The old notion that the Lady of the Forest was some sort of evil witch began to fade. She bestowed knowledge upon those who she deemed worthy and wherever her children went nature flourished. Eventually, they grew weary of the forest and left to the northern edges of Eclestia where a vast lake lay. It was there where an evil witch who seemed akin to the opposite of the Lady of the Forest dwelt. She was unkind and did not welcome visitors.
It was her doom that she be trapped by a horrid spell to forever lay at the bottom of the lake and grant gifts or knowledge to travelers. Once, she was a queen named Cecilia who ruled over a grand kingdom of great wealth. A powerful sorcerer did not take kindly to her ways and it was he who enslaved her.
Cecilia’s husband was therefore left alone and maddened with rage. King William never seemed to fall in love again. William went on to marry five more women, but was never satisfied. He became just as greedy as his late wife and a curse seemed to be placed upon his family. Ever after, his children suffered.
Since coming into contact with Cecilia, the children of the Forest Mother were never seen. Afterwards, the Lady who dwelt in the woodlands was rarely looked upon by travelers again.
Presently, Ing set the book back upon the shelf.
Is all that really true? he wondered. I’ve never seen any such things happen in all my life. How can a curse be placed upon someone’s children? It just doesn’t seem fair. Just because their parent is bad doesn’t mean that they are.
As Ing was sitting on his bed, he began to wonder who wrote the book. That was another mystery. He couldn’t help but wonder how the book came to be in his hands.
Later that day, Ing and Shamil went to visit Arlene and the pony again. The Sun was still high in the sky and it blanketed him with warmth. This time they decided they would take it for a walk outside of town for a change.
They strolled out of the town gates and walked near the pond.
“A name has just come to me,” said Ing suddenly. “How about Sarah?”
“Hmm,” mused Arlene, rubbing a hand through her blonde hair, removing a piece of bark, blue eyes looking thoughtful. “It fits her well.”
“It’s a nice day out,” said Shamil, looking with adoration upon the grassy fields that lay before them. “Ever think you’d like to live out here? Where you’re free like the animals?”
“It’s an interesting thought,” agreed Ing. Arlene nodded her head, as Ing spotted a rabbit hopping through the fields. Suddenly, he smiled. “I bet I can skip a rock farther than you can,” he said to Shamil.
“Do you really want to challenge me to a rock skipping contest?” he said. “Don’t you remember how that ended last time?”
“I’ve honed my skills since then,” replied Ing with a wry smile.
The two of them walked towards the pond and each picked up a rock off the ground. Ing felt its weight between his fingers and concentrated on the process of skipping it. You had to be precise and hit the water at the right angle. Stretching his arm back, he hurled the round stone into the water and watched as it bounced several times.
“Not bad,” said Shamil. Without looking as if he put any effort into it at all he threw the rock and it bounced at least five times before sinking. “Better luck next time,” he said with a laugh.
Ing sighed. But it wasn’t just at the contest—it was also at what his mother had told him. “Do you think we’ll be friends forever?”
“Of course we will,” answered Shamil. “Why do you say that?”
“I don’t know,” said Ing. “I always just thought we would live here in Ganwin forever and things would stay the same.” He had felt gloomy all day at the thought of leaving his friends behind.
Ing’s perseverance did not need to continue on the subject of the stranger in his house. That night, his mother told him what happened. “Ing, I suppose I can’t hide what happened from you forever. The man that came here was warning me—warning us—about a danger present in this land. He fears that it might…come here.”
“Here in the south we are the farthest from the danger of the north as we can be, but still, some talk of the shadow that hovers there. I do not know if you have heard any of this talk for there are few here in Ganwin that speak of such things, but you may have heard talk from certain people, nevertheless. You cannot be sheltered from the ways of the world forever, much as I would like you to be. You are fifteen-years-old now and coming of age. I cannot leave this place, but there might soon come a day when you have to abandon your home here in Ganwin. There are other places that may be safer, like Alanhom.” Selenia looked down at her lap in thought.
“No,” said Ing, in utter disbelief, after he registered what was being said. “I can’t leave my home behind. Nor can I leave you here by yourself, mother. I won’t do it.”
Selenia let out a sigh. “You have reacted as I feared you would.” She drew closer to her son and put an arm around his shoulder. His mother felt so fragile and small. He remembered when he was a little boy and she seemed like a giant. Now, he was bigger than her.
“I love you, Ing,” she said. “You know that don’t
