Chapter Ten

Normals

In the days that followed what was supposed to be the most wonderful night of her life, it was as if the entire world was against her. The sky was dark and rain would pound against the windows of the castle. She greeted the passing of time from her bed waking sporadically in cold sweats and trembling. Her body was starved for sleep, for the magic that she'd been robbed of, and her throat was healing with all the soothing care of salt in a wound. The doctor had come to check on her a few times and her familiars never left her side… her father on the other hand avoided her completely. Which was perfectly alright by her, she had decided she would refuse to speak to him even if he did come to her. After all, he had requested her to stop speaking so she was only obeying him wasn't she? The new found bitterness for every single aspect of her life was ever present like a sour coating on her tongue. Nothing was ever going to be the same; the life she'd worked so hard for had crumbled so completely. Her future was no doubt being decided for her by a council of elders at this very moment. She could almost hear their arguments in her head, vying for her expulsion, perhaps even petitioning that she be forbidden to practice magic, while the poor Spellbinder and Vonkarumahs were no doubt being coddled and appeased with scholarships. Angry tears stung her eyes whenever these thoughts would plague her and she'd bury her face in her pillow blocking out everything but the sound of the pounding rain.

There had been some hope in her that this whole sordid ordeal would reveal to her who her real friends were. The precious few who really loved her and would stand by her no matter what stood before her and it had. The outcome, however, was not one she had expected. The days passed without a single visitor, nor a note wishing her well. Even the girls whom she had dubbed her best of friends remained silent. Were they too afraid or ashamed to speak to her? Were their parents insistent that they avoid her at all costs? Whatever the reasons it was painfully clear to her that no one would come to in her exile to ease her loneliness. She was back to where she had begun… Eek, Squeak, and Archie were the only friends she had left to her name.

Once her body had healed enough to where it wasn't excruciating to be vertical for extended periods of time, she would dim her misery by wandering the castle. She had no idea where her father was during these times but he would often not return until it was nearly midnight. She noticed this with only meager shreds of interest, as he regarded her with a harsh scrutinizing silence whenever their paths would briefly cross. It was only a matter of days before the isolation and confinement began to settle in. In a desperate attempt to seek peace from her thoughts and aches she took to walking the grounds. The castle was set on a hill; the surrounding turf was strangled with weeds and barbs, trees and thickets. In an effort to shield herself from the dank weather she wore a lovely dark red velvet traveling cloak, the hood protecting her from the chill that seemed to seep through regardless of its inherit warmth. Her feet would slide through the narrow beaten paths to the outer stretches of the property lines. She would walk until the castle was nothing more than a foreboding shadow in the distance. There was a worn stump in a small clearing that quickly became her usual retreat. Often she would bring books to help her pass the daylight hours, while other times she'd prefer to sit and let her mind wander up the branches and into the clouds.

One cold afternoon her mind would not be lifted from the thoughts that had only increasingly haunted her since the moment she opened her eyes each morning. The air was laced with a brisk chill that her familiars dared not to brave, but it could not compare to the coldness that stemmed from her heart. Her dreams had been hindered with horrific visions of what mutilations she might have inflicted on the two most popular faces in her class. They had woken her with a queasy illness swimming inside her with their grotesque features but… not a shred of remorse stung her soul. She knew that she ought to feel some sort of compassion… but there just didn't seem to be any just cause for it. Her life had given her plenty of moments to be as petty and unkind to them as they had so often been to her. She always rose above them, not sinking to their level and returning their animosity with kindness. A kindness that was rewarded with this, the thought caused a scowl to form on her face. Tanya had told her she was stupid… maybe she was right. Her musing was interrupted when a scream ripped through the still air. In a wave of panic and fear she shot to her feet. It only occurred to her now how close she had wandered to the end of the Macabre territory… she was practically on Normal soil. Her heart was pounding as all she'd learned about the savages tore through her head at once. Burning witches, mutilating monsters that had strayed, brutally murdering anything that was not like them… and here she was. Alone. The silence that followed the initial scream was eventually filled with painful shrieks. Her wits finally started settling and she remembered that her father had set traps to keep them at bay. The agonized sounds could only mean that a Normal had wandered too far and had triggered one. She would have to tell him that one had been sprung, and her feet started back toward the castle but stopped after only a few steps. That would mean she would have to speak to him. Her pride was far from mended and the thought of the condescending look he would no doubt give her only made her fear diminish. The screams degraded into excruciating cries for help and the sound cut through her inhibitions. It was a helpless noise, one that broke her heart. She was still a witch, there were powers at her disposal to protect her, what should she fear from a trapped creature that had unwittingly trapped itself? Her mind made up she went to inspect the poor creature.

