As the sun gradually sank lower in the sky, the valley became quieter, the insects that had hurried about so industriously in the afternoon were now scarcely to be seen and only the midges remained by the pool, which itself had become rather gloomy and uninviting in the dim light. A deep red glow spreading from the west bathed the trees in a warm aura and reflected darkly in the still surface of the waters. Rowany sighed to herself again. Soon she would hear calls from the house summoning her to supper, and if she did not come, Father would send out a servant to look for her and he would find her, lying by her secret pool as she always was. But they had not called yet, she was free for at least a few moments longer. On the far bank a small rabbit slowly made its way to the waters edge to drink, stopping every so often and sitting up on its hind legs, its ears twitching as it carefully listened for any other movement. Rowany watched it with a bored, rather detached air. When it had almost reached the edge she tossed a small pebble towards it causing the rabbit to race away through the undergrowth almost before the stone had hit the water. The girl smiled to herself, but the amusement did not last long. She was a very miserable child and looked it, so that her rather attractive features were offset by by the expressionless face and huge sad eyes. Her parents often worried about her: she had fine clothes and handwritten books and the best toys and games the craftsmen could build. But at the gentle age of fifteen it was not any of these things Rowany desired. She was lonely, and always had been since her elder brother had left home almost five years ago. Her doting parents had not considered companionship to be necessary for a young lady. She was given instruction in the expected duties of a wife, appropriate to her intended future status as the lady of one of the wealthy lords with whom marriage was a diplomatic desirability. On Fridays and Sundays a Sister from the nunnery came to teach her religious matters and instruct her in Latin, so that she might read the Holy Bible by herself. Rowany hated it all.
Up at the house a voice called. Rowany scowled and stood up, brushing grass from her embroidered dress of finest linen. There were patchy grass stains all down the rear, she would undoubtedly be scolded for that, but she had ceased to worry about such things long ago, they were merely routine. The voice called again and she began to walk towards the house leaving her idyllic fantasyland behind. She would not give the serving boy the satisfaction of hunting her down and have him smirk behind her back as she was cautioned yet again for being late.
The night was still and cool. Rowany shivered slightly under the soft sheets as she gazed at the stars. Her mind was empty though thoughtful, her body merely lonely. Dimly she heard an owl call as she slipped from her profound half-sleep into dreamy restfulness.
Her pool was bathed in the soft golden light of early morning, birds flew in complex dancing arcs among the shifting trees, and small forest creatures played carelessly all about. Rowany dipped her bare toes in the chill water, and ran her hand through the black and unbound hair which floated down her back in fluffy curls. She smiled gently at her wobbling reflection on the surface.
Then as she gazed, her hand shot to her mouth in surprise, barely stifling a little squeal. There was another reflection in the pool. Slowly she turned around and beheld a beautiful vision. A youth clad, like she, in pure white linen with simple decoration, smiled at her warmly from his seat on a rounded boulder. Rowany gaped openly at him, her eyes sparkling with confusion and wonder. He faintly resembled her brother and was maybe only a year or two older than him, but so much more vibrant and alive. As she crouched helpless, the strong youth gently lifted her to her feet and gathered her in his arms. Rowany felt as weak as a child in his embrace, and gazed hypnotised into his eyes, blue as azure, only inches away...
The harsh screech of an owl made her start suddenly, and instantly she was awake. Trying desperately to recall the already fading dream and the princely face, Rowany sat in the bed her mind overcome with confusion. As the owl screeched again, further away this time, she cursed it venomously with an imaginative phrasing she remembered from an obscure book somewhere. After pausing to see whether it would call again she pulled the covers back over herself and desperately tried to get back to sleep and the dream that still half occupied her mind.
Almost before the sun had risen above the hills, Rowany had dressed and washed and quietly made her way out to the gardens. None of the fires had yet been kindled and the old stone house was chillingly cold downstairs. Even in the early autumn, frosts were not uncommon in the high valleys. Reaching the kitchen, Rowany stole inside and took a small pastry from a tray, before carefully unbolting the door and hurrying outside. The sun had not yet had time to warm the air and Rowany's breath formed into tiny clouds as she wandered lightly amongst the dewy grasses. On impulse she had brought her lute, which was now cradled in her arm. The scene was making her rather lighthearted: she smiled to herself as a robin accosted her sharply from a low bough, and hurried on to the little pool. Rounding a large rhodedendron, she reached a small glade beside the water and was about to sit down when a thought struck her. She had no lessons or work to do that morning, so her parents would assume that she was in her room or secreted somewhere in the gardens. Rowany smiled to herself mischievously and hurried to the gate leading to the forest which spread along the entire valley.
