by Blair Aaron
“We can't leave them!” she said, crawling back out of the hole in the wall, toward the blazing fire of Dorien's wrath. Augustus grabbed her shoulder.
“I'll go,” he said, pushing her back near the wall. Elsa watched as Augustus' outline disappeared in the flames, and just as he'd left her, he came flying back from the fire. She looked down at her friend.
“What happened?” she asked him.
“Zamir,” he said, pointing across the rock, near the canopy of the trees. Elsa looked up and saw a pair of angry green eyes, which belonged to Zamir, as he jumped from a high branch onto the dragon, tearing the flesh with all his might, before Dorien gobbled up Niklas and Humburt. In an instant, the explosion from the fire sent all of them backwards, with Augustus and Elsa through the hole in the wall, just as it closed up, trapping Zamir, Humburt, and Niklas in the hellish Forest, seemingly forever.
PART FIVE - A NEW LIFE
CHAPTER 47
Once across the line of the forest, Augustus and Elsa looked down at their feet to see the red ivy entwining itself around their ankles, a last ditch effort to hypnotize them back into the forest.
“Elsa, look,” Augustus said, pointing down at his feet. In the time it took her to look down, the ivy had wrapped itself around half her leg. Augustus kicked off the ivy quickly, tearing the vine from his leg frantically. “It's probably poisoned,” he said.
“We should keep moving,” Elsa said, furious that she let Doctor Kirbleitz get killed just to serve her. That thought stood at the forefront of her mind, as Augustus followed her into the town. In his normal fashion, she could tell Augustus had blocked off the fresh grief sitting in the back of his mind, a whirlpool spinning, ready to suck him under the moment he gave into the temptation to feel anything. Elsa's own sadness and confusion pushed itself through her will, as she couldn't figure out what to do about Humburt or Niklas. She also wondered where Zamir was. But they continued walking along the grassy knoll, and it soon became apparent that both Elsa and Augustus were in for a rude awakening.
Elsa looked out on the town she once knew, and it appeared everything was the same. She could see the town hall at the center of the village, and though the building looked dilapidated and worn down, its steeple crown grayish brown instead of pure white, a little worn and weary, the place nevertheless looked more or less the same. But as Augustus followed Elsa into the town, her attention now on the possibility that much more time had passed than she originally believed, he too realized just how much time had passed since he'd last seen normal villages. They both looked around at the wagons, carried by horses, through the center roads.
Then Augustus tripped over himself, and both of them looked down at train tracks. “What the hell is this shit?” he asked, rubbing his hands over the smooth metal of the track ties. He put his ear to the train track, hearing a distant rumble. They continued on through the town, neither of them seeing familiar faces, and Elsa began to get worried.
“We're never going to find him, Augustus.”
“We will don't worry. He's here, I promise. We'll find him, Elsa. Just trust me,” he said, trying to keep up her spirits. They had come too far to stop now before the finish line. Elsa and Augustus continued their sojourn through the town, pointing out areas they used to remember before being sucked into the Forest's temporal vortex. They came upon headstones and were it not for a familiar name that caught Elsa's eye, she never would have taken a second look. The broken cemetery, never maintained by the locals, featured several surprises for Elsa. She approached the first, which read:
HERE LIES ENNIS AND LILI,
LOST IN THE WOODS
BUT FOUND A LONE HERO
1564-1612, MOTHER
1585-1750, SON
“Oh no,” Elsa said, putting her hand to her mouth in shock. She noticed, however, that Ennis lived over 150 years, and wondered whether that had anything to do with his sojourn in the forest. Perhaps, she thought, Theo's name would be nowhere on these headstones. She ran up and down the aisles, reading every inscription, finding several familiar names.
FATHER DANIEL O'GRADY
1533-1600
Then, twin sisters whom Elsa always remembered were up to so much mischief:
CHLOE AND SARAH SPRITES
LOST TOGETHER IN FISHING PRANK GONE WRONG
1574-1594
And, unfortunately, Elsa found her best friend.
