A White as Red as Blood (PG 13) (Completed)

Chapter 9: Snowflakes and Lakes

Sure enough, just as Harry promised, my husband left two days later. I kissed him goodbye, hoping it would be the last time I was ever to set eyes on him. I spent the morning preparing the essentials which June, Meadhbh and I would be needing. We did not carry clothing, just our undergarments and food. June raiding the orchard, pilling as many apples as she could into her dress and running back, undoubtedly losing some on the way. She had professed her hatred for this building in the last few days. She did not care for the workers, or the lack of smiling. She had gotten on with Meadhbh however, as I tried my best to get her to know her before we left tonight. Meadhbh loved her too! She was working tonight until eleven pm, cleaning the house and preparing meals for the princess (even though I haven’t eaten anything since I got married).

My stomach was a nervous wreck, hoping nothing would or could go wrong. Like Harry had said, this was my only chance. My one chance!

When midnight was ticking close, I arose from my bed where I had yet again gotten no sleep. I tucked a few candles into my one bag and tiptoed in the darkness towards where June slept. I woke her softly, whispering in here ear that it was time. I didn’t tell her what it was time for. She protested and asked why she had to get up and I told her we were going to see daddy and we’d have to leave now or we’d miss him. She reluctantly got up and I put her warmest coat around her, not knowing how cold the weather would be outside. Meadhbh was waiting at the stables for us, having prepared the horse. We were going to ride bare back; otherwise we wouldn’t all fit on him. He was a beautiful horse. His white coat shone and glowed in the night. She glittered against the light or the small candle.  I was glad I had wrapped June up, since the air was piercingly cold. I could see my breath leave my body as it floated and fixed into the cold. We were outside the gates at what I expected was exactly midnight, not a whisper from one of us. I had Lord Bolos’ navigation compass in my left pocket and the pouch of money in my right.  June was wedged behind me, already half asleep again and Meadhbh behind her again. The horse was showing no sign of us being too heavy a load, probably used to the weight of my husband and his overweight friends. We rode out slowly, afraid someone in the house above us would hear the horse’s footsteps against the stone footway, afraid of losing our chance. Once outside the earshot and line of view of the house, I prompted the horse to go faster. Soon enough, we were speeding down the road, speeding into the unknown. Speeding into freedom. I didn’t know what to expect, but I hoped it to be everything I had ever dreamed of.

After five or six hours of movement, our horse began to grow slower and my eyelids were beginning to shut. The sun of a new day was slowly heating up the frostbitten darkness. We had to rest soon. An hour of slow trotting later and I had found the perfect spot. The trees had parted slightly, revealing an open lake with miles of nothing but mountainous land behind it. WE went lose to the edge of the lake, where the trees were giving way to the clear. Trees are a good source of shelter, and a good place for hiding. Harry thought me that in our youth... playing hide and seek with him was rendered impossible since he was always hiding in the trees. I leapt off the horse, lifting June off next and helping Meadhbh. Meadhbh tied the horse to the tree inside the cover of the trees, where there was grass surrounding him which he could eat and sleep in. I created a bed of fallen leaves, placing June into it and covering her tiny body in coat of mine. Meadhbh did the same, wrapping herself in her own coat. As for me? I sat at the edge of the water, watching the sun rise as I contemplated my future. I had a future now, things were finally voting in my favour. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. I had what I had wanted all my life now. Freedom.

I was awoken by a shrill scream. It took seconds to figure out where I was, and who was screaming. When I had figured it out, I leapt up from where I was, running to where I had fallen asleep. It was June, I knew it. As I ran towards her the worst of thoughts ran through my head at a million miles an hour. We were caught, He was here, I was going to be shot for going against my husband and family, June was hurt. By the time four seconds had passed, I was standing over June, confused as to what had happened.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw a bat!”

I narrowed my eyes at June, unimpressed by the immaturity of her scream. She’s four, Mary-Ann!

“Are you ok?”

“Yes, he’s gone now”

I glanced around, realising Meadhbh was gone.

“Where’s Meadhbh?”

June sat up, looking around as well.

“I don’t know”

I looked all around me, shouting her name. Next thing I knew, I saw a splash from the lake. No! This can’t be what Harry had meant when he said she had little time! I ran to the lake, and kept running until I was up to my waist in water.

“MEADHBH!”

She emerged from the water, her hair softly floating behind her.

“Yes?”

I let out a sigh of relief, and inhaled a lot of frustration.

“What are you doing?”

She beamed up at me, lifting her hand out of the water and revealing with triumph plastered on her soaking face, a fish.

“Thought I would get some lunch”

I laughed at her, wondering how she even caught that fish.

“Wow, okay then.”

She walked out towards me, and I walked out with her. WE started a small fire and shared the huge fish she had caught.

“So, how did you catch that?”

Meadhbh’s face paled and she looked towards the piece stick she had used to eat her fish.

“My father thought me, he always said I was like a mermaid-“

June smiled up at her, pure amazement on her tiny face.

“I heard about mermaids, sailors say they sawed them”

I laughed at June, “Saw them June”, I said, correcting her.

“Yes June, but soo much more magical!”

June’s eyes light up, glittering at Meadhbh, urging her to go on.

“You see June, my daddy was a mermaid too and we and I often went swimming in his vast kingdom together. I was his princess and treated me to whatever I wanted. But I wanted to explore the real world, be part of your world. Daddy said I only had three days but I begged him to let me stay here forever because I fell in love with the grass and the birds, and the people too!”

June was entranced by Meadhbh’s story, her innocence believing every word of it.

“Will you bring me there someday? Please, I’ll behave, I promise”

Meadhbh smiled at June, knowing she couldn’t dash her hopes now.

“Of course I will, but you will have to be very well behaved”

June giggled, jumping up to run in a circle around us.

“YAAAAAY”

She shouted, still circling us. She was delighted, and it warmed my soul, knowing her innocence hadn’t been broken in our world. It was too late for Meadhbh and me, but it wasn’t too late for her. And I vowed that she would always have it, if I had anything to do with it.

We got back on snowflake the horse. June had named her. I felt like this truly was the beginning of a beautiful life for the three of us. I was no longer anxious or afraid of the future, I was excited. We had a chance, not only of freedom, but of happiness now too. June sang for  few hours on the horse, making up her own tunes and words.

“We are on snowflake, my beautiful new new new horse, we are on n adventure. We are looking for mermaids and apples and sailors because that what an adventure is!”

Meadhbh and I laughed and sang along with her as we trotted on our adventure.