The Royal Wolf and Hades' Daughter

Chapter 3 - Interlude

At sixteen, Samuel’s transformation was complete. He was no longer afraid, though, just angry. He just made sure he had no lady in his bed whenever the change came. His sister, fourteen-year-old Luella, was already making tiny sparks of fire.

“Well, aren’t you a prodigy, Louie,” the prince had said when he caught her cupping her hands in front of herself, cradling little flames.

“Shh. This? It is nothing. I don’t want anyone to get excited,” Luella warned. Then, she clenched her fists around the flames, and they were gone. There was a look of quiet triumph on her face, but Samuel believed her when she said she wanted to keep it to herself – for now.

Their twelve-year-old sister was oblivious. Carolina liked tending to the gardens. What made Samuel suspicious that both his sisters had some form of power was that the two had started meeting in the cabin. He still could not pass through.

“I know I don’t have powers as you do, and chances are I may not have any in the future. But is there a way I can pass through the hedge as you and Carolina do?”

“There is a reason you cannot go in there,” Luella had said, her face smooth and expressionless as was usual.

“What’s that?” Samuel grunted, annoyed at being left behind in the quest to become magical.

“The cabin does not want to be sullied by your activities,” Luella smirked. Her eyes showed the mischief that other people did not get to see. Only her siblings were privy to the way she thought. She was not as unfeeling as some people thought she was.

Samuel swatted her with his coin purse.

“Ow!” she cried. Luella was more likely teasing as the purse never hit her, and it was not as heavy as it was during the beginning of the week. While the prince never consorted with prostitutes, he liked giving coins to some of the young women. Samuel did it mainly for the servant Raylana. She had started having notions that he liked her. Oh, he did. He liked her in bed, but nothing more. Each coin seemed to break her heart, but later on, she had become more pragmatic about the transaction.

“I did not hit you, Louie,” Samuel called out and then left his normally quiet sister giggling. As soon as he was a few meters away, he knew that she was back to her experiments.

Though bitter about his lot in life, the prince had managed to enjoy his youth to the fullest. He participated in wrestling, jousting, and other activities that kept his strength up. There was no war anywhere on the horizon, but they were always ready for one.

During full moons, the change had become quicker and less painful. Samuel still had to deal with the logistics, often leaving his clothes in the maze before transforming.

When he turned eighteen, he had mastered the change. It was so smooth that he almost laughed but ended up growling. As soon as he took on the wolf shape, his front legs had bounded as if they had their own minds. Samuel ran as fast as he could, knowing where he was headed.

“To the hedge,” his mind screamed. He wanted to find out, once and for all if he could pass through.

And he did.

However, Samuel was not a fool. He ran back out. It was his own experiment. He had magic, some form of it – but only when he was in wolf form. But he had to pass back through the hedge; else, he might be trapped when he transformed back to human form.

Though he was there for a brief moment, he spied on the panther. It was huge. It would undoubtedly overpower him if there were a scuffle. Tense, he backed down, his tail moving closer to the hedge.

The panther followed him gracefully, moving towards him. Its eyes were fixed on his, unwavering but surprisingly kind. It moved a little closer, its movements not making any sound. Then, it wavered. No, it did not change its mind. It swayed as if becoming more transparent. Finally, it disappeared into a thick black smoke that soared to the heavens.

Samuel’s mind reeled. What was that? He did not want to stay to find out. So, he ran off and passed the hedge, reveling in those few moments he could feel himself part of the Albrecht-Beckett clan.

***

In the forest, Sixteen-year-old Miranda surveyed her surroundings. It had become her new home since the strange woman made it clear that she had no intention to let her go. At first, Miranda cried. Her ten-year-old self longed for home. She wanted her father and mother, although they seemed eager to part with her.

Her new mother was beautiful, she reasoned. The only features that they had in common were their long, black hair. Miranda was fair as the strange woman was dark. It was also hard to tell her age. When she spoke of things that she had seen, it seemed like she often went back centuries. However, her face was young. Her new mother’s name was Erishkigal.

Miranda remembered loving the name, how powerful it seemed. She was surprised how she became so used to being there in the forest that it felt like she had no home before living there. Soon, the fear and sorrow had turned to joy and peace. Erishkigal seemed to know just how to say or do to make her feel better. She was much better than her own mother.

“My dear girl, here, you will be loved. Not just by me, but also by the creatures around you. After I am gone, you can have my throne.”

“Are you royalty, my lady?” the young girl had then asked.

“Royalty? My dear, I am the Queen of the Forest. Soon, it will be your role,” Erishkigal said, caressing the little girl’s raven hair.

Miranda was not sure she would like the kind of throne that was being offered. She did not want to be a princess and did not want to be a lady-in-waiting. She just wanted to one day become a woman who could decide for herself.

As if reading her mind, her new mother said, “You will be a Queen in your own right. Nobody can tell you what to do. But -.”

Miranda stared at Erishkigal, wide-eyed. Of course, there would be a “but.”

“But I want you to consider the prince. Isn’t he a handsome young lad?”

“I am too young to think so.”

“Ten? Old enough to use your eyes.”

“I have not seen the prince with my own eyes. They tell me he is handsome, but I would like to decide for myself.”

“Clever girl! Come,” the Queen of the Forest beckoned to the creek.

There, Erishkigal took a stick and used it to stir the water. She kept on turning the shaft until a whirlpool formed on it. Then, when the shaft stilled, the water’s movement also stopped.

“Look in there, Miranda,” she ordered.

The little girl watched the water start forming a figure. Soon, it reflected a boy of about twelve with reddish-blonde hair.

“Is that Samuel?”

“Yes, he is. Isn’t he handsome?”

“Yes, he is handsome, Erishkigal.”

“No, dear. Call me Mother.”

“Yes, mother. He is handsome,” the girl quickly obeyed.

“But his parents had done me wrong a long time ago. So, never fall in love with him. He is our enemy.”

The girl frowned, a little confused.

“Then, why did you show me his face and ask if he was handsome?”

“I want you to steel your heart against this boy. He is also a wolf, an animal. A shifter. Just like you will be soon.”

“What? I don’t want to become an animal, Mother.”

“But don’t you want to be powerful? Be more than who you used to be. You have been helpless and terrified. You have a choice.”

“I have?”

“Yes. You can say “no” and leave the forest right now. You can go back to your father, mother, and sister Emma.”

A tear rolled down Miranda’s cheek. Her young heart longed for home, craved the warm hearth where the family gathered every night. Then, she remembered the usual chatter there.

“Look, Miranda. Look at how beautiful your sister, Emma, is. Your Aunt Cecile will bring her to Queenspell to visit.”

“Isn’t Emma too young, Mother?”

“For a visit? No. Cecile’s husband is a distant cousin of Queen Soraya. Third cousin, once removed. He just became a duke. He has a reason to be there,” her mother said, her cheeks pinkening with pleasure.

“May I go, then? I am not much younger than her.”

“You need to stay here. You are the reason we are staying here at Dubich, or we would have loved to travel, as well.”

It was not just one moment but many other moments that made Miranda an outsider. Her mother and father did not know that she had heard rumors that she was a changeling or that her mother had a different lover. Favoring the natural child, Emma, was an act of contrition, said the whispers.

“I will stay with you, Mother,” she said to Erishkigal.

“Good, my darling. From now on, you are no longer Miranda. We will call you Melinoe, the name you were meant to take.”

Melinoe smiled then. It was not long after that forest christening that she had started to shift. Sometimes, she would change into a wolf. Later on, however, she realized that she could be just about anything. It was glorious.