Valley Of Glamorgan

by Julie Eads

  Taya leaned towards me and whispered a quiet ‘thank you’ to me. I could tell that she had been hurt by Thora’s words and, no matter how many times I could have hit Thora, I knew Taya would feel the pain of her hateful comment for a long time to come, making me feel so much angrier.

  The rest of the evening continued with people making their way up onto the stage and making their toast to Declan; wishing him a happy birthday. As the end of the evening approached Maggie and Willow summonsed Declan to join them before all three walked into the center of the room. Once there they announced that Declan would be announcing his spirit animal at midnight, following which he would be sent to a small cottage located in the middle of the woods where he would complete his animal ritual over the next three days. I thought about how misleading the information was that Willow had given me. As it turned out, tonight was Declan’s official birthday, so the animal ritual was right on schedule. My emotions about the whole affair felt mixed and, in a peculiar way, I was feeling happier that she was training Maggie. Perhaps it was because Willow knew that Maggie would probably have to replace her, sooner than later. I also knew that I was going to hate not being able to see a Declan for at least the next three days. As well as knowing that he would be in so much pain and that I wouldn’t be able to help him, this made me feel sick to my stomach. I also couldn’t help but wonder which animal he had chosen.

  Looking up I watched as he stood in the middle of the room; he was smiling and winked at me as Willow handed him the microphone. “It has taken me a long time to decide what I wanted to become,” he began by saying. “After all, choosing one animal to embody forever is a hard choice to make. I had, at first, thought that maybe a vicious bear or a lion would suffice; but they just didn’t seem to fit my personality.” Declan paused before continuing, “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to be; until tonight. But, my decision was made with the help of a gift from someone very close to my heart. I wanted an animal that was full of stealth, yet graceful and as such I have chosen to be an owl.”

  Everyone began to mutter and I wondered who he had been talking too that had inspired him. I had been sure he would have said a fox. But then I thought back to the ring and the carved design on it and a smile filled my heart as I realized, I had been so focused on the fox that I had almost forgotten about the owl flying high above the trees.

  Willow motioned for Maggie to step forward. “Why have you chosen the owl?” she asked; a question displayed across everyone’s face.

  Smiling, Declan replied, “I chose the owl because it is strong. It has sharp claws that can rip through flesh and a strong beak that can cut any kind of material. But, it can also fly and enjoy the freedom of the night sky. Through this animal I will be able to protect our village by keeping watch from far above; by spotting enemies miles away.” Suddenly everyone knew his answer made sense for that was who he was; a watch-man, protector, someone who always worked the gate. It was the perfect choice for him I thought and would fit him perfectly. As for me, I wasn’t sure how he could possibly transform from a full grown man into a bird in just three days but, I wasn’t about to question the magic of it. After all, I had seen Knoll turn into a giant lion in order to fight off the wolves.

  Finally, Willow started to usher everyone outside where we watched Declan walk away into the woods alone. “At this time everyone can go home or back into the ballroom for a while. I will call the select few that Declan has chosen to witness the ceremony,” she announced, trying to project her voice above the whispering. Then, she instructed Eirnan, Liam and Declan’s mother Emily and finally, I to follow her. We waited for everyone to return inside or head for their homes before we started walking down the same path Declan had just gone down. My thoughts were jumbled and I suddenly felt both afraid and excited by the prospect of what I was about to witness.

  Chapter 12

  By the time we arrived at the appointed place I was surprised to see that Maggie, who had already set a fire, was standing in the middle of a circled off area. This had been made by logs being laid around the fire, which were for people to sit on. The light coming from the fire shone on Maggie’s face, making her look powerful and stunning. Her blonde hair flowed around her, and her green eyes where a lot darker than usual. Carefully I took a seat between my father and Eirnan, who leaned towards me to say thanks for taking up the defense of Taya and for hitting Thora. He went to tell me that he hated being her guardian.