Delicately pushing through the bare branches she sought out a being she had only read about. It was a terrible idea, she told herself, but there was no helping it. She was here now and as she neared a small clearing she could see something thrashing a stick around wildly. The Normal was swatting at a large piece of metal with great fangs that had clamped around it's leg. It was a boogeyman trap, but it apparently was not picky in what use it was deployed. Her hand pushed the last branch out of her face as a dry twig beneath her foot snapped and something happened that caused her to seize up completely. He looked at her… and he was beautiful.

The creature was a mallard looking to be no older than she was. His feathers were a lovely copper brown, a crown of auburn curls sat on his head and dark brown eyes stared at her wide with enchantment and fear. Working up her courage she cautiously approached him, he didn't seem dangerous. So many warnings, and defensive lessons swarmed her mind but seemed so alien to her. This wasn't the face of a killer. This wasn't the face of a savage. So… this was a Normal? She moved across the withered grass smoothly and her gaze fell to the cruel contraption that had clamped on his foot. The fangs had been stopped by the thick leather of his boots, she could see no blood. She secretly wondered what color they bled. After a careful moment she made up her mind and started to open the trap.

"What are you doing?!"

She paused and looked up at the panicked face. They'd been taught that Normals could speak deceptively well… that was what had caught so many ghouls off guard, what had lead to their destruction. But there was terror in his eyes as he continued.

"You've got to go! You've got to get out of here! If the beast finds you here it will kill us both!" He raked a shaking hand through his hair as his eyes glazed over slightly. "Un…unless I'm… already dead. That's it isn't it?" He looked at her intently. "I'm dead… and you're an angel."

Her brow furrowed in stunned thought.

"An angel?" She repeated numbly as she managed to disarm the trap, the mass of metal releasing it's hold on him which resulted in him collapsing to sit on the ruined flora.

"Aren't you?" He asked her uncertainly as he painfully rubbed feeling back into his leg.

"I'm quite certain I'm not." She responded warily.

"Then… I've got to be dreaming."

"Afraid not." She smiled despite herself.

"You're right… there's no pain in dreams." He grunted as he used a nearby tree branch to pull himself up to his feet and tested his strength. "We've got to get out of here quick." He held his hand out to her purposefully, she blinked at it for moment before she got to her feet on her own.

"Why?" She inquired suspiciously.

"Why?" He repeated in shock. "Don't you know where we are?! Didn't your parents ever tell you about the beast that roams these woods? I thought everyone knew about that… The monster and the woman… I thought you were the ghost of that woman when I saw you… that's why I …" he shook his head. "Whether you know the story or not we've got to go."

"I'll be alright." She protested lightly but the exasperated look he greeted her with made her shrink slightly.

"You're not from around here are you?" he said tiredly but there was a certain spark of awe in his dark eyes. "Most girls are terrified of this place… what's your name?"

She felt his hand take hers the warmth in his fingers making the ice surrounding her heart melt ever so slightly.

"…Morgana."

"That's a beautiful name." He smiled lightly. "I'm Valeriu… but everyone calls me Vali. You saved my life Morgana…"

"I… did?"

