Cross My Heart

The morning air filled my lungs as I frolicked through the forest. The grass tickled my bare feet, the trees swayed in the wind, and the fairies giggled as I made my way past them. Today was the day where the seasons had begun to change from winter to spring. Which meant that all the fairies each had their own specific task to perform to keep everything running smoothly.  The garden Fae had begun to open up the sleeping leaves and flowers, the water Fae had begun to unthaw the rivers and streams, even the animal Fae had started their jobs waking the animals from their long hibernations. Each of them greeted me as I walked past them. Now you may wonder why I'm barefoot in the early spring. Well, that's easy. I'm not human. Well I guess you could have figured that out on your own by now considering humans can not live among the fairytale creatures. And no, I'm not a fairy either. I'm....special. My name is Selene. I am the soon to be Queen of these lands, but most importantly, I am a wolf. Well not all the time. I'm what humans would consider a werewolf. One of those like you hear about in stories. And not just any wolf either. I am a direct descendant from the first ever werewolf, Michael. He's actually my father, current ruler of the kingdom. We weren't always blood thirsty creatures, well from what I can gather anyways. This all happened long before I was born. Legend says that my father used to be a cruel and heartless leader. He didn't care about how his kingdom was doing, all he cared about was himself.  One night, a witch came knocking on the door seeking shelter from the cold. My father being the tyrant that he was, turned her away. Before she left, she cast a curse on him that would haunt him and the rest of our family for all of eternity. She claimed that he would become a slave to the moon. Each full moon, he would turn into a blood thirsty creature that would ravage the countryside. He didn't believe her and laughed in her face. Many nights had come and gone and the moon begun to shine brighter and brighter. On the night that it was full, the servants that survived claimed that he had turned into a snarling beast. They say that when the moonlight beamed into his window that night, he began to scream in agony. It was rumored they could hear his screams all over the kingdom. The servants said that they would never forget the sound of bones being broken and reset over and over again. Before long, his screams were replaced by a blood curdling howl that ripped throughout the castle. When the servants made their way to his chambers, they claim to have caught a glimpse of a large brown beast escaping through the balcony door. They hall hurried to call the guards, assuming that the beast had murdered the King. When the guars had finished searching his chambers, they reported that there was no sign of the King other than some shredded night clothes. The guards called a search party and began to look for him. When they returned in the morning, the king was naked, covered in blood, and fast asleep over one of the guards shoulders. When he came to, he didn't remember anything other than waking up in a pile of human body pieces.  From then on, he ordered his guards to lock him away in a cell so that no one would be hurt again. It was during ne of his stays there that he met my mother. He tells me stories of how she was the only woman to be able to tame the beast inside him. He gives her all the credit for his changed heart. He still to this day has to be locked into the cell, but he is no longer considered a tyrant.  The curse was passed down to me and will be passed onto my children and their children and so on. I only hope that one day, one of my children will find a way to break this curse and be freed from the moons hold on us. I had made my way through the bustling woods into a clearing that was just in the center of the woods. My mother had taken me to this place many times as a child. I had grown to love it now more than ever. My mother was a brave woman, she held on until there was nothing more she could do. She finally succumbed to her sickness a couple of days ago. My father was immortal, thanks to his curse, but my mother was not. She was just a simple witch who had fallen in love with my father knowing that one day she would leave his side. I sat down in the frosty grass and pulled my knees to my chest. This was my favorite place to be for so many reasons. The waterfall cascading down into the pool below it and the woodland creatures were the only sounds for many miles around. I had many memories of my mother bringing me here just to watch the other creatures do their work. Such as today. I watched as the fairies had started to clear the frost from the grass just ahead of me. I guess I was a little early. They had always made sure to perform the changing of seasons work here first so that my mother and I could enjoy in peace.  I watched the garden fairies touch each plant. The frost melted away each time and reveled a beautiful flower on each one. I had been coming here long enough to know that most of those flowers would soon turn to fruits. My stomach growled at the thought of them. Some fairies flew past me and giggled. Then some more flew around my head before placing a bouquet of flowers in my lap. I smiled as I looked down at them. They were beautiful gold and purple pansies. My mothers favorite. I stood and walked to the edge of the lake.  "For you my dear mother. Always and forever your sweet pea." I whispered as I placed the pansies in the water to float away. I turned and faced the crowd of Fae that had gathered behind me. "As you all may know," I clasped my hands in front of me and looked out to them, "My mother, your queen, has succumbed to her illnesses." Gasp were heard in every direction. Some held onto to each other as they mourned the loss of their beloved queen. Others just silently stared at me and silently cried. "She wouldn't want you to mourn her loss, instead she would ask that you celebrate her departure into the next life." "What is to become of the kingdom now?" I knew that they were referring to my fathers old ways. I may not have been around then, but I have heard stories from my mother and many others about his horrendous ways. "My father has agreed to step down from the throne and relinquish the kingdom to me." Cheers erupted from the crowd. "The late Queen's funeral will be held in a few days. Then after the kingdom has had time to process the news, we will hold the coronation." "Oh princess, That's great news but horrible timing." One of the Fae looked at me with empathy and sorrow in her eyes.  "I understand your concern and I thank you all for that" I smiled at them. "Thank you for listening and accepting me as your future queen." With that, they all dispersed and begun getting the forest ready for the coming spring. I stared back down at the water and watched as each flower floated around the pool.  "I miss you. So much more than you will ever know." With that, I turned to walk back the way I came. I wasn't sure what was to come, but I knew it wouldn't be easy for any of us. I never doubted my people's loyalty until now. I am the only heir to the throne, therefore the first female to ascend to the title of Queen, without being married into it. This was going to be difficult.  I stepped over each branch that was in the path as I made my way back home. The thoughts clouded my mind. I almost didn't notice my guard coming my way. "Hello princess." He bowed in front of me before looking me over. "Hello Noah."  Noah had been by my side since the day I was born. He was raised to be my personal guard. Noah had been in an unfortunate accident when he was a small child. That accident being my fathers wrath on one full moon. Noah's mother hadn't been aware of my fathers curse and was tasked with bringing him his food for the evening. As she made her way down the corridor towards his cell, Noah had begun to fuss so she had stopped to change his diaper and feed him. No one had warned her that after the moon was at its peak, he would become a complete and total monster. She had been just moments too late. When she opened the door to his cell, she was met with my fathers wolf. His wolf was viscous, still is actually, and would turn on anyone. My father made light work of Noah's mother. He tore into her as if she were a twig. I was told that her body lying over his is what protected him. Well mostly protected him. Noah hadn't completely come out of the ordeal unscathed. The next morning, my father was released from the cell, but he wasn't alone. In his arms was a blood soaked cloth with baby Noah inside. It didn't take long to realize that the blood was Noah's and he was inches away from deaths door. The doctors examined him and found 4 large slashes across his back. each one had nearly healed by the time they found them. The doctors bandaged him up and shipped him off to the nursery until he was around 7. By that time everyone had forgotten about his mishap with the king until one full moon shortly after he turned 7. Noah had gone through the same transformation as my father had. His wolf wasn't as large as my fathers but still harbored enough strength to take down four of our best guards before they were able to cage him.  Since then, Noah has been searching for a way to break this curse.  I shook my head at the memory and was greeted by Noah's warm smile. Nah was only 2 years older than I, but the hard work and sleepless nights had really taken a toll on him. In my eyes, he was still the most handsome man I had ever lain eyes upon. His long black hair had been sleeked back into a half up half down style that really accentuated his strong facial features. I think the wolf curse had a lot to do with his features seeing as not many men around here had the strong jawline like he does.  I stared at him for what seemed like hours. His green eyes shone in the sunlight ever so bright. They were almost as green as emeralds. His hair really made his eyes shine. That was my favorite feature of his. "Princess?" He chuckled as he snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer to him. "Noah! What if someone sees us?" I playfully hit his chest and unwound my way from his grasp. He pretended to give me a hurt look as he laid his hand on his chest. "Do you not want to be seen with me? Oh Princess, you have wounded my soul." He chuckled and offered me his arm. I looped my arm through his and he lead the way back down the path to the castle. "It's not that. We're always seen together anyways, but not in that way." I looked up at him. His smile was still on his lips as he looked straight ahead. "I understand my dear." He gave me a wink and laughed again. His laugh was so infectious and melodious. I would give anything to hear that for the rest of my life.   When we reached the castle gates, Noah let go of my arm before we walked through the door. My father stood at the bottom of the stairs. A stoic look graced his face as he looked up at us. "You two, my office. Now!"