Chpater 3

To restless for any kind of sleep, Daniel wandered the halls of this grand home, passing through hallway after hallway as they all seemed to blur into one as he tried to calm himself. He had so much on his mind, burdened with the worries of Rose above all else. It seemed as if she was sick more days than not which meant her illness was winning the war in her body as Rose, his Rose, began to die and he thought how cruel of God to make him watch. Daniel had known Rose for over two years now and her illness never seemed more real than it is now. He knew she was not in the best of health before he became so involved yet he never guessed she would have declined so quickly. He stopped in front of the master bedroom and knew he would only disturb Rose if he entered so he fell back against the far wall and began again to get lost in the past.

                 Very good to see you again Ms. Kerke,” Daniel said as he walked up next to her. She turned to look at him with that same smile that he had fallen head over hills for so many times over, “Good evening Mr. Grey.” “I see you have found the market; may I suggest that thou put thy fish back? It is only fresh on Tuesdays and this being a smoggy Thursday I must highly protest it,” Daniel said. “Sounds as if thou shall accompany on my errands since thou is so knowledgeable of our surroundings,” Rose said with a smirk. “I did not mean to come on so strong and it is no business of mine what thou may or may not purchase,” after he finished his sentence he saw Rose giggle a bit before she spoke, “Mr. Grey thou comes off as quite the gentleman.” Daniel could feel his cheeks start to burn slightly as she turned to continue looking and he was somewhat frozen trying to make sure he had not turned as red as the apple Rose was now holding in her palm. He took a few steps forward and met her again, “How are you enjoying thy stay in London?” Daniel asked, not out of curiosity but out of common courtesy. “I would be lying if I said it was pleasant,” she said as she looked downward, “I dost not wish to upset thee with my own opinions but it is just,” she broke off, “Hither is just not home.” Daniel could hear the soft sadness in her voice but at the same time got him curious, “Thou have not the need to apologize to me, thou is not a slave to any man Ms. Kerke and thou hast every right to speak thy mind but as you might agree, this subject is quite morbid.” Daniel was smiling more than he realized and was surprised to find her returning that smile. “So may I ask whither is thy home?” Daniel asked. “Since thou have been ever so kind, me and mother migrated hither from Yorkshire,” she said, “And speaking of mother, I must be on my way home. Would you care to escort me, Mr. Grey? I promise it is not that far.” Daniel could not refuse more time with her and he knew that, “Of course, I could never turn down a beautiful lady in need of my assistance.” Rose giggled again before they turned to leave empty-handed.

                Daniel talked the entire way looking down at the ground for most of the trip only looking up to see if Rose was even listening to him babble on. To his surprise, she always seemed to be amerced within his words. Although this is what he wanted he couldn’t help but realize how much he moved his arms and hands as he talked making himself conscience about moving too much. Daniel paused when he finally looked up and truly took in his surroundings and realized where he was, “Does thou wish to play a joke?” At that, Rose’s brow furrowed as she looked up at him. “What do thou mean Mr. Grey? I am but taking thou to my home.” They kept walking strait toward Wychwood Forest north of England, “Does thou know the stories of these woods Ms. Kerke?” She smiled gently at him, “I have heard a few of them but the stories are what keep the thieves away, is that not a big problem in the city?” Daniel let out a shy laugh before he spoke again.

                “I’ve heard so many stories of townspeople walking into those woods because they felt as if their live was over. Those woods are crawling with wolves, one of the few places left in Europe that inhabits them. They have been hunted to the point of extinction everywhere else but going into Wychwood to hunt is far too dangerous plus its bloody history. Over a century ago when this area had yet to blossom, the town’s folk found a colony of wiccan on the outskirts of the community they were building and one night they surrounded the wiccan with all the weapons they could come up with. The wiccan ran, so the town’s people steered them like cattle toward these woods and after that they started calling this forest Wychwood.” Daniel looked toward Rose after finishing looking for her expression.

                Her smile greeted his eyes; I wouldn’t have ever guessed that thou and thy family were founders of this town.” Daniel looked at her confused, “What does thou mean?” “Sarcasm Mr. Grey, thou mustn’t always be so formal all the time,” she said before walking into the shadow of the forest. Daniel swallowed hard as he was encircled by the shadows of Wychwood. “I’m sorry Ms. Kerke but if I was not formal I believe it would cause a domino effect sending all of humanity into a sinkhole of chaos,” and at that he felt the side of him mouth rise into half a smile. “Shakespeare could not have written it better himself,” said Rose. Daniel stays quiet after that because he is too busy focusing on the beaten path. He thinks also of Shakespeare and what he would say about the situation Daniel is in now, as the trees seem to bleed tiny rays of gold as the sun is only able to escape through the thick branches. He tries his hardest to not seem as nervous as he is the farther they venture into the forest where it seems like the night is able to exist over the day. Daniel keeps his pace lost in his thoughts to keep him away from the reality when he realizes Rose is no longer beside him.

