CHAPTER 31

"Now, before I begin, I want you to promise to keep this a secret, even from her. Minerva is a very private person, and there have been many bad things that have happened to her that she wants to forget. Do you promise?"

"Yes." Finn replied.

"Good. I guess the best place to start is 19 years ago. One day, while I was walking in the woods, I heard a faint cry. I followed the sound to a wild cabbage patch. At first, I didn't see anything. Then I heard the cry again. Then I noticed movement within the vines of the patch. I go in closer, and that is where I found her."

Jake nearly falls out of his chair. He remembers teasing Finn about him being found in a cabbage patch, but didn't think he'll actually see it happen to someone. He continues to listen to the villager's story.

"She was very tiny and frail. Her skin color was a very pale green, like she has now. It was like the woods was the one that gave birth to her. It was getting cold, so I wrapped her in my cloak and took her to our village."

Finn nods and understands all too well. He was abandoned in the woods as a baby too. He is still thankful for being found by Joshua and Margaret, and for them taking him in and raising him as their son. He continues to listen to the villager's story.

"When I got back to the village, I went before our town's leader, Huron, who was Garrick's father. He decided to take her in and raise her as his and his wife's daughter, since they lost their baby girl during childbirth. They named her Minerva, as that was the name they were planning to give to their baby. The only one who wasn't pleased by this was Garrick. He resented the idea about his parents taking her in and showering her with affection that he thought should go to him and him alone."

Finn is stunned. Garrick is her brother? This will make stopping him more difficult, as he doesn't know if Huntress Wizard will feel conflicted about having to face him in battle. He continues to listen on.

"However, Garrick played the part of a loving brother while secretly hating her. Then, as Minerva turned one, everyone began to notice that she was different than all the other young children. Instead of growing hair, she grew leaves. Beautiful, bright green leaves like she has now. Her parents and the other villagers except for myself were scared, thinking it was some sort of curse. They took her to every doctor and wizard they could find, and none of them could figure out what to do. So, they cut off the leaves, but they grew back the moment they were cut. So they covered her hair with a hood so she wouldn't stand out. Everything went well until she was five. One day, Ice King was travelling through our village. The villagers got the idea to ask him about Minerva's condition, and to see if there was anything he could do. He tried a spell, but instead of the leaves turning to hair, it caused her to grow antlers."

Finn continues to listen and wonder. This man is going into great detail about everything. Huntress Wizard having leaves for hair and antlers doesn't matter to him. The details about Garrick do matter, as he loves Huntress Wizard and doesn't want her to get hurt, or worse. The villager continues on.

"After that, they decided to saw off the antlers. But after a few weeks, they grew back again. Her parents then decided to keep her locked indoors, so no one would ogle or make fun of her. Shortly after that, a famine hit our village. As Huron went to survey the damage to the crops, Minerva managed to wander outside when her nanny was distracted. Everyone stopped and looked at her as she walked toward her father. Huron saw her and gave her a hug and held her hand as he continued to talk to a farmer. Minerva saw one of the wilted plants and bent over and touched it. As she did, the plant fully revived and produced fruit. Everyone that saw it was amazed. They had her touch every plant and the crops were saved. That day, she was no longer feared, and became the most loved person in our village."

At that moment, Rose and Huntress Wizard fly out of the tree.

"We'll continue our story later." The villager tells Finn.

Rose and Huntress Wizard land, and Huntress Wizard grows back to normal size. Rose then flies back into the tree.

"How did it go?" Finn asks.

"Not well. A lot of them are still mad at me. They gave me a few bags of pixie dust, but that's the extent of the help they're going to give."

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be, my love. We'll find a way to get through this. It's getting late, so let's camp out here for the night. We'll leave out in the morning."

"Okay."

The night was proving to be restless for Finn. He gets up, and sits by the fire. The villager that was telling him about Huntress Wizard sits across from him.

"Do you want me to continue where I left off?" He asks Finn.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, then."

The villager continues his story.