Chapter Two: The Long Road
For ten years, Catherine was miserable. She had moved from town to town, searching for work. But needless to say she had very little luck as every child she touched, she cursed either dumb, deaf or blind. Shortly afterwards she was sent away. Finally, Catherine travelled through the country until one day she came to a small village. She settled herself at an Inn and ordered a meal. While she was there, a little girl came up to her and started speaking to her. While their conversation carried on, the little girl touched her. Catherine withdrew quickly, but to her surprise the child was not cursed.
"What a strange child," she said. Testing her luck, she touched the child again but she was still not cursed.
"What's the matter ma'am?" she asked.
"Who are you?" Catherine asked.
"My name is Tanya," she answered. "My Mum is just over there. She wants to talk to you," the girl continued. Catherine let the girl lead her to the woman sitting at a table on her own. The table had a cloth across it and was decorated with stones, a candle and a deck of tarot cards*.
"Greetings child. I hear upon the wind of your troubles. My Great Aunt has cursed you to injure children upon a single touch. But your service to the children of this world does not go unnoticed to my Great Aunts. Tanya, being a great decendant of them is immune to your curse. Pick a card form my deck and we shall see what they have to say." The woman took up the deck and fanned out the cards. Catherine, feeling she had little to lose, picked a card but as she pulled it out of the fan, two more fell out with it. The woman turned the cards over one at a time. The first card was a woman sitting amoungst four swords.
"It is time for you to rest from your curse. Come and stay with me and Tanya and help me raise her." She turned the second card, showing a man trying to balance on two staffs as if they were stilts. "You are not in this alone. You need to seek people who can aid you in your curse. I will direct you to my Sister who can aid you. But lastly..." She turned the final card over. A woman was sitting with a man pouring water form her goblet to his, with other goblets lying around. "You must remember that looking after children is your calling, and where you put your emotions. Do not give up." The woman put the cards away and stood up. "Stay here tonight and consider what I have said, but you can find me in the forest at the end of the thinnest trail." The woman called Tanya over and they were away. Catherine, who had not a word to say, retired to her room.
The following morning, Catherine made her way to the forest and followed the thinnest trail she could find. Sure enough, at the end of the trail was a large house. Built of wood and straw, much like a wood-cutters cottage, Catherine went over a small creek and up to the door. Before she could knock, the door opened and a young woman was standing there. her hair was the most beautiful shade of blonde.
"Greetings Catherine, how are you? We have been expecting you all morning," she said with a small curtsy and a smile. She becconed Catherine inside and took her bag and cloak. Inside was Tanya who was writing in a book and the woman who had read her cards.
"Oh Catherine, at last," the woman said. She came over and took Catherine by the hand. "Welcome to this sanctuary. You know Tanya of course, and this here is Rose. She is under my protection from a most wicked witch. While we wait for events to transpire, she lives here."
"It is a pleasure to meet such a beautiful young woman," Catherine replied, "and how lovely to see Tanya again. But I do not know your name."
"Do forgive me, but at the Inn I am known as Madia the Mystic, but my proper name is Elle."
"Well, Tanya's name means Queen of the Fairies. Is she to be a royal member of the Fairies?" Catherine inquired, having worked out that Tanya was Elle's child.
"She will recieve her powers as she grows older," Elle explained. "But for now, she is simply blessed with fairy magic to protect her."
"And Elle is a name for Beautiful Fairy. As your looks are quite stunning." Catherine was quite taken in by Elle's beautiful looks for her age, which was almost hidden. "And Rose, clearly meaning the flower, is also anmae linked to horses and fame," Catherine finished.
"Thank you ma'am. I do so like horse-riding. I am going out riding later today if you wish to come along," Rose asked politely.
"I'd be delighted to my child," Catherine answered.
"Well, enough politeness, let's get you settled in," Elle said and led Catherine upstairs to a spare bedroom. As Catherine finished unpacking and had a look around, she came downstairs.
"Now then, dear Catherine, I would like you to help Tanya with her learning and etticate. Rose will need help with her education as well." Before Elle could say more, a gust a wind blew threw the house, blasting the doors and windows open, and a familiar figure appeared from a flash of lightening and flame.
"Get behind me children," Elle said, stepping forward as Caraboose appeared in her dark glory.
"Greetings, my dear niece," Caraboose said with a sneer.
"Caraboose, you are not welcome here," Elle said back shortly.
"And I see you are protecting Rose and Catherine. Do you think this would escape my notice? Did you think I wouldn't be able to effect them here?" Caraboose asked, stepping forward with a look of pure anger upon her face.
"As I am assigned the work, I take it," Elle snapped. "Now get out before I force you out. This is sacred magical ground where your power is not as strong," Elle pointed a finger at Caraboose threateningly.
"You dare challenge me?" Caraboose demanded, pointing a finger back. There was a flash of lightening as a bolt went flying at Elle, but a shield was formed and the bolt couldn't penetrate.
"Arise my children, hear my cry, take this evil and on her way to fly," called Elle. As she said this, many birds flew in through the open door and windows swooping and pecking Caraboose until she disappeared in a flash of flame and lightening. The birds then fled back out into the forest.