  I didn’t reply, just nodded my head, as I was too busy watching Declan being led into the middle of the circle. He was wearing a dark robe; similar to the one Maggie had worn earlier. His feet were bare and it appeared he was wearing only the gown. Catching a glimpse of his bare chest through the opening in the robe I tried not to blush. I also began to understand why it was such a private moment, and I was glad there were only a few us to witness it. As I looked at the others I hated to admit to myself that I was glad there weren’t any single women present to flock about him or to stare at him. Having already come unhinged once tonight I didn’t know what would happen if Declan’s body was presented to other females. If I was honest I hated the idea that even Maggie could see him, despite my knowing that her heart belonged to Knoll.

  Suddenly my father stood up and walking towards Declan he called out, “On this night,” he stretched his arms out in front of him, “I am here in the place of a man that none of us will ever forget.” Then he placed his hand on Declan’s arm and said, “Do you accept the Pacu’s way of life? Do you swear never to use your animal to hurt another, unless it is between life and death?”

  Declan took a step forward, and clearing his voice replied, “I do accept the Pacu way of life, and I swear to never kill another animal, unless it is between life and death.”

  My father called out, “So mote it be,” before returning to his seat. Once there he leaned over to where I sat and whispered, “I will be doing this at your animal ritual as well. I was asked to step in for Declan’s father, and what an honor it has been.” As he spoke he looked at Declan with a smile.

  Maggie then approached Declan and called out loudly, “I call upon the spirits on this night, and pray that you be with Declan on his journey. It is important that you help soothe his pain and his mind as he goes through his painful, life altering experience.” Then Willow walked towards Maggie and joining hands with her they started walking around the circle; chanting words too low for us to hear.

  As the chanting stopped she handed Declan a braided rope which he threw into the fire. Smoke quickly rose upwards; the burning red and orange turning to a brilliant purple. As it turned to yellow, there followed the strangest thing I had ever seen. Out of the beautiful smoke appeared a beautiful white owl. It had large yellow, beckoning eyes with a brown spot circling one of them. It was as if a spirit of an owl had risen from the flames and as it hovered in the air Willow called out to Declan, “Do you accept this gift from the spirits?”

  Declan replied loudly and confidently, “Yes, I do.” As he looked, smiling at me I mouthed the words, ‘I love you.’ Suddenly the owl flew to where he was standing and entered into him. I stared in wonderment for a few moments before rubbing my eyes; looking towards my father who reassured me that it was something that happened to everyone, once the ceremony was completed. Declan had fallen down. He lay silently on the ground and then all at once he began screaming with the pain. Racing over I knelt next to him but all I could do was watch in horror as he writhed in agony.

  Looking up at Willow I screamed, “Can’t we do something?” Tears streamed down my face, as Declan managed to squeeze my hand before making another loud cry of pain. Maggie came to me and kneeling down she explained, “Mina this is normal. I know it seems cruel but it happens to all of us.” All I could do was shake my head, angry that I couldn’t do anything to help him. Then my father and Eirnan came over and lifting Declan from the ground as gently as they could they carry him up the trail and into the small cabin close by. The stone path leading to the front door
was cobbled, similar in a way to the one at Willows home although this one looked a lot newer.

  Having carried Declan inside the pair laid him down in a large comfortable, looking bed. Watching him I thought how small and fragile he looked and it broke my heart to see him in so much pain. Yet there was nothing I could do; I felt so helpless and worthless. Eventually Willow came inside and gave Declan something to drink, an orange colored liquid, from a small vile. Shortly afterwards he fell into a deep sleep and I was thankful that his pain had been eased. Despite this I couldn’t help but worry that he would be here, all alone for the next three days, whilst going through such horrible pain. At that moment in time it seemed to me that the animal spirit wasn’t such a gift after all; especially if it caused so much pain and anguish.

