Tainted Fables

A root of fate

(c) 2012 Jessica minor 

                                                                                 A Root of Fate

It was a gorgeous spring afternoon, with tulips and daffodils in full bloom. Marietta was picking herbs in the garden for a  potion, when Amstead had returned from a  trot through the forest. He went galloping every afternoon, as if it were some kind of ritual. Marietta rose from her knelled position  and saw that her familiar had returned from his forest run. Sprinting across the land, she greeted him with a hug.

"Good to see you have returned, old friend." She spoke gently as she stroked his soft white mane.

                                         Amstead simply bowed to her with love and respect. He was bound to her; their souls seemed to have a mutual understanding . He always felt at peace every time he saw her. It was a bond built on a deep spiritual level.

 As the hours passed by them, unnoticed a young man stumbling through the forest didn't see a raised branch poking out of the soft earth. He tripped over it making a loud thud as he hit the ground directly in front of her white stone cottage. 

                                 Hearing the commotion, she bolted to the front of her home to see what happened. In her haste she didn't see the broomstick laying in the front yard and tripped over it. Luckily she caught herself before landing flat on her delicate face.

 Suddenly she remembered an omen involving a broom and the home. Realizing this was no accident. The young man was supposed to fall in front of her cottage; it was his destiny to trip there. However he had no idea that it was anything more than his not so good luck of day to day mundane life. He had seen her nearly fall out of the corner of his eye. 

"Are you all right miss?" He asked.

For a moment she stared at him as if she could read everything he was thinking by looking into his majestic pale blue eyes. For what seemed like a long pause he was uncontrollably fixated on her. It felt as if he had been hypnotized by the sight of her.

"What about you sir, are you okay? It looks like you had a hard tumble." She asked in the most soothing voice he had ever heard.

For a long moment he couldn't speak, it was as if his brain had gone numb. She put him in mind of the mother goddess. He took a deep breath and tried to answer her without sounding like a moron.

"I believe so; my name is Jareth by the way."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Marietta, and this is my cottage right here. Would you care to come in for tea?" She invited with a sincerity he had never been accustomed to until now.

He nodded yes as he followed her into the little cottage. She walked quickly to her stove and put the kettle on. Then they were seated in front of her kitchen table, to get acquainted. She gave him a tour of her home, then the herb garden.

 By the time they went back into her small house, the tea kettle was whistling on the old stove. The two of them got settled at her kitchen table, perfect for two. She brought the kettle and two porcelain tea cups. They sat together and began to get acquainted. 

              After the first cup she turned to look into him as she asked, "How long have you lived here?"

He took a long dip of the tea before responding to her question.

"I think my family relocated here when I was still in diapers."

"I have lived here my entire life," replying as she sipped her tea until the contents were emptied. She smiled as she refilled it once more. Then she looked at him a good long hard look and asked, "Jareth what is it you do for a living?"