Pearl and Silk

Stretching my arms wide, I turned my face toward the sky and reveled in the warmth it provided. The day was so beautiful that I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, or perhaps both. Standing there, still as the ground beneath my toes, nothing could tear me down. I was so high, floating with the wind that bounded across the tree tops and whipped the tips of my hair into my face.

It could have been several minutes I stood there enjoying the sun's warmth, but knowing Derek, it was probably only mere moments until he ardently called out to me from somewhere up ahead.

“C’mon, Odette! We haven’t got all day!”

After one more moment of wholesome bliss, I tore my nose away from the sky and lept off towards the impatient boy who had already made his way through the golden meadow. He currently waited just beyond its skirts, near the edges of the connecting forest. I laughed childishly when I spied that the handsome dark-haired boy was bouncing anxiously, clearly impatient with my naive antics. I could not help it, though; my behavior was beyond my control. It was simply how I was raised. I was taught to live each day as if I would never see another again, to wake with the sunrise and to see the beauty in everything. I was raised by a gardener.

It was days like this, however, that made me forget the fact that I was a poor man’s daughter. Here with the Queen’s son, playing in the glowing meadow, we were absolutely anything we wanted to be. No one scolded us for the lack of slippers on our feet, or the untidiness of our robes, or even the fact that a boy of royal blood was fraternizing with a gardener’s daughter. We held no rank or title in the forest; we were just two friends.

“Must you be so girlish?” he protested once I had finally caught up to him. “Have you already forgotten that we are on an adventure? I knew I shouldn’t have allowed a baby to come along.” He grumbled the last part as he swiftly turned on his heel and began trudging through the deep copse of trees. I battled with my lips to hide the frown that came with the brutal insult.

“Oh please, Prince Derek,” I teased sarcastically, scrambling behind his rapid footsteps. “They’re my adventures just as much as they’re yours. It’s usually you who follows me around, remember?” I defended. It was silent for a moment before I remembered what he had so contemptuously called me. “And I’m no baby; I’m twelve winters, only two winters younger than you!”

“Well, you’ve yet to prove it,” he stated matter-of-factly. I made a small ‘humph’ noise, but nonetheless could not hide the small smile that came to my face. I folded my arms and bumped him lightly with my elbow. Derek turned to me with a sly smile upon his face, and suddenly we both threw our heads back and let out synchronized laughter. Slowly, laughter grew into giggles, and then all that was left were two small smiles and a vanishing echo as we kept walking.

Derek and I were both so stubborn, but I think that we enjoyed having someone to quarrel with every once in a while. Our parents had long ago stopped trying to argue with our juvenile nonsense, and nowadays just sighed hopelessly and let us have our way. Sometimes I couldn't figure out whether we were extremely similar or complete opposites, but either way, we were meant to be best friends. We were each other's perfect compliments.

The two of us walked on for a good while, a comfortable silence about the air. The only noise amongst us was the common sounds of the forest and the occasional hiss of pain every time I tripped in the leaves or a shrub scratched my leg. I followed hurriedly behind his towering figure, though, trying my best to keep pace. If I let him see any weakness in me, he might not let me join in ‘his’ adventures anymore, and I adored his company.

The young Prince Derek was a strong, tall lad, already built beyond his fourteen years. He was by no means brute or brawny, but one could easily tell by his physique that he carried much potential, and was already well on his way to becoming a great, strong prince. I was quite the opposite; almost resembling the baby he once referred to me as. Petite and fragile, the only thing womanish about me was my high cheekbones and my full, cascading blond curls that bounced upon my back.

After a short while of walking, I inquired mildly; “Derek, where are we going?”

It was a few moments’ time before he replied, all the while shielding his eyes from a patch of sunshine that streamed its way through the foliage hovering above our heads. “I’m not really sure, I just felt like exploring.” He sighed disappointingly. “So much for adven-“

He froze mid-step and sucked in his breath, but not before I managed to lurch roughly into his back. I rubbed my forehead and cocked my head up to confront him.

