The Call of the Wind

Short Story by Brittany Caitlin

Mary lived a life of solitude and tranquility the past sixteen years at Chesapeake Castle. Sheltered from the outside world where war and famine filled the air and an abundance of medieval life roamed the cobble stone streets. Mary, Princess of Wales lived among the castles housemaids and butlers that catered to her every whim. The year was 1066. The world was a quiet place ruled by Mary's father King Henry the 1st of England. The Saxons had been defeated and Mary longed for stories of dragons and knights of the round table told by her governess at night. Mary longed for adventure but was kept hidden beneath the castles walls by her father who feared the world would corrupt her just like it had her late mother Queen Anne. Mary had not been outside her tower the past sixteen year of her life. She felt like Rapunzel, the princess from the myth that was locked away by the evil sorceress mother gothel. But in her own story, mother gothel was her own father.

Mary had been thinking up a plan to escape the castle walls and explore the unknown. One morning while her governess was absent from her presence and the house maids were preoccupied, she put on her cloak and snuck out of her bedchamber. The sun was out with the pre morning light and Mary breathed in a deep sigh as she walked along the castles grounds. She reminisced in the sight of peasants up and about working and enjoying another day on the grounds of the castles. Mary never knew so many people lived on the castle's property. The only way that she could see other people and life outside her own was the small window that held so much promise and hope of the outside world. Suddenly she heard a voice shrieking up behind her.

"Your majesty! You should be inside!"

It was her governess Anna, who Mary had always loved since her birth, but at this moment was angry at her for following her outside her chambers.

"No Anna! I am not going back inside! I am meant to be here exploring the world! It isn't fair!"

Anna looked at her with so much concern. "Your majesty please, you don't understand it is not safe for you to be roaming around outside your tower!"

"I don't care Anna! I'm done listening to you and my father! I've had enough of secrecy and being locked away!"

Mary ran. She ran as fast as she could past the past the guards and past the gates. Before long she was on the bridge outside the castle walls. She relished in the fact that she was free away from confinement and people who told her what to do. She could now be free to be herself and understand this land on her own terms.

Mary soon found herself walking through a deep dark forest before coming across a stream. The stream was so clear she could see her own reflection through the water. Before long she got a sick feeling that she was not alone among the trees of this forest.

"Mary…. You must turn back…."

Mary swung her head around, but no one was there.

"Mary…. The forest is not your friend…."

She began to walk fast as the same voice around her kept repeating the same mantra to her all around. It sounded as is the wind or the water from the stream were speaking to her telling her she isn't safe. But how could that be. Even though she had spent her life in isolation, she knew that the wind could not talk and converse with her. She began to feel that she had encountered an enchanted forest, the ones she had read in storybooks as a child. But worst of all she feared that she was losing her mind. Maybe she should go back home, maybe Anna and her father was right, the world is a scary and unpredictable place.

"Mary…. The worst is yet to come…"

Now she was scarred silly! She ran not knowing where she was going or where the castle was. Al around her the wind blew in her face throwing warning and frightening mantras at her as she ran. She didn't know how long she had been running all she knew was that she had soon came across a cottage in the woods. It was homely and sweet and seemed like a home where seven dwarfs would reside. She slowly walked up to the window and peaked inside. A wild man in a royal blue robe that lay down to his feet was standing in the middle of the room. Reading a book in a rocking chair. The man looked like a grandfather with a long white bread to his mid-section. Mary didn't know what to do. She knew that this enchanted forest wasn't safe for her, but she also didn't like the idea of knocking on a stranger's door for help. What if he turned into a wolf and ate her like in her storybook Little Red Riddle Hood. She didn't want to take any chances. She turned around to walk away from the cottage when the wooden door of the old man's home opened squeakily. She turned around to see the wild man still sitting in his rocking chair reading his novel. All the hair on her body stood up at once. The door had opened on its own and a crackle old voice spoke to her coming from the strange man in the chair.

"Princess Mary, I've been expecting you."