R.I.P PRISCILLA POTTS
1570-1650
Oh, the horror, Elsa thought, checking every last gravestone for any sign that Theo was dead. But she couldn't find any. “I just want to make sure,” she told Augustus, as he came to her side, wanting to console her. He rubbed her arm.
“He's not here. I checked them twice. Neither is Freja.”
“What if they didn't make him a gravestone? What if they just dumped him in the river?”
“Elsa, he's alive,” Augustus said, taking her face in his own. But then the lavish whistle of an incoming train caught their attention, and both Elsa and Augustus watched as the train roared through the center of town. Witnessing this mechanical marvel did more to shock and awe them than anything magical they saw in the Forbidden Forest. Both of them stood, their mouths agape, at the bypassing train.
“Augustus, what world have we returned to?” Elsa asked.
“I don't know. I just don't know,” he said, shaking his head. They decided to take a rest to collect their thoughts in a tavern. For Elsa, it seemed like over three hundred years has passed since she entered the forest, and she despaired whether she would ever be able to see Theo again. In her mind she held off the possibility that she should just fall back into the clutches of the forest, and spend eternity with Zamir. They might have a happy life, full of tumult and fights, but she would at least have something resembling a love life, especially now that her old life and town full of people was now gone. Augustus and Elsa made plans to head to Freja's old worn out cottage to see what was left. On their way there, they came across various people Elsa had never met. All the old she knew and loved were all gone. Priscilla, Sarah, and Chloe, Father O'Grady--all dead and buried. She was overcome with grief for losing all her friends, yes, but even more, she grieved because everything she feared would happened that came to pass. Her life was gone, forever changed, and she was alone, with no home to call her own. By the time she got to Freja's old cottage on the outskirts of town, Augustus noted her reflection. They both realized her transformation was nearly complete. She broke down crying, fearing she would be stuck in Freja's skin forever. What would the local townspeople say? As the townspeople began noticing Elsa's broken state of mind, Augustus made a point of hiding her in a tavern. They waited in the tavern for several hours as Elsa heaved and sobbed, unwilling to take more steps to finding Freja. Augustus reminded her that almost everyone she knew in her old life had headstones in the cemetery, except for Theo and Freja. That meant they be alive. With this knowledge, she became a little more positive.
Augustus looked at Elsa from the twinkle in his eyes, and she realized that he spent all this time making her feel comfortable and safe, when he himself was probably terrified of the new world he found himself in, not to mention how he would ever get Niklas and his brother back from the forest.
“Augustus,” Elsa said, “How do you think we'll make this work? You can't live without your brother.”
He thought for a moment and then looked at her, smiling the best way he knew how. “No I can't. But that's why I'm relying on you, to help us. You think I'm that caring? I'm the skeptic, remember?” She smiled, seeing straight through his hardened exterior, to a warm and full heart. Augustus looked out the window suddenly, seeing a familiar face. He got up and walked over to the door to the tavern.
“What is it?” Elsa asked, following him, curious to know who he saw. “Who did you see you?”
He looked down at her, and stopped. “I saw.you.”
They both exited the building quickly and chased Elsa's form down the street. Elsa herself worrie
d that Augustus might have gotten her hopes up needlessly, that maybe he had seen just someone who resembled Elsa's appearance. But when they caught up with the lady in the fur coat, Augustus pointed her out, and the real Elsa could see the woman's reflection in the mirror. It was Freja, they both knew it. Elsa tried to approach her, ready to bitch-slap the woman across the face. But Augustus grabbed her by the elbow. “Don't,” he said. “Remember, she's a witch and can kill you at any moment. It's a trap.” Elsa realized that, because her appearance was that of Freja's, Theo would probably do whatever he could to destroy her, thinking he was protecting the love of his life. Elsa continued to have thoughts of Zamir flash in and out of her consciousness, interrupting her conscious will. Her soul was divided. On the one hand, her love for Theo drove her all the way to hell and back, and she truly wanted to be with him. Sure, she also wanted revenge for what Freja did to her. She also wanted to win him back, and prove to herself that she could be a hero if she needed to be. On the other hand, a deeper, more primal aspect of her soul longed to get closer to Zamir, to fuse that shameful and violent part of herself with his own soul, and when they were one, she could somehow be true. Either way, she felt unfulfilled and continued to mull over how to deal with these conflicted feelings while she and Augustus continued with their plan. As they careened through the town, both Augustus and Elsa, but particularly Augustus found themselves awed by the lack of advancement the town endured since they had last seen it. Sure, the people were different, but the structure of the city was the same as it had been when Elsa was a part of it, and not much different than when Augustus was a part of it. The separation between the artificiality of the town and the authenticity of the forest struck a chord in both of them.
