• A SECRET OF FREEDOM


    A shadow moved swiftly through the forest and across the misty vale. It was a pale shadow; it was shallow but still just as foreboding as the deep, dark shadows of the sea. It was silent, but still moved as if the source was biped and without flight. The animals looked up as it moved pass, they seemed to acknowledge it as a friend or leader instead of an enemy; and the shadow acknowledged them as friends instead of prey.
    It moved along a stream to a fresh water spring; the spring had two pools, one pool was steaming and the other was cold. The steaming pool was where the water came up from underneath the ground. There was a small waterfall, about three feet high, where the water from the hot pool flowed into the other pool and cooled off. The shadow glanced toward the pool but then moved toward a giant tree on an outcrop that hung over the hot pool. It climbed halfway up the tree and disappeared. Looking closer, there was a slight gap in the foliage of the tree; looking even closer there were rectangular slits on either side of the gap that were large enough for a person to see out of with both eyes.
    On the other side of the gap there was a room like that of a cabin. The room contained a fire pit, a small bed, a table and chair, a bookshelf, and a stack of eating utensils next to a tub large enough for a grown man to lay flat in. Hanging above the door was a slender, elegant bow made of white wood; next to the bow was a quiver full of arrows made out of the same wood as the bow.
    The shadow formed a shape that could have been said to look like a woman as the day drew to a close and the sun was setting. She sat by the small leafy window that looked out over the pools and watched the copper and gold light play on the ripples created by the waterfall and spring. When the light hit her face, she was the color of copper. On the right side of her chest and on her right shoulder was something a lot like armor but was thick leather instead. Leather straps clipped onto another small leather plate on her left shoulder and left side secured the larger guard in place. Underneath all her equipment was a thin shirt of spun Egyptian cotton that looked as if it should have been owned by royalty, or someone acquainted with royalty. The woman’s hair was that of untainted gold, not yellow, but not brown either.
    At the very last light of day she stood, lit a lantern, and moved silently down to the spring. She set the lantern on the bank so that it shined out over the entire pool, and unclasped the leather plates from her shoulders and side. The plates lay on the forest floor as she continues to take off more protective gear. By the time she is down to just her shirt and under shorts, there is a large pile of outer clothing on the ground beside her. Even though the pile was large, anyone could pick it up and carry it around with one hand.
    In the cool night air and fading light, the pool was steaming at the woman’s feet. She gazed at it with longing in her murky green eyes that seemed to have the same amount of knowledge in them as the sea itself, her eyes didn’t reflect any light at all and thus gave an even wiser look to her.
    She breathed in the steamy air and dove head first into the near-to-boiling water. The water was completely clear and she could see everything on the bottom. She looked at the oddly shaped rocks and an orange and purple fish that swam up to her and blew bubbles that signified a greeting; she blew bubbles too and felt the crushing of her lungs as they sent messages to her brain saying that more air was needed. She broke the surface and inhaled as the peaceful and welcoming song of water ceased to ring in her ears. She floated on her back longing for the beautiful music to tickle her eardrums again but knew that if she went back under she wouldn’t be up until the sun set completely behind the surrounding trees.
    She had to be out of the pool with her things packed and heading toward the edge of the forest by nightfall. Her family’s carriage would pick her up on the road that skirted the wild country. The driver of the carriage was the only person that knew she went into the wilds when she should be at her uncle’s house in the country. She only spent three months with her parents in Surrey; the rest of the time she was to be studying at her uncle’s. During the wintertime she went home to endure her constantly picky and fastidious mother. Her quiet father had always encouraged listen to her heart and conscience no matter what the ordeal.
    She flipped onto her stomach and swam to the shore where her leather armor lay in the dimming sunlight and brightening moonlight. She hauled herself up onto the bank, picked up her gear and shuffled up to the tree house in soaking undergarments.
    Once in the tree house again, she shoved her things into a reed bag and dug a pair of pants out of the chest, she also dug out a shirt and stockings. She proceeded to put these things on over fresh underwear and shoved her feet into slim leather boots that reached to just below her knees. She grabbed the bag made of scratchy reeds and headed down the trunk as well as snatching a thick wool coat from the hook next to the door. Along with all her clothes, wet or dry, was her bow and quiver of arrows; she never went anywhere without them.
    Once again she was the shadow, moving silently and swiftly through the moonlight. She passed lakes and creeks, sleeping deer and rabbit holes; she watched a mountain lion slink through the bushes, not even glancing at her as she floated by. An owl cried out from above in the night sky, it swooped down just above her head and flew by her side for a while until she reached a meadow; then it rose into the sky once more in order to hunt and find its midnight snack.
