East of the Sun & West of the Moon: Chapter Three

           Sold to a white bear. If his face wasn’t so serious, she might have laughed.

“What?” She swallowed, “A bear? What white bear, what are you talking about?”

“A bear, a talking, giant, magic, white bear from the north.” He said slowly, strongly enunciating the word “magic”. His hand moved to grip something in his pocket.

It took a moment to sink in due to how stunned she was, but her eyes widened as she understood, her words breathless, “You sold me to a fae, didn’t you?”

Poorer families often sold their children into servitude for several years, even if some were never being seen again.

It was expected in dire times.

But never was a parent so desperate to sell their own child to the fae. It was unspeakable. Unforgivable.

Julia felt ill, the nauseating feeling of betrayal digging barbs into her soul, but her mind was unable to comprehend it. The only thing she could manage to ask was a weak, horrified, “Why? H-how could you?”

“It was for your brothers and your mother, Julia. After the meeting, I knew I was coming back empty handed. I’m a failure as a father, a failure as a farmer.” He swallowed, “I wasn’t in a good place. I wandered the local forest that night, hoping something would find me and take me out of my misery. And that’s how I met the bear.”

Papa moved to sit down on the floor, not looking up as he spoke, “The bear talked to me, we sat for who knows how long talking, and he offered me a deal.”

           

          His hands ran through his hair as he stared at the floor, feeling the words pour out of himself, “He wishes to have you serve him as a handmaiden, that much was true. He promised fortune, wages for your work. He promised your safety above all else. It seemed like a miracle.”

         

           She stared at him, something dawning on her, “You think this white bear saved Petrus and I?”

            “Yes, yes what else could it have been?” He seemed to laugh, but not in humor, “The bear gave me a bundle of ducks just to consider his offer and—” he dug something out of his pocket, a small bag, and poured a gold coin into his palm.

            Her heart sank. She had to steady herself with a shed support beam as the world slanted. Out of everything that had happened that day, seeing her father’s callused hand holding a sizable gold coin was one of the most jarring. She took the coin from his hand, it’s weight and metallic chill making it feel all too real.

            It made the conversation real. Her senses intensified, her horror, terror, anger, and heartbroken feelings twisted viscously and washed over her. She had just escaped death, or even a fate worse than death hours ago and he had done this to her? Sealed her fate and didn’t have the gall to tell her until now? She stood up straighter, swaying in the onslaught of emotion.

Her words spewed almost incoherently in her anger, “You—you handed me off to some magical creature?! You daft man, I was almost killed today by fae folk! Me and your son both! Goblins and trolls and elves have taken any who get lost in our wood for decades, families have lost children forever—and those that get eaten are the lucky ones—how could you have done this?”

            “Because I can’t have the rest of us starve!” He admitted, frustration causing him to straighten his spine, but he did not yell at her in anger, or rise from his seat. His voice was marred in desperation, in anguish. 

            “I have to make a choice, Julia. We can’t survive another winter, no one is going to marry you, the lord will not help us. We’ll die if nothing changes. Do you want your mother and brothers to die? Your mother won’t survive another death, Julia. I can’t...I can’t bury another…” He shook his head, “The Bear promised you would be taken care of and returned to us. Fae may be vile, but they can’t break a contract. The contract isn’t even sealed, and he’s protected you.”

            “What if he’s waiting to do something worse?” She countered, “What if my protection means something different to him? He could eat my arms and not let me die.”

            “Then that’s the risk we’re going to have to take!” He shouted, finally yelling at her in anger, frightening her into silence. 

            “If it were me, I’d let him take my arms and legs to let you all live! But he doesn’t want me, Julia. He wanted you. We can’t afford for you to be selfish.” He looked like he regretted that last part, but still his face was unmoving, unrepentant.

            Julia turned away from him, couldn’t look at him, her lips pulled into a fine line. She moved towards the door.

            “Julia.”

            She ignored him, pulling the door, but he had stood up and slammed it back closed. She didn’t turn around, her fists clenched, her head swimming. They stood in silence for a moment.

            “Please, Julie. Consider this. The bear gave us the ducks as a gift, he has wealth. He’d take care of us. Your protection was sworn.”

            Julia turned her head but didn’t allow him to see her face.

            “I want to meet him.” She demanded, pulling the door again and he didn’t stop her this time from leaving.

            She didn’t speak to her mother when she went back inside, waving a hand and shaking her head at her. Julia went to the bedroom, her brothers already laying on their mats.

            She stood over them quietly for a moment, considering her father’s words. She didn’t allow herself to look at the discarded cradle in the corner, having held all ten of Mama’s children, and would hold no more. She forced herself to keep her eyes down, looking over her brothers, her options few and grim. The coin was still in her hand.

Tandri coughed.