"Promise me you won't get hurt out here? Don't let the beast run off with you, I'd very much like to see you again." His voice was lined with a sincere sweetness that made her heart flutter.

"O-okay." She stuttered meekly.

The boy was at least two heads taller than her when he stood at his full height so he had to lean down to place a kiss on her cheek. She felt her face twinge red before he released her hand and gave her a thoughtful stare before he began his retreat for the Normal village that lie beyond the other side of the wood. A soft breeze swirled her cloak around her as she stared after the boy who had called her an angel long after he had vanished from sight.

When she thought on it later, she was uncertain how she had managed to find her way back to the castle at all. Her mind was dancing with his face and her cheeks still warm from his gentle kiss. Vali, she wondered what his last name was… wondered if Normals even had last names. She was in such a dream like state she forgot to be terribly rude to her father when she had discovered him home. She forgot a lot of other things as well… namely the faces from her nightmares and the sting of their cruelness. There was barely a moment where she could concentrate and she refused to tell her familiars one breath of what had happened. They were worse than any governess when it came to their constant fretting… and she knew they might try to inform her father of what had occurred. This secret was hers and she intended to keep it. As she watched the sun set over the distant trees from her bedroom window she made a decision. She had to see him again. Anyone who haunted her as diligently as he did deserved another encounter. There was no deterring her from this choice as she slid into bed that evening, the words of the reading that had never been far from her thoughts echoed through them once more.

It will come when you stop believing, when you least expect it...

She awoke with the sun the following morning, unable to rest fully knowing the reckless decision she had made the night before. The urge had not faded and in fact only burned more intensely in the light of a new day. When she had made her way downstairs she was surprised to find her father milling around… and from the look he gave her he must have felt the same. Fear bubbled inside her, what if he had figured her out? What if he wasn't going to leave today? Would she be able to sneak out and hide her intentions from him? Her panic was eased when he informed her drolly that he was to be detained in meetings with the council for the remainder of the day. She could barely contain her relief at this news. He wouldn't follow her; he wouldn't bar her up in her room for conversing with the enemy. Her resolve wavered when she watched her father busy himself; he believed Normals to be dangerous… and they very well must be for they had killed her mother. She knew that… but… Vali? She could not imagine him hurting anyone, not with such warm and soft hands… with those beautiful eyes.

The moment Moloculo had left she had retreated to her room to make herself look as beautiful as she could muster. It was far more difficult to tame her hair with her limited magic… and she was certain walking through the woods in a gown the likes she had worn to the dance would only result in tearing it to shreds. Besides… that was not what she wanted to look like. He had called her an Angel… and in return for this along with the kiss that still made her heart dance; she desperately wanted to look the part.

It was nearly noon when she threw on her red cloak and left her familiars baffled in her wake. She just couldn't tell them… as much as she wanted to confide in someone… there was no way she could avoid feeling horrible about the idea. In essence she was pursuing the affections of who very well could be the son of a person who had taken her mother from this world. But her heart would not let her dwell on this; its giddy frantic beating overpowered everything else as she raced across the grounds. He didn't know her, he didn't care if she could use magic well or not, he didn't know what she'd done at school, he wasn't going to be swayed by bloodlines , or those who had wronged her… he was a clean slate. She wanted to have him look at her the way he had yesterday… like he wished the world might stop just so he could look at her as long as he wanted. Her feet stopped and she realized she had reached the boundary of the land. It was like standing at the threshold of a new world. If she went there she ran the risk of being killed as countless other ghouls had been and if she survived she would have to deal with keeping it a secret from her father. The air was accented with joyful cries and the bustling of the mysterious world before her, while nothing but silence pressed in behind her. She swallowed hard and with a silent prayer to her mother to protect her, crossed into unknown territory.