    There was a chill in the air, like the warning of an approaching army. To the west there was a strip of silver cloud that confirmed the coming of a storm. The sky was clear besides that strip and the few wisps that floated across the moon now and again.
    On the other side of the meadow was the thickest part of the forest. It was like a complete wooden roof above her head instead of individual parts laid loosely over each other. Silver-blue moonlight poured like water though the parts where branches where not growing. It looked like the sky was splatter painting on the forest floor.
    She was quickly through that part of the forest and into a less densely wooded area. At the end of the next avenue of trees was the plain that the road wound through. She reached the road without a falter in her step or any lack of breath at all as the sun came up and the moon set. The two celestial bodies were directly opposite each other, casting a green glow across the plain.
    The road boasted a green-tinged carriage once she set foot on it. The carriage and horses were black, but, due to the lighting of moon and sun together, they were green. The driver was also green and looked sickly, even though he wasn’t. He stopped the carriage directly in front of her and let her climb in. There was a black, velvet box on the seat of the carriage next to her.
    “Courtesy of your mother. She had it made special last week. She also asked my advice on the color, she wanted to make it pink but settled for a silvery midnight blue instead with a little persuasion,” the driver said, pulling back the curtain and poking his head through.
    She picked up the box and opened it. Inside was a dark blue dress that seemed to glow slightly silver. The elegant trim around the neck and sleeves was also silver; apparently her mother hadn’t gone overboard on the trim for once. She also hadn’t made the sleeves overly poofy like she usually did. There were two parts to the dress, the top and the bottom. The top clipped onto the bottom and ended in a point at the front, it had a scoop-neck that was lower in back than in front, the waist was stiffened so that it wouldn’t wrinkle and would show her form more, the sleeves were the three-fourths length model that her mother had been wanting her to try; the bottom was the same blue as the top and went all the way to the floor with a straight-cut edge that reflected her seriousness (not her mother’s, her mother was never serious), from the edge there was four inches of silver fabric with dark blue vines embroidered around the entire bottom. There were small sections of flowering vines embroidered across the rest of the dress, sleeves, and two-inch wide silver trim around the neck.
    “I also persuaded her to choose a simple design this time, but let her put as much embroidery on it as she wanted. Which, apparently isn’t too much,” the driver added. “There’s also a plain winter gown under the seat for you to put on. That blue one is for the welcoming ball tonight.”
    “Thank you so much, Harold. I don’t know what I would have done if she had given me a gown like the last one!” she replied thankfully. Over the years of her being gone her mother had slowly made each dress more and more complicated and hideous.
    “Oh, it was not trouble at all. I think I would have had to quit my job if she gave you one like that again,” Harold confessed.
    “No, if you left then I would have to go to my uncle’s for vacation!”
    “I won’t leave, don’t you worry. Anyway, how was your vacation, Miss Genna?”
    “It was wonderful. Much better than going to my uncle’s,” Genna informed him.
    “We’d better get going then, the sun’s up,” Harold said and turned around and shut the curtain. “Oh, you might want to put that winter dress on. You might need this too,” he said, turning around again and handing her a brush. “Don’t forget to change before we get home.”
    “I won’t,” Genna reassured him. There was a snap and the horses started bumping down the long road to her parent’s mansion. She sighed and dug out a dull red velvet dress with tan fur lining the hood. The dress was plain with nothing else decorating it; the only other thing was a leather belt that would never go around her large hips and thick waist. The dress was made smaller than her normal build and would fit one of her prissy cousins better at that point.
    Genna shrugged and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened a part of her mind that others could not. Her whole body tingled for a few seconds and then the sensation subsided. When her eyes opened again they twinkled naturally, something they wouldn’t usually do, her knife pointed chin was now rounded like a worn down arm on an old chair, her calloused hands were smooth and dainty, and her whole body was smaller. Now the red dress would fit her perfectly, so would the blue dress.
    She unfolded the dress and laid it on top of the black box on the seat. She shrugged off the pants and shirt that were now much too big for her and slipped smoothly into the red dress and tied the belt around her now tiny waist.
    Genna fell asleep to the rhythm of the bumpy road while she was trying to find a pattern in the jolts. She didn’t dream and she didn’t notice anything, but suddenly Harold was shaking her awake.
    “We’re here!” he hissed in her ear. It was night again and the moon was still just as bright as the night before.
    “Really?” Genna asked.
    “Yes, and your mother and father are waiting in the dining hall. Come on, they aren’t going to wait much longer!” Harold said urgently. Genna sat upright and started to step out of the carriage. “Wait,” Harold held up a hand holding the brush that Genna had forgotten to use, “you forgot this.”
