Somewhere Enchanted

by J. F. T.

  ‘Then I must return quickly. We can’t have dead babies on our consciences’, Grettos replied. ‘Whatever the quest is, I will do it. Have any babies been killed yet?’ he added.

  ‘Not yet’, replied Ona, his wife. ‘It starts in ten months’ time’.

  ‘Good. God knows how long this journey will take. There’s not a minute to spare. I will rest and leave this afternoon’.

  ‘So soon?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m glad you’re so understanding. I’m blessed with a wife that’s not only beautiful but kind and patient’.

  ‘I’ll miss you’, said Ona.

  ‘I’ll miss you, too’, he replied.

  ‘Find out what she wants, and let us know’, said one of the men gathered around the table.

  With that, Grettos said goodbye to everyone, he and his wife departing to rest.

  ‘I hope you have some energy for me’, she said as they walked up the stairs. He laughed.

  Later, Ona woke him up with a kiss. ‘It’s time’, she whispered.

  ‘Already?’ he replied, before he kissed her forehead, and rose to put his clothes on.

  He packed his gear again, taking with him some wine, cheese and bread. She walked him to the garden where they hugged and kissed once more, then parted.

  Walking through the spinning blades, Grettos saw the lady sitting on the rock by the lake again.

  ‘You knew I’d come back, you know what for, so please tell me now, what is the quest?’ he asked.

  ‘You must defeat Toguard, the invisible guard’. As she finished the statement, the blade at the door stopped spinning. It had a long grip in the middle, where the two blades joined together at their pommels to make a single one. Its bearer slowly became visible. He separated the swords and came charging towards Grettos.

  ‘I accept!’ yelled Grettos, and their blades clashed. Toguard was a large fellow, bigger than Grettos, with broad shoulders, bushy eyebrows, and long curly hair with very dark skin. He had red eyes, a bull nose ring, two earrings in each ear, and was dressed in a black satin garment. Toguard’s hits were heavy, but Grettos’ strength, and his cutlasses’ firm blades, took the hits, especially when he crossed them together.

  Grettos slid under Toguard’s legs, then swept them out from under him. Toguard fell over backward, head crashing on the floor, swords falling out of hands. Grettos had won.

  Standing over him with his blade to his face, Grettos said to the woman, ‘I’ve completed your quest’.

  ‘Quests’, she replied. He looked at her, startled. ‘Quests, meaning more than one. Two in total, to be exact. That was your first, and this is your last. Remember the octopus? Well, I gave you that example about the circle of life for a reason. You and your wife must give your lives up for the village to survive and thrive’.

  ‘Excuse me?!’ Grettos gasped. Toguard rose, picked up his swords, and stood by his mistress’s side.

  ‘I won’t play fair should you choose to get violent with my mistress’, Toguard added.

  ‘I can freeze him right where he stands, ready for you to chop his head off’, she said.

  ‘I have no cause to try to harm any of you, which is more than I can say for you’, Grettos responded.

  ‘You must bring your wife here and behead her. Toguard will behead you. This is how the ritual must be conducted. This is the circle of life. You and your wife are the parent octopuses, and you must die so that many young shall live. As soon as you are both dead, the powers protecting the forest will stop. The season of permanent spring will spread throughout the forest and garden, down to this land we are in. The spinning sword guard will come with me to a distant land, and all the lands stretching from the forest to the garden to this land shall be given to your people to inhabit. Even the angry waters’, she said mockingly, ‘shall belong to your people’.

  Tears streamed down Grettos’ face. He said nothing, just walked away.

  He made his way back to his house. He didn’t stop to drink, but merely walked in silence, his tears falling. Ona saw him from afar and ran towards him. At the sight of her, he broke down in tears again.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

  Gathering himself together, he asked, ‘How long has it been?’

  ‘Three months’, she replied.

  ‘Then I must hurry. We, should you wish to come, must hurry’, he said.

  ‘We?’ she asked.

  ‘Let’s go inside. I don’t want to tell anyone this bit’.

  He told her everything and they cuddled and cried together for a long time.

  ‘What do we tell our families? Our friends?’ asked Ona.

  ‘We just tell them the curse of the forest will be lifted in six months and they can test it. I’ll tell them we have to wait for them there as part of the deal. I’ll tell them I defeated her champion and that’s all I needed to do. You are so brave. I love you deeply’.

  He ate, rested and went to each of their family members and friends, telling them what he and Ona had discussed. He got home late.

  ‘Are you ready?’ he asked.

  ‘As ready as I can be’, she said, and smiled. ‘Let’s go and save our village’.

  Halfway through the journey to the forest she stopped, looked him sternly in the face, and said, ‘Grettos, promise me one thing’.

  ‘What’s that, my love?’ he asked.

  ‘That when that blade falls on my neck, you take my head off in one sweep’, she responded.

  ‘Darling, don’t speak of such things’, Grettos said, almost in tears.

  ‘I don’t want to suffer, Grettos. Promise me’.

  ‘I promise’, he muttered.

  When they reached the scented gardens, Ona stopped walking, allowing her tears to fall freely. ‘Life is so beautiful’, she said. ‘I want you to bury me here underneath these pretty flowers, Grettos’.

  ‘It will be my honour’, he replied, smiling half-heartedly. ‘Come now, we aren’t far’.

  They continued on to the waterfall, then reached the cave. Upon entering the cave, he noticed that the exit was clear, the rotating blades gone.

  ‘Come, we’ve been waiting for you two’, said the lady. As they entered, Ona was in awe, not only at the beauty of the lady, but the beauty of the land they stepped into. She stared disapprovingly at the seven-foot giant who stood behind the lady, as he had his blade ready in hand. It was as if Toguard had been waiting for this moment all his life.

  ‘Kneel at the rock and place your head on it’, the lady said coldly.

  ‘And how do we know you will keep your word?’ Ona enquired.

  ‘You think if I wanted to kill you I couldn’t have sent Toguard to behead you both in your sleep? This is the ritual, this is the circle of life. Now kneel, child’, the lady said impatiently.

  Grettos couldn’t take it any longer. He wanted it over and done with. He grabbed Ona by the arm and led her hastily towards the rock, pulling out his cutlass.

  ‘Wait, wait, I’m not ready!’ yelled Ona. ‘Kiss me’.

  Quivering even at the lips, he bent down and kissed Ona for the last time. ‘God forgive us’, he said and brought the blade down on her neck.

  The woman’s laughter cut through the air right before the blade touched Ona’s neck.

  Grettos found himself on the ground, the blade gone from his hand. Ona was unharmed and Grettos disarmed, yet again. Toguard then reappeared, walking back to his mistress, Grettos’ cutlasses in his hand. He had been the one disarming Grettos all along.

  ‘Do I look like a monster to you, boy?’ the lady asked.

  ‘Ho ho ho!’ Toguard laughed. ‘You should have seen your face!’ he added in a strange accent. The lady slapped his arm.

  ‘Shut up, Toguard’, she said.

  ‘What does this all mean?’ Grettos asked, as he joyously helped Ona to her feet.<
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  ‘It means you pass my final test. You are both pure in heart and would have died for your people. You would make a good king and queen. Long live the King and Queen of the Great Lands. It’s all yours, as promised.

  ‘Come, Toguard, we have more fish to fry in distant lands’, she added, as the lady and Toguard walked off.

  Grettos and Ona stood in disbelief and shock.

  ‘I didn’t catch your name!’ screamed Grettos, finally managing to say something.

  ‘That’s ‘cause I didn’t throw it, darling’.

  ‘Ho ho ho, throw it, good one’, said Toguard.

  ‘Shut up, Toguard’.

  The End