Scarlet Moon (Once Upon a Time) (9 page)

After a couple of minutes he got his bearings and trudged off through the woods. His bare feet padded on the ground, the soles calloused from many mornings such as this one. After nearly half an hour he reached his destination. He always left his clothes in the same place so that he could easily find them.

Usually he awoke somewhere near them, though that hadn’t happened this time.

Why can’t I remember anything?
What did I do?
Questions crowded his mind, and he couldn’t cease their clamoring. The moaning of the trees echoed his state.

He spotted his small pile of clothes at the same time he heard whistling. He ducked behind a thick tree just in time to avoid being seen by an older woman.
Ruth’s grandmother
, he realized as he watched her.
It couldn’t be anyone else.

The old woman was walking along slowly, a basket on one arm and her eyes fixed on the ground. She suddenly bent over and pulled a plant from the base of a tree. Laying it gently in her basket she straightened and moved on. She was moving ever closer to his clothes, and if she looked up she would discover them.

He bent, picked up a stone, and threw it into the woods in the direction away from his clothes. It landed with a loud thud that startled all the birds into silence.

The old woman didn’t turn around; she didn’t even flinch. After a moment, though, she said, “If you want your clothes, you’re just going to have to come get them.”

He could feel the blood racing in him, and he was afraid. How did this woman know that he was here, watching her? He thought about his options. Clearly
she couldn’t be fooled or diverted. He could leave and come back later.
But what if she takes my clothes with her? Maybe I can make it back to the castle without being seen.
He rolled his eyes.
That’s smart—even if I can make it all the way to the castlet there will be eyebrows raised when I walk into the great hall naked.

He sighed; there was no help for it. “If milady would avert her eyes it would be greatly appreciated.”

She raised her head, and he could swear he saw a smile dancing on her lips, “Why? If you feel as free as one of Gods forest creatures, then why should you be ashamed to be seen?”

“It was not my intention to be without my clothes.”

“Don’t fib, young man. There is no water nearby that you might have been swimming in, and your clothes are laid out too neatly for them to have gotten that way by accident,”

“Still, I do not wish to be seen,”

“You should have thought of that before you decided to take your little romp in the woods,”

He shook his head, “You’re just as difficult as your granddaughter,”

The old woman’s smile faded suddenly, “You know my granddaughter?”

“If her name is Ruth, then I know her,”

“It is,” she said, her voice now cautious. “You wouldn’t happen to be the young man she saw naked on the path a month past, would you?”

“I’m afraid so, though I hope she doesn’t realize that.”

The old woman took on a threatening stance. “You will leave her alone, young man.”

William couldn’t believe this was happening. He, the earl of Lauton, was naked in the forest being lectured by a peasant woman to leave a lady blacksmith alone.
How much stranger does it get than this?
he wondered. He looked down at the torn sleeve in his hand and wished he hadn’t.
A lot stranger, if only Ruth knew.

“I’m afraid I can’t leave her alone, I’m growing quite fond of her.” He deepened his tone, something he did rarely. “Now, good woman, you will turn around so that I may get my clothes.”

The old woman cocked her head. “Earl of Lauton?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yes.”

She turned in an instant. “Beg your pardon, milord.”

“All is forgiven so long as you keep your back turned,” he said, striding out from behind the tree. He reached his clothes and dressed quickly while she stood silent with her back to him. When he was finished, he debated slipping away quietly but realized there was no longer much use in it.

“All right,” he said.

She turned slowly, her face ashen.

“I would prefer it if you did not tell Ruth of this,” he said, still in his deepest voice.

She nodded slightly. “It is our secret. Tell me, why?”

“Why do you find an earl in the woods in a natural state?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you”

“I’m not so certain of that. There are things that happen out here that no man can explain.”

“Nor woman?”

“Nor woman,” she affirmed, shaking her head.

“Let’s just say I’m following a family tradition and leave it at that.”

She smiled suddenly, and he cocked his head. He had an uneasy feeling that she knew something he would not wish her to know.

“Ruth is right about you” she said softly. “You are different from what one would expect. You did not have to answer my question.”

“Ruth is different as well. I’ve never met anyone like her.”

“She’s strong, my Ruth. Whatever you have to share with her, she can handle it.”

A sense of foreboding filled him. “What makes you say that?”

“I’ve lived in these woods a long time, seen many things. When Ruth described to me the man who gave her the necklace, I told her I thought I had seen you in the woods before.” She paused for a long minute and gave him a sly look. “I wasn’t wrong.”

He felt his blood run cold. “What do you mean by that?”

“I think the fewer words spoken on the subject, the better” she answered. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, milord, I have work to attend to.”

She curtsied and turned to go, eyes back on the ground.

William stared at her retreating back as he pondered her words.
How much does she know?
he wondered.
And if I don’t tell Ruth, will she?

He closed his eyes and prayed for calm. The moon was no longer full, but he could still feel its pull on him, and in many ways he was just as dangerous now as he had been the night before. He turned, at last, and began the long journey out of the forest.

Ruth sat on her bed, impatient and fretful. Her father had insisted that she stay off her bruised ankle for another day. It had been three days already, and with nothing to do but relive the attack over and over, she felt that she would go mad. The sun had begun its slow descent in the sky, and she urged it on.

There was a soft knock on the door, and she hobbled over to answer it. A cloaked and hooded figure dashed past her and entered the room. “Close the door quickly, child,” a familiar voice whispered.

