depress the mood. Listening to the others tell tales of pranks played
on siblings—though Mandy could tell that Anna was careful not to bring up any
past memories pertaining to her evil brother—and holiday antics with family
only made her realize how much she’d missed out on in life.
Nicolas
must have picked up on her mood and asked, “Mandy, would you be opposed to
having a big Christmas here at the castle? I have a large tree in the library
and we can have a big dinner, carols, and the whole nine yards.”
“That
sounds nice.” The only problem was she had no gifts for any of them. “Would it
be possible to go into the village to shop before then? I’d like to pick up a
few things and look around a bit.”
“That’s
a wonderful idea!” Anna said, clapping her hands in excitement. “We can go
shopping for the guys together. I’ll need to pick up a few things to wear as
well,” she added.
Indeed,
her pale blue gown was beautiful, but hardly what one would wear at this time
of year. “Can I ask why you were out in the woods dressed like that? And won’t you need to let someone know where
you are? I’m sure your father is worried
about you.”
“Sure,”
Anna shrugged. “I’ll summon one of the messengers to me while we are in town
and let my father know that I am staying with my new friend Mandy for a little
while. Time passes differently for us, since we’re immortal, so my being gone
for several weeks would hardly worry them. I’ve been known to wander in the
mountains for months, just enjoying the seasons. The Fey are creatures of
nature. We thrive in the forests and woodlands because it’s less populated and
therefore less polluted. The cold and heat don’t really affect us as it does
humans. We can regulate our body temperatures to accommodate any climate, so
you see, I can dress however I like, though it is
easier to blend with the humans if I am properly attired for the season.”
“So
the fact that it’s freezing outside doesn’t faze you at all?” Mandy couldn’t
believe it. The temperature was barely in the teens out there!
“Not
at all, in fact, if I had been more attuned to the weather and my surroundings
then I may never have ventured this far. We don’t like to risk being seen by
humans when we are in our natural state. It’s safer to dress as humans do to
avoid drawing attention to ourselves.”
Jonathan
rested his elbows on the table and regarded Anna for a moment. “What were you
doing this far from the fairy mounds?”
“I
was actually about five miles away from home when I came across a hunter. He
must have thought me to be a ghost or spirit or some such nonsense, because he
merely stared at me before hurrying on his way,” she explained. “Not long after
that I came upon the wolf. I knew he was there, but I was so caught up in my
thoughts I didn’t realize he was stalking me.”
“What
did you do?” Mandy asked.
“I
ran.”
“Well,
that’s obvious,” Jonathan grinned down at her as he teased.
“I
ran all over. It was almost like he was herding me in the direction he wanted.
I couldn’t double back to the fairy mounds no matter how hard I tried. I saw
the top of Mondragon Castle through the trees and raced here, figuring that he
would retreat rather than come to the castle, but he proved me wrong.” Anna
turned to Mandy. “I really am sorry I led him to you. I honestly didn’t know
anyone would be outside, let alone a human.”
“Technically
I wasn’t supposed to be outside,” Mandy replied sheepishly. “Jonathan warned me
about going out after dark, but I guess now I can understand why.”
Nicolas
cleared his throat and shared a look with Jonathan before he spoke. “You ladies
should know there have been several werewolf attacks recently. All of these
attacks involve women, and one of those ladies barely survived her ordeal,
on siblings—though Mandy could tell that Anna was careful not to bring up any
past memories pertaining to her evil brother—and holiday antics with family
only made her realize how much she’d missed out on in life.
Nicolas
must have picked up on her mood and asked, “Mandy, would you be opposed to
having a big Christmas here at the castle? I have a large tree in the library
and we can have a big dinner, carols, and the whole nine yards.”
“That
sounds nice.” The only problem was she had no gifts for any of them. “Would it
be possible to go into the village to shop before then? I’d like to pick up a
few things and look around a bit.”
“That’s
a wonderful idea!” Anna said, clapping her hands in excitement. “We can go
shopping for the guys together. I’ll need to pick up a few things to wear as
well,” she added.
Indeed,
her pale blue gown was beautiful, but hardly what one would wear at this time
of year. “Can I ask why you were out in the woods dressed like that? And won’t you need to let someone know where
you are? I’m sure your father is worried
about you.”
“Sure,”
Anna shrugged. “I’ll summon one of the messengers to me while we are in town
and let my father know that I am staying with my new friend Mandy for a little
while. Time passes differently for us, since we’re immortal, so my being gone
for several weeks would hardly worry them. I’ve been known to wander in the
mountains for months, just enjoying the seasons. The Fey are creatures of
nature. We thrive in the forests and woodlands because it’s less populated and
therefore less polluted. The cold and heat don’t really affect us as it does
humans. We can regulate our body temperatures to accommodate any climate, so
you see, I can dress however I like, though it is
easier to blend with the humans if I am properly attired for the season.”
“So
the fact that it’s freezing outside doesn’t faze you at all?” Mandy couldn’t
believe it. The temperature was barely in the teens out there!
“Not
at all, in fact, if I had been more attuned to the weather and my surroundings
then I may never have ventured this far. We don’t like to risk being seen by
humans when we are in our natural state. It’s safer to dress as humans do to
avoid drawing attention to ourselves.”
Jonathan
rested his elbows on the table and regarded Anna for a moment. “What were you
doing this far from the fairy mounds?”
“I
was actually about five miles away from home when I came across a hunter. He
must have thought me to be a ghost or spirit or some such nonsense, because he
merely stared at me before hurrying on his way,” she explained. “Not long after
that I came upon the wolf. I knew he was there, but I was so caught up in my
thoughts I didn’t realize he was stalking me.”
“What
did you do?” Mandy asked.
“I
ran.”
“Well,
that’s obvious,” Jonathan grinned down at her as he teased.
“I
ran all over. It was almost like he was herding me in the direction he wanted.
I couldn’t double back to the fairy mounds no matter how hard I tried. I saw
the top of Mondragon Castle through the trees and raced here, figuring that he
would retreat rather than come to the castle, but he proved me wrong.” Anna
turned to Mandy. “I really am sorry I led him to you. I honestly didn’t know
anyone would be outside, let alone a human.”
“Technically
I wasn’t supposed to be outside,” Mandy replied sheepishly. “Jonathan warned me
about going out after dark, but I guess now I can understand why.”
Nicolas
cleared his throat and shared a look with Jonathan before he spoke. “You ladies
should know there have been several werewolf attacks recently. All of these
attacks involve women, and one of those ladies barely survived her ordeal,
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