  A short time later my father and Maggie forced me to leave the cabin; having to practically drag me away. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him here alone, it seemed unreasonably cruel, but Maggie informed me it was a time for him to learn the animal’s ways and to become one with it. “That is why it is so painful to experience,” she explained, “Your bones shift, whilst your soul becomes one with the animal’s soul.” It was a lot to take in and it still felt so surreal.

  Having made our way back to the castle, I couldn’t resist begging Eirnan to at least go and keep watch on the cabin, thereby ensuring that Declan wouldn’t be bothered by anyone. At least my knowing that he was safe made me feel a little better. Just as I was about to walk up to my room Maggie and Knoll called me into the living room. Poor Maggie looked unusually tired, and I could tell the ceremony had taken a lot out of her as she leaned against Knoll, partially asleep. As I entered and sat down she sat up.

  “Are you feeling okay,” she asked, trying to be delicate over the topic of Declan.

  “Yeah, I’m okay; I suppose,” I replied, “I have a headache, and feel horrible about the pain he is in.”

  Maggie grabbed Knoll’s hand, “I remember when I had my animal ceremony.” She looked to the ground. “It was different to Declan’s ceremony. Mom and dad had had a call about you and thought that someone had hurt you. There were a few rogues who meant you harm, and who were searching for you, the same as Knoll has been. They had all the guardians tracking them, and had them killed, but the whole castle was filled with the chaos so no-one had time for my animal ceremony,” she said sadly. “Even Knoll wasn’t here; he was out looking for you.” She went on, sounding a little bitter. “Willow threw me a small party at her home, but the only people that showed up were a few of the elderly people who couldn’t be out doing guard duty for the village. Our father didn’t come, so Willow was the one doing the whole ceremony. She had to drag me into the cabin.”

  Pausing, she looked at me, swallowing back what seemed to be tears. I felt horrible that she had gone through all of that on her own; and all because of me. Just as I was about to begin apologizing she continued. “I was so angry with you for a while; until I realized that you were just a child and it was all out of your control, as much as it was mine. I actually moved in with Willow for a year or so after that. I must admit that at that time I wouldn’t speak to mom and dad,” she said.

  At this point Knoll interjected, “I helped her to come to her senses!”

  Silently I sat there thinking about how bad it must have been for Maggie; to lose a sister and have parents treat her as if she didn’t exist. As if Maggie could sense my thoughts and worries she suddenly said, “Oh! I am so sorry; I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I wasn’t thinking. I was just trying to let you know that Declan will be okay, and that he was lucky with his ceremony.”

  Despite her words I sat shaking my head, still feeling like crap that she had gone through all that, but also because Declan was in pain and there was nothing I could do for either of them. Feeling as if I needed to apologize to her I walked over to the couch where she sat with Knoll, and facing her I said, “Maggie, I am very sorry that I took the attention away from you, especially when you needed it the most. I know that neither of us could have done anything about it, but I still wish it could have been different. You deserved so much more than that.”

  A voice boomed out, taking us aback, as Liam and Eleanor walked into the room and Liam declared, “Yes you did.”

  We hadn’t noticed them standing in the doorway or knew how long they had been stood there. Quickly Maggie stood up, saying, “No you guys, it’s really okay.” Then making her excuses she was about to leave the room when Liam told her to sit down. Maggie sat back down with a thud on the couch next to Knoll, whilst Liam and Eleanor made their way to sit across from us.

  Taking a breath Liam announced, “This needs to be resolved, and right now.” Eleanor nodded her head in agreement. Maggie sat back, taking comfort from Knoll who had slipped his hand into hers once again. The gesture made me think of Declan, and I couldn’t help but want to run to him. What I wouldn’t give to be able to take his pain away, but I accepted there was nothing I could do for him. And I also knew that right now Maggie needed me here, so maybe I could do something to help her.

  “Maggie, you know that your mother and I love you dearly,” Liam started to say. “In the beginning it was chaos, and to be honest we barely noticed the daughter we still had here, mainly because we were so caught up in getting Mina back.” Pausing Liam cleared his throat, then he continued, “Even though you were safe and sound here, you are right, we neglected your needs at that time. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t look at you and see what a wonderful woman you have grown up to be. It makes me wonder what I was thinking of by not putting you first, as we did your sister.”