Ruth hurried to do as she was told. “Grandmother?” she asked wonderingly as Giselle pushed her hood back. Fear rushed through her. Giselle had only braved coming to the village once before, right after the first wolf attack, and it had
been she who had done much of the work to heal Ruth’s legs.

“Shh, yes,” Giselle said, her features tense but her eyes shining with excitement.

“What are you doing here?” Ruth asked. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I came to bring you something.”

“What?”

Giselle pulled something from a basket she was carrying. She unfolded it, and in her hands she held a cloak of scarlet.

Ruth stiffened, feeling suddenly faint as she remembered another red cloak she had worn years ago, the day she was attacked by the wolf. She remembered too seeing the dark bloodstains on the tattered garment before her father had disposed of it.

Giselle must have seen Ruth’s hands beginning to shake, for she hastened to say. “This one will offer you unique protection from all manner of attackers.”

“How?” Ruth whispered.

With a smile Giselle showed her the inside of the garment. There, stitched in the lining, were strips of her brother’s armor. Prominently displayed was the crescent moon, still covered with blood.

“It is heavy, but it might one day save your life. As your brother protected you in life so he will in death.”

“Thank you,” Ruth said, tears springing to her eyes. She stood and tried on the cloak. It was indeed heavy, and the metal banged against her hip,
but she felt safe. She closed her eyes and imagined her brother once again beside her, comforting and protecting her. Slowly her image of him faded, though, and was replaced by another. A mischievous smile taunted her, and she found herself smiling as she opened her eyes.

“And how is Lord William?” Giselle asked shrewdly.

“I haven’t seen him since you and I last spoke,” Ruth admitted.
It’s amazing how she can always tell what I’m thinking.

“It’s a gift,” Giselle said, smiling.

Ruth shook her head. “Grandmother, sometimes I think you truly are a mind reader.”

“If I were I wouldn’t admit it.”

Ruth spun slowly, favoring her injured foot, getting used to the weight of the cloak and the way it moved. It had an attached hood, and she pulled it up slowly until it covered most of her head.

“It looks beautiful on you,” Giselle said.

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

“I must go quickly, but you must promise me to always wear it when walking through the woods.”

“I will, Grandmother,” Ruth assured her, fear once again squeezing at her heart. “Is everything well?”

The older woman’s face turned thoughtful. “Let us hope that it is, Ruth. Only time will tell for sure. Now I must go.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome,” Giselle answered. She put her hood back up over her head, crossed to the door, and left as quickly as she had come.

After a moment Ruth took off the cloak and sat back down on her bed, clutching the garment in her hands.

T
he day dawned dark and ominous. The air hung thick and damp, and no matter how close Ruth stood to the fire she could not drive the chill from her bones. Thoughts of the red cloak haunted her as she made her way to the shop.

Why would Grandmother make me another red cloak, knowing that the first helped attract the wolf?
She picked up her hammer and began to pound, imagining that it was the wolf and not metal that she was striking. She had been at work an hour when a shadow darkened the door.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up again,” Ruth said as William walked into the shop.

He smiled sheepishly, though his heart began to pound at the sight of her. She stood, sweaty and disheveled, with her hammer poised above a glowing sword. There was no pretense with her, no airs. She was completely natural and completely unaware of how beautiful she looked.

“You never know about me,” he joked lamely, not sure how else to answer her. He had desperately
wanted to see her, to reassure himself that she was real. So much of his life was dream and illusion, and she seemed the one solid thing he could hold on to. Yet the way she made him feel was anything but ordinary.

In his heart he had also feared that her grandmother had told her everything she knew of him. From the way Ruth had greeted him, though, and the way she was looking at him, it would seem that his secret was still safe.

“You know, my father told me that if I ever saw you in here again I was to run straightaway and fetch him,” Ruth said, interrupting his thoughts.

Thinking she was teasing, he answered with a grin, “Well, I guess you’d better do that.”

She shrugged. “No need, he’s working here today.”

A moment later he heard a step behind him. “Is there anything I can do for you, stranger?” a voice boomed close behind him.

William dipped his head to her, almost imperceptibly.
Well played.

He turned, assuming his best air of authority. “Good day, good sir.”

“Father, may I present Lord William. Lord William, this is my father, the owner of this shop”

“A pleasure to meet you,” William said.

“We are happy to help you, milord, in any way we can,” the blacksmith replied with a skeptical look and a respectful bow.

“I came by to once again thank your charming daughter for the wonderful job she did replacing my horse’s shoe.”

“I’m glad your lordship approves.”

William took in the other man’s red face and anxious eyes and realized that the blacksmith was afraid William would disapprove of Ruth’s occupation.
How to set his mind at ease and get some time alone with her?
he wondered. The solution came to him and he smiled.

“I would like to engage her services once again. You see, with winter all but upon us, I would like to have all of my horses’ hooves checked. I want to make sure they’re in excellent condition before the snows. I’m afraid this will be the last chance I have to check on several of them until the spring.”

“Of course, your lordship,” the blacksmith sputtered. “I always assumed you had your own blacksmith for such things.”

“I do, but he is busy with so many other things at the moment that horseshoes seem to be rather low on his list of priorities. Since Ruth did such a splendid job with Shadow, I thought she could take care of all of them.”

“How many horses?” Ruth asked.

He turned and smiled at her. “Around a hundred last time I counted.”

Her eyes grew large and round, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing at her expression.