Beloved returns!

The jangle of a lone horse gallop was heard down the rocky path. The rider, prince Aidan, was beaming, seeing the familiar sights. Eager to return home as soon as possible, he traveled day and night, leaving his entourage behind. Tired, but in good spirits, his heart fluttered as he entered through the large drawbridge. The yard, usually filled with chitchat of servants and soldiers alike, was unusually quiet. Only a soft murmur could be heard as servants pressed their faces to their companion's ears. Most averted his gaze by bowing their heads, with only the guards acknowledging his presence with a stomp and a brief greeting. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. His eyes wandered for the cause of this uneasy state but could not find anything out of the ordinary. He was filled with dread as his brain struggled with horrific scenarios. Leaving his trusty stallion in the stables, he hurried towards the royal garden.

His nieces and nephew played on the grass in the company of their elderly nanny. Seeing him, they all ran towards him with open arms. "Where have you been?" yelled the four-year-old girl with long wavy hair.

"Did you bring us toys from far away?" her eight-year-old sister said with an adorable smile. She was missing two front teeth.

"Who cares about some stupid toys! I heard there are some beasts up in the North. As big as a house with teeth like knives. Did you slay one and bring back its hive?" the lively nine-year-old spoke holding his wooden sword up, and swinging it around as if ready to fight. Aidan patted each of their cheeks. The boy playfully moved his sword but the prince grabbed it. The boy yelled playfully, holding on to the handle with all his strength. "You little rascal! When did you become so strong?" he teased. The two princesses jumped and tried to defend their brother.

"Let go, let go. Look, nanny. We caught a monster!" the girls giggled smacking him. Aidan played along, making faces until he finally collapsed among his fierce attackers.

"Oh, you truly go me. Now, where is my Zora?" he jumped up and eagerly looked around. "She is usually in the garden at this time of day."

The elderly woman, remained perfectly still, knitting on the stone bench. She could not even make herself look him in the eye.

His smile waned, with the secretive atmosphere getting to him. "Tell me the truth, nanny. Why is everyone acting so strangely?"

With a deep melancholic sigh, the woman lifted her head and said, "My Lord... I am afraid I have some terrible news."

His eyes widened as a cold shiver went down his spine.

Meanwhile, the four members of the royal family sat in the throne room not uttering a word. The only sound heard in the large stone hall was the quiet sobs of the first princess. Aidan strode in, swinging the door open with all his strength. He scowled at everyone with rage in his eyes.

"Aidan!" the queen uttered in a short breath. "You're back so soon!"

"How are our friends back at the Kingdom Seven Mountains Away?" the senior prince said.

"They are fine! They are all well. Now what happened here?" he blurted.

The king slowly stood up from his throne.

"Is it true? Is my wife missing?" the young prince said.

"I fear it is much worse than that," the king said solemn, telling him about Zora.

"No!" Aidan mouthed in shock. "No! This cannot be," he yelled covering his ears.

With a heavy sigh, the king called in the two guards who accompanied the princess into the forest. Their knees were trembling seeing the angry prince.

"If you do not believe my words, they can explain it better," the king stated.

The two anxious men watched as Aidan slowly walked over to them. He said slowly, "Tell me, exactly what you know," the royal uttered serious.

"It all happened so fast, my Lord," the first stuttered.

"It was this morning. We were guarding the princess while she was picking flowers," the other said quickly.

"Preparing for your return," the king interrupted.

The first nodded looking at his Highness. "And then, all of a sudden. There was this large white thing hiding behind the shrubbery. We shot arrows at it but it did not run away. Even worse, they made it angry," he moved his hands as it was happening in that very moment.

"It jumped out of the bushes and... Oh, the horror! It was an enormous white wolf with large teeth and red eyes. Its paws were the size of a boar each. It glared at us growling," the other continued equally emotional. "We tried to stop it. But the beast was so fast. It grabbed the screaming princess in its jaws and ran away with her deep into the woods."

The prince's throat turned dry. His heart skipped. "So... Have you chased it down?" he asked.

His eldest brother exhaled. "Aidan, they were outnumbered. What could have they possibly done except get killed themselves?" the king said softly. The distraught prince took a step back. "Do you expect me to believe a story like that? A wolf that size was never seen before! Not in this century at least."

The two guards sank their heads into their metal armors.

"Why would they lie?" the king spoke.

Shaking his head, the prince uttered, "Did you organize a search party? Perhaps, not all is lost. Maybe we can still find them?"

No one replied. His brothers and the queen looked away ashamed.

"When did this happen?"

"Two days ago," his brother said.

"In that case... She might still be alive? What are we waiting for?" he yelled with his voice cracking from stress.

"Aidan," his middle brother and queen said in unison.

"And what about the forest guardian? Can we ask her for help? You have been building that damn garden for her. The lest she could do is to-"

"We already tried," said the queen soothingly. "She told us to ask her again in a week and covered the entire area with prickly vines." Her sister-in-law, who has been sobbing the entire time, cried out even louder. The queen turned towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The face of the handsome prince's turned grim. His hand instinctively moved towards his sword. "In what direction did that murderous beast go?" he growled.

Meanwhile, the lone white she-wolf was nearly at the boarder. Her body was weak from the long hike, not to mention her stomach has been growling empty.

"Oh, I'm starving... Viniria should have told me what to expect from the transformation. Those berries and nuts I had did nothing for my stomach," Zora thought as she sluggishly moved on all fours. She remembered how she turned back to her natural form to eat. At the time, she felt full. However, as soon as she became a wolf again, the hunger returned.

"What a strange spell this is. Oh. I could really use some meat. A nice rabbit stew, or a roasted lamb leg. Mmm... maybe even a boar smeared with honey." Her large mouth watered as she closed her eyes. She could almost taste the dishes when...

There was an unfamiliar scent in the air. Her ears stood up alert. As a wolf, all her senses were heightened. She could spot ants from 3 meters away. Smell a flower even further. But this scent was different. Someone or something was nearby. She looked around but saw nothing. Only, occasionally, a twig would crack. A bird would chirp. A squirrel would climb a tree. A light breeze blew through. She smelled the air again. There were definitely a few distinct smells. Those of wild animals, perhaps. And by the direction where they were coming from – she was surrounded.