The street she had found was not made of cobbles nor any stone she had ever seen. It was more of an ebony river of ice with streaks of yellow separating it into parts. The carriages that passed her seemed to be self propelled and she didn't see a reign in sight. The faces that passed her were so very pleasant in appearance. She couldn't help but notice that they were all so kind looking despite whatever emotions they were displaying. She had never seen Normals so close before, and compared to the ghoulish community even a frown was nowhere near as harsh as the ones she had received from her classmates. Heads turned as she nervously strode by, and she resulted to pulling her cloak closer around her face. She hadn't really thought this out. She didn't know where he lived, or even where to begin to try find him... every pair of eyes took her in wolfishly and the buildings around her seemed to be closing in. All she could do was choke back her panic and push ahead. Her ruby was firmly set on her hand if she ran into trouble she war from defenseless, she told herself. But how many witches had thought the same thing before they were burned alive? Her eyes searched the sea of similar and amicable faces desperately for a curl of auburn or deep brown eyes. She wanted to scream out his name as her hands began to tremble with anxiety as the street poured out into an open square packed with people. It was a market of some kind and she was jostled and shoved on all sides. Unable to think clearly she closed her eyes and tried to breathe. She had made a mistake. She should turn back now…

"M-Morgana?" Asked a stunned voice, its handsome familiar tone making her terror vanish.

Her eyes shot open and after a moment of searching they found him by an ornate fountain of great lions. There was a group of people with him, a few boys were staring at her strangely and several girls narrowed their eyes. Vali had pushed his way over to her and seized her hands with a warm smile that engulfed his entire face.

"Oh wow, I'm so glad you're here! I was almost sure I had dreamt the whole thing, but the bruises were still there when I checked and I was just tellin' the guys-" He had a tendency to ramble it appeared but she far from minded when his hands so protectively held hers. She got lost in the sound of his voice as he rattled on and on until he blinked and realized what he'd been doing. "I'm so happy you're okay… uh what are you doing here?'

"I…" She gazed into his eyes. "I wanted to sure you were safe as well."

His grin widened and her mouth went dry as he lifted her hand to his bill and graced it with a tender kiss that sent the blush to her cheeks once more.

"I want to take you out for lunch. Have you eaten already?" He asked and she could barely find the strength to shake her head.

He was looking at her like she was the only person in the world. His eyes admiring her face and it was obvious he was not disappointed. It was only a matter of seconds before he was speaking feverishly again, his hand holding hers and leading her through the winding mass of people confidently. There was not even an ounce of fear in her, she was safe here with him. There would be nothing that would approach her that he wouldn't protect her from, she was certain. As the streets passed and the crowds differed she strained to follow his chatter. He was currently detailing something about a game he had seen… something called Sock-Kor. She didn't know what it was but it sounded painful. As the crowds withered and dispersed they approached a small little building which he shepherded her into. The cozy little place was outfitted in wood and no grand portraits of ancestors were on the wall. Instead there were paintings of landscapes and images of Normals of all shapes, sizes and ages. Vali pulled out a chair for her to sit in and she obliged with a coy smile. When she was presented with the menu she could only stare at the words in front of her… were they real? She could read them but it was like gibberish. Why would Normals eat pigs wrapped in blankets? What warranted a dog to be considered "hot"? Her eyes traveled to her companion who was watching her curiously.

"…do you want me to order for you?" He offered with a sheepish grin and she nodded quickly.

Normal cuisine was so very different. It was as far away from anything she had ever eaten than it could get but… it was far from unpleasant. She had to restrain herself from sampling what Vali had ordered. He didn't notice her prying stare at his meal as he was talking constantly again. He seemed very taken with the idea about speaking about whatever came to mind, and about his himself. She took it all in like a sponge, she wanted to learn everything about him. He was fascinating, granted she had no idea what he was discussing half the time but the richness and soothing sound of his voice was simply beautiful to listen to. After a while of staring he let her sample his "fries" with a thick red substance that was named with something to do with cats. This all just reinforced what she had already suspected. Normals were not as evil as her father had made them out to be, nor as blood thirsty as she had been taught at school. Especially this one. The depths of his eyes hinted at emotions she'd only imagined she'd seen in Velken's, his face was only more handsome when he smiled, and he was smiling a lot.

