Scarlet Moon (Once Upon a Time)

  Two children ran in front of him, and a third, chasing them, bumped into him. He barked at the frightened youngster and sent him scurrying away in tears. He stood for a moment, ashamed of himself. Still, something inside him whispered, You are the lord of the castle, and he lives by your leave alone. You can bark if you wish; you can kill if it is your will.

  He winced in anguish, struggling against all that was dark in himself. This is exactly why it is dangerous to have her around. Without her I have more control I am less dangerous.

  Without her, though, I am miserable, lost, and alone. He paced the cold castle and bemoaned his fate.

  With the help of her father and Samuel, Ruth finished by nightfall. Many of the horses were seldom used, and their shoes were still in good repair. No sooner would she finish checking one horse than another would be brought to her, so the work had proceeded quickly. She had pulled off dozens of shoes, filed down hooves, and put on new shoes. All of that had left no time for thoughts of William, for which she was grateful. The work had been hard but altogether satisfying. Still, at its completion, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  She was slightly disappointed but not surprised when Samuel entered the castle and returned with a bag of gold and the announcement that he would be taking them home.

  On the way the three of them chatted amicably, though Ruth’s mind was elsewhere. When at last she made it home, she tumbled onto her bed, fully clothed. Exhausted from her labors, she fell asleep.

  She awoke late, and dressed in a clean skirt and blouse. After a moments hesitation she donned the red cloak. Her father was off already and she didn’t see any sign of Peter. After packing some food supplies into a basket, she set out for her grandmother’s house. It was only once she set foot into the woods that she realized she didn’t have her dagger. Horrified, she froze. What happened to it? Then she remembered letting it fall to the floor of the wagon. She closed her eyes and groaned. She would have to see William to get it back.

  She opened her eyes and forced herself to start walking. As she strode farther into the forest she began to relax, remembering that for a few weeks, at least, she had nothing to fear.

  The trees whispered above her, but they didn’t seem to have anything of importance to say. She listened to them and to the few birds who had decided to stay and face the winter’s wrath. There was a bite to the air that had not been there the week before.

  It feels like snow. Before long winter will be here in full force, she realized. A squirrel ran across the path, his cheeks bulging with nuts for his collection. Soon the furry creature would seek out the warmth of his den and spend the winter feasting on the fruits of his labors.

  She smiled to herself and took the extra time to really look around the forest at the creatures surfounding her In the past she had always raced through at such a pace that she had rarely noticed the comings and goings of the other creatures.

  A branch cracked in the distance, and she turned just in time to see a deer slipping out of sight. She stopped for a moment to marvel before moving on again. By the time she reached her grandmother’s house she had seen more wonders in the woods than she had ever allowed herself the leisure to see before.

  She was smiling as she walked into her grandmother’s house. Giselle looked up and eyed her shrewdly, though.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked bluntly.

  Ruth’s eyes fell upon Peter, occupying a chair near the fire. “Nothing is wrong, Grandmother,” she said in a weak voice. “I just took my time this morning.”

  “It isn’t that which I’m talking about,” the older woman huffed. “But we can discuss it later.”

  Several hours later Ruth took her leave, without having had a chance to discuss William with her grandmother. She and Giselle had spent the time talking with Peter about some of the plants that Ruth already knew about. Peter was still trying to learn all that Ruth had in the years she had been studying. When she left, Peter accompanied her.

  Just as they were about to leave the clearing, Mary and James entered it from the other side. They looked startled at the sight of Peter, but after a moment they nodded their heads shyly.

  “Who were they?” Peter asked once they were out of earshot.

  “Mary and James—friends of Grandmother’s.”

  “Do they study with her as well?” he asked, his tone somewhat sharp.

  “You’d have to ask them that,” she said cautiously as she looked at Peter.

  He didn’t look any better. If anything, he looked worse. His hair had grown even longer and was unkempt. His eyes seemed slightly larger, like he was constantly staring at something. His nostrils flared wide, taking in great draughts of air even though he and Ruth were walking slowly.

  “How are your studies going?” she asked hesitantly.

  “They are not progressing as quickly as I had hoped,” he admitted, his voice hard.

  “Give it time. The first thing I learned from Grandmother was patience.”

  “Patience. That is one thing I need no more of,” he said, a hint of anger in his voice.

  “I didn’t mean anything, Peter,” she hastened to assure him.

  “I know,” he said with a sigh.

  They walked a little way before he asked, “What all has Grandmother taught you?”

  “She’s taught me a lot about most of the healing plants that grow in the woods. I’ve learned how to make poultices to help with swelling, stop bleeding, and reduce pain and fever. I’ve also learned how the stars are different in the winter and the summer. I’ve been helping her map them.”

  “That’s it?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

  “I don’t have as much time to study as I would like,” she admitted. “Still, I’ve learned multiple treatments for all of those injuries, and how to tell if the plants are mature. I like the medicine part, but I found the stars really fascinating.”