“Where do you think she's going?” Augustus asked her, as they watched Elsa's body dwindle in the distance. Elsa didn't initially know, but she stopped, when she saw Freja reach the cabin overlooking the entire town, near the cliff overlooking the ocean.
“I know,” she said. “Let's go, Augustus. We have a witch to kill.”
CHAPTER 48
Elsa's heart sank as they came near Theo's old cabin home, and it became clear to her that he still lived there. She wondered whether Theo would be an old man now, and she imagined all sorts of disturbing scenarios--Theo with kids and grandkids, Freja getting pregnant, watching them make love on the bed.
But as Augustus and Elsa approached the cabin, she could see a familiar blond man standing in the garden, and Elsa felt the overwhelming urge to run up behind the man and kiss him on the cheek. It was her Theo! Just as she last left him!
“It's him, Augustus,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. Thankfully, she had Augustus to watch over her so that she didn't make any sudden moves. He made sure Elsa hid with him behind the same rock formation she hid that day when she first saw him. Once he was inside, Elsa was unable to control herself.
“Don't do it, Elsa,” Augustus said, but she broke free of his arm and kicked down the door, gripping the crystal in her pocket, the spell in her hand. She ran through the main hallway of Theo's cabin, making a bee line for the bedroom, just as Theo shut the door from behind. Elsa feared the worst. She kicked that door in as well, ready for the fight of her life. Once in the bedroom, Theo looked up from the bed, took one look at Elsa's appearance as Freja and look of horrified recognition spread across his face. His eyes immediately glowed yellow and he began shaking uncontrollably.
“I'll be damned if I let you destroy my happiness,” Theo said to Elsa, thinking she was Freja. “I'll do everything I can to destroy you if you don't leave my house at once. Never again, Freja.” He looked down on the bed, as a helpless and seemingly afraid “Elsa” shook with fear.
“You bitch,” the real Elsa said, “I'll kill you. You can't have him.”
As Augustus tried to calm Theo down, his eyes glowing a lion's orange, Elsa saw Freja pull out her want from under the covers, and Elsa immediately pulled out the red crystal, sitting it on the tabletop. She began reading out the spell Freja had given her. But the spell doesn't work, and there is nothing but silence between the four people, as Freja cackled and Theo got closer to morphing into his lion state. To protect her, Augustus also growled in his shifter voice, ready to attack Theo, although he was petrified.
Elsa stood there, unable to figure out why the spell wasn't working, holding the broken crystal, which now glowed red hot and angry. She stood there as Theo morphed into his lion state, fighting Augustus, clearly winning.
“Oh, Dear,” the real Freja said. “I knew you were coming. This was all part of the plan.” She raised her wand and a blue electric line slithered out of the tip, wrapping itself around Elsa. “You're so foolish for thinking my own spell would work on me.” Elsa screamed in pain and the other boys continued to fight. In this moment, all was lost, and Freja hissed a little to call her serpent forth. The white, two-headed snake emerged from under the door of the bedroom, ready to strike Elsa once and for all. Just as the snake was ready to strike, Freja cackling, Elsa making one last attempt to say the spell, Zamir appeared out of nowhere, taking Theo out in one fell swoop. The lion and black wolf fought to the death right then and there, and if Elsa didn't do something soon Zamir would kill him. Strong as Theo was, no one, not a single soul, could match the great black wolf, the once great warrior-general Zamir.
The crystal glowed hot at this point. “Please stop!” Elsa screamed at the top of her lungs, as Zamir's claw tore into Theo's flesh, sending blonde fur everywhere. “I can't take this anymore. I don't know what you want. I don't know what to do.”
