The Wolf
1970 Words
Mara picked up the laundry sack. She had hidden the rope and hook at the very bottom.
Just as Elina opened the door, she said to Mara loud enough for the guards to hear:
“Mara, let's take my dirty laundry to the laundry room first.”
The guards immediately straightened up and saluted Elina. One of them reached for the sack in Mara's hands.
Mara pulled it away.
Thankfully, the guard didn't insist. But when the girls started walking, one of the guards fell in behind them.
Elina turned around and said with an authority that left no room for argument:
“We'll be taking a walk in the garden.”
“Preferably just us girls.”
The guard lowered his head and stepped back.
Everyone who saw them on the way down to the garden bowed before Elina.
The garden was empty. The darkness of the night embraced the silence.
The girls walked calmly until they reached a spot beside a wall. They looked around to make sure nobody was nearby.
Elina removed her dress, tied her loose hair into a tight bun, and wiped the makeup from her face.
She truly looked like a servant now.
Mara slipped the servant clothes over her T-shirt and pants and tied her hair into a ponytail.
Elina tossed her dress behind a bush and tightly tied the sack shut.
“Let's go.”
Elina and Mara walked with their heads slightly lowered. They stayed alert, expecting someone to appear at any moment.
Their luck had held so far, but when they turned a corner, they saw four soldiers standing guard.
The moment they spotted them, they retreated and hid beside a wall.
“That would've been too easy otherwise, right?” Elina whispered.
Mara rolled her eyes.
“I wouldn't have complained.”
“Maybe we can still get through. We'll say we're servants who came from the city for the ball.”
Mara carefully peeked around the corner.
The guards were searching the bags of servants leaving through the gate.
“We can't get out like this. We need to distract them.”
Mara was already getting irritated that the plan had hit a snag.
“I wish something would happen. Then they'd have to leave and help.”
Elina muttered it mostly to herself.
Mara turned toward her with a ridiculous grin.
“Let's make something happen.”
“What? How—”
“You stay here.”
Mara hurried away from the wall.
Elina called after her, but Mara didn't stop.
When Mara reached the stables, she first checked on the stablemaster.
The man was exactly where she'd left him, sprawled even farther across the sack.
Mara leaned toward his face and snapped her fingers.
Snoooore.
She poked him in the arm.
Snoooore.
Mara straightened up.
In a low voice, she said:
“You'll probably get punished for this.”
“Sorry, cowboy.”
She walked to the stall farthest from the stablemaster and opened the door.
The horse immediately stepped outside.
She opened another stall.
That horse joined the first one.
One by one, Mara opened all ten stalls.
The horses were so grateful they didn't even make any noise.
Now they stood together inside the fenced paddock in front of the stable.
Mara stopped before the gate.
If what she knew about horses was correct, they would run across the largest open area of the palace grounds.
Which happened to be between the stable and the main gate.
Opening the paddock gate took some effort, but she managed.
The horses simply stood there waiting.
As soon as the gate opened, they started filing out one after another.
But they did not gallop away as Mara had hoped.
“Come on.”
Mara waved her hands behind them.
“Hooov!”
The horses remained perfectly relaxed, sniffing each other.
“I'm giving you a chance to become wild horses. Move a little.”
Time was running out.
The stablemaster could wake up at any moment.
Or someone else might wander into the garden.
Mara moved behind one of the horses.
She stayed slightly off to the side in case it kicked.
Then she grabbed part of its tail.
“Freedom requires sacrifice.”
With that, she yanked.
The horse startled violently, kicked backward, and jumped over the fence instead of going through the gate.
The others followed.
The moment the horses smashed through the fences, an enormous crash echoed across the grounds.
Mara immediately jumped over the fence herself.
There was no way the stablemaster could sleep through that.
She started running after the horses.
A quick glance over her shoulder revealed the stablemaster stumbling out of the stable.
Mara slowed her pace and shouted:
“Run! Run! The horses are escaping!”
By the time the stablemaster caught up to her, both of them were running together.
The poor man was completely out of breath.
“How... How did they get out?”
Mara almost felt bad for him.
“Why are you asking me? You're the cowboy, old man.”
The man sped up.
Or maybe Mara slowed down.
Either way, they had reached Elina's hiding spot.
Elina was still exactly where Mara had left her.
Her mouth hung open, but she was also laughing.
“You are completely insane.”
The horses were nearing the main gate.
“Help!”
The stablemaster shouted while running.
Though he staggered every few steps, he was surprisingly fast for his age.
“Please stop them!”
The guards sprang into action.
All four soldiers abandoned their positions and rushed to intercept the horses.
Mara grabbed Elina's hand and started walking toward the gate.
The soldiers surrounded the horses.
With their arms spread wide, they tried to keep them inside a circle.
Mara and Elina walked along the edge of the commotion.
