Circle Of Sisters

20. Gypsies and Queens

That bridge had not been there earlier, thought Virginia with wry amusement. Or, maybe it had, but she'd just not seen it. It didn't matter. She put a foot to the slender construction gingerly. The bridge sprang from the side of the cavern, close to where Virginia had stashed her belongings. It looked to be made of spun glass, but she suspected it was all water. Nevertheless, it held her weight, for which Virginia was glad. Below her, the water-mirror eddied and gurgled, and Virginia had no desire at all to revisit it's depths. One look at her mother of the future had been more than enough. And it hadn't been just her fate, but the whole of the Kingdoms, she reminded herself. As she reached the other side, Virginia saw a previously hidden opening in the stone and the bridge led her feet directly towards it. She turned to look back over her shoulder as she left the grotto. It was an undeniably beautiful place just as itself, regardless of any magic contained within it.

"Yes, it is beautiful. Even this Goddess has simply made use of what Nature has created". Coventina's voice floated through Virginia's mind as she left the place behind.

"Is Nature not a Goddess too?" Virginia asked.

"Yes and no"

"Of course"

"You don't need to concern yourself overmuch with such things Virginia. Let me say this much, Nature is beyond description in terms that you could understand. Not because you are unintelligent, no, but because of the vastness of it's being. Even I, who have existed in this world since time began, do not presume to understand Nature"

"So, you too can fall prey to Nature's whims"

"I certainly can, Virginia. Don't make the mistake of thinking me, or any other that you would call a God or Goddess, as being infallible. Or indestructible". Virginia nodded to herself as she walked along.

"I think I shall stop and sleep a while, Coventina" she said, feeling slightly bolder.

"That is a good idea. The next mirror is ahead. You won't like it, Virginia"

"Fantastic. Thanks for the heads up. This one will show the present then, you said?"

"Well, in a manner of speaking. Life is all about pathways. The first mirror showed you what would have happened had you not taken the path that led to your mother's death. This next will show you what will happen should you not veer from the path you are currently on right now"

"What do you mean, not veer from the path? Do you mean, not become a monster? That's what I'm down here for, Coventina. You said you could help me"

"And I can, Virginia. But you must make the choice for me to do so"

"I have made my choice!"

"Hush! Wait and see. Don't be so sure until you have seen"

"I have seen. In my dreams, I have seen" Virginia choked, brushing away tears angrily. There was no response, from within her mind or without. She threw down her pack on the ground, sitting beside it finally. She rolled up her cloak to use as a pillow, leaving one corner loose to dry her face with. Damn this place, these people, these infernal meddlers! After a time, she fell at last into sleep.

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Scarlett knew that her cheeks were flushed with a most unladylike glow, but she threw back her crimson hood, not caring who saw. The cool morning air caressed her face, toying with her blonde ringlets, most of which had come undone from their pins and clasps. Great Gods, how long had it been since she'd ridden out from Hooded Castle? Far too long. It seemed she had spent all the best days of summer holed up in that stifling place, her skin growing pale and her eyesight poor in the dim light. Scarlett patted the proud crest of her favourite mount, Arrow. The firey black stallion was the terror of the stables, apparently, but Scarlett loved him for his strength and showy pace. Her court advisors were beside themselves every time she rode out on him, but Scarlett knew herself to be a competent horsewoman, riding astride when all the other noble ladies sat demurely on their sidesaddles.

The Queen glanced back over her shoulder to see those same few ladies gripping their reins with white knuckles. She stifled a laugh. Well, she was setting a fast pace after all. Scarlett was tempted to send several of them back, just to see the looks on the faces of those that she bade stay. But whilst the weather remained clear, she would keep them with her. She was a Queen, after all, and there were many things that a Queen needed that common men-at-arms could not ever be privy to. Arrow snorted loudly, his breath forming great clouds of steam. The red plume attached to his bridle waved in the breeze. He wanted to run, Scarlett knew, but she held him in check, knowing the heavy frost on the ground would be treacherous going for a few more hours at least.