Her shoulders fell.

           

            Julia woke up the next morning, having only slept the last hour before dawn, torn in her decision, feeling as though her emotions, wants, and desires were tearing her apart all throughout the night. But she had begrudgingly came to the obvious conclusion. Father was right, they’d all starve by the time snow had fallen.

            She swallowed thickly, coming to terms that it was better for her to sacrifice herself rather than watch another brother die. Or both.

She went looking for her father, ready to give him his answer. 

He hadn’t gone to bed that night. She found him asleep at the table beside an empty jug of mead. Shaking him awake, she told him she would agree to go along with the contract, but no one could know where she was really going.

Papa readily agreed to lie, and she wondered if he was thinking of sparing the family’s feelings and the pain of sleepless nights, or if he wished no one would know of his secret.

            While he seemed relieved, Julia could only feel numb. The bear said he would be around to get her during the new moon, which was mere days away. She internally flinched at the short window.

            He had to be close by.

            She busied herself with tanning squirrel hides and her chores during the day. She could only think of one last thing she needed to make it all feel real, to help her feel less crazy. Every moment she looked at her brothers, at her mother, at her home, she felt like falling apart.

She also found that her temper was short, and she could not hold back her retorts as Rekkr pestered her.

            Or when he held her bow.

            “Mother says you’re not going to need this, so it’s—”

            She snatched it out of his hand with such ferocity he lost his grip in surprise. With a glare of pent up aggression, she snarled at him, “Don’t touch my things, or I will hog tie you and leave you in the forest for the hobgoblins to rip out your bones.”

            He said nothing or was simply too surprised to answer.

            She gave her bow to Tandri before Rekkr had another chance to try and claim it. She gave away all of her possessions, the furs she collected, the coin purse with the crudely embroidered stars, and anything else of value like her fine sewing needles.

            However, she kept her bone flute, a present from her grandfather before his passing. She did not know him well, but it had been lovingly carved with flowers and butterflies. It had been one of her grandmother’s, one of dozens made from sheep bones, each having a varied size and tune. She hadn’t had time to play it in some time. If the worst happened, she wanted to die with it. 

            She avoided her father, and he seemed to accept the distance. Their relationship had been permanently scarred, and Julia didn’t know if it could be healed. She couldn’t bare to look at him.

            Mama noticed the change, and had asked if something was wrong, which Julia assuredly denied. It didn’t seem like her mother believed her, however.

            Julia toyed with her bone flute as she waited for the children and the adults to trickle off to bed that night. Her father had given her a glance, but said nothing, letting her sit and stare at the fire embers.

            She wondered how he was able to sleep, or if he could at all. Her world had been torn asunder, as if her body had been struck by lightning. Everything was electrically charged, her hair on end, her chest in horrible pain, her senses seeing faces in the shadows.

            Julia listened as the sound of snores echoed out of the bedroom before she stood. The embers barely glowed, giving no aid, but she maneuvered to the door from memory. She already had her furs on, and she reached for her knife hidden behind a pot.

            She slipped out of a window, her small frame slipping through the gap with ease born from practice. She stood underneath the moon’s waning glow, staring at her home in the night light. It was eerie, alien, and she felt a desire to turn back brewing.

            But the house was a black, suffocating mass, looking as though it wouldn’t allow her reentry. She turned and continued on.

            Each step brought her closer to the forest, away from safety. Every story, fable, and warning from her childhood screamed, pleaded at her to stop. With a surging excitement pressing at her heels, feeling it roar into a crescendo in her ears once she saw the looming trees, she ignored the tales of wisdom. 

Distantly she wondered if she was in her right mind. She entered the forest with naught but a single knife and her flute, anticipation burning like ice in her chest. She walked until she was well under the cover of trees and had found a stump to sit upon.

It was the middle of two worlds.

Mortal and Mythical.

She took out her flute, taking a moment to remember where to position her fingers. The girl pressed it to her mouth, hesitating a moment, noting that this was the most self-destructive thing she had ever done.

Julia sealed her fate with a soft exhale, a musical note filling the crisp night air.

It was a solemn tune, a song of Winter, the falling snow, and sleeping trees. The first notes were faulty, as she had to recall how to play it, but she closed her eyes as the music looped. She hadn’t played in so long; she dearly missed it. The notes her flute made were light and airy, soft like a lullaby.

No fae could resist music, but whether she’d lure a bear or goblins was out of her power.

There was a shift in the air, a tingle upon her skin that felt all too familiar. Julia could sense she was no longer alone, but adamantly finished her song.

The notes faded into the wind.

She turned and gave a gasp.

“Hello, Julia.”

-----3-----

Author's Note:

Hoho! Things are speeding along ;)

Next chapter is tomorrow, feel free to comment!