Rowany had only walked in the woods once or twice, and that with just her brother for company. He had taken her quite deeply into the forest when she had been small, and teased her when the forest sounds startled her. She thought to herself that it was probably the strange dream that was making her act so unusually, but then, Rowany had been taught by her grandmother, when she was still alive, to put a lot of faith in dreams, and even if that one had been interrupted she felt sure she would meet the beautiful youth one day.
After she had walked for almost two hours and her feet were beginning to ache, she came upon a small clearing, completely by chance. The sun shone straight in and illuminated the flower strewn glade with a golden glow. In the center were some old grey stones forming an approximate circle. Rowany chose a long moss covered one, took off her heavy cloak, and began to absently strum her lute. Her long hours of solitude had allowed her to gain some aptitude with the difficult instrument and as she became more relaxed in the soft warmth of the sun, Rowany began to play to herself. Some of the old folk melodies were really beautiful, and were very pleasing to play. The forest itself was becoming quite lively now the sun was well up. Birds swooped over the clearing in numbers, and the buzzing of bees was almost continuous amongst the abundant floral display. Rowany soon added her own voice to the natural chorus, and began a rather plaintive love song, but that sounded so out of place in the wood, even though it was one of her favourites, and she soon changed to a more cheerful ballad, which more suited her mood. She sighed happily as she finally finished the piece and put down the lute. If the youth met her here in Druidale, she could bring him here and play to him. Maybe she could sing too. Then her dreamy thoughts were interrupted by doubt. Supposing the break in her dream meant he wouldn't come, what would she do then? Father had promised to marry her to one of the lords' sons as soon as he could find a lad of suitable age, but if her shining youth had not arrived by then she might never meet him. Almost in synchronisation with her mood the sun sank behind a cloud.
The discovery that some of the berries on the edge of the glade were edible cheered her a little since she had only had the pastry since her meal the night before. Morning moved into afternoon and Rowany settled herself back on the rock and began to play again. The piece was supposed to be very old and varied strangely, with slow sad chords one minute and lively rhythmic lines the next. Rowany could not remember it all and began to improvise her own melody, of light flowing chords which interspersed and weaved in and out of one another. As she played Rowany gazed sadly at her beautiful instrument and sighed inwardly. Life could be so cruel sometimes. Then, as a small movement caught her eye, Rowany looked up, and the music stopped, wavering on a chord. Almost completely hidden behind one of the rocks stood a tiny figure, barely two feet tall and wearing a bright red hood. As the sound died away he stood upright and made as if to hurry away, but Rowany, quickly overcoming her shock, began to play again and the small man turned and began to edge closer to the girl. He seemed almost hypnotised by the music and wandered ever nearer as Rowany, her heart beating loudly against her breast, continued to play, her mind racing.
Then, as the woodland fairy stood barely three feet from her, gazing rapturously at the lute, Rowany took her chance and dropping the instrument, made a grab for the fairy. He was almost too quick for her but she fastened her hand about his ankle and felled him as he ran. Then after a short tussle amongst the damp flowers Rowany managed to get a hold on his arms whilst evading his desperate bites and blows. The tiny man no longer spellbound by the music was looking very annoyed, both with himself for getting caught and with Rowany for catching him. She gazed at him triumphantly and paused to get her breath back. The little fairy was a lot stronger than he looked.
"If you let me go, I'll fetch you a fine necklace of silver... 'pon my honour I will!" he shrieked. Rowany only smiled at him. She knew from her learned grandmother that all such forest fairies could be made to grant you a wish if you possessed their hats, so quickly she released one of his arms, whipped off his hat and held it high above her head, holding the fairy down by putting her knee on his chest so that he was half-winded. He still managed a small wail and flailed for his hat with his free had, but the girl held it high above him. Finally he stopped struggling and relaxed, his face a picture of misery.
