Free From the Wood, Yet Slave to the Heart

Colin stared from the window of his bedchamber, out across the forest. His emotions were unreadable as he scanned the land that he could see. Not even his Aunt Tessalyn could have foreseen the turmoil that seemed to rip his very being apart. He put on a brave face and fooled not only his subjects, but any of the dangers that lurked in the dark as well. After all, Colin was a king, an before that he had been a prince. Then he had been similar in status to a slave, and thus, he learned to hide what he felt. To show pain would have given his tormentor pleasure. Even now that he was free of that personal hell, he was nearly stoic. Few times had he shown true emotion. Each of these times had been when a discussion involved Raya.

Now that the search for Raya had begun, even if it had only been hours since the parties involved left palace grounds for their search regions, Colin felt his stoic façade melting away. A nervousness of what he may learn seized him, but he would not let it devour him as it would a lesser man. Colin would not quail at the possibilities, as painful as several may be. He would embrace them, just to know what became of her. He would persevere for her, and he would find her…if she lived.

Colin turned from his silent vigil and strode out into the cold stone corridors once more. It was drafty, and it was Autumn. Winter was approaching. Although he wanted to, Colin would not let himself even hope to find her before winter. And, after all, he knew that there must be a reason she did not come see how her fellows had fared. Either she had something that needed her attention, or she was unable to return. The possibilities that the latter notion insinuated were painful for Colin to even think of.

So he did his best not to think of them.

One thing about this strong-hearted young man was that he had grown even more handsome than he had been in the Wood. He’d grown to be four inches taller, standing at about six foot three, and he had grown into his features even better than he had already. He was nearly unrecognizable from the boy he recalled glimpsing in the streams of the Wood.
His feet took him to the chambers that Tessalyn had recently taken to for the first time in many years. Often, over the few years of his newly regained freedom, he found solace in her assurances of his reunion with Raya, even if he sometimes had a second thought about their sincerity.

“Are you going to stand there, staring at my door all day?” the voice of Tessalyn rang through said door, “Or are you going to come in?”

Laughing softly to himself, Colin pushed the door open.

Tessalyn looked up from reading the bones on the table in front of her.

“So, what is it that brings you to my rooms on this lovely evening?”

“As if you don’t already know,” Colin sighed.

“You’re correct in thinking you will not find even a trace of her before winter is upon us…but neither will you find her this winter.”

A pang shot through him…so many months until he saw her again?!

“But you will find her.” Tessalyn looked straight into Colin’s eyes, then winked and
added, “and she is beautiful.”

Is…this one miniscule word made all the difference. He smiled.

“You always know what to say.”

“It comes with the occupation,” she joked, a twinkle in her eyes.

With a new bounce in his step, Colin left the room. He was happy to hear that she would be found. Like every other time he’d heard it, it lifted him up as though all of his burdens were lifted off his shoulders.

Tessalyn watched him leave with a grin. She knew the day that he would be reunited with this ‘Raya’ was at least eight or nine months away. It was summer when they saw each other again. Of this she was certain.

She would, however, keep her senses and abilities tuned to this situation. Anything in the future can change, as it is not yet set in stone. If this future took a turn for the worse she would demand that immediate action be taken. After all, she was a Seer…and it gave her the chance to change an unfavorable future. And, this one time for Colin was the first time she had ever considered the possibility of changing it. She knew from the time he was three that he would be lost in the Wood, but she also knew it would be a good experience in the end, so she said nothing, and no measures were taken to prevent it. But she felt that, this time, if Raya were to die, or if something were to come up that rendered their reunion impossible, she could - and would - change it. Tessalyn would do that for him. For her nephew, Tessalyn would gladly, for the first time in centuries, use her ability to manipulate the future into one that would please Colin.

The reasons?

She could see it in his eyes, his feelings for the girl.

And she could see the future.