Learn To Cook

2

The thick wooden gates slammed shut behind her, the sound resonating in her feet.  She swayed, uneasy, as she stared out into the woods.  They were dark, unfamiliar, and growing more unsettling as the sun fell.   She looked at the trail, winding into the menacing trees, and clenched her jaw, as she took her first step away from the shelter of the kingdom, onto ground she had never tread.  

Every noise was like an electric shock, tightening every muscle, making her leap forward.  Every few minutes, something would scare her so badly that she would take off running, and risk losing the trail, now made only dimly visible by the full moon overhead.  

The moon offered her no comfort though, as she thought of full moons in the past, when she would tell violent, bloody stories of hideous werewolves as her siblings insisted she continue from under the covers.  That had been years ago now, but she remembered those stories well, and though she would have never admitted it, they sent a chill up her spine.  

Nevertheless, Delilah was grateful for the fear, it blocked out the cold, which she was far less equipped for.  She didn't know how cold it had to be for one to freeze to death, but she had no doubt she would if she were to stop.  Besides, she worried she might be in a part of the woods frequented by criminals.  

'Maybe they'll accept me as one of their own, after hearing my story,' she thought to herself, half joking, half hoping.

She kept her eyes pointed down, struggling now to follow the trail as the trees above grew thicker.   Her task kept her mind occupied and she was at ease for a moment, but her eyes shot up and her blood went cold as she heard the noise of something approaching. 

Loud, thunderous pounding came quickly from behind her, but she was frozen to the spot.  She was too afraid to move, too afraid to hide.  Her heart beat so loudly and so quickly she could barely differentiate that from the sound of the sickening hammering.  It was an animal, some huge, no doubt hungry animal.  SHe had no weapon and nowhere to go to escape a bear, or a mountain lion, or a werewo-. Horse.  She untensed as her brain recognised the sound of a horse, for a moment she could breath, until her brain flipped again and alerted her that here, in the unknown depths of the forest, she should still be afraid.  And her heart raced .  She tried now to hide but the horse, and it's rider had seen her.

"Halt." the rider shouted.

She stopped, only inches away from where she had frozen.  

Her back was still  turned to the rider and the horse, but she heard his feet hit the ground and a second later his shadowy silhouette came into view.  

He stood a few feet away from her, facing her, seemingly waiting for her to speak.   When she didn't, he stepped forward slightly and spoke to her gently but inquisitively.

"What are you doing here?"

She cleared her throat nervously, trying to calm herself.

"I'm just looking for somewhere to go."

"You shouldn't be in the woods at night, not alone.  And not walking.  You should go home."

She didn't know what to say to that.  

"Um, I don't... have a home.  Not anymore."

She could see a hint of embarrassment on his face in the faint light.   

"I'm sorry." he paused "Still. You shouldn't be out here by yourself."

"You're here alone."

"Well.  I guess it would be best for both of us then, if you came with me."  

He waited for an answer.  Delilah had no problem accepting help on a normal day, and here in the freezing, dark night, she didn't even have to think.

"Thank you, I would like that."

The man helped her up onto the horse and they began to trot down the path.  Delilah's heart still raced, but the fear began to melt away.  Then the dread began to settle in, taking its place.  Dread of the morning, and then the day, and then the life that came after it.  

"What's your name" the man spoke up.  She was glad for the distraction.

She wondered if it was best to give out her real name, at a time like this.  

"Delilah" she said.  She couldn't think of anything on the spot.  Besides, she reassured herself Mother will do whatever she can to keep this under wraps, no one will know who I am. "What's yours"

"Adrian" he had to say it a little loudly so that she could hear over the air gently whooshing past her ears as they rode.  

It was quiet again.

They rode in silence for a long time, stopping only briefly.  Delilah dozed off once, but, despite her exhaustion, couldn't manage to sleep peacefully on the bumpy, uneven road.  

Eventually, the sky turned from black to gray, and from gray to blue, as the sun began to rise.  In the soft light, Delilah caught glimpses of Adrian's face, strikingly handsome.  Light brown hair dangled loosely from his head and a soft smile graced his lips.  He wore modest clothes, but they did nothing to hide his gentle beauty.  

Delilah remembered her own clothes, the ornate, expensive mourning gown.  She wondered if Adrian had noticed its opulence.  It occurred to her that, even though she had told him her name, she could not tell him what had happened to her, or he might not be so willing to help her.  As the events of the previous day finally settled themselves in her mind, she began to realize the real impact.  She wasn't just an outcast from her home, she would be a criminal now. If people were to find out who she was, she would be seen as a murderer.  

The only way to keep herself safe was to keep a low profile.  She searched for a reason she would be in the dress.  Her concentration was broken by Adrian's voice.

"Here we are, Miss"

She looked up to see that they were approaching a very large kingdom, surely more than twice the size of her own.  It spread out over rolling hills, and even in the early morning, and from a distance she could see how lively it was.  This place is enormous, she thought and she could think of only one place this close to home that was so important, this must be-

"Welcome to Hickeren."