"Alright, alright, you can have your bloody wish, but take your knee off my chest, I can hardly breathe!" Rowany gave a small shout of triumph and altered her grasp on the fairy.
"I wish that the man I dreamt of last night would come to Druidale to court me!" The fairy looked at her blankly.
"I see, I'm supposed to know what all your dreams are and exactly what this `lover' of yours looks like am I?" Rowany blushed fiercely and looked away.
"Oh... He is tall and handsome and has eyes like the deepest blue of a mountain lake, and beautiful like no girl ever saw before." The fairy looked thoughtful at this.
"Like no girl ever saw eh? I think I can manage that." He made a complex gesture with his free hand and mumbled something under his breath.
"There, it's done. Now, can I have my hat back please?"
When Rowany returned to the house later on that afternoon she was so unusually cheerful that her parents were quite confused, and scolded her much more lightly than they might otherwise have done.
For the next few days, Rowany remained in high spirits, confident that her dream lover would soon visit the valley and carry her away to some faraway court. Usually she remained by her secret pool, but no longer to bemoan her woes, rather to count her blessings. Her gentle features were often highlighted by a radiant smile whenever she was seen. Even the work was no longer neglected and her lessons seemed to hurry by as she finished the problems set with bewildering enthusiasm. Almost constantly the sounds of her lute could be heard whenever she had a spare moment. Rowany was especially eager to improve her skills with the instrument before the tall youth came to visit, so that she might impress him with her ability. Mostly she sat by her pool playing rich and delicate melodies that stretched her musical skills to their limit. Sometimes, nearer dusk, she would climb onto the high wall surrounding house and gardens so that she could watch the sun setting down the valley, and also keep an eye on the path, winding its way up the hillside, so that if any wandering travellers should come to the gate seeking shelter for the night, she would be the first to welcome them.
Once or twice she took her lute and wandered again into the forest. It was almost as if her senses had been reopened by her merry mood and Rowany was constantly surprised by the beauty all around her that she had never seemed to notice before. Even as now in early autumn, there was still an abundance of flowers and greenery. Small clumps of colourful shrubs on the forest floor, and higher up in the valley, tiny delicate little mountain flowers, hiding in crevices or squeezed into a crack between stones with their paltry collections of soil. But as time went on Rowany began to have her doubts. She had not dreamt of the youth again, or of anything for that matter. Her sleep had been strangely silent. Deep inside the pangs of loneliness were beginning to show again. Sometimes she would stop and wonder about the small fairy and her smile would fade, but then she would go for a walk in the sun, and usually her worries would be forgotten.
Almost two weeks after her dream, Rowany went walking in the forest again. The sky was overcast and doubt was beginning to get a firm hold on her mind. She walked quickly as there was not much to stop and look at. The flowers seemed not so bright, nor the leaves as glossy as usual. In the late afternoon she was forced to stop through hunger and fatigue. As she flopped to the ground to get her breath back and rest her feet a while, she heard the faint rushing sound of water and after a pause hurried over to where the noise was coming from.
In her thirst and desperation, Rowany completely failed to notice the slope and found herself falling head first down into a hollow. She was too startled to cry out, and only uttered a short involuntary cry as she hit the ground and began rolling. Fortunately the slope levelled out when it reached the stream at the bottom and Rowany would only have been slightly bruised had she not cracked her head against a gnarled trunk as she rolled to a halt. A series of confusing images slid before her as she slipped onto her back, a wall of trees, a dark bubbling stream and a man crouched by the water taking a drink and staring at her. Then the scenes and the pain in her head slowly faded and she fainted.
Slowly Rowany opened her eyes and blinked. The sun was out and shining almost straight into her eyes, and someone was tilting her head forward and putting a flask to her mouth. She drank a large mouthful almost without thinking and began coughing. Then as she moaned and settled back into a lying position, Rowany caught sight of a worried face staring down at her. Although she recognized him in one glance, the realization that she was not dreaming took a while longer. The youth simply stared at her, not knowing if she was ill or not, but as she did not faint again he attempted to give her another drink from the flask. Rowany took another mouthful, realising, as she had not on the first drink that the flask contained red wine not water, and began to feel her head spin. After that she was able to manage a weak, rather frightened smile at the youth, who, somewhat reassured, grinned back. The wine began to make her head throb dimly where she had fallen and Rowany carefully moved her hand to feel the wound. To her surprise she felt a pad of linen and realised that her head had been lightly bandaged. The youth gently removed her hand from the covering and smiled again.
