Sorry for the long wait. I had some health issues. I also realized there were some major mistakes in the previous chapters so I need to fix that.
Enjoy.
Three months later.
"Stop that, young lady!"
Wendy shrank in her seat and stopped rocking.
Her father smiled and reached over and patted her head.
"Let her be, mother. She is just excited."
"Excited!" Arthur echoed on the other side of the table.
Wendy looked up at her father expectantly.
He nodded still smiling. "You can go..."
The girl's eyes sparkled at the meaning of his words and ran up the stairs to get dressed.
Her mother smiled lovingly.
"She still has chores to do." She mumbled as she fed Arthur some porridge.
Edward was waiting for her when she came to the stable.
Normally he would be during his chores. Wendy had been told that starting that spring, she had to prepare the horses herself when she went to ride them.
Not that she minded. She knew how to do it.
"I want to come with you." He said.
"What would you do?" She asked with a raised brow.
He held up a bag. "Pick berries."
Wendy smiled. "Have you asked mother?"
"He did not!"
Both children turned to their mother standing at the stable door.
She smiled and gently stepped closer. "You both want to help, but … " she rested a hand on Edward's head. "There aren't many berries this early in the spring."
The boy's face fell.
The mother looked from one to the other.
"Take him with you," She then said. "According to your father, he will need to learn to hunt soon..."
She did not finish the sentence but smiled as Wendy got on the horse and helped Edward up behind her.
The forest seemed especially aglow as Temper galloped down their usual path.
Wendy felt Edward's arms tighten around her waist.
She smiled.
Her eyes caught a bird and she aimed her bow.
The arrow hit a tree.
She let Temper slow down and Edward sighed behind her.
"Can we take a break now?" He asked in between gasps for air.
Wendy steered Temper to the right. "Let's explore a little first."
"Should you not be hunting?" Edward asked as Wendy twirled a flower between her fingers.
She rolled over and smiled lazily at her brother.
"It will be fine. I don't have to bring something back every day."
They were taking a break from exploring and resting by a large lake.
Wendy bit into her part of the bread and looked towards the sky.
"I feel so free out here, if I could … I do not think I would go back."
Edward looked at her puzzled and followed her gaze.
Three black birds almost seemed to float in the air about them.
"You do not want to go home?" He asked and studied the flask in his hand.
There was no more water.
She smiled at him and patted his head. "Of course I do. Besides … You all need me..."
The girl suddenly sat up. Her eyes were fixed on the edge of the forest.
Edward looked on in silence as his sister got up and grabbed the bow and quiver lying beside her.
She silently put an arrow on the bowstring and let it go.
The arrow disappeared into the forest and Wendy followed after it.
Edward sat in the grass confused.
He looked at the flask in his hands and then at the lake.
He was really thirsty.
Temper huffed as he got up. He had completely forgotten that the horse was there. It had been so quiet.
He shrugged and stepped closer to the lake. The closer he got, the louder the horse got.
Edward turned to the animal. It was neighing loudly and stomping its hooves.
Apart from the horse, the clearing was quiet.
He knew that Temper was easily agitated, but he could not see what was irritating him.
From the lake behind him a strange sound played.
It was a melody. But … he had never heard that instrument before...
Wendy looked through the trees.
She was sure she had seen something moving at the forest's edge, but she neither find her prey nor her arrow.
As she stepped further into the forest a strange humming glided through the air.
Who is she...? a voice whispered.
The girl stopped and looked around.
There was no one around.
She is a hunter... another answered.
Wendy felt the hairs on her arms stand up and she stopped.
The voices giggled in hushed tones.
She breathed heavily and continued to walk.
There were fairies here … should she just turn back and leave it.
We are scaring her... a voice whispered.
She was brave the last time... another hummed.
Lighthearted laughter rang out around her.
Something small ran through the trees up ahead, but … it looked more human than animal.
Wendy stepped forward, but then stumbled over a rock.
She fell and hit the ground. When she opened her eyes her arrow was lying right in front of her nose.
The voices quieted down.
There was no blood on it.
She brushed herself off and turned to go back to Edward, but as she turned she froze.
A woman … no an elven stood between the trees and looked at her in silence.
She was beautiful.
Her hair was as dark as the winter night, in contrast with her almost snow-white skin. Her eyes had no pupils but were a sea of glittering blue.
She was dressed in a beautiful light green dress with gold threads and ribbons sown in, matching the ribbons and pearls in her hair.
Wendy had no doubt. This was the elven queen.
They both stood there looking at each other.
Wendy realized, she was still clutching the arrow she found on the ground.
The elven queen leaned her head to the side and seemed to study her.
Should she drop the arrow?
Then the elven queen broke their eye contact and looked in the direction of the lake.
Confused Wendy slowly turned her head to look in that direction, when she heard Temper's furious neighing.
Edward!
She ran through the forest, finally making it back to the clearing.
Temper was by the lake neighing, huffing, and standing on his hide legs.
Edward was slowly walking into the lake, water going up to his thigh.
"Edward!" She called out to her little brother, as she ran towards him.
She didn't notice the strange melody in the air or what Edward was walking toward.
Water splashed around Wendy, as she went into the lake.
Edward did not react to her at all but just continued slowly deeper into the lake.
In a panic, Wendy hooked her arms under his shoulders and pulled him backward.
Wendy managed to pull him back a little but then lost her footing.
Both of them fell backward and Wendy got pushed under the water.
She pushed franticly at Edward's back, as the water burned her nose.
As her butt hit the bottom of the lake, she managed to get her head above water.
She gasped and tried to pull Edward toward the edge of the lake.
He was completely stiff.
She franticly paddled toward the edge, as something glided toward them.
Edward seemed to come out of whatever trance he was in.
He suddenly screamed and tried to pull away from Wendy.
"Edward!" She gasped and looked back.
Just a foot more into the lake a man-like figure rose out of the water.
A skeletal muddy hand grabbed at Edward's ankle. It looked like an old man covered in mud.
The children crawled backward through the water. Both were scared to look away from the muddy thing.
As it almost got hold of Edward, it suddenly looked up towards the edge of the lake.
Then it slowly sunk back into the lake.
The children sat still in the water afraid to move.
Wendy felt her breath calm down and got up. She helped Edward stand up and they walked together out of the lake.
They collapsed on the grass unsure of what had just happened to them.
Wendy noticed that she had dropped the arrow, she had been clutching, into the water.
She sat up and looked at her little brother, who was somewhere in between huffing and crying.
Temper pushed at her back with his nose.
Wendy reached up and patted the horse's chin.
"Let us go home for today..." She breathed.
Edward just nodded and stood up.
As she looked for somewhere, Edward could stand to better get on the horse, something caught her eye.
It was the arrow.
It was lying on the edge of the lake like it had washed up. But it was a lake … there was no wind at all.
So ... tell me what you think.
I'll try to update regularly, but we'll see what 2023 brings.