipation grew. As Virginia's body began to sink into the abyss, another figure appeared in the mirror.
Wolf wrapped his arms around Virginia's small body and kicked his legs with all the power he had, propelling them both towards the surface.
"No!" Nimue shrieked. She watched Wolf rise to the surface and drag Virginia and himself to safety.
"Is she alright?" Will shouted, holding a frightened Aiden who was kicking and clawing to get out of Will's hands and run to his mother.
"Mama! Mama!"
"Calm down, little one. She's alright. I ken you want your mother but not until we know it's safe."
Wolf had begun CPR on Virginia, praying he was not too late. "Virginia! Oh please wake up: Open your eyes Virginia!" He alternated breathing into her month with pressing down on her fragile chest, feeling sure he must have cracked her ribs in the process. Wolf continued for what seemed like an eternity but with no result. "Virginia!" Wolf began howling and whimpering in pain. Finally, with one last push Virginia violently jerked awake, coughing up water out of her lungs. As she desperately tried to take in some air, her eyes and ears took in what was going on around her. She was cradled in Wolf's arms. He was kissing her head and telling her how much he loved her. Aiden ran towards her and wrapped his small arms around her neck, crying into her hair. It was at that moment that Virginia recalled everything that had happened.
"The reflection! It was magic…"
"What are you talking about Virginia?"
"I was sitting next to the lake. I saw my reflection. It looked just like me but it had eyes like mirrors. It reached out its hand to me and before I could even see what I was doing I reached for it. I fell into the water. The reflection pulled me down deeper and deeper. I tried to kick, swim but I couldn't move. I looked up and the reflection was standing over me, smiling."
"Nimue" Will looked between Virginia and the lake.
Nimue shrieked a high-pitched scream shattering the mirror into a thousand pieces. She felt her power surging through her body. She lifted her hands and from her palms, ice flew out in all directions like daggers.
"My lady…" Fenris stood at the doorway. "The child is ready."
Nimue stood tall and smoothed her long dress and icy blonde hair before following Fenris out the door. "Let's hope this time we are successful Mr. Ulf."
"We will be successful Madame."
Nimue was not so sure. She took her gloves out of the pocket of her ice blue robes and placed them on her hands. She was beginning to give up hope on her dreams. She walked down the corridors of her palace contemplating her destiny and her decisions. Surely what she was doing was right. After all didn't she deserve joy just like everyone else? Her temper began to rise as she thought about Queen Red and the 4 saviors in the woods. They were all so happy. They had lives filled with love, family, peace, and children. Why couldn't she have that too? As they approached the tower, Nimue made sure to get her anger in check. She didn't want to scare the child she was about to meet. They stopped in front of a blue door, Nimue placed her gloved hand on the handle, took a deep breath, and walked in. The room was decorated in lavender and baby blue. The walls were painted as a mural, showing all manner of mythological creatures. Feys, centaurs, dragons, mermaids, and princess were all represented in the beautiful artwork. Toys, stuffed animals, dolls, snow globes, and music boxes filled every corner of the room. Chests and drawers stood filled to the brim with beautiful gowns, tiaras, flower crowns, and ivory combs and hair pins. In the center of the room stood a queen size four poster canopy bed, and sitting on top of the flowery bed covers, curled into a little ball, was a little girl.
"Hello, little one" said Nimue as she cautiously approached the trembling child. "It's alright. You do not need to be afraid of me. Or anything else here."
"I want to go home," the young girl cried.
"You are home, dearest heart." Nimue sat down next to the girl on the bed. "I know this must seem strange but this palace is your new home. I will give you everything your heart desires. You will be a princess, and I will love you as my own daughter."
The girl, who was a poor orphaned country girl and only 3 years old, was easily swayed by the Fey Queen. She wiped the teens from her cheek, "So then you don't mean to hurt me?"
"Of course not, I mean to take care of you. To be your mother and your protector."
And Nimue truly meant every word she said, for her greatest wish was to be a mother.