"There is a little healing ointment on the bandage," he explained "your cut will have disappeared in an hour or two." It was the first time she had heard him speak. His voice, although the accent was unfamiliar, had a warm rather musical touch. Despite his odd statement about her wound, Rowany found herself believing him unquestioningly. There was a pause.
"Are you from Ballashee?" Rowany nodded and the man raised his eyebrows slightly. "You're some way from home. Do they let all the beautiful maidens wander the forests unaccompanied hereabouts?" She smiled at him and looked away.
The youth looked up and surveyed the darkening sky carefully and looked around as best he could to get his bearings.
"We had best set out soon if you want to get home before dark... Might I be so bold as to ask your name?"
"Rowany", she answered rather timidly.
"Honoured, my lady. I am Bran of Shenvalley." He bowed regally, gently took her wrist and kissed her hand. Then he helped her to her feet. Rowany sagged almost as he released her, as the rise clouded her sight and made her cut pulse heavily. Bran cursed himself and in a swift movement, caught her and gathered her in his arms. Then, apparently unperturbed he stole towards the path from the clearing, carrying her easily, as if she was a small child. Rowany as she rapidly recovered from the weakness, realised her nearness to Bran in a sudden shock. She regained her vision and found herself cradled comfortably in his arms, his face no great distance from her own, youthful and handsome in the soft light which filtered through the leaves above. Her blood ran cold very suddenly and her heart began to beat rapidly as adrenalin danced through her body, but if Bran noticed he gave no sign.
Although the journey back took over an hour, Rowany could remember no details of the scenery they passed. The whole time she gazed at Bran almost hypnotised. After a short while her nervousness left her and she felt immersed in an unearthly happiness. When they reached the house, Rowany had fallen asleep, snuggled against his chest so that when Bran gently woke her, she blushed furiously and he set her down. It was very nearly sundown and Rowany was able to return through the gate without being seen. Bran, to her disappointment, regretted that he could not ask hospitality of her father but vowed that he would visit her again the next day. Rowany pleaded but still he refused and Rowany went back into the gardens alone. To her surprise, the deep cut on her head had completely healed up.
Rowany spent the evening in a semi-ethereal state of euphoria, her mind occupied so totally with Bran that more worldly matters seemed of little consequence. She went to bed early, and spent hours reminiscing on his perfection, and longing to be with him again. Needless to say, with her mind so full of thought it was well into the early morning before she finally drifted into sleep, and almost at noon when she awoke with a beautiful soft feeling of contentment.
After a barely noticeable breakfast, Rowany hurried down to the forest gate, but to her surprise, Bran was inside the garden by her pool. In fact she was pleased to see him there; anyone else would have been violating her private sanctuary, but she felt almost as if the glade had been made for Bran as well as her, and felt no worries about sharing it with him. They both seemed pleased to see the other, although Rowany had to resist the impulse to throw her arms around him. Their conversation became light, pleasant and carefree, and in the early afternoon they went walking in the forest, to help Rowany get her strength back. Rowany still felt rather awed by the youth beside her, who was generous enough to use up his time to visit her, a mere girl, and again found herself unable to think of anything to say so that she spent most of the time just gazing at him.
Again at sundown, Rowany had to return to the house, so they spent the half hour before in the glade, which was especially beautiful in the evening. So absorbed were they in one another they did not hear the voices calling Rowany to supper and so were both surprised by the servant maid when she burst into the glade. Rowany looked at her horrified, but to her surprise the girl acted as though Bran were not there and informed Rowany that her supper was ready, smirking as she anticipated the lecture Rowany's father would give her. Rowany glanced at Bran but he smiled gently, put his finger to his lips and gestured for her to go. Still puzzled she hesitantly got to her feet. Bran silently indicated he would meet her again and urged her to leave, with the rather irate serving girl. Despite the rude interruption, Rowany felt even more entranced by Bran and was again kept awake by her thoughts of adoration, until she fell asleep from exhaustion.