                He turns to find her down on one knee hunched over, her head towards the ground having a coughing fit. “Rose!” Daniel yells as he waits for his body to get the message that he wishes to run towards her. His black shoes kick up dust behind him as he closes in on Rose. He kneels next to her asking if she is well, asking what is wrong, and knowing she will not be answering him back. He is at a loss of what to do as she continues to cough and struggle for breaths in between each one. She grabs at his coat with her hand that is not holding her handkerchief to her mouth. He tries to get low enough to see her face but every time he tried, she pushed him back until he seizes her wrist and looks past her knit hat to see her face as purple as a tulip in full bloom. His hands touch at her face as she suddenly stops coughing and gasping for air, she pulls her hand from her mouth revealing her handkerchief damp with blood. “Rose what has happened to thee?” as Daniel tries to help her to her feet. She does not answer him but as she opens her mouth to respond her body goes limp and falls towards the ground and the coughing returns as blood drips to the earth.

                Rose felt like lead in Daniel’s arms as he tried to lift her up into his arms. If it were not for the maddening coughing and gagging, he would have thought of her as good as dead but he continued to pull her towards him. Daniel pulls her up and begins to walk to try to build momentum to move fast towards the house Rose says is down here. She thrashes in his arms as her skin goes pale it almost shines in the dim darkness that Daniel dashes through. “Rose, we’re almost there, hold on, please hold on,” Daniel says to Rose but also to himself to keep him going. Sweat drips into his eyes and around his brow when he sees a small cottage off to his right just a hundred yards away and that is when he breaks out into a full run yelling for help but his words come out hoarse and weak. He lays her down as gently as he can outside the front door and runs to it slamming his body into the door.

                An older woman, probably in her late forty’s answers the door with a worried look on her face and Daniel just points to Rose’s, now still, body. The woman looks back into the house, “Jocelyn! Grab Rose’s medicine and come to the front now!” she screams and rushed to Rose’s side. “Here thou grab her legs and help me carry her inside so we can her the medicine,” said the woman. Daniel obeys her commands and they carry Rose inside laying her on the table in the middle of the room. Daniel took in his surroundings to realize there was not even a whole lot in this front room. The ceilings were no more than a foot higher than his head, the walls were log just like the outside, and besides the table in the room, and there was only a fireplace in the far wall. A smaller woman walked into the room holding a dripping cloth in one hand and the other was closed around something. She looked at the taller woman and seemed to have a silent conversation right in front of Daniel before she kneeled next to rose and forced her mouth open. In the closed hand, she revealed a skinny wooden stick that she pressed between Rose’s lips, which went so easily now that Rose’s whole body was now limp and lifeless. She held the rag over her propped open mouth and contorted the rag making the liquid fall into her mouth.

                “She’ll be well by sun up, thank you for what thou hast done for our family, but may I ask thee name?” said the taller of the two ladies. Now that Daniel could get his bearings, he noticed that the woman who had just asked him his name was very beautiful. Her hair was long and black as coal, the lines in her face showing her age suited her, and her eyes were nearly black. This intrigued Daniel, never seeing eyes like those before. “Daniel Grey and I assume thou art relatives of Ms. Kerke?” Daniel tried to speak formal but not push it too far knowing his feelings for Rose. “Well Mr. Grey, thou have made the correct assumption but only by half. “My name is Abigail Blackwell and this is Rose’s mother, Laura Radcliffe and might I say that young Rose keeps very nice company,” her dark eyes fixed on Daniel, it was almost hypnotic the way she looked at him. He had almost just completely missed everything that she had just said.

                They remain standing as Abigail talks and Laura moves in and out of the room checking up on her daughter, bringing her a cold rag to place on her forehead. Abigail directs a question at Daniel and before she finishes her sentence his curiosity peaks and his mouth opens, “What is wrong with Ms. Kerke to cause such a fit and out of nowhere and what is that liquid thou hast made her drink?” He thought that Abigail would seem angry at his rude interruption but she just smiled and looked toward the ground as she took a step closer to him. “I beseech thee, follow me outside and I shall answer whatever questions you may harbor,” Abigail said as she hooked her arm into his and led him towards the front door.

                She closes the door behind her and lets go of Daniel’s arm and he takes a few steps away from her feeling uncomfortable at the closeness they had just shared. “It is quite unfortunate that he had to see miss Rose in that state and for that I am sorry but none the less, yes miss Rose is quite ill. Before she came here her family was caught in a fire and ever since then she has had these coughing fits and there is no true explanation for it,” she continued, “Her father died in that fire and so did her grandmother, it was more than a tragedy until thou hast seen the state Laura was left in. She is but a shell of her former self.”