  She fell silent, remembering the nights she had lain out, safe behind her father’s house, looking at the stars. How many of them were full moons? How many of those nights was William wandering the woods?

  She had to stop thinking about William. She returned to the conversation. “What is it you want to learn?” she asked.

  “I would like to learn what causes sickness and how to cure it,” he said.

  “Well, she can certainly teach you that.”

  “I hope so,” he answered.

  When they reached the village, Peter veered off toward the house, but Ruth kept walking. She passed the shop without glancing at it.

  “Hello, Ruth,” the miller greeted as he passed.

  “Hello,” she responded without looking. Her thoughts were elsewhere, racing ahead of her to the castle. She wasn’t sure what she planned to say to William when she saw him. She did know one thing: She wasn’t leaving until she got her knife back.

  It was a long walk, and she was worn out by the time she reached the castle. As she walked into the forecourt she felt a sudden twinge of misgiving. It had been folly to come here and approach him on his own ground.

  Although, this is all actually his ground, she thought. He owns it all—the land, the village, even the forest. Suddenly she felt very, very small.

  “Lady Ruth!” Samuel walked up to her, leading a white mare.

  “I’m no lady, Samuel,” she laughed nervously.

  “Not the rumor I hear,” he said with a wink.

  She flushed. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “I imagine you’re here to see Lord William.”

  “Wh-what makes you say that?”

  “Well, you came to speak to either him or me, and I figured he was the more likely.”

  She smiled. “As much as I’d like to say I came to speak to you, you’re correct. I am here to see Lord William.”

  “Then let’s go find him.”

  Samuel led her into the castle and through a maze of rooms on the ground floor until they found William. He sat perched behind a large table with parchm
ents spread out before him. His head was bent and he was clearly engrossed in what he was reading.

  “Milord, you have a visitor,” Samuel said.

  Without looking up, William waved. “Show them in.”

  “Very well, milord,” Samuel said, smiling at Ruth on his way out, He closed the door behind him.

  She walked forward hesitantly, eyes fixed on the top of William’s head. Her mouth was dry, and everything she had rehearsed on her way fled from her memory.

  “Milord,” she said in a raspy voice that did not sound like her own.

  “Yes?” he asked, dipping a pen in ink and scratching something on a paper before him.

  “I want my dagger back.”

  “Who—” he started to ask, looking up. He stopped, “Ruth!”

  “Yes.”

  He jumped to his feet and came around the table. “You look—wait, what did you say?”

  “I want my dagger back,” she said, forcing herself to smile.

  “Oh,” he said, looking disappointed. “I thought you came here to see me.”

  “I did. I came here to see you and ask for my dagger back.”

  Something flashed in his eyes; whether it was amusement or anger she couldn’t tell. In a moment he pulled himself up to his full height, and suddenly she knew she was looking at Lord William and not her friend William.

  He strode forward, pulling the dagger from his belt.“You are looking for this.” He handed it to her, hilt first.

  She pulled at it, but he didn’t let go.

  “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he said softly.

  “Really, I haven’t been able to tell,” she answered truthfully.

  “We are all wrong for each other.”

  “I agree,” she said, heat washing through her.

  “Since that day we met in your shop, I haven’t been able to think rationally. I haven’t been able to order my emotions so that I could control the wolf. You have turned my life so upside down that I no longer have control over what I do in that state.”

  “You are blaming me for your killing the tanner?” she sputtered.

  “Indirectly, yes. If you hadn’t so distracted me, I would have been able to control myself.”

  “So it’s my fault that you can’t control yourself?”

  “It is,” he said, eyes flashing.

  She pulled on her knife, but he held firm.

  “Maybe you should be looking no further than your own black heart if you’re looking to cast blame.”

  “This is exactly the reason why I need to stay as far away from you as possible. I can’t think straight around you.”

  He let go of the dagger, and she angrily stuffed it under her belt. “All you are is a danger to yourself and to me,” she hissed, taking several steps backward.

  “And when I am near you, all I feel is passion—no logic, no reason, just overwhelming emotion,” he spat.

  She glared at him as he stepped closer. “We should never see each other again,” he said.

  “That is fine with me,” she said, stepping back again until her back hit the wall.

  She stared deep into his eyes, and suddenly she saw something, a change in them. His voice was little more than a growl. “Unfortunately that doesn’t work for me.”

  Then his hands were on her waist and his lips were on hers. She moaned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave in to his embrace. She was pinned between him and the wall with nowhere to go even if she had wanted to. But I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here with him, be a part of him.

  He gently bit her lip, tugging on it slightly with his teeth, and she closed her eyes. “It’s no use,” he said, pulling away ever so slightly.“ I tried to forget you, but I can’t, not now, not ever. I need you, I don’t care what the consequences. Just knowing you, loving you, makes me crazy. If that is my fate, I’d rather go mad with you by my side.”

  He kissed her cheek and then trailed kisses down her throat.

  “We are only going to destroy each other,” she whispered. “I should leave now and never return.”

  “It’s too late for that,” he said, gazing at her fiercely.

  “Why?”