All around her ranged her personal guards. Trusted men, many with ties of blood to the Riding Hood family. Scarlett's own sister's husband was their captain. He was a dour, serious man, but Scarlett as a much younger woman had once considered him consort material. But her mother, the then Queen Auburn, had had much grander plans for her eldest daughter. Scarlett recalled the day well. Auburn had called the young girl into her private chambers, which was a rarity in itself. The princess had thought herself to be in trouble and had been running various excuses and explanations in her mind as the maid announced her.

"Come here, Scarlett" her mother had said, gesturing imperiously with one bejewelled hand. Scarlett had knelt dutifully at her mother's feet, trying not to show discomfort from the tight laces on her bodice. The Queen had reached to finger her daughter's golden locks. "You will be a great beauty one day, my Scarlett. My women tell me you have become enamoured of a certain guardsman. This will stop, today". The princess had not dared to protest, but her cheeks had flamed as severely as her name. Had it been that obvious to everyone? The Queen continued on. "My dear, I have good news. As you know, I have just returned from our neighbouring Kingdom. When I was there, I had the opportunity to look upon the heir to that throne. A comely enough youth, that one. He is being well schooled by his tutors. I let his regents, who rule for him until his majority, know that I was well pleased with what I had seen in their prince"

Scarlett had been dumbfounded at the revelation. Although not a single name had been used, she knew exactly of whom her mother had spoken. Wendell, the Prince of the Fouth Kingdom. Dismissed from her mother's presence, Scarlett had gone over what little she knew about him. He was younger than she by about five years, and recently bereft of his father. And that was at the hands of his own step-mother, if rumours were to be believed, thought the young princess, blushing at the scandal. Now, this Evil Queen had been locked up somewhere and the young boy was growing up as best he could amid stuffy old retainers. Scarlett had never seen him in person. She wondered idly what he looked like. More pertinently, she wondered what his Kingdom was like.

"...my Lady? Ahem...my Lady?". The coarse voice of her guard captain intruded on Scarlett's thoughts. She sighed just loudly enough to let him know she was displeased at his interuption of her musings.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Would my Queen wish to stop for refreshments?". Scarlett glanced around. The sun was high in the sky, all the frost burned off. How long had she been daydreaming? The looks on her guards faces told her.

"That would be welcome" she spoke, putting her carefully controlled neutral expression back in place. Goodness knows what she'd looked like just now when she'd been thinking about Wendell. The guard called a halt immediately and Scarlett could all but hear the sighs of relief from her court as they dismounted. Pages and servants clustered round the baggage train, and within minutes a great travelling pavillion had been set up. The strange masked man who she had bidden ride with them hung back behind the others, his dark cloak drawn close as though he feared that even the squirrels might accost him. Scarlett shook herself out of her reverie as she slipped down from Arrow, eyeing the tall trees surrounding them. Like all in her family, she had an almost instinctive dislike of forests. They harboured too many dangerous things in their shadows.

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Despite the seemingly warm welcome laid on by the gypsy folk, Wolf told himself firmly once more to keep his guard up. It was late evening on the second day since they had been 'discovered' by the caravan. Since it appeared that these gypsies were travelling in the same direction as Wolf and his companions were, he and Will had come to a silent agreement to fall in with them, for now anyway. There were as many advantages as disadvantages to such a move, of course. Travelling as part of the troop gave them a cover of sorts should they meet unexpectedly with soldiers, although it had to be said that gypsies were as regularly disliked in most parts of this Kingdom as wolves were. Gypsy folk were well skilled in tracking and staying off the beaten tracks and at the very least would provide adequate warning (or diversion) if anyone thought to accost them, thought Wolf. Of course the caravan could just as easily put any passing soldiers on their case and hope to gain a financial reward. Wolf had carefully appraised the level of wealth of the troop and had found them to be quite prosperous looking, so he doubted that any of them would be wanting to make a quick gold coin from turning in a couple of half-wolf's who had strayed well into Red territory.