    “Oops,” she said, taking the brush from him and running it through her seemingly untamable hair. The brush moved smoothly over the bush on her head and when she was done her straight hair had a slight wave to it and laid flat on her scalp. Instead of reaching to the base of her neck, her hair reached to the middle of her shoulder blades; and her bangs were one-third the length they were.
    Genna nodded to Harold and the two of them headed into the house and down the hall to the dining room. Her parents sat at the long main table and waved excitedly at her. Genna’s mother stood with a huge smile on her face as they approached the end of the table where Genna’s father now sat alone.
    “Oh, Genna, darling! It’s so wonderful to see you again!” Genna’s mother exclaimed, throwing her arms around Genna’s shoulders. Genna, startled by her mother’s enthusiasm, almost toppled over on the tile floor. Her mother was never that excited about Genna’s return.
    “Elizabeth, dear, why don’t we just tell her,” Genna’s father sighed gloomily.
    “Oh, do cheer up, William!” Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes.
    “Just tell her already!” William exclaimed.
    “Alright.” She turned back to Genna. “You’re getting married!” she squealed, Genna’s father jumped in his chair and then rolled his eyes.
    “What? This can’t be true! Father what do you say to this?” Genna said, wide-eyed and slightly panicked.
    “Well, there’s nothing I can do. You’re old enough now and have finished your studies. It has been arranged that you marry Lord Andrew’s son, Daniel,” he said, ashamed.
    “Daniel is going to be at the ball tonight to be introduced to you,” Elizabeth added. Genna stood with her mouth open, staring at the floor. “Come along dear. The ball starts in a few hours and I’m sure your tired from the long journey.” Elizabeth escorted Genna to her rooms where she was seated in a chair before the fire. A servant brought in the black velvet box containing the dress she was to meet Daniel in tonight.
    After a while a maid came in and drew a bath for Genna and said that the ball started in an hour. Genna was to greet guests at the high table but she asked the maid to persuade her mother in letting her sit at a different table that was quieter. The maid came back in and informed her that Elizabeth had agreed after a long argument with William.
    The maid left again after making sure the bath was the right temperature and that it wasn't overflowing, many know that overflowing tubs have been a great nuisance. Genna undressed and climbed into the tub. She was horrified that her mother had arranged a wedding with the stuck-up son of a stuck-up lord. She had never really liked her mother, but now she thoroughly hated her. Genna would never go to the Tree House again if this wedding took place. The animals would forget her friendship and try to drive humans out of the forest and get themselves killed.
    Apparently the wedding was a wondrous idea for Elizabeth, but not for Genna. She loved her life in the forest and would gladly give up her wealth for it. Genna would even tell her parents that she had never gone to her Uncle’s house, but went to the wilds instead. Her mother would have a fit and want to lock Genna in her room for an eternity, but she didn’t care. She always knew that her father wouldn’t care either, and that was a very refreshing thought.
    Genna lay in the tub, breathing in the familiar aromas of wild rose and pine. Every bath she took in her parent’s mansion was sprinkled with pine needles and wild rose petals. That way she felt that she had never gone very far from the forest, instead of a hundred miles. The maids never questioned her strange habits or ideas, even though there was the rumor that maids knew everything.
    Genna climbed out of the tub and dried herself off. She had always gotten out before the maids came to dress her; she had never liked the idea of other people doing everything for her. She picked up the black box and took out the two pieces of the gown; she laid them on her bed and looked at them for a while. With a sigh, Genna went to the closet and opened the double doors. Hanging in the middle of the closet was a new set of undergarments. They were the same color as the blue dress and the same shape. Pinned to the shoulder of the blue linen was a note. Genna unpinned it and recognized her mother’s perfect handwriting at once.
    Dear Genna,
    I know how much you hate the underclothes that most women wear. So I had these made special. Supposedly the tailor made them so that they aren’t noticed when worn. It’s a new style without all the lace and ruffles… I know how discreet you like to be and made these discreet for that purpose. I hope you really do like them.
    Your Loving Mother, Elizabeth
    “I hope I like them too, mother,” Genna whispered to herself. She took the garment off the hanger and slipped it on. It felt like air and the chest was stiff and fit her perfectly. At that point she wanted to run out and embrace her mother even with the arranged marriage.
