Untitled

Untitled Part 1

Silence. The absence of sound. And yet perhaps the silence was louder than the constant roaring din that sounded down the stone halls every night. But not here, not out in the vast, cloaking darkness the forest provided. It is here we meet the first subject of this story: no one of any seeming importance other than being chased from the halls of the keep or swatted for stealing bits of dinner. For here, in the cover the trees and protected from by tales of ghouls and legends of the unnatural, upon a large stump, sat a child.

She was not a princess nor a lady, rather one of the village children come to the castle to see the festivities for the New Year. Only 10 summers old and tagging along with some of the older children to see the goings-on at the castle. Lords and ladies in their finery waltzing around the ballroom in glittering jewels and shimmering garments. Tables heaving under the weight of mouthwatering dishes and pastries. Glasses filled with sparkling wines and copper ales. Servants behind curtains and though doors to keep the night running smoothly. Chaperones chasing down wayward charges. To this one child, the activities inside seemed plucked from the wildest fairytale. So much seemed out of reach that instead of peering in the windows like her counterparts from the village, she instead took a chance to sneak into the bustling kitchen to grab just a bite of one of the dishes that passed by as they were carried to the ballroom. Chance would have it that sitting on a worktable just within reach was the largest roasted bird she had ever seen. Not wasting a moment, the girl grabbed for the meat just as the cook took notice of her appearance. "YOU," the small, stout woman yelled, "what do you think you are doing in here!" Faster than a blink the girl snatched the leg right off the bird and ran for the door, the cook screaming behind her. "Don't you come back you little urchin else Ill flay the skin right off your back you little thief!" Running as though she was being pursued by the King's guard themselves, she clutched her pilfered prize and did not stop until she was well within the boundary of the forest and under the cover of trees and darkness found therein. Which is where our story begins:

Confident she would not be caught as no one sane entered these woods, she sat on a nearby stump and took a large bite of the chunk of meat she had managed to take. Slightly cold, after the mad dash from the kitchens, the meat was, however, still moist and flavors danced over her tongue as she savored the treat. Accustomed to simpler foods such as potatoes or oats, the meat was a rare and welcome delight.

After the last morsel made its way into her stomach, she sat and took in her surroundings. Trees, taller than the castle and seemingly reaching into the sky, full, and shrouding the ground below in darkness and solitude. A few fallen and broken littered the ground accompanied by stumps here and there, rocks and leaves covering the forest floor. Patches of grass could be seen peeking out from underneath, and just barely audible, running water from a stream or brook somewhere beyond her current point. Perhaps, most notably to our subject, was the silence. The lack of any true noise or indication of the presence of anyone at all other than she in that very moment. Rather than lose the peace and calm the silence provided, she was content to simply sit and listen to the world around her.

After some time, there was a noise. Not loud, no, but certainly different. It was a voice, rough and gravelly like it was old or perhaps unused. She got down from her perch on the stump and called out. "Hello", "Who are you"? After receiving no answer, she sat down on a fallen log, and began talking out loud. "Ridiculous, of course there's no one there.", she muttered while shaking her head. "Hearing things, been in the forest too long." Just as it seemed she had convinced herself that it was only an imagining, the voice rang out again, stronger this time; "Why have you come here? Your kind are not welcome!" Leaping from her place on the log and looking wildly around her for the source of the voice she replied shakily "I...I don't mean to be here; I was only looking for a safe place to rest." "Rest," the voice ground out again. "Are you not afraid of these woods, of what you may find here or rather what may indeed find you?" She turned around again, trying desperately to see in the dark where or who the voice was coming from. "I am not here to hurt anyone, and I may be small, but I am not afraid. Who are you? Where are you?" She stood firmly, squaring her shoulders, and lifting her head. She had never believed the tales from the other villagers about this place, and now she would not leave until she had the answer to her question. Doubt trickled in and she thought that maybe they had been right to warn everyone away from the woods, but she would not show any of what she felt to whoever was here with her now. After several long moments, the voice was heard again. "I am everything and nothing. I am always watching, listening, guarding, and protecting my realm. I cannot be seen, touched, or heard unless I will it." The trees rustled violently, leaves raining down as a wind came from nowhere and carried the voice to her. The ground shook and cracked and she realized the wind was the voice. It was not coming from anyone or anything there with her, it was all around her echoing in the darkness. "I will not have your kind here; you will not bring your poison into my land. You will go and never return." Her hair and dress whipped wildly as the voice spoke again and she called out "I have no poison and I do not bring danger to you or this place. I will go, but I will return one day. One day, I will see who you are." The wind stopped, the trees stood still again, and the ground calmed and returned to its former state. She dusted off the debris and made her way to the entrance of the forest again. As she approached the line of trees at the boundary's edge, a breeze brushed past her carrying a single word, whispered, as though it was only a thought spoken aloud. "Perhaps."