The next morning, remembering an earlier whim, she took her lute with her when she went to the gardens and Bran flattered her with compliments on her skill. She felt exceptionally proud to be offered praise by her hero and grew even more devoted to him. Later they found a secluded clearing in the forest and sang together with Rowany playing her lute. His singing, which was really only an extension of his musical voice, held Rowany enraptured so that she gave up her own singing so that she could listen to him. On the way back they walked arm in arm and Rowany rested her head on his shoulder, happier than she had ever been before. Everything was taking on a dreamy quality which seemed to envelop her and touched all she did with a slightly unreal quality. Her heart felt as light as air.
At the gate they turned to face each other and kissed long and passionately. Rowany held onto his broad chest long after, until Bran chuckled and disengaged himself from her tight embrace. There were tears in her eyes but she gave him a brave smile before hurrying into the gardens and closing the gate behind her. She was learning the two faces of love, the euphoric happiness of togetherness, and the desperate sadness of being alone. That evening she embraced her pillow tightly and silently wept herself to sleep, although whether they were tears of joy or grief she couldn't say.
When they met the next morning there were no words spoken. Rowany ran into his arms and they kissed again. It was such a beautiful feeling to be held and kissed by Bran as his strong muscles clasped her to him tenderly, and her spirit soared high above. The sun shone down as though it were midsummer and reminded Rowany of the day she had walked to the flower strewn glade. So when they went walking she carefully steered their course so that after some time they emerged in the broad glade, almost just as she remembered it. Bran's exclamations pleased her, and laughing in pure joy she pulled him through the sea of flowers to the ring of stones and they sat down side by side on the grass leaning against a smooth moss covered stone, which had tilted outwards from the rest over the years.
The tranquil scene infected them both and their kisses were slow and long. They moved onto the grass in the center of the circle and Rowany lay down with Bran lying gently over her. The heat began to make her sleepy so she shut her eyes and resigned herself to Bran's gentle touches. As he gently stroked her arms he moved his mouth to her neck and began to softly kiss her throat, and then beneath her ears, slowly breathing over them so that shivers ran down her spine. Rowany became more relaxed and sighed happily at his kisses. As his hand reached her breast Rowany suddenly tensed. The folds of her clothes parted and his warm strong hand gently rubbed the low swelling and stroked its tiny uptilted nipple. After a few minutes her unease faded and she began to feel the pleasure of his actions. Still he kissed her and then moved his other hand to open her bodice and caress the other breast. Rowany, still with her eyes closed, smiled with pleasure as her mind and body entered a new state of fulfillment.
A few minutes later, she did not protest as the rest of her clothes were carefully removed and she lay naked on the grass, her milky white skin shining in the sun. She was blissfully relaxed and began to settle into sleep, so that she did not notice when Bran ceased his gentle caresses to remove his own clothes. Rowany felt the pressure on the entrance to her womanhood as if she was in a dream, felt an unknown pleasure begin to sing along her nerves, and then the pain as the pressure came into her and sank into her depths. Then as the pain grew, increasing in hard pulses, the dream began to fade until it retreated into an overpowering blackness.
Rowany awake cold and sore, the sun had been obscured by heavy clouds and the beautiful glade was dull and oppressive. She sat up slowly and pulled her robe about her. There was a dark rivulet of dried blood at the top of her thigh. From nearby came a high pitched giggle, Rowany spun round and stared across the stone circle. Sitting on a mossy rock was a small woodland fairy with a bright red hood, and near to him sat Bran, naked and smiling. As she watched, her lover appeared to shift in form until his body was transformed. Rowany was far too horrified to scream as she watched him change from the beautiful youth back into his troll shape, squat and slimy, and gazing at her with a foul evil grin. The fairy giggled again.
"You wanted a lover like no girl ever saw," he chortled, "well, no girl ever saw a troll unless some fairy gave her Witchsight first." The small man collapsed into peals of hideous laughter and the troll joined in, showing his foul yellow tusks and bellowing with glee. Then with a final giggle, the pair disappeared as if they had never existed. Rowany sat for several moments, her heartbroken face displaying the wrenching agony held in her soul, and then her long wailing scream voiced the unearthly pain, until she could cry no longer.
Deep inside, a changeling foetus gave its first kicks, venting its pleasure at the prospect of being released on the world, to cause as much pain as his father before him.