A Tale That Never Was [Book 1 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 2: Hansel and Gretel

Bigbad eventually slowed his pace to a quick walk after several minutes and Selvina was finally able to stop screaming, her throat sore and her arms aching from holding on to Red so tightly. She brushed back some of her disheveled hair and sat straighter, arching her spine to stretch it out and quell any tenderness.

Red glanced back at her with a smirk. "How are you doing back there? My ears are thanking you for finally shutting up."

Selvina frowned and said hoarsely, her voice still recovering, "Sorry but where I come from wolves aren't the size of Clydesdales and we certainly don't ride them!"

"What's a Clydesdale?"

"It's a really big horse normally used for pulling heavy things. They stand about as tall as Bigbad."

"Oh, we have those here too. I don't think we call them Clydesdales, though."

Selvina shrugged and glanced to the side of the dirt road, where a patch of yellow flowers sat beside a thick evergreen. "What is this place anyway? You remind me a lot of someone from a fairy tale I read when I was a kid."

"I remind you of someone? Really? Interesting. Well, this place is just called Old Forest. Yeah, I know, it's a stupid name but it really is very old. We're heading to the city of Lydian, ruled by King Midas. His castle is made entirely of gold as is most of the furniture inside. I've heard that the king can turn anything he touches into gold and he's always wearing gloves so I think it might be true. I've never seen it in action, though."

"How does he do that? How is that even possible?"

"It's magic. It doesn't really make any sense. By the way, what's your name?"

"Sorry, it's Selvina."

"That even sounds like a princess name. Are you sure you're not a princess?"

Selvina sighed in annoyance. "Of course I know! My father is not king!"

Red twisted her body around in her seat and put a hand on Selvina's shoulder. "No need to yell, Selvina. I was just asking. You sure get upset easily, don't you?"

"If you were all of a sudden taken to a strange world where things don't make any sense you'd feel upset too..."

Red looked away and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right about that." She felt Bigbad's muscles beneath her tense and she looked ahead. She saw nothing on the trail but her wolf's ears had pulled back and the hair on his neck was standing up.

On the road was a single slice of bread.

Red sighed and urged Bigbad to stop walking. "Great, just what I need right now..."

"What's wrong?" Selvina asked. "And why is there a piece of bread on the road?"

As if to answer her question two figures walked out of the forest and stepped onto the road from either side of it. They were a young man and woman that looked alike with their blue eyes, wheat-coloured hair, and jaded faces. They both held up one hand, urging Red to remain where she was.

The young man said, "Red Riding Hood, you must-"

"-stop and pay the fee for going any further," finished the woman.

"You understand the laws of the kingdom of-"

"-Midae and as such must respect them."

Red groaned. "Look, Hansel, Gretel, you've met me before like fifty times already. I don't cause any trouble. Now, please, just let me go past."

The young man shook his head. "That cannot be done. If a slice of-"

"-bread sits on the road a fee is required to be paid by anyone-"