Wolf stretched out his long legs, warming the soles of his feet next to the fire. A spitted deer, fat with summer-stored fat, hung suspended over the coals. The occasional splash of hot fat filled the campsite with mouthwatering aromas. Wolf tried to think about something else, even though he knew he would be entitled to a share of the meat since he and Will had helped in it's hunting. He glanced over to see his brother engrossed in a simple story that he was relating to the camp youngsters. The children's eyes were wide as the tale drew to it's climax. Even some of the adults nearby were listening in, Wolf saw, and it was a testament to his brother's skills that he was able to hold their jaded attention as well.

"He's very good isn't he?" said a female voice in his ear. Wolf jumped, partially because he hadn't heard her sneaking up on him, but also because the speaker herself made him feel awkward. She had introduced herself as Tracey within minutes of his arriving and had seemed determined to stick by his side since then. She was slender, graceful in the way that most gypsy women were. She had already demonstrated her ability to sneak up on people when they were unawares. Tracey had danced around the fire on that first night, and Wolf had thought her beautiful and strong. He had thought that she probably even had a touch of wolf blood in her from a distant ancestor, as so many of the gypsy folk did without their even being aware of such things. Untailed and unfanged, these people still had that certain wildness about them that made their heritage all too obvious to those who knew how to see it.

Wolf edged over a little to give her a space next to him. To him it was patently obvious that this woman wanted far more from him than he was prepared to give. It was not a new situation for Wolf. He knew quite well that he was considered attractive by many females of both species. Were he to have spent his adulthood solely within the wolfen communities, he might well have gathered more than one mate to himself and thus founded his own pack. It was a common enough set up for his people, but humans were very different. His Virginia would never accept another female, and Wolf knew he would never ask her to. His heart and soul were too fully captured by her anyway. There was just nothing left for anyone else. So Wolf sat quietly and allowed Tracey to fuss over and admire him, letting only a very small part of his self feel good about it. He was male after all.

"Where are your cubs, I mean, your children?" he asked her. He had seen the two little one's earlier, but they were not a part of the story gathering.

"Oh, I caught them throwing stones at your goblin friend. I suppose I should have let the goblin punish them, but I won't stand by and let them develop bad manners. They're confined to my wagon for a week"

"I see" said Wolf, trying to spot where Clayface had hidden himself. The gypsies had been wary of him when he had slunk into camp on Wolf's heels yesterday, but he suspected that they had had little dealings with goblin folk. After Clayface had shown no signs of dangerous behaviour, they had relaxed their guard with him, even inviting him to sing with them in the mornings. Wolf spotted the goblin sitting up on one of the wagon roofs, busy scratching away at that odd shaped piece of stone that he always carried around. Wolf didn't know what Clayface was carving, but he recalled that he had often done so whilst in prison. The goblin's teeth flashed white in the gloom as he smiled broadly at Wolf from his perch. Then he made a point of staring hard at the rising moon. Wolf followed his gaze, seeing the increasingly thin sliver rise from behind the hills. He frowned at it. Only a few more nights remained before the new moon would grace the sky. Wolf wondered if Virginia was sensing the inevitable process creeping up on her. The werewolf whose company Wolf kept on this night gave nothing away in his expression.

"You don't agree?" said Tracey, seeing his frown and misinterpreting it. It took Wolf a few seconds before he could remember what they had been talking about. Oh, the naughty cubs.

"Oh, of course I agree. Cripes, if my brother and I had grown up with a little more discipline..." he started, feeling at once that he was betraying his parent's memories. Not to mention his brother's issues regarding their deaths and the supposed cause of the same. Wolf hoped that Will hadn't heard his little slip. Hoping to change the subject, he brought up another pertinent one.

"So, explain again just how you're related to my brother's cub?" he asked her.

"His cub mother is my half sister's cousin" replied Tracy as though such vague ties were a common thing in all communities. Wolf knew that he wouldn't likely consider such distant relations as family, but then he knew that gypsies on the whole tended to consider themselves one giant one. But there had been a hidden shadow in Tracy's voice that he had detected, almost a touch of dislike when she mentioned the other caravan. Were they feuding somehow? It seemed that gypsy folk were ever at conflict with each other, despite the united front they liked to cultivate with outsiders. He could only hope that he and his brother would not get caught up in it due to their relationship with a youngster from another camp. Wolf wondered what the cub was like, in manner and appearance. In human terms, she would be his niece, although in wolf families he would be considered a pack mate and a father to her as well. Will had told him that he had last seen his cub only a few weeks earlier, on his way to the disenchanted forest and a reunion with his brother, but by now they could be anywhere of course. One mile or a hundred, you could never tell which way gypsy folk would go at any one time.