  “You love me, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “God forgive me, I do.”

  “Then I shall never let you go, for I love you.”

  “I could run.”

  “I would catch you,” he growled against her lips.

  “I could kill you.”

  “Only your absence could do that.”

  “You can’t make me stay with you.”

  “I will marry you and then you will have to,” he said.

  “What if I don’t agree to that?” something inside her forced her to ask.

  He pulled away from her, and his green eyes bored into hers with an intensity that made her quake. “Then I’ll make sure your father forces you to marry me.”

  “And how will you do that?”

  “I don’t know. I will not lose you, though.”

  She felt white-hot flame explode throughout her being. “I have no choice but to marry you?”

  “None.”

  She smiled slowly. “Then kiss me again.”

  William took her home. Together, they rode his stallion. Ruth sat behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, and she savored the feeling of the wind in her hair. Despite all her work with horses, it was her first time on one, and given the way things seemed to be going, it would not be her last.

  Night had fallen, and she gazed up at the moon. It was so beautiful, pale and pristine. She let its light shine upon her face, and she thanked the moon for bringing them together, for without it, they might have always been strangers.

  Outside her home William dismounted, and she fell from the horse’s back into his arms, laughing. He set her down on her feet. “Are you ready?” he asked.

  “No, but that’s never going to change.”

  He nodded and gave her an encouraging smile. “Together, anything is possible.”

  Ruth took a deep breath and walked inside. Both her father and Peter looked up from the table where they were finishing supper.

  “Ruth, who do you have with you?” Jacob asked, squinting to see behind her.

  “It’s Lord William,” Ruth said, her voice catching only slightly.

  She felt him move in behind her, closing the door after him. “Hello again,” he said, his tone light and conversational.

  Jacob and Peter instantly stood and bowed. “Milord, welcome to our home,” Jacob said, quickly overcoming his surprise.

  Peter, on the other hand, said nothing, but Ruth noticed that he was glaring at William. “This is my cousin, Peter,” she said, hastening to introduce them.

  “Good to meet Ruth’s cousin,” William said politely.

  Peter only nodded in return, and Ruth was embarrassed. Why is he acting so strangely?

  “Good sir,” William said, addressing her father. “I have come to you to discuss your daughter.”

  “Do you have another job for her?” Jacob asked.

  William smiled.“I do indeed, and it is a far more important one than the last.”

  “We will be honored to help in whatever way we can,” Jacob hastened to assure him.

  “It gladdens me to hear you say so. The truth of the matter is, I have come to bargain for a marriage contract.”

  Jacob’s face registered shock, and he turned to Ruth, seeking an explanation. Suddenly his face broke into a smile. “Ah! Samuel, the horse keeper—he wishes to marry my Ruth?” he asked William.

  “No, it is not for Samuel that I am here.”

  “It is for himself,” Peter spoke up suddenly.

  “Your cousin is very astute. It is for myself that I am seeking this. I wish to marry Ruth.”

  Jacob’s face went completely white. Ruth stepped forward and took his hand. He turned to look at her, mute.

  “It is true, Father. William and I are in love, and I
wish to marry him.”

  “Have you gotten her in the family way?” Peter hissed.

  William turned on him, nostrils flaring. “If you knew your cousin at all, you would not dare to ask that.”

  The two locked eyes, and the hair on the back of Ruth’s neck stood on end. She heard a slow growling begin to fill the room, and what scared her most was that she wasn’t sure which one of them it was coming from.

  “Enough!” Jacob said, and both younger men snapped their eyes back to him. “This is a happy occasion and blessed news. I would be honored to give you my daughter in marriage.”

  William smiled and stepped forward. “It will be my honor to call you father,” he said.

  The two embraced, and Ruth’s joy was complete. Tears of happiness slid down her cheeks. She turned to glance at Peter, though, and was instantly chilled to the bone. He was glaring at the two men, his eyes wide and practically shining in the darkness. She shivered and wrapped her arms tight about herself, striving to keep out the chill.

  News of their engagement having finally been made public, they were to be married in four and a half weeks’ time. Ruth felt like singing as she stood hammering out a new sword, her wedding gift to William.

  Her grandmother had been delighted for her, although not surprised. She had hinted that there were things about William that Ruth should know. Ruth had replied that she knew all of William that she needed to. Her grandmother seemed suspicious, but Ruth dared not reveal her newfound secret about William’s family, at least not yet.

  As the news had spread the villagers had begun to treat her differently. At first she had found it unnerving and tried to make them stop, but she had finally grown to accept it. There were even whispers that her grandmother might be able to return to the village. Everyone was eager to embrace the girl who would marry the earl, even if it meant overlooking their fear of her grandmother.

  The one dark spot in her happiness was Peter. For the last three weeks he had haunted her steps, watching her like a hawk. Whenever William was close by, Peter would be extra alert and aggressive.

  From his stool in the corner of the shop Peter spoke. “I think Grandmother is holding things back from me.”

  “What do you mean?” Ruth asked cautiously.