Then I saw it.

Before us laid a gleaming lake sprinkled with lily pads and cattails of all sorts. Sparkling with a hue I was certain I had never seen before, the almost cerulean water was a picturesque compliment to the rich greenery surrounding it. There were a few cream-colored swans that gracefully drifted about the rippling water, unnoticing of our arrival. Around the lagoon, the air seemed to glow golden, emitting a radiance that was almost mystical. It was one of the most eloquently ornate places I had ever seen; subtlety garish, if such a thing were even possible. It even took me a moment to realize that the thin, stiff trees in the forest behind us did not exist here, but rather were replaced with huge, towering willows. I don’t know how long we stood, mouth agape, soaking in the splendor of the ethereal place, but neither of us spoke until we heard the unexpected echo of a twig cracking somewhere behind us. Simultaneously, we whirled around in search of the origin of the noise.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” came a coarse voice, hidden somewhere in the trees. I instinctively shrank back, taking small steps rearward. My eyes darted around the dense wood restlessly, almost entirely forgetting about the beautiful pond.

Suddenly the voice was back, but this time it came from behind us, near the pond.

“Don’t be frightened…” We twirled again toward the sickly sweet voice, not wanting to have our backs to it for even one second.

“Derek,” I whispered uneasily, clutching at his forearm. I may have been young, but I could sense with every fiber in me that something was not right here. Derek took a protective stance before me, and I tried to ignore the sensation of dread in my gut.

“Show yourself!” he shouted at the phantom. I was impressed by the certainty in his voice, for I could feel his body trembling beneath my grasp.

“Now, now,” it cooed. “No need to be so hostile, young man.” For the last time, we whirled toward the spirit voice as it came from beside us. I suppressed a terrified gurgling sound that bubbled in my throat as I set my eyes upon the owner of the rough voice.

We looked upon a man, at least I thought it was a man, covered in layers and layers of robes as black as night. Several feathers, both ebony and ivory in color, adorned his tattered clothing, mostly around his collar. It was not his clothing that frightened me, however. It was the pallor of his skin. His skin was white, but not the lively, pearl color of the swans in the lake. Rather, he was so pale that his dead skin possessed an almost indigo tint. I could hardly bear looking at his chilly lips, so blue with death and cold, despite the blistering heat.

After taking in his abrasive appearance, I looked up only to meet his probing eye. I realized horrifyingly that whilst his words were spoken to the boy in front of me, the man’s eyes were intensely glued upon my own. Shivers ran up and down my spine. Derek must have sensed it, for he shifted his weight onto his other foot in order to better cover my now trembling frame. Being of such dainty physique, I was almost afraid that my fragile bones would break and turn to dust from all my shaking.

“Shh, Odette, it’s fine,” Derek cooed silently, throwing his voice backward towards me. My trembling ceased for a mere moment, but my ever-growing fear still seemed to reach lethal levels. It didn’t help much when the creature’s beady eyes lit up with mention to my name.

“Odette, is it? Oh, what a beautiful name for such a bonny young lass…” he trailed off, daring to take one step closer to our huddled bodies. Disgusted and horror-struck, I could no longer contain my whimpering.

“Relax, children, for it is not in my agenda to harm you.” The man-beast then mumbled something under his breath and grinned malevolently, as if he were admiring own private joke. We had not heard the second half of his remark, but his smirk did nothing to appease my terror.

Somehow though, through the thick cloud of dread, I found a voice to speak with. It was timid and barely above a whisper, but I was surprised that I could muster any noise at all.

“Then… what are you here for?” At this, he beamed like the simmering summer sun and began to pace before us, explaining himself all the while.

“That, my dear, is a wonderful question, and I think you may like the answer.” He stopped, turned, and faced us once more. Leaning forward, he beckoned us closer as if to share some clandestine secret. It was all we could to not to lean into him. “I come to grant you your wishes,” he stated very simply. Derek slowly leaned back again, taking me with him.