  His comments had made Maggie start to cry, and not long afterwards Eleanor began to wipe away the tears that had come into her eyes. “It’s okay,” Maggie said, trying to reassure us all. “I understood Mina was missing and that you had to find her. I just always wondered why you couldn’t have made me princess instead.”

  Everyone sat silent for a moment. And I felt my heart sink as I felt I was about to hear the truth that I was afraid of hearing. Maggie wanted to be the princess; not a healer. It seemed she had to be a healer; because of me. Surprisingly Knoll was the first to speak, “You were born to be a healer. The way you handle magic and the way you wield it, takes my breath away.” And he looked at her with a warm smile.

  Looking at him in return she smiled before turning towards her parents and saying, “I know I wanted to be a healer at first and I do remember begging you to let me do it, but you always made me feel as if I wasn’t good enough! Afterwards, when I didn’t want to be one, you made me be one. I was so mixed up.” Taking a breath she looked to see how they had reacted before continuing. “Now I’m grown up, I see that I am meant to be a healer, and I honestly love it. It’s just that it wasn’t always like this. Maybe I just feel I should have had a choice,” she concluded as she started to get angry. Liam tensed his muscles and I realized I was stuck in the middle of my first family feud, hating every minute of it.

  “Maggie,” Eleanor began to say gently, “Please understand that we can never take away the pain we caused you, and that we know our wrong doings and willingly accept responsibility for them. But we are truly sorry as we love you; dearly.”

  Maggie nodded her head before replying, “I know, and I love you.” Then looking directly at me she said warmly, “I don’t want you to think that I am not grateful to have you back.”

  “I know,” I quickly interjected feeling in a hurry to get this over with. I really needed to go to my room soon as I needed to get some sleep; or, at the very least, to be alone with my thoughts.

  Finally Knoll stood up declaring, “As you all know Maggie has been through a lot of stress in preparing for tonight and of course, the magic takes such a toll on her. She is just a bit grumpy and worn out. Can we not continue this some other time please? That is if you don’t mind? She really needs to get some sleep.” For some reason he not only sounded a little peeved but looked it as well. Secretly I was
thankful that my guardian had saved us once more and I watched him lead Maggie out of the room.

  After they had gone I suddenly had an idea, and hoped that my parents would agree to it. Taking a deep breath I started to put my plan in front of them. “I was wondering,” I began, “If it would do Maggie some good to have another actual animal ceremony. I know she can’t go through the changing process but we could give her a proper party and I can give her a gift that I know she would love dearly.” As I paused my parents looked to each other but allowed me to continue, “Maggie loves Knoll deeply and she shouldn’t have to share him with me. I have taken so much of his time and because of that it has caused her to lose attention from the people she cares the most about. With that in mind I would like to declare someone else as my guardian. That way, Maggie can have Knoll. And, if the time should ever come where I would have to take a guardian away with me, it wouldn’t be Knoll.”

  Liam sat for a moment, carefully pondering the idea. “I don’t know Mina,” he declared, “We have never had anyone do such a thing in all our history.”

  “Well I think it’s a noble and selfless gesture,” said Eleanor with a smile.

  Liam stood up. “Well, if that is what you want and it will help give Maggie some closure, then so be it. We will announce Maggie’s party in a few days. You can announce your gift to her, if you will then.” Just as I thought the topic was settled Liam asked, “Who do you have in mind for your new guardian?”

  I was afraid to say who I was thinking of but taking the bull by the horns I declared, “I was hoping that you could perhaps reassign Eirnan to me as I have grown quite fond of him.” And I sat, my hands fidgeting as I waited for their response.

  Liam smiled slightly before saying, “I see, but he is Thora’s guardian.”

  Sitting up straight I quickly responded, “Yes, but I am the princess.”