The Spider's Web

By: Ariella24

Prologue: Lady Zella

Summary: Lady Zella of Ider's Peak has never told her daughter about her past. She had tried to forget it herself. But now it is said that Lady Zella is going mad, and Arania must go on a journey to find out about her mother's past to save her. On the way, she will learn surprising things about herself as well.

(Note: Rated for certain material that is not appropriate for children.)

A/N: Whee! First chapter (really a prologue) of a new story. Yippee! I hope you like it. If you can't tell what fairy tale it's based on right now, that's okay, though I think I made it pretty obvious. If not, there's a whole big back story to this that will come out as the story continues. For now, read the prologue. :-) Enjoy!

--Arie


Greta Longspry heard someone walking around on her porch. Curious, she went to the window. There was a girl—she couldn't be more than nineteen—lying on the porch. Her blonde hair was short and matted, as if it had not seen a comb in a long time. Her eyes were closed. Even in the half-light of the rainy day, Greta could see that the girl's face was sunburned and careworn. What struck her most, though, was that the girl was pregnant. Very pregnant.

Poor lamb, she thought. I wonder where she came from. I'd best bring her inside.

She stepped out on the porch and touched the girl on the shoulder. "Wake up, dearie. You shouldn't be out here on a day like this."

The girl woke with a start. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. She scrambled backward. "Don't touch me!"

Greta frowned. Poor lamb, she thought again. "My name is Greta Longspry," she said. "You're on my porch. What's your name?"

The girl murmured something. Greta caught only the last part of it. "Zel."

"Zel? What a pretty name. Would you like to come inside, Zel? It's warm and dry in there. You look as though you could use a real bed and a bowl of stew." Greta smiled at her.

The girl hesitantly returned the smile. "All right," she said. Slowly she rose to her feet and followed Greta inside.

Over the next few hours, Zel ate and slept. When she finally woke up, she told Greta her story. Or at least, she said it was her story. Greta wasn't too sure.

"I was living in the woods. A man came to me every night and we fell in love. My mother found out I was carrying his child and I was thrown out of my house. I haven't seen the man since."

It could have happened but it was so vague. Greta thought there must be more to it than what Zel had told her but she wasn't going to press the issue.

"You poor thing," she said. "Don't you know that it's never all right for a man to lie with you without your consent?"

"But I told him it was all right," said Zel. "It was nice."

"But now you're pregnant, and the father is nowhere to be found."

Zel nodded glumly. "I know. I can't decide whether to hate him or to keep hoping he'll find me."

"He won't find you," said Greta firmly. "Men never come after a woman unless they know she's carrying their child. You never told him, so he doesn't know. Most likely he's found some other girl to marry." It was a harsh thing to say and Greta knew it. But it would be better to make the girl want to forget. Let her leave that life behind and start a new one here in Ider's Peak. It would be for the best.

Zel's eyes filled with tears again. She buried her face in her hands.

Greta hugged her gently. "Poor lamb. It'll all turn out for the best, you'll see. You can stay here with me. I'll bring you with me to work when you're feeling better. I work for Lord Bernard. He lives up there on the hill." She pointed out the window. "They need a nursemaid for some of the servants' children there. You could learn about children, to prepare yourself. Would you like that?"

Zel nodded.

"Good. As soon as you feel up to it—and when this rain stops—I'll take you up there and get you settled."

"Thank you, Greta," murmured Zel. She settled back on the bed and fell asleep again. Greta sat by the bed for a long time and thought about what Zel had told her.

A week later, Zel started work at the manor of Lord Bernard of Ider's Peak. The lord himself was an old man, with a very long, gray beard, and cloudy eyes. He was nearly deaf, almost blind, and completely toothless. He spoke in a mumble that was never quite understandable, but his face was very expressive. He was sympathetic toward the girl, and allowed her to live in the nursery with the children, instead of staying at Greta's house and taking her bed.

There were three girls and a boy at the manor. Zel seemed to like them, and they liked her. They called her Zellie. Zel played with the little girls and was happy but whenever she saw the boy, she began to cry. A week after she got there, the boy's mother stopped bringing him to work with her. Zel was grateful. Greta was worried.

Two months passed quickly. One morning the oldest girl that Zel looked after, Susan, ran into the room where Greta and Susan's mother, Helen, were sewing.

"Something's wrong with Zellie!" she said. "Come quick!"

Greta dropped her sewing and followed the girl. She knew what was happening as soon as she saw Zel. The girl was lying on the floor in a pool of water, crying and moaning.

"You're having the baby," Greta said. "You're going to be all right." Calling to two of the male servants, she had Zel carried to her room next to the nursery.

For the rest of the day, Zel cried and screamed, causing everyone in the manor to rush to the room. Greta kept most of them out until at last, two tiny bundles were laid in Zel's arms.

"There you are, love," said Greta proudly. "A darling girl and a very handsome little boy."

Zel looked at the babies, who were sleeping peacefully. "Which is the boy?" she asked weakly.

"The one in the blue blanket," said Greta, surprised.

The young mother shuddered. "Take him away," she said. "I don't want him."

Greta, and everyone else in the room, gasped. "You can't just give him away!" said Greta, horrified.

"Then kill him," said Zel. She spoke in a calm, icy tone that none of them had heard her use before. "I don't want to see him again. Take him away."

"You can't kill your own child!" said one of the maids indignantly. "It would be murder!'"

Greta gave her a look. Zel was acting strangely, but with her past Greta could almost understand. The boy reminded her of his father, whoever he was, and Zel was still trying to put that behind her. "The poor lamb doesn't know what she's saying," she said in a low whisper. "Let's take the child for now and we'll see if she doesn't come to her senses soon enough."

She took the boy from Zel. As she did, the other baby woke up and began to wail. She did not stop until Zel began to feed her.

Each morning, Greta brought the boy child to Zel, trying to get her to accept him. Each day, Zel refused to even look at him. After a week, Greta gave up. She brought the child to a poor couple in the village, a cobbler and his wife who had no children. They were glad to accept him. A few years later, the family moved away from Ider's Peak. Greta didn't bother to keep in touch with them. There was no point. Zel didn't want her other child and she would not have accepted him again if she knew where he was. Better to let the boy grow up somewhere else, with a family who would love him the way he should be loved.

The girl child was named Arania. Zel loved her. As she grew older her hair turned bright red and her eyes became a deep, serious gray. Zel kept her daughter's hair short, never letting it grow past the girl's shoulders.

Greta still didn't think that Zel had told her the whole story of how she came to be pregnant with Arania and her twin but she never asked again. Zel was considered a little strange by the villagers but they liked her well enough. They liked Arania more.

When Arania was seven years old, Lord Bernard finally passed away. He left the entire estate to Zel, who had come to be called Zella, and to Arania. Lady Zella mourned for her old friend but then she got down to the business of ruling over the town of Ider's Peak. She seemed to have finally put all thoughts of her old life out of her mind. She was a good ruler and the people liked her and her daughter. But ten years after Lord Bernard's death, Lady Zella began having nightmares.