After Abigail had stopped talking Daniel let the silence grow longer than he should have and thought it to be untimely to try to talk now. Abigail took a step towards him as she did before in the house and at that, Daniel looked around and noticed the sun had but little light remaining in the sky. “I promise thee that Rose will be well by the morrow and that thou may rest easy,” she said as Daniel took the hint that she was saying her goodbyes. Although it would have been kind of him to say his goodbye Daniel had a question that had been eating at the back of his mind as she told the story of Rose’s past. Once again, he let the words slip out of his mouth ungracefully, “And how did thou end up with the family? Why art thou the one taking care of them?” Daniel said and the words came out hostile although he did not mean them to. “I am an old family friend of the Kerke’s and have been for a very long time,” she took another step forward leaving her inches from Daniel’s face. He sucked in a breath through his nose and noticed a foul smell emitting off Abigail. She leaned forward with her mouth next to Daniel’s ear, “Sleep well young knight,” she whispered into his ear before stepping back and turning toward the house. He watched her shut the door behind her before moving another inch.

The sun had made its exit and night had won over the light as it did every day. A constant battle of good and evil, Daniel thought to himself, and evil was what he was about to face. He remembered the path to take back to the trail he had used to enter Wychwood but knew getting out of the forest would be easier said than done. Cool air had already set in as it stung at Daniel’s face when he started out of the clearing, the light chills clinging to the parts of his skin left bare like a think mist. He entered the trees with slow movements, knowing there was nothing near that could be in his way but still moved cautiously trying to keep his mind off his increasing heart rate. He walked with long precise strides until he felt the earth change beneath his feet signally that he had reached the trail that would lead him out. Daniel thought of his mother and the stories of these woods that she used to tell Gabriel and him when they were kids to keep them from wandering off into the forest. He made a small laughing sound at that thought thinking of why two children would wander this far to play in amongst the trees. His humorous thought was shattered as the sound of a wolf’s howl pierced the dark sheet that surrounded Daniel.

Daniel had heard the howls of a wolf before but he was always in a safe place with four walls surrounding him. He was now in a world where the laws of humanity did not touch and there was only one rule in existence, survival. He was not sure if he should start to move faster or he should stay still when another howl filled the sky, a different howl coming from different wolves in the opposite direction and that is when Daniel’s feet started moving on their own. Not quite running full speed but walking quick enough not to completely lose his footing, Daniel raced forward down the trail. His heart was pounding his chest to the point of it becoming painful and despite the chilly air; he was sweating from every crevice of his body. A twig snapped off to his right and he heard padded feet rushing in his direction and in a fit of panic, Daniel ran to his left and off the beaten path. Small limps smacked his body as he kept his back to the trail but the padding feet continued to run as they veered off heading away from Daniel.

He took in a deep breath and started heading back the way he had come, back to the trail when another howl cracked the silent air sending Daniel off his feet. He stumbled backwards from the direction the howl came from and tripped on a branch lying on the ground. The air filled with more padding feet, it sounded like thousands of them rushing in his direction. In his sudden fright, he realized two things, one was that the sound these feet made were not the sound of the feet he’d heard on the trail, those where light and quick while the ones heading toward him now are strong and in full stride, so the sound that drove him into the woods was most likely prey. The second thing he realized was that he was in the middle of a hunt and he would become the prey. Time slowed down around him just to tease him, Daniel thought, to draw out his death, and to make him suffer. The barrage of footsteps came closer with each of his breaths, the sounds of so many branches and twigs being snapped, the huffs and puffs of the animals after their prey and Daniel knew better than to try to move because he knew his body would not help him in this situation. Daniel closed his eyes as the sound of feet beating the ground silenced all the other noises of the forest. The noise danced around him as thunderous footsteps propelled the predators toward their main prey. Daniel never saw the animals as they just simply passed him, too focused on their goal to notice his presence. Daniel almost coughed out his next breath as he realized he must not have been breathing for the past few minutes. He looked around and only saw the shadows of the trees that stood around him as he made his way slowly too his feet. He legs where weak with fear as he fell up against a tree to steady himself. A few steps at a time he made his way back to the trail. He stepped out onto the earth he was much more familiar with and now had the light of a full moon to help guide his trip back. He took the first sure steps he had taken in what felt like forever, trying to take in deep even breaths when a growl arose behind him and out of instinct, he turned just in time to see a wolf appearing out of the darkness into the light of the full moon, lunging for his throat. Daniel awoke with a start, covered in sweat and chill bumps, as he realized he had fallen asleep and dreamed the same nightmare that had haunted him since that night that it had happened.

Author's Note

Please comment and give feedback and i'll post chapter 4 soon.