There was a sudden applause from the other side of camp, where Willem had obviously finished off his story with a flourish. The camp children were all smiles as they each stood politely to thank him. Wolf saw his eyes sparkling with pleasure at the childish adoration. He found himself suddenly hoping with a fervour that they would meet up with Lena's caravan, just to allow Will the time with his cub. Wolf missed Caelum dreadfully. Cub's were rarely, if ever, left behind when their parents went off gallivanting across the country. It had taken every inch of Wolf's resolve to ride away from his son that day and Will had done so on several occasions since he had become a father. Will managed to extricate himself from the youngsters and make the solemn, almost ceremonial first slice into the spit of meat over the fire. There was plenty to go around, even with two half-wolf guests.

The full stomachs put everyone in a good mood that evening. There was much singing and dancing and Wolf noticed that even the recitent Elias had come from whatever shadow he'd slunk into to join in the revelry. The man had not made much of an effort to mix with the gypsies and they had in turn mostly avoided him. Whatever they had thought about the tall silent man going about with two wolf's and a goblin they had kept to themselves. Wolf had been at pains to avoid any direct mention of what they were doing, or their destination. Gyspies were infernally nosy people and he didn't want them asking too many questions that didn't have answers. Only one more day and he and the others would have to leave this caravan and strike out by themselves. Clayface had confirmed Wolf's guess as to their destination. They were heading for a still, cold lake, the source of the Ruby River that flowed through the Second Kingdom and her tributaries that branched out over the lands ajoining it. In fact, one could say that the waters of the Coven Lake flowed into nearly every corner of the Nine Kingdoms Wolf realised, picturing the map in his mind.

In was very early in the morning hours when Wolf found himself awake and alert in his bedroll by the fire. Next to him, Elias sprawled in sleep, but further over, a pale gleam of eyeshine showed Will to be awake as well. Wolf listened hard, trying to pick out from the normal night sounds that which had intruded on his wolfish senses to alert him. Soft snores and sighs of sleeping gypsies, distant gurgle of the river, hoot of hunting owl overhead. There, a distant chime, like a bell. A gypsy bell, coming towards them, following the trail they had forged earlier that day. Another caravan approached then. Wolf sat up, seeing that Will had risen. Wolf wanted to warn him to keep down in case the strangers meant trouble with bows and arrows, but before he could speak his brother bounded forward, his nostrils wide as he scented the air in front. The approaching caravan was now making enough noise for even some of the gypsies to startle awake and Wolf heard them cursing quietly as they fumbled with clothes and weapons. Suddenly a shrill whistle came from the bushes off to the side and the branches parted to reveal a small figure. In the poor light Wolf used his nose to determine it was a child of his kindred, but also one dressed as a gypsy, no doubt using her superior senses to find the trail in the dark for her caravan. But Wolf had no time to react as Will leapt towards the figure, scooping her up in a tight embrace. The child twisted in his arms to whistle sharply once more, and Wolf heard it answered many times. He barely noticed that the gypsies had lowered their weapons as they obviously recognized and welcomed the strangers. His whole focus was on Will and the little girl. They turned towards him and a stray beam of starlight fell on her face, making Wolf's heart stand still for a moment in his chest. She was the very image of his own mother as she lingered in his pained memories. Wolf knew he was grinning like a simpleton but he didn't care.

"You must be Alice" he managed to babble at her as Will toted her over to him. The little girl smiled, holding his gaze with that direct way that gypsies had, but did not answer him. Wolf saw Willem's eyes were brimming with tears as he kissed his daughter over and over on her rosy cheeks whilst scanning the night for the other intruders who were calling out greetings as they came forward.

"Alice, where's your mother?" he asked his cub, in between kisses. The child's face seemed to crumple in on itself, but her voice was strong and low when it came.

"My mother is dead"