Scarlet Moon (Once Upon a Time) (12 page)

It was easier when I was a child. There was only right and wrong, and there was no problem Father couldn’t fix with a nod or a wave of his hand. That was before the wolf attacked, before Stephen left.

She flipped onto her side.
Maybe Grandmother can help me. Maybe shell have some advice that I can use. Ruth shuddered. Shell tell me that men are trouble, and I finally understand what she means. I need to ask her, though, what made Grandfather different. How did she know she was in love, and how did she know it was right?

She flopped onto her stomach, the air rushing out of her with
a whoof. Maybe the morning will make everything clear, shed a little light into these dark places in my mind.

T
he morning came, and with it no answers, no magical enlightenment, only more questions than Ruth cared to face. She dressed slowly, reluctantly. She could feel her father’s eyes upon her, as though he sensed something was wrong. He didn’t ask, though, and she didn’t offer to explain.

At last she heard a wagon pull up outside. “He’s here,” she said, a little more breathlessly than she had intended.

“Sounds like it,” her father answered.

“Where’s Peter gone to?” she asked, more out of the need to say something than actual curiosity.

“Your grandmother’s, I suspect.”

Ruth nodded. Peter had spent more time there of late than she had. She hoped that the two of them were getting a chance to know each other, since he had missed out on that in his childhood.

She took a deep breath and, with her father, left the house. Outside William waited, his face pale and drawn.
It looks like he didn’t sleep much either
.

She had a sudden mental image of William lying in his bed, and she pushed it from her mind.

“Father agreed to come with me today to help out,” she said.

He looked at her in surprise but quickly recovered his composure, “You are most welcome, sir.”

“The honor is mine,” her father said, bowing.

They climbed aboard the wagon, Ruth sitting between the two of them» The seat was narrow, so they all had to sit close. Her father’s knee was touching hers on one side, and Williams knee was touching hers on the other.

Well this is more awkward than I could have imagined
, she thought as the silence stretched around them.

At last they reached the castle, and Ruth was all too happy to touch solid ground and move a little way apart from the other two, Samuel was waiting for them and hailed her arrival with a shout and a smile.

“Hello, Samuel,” she called warmly.

“And how are you this fine morning?”

“Never better,” she answered.

“Who have you brought with you?”

“This is my father, Jacob, Father, this is Samuel, He’s in charge of all the horses.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” her father said, his face breaking into a grin as he shook hands with Samuel.

“Likewise, You’ve raised quite a fine young woman here.”

“Thank you,” Jacob answered. “Though I can’t take all the credit; she’s got a strong will of her own.”

“So I noticed.”

“If you two are quite finished, I believe we have some horses to see to,” Ruth interrupted, blushing.

Her father beamed at her, and she could see the
love and pride in his eyes. It hadn’t been easy for him all these years, and it was good to know how he felt. She felt a warm glow inside as she set off between the two men.

William watched Ruth as she walked off with her father and Samuel. She was completely in her element talking with them. He turned with a heavy heart and walked inside.

He hadn’t slept for thinking of her, wondering and worrying about what he should do.
Since I’ve met her I have had no peace. No amount of meditation can calm my mind. No amount of logic can calm my heart. I feel my blood run hot within me, and I feel the call of the wolf though the moon dwindles nightly in the sky.

I feel as though I am losing all that I have struggled so hard to gain—my control my reason. In the end is she worth it, or will the cost in lives and blood be too much?

No, he was certain that Ruth was altogether worth it, even worth the blood of a hundred others. The question was, did he have the right to make that choice? The blood would be on his head alone. Did he have the right to condemn others so that he could live and love?

He didn’t think so, but when he was near her he knew that he would not be able to make the choice to turn away.
The wise path would move me away from her, away from she who holds sway over my heart and slays my logic with a single glance, reduces me to the level of the beasts with a single kiss.

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.”