by K. E. Drake
“Ruby!” Melody hissed in a lowered voice. “You do not just sneak up on a person who is eavesdropping on somebody else!”
“Sorry?” Ruby offered and then raised an eyebrow. “Who are you listening in on?”
“My mother.”
“The queen? But why?”
“Because she’s sitting in the gardens with King Cassius of Glendower.”
Ruby’s interest perked. “Really? Let me see.” She moved past Melody and peered around the side of the hedge, watching for a minute. Then she turned back to Melody. “I have it,” she beamed. “Maybe the king fell in love with Queen Monet at the ball last night, and he doesn’t know how to say goodbye!”
Melody frowned sharply. “Ruby,” she started, her voice filled with disapproval, “people do not just fall in love after knowing each other for one evening. That goes for me, my mother, and even King Cassius.” Melody tapped her raised fingers as she named people off.
Ruby started to protest, but Melody spoke first. “And it goes for Prince Samuel and Lyall as well.” She turned her back on her friend before she could argue and started walking back to the kitchens, leaving Ruby in the gardens.
I’m sure my imagination is running away with me. Maybe the king will pack his bags and be back on his way to Glendower in time for dinner, she thought to herself.
She thought wrong.
Chapter Five
An Unlikely Hero
It was six days later that Melody sat on the edge of the fountain in the queen’s rose garden as the sun began to set. She hadn’t even been able to finish her dinner this evening.
Almost every night, she ate dinner with Monet in the royal dining hall, and there was almost always company with them. Whether it was visiting royalty, nobility, or generals or the higher ranking officials of Omrie’s army, the table was almost never empty.
That is, until six days ago. Most of the ball guests had left, but King Cassius and Prince Samuel had remained. For the last six nights Melody, Monet, Cassius and Samuel all dined together in the hall that stayed empty except for them and the scattering of servants and guards posted around the room.
It was tormenting being forced to sit next to the prince, having him go on about his many adventures, or he would just not try at all and the strained silence between them would grow until it was no longer bearable.
It was equally as distressing listening to King Cassius as he kept all his attention focused on alone Monet as he quietly whispered things into her ear that only she could hear, drawing giggles and deep blushes from the queen with almost every word he spoke to her.
Finally, on the sixth evening, Melody could take it no longer. She had pushed away from the table, stood, and threw her linen napkin down on the table. She excused herself without even waiting for an answer and marched out the doors with the gardens in mind.
She went out to the rose garden where she could relax and watch the sun as it to set. She sat in the tranquil silence and her mind drifted to the night of the ball and to Lyall.
Her mind went back to the ball more often than naught, especially at dinner with the queen, the king, and the prince when she so eagerly sought escape.
I miss him. Melody surprised herself with the true thought. A cool breeze swept through the gardens and stirred up the sweet fragrance of roses. Melody tried to force thoughts of Lyall from her mind as she plucked the petals from a small, pink rose and scattered them onto the water shimmering in the fountain.
A sound drew her from her thoughts. She lifted her head to listen and then heard it again, louder this time. It was the sound of a dog barking.
Melody turned her head in the direction where she thought the noise came from and she saw a big, black and white dog behind the garden gate. She stood from the fountain, went to the gate, and kneeled down on the stones. She looked at the happy dog as she wagged her tail and looked up at her with big, doleful eyes of brown.
“Hello. Where did you come from?” Melody smiled at the dog and reached a hand through the iron bars. The dog sniffed the offered hand and then began to lick it, wagging her tail wildly.
She giggled and stroked the dog’s head and ears as it nudged closer to the gates. She pulled her hand from the bars as she got up, and unlatched the gate, letting the pretty dog step into the gardens. The dog came up to Melody’s knees in height. She had a solid body, but she was dirty and looked underfed.
“How did you get on the palace yards?” She examined the animal for identification of any kind, but couldn’t find any. She kneeled down again and petted the dog’s back. “You sure are big.”
The dog pushed closer to her and tried to climb into her lap, but Melody laughed and pushed her back off. “Get off me! You’re huge!”
The dog did as ordered and backed off, sitting back on her haunches.
Melody considered the animal. “You need a name.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “I know. I’ll name you Bera, because you’re as big as a bear.”
Bera wagged her tail as if in approval, and Melody giggled.
She looked up to the evening sky as it faded to twilight. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but she didn’t want to linger in the gardens after nightfall. She got up from the path, smoothed her skirt, and pulled open the gate.
Bera strolled alongside her as she stepped out of the garden and she closed the gate behind them. They started their walk back to the castle together.
Halfway to the castle, Bera stopped in a defensive position. She growled low in her throat, looking in the direction of the woods just beyond the gardens.
Melody stopped too and studied the trees on the edge of the castle yards. She saw nothing.
“Come on, Bera. It’s all right. We’re almost inside.” Bera growled again and then bolted, running straight towards the woods.
“Bera!” Melody called after the animal. She picked up her skirt and tried to catch up. Where is that dog off to? It’s almost dark. I can’t chase her into the woods at night.
