A Leap of Fate

PINECREST

The sun dipped low on the horizon as the carriage horse, adorned in regal harness, trotted steadily down the winding path from the capital to the Pinecrest. Inside the carriage, the royal physician, Dr. Alfeus sat with a furrowed brow, poring over ancient scrolls and maps.

Dr. Alfeus, a man of wisdom and age, spoke with a hint of concern to the woman sitting next to him. "Danae's tales have reached the ears of the court. Her stories hold a mysterious thread that may hold the key to the Prince's health."

The hooded woman, her quill poised, sighed and looked out the window. "I really hope this works, Alfeus. I trust you know what you're doing."

"I want you to believe it's going to work, your Majesty. The people of Pinecrest speak highly of her. They believe she possesses a gift, a connection to the ancient lore that might be what we need." He replied earnestly.

As the carriage rumbled over cobblestone streets, the mood inside remained tense yet hopeful. The air was thick with anticipation, a mixture of the urgency to find Danae and the uncertainty of what lay ahead.

Danae tiptoed as she closed the door. She had spent too much time at the market and her gut was telling her her father already knew what she had been busy doing.

"And where might you be coming from, young lady?"

She heard her father say as he cleared his throat. She knew he knew but it wouldn't hurt to deny it.

"I was… well, was with Amelia." She lied as she turned to look at him.

She could see him lift his brows in a questionable gaze. She knew what that meant but wasn't going to fall for it.

"Can you explain why people from the capital are looking for you?" He asked, anger evident in his voice.

"The capital?" Danae asked in surprise. He walked away as she followed him.

A man and a veiled woman smiled as they saw her. Danae's father stood by the door as her brother had his hand wrapped around their mother.

"Pardon me good sir for coming to your humble abode unannounced. My name is Alfeus and this is my mistress. We seek your daughter's service as a storyteller." Alpheus said carefully. "We've heard of her wonderful stories all over Pinecrest and we've come to ask that you permit your daughter to come render her services at the palace." He said.

Danae's father roared in laughter as his guest and family watched him in surprise.

"You want my daughter to come tell stories at the palace? So she sits idly at the market square and tells stories till she becomes a penniless beggar?" He laughed again, wiping the tears away from his eyes. "My daughter is no storyteller at all. She goes to the market only to make some sales and come back home to do her womanly duties, not tell stories around like some jobless woman with no plans for her future."

"It appears you've gotten me wrong sir. Your daughter's not going to tell stories at the market square, she'll be in service of the Prince as his therapist." Alfeus explained. "she will be paid ten thousand gold florin coins and a role as the Prince's personal adviser. Here's a…"

"My daughter is not doing any of that! A therapist? To a nameless Prince that none of the citizens have ever seen before. I don't know what it is you're trying to do but it's time for you to leave." Eugene thundered.

The woman sitting next to Alfeus didn't say a word. Danae stood in front of her father and turned to him.

"Father, please. I know you don't trust them but listen to all that he has to say." Danae pleaded.

"You are not going anywhere Danae and I am not listening to anything they have to say. Please leave now!" He said angrily.

"Father! I want to help them." She said, spreading her arms in front of her father.

His stern eyes bore deep into hers and for a minute, Danae felt scared. She had never seen her Father that angry before and with that look on his face.

His expression spoke a lot as they looked at each other in silence. It felt like he was scared of letting his little girl go but didn't want to hold her back at the same time.

Danae's eyes softened as she pleaded softly with her father but he turned his face from hers.

"As your father, I forbid you from going anywhere and anywhere near the market!" He thundered and left the room.

Tears welled up in Danae's eyes as she looked at her mother and stormed out of the room angrily.

"I'm sorry, your lordship. I'll try to talk to my husband but first, let me get you a room and something to eat. You've come a long way." Her mother said as the veiled woman smiled and nodded.

"Thank you very much ma'am and please, pardon us for causing you so much trouble tonight," Alfeus said.

Danae wiped the tears streaming down her eyes as she walked angrily to the shed. Her father never understood her; she wasn't one to just sit on the farm without doing what she loved. She loved telling stories, sharing her imagination with people, and showing them the beauty in words.

But he never understood. He's too selfish to even understand what his daughter loved doing. She sat on a low wooden table and stared at the night sky. Whoever the guests were, they were on an urgent mission, and for some odd reason, the woman in a veil and hood looked like royalty.

Harriet, her mother, stood by the entrance of the shed. Danae looked away and folded her arms. She knew her mother respected her father and would never defy him but this was her life, her choice, and a chance to help someone with the gift she had.

"The moon's pretty bright tonight." Her mother said as she walked towards her.

Danae looked up at the moon and nodded slightly, her hair falling to her face as she bowed her head.

"Why won't Father give me a chance to do what I love? He's always been against me since I was a child."

"Don't say that darling." Her mother said as she sat in the extra space next to her daughter. "Your father definitely wants what's best for you. He wants to protect you and he truly loves you with all of his heart."

Danae looked at her mother and took a deep breath. "Then why is he not letting me chase my dreams? I can't keep sitting on the farm, talking to horses and cows, saying hellos to roosters every morning." Danae lamented.

"Danae, I want you to know that whatever it is, your father and I truly believe in you and trust you. You're no longer the little girl you used to be and the time will come when you'll have to find your own path."

"But —"

"Darling, you have to find your own path. I know your father is only worried about his little girl leaving his sight. Why don't you talk things out with him?" Her mother said and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, mother," Danae said with a smile on her face as her mother blew her a kiss and left the shed.

Danae got up and stared at the sky, a feeling of confidence sweeping through her. She was ready to follow her path. She was ready to stand up and voice out her feelings. He had to understand her, he had to trust her.

Danae shut the door of the shed as she walked straight in to meet her father. She had made her decision to do what was right.

But was she truly ready for what laid ahead of her?