After she had had finished her curiosity driven meal and he had rested in his speech did her eyes move to the windows and see how the streets had darkened. Her heart sunk instantly. She didn't know when her father would return to the castle and if he knew where she'd spent the day… well she didn't want to think of the consequences. When her gaze settled back on the boy she found he was looking at her knowingly and offered to take her home. While she followed him through the streets once more he began talking about himself again but her nervous heart was beating too loudly to even hear him. The sun was close to setting. A firm hand coiled around hers and her eyes darted up to lock with his as the unease vanished once again.

"I just realized… I don't know where you live Morgana. I was just taking you back to the woods… but you can't really live there can you?" He laughed.

"Uh… well…"

"I mean you really shouldn't be wandering in the woods or the Macabre monster might eat you."

The sound of her name planted her feet to the pavement and he stopped short so not to pull her off balance. Vali flashed her an apologetic smile.

"I didn't mean to scare you angel…"

"What do you mean Macabre monster?" She asked firmly.

"Well it's some kind of horrible beast that lives in the big castle on the other side of the woods. It sets those traps to catch victims, it's meals. No one is really sure where it came from but it's been around for a long time. People say it likes to take beautiful girls and keep them captive in his horrible lair. The story goes… well like I said when you saved me I thought you were the ghost of a woman the monster had taken and had escaped…"

"Who was she?"

"No one knows. She was probably from a caravan the thing killed that wandered too close to the boundaries. A woodsman found her in the monster's woods and she was dying. He brought her back to the town to try to help her but there didn't seem to be a mark on her. The monster had put some horrible curse on her they said… People say that she was the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen … some even think she was a princess of some kind that the monster had kept in a cage just so it could look at her. He probably wanted to look at her forever so he put a curse on her that if she left his ruin of a castle she'd die, hoping that she'd stay. But he must have been so terrible and wicked that she couldn't stand it anymore and chose death instead. Actually… she died in that house right there." His finger glided to an inconspicuous building nearby. She fought back her tears and he continued on with his tale not even noticing. "Then it came. Enraged by her escape the monster came and killed anyone it saw."

"No..." She breathed.

"That part is true. The beast killed at least a quarter of the town, the proof's at the cemetery. It still comes back sometimes… usually on the same night the woman died. "

"This… this isn't true." She said determinedly swallowing her tears and he smiled at her warmly.

"You really are different Morgana, most girls would have fainted hearing that story."

"That's all it is, right? A story?" Her eyes locked on his hopefully.

"No…" he slid his hand through her hair sadly. "You saw the traps yourself remember? Listen, why don't you stay with me and my folks tonight? I really don't want you going into those woods at night..."

"I really can't. I must get back…"

He pulled her into his arms and she felt her face redden once more.

"There's no way to make you reconsider?"

"I… can't."

"Then I want to see you off with at least a little light." He whispered softly as his face leaned toward hers.

"T-the sun is almost set…"

"Well…then there isn't a moment to waste."

His bill met hers in a kiss.

Darkwing Duck and all related characters are © Disney

…I'll let you know that I am currently holding back a Darkwing who is foaming at the mouth. But he's just gotta be patient there's still a ways to go until he shows up. Better get your kisses in now boys. ;D

Well… this chapter is more of a personal accomplishment. I really wanted to explore how different the two worlds are that Morgana ultimately has to choose between. I would have liked to go into this more but… it would have dragged down the already lethargic pace of this chapter. And I really did not plan on giving love interest #2 another "V" name. It just happened to be a Romanian name I liked. …hopefully it won't be too confusing.

…I really would like to get this updated more because there are tie-ins to future chapters of Trails of the Hero all up in this piece. So… hopefully you're all still willing to bear with me here…

Thanks for reading!