“Our… wishes.”

“Yes child, your wishes. This preternatural place is my home,” he claimed, his voice thick with hauteur, “and I grant everyone who stumbles upon it their dearest wish. I must find some way to exercise my power.”

“What are you?” Derek asked intrepidly.

“I am the magician Von Rothbart,” he chortled, as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. Then, he spoke flatly. “Now, make your wish before I tire of this game.”

We stood frozen for a few moments before Derek stepped forward, allowing my death grip on his arm to slip. I sucked in my breath. He wasn’t actually going to listen to this man, was he?

“I-I…”

“Derek, no!” whispered harshly, and then began to speak uneasily to the man. “S-sir, it is almost dusk and we should be on our way home. T-thank you, b-but we really must be going!” I quickly grabbed a hold of Derek’s arm and turned to dash back through the woods, but somehow he could not be budged. I whirled around to face him, and found that he was in front of me now, boring into my soft blue irises with his own pleading brown ones.

“Please, Derek…” I whispered helplessly. In less than an instant, he whipped back around and fearlessly approached the man. I felt naked and exposed without him as my guard.

“You are a magician, you say? Well, I know what I wish to ask for. But you must first prove to me your power.”

The man lay a scrutinizing eye upon my friend, and then after a long moment, replied with a ‘Very well, then.’

Without any further warning, Von Rothbart cast his arm out sideways and pointed one of his stubby, gloved fingers towards a dying shrub near the glimmering pond, and a few of his feathers fluttered to the ground in the process. The deteriorating bush looked out of place in the brilliant, almost sunburned atmosphere, but with an incoherent shout from the man-creature, it swiftly flourished and bloomed with blossoms of a nature I had never seen before. The flowering thing now matched the rest of its surroundings with that same glowing radiance. If I was ever unsure that this man lived here in this place, my doubts were all cast away. Of course the beautiful, unearthly pond seemed uncanny; he created it!

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Derek began to speak. "I have your word that my wish will be granted?” he verified. I stared at him, mouth agape in a horrified fashion. We just witnessed this- this thing perform some sort of dark magic, and he still wanted to stand around and socialize with it? What on earth was he thinking? This man was a thing of the forest, and the spirits here only wanted one thing: to cause trouble. Messing with humans was their favorite pastime, and every story I have heard involving creatures of the wood ended in tragedy.

“You have my word, but there is one condition, my dear boy.”

Narrowing my eyes through the unshed tears accumulating in them, — at the slimy man or at Derek, I was not sure— I nearly scoffed out loud. Of course there were conditions; this beast of a man practically screamed ‘trickery’.

We stood in silence, willing him to continue. I would have objected, but my voice seemed good and gone, replaced by the thick tears that gathered in my eyes. I didn’t know why he frightened me so, but he did. It was something that I simply could not explain.

“You both must make a wish.”

Suddenly even more shaken than before, I ran to Derek and buried my face in his chest. He didn’t seem taken back, but still did not wrap his arms around me. “I won’t, Derek. I won’t do it,” I practically sobbed.

So much for not letting him see my weak side, I guess. At this point, I was not worried about whether or not Derek let me go on any more adventures with him. This all just felt to helplessly wrong, and I needed to stop it before something terrible happened, something that I would regret for years to come. Unfortunately, no matter how I tried to prevent the events of that fateful day, it would still end up being the worst day of my life.

When I pulled away and, confused by the lack of arms around me, looked up to meet his piercing eyes, they were waiting for me. Their usual playfulness was replaced with sorrow and longing and they silently begged with me. Please, they said desperately. Please let me have this wish. Ineed this wish.

I slowly backed away from him, with a strange and detached emotion filling my stomach and lungs. I knew what I had to do. I didn’t like it, but I figured that I would hate myself even more if I let Derek forever live in agony and regret from not getting his single most desired wish. I simply couldn’t live with myself if he resented me.

“Alright,” I said numbly, directing my attention to Von Rothbart. “I’ll do it.”