Chapter 19: Love's Sacrifice

“What do you mean the truth? She was in a car accident,” Willow said, confused.

“Drink,” her grandmother said nodding towards Willow’s mug. Willow took a small sip of the tart, spicy drink. Willow had never seen her looking so lost for words or uncomfortable. Loriann was staring down at her hands, which were just now beginning to hint at her age.

“Your mother wasn’t killed by a drunk driver. She was murdered by a hunter. A member of the Red Hoods actually. They claim they don’t know who it was, but I never believed them.” Willow gasped, her hands covering her mouth.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked. Her grandmother shook her head once, her eyes surprisingly dry. Her tears for her daughter had run dry many years ago, she had nothing left.

“I didn’t know how to explain to a five-year-old why her parents never came home,”

“Parents? But I thought my father passed before I was born?” Willow felt adrift. What was happening? How did she not remember her father?

“No, he died at the same time as your mother. They were executed together, for their supposed crimes. You don’t remember him because I’ve never spoken of him. I wanted him to fade from your memory. You remembered him for the first year after they died, but eventually, you forgot. The clan elders thought it was best, considering,”

“Considering what?” Willow burst, tears springing to her eyes. “Why wasn’t I allowed to know my father?” She tried to wipe away the tears, but they continued to flow. Her heart ached for this man she couldn’t remember.

“Willow, he was a Red Hood. That is why your parents were killed. The Red Hoods never told us who killed them. We only knew it was them because they were executed in their way and branded with silver, to ensure that if they escaped death they couldn’t shift. They branded your father too, apparently to torture him,” her voice wavered, and she looked at Willow.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered and reached her hand towards Willow’s on the table. Willow pulled her hand away slowly.

“I understand that you didn’t want to hurt me, but I have been an adult for a long time now. You could have told me at any time, why wait until now?” her voice was bitter.

“Because of this,” she pushed a picture across the table. It was of her and Garin, gazing into each other’s eyes, arms entwined.

“How did you get this?” Willow asked, her eyes wide,

“They are watching you, Wills. They are following you. You have to end this now, please. Before it gets worse,” she grabbed both of Willow’s hands, pleading.

Willow swallowed hard past the lump in her throat.

“I can see what this boy means to you, but it isn’t worth your life. I already lost your mother. Please don’t let me lose you too,” tears brimmed in her grandmother’s eyes.

“Okay,” she said simply, and her grandmother stood and pulled her roughly into her arms.

“I left something on your bed. Pictures of your mother and father. It’s time you had them,” Loriann said and dabbed her eyes with the hem of her apron.

Willow smiled sadly and walked upstairs. There was a faded hatbox sitting neatly on the center of her quilt. With shaking hands, she took off the lid. There were more pictures of her and Garin on top. She put those to the side. She didn’t want to see them. It would only break her heart further.

When she saw the handsome man with the brown eyes, the memories came flooding back. He had a deep melodic voice and she remembered his beard tickling her cheeks when he would kiss her. He had always crouched down to pick her up. She remembered that he always smelled like pine sap and rich tobacco. Tears ran down her face as she stared at the aged photographs.

Her mother looked just as she remembered her. With a sob, Willow clutched the picture to her chest, the ones of her and Garin in her other hand.

####

Willow awoke hours later, her eyes gritty from crying herself to sleep. She had plans to meet up with Garin tonight at the festival. She would still meet him and tell him that they couldn’t continue. She hoped she could face him.

She took a long, hot shower, trying to wash away the sadness that had taken root in her heart. She mourned her parents, their loss as fresh as it was twenty years ago. She mourned the life she could have had with both of them. Anger had also begun to grow. It was low and deep, but it burned hot.

She dressed in a simple black outfit, a slim fitted turtleneck, and jeans. Her hair was braided tightly against her head and she applied more makeup than usual. She needed to not scare away the customers tonight. She always served cider from her old coffee cart at the festival. At least she would be too busy to focus on her broken heart.

Before she left, she picked up the photo of her and Garin that her grandmother had shown her last night. She didn’t think she had ever seen herself look so happy before. She traced the outline of his jaw with her finger. She didn’t want this to end. She didn’t want to let him go. Her eyes landed on the photo of her dead parents. She knew she had to.

The doorbell ring and she heard Lyall’s voice float up the stairs. She had completely forgotten that she agreed to go to the festival with him. As if this day couldn’t get any worse, she had to spend it with her intended while she told the man she loved that she couldn’t be with him.