One of the soldiers looked their way.
“Hey, you!”
Both girls flinched.
“Stop.”
Mara and Elina froze.
For a brief moment, they looked at each other.
The soldier turned toward them.
He had just taken a step in their direction when a gray horse cut across his path.
The soldier cursed and jumped back.
“Come on, Olaf,” another guard called.
“They’re just servants.”
“Let them go.”
Olaf stared at the girls for a few more seconds.
Finally, he waved them off.
“You can go.”
Mara and Elina lowered their heads respectfully.
Trying not to speed up, they walked through the gate.
Like the relief that floods through us when Andy emerges from the sewer in The Shawshank Redemption, Mara and Elina finally took a real breath the moment they passed beyond the palace gates.
The gate closed behind them.
The forest stretched before them.
The trees slept beneath the darkness.
They headed to the right side of the road and put some distance between themselves and the palace.
Mara turned toward Elina.
“You're the one who came here sober.”
“The route's yours.”
Elina narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.
“Stop ordering me around.”
“I'm the princess.”
Mara lightly punched her arm.
“We left the kingdom. Your title got revoked.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Come on, this way.”
Elina slipped her arm through Mara's.
“And we're still inside Mortalya's borders.”
“I'm still a princess.”
The sky was slowly changing from dark navy to blue.
Once morning came, everyone would realize Mara and Elina were gone.
They hurried toward the cave.
“Maybe we should write a book when we get home.”
Elina spoke only to break the silence.
Mara didn't answer the joke.
“El... maybe you should've given your father a chance.”
“I don't want you regretting this later.”
Elina took a deep breath.
“What if my father shows up twenty-five years from now?”
“I got hurt, he wasn't there. I fell in love, he wasn't there. I graduated, he wasn't there.”
“Think about it. Through all of that, who was by my side?”
“Mara was.”
Elina smiled.
Mara smiled back.
“You're the one who should've listened.”
Elina nudged her arm.
“To who?” Mara asked, though she knew exactly who Elina meant.
“Eran—”
A distant sound cut her off.
A roar.
Even from far away, it was enough to make their blood run cold.
A roar filled with rage.
Like a spear had been driven into a lion.
The girls held their breath and looked behind them.
“What was that?”
They were far from the palace now.
Their eyes searched the surroundings, especially the forest, for any sign of movement.
When they saw nothing, they broke into a run.
Barely able to breathe, Elina gasped:
“We're almost there. Right behind that big tree.”
By the time they reached it, both girls were struggling for air.
They rested their hands on their knees and caught their breath.
Then they walked around the tree and reached the cave entrance.
“Welcome, girls.”
Both Mara and Elina jumped.
The old woman who had knocked Mara unconscious stood beside the cave entrance, hands on her hips and smiling at them.
“I thought you'd get here sooner.”
Mara and Elina exchanged a glance.
The old woman slowly sat down on a rock.
She pulled herbs from an old pouch at her waist and began cleaning them.
“You're not going to stop us?” Elina asked.
Without looking up from her work, the old woman answered:
“My dear, how could I possibly stop you?”
“I'm quite old.”
Mara tilted her head.
“You could knock us unconscious.”
The old woman looked at Mara.
There was regret and sadness in her eyes.
Something inside Mara twisted.
“I'm sorry, beautiful girl.”
“But you had to come to the kingdom.”
Mara frowned.
“What do you mean?”
The old woman returned to her herbs.
“You'll learn.”
Mara opened her mouth to speak again, but the old woman gestured toward the cave.
“Go on now, children. They'll be here soon.”
The girls picked up their belongings.
Just as they were about to enter the cave, the old woman lightly slapped her knees.
“Oh, my old mind.”
The girls stopped.
“I forgot to tell you something.”
“When you pass through the tunnel inside the cave, you'll forget everything that happened here.”
Elina and Mara looked at one another.
Mara took Elina's hand.
“You won't remember your father anymore.”
“Are you sure?”
Elina squeezed her hand.
“I'm sure.”
Mara smiled.
“Then I'm sure too.”
She started pulling Elina toward the cave.
But Elina didn't move.
Mara turned toward her.
There was a deep sadness on her face.
Her head was lowered.
“El—”
“Mara, we can't go.”
“I was going to tell you this when we got home, but if we're going to forget anyway...”
“What were you going to tell me?”
Elina opened her mouth to answer.
A sharp growl cut her off.
The girls immediately spun around.
They froze.
A massive black wolf stood there, baring its teeth.
Drool dripped from its jaws.
Its bright green eyes were fixed on them.
It growled with fury, slowly advancing like a predator stalking its prey.
The girls held their breath and pressed closer together.
The wolf's eyes locked onto Mara's.
The old woman simply smiled.
“Welcome, Eranric.”
“We've been waiting for you.”
- Writer