    Genna went back to the bed and held up the skirt of the ball gown. She slipped it on over her head and down to her waist. The fabric was soft and silky even through the under gown. Genna twisted it around so that the hooks that held the top on were in the right places. With that done, she put the top part on and latched it in place. It was a little tight at first but after a while it was just right. The under gown didn’t poke out in any places and seemed like Elizabeth had made it to fit the dress perfectly. Genna dried her hair and combed it. She had no idea how to put it up so she just let it hang in its semi-natural form.
    On her desk was a violin and sheet music. Along with the sheet music were blank pages. She grabbed all the pages and the violin and stepped out into the hall. She could hear carriages coming up the driveway and the front doors opening. The ball was about to begin. Genna scurried down the flight stairs and into the ballroom.
    “Genna!” Elizabeth had spotted her immediately. “You look marvelous! I did well on the dress this year, didn’t I?”
    “Yes you did, mother. Much better than the years past,” Genna replied. “I see people are arriving. I’m just going to sit down for a while.”
    “But I…”
    “I’ll be over there if you need me,” Genna gestured toward a small table in a dark corner. Elizabeth sighed and allowed her independent daughter to go her own way.

    Lord Andrew and his son Daniel were one of the first to arrive. Quite a few people had arrived before them but the weren’t the very last. The two of them walked through the handsome double doors of the Harrington Manor side by side. The maids and menservants that were stationed near the doors and along the length of the hall greeted them.
    Lord Andrew was thrilled that the Harringtons had agreed to the wedding. It was the only chance to get his son to settle down. Daniel, on the other hand, had not been pleased. He hadn’t spoken to his father for weeks and was disappointed that he was going to miss his time away from home this year.
    They entered the hall and were instantly greeted by William and Elizabeth Harrington.
    “Welcome Lord Andrew,” Elizabeth said ecstatically.
    “Thank you, we are very pleased to be here,” Andrew said, nudging his son in the ribs.
    “Very pleased indeed,” Daniel said as brightly as he could.
    “Would you like to see the manor while we wait for the rest of the guests to arrive?” William offered warmly.
    “I would love to. But I’m not sure that Daniel would particularly enjoy it, though. He’s a bit, well, shocked by the resent wedding plans,” Andrew said.
    “Well, Genna is in the ballroom if you would like to go speak to her,” Elizabeth suggested. Daniel inclined his head in acknowledgement.
    The party of three ventured off and Daniel wandered into the ballroom. He instantly spotted a shadowy figure bent over a table in the far corner of the room. The shadow glowed slightly silver, but it was a dark and mysterious silver. Even though it was dark, it was still bright, like the moon.
    As he came closer he realized that the figure was a woman. Her hair was long and golden, and her form was slender and beautiful. What was odd was that there was a shadow of another form floating around her like a mist. The shadow was of a similar woman with the same hair, but it was shaggier. The shadow’s form was bulky and strong, not as delicate as the form now shown on the real woman. The shadow wore leather armor and men’s clothes, there was a bow slung over one shoulder along with a quiver of arrows.
    The woman felt his gaze upon her and looked up. The expression on her face was surprise at first, but then she smiled and stopped what she was doing. She beckoned to him and he heard a mystical voice in his head.
    “Welcome, Daniel of Wiltshire.”

    Genna saw how shocked Daniel’s expression was to her little psychic message. She knew whom he was and that he could see through her disguise. She also knew that he had been born with a daemon eye and could see things others could not. That eye looked different than the other and so he kept it mostly covered by his black hair.
    He walked toward her and surprisingly didn’t demand to know how she knew. He just simply looked at what she was doing.
    “So you’re a musician?” Daniel asked.
    “Part time,” Genna replied, covering up her work. She was being a bit sour to him just because he was the one whom she had to marry.
    “Listen, I know you don’t want to get married and neither do I. But lets try and make this as painless as possible while we have to, agreed?” he said.
    “All right, but I don’t have to like it,” Genna agreed.
    “Neither do I,” Daniel stated.
    The two of them sat silently looking at each other while the ballroom steadily filled.
    “You know, I was forced into this because my father found out that instead of going to the London college in winter, I went to the wilds of Somerset,” he informed her.
    “What!” she gasped.
    “Ridiculous I know. My father can be a bit uptight sometimes.”
    “No, not that. Were there two pools and a tree house, and was one of the pools a hot spring?” Genna asked desperately, shocked.
    “Yeah, how did you know that?”
    “I go there every spring, summer, and fall!” The two them gaped at each other while they both pondered the thought of not having to leave the forest forever after all. They smiled and laughed at each other as their parents walked into the room.
    “Well, looks like there getting on alright,” Andrew announced.
    “Yes, indeed,” William agreed and Elizabeth just smiled to herself. For once in her life she didn’t have anything to say.

    The End

    THE BEGINNING