Melody slowed down and then came to a stop when they came to the edge of the trees, but Bera rushed right into the woods without stopping. “Bera! Come back!” Melody called again. She hesitated for a moment. She cast a quick glance at the disappearing sun and then ran into the line of trees after her dog.
Melody ran, the wind in her face and her hair whipping behind her. Twigs snapped underfoot and she hopped over fallen limbs. Bushes and branches grabbed at her skirt, and she her foot went into a ditch and she nearly pitched forward onto her face, but she was able to regain her balance and keep running.
She again called for Bera to stop, but the dog kept running. It was getting harder to see as Melody ran deeper into the forest. The sun had set and the moon did little to light her path.
It was so dimly lit that Melody did not see that Bera had stopped until she almost ran into her. Melody came to a sudden halt in the center of a small meadow in the middle of the forest. The meadow was circular in shape, encircled with trees, and the moonlight lit the area with a silvery hue.
“Bera... why did you ... bring me here?” Melody panted. She placed a hand on her stomach and bent over.
Out of the corner of her eye, a large shadow moved in the trees and she grew very still.
A painfully long moment passed and a large wolf stalked out of the trees into the meadow. Its eyes glowed an eerie green like fire and narrowed in blood thirst. Its fangs bared in a growl as it took another step with a scraggly paw towards Melody.
Bera let out a sound between a bark and growl and then suddenly lunged for the wolf. The wolf stopped when Bera pounced on top of it and sank her teeth into its neck. It gave a strangled growl and twisted its neck around to reach behind itself. It seized Bera between its jaws and ripped her of its back, throwing her halfway across the clearing.
Bera hurtled through the air and hit the ground with a cry.
“Bera!” Melody screamed. Bera slowly tried to get back to her feet, but collapsed back to the ground in a heap. Meanwhile, the wolf too
k another step closer to Melody and she searched the ground for something to possibly defend herself with. There.
Keeping her eyes on the approaching wolf, Melody reached for and picked up a large, solid tree branch. She inched a slow step back and her heart hammered wildly in her chest. She raised the branch and readied herself for the beast’s attack.
The wolf lunged, and Melody shut her eyes and pulled the branch back to swing it, but she didn’t have a chance to defend herself. A loud growl like a roar echoed through the meadow. That was followed the sickening sound of bones crunching and then a shrieking whimper.
Melody’s eyes flew open in time to see a wolf standing over the wolf that tried to attack her. The second wolf was more than twice the size of the one that attacked her. The first wolf laid on the ground, its limbs crumpled and its scraggly fur matted with oozing blood.
The larger wolf picked up the half dead one in its large jaws and threw across the meadow. It collided with the base of a tree with another crunch and fell limply to the ground.
Melody watched with wide eyes as the great wolf turned to her and came a step forward, watching her with worried eyes. She tried to step back, but her knees gave in and she fell to the ground. She tried to stand again, but she just couldn’t find the strength. She clutched her branch tighter and kept it ready, just in case this beast tried to attack her too.
The wolf’s attention was momentarily drawn to something to the side of the meadow, and Melody followed its gaze to see Bera had stood up and was slowly limping across the clearing towards her.
Melody placed the broken end of the branch on the ground and used it to push herself up, but she almost fell back down again when the beast opened its mouth and started to talk.
“Are you all right?” the beast asked.
Melody’s feeble knees nearly gave out again, but she somehow remained standing.
The wolf came a step closer, but he noticed Melody was trembling and he stopped walking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I should have realized.” He took a few steps back, hopefully giving her the distance she needed. “I must also apologize. I was almost too late to save you. I was walking in the woods when you screamed. I came as soon as I heard.”
Melody opened her mouth to speak several times, but no words came out. She swallowed hard. The only talking animals that she had heard of were the ones that her father used to tell her about when he told her bedtime stories as a child. The enchanted talking animals and beasts he’d spoken of were nothing but make believe. Now a talking wolf had come to her rescue?
When she didn’t answer the wolf, he treaded carefully forward, and Melody raised her branch.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I came to help you.” The wolf’s gentle voice rumbled low in his chest. He stopped in his tracks and lowered himself to lay down on the grass so maybe he wouldn’t scare her any more than she already was. His eyes watched her intently. “Are you all right?”
“What are you?” Melody finally spoke, her voice quivering slightly. She lowered her branch but still held it tightly.
“I’m a wolf.”
“I can see that,” Melody surprised herself by retorting. Despite her brave words, her knees became weak again and she leaned against a tree for support. Bera seemed to sense Melody’s anxiety and came to her side. She reached out a hand to Bera and stroked her injured dog. She drew in a few shaky breaths and addressed the wolf again. “What I meant was, how can you talk? I’ve heard of enchanted, talking animals, but I thought they were just stuff of myth.”
The wolf opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have trouble answering Melody’s question. He finally closed his mouth and took a moment to figure out how he could explain. “No, talking animals are not myths,” he began. “Throughout the years, wizards and enchanters have put animals and beasts under enchantments to bend them to their will. The wolf that attacked you was under a spell from an evil enchanter, but that wolf was out of his mind, left with only the desire to kill.”