The sweet little girl, who took pity on the beautiful lonely queen, embraced Nimue and held her tightly. Nimue hugged the small child to her chest. As they embraced, Nimue thought for once her dream was about to come true, the gloves were working. She laughed and as she laughed, ice crystals fell from her lips and swirled in the air around them. One tiny crystal found its way into the eye of the little girl. Suddenly, the small child in her arms began to grow cold.
"No! No, No, No!" Nimue screamed as she watched the little girl freezing to death before her eyes. She let go of the little girl, but it was too late. The frost had already taken hold of her heart. Nimue screamed out in pain. The shriek caused the glass inside the room to shatter around them. She could do nothing but watch as the little girl's skin turned blue, and the life left her eyes. Her last little breath turned to smoke on the chilly air. Nimue fell to her knees, clutching the bed covers, weeping. All her strength left her body as the tears continued to pour. A knock at the door shook her from her grieving of
"Majesty!" Knock, knock "Majesty, open the door!"
Nimue opened the door as Fenris ran into the room. He saw the little girl dead on the covers, and Nimue standing next to her with an empty and tired look in her eyes. He knew better than to speak at this moment. After some long moments, Nimue turned to Fenris and said, "The gloves did not work. We need to find another way."
"Yes, Madame. I will speak with the Draenei." He hesitated asking the next question. "Should I place the girl with the others?"
"No, Mr. Ulf. I will take care of her, as I took care of all the others."
Fenris bowed and left the Queen to her task. The Queen picked the little girl up and cradled the child in her arms. She gently placed a kiss on her head and smoothed the hair away from her face. It was almost like she wasn't really dead, just asleep. Or at least that was what Nimue told herself. She wrapped the little girl up in a cover and carried her down the steps of the tower. Nimue went down into the courtyard of her palace and placed the little girl on one of the ivory benches. She went to find a shovel and began digging a hole in the courtyard. She could have easily used magic to bury the child, but she never did. She preferred to do this without magic. It made her stronger and more willful to take her revenge on the House of Red for taking away any chance of a happy ever after, and forsaking Nimue to life of solitaire. Once she he done, she picked up the little girl and sat on the bench with the girl on her lap. She stroked the child's hair and sang softly to her. Then she placed a last kiss on the child's head, and placed her into the burial plot. Once she had finished burying the child, she placed her hand over the spot where the child lay and spoke an ancient spell. On that spot grew the most beautiful peony flowers, pink and full of life. The frost could not kill them, and they could never grow old but would always be lush and full of life.
"Goodbye, my sweet child. Rest and be at peace."
Nimue turned and walked out of her courtyard back to her minors, but before she did, she turned to look back at the flowers and she nearly wept again. There in her courtyard stood one hundred tall pink peony bushes. One for each child she has had to bury.
Meanwhile, back in the forests, Will and Aiden were both fast asleep on the forest floor, while Wolf and Virginia say dup talking about the days everts.
"I should never have brought you and Aiden here." Wolf looked 5 years older since this morning.
"What difference would it have made? Wolf if this woman is hell bent on destroying everything then there is no safe place to hide."
"You could have died Virginia" He looked at her with the emerald eyes that she loved. There was so much pain and far behind those eyes.
"I'm still here. We got through this before, we can do it again. We just have to avoid any water or mirrors."
"Bah, huff puff! You make it sound so simple!"
"And you make it sound hopeless."
Wolf exhaled a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "You're right Virginia. I'm sorry"
Wolf kissed his wife and pulled her down to lay on top of his chest. "I'm sorry. Go to sleep. You out of all of us really need the rest."
"Shouldn't one of us keep watch?"
"I would smell anything that tried to get close to you. We are alone. Sleep"
Both she and Wolf closed their eyes, enjoying each other's warmth and scent. After a few hours, everyone was asleep, except for Virginia. She couldn't shake off what happened at the lake, the story of Nimue, or the dreams she kept having. After a few more hours, when she just couldn't take it anymore, she succumbed to sleep. She dreamed about ice and fire. She dreamed about Aiden and a dragon that calls out her name, begging her for help.
