Dawning of a Seer

Enchanted

Marrok halted short of the scene of what should have been someone or something lying on the ground to find nothing and no-one there. Backing off to ensure he kept a safe distance whilst he caught his breath his mind filled with worry. Then he noticed a number of dead fireflies scattered on the ground.

"Elizabeth," he called out.

"Marrok?" she replied meekly.

"What are doing out here by yourself at night?" Marrok was scorning but overcome with relief, "You could have been killed."

"Well, I wasn't."

"How did you avoid the enchantment? What happened?" worry still obvious in his tone.

"I heard a strange noise so I climbed up into this tree where I thought I'de be safer. The latch on my lantern must be loose because all of a sudden the casing opened and the fireflies shot out and for some reason flew towards the ground. Then there was a flash of light and more strange noises so I thought it best to stay up here for a while" Elizabeth started to manoeuvre herself down onto the ground.

"What are you doing here Elizabeth? It's not safe."

"I wanted to talk to you. I don't think Blossom trusts me anymore and I, well I just don't know." Elizabeth's mind muddled with her conscience wanting to tell Marrok everything and knowing she shouldn't.

"Come on. Hold onto me as we walk and get you somewhere safe. It's too dangerous to wander the woodland in the darkness with all these enchantments. You were lucky this time."

She held onto Marrok's soft, thick fur as she walked beside him in the darkness letting him lead her like a blind man through a field of snakes. He guided her through the trees and steered them both away from other enchantments.

"What do mean when you say Blossom doesn't trust you? What happened?" asked Marrok.

Elizabeth didn't answer at first, not sure of what to say but then Marrok was the only other she trusted and he wasn't a nymph. "I said some things out loud when I didn't mean to and she took it the wrong way."

Marrok stopped as if he needed stillness to think about what she had said. He turned his head to look at her and his eyes shone briefly as if sparked by the light of the stars. "Blossom loves you like a sister. She knows how it feels to be treated like an outsider, she spent her first sixteen years living as a human amongst the nymphs before she took her vow. Blossom's not like the rest of them. If you've had a difference of opinion then you should talk to her, not me." He turned his head back and led her forward again. "There's a disused badger set up ahead. You can stay there until dawn and then I'll take you back."

He was right. He was always right, but still, she felt the need to confide in him. He'd sworn to save her from harm as her mother had done for him. "How did my mother save your life? What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

Marrok stopped momentarily and looked down as if he was looking for the answer to a question he didn't know. "She cared for me when I was injured."

"Why didn't the nymphs heal you?"

"It was before I came to this woodland. I owed my life to her but never had a chance to repay my debt which is why I now swear to protect you,"

"My mother loved all creatures and would tell me stories about faeries and magical beasts. She never once told of a time she cared for a wolf."

"It was a dark time for your mother, a time she probably wished to forget, just as I would," he replied as if warning her to ask no more of him as he led her to the entrance of the badger set. "Watch your head. Crawl in after me."