“There's nothing to do, my dear,” Freja said. “Except die. You could do that favor for me.”
If Elsa didn't do something soon, she would witness the wild and crazy Zamir, in all his strength, tear apart the one person she ever truly loved. She watched his violent claw rip apart Theo's flesh and his angry teeth sink into his neck. After a few second, Theo's lion form lay there silent, lifeless. Zamir turned to Freja, ready to eat her now, and it was clear to Elsa that Freja was deathly afraid of Zamir. He lunched at her, and shaking, Freja held up her wand. “Not so fast, Dark Prince. If you touch me, she dies,” and Zamir looked over at her, his eyes almost busted with a radioactive green at this point. Zamir didn't want to hurt Elsa, and Freja could kill her in a single snap of the wrist, so fighting Freja meant killing Elsa.
The crystal continued to glow red and hot, burning through the table. Elsa tried to use the spell one more time. But she was losing energy fast. “Dark solitudes.awful wells.” Nothing happened, and Elsa sank further into a darkness in her mind, her eyelids getting heavy, losing focus. “Heavenly contemplation.dwells.” Again, nothing.
“My heart.the heat.leave me.” She trailed off, nearly unconsciousness. As she approached the breaking point in her journey, the point at which she truly had given up all hope, floating in mid-air by a magical blue wire, her true love dead at her feet, murdered by the shifter with whom she shared some mysterious, inexplicable great passion she would never fully understand, as he tried to save her, there was one thought that emerged from the depths of her grief. She spoke it aloud.
“Ok, you win, God. I love them both. I made a mistake. I don't have the answers. That's the truth.” And with that, she dropped her head, ready for anything, accepting her fate as it might come, given the circumstances. The crystal, as it lay on the wooden floor, suddenly glowed to life, brighter than anything, and a red and ruby light flooded the room. Far away in her mind, Elsa could hear Freja scream as the blue wire wrapped itself around her own neck, slicing off her head like an angry Medusa, sending it rolling across the floor. Elsa fell to the floor, her energy returning as the crystal's red hue brought Theo back to life. Elsa could see his chest, now in human form, move ever so slightly. She grabbed his hand and spoke the only words she could think to say.
“Theo,” she said, breathing heavily, “I'm back.”
CHAPTER 49
Elsa rushed outside to find Zamir, afraid som
ething had happened to him. At the edge of the forest, she could see him standing there, the same mysterious expression on his face, simultaneously evil and passionate, even in his wolf form. He took one look at her before entering into the forest silently. Elsa wondered if she had broken his heart, or whether he cared at all. The emotions oscillated between anger and jealousy. She stood there with Theo and Augustus, feeling more alone than she ever had. But looking back at Theo, she realized she could finally form her relationship with him, however damaged it may be.
CHAPTER 50
The days and months after Theo's fight with Zamir were hard. He struggled to recover from his injuries, as he fought the only creature in existence who was stronger than he was. Elsa did everything she could to nurse him back to health, and after much apologizing on his part for trying to kill her, they started a new life together. Augustus watched over Elsa for a few days, but told her he needed to venture back into the forest, to find his brother and his friend. Elsa understood and wished him luck. Augustus, along with Elsa and Theo, was finally free of the Forbidden Forest, and he decided it was important for him to make peace with his past. He knew the Forest would let him be as long as he stayed honest, told the truth, and didn't try to be someone he wasn't. All these lessons he learned from Elsa's epiphany, and she knew he would be all right. He knew Dorien was out there, in the forest, and he wanted to make sure he had not captured Niklas and Kirbleitz. Augustus knew had an obligation to save them, find them, and show them the way out of the forest. He wanted to teach them what Elsa and all of them had learned.
Elsa and Theo continued to make a life together, in the aftermath of all that had happened. He loved her with all his heart, but he knew her situation--that the moment she tried to choose him over Zamir was the moment the forest would pull all of them back into its clutches. So Elsa remained faithful to Theo, but still occasionally wondered about Zamir and whether he would ever come back to her
