Free

Chapter One

Atarah tip-toed through her uncles’ cottage, trying to not place her feet on any of the loose floorboards. If she was to ever escape, it would have to be tonight- when the moon was full and the people were tucked away in their warm beds. 

She had spent her whole life in this village, and now she was to leave and never to return. The village was larger than a normal district, as its prime location between the East Creek and the Dark Forest allowed for food to be plentiful. The town had stood in the same location for hundreds of years, and in those years not much had changed. Atarah knew that it was soon to be her eight-teenth winter, which meant she would be expected to wed soon. She was one of the “lucky” women who already had proposals lined up, but she didn’t want to marry any of them. 

“Uncle! Please!,” Atarah cried last winter, “I don’t want to marry any of them. I wish to stay here. To play in my garden and work in the kitchen. I won’t be a burden, but please, I beg you, don’t make me wed.”

“Atarah, I wish you no ill will,” her uncle had sighed, he truthfully pitied the girl, “But if you do not wed, you will be doomed. Without a husband, you will have no protection, no home, no income, no respectability.” 

“I’ll have you,” She pleaded, “You can provide for me, and in return, I’ll keep your home in good care.”

“You cannot ask me to do that,” her uncle snapped, “I’m a man of sixty winters, it is about time I leave the business of hunting. I have money saved, but not enough for us both.’

“Uncle,” she cried, “I’ll get my own job. I’ll hunt. Just let me stay here.”

“No one will hire a woman, child!” he stood up, “You are not listening to me. One day, very soon I might add, I shall die. And if you do not take a man, you shall die too. They will kick you from this home, and throw you in the streets. You will be the laughing stock of the village, and not a soul will pity you.”

“Is there no hope?” Atarah begged, “Nothing I can do? Nowhere I can go?”

Her uncle’s eye widened for a moment, and he let out a long frustrated groan. 

“If you insist on remaining free of a man,” he sat back down in defeat, “There perhaps is someplace you may find refuge.”

“Where?” she shouted, “I’ll go. I’ll leave this instance.” 

“Not too fast. It is only a rumor,” he chastised, “But Minerva, your aunt, told me of a place past the forest. A place where young women, much like you, flock to when their eighteenth winter comes to pass. A place where old widowed women mourn and queens flee when the battles are lost.”

“A paradise?” Atarah smiled, “Can such a place exist? Where I am free to be not female but person. To think, to read, to laugh, to sing. Can such happiness exist?”

“I know not,” he grasped her hand tightly, “I know that I love you, Atarah, and I wish for you to have what you desire. Minerva was a woman who often spoke in half-truths, but she seemed convinced of this feminine paradise. However, if you decide to make this journey, you’ll have to cross through the Dark Forest.” 

“I will!” Atarah nodded her head enthusiastically, “I’ll go. I believe in her.”

“The Dark Forest is an obstacle you should not underestimate, as that is where the demons go to rest,” her uncle looked haunted, “No one has ever made it to the other side and returned.”

“I would rather be free and dead than live in captivity,” Atarah bravely put.

“Is marriage so bad, child?” her uncle sighed. 

“Perhaps not to a man who loved me, and I loved in return,” she admitted, “But we both know that Bruno wants my hand, and we both know that to marry Bruno is to marry death.” 

Her uncle nodded his head in understanding. Bruno was the nephew of the chief, and one of the best hunters in the village. The young boy was known for his temper, a temper he took out on prey and women alike. 

“Then you shall go,” he hugged Atarah close, “When you decide to leave, place a white rose on the doorstep. Do not let me know when or where. I cannot be found guilty of this, or Bruno shall have my head.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” Atarah cried, “I will miss you greatly, but I shall never forget your compassion.” 

As Atarah placed the white rose on the doorstep, she knew she wasn’t going to forget the kind man anytime soon. Now, to freedom. . . 

It had been hours since Atarah left her village. Now, she was so far in the forest that the only source of light she had was the moon. She knew that walking within a forest, at night, was not the best option, but it was the only time she could sneak away. Plus, she would have at least an eight-hour head start from Bruno, who was sure to notice her missing in the morning. 

Atarah saw a creek up ahead and decided it would be the perfect spot to rest her legs for a few moments. She climbed onto a large rock and unraveled a loaf of bread she had hidden in the pockets of her work-dress. The dress was one of the few items she owned and it was made of a dark brown cloth that itched her skin, but it did have plenty of pockets to store items for her expedition. 

As Atarah began snacking, she heard a sound in the water, downstream. At first, she believed it to be fish, but upon looking to her left, she saw a large silhouette leaning over the water. Atarah knew she would encounter animals on her journey, but that did not stop terror from grabbing ahold of her. Please be a deer! Please be a deer!

Atarah didn’t move, refusing to make a single sound to let the being know of her presence. She watched closely, for any sign of what type of creature it was. When the animal shifted into a spot of moonlight, Atarah got her answer- a wolf. 

If it was possible, Atarah became even more still. If there was any animal she feared more than a bear, it was a wolf. Wolves were beautiful creatures, ones she admired when she was a young girl, but she remembered seeing a man return from a hunting party a few moons ago. His face was bloodied and his chest was covered in deep gashes- he had almost become a wolf’s meal. As Atarah sat there, on the rock, remembering the horrific sight, she did not notice a second wolf appear, from behind her. 

This wolf was larger than the other, and darker in its coloring, allowing for it fade easily in the shadows of the forest. The wolf sniffed the air and crept closer to her. When it was only an arm’s length away, it let out a vicious growl. 

Atarah yelped, throwing her bread behind her. She spun around quickly, only to become face to face with a demon. The wolf at the water, alerted by the sounds, came crashing over. Now, Atarah was stuck between two beasts. 

She could hear her heart beating in her ears, as she stared into the eyes of the larger beast. She knew that to move was to entice a chase, and to look away was to become vulnerable to an attack. So, she stared and stayed still. 

After several moments, the wolf walked closer, growling when it saw Atarah attempt to shuffle backward. Once it was right in front of her, it bit unto the hem of her dress and tugged. Atarah, confused at the actions of the creature and not wanting to rip the only clothing she had with her, quickly stood up from the rock. 

The large wolf nodded as if to say it was pleased with her course of action. Then, much to Atarah’s amazement, it nodded its head northward and began to walk in that very direction. She stared in confusion for several moments, then decided to turn south. However, once she turned, she was faced with the second wolf. The smaller wolf growled and, like the other, nodded to the North. 

“Okay,” Atarah put her hands in the air as to show submission, “North we go. Just. . . no biting.”

The small wolf made a noise that was similar to a snort and pushed Atarah’s legs with her snout. With both wolves surrounding her, Atarah ventured Northward. To herself, she smiled slightly, as North was where she was headed regardless.