"Why is she so determined to hurt me?" Catherine asked.
"Caraboose has been spiteful since she was a child. She simply hurts anything she sees as a threat or to cause pain. She cursed you because you got in her way. But until you forfill her curse, she will be able to keep an eye on you."
"But I am already half way through my curse, so why doesn't she see how determined I am?" Catherine said.
"She still hopes to break you down. But you are strong Catherine. And how do you know how far through your curse you are?" Elle asked. Catherine ran upstairs and brought down the quilt she had been sewing. Upon half of it were fifty golden stars, the rest was still blank.
"I understand," Elle said. "Leave this with me and I shall make some altercations."
When the quilt was handed back, every star had a small gemstone sewen into the star, and Catherine was handed a bag of fifty gemstones for when she added more stars.
For six months, Catherine helped Elle bring up Rose and Tanya until Rose, cursed by the witch who found her location from Caraboose, put Rose into a deep sleep. Elle said that Catherine needed to move on now so that Rose could be looked after and that Catherine could finally rid herself of the curse. Directing her in the direction of her elder sister. Catherine set off. As she followed the path to the south, she passed through many villages. Despite her hearts reluctance, she still aided children until discovered to have removed one of the childs' senses. Finally, Catherine reached the south forest and, sure enough, found the house of Breen, Elle's older sister.
"Greetings Catherine," said a young boy as Catherine came to the door. Stepping inside, Catherine came face to face with a woman who looked quite similar to Elle, but her hair was a different color, as were her eyes. Catherine was just getting settled in when, as before, Caraboose appeared.
"So you are protecting Catherine now, dear niece." Caraboose snarled.
"Do not threaten me Caraboose, for it is I that weaves the magic that protects your Palace at the Forbidden Mountain. Even in your one hundred years of absence, I still protected it for you. Now leave before I banish you myself," Breen threatened.
"Very well Breen, but do not think Catherine will be here forever," Caraboose warned and disappeared. For six months, Catherine tended to the young boy's upbringing. The boy, Baily, was to learn about agriculture, as his magic would lead to the protection of harvests and farms. But after six months, Baily was to go and learn the magic of the fields with one of the older fairies, and was sent to live with her. Catherine took direction to see Breenas' older sister in the west, and she set off.
As Catherine travelled, still begrudgingly passing on the curse to children she met or cared for, she reached the next sister fairy in the western forest.
"Greetings Catherine," said a young man as Catherine came to the door," my name is Daire. Do come in. Faida is waiting for you," he said as he offered her a hand to enter.
"Thank you Daire. A name meaning wealth should bring you a wealth of manners as well as wealth itself," Catherine said with a smile. Inside, Catherine met another woman looking very similar to her younger sisters, but her hair was a shook white and her eyes were almost clear if not for the faint trace of blue.
"Hello child," said Faida. "Welcome to my home. I have spoken with my Sisters, and I am happy for you to reside here and help my son Daire with his education, but I must warn you to be careful. It is I who makes the wings that are given to new fairy, and you must not touch the hanging materials in the attic, for they are very fragile and can be damaged easily." As Faida finished speaking, a familiar gust of wind blew open the door and windows and in came Caraboose.
"So it is your turn Faida, to protect this cursed woman," Caraboose growled. "I will not put up with this. She is cursed and that is all. None of you can protect her forever." Caraboose pointed her finger at Faida, but then retracted almost immediutely.
"That's right Caraboose, you know I will damage your wings should you dare to mess with Catherine while she is here. And we both know that it will make you mortal. Do not make me do what no one has dared do before today." Caraboose looked like she was going to blast lightening everywhere, but in her fury she left.
Catherine stayed on at the residence of Faida for a good six months, allowing herself rest from her curse and to raise Daire to understand money and financing. When the time came for Daire to visit the fairy queen for his blessings, Catherine was also dismissed, given directions to the fairy in the north. Catherine, knowing her curse was soon to end, went forth into the kingdom again. As time passed, she realised she was returning to her home town where she once looked after the Princess Aurora, who must have been nearing her sixteenth birthday after all this time. Catherine looked at herself in the reflextion of a near stream, seeing how her skin was beginning to age and her hair to lighten. Feeling weak but determined, Catherine pressed on until she reached the village outside Aurora's castle. Here, she passed through without anyone recognising her. She then continued into the forest beyond, now knowing it as the North forest. There, she found the wood-cutters cottage she had stayed in on the very first night she had been dismissed from the castle. But instead of it being abandoned, there was someone living there and the cottage had been repaired. Knocking upon the door, who should answer but the Fairy who had lifted a part of her curse.
*The tarot deck dexcribbed in this chapter is 'Tarot of the Old Path', a British styled deck designed to reflect the day and age this story is set. The Tarot cards drawn from the deck are the four of swords, meaning rest and recovery; the two of rods reversed, representing the lack of ability to do things on one's own without seeking aid; the four of cups, representing the emotions one pours into another person, thing, event, hobby, etc.