“And are you enchanted as well?” Melody asked, she looked back at the dead wolf and grasped the branch tighter with trembling hands.
“I am,” he confirmed after a moment of consideration, “but that is all the spell allows me to tell.”
Melody’s forehead wrinkled as she thought about what he had told her. “You’re an enchanted wolf,” she repeated mostly to herself, “and you cannot tell me how or why.”
“That is correct.” He answered her musings with what seemed to be a hint of regret.
Melody slowly slid down the tree that she was leaning against until she sat upon the ground, her torn and dirty skirt puffing around her.
“If I may ask, why are you this far into the forest this late in the evening?” the wolf asked warily.
Melody looked at Bera as she stroked her head between her ears. “My dog chased something here. I had to get her back. Now she’s injured, and I need to get her back so she can be checked over.”
“I’ll take you back,” he offered. “If you don’t know the way.”
Melody forced back the tears that sprang unbidden to her eyes. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was lost and wouldn’t be able to find her way back in the dark. Now she had found a rescuer and a guide in this enchanted beast.
She dashed the tears away before any could fall. “Thank you, yes. That would be helpful.”
The wolf still had not moved from where he lay, so she got to her feet. She dusted the dirt off her skirt and brushed her mess of curls behind her shoulders.
“Where is your home?” The wolf asked and finally stood, and even in the dim moonlight, Melody saw how tall he was now that he was standing still. His body came up to her hips in height, with his head coming up a little higher, and his frame was two times as wide as hers.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at the giant animal. He didn’t seem to notice her expression. He only watched her as if waiting for something, and Melody suddenly remembered his question.
“I live at the castle. It isn’t too far from here.”
He nodded once and turned in the direction that Melody vaguely thought that she had came from. “The palace is in this direction.”
Melody was silent, and the great wolf stared at her as if trying to read the emotions behind her eyes. She remained frozen beside the tree, unable or unwilling to move.
“Do you want to go?” he asked at last.
She took in a deep breath and she looked at the wounded dog that was standing by her side. Finally she nodded and moved to stand at the wolf’s side, waiting for him to lead the way.
“You can put your hand on me so you don’t stumble or lose your way,” he offered.
Melody hesitated, but she slowly raised her hand and placed it gently on his neck, which came halfway up to her side. Her fingers sank into the silky mane of his silver fur and she waited for him.
The wolf looked satisfied. He turned and then began walking in the direction of the castle. Melody had no choice but to follow. She glanced behind them to make sure that Bera was coming and the dog limped along by her side.
They walked for a while through the dark forest in a comfortable silence. An owl hooted nearby as crickets chirped and the tree leaves swayed in the breeze.
Melody hadn’t realized how far she and Bera had run into the woods until they spent so long walking back.
Her thoughts strayed as she watched the back of the wolf, who kept his eyes on the path as they walked. “By the way, I wanted to thank you...for saving my life.”
The wolf lifted his face to her and gave a single nod before setting his eyes back on the path. “You’re welcome.”
Melody smiled and buried her fingers deeper in the wolf’s soft fur as they continued to trek the moonlit path back to the castle.
The trees started to thin until they disappeared completely as they came to the edge of the castle yards. Melody watched the castle as her heart slowly began to sink. Someone had to have noticed that she had ne
ver returned from the gardens. They probably have half the guards out searching for me.
And what could she say? That her new dog had ran off and she went with it? That she encountered not one but two enchanted wolves in one night? And that one of them could talk and saved her life? No one would believe it.
She shook herself from her thoughts and reminded herself of the task at hand. “Thank you. I do not think that I would have found my way back if it hadn’t been for you,” Melody told the wolf.. She unknotted her fingers from his fur and took a step back to better look at him. “I should probably go the rest of the way by myself, so nobody sees you.”
“Then I bid you a good evening, my lady.” He looked at Melody until she turned to the castle and took a step forward.
Don’t ask. Don’t ask. Melody turned back to the wolf and could not help but do just that. “What is your name? Do you have a name?” She grimaced and hoped he didn’t think she was a fool.
He chuckled. “Yes, I do,” he told her. He paused for a moment, deep in thought for a long moment before he spoke again. “My name is Devon.”
“Thank you.” Melody said to the ripped hem of her dress. After a moment, she looked back up at Devon. “Good evening then. It was nice meeting you.” With a small smile at the enchanted wolf, she turned and continued the rest of the way to the palace with Bera limping beside her. Soon, they came to side set of doors.
Melody placed her hand on the knob. Before she turned it, she turned and looked back at Devon. He still stood across the way at the edge of the trees, watching her. Melody turned back to the door and stepped into the palace.
How am I going to explain? They’ll want to know what happened.
She didn’t know what she would say, but she knew one thing: she was going to be in trouble.
Chapter Six
A Day of Surprises
Melody watched the queen as Monet sat down on a stone bench beneath a flowering tree overhanging the garden path. The king of Glendower then seated himself next to the queen.
