Forever and Ever After (book1)

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The summer months passed and the harvest months were fruitful and everyone was able to have plenty to eat. The winter months drew near and the promise of snow clung in the crisp air. The fairies, goblins and every other animal had gone for their winter sleep and left the forest feeling lonelier than ever.

The gold from the King had helped Isobel had her Father with the coming cold. When they couldn’t go hunting for meat, they traded for it and soon their food storage was full for when they were unable to leave their home because of the cold or the snow.

As the North wind blew, sending what was left on the trees to the ground. Isobel clung to her cloak as tightly as she could so keep the cold from creeping in her bones. The extra layers her had brought before winter was helping a little but it didn’t help with her whole body as she shivered.

The sound of horse shoes galloping towards her caused her to stop and hide up a nearby tree. She had learnt her lesson from last time. She perched on a large branch, too scared that she might shiver too much and fall out of the tree or give away her position.

From her perch she watched Sir Wesley thunder on by while he glanced all around him frantically. His cloak bellowed out behind his like a cloud as he rode on by.

He pulled his horse to a stop, which whined and spun around several times before settling down. Wesley looked around again; desperation could be easily spotted in his eyes. “Isobel,” he screamed and looked around again.

“What do you want?” she shouted back before he had chance to ride off further into the forest. She didn’t want to move from her hiding spot; half worried that she had frozen to the spot.

“Come out for a moment, I need to talk,” he shouted back and circled his horse around as he tried to spot her in the mass of tree foliage.

Isobel sighed as she stretched her stiff joints and started to slowly climb down.

“What do you want?” she asked again as she stepped on the road. “And if you are here to kill me, I’ll just stick you first, I am too cold to run.”

Wesley jumped off his horse, ran towards her and engulfed her in a hug. He kept hold of her from a moment longer to make sure she had warmed up a fraction.

“What was that for?” she asked and pushed him gently away but missed the warmth he was sharing.

“I’ve been looking for you all morning and you’re alive and...I don’t know, I’m just glad to see you,” he explained with a smile but then remembered the real reason why he was there looking for her and quickly but lightly grabbed her shoulders. “Please tell me you have him,” he said.

“Have who?” she asked and brushed his hands off.

“Prince Owen. If he is at your house we can go get him and I can take him home. When he gets back, I’ll make sure that no-one thinks you had anything to do with his disappearance.”

They both stood staring at each other waiting for the other to say something. Wesley was waiting for Isobel to show him the way to her house and to the Prince while Isobel was waiting for the punch line of his joke.

“I don’t have him,” Isobel finally said. “What do you mean he has disappeared? He hasn’t been found in the forest or someone would have brought him to me.” Her stomach started to twist into knots with worry.

“He’s been missing all day, we thought he would be with Lady Katrina but there is nothing in the world that takes a day to do,” he explained and was concerned with her worry. “Some of us thought he was injured and had come to you.”