"I don’t recall when or how I first loved her. It just seemed I always had… it didn’t require contemplation or decision…we were so happy in those early days that stretched on into infinity. I allowed myself to dream, because that is what it was…a dream. And I think I knew it even then. We had no idea what lurked around the corner…the despicable irony of it. We fought monsters together; but in the end, the mundane became the most gruesome battle."
~From the diary of William Wells; undated
~*~
Later that afternoon once the cabin had been tidied, William ran off without much of a word. He said that he was departing to hunt and would return to prepare supper from what game he recovered. Giles mentioned offhandedly to Elizabeth that the younger man would likely not return till early evening as he was often prone to enjoying long, solitary rides over the country. Part of her ached to have been invited to go along with him, but she had a feeling that much needed to be discussed with Mr. Giles.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he began shortly after William left, “Would you care to sit with me by the pond for a while?”
“Aye sir,” she replied, following him outdoors into the cool glow of fading sunlight.
Giles brought a blanket out and laid it on the bank of the water, gesturing for her to take a seat.
“I apologize for my abrupt departure,” he said, “The timing for my journey was awful, but I’m afraid it could not be avoided. A band of natives resides to the north, called the Seneca, whom we depend on for trade; and I received word that a group would be passing near the post yesterday…I do hope William behaved well in my absence.”
“Yes, he—he was very hospitable.”
“That is good, though a tad surprising, to hear. Before I left, I instructed him to go ahead and explain some things to you. He did that, I hope?”
“Indeed. Actually, he showed me a barren field and said that it was some sort of…dark power source.”
“You must never go there, Elizabeth.”
“I know. But what is it, exactly?”
Giles looked away from her, squinting at patches of sunlight reflecting off the sparkling black water. “It was once a dwelling place for a thing of great power before the soil burned and the land was abandoned.”
“A vampire?”
“Yes and no. The fallible thing—the creature we fought, was a powerful vampire, certainly. He called himself The Master of them all.”
“You and William killed him?”
“Susan, she—she faced him, but he was too strong. He escaped. Probably somewhere in Europe by now,” he choked, drawing a deep breath to compose himself.
“Is that how she…”
“Yes. But I would rather not speak of it. I loved her as a daughter and…I would rather keep it in the past.”
“I understand. I’m sorry.”
“Elizabeth, you must realize that what you know is terribly dangerous. You must not reveal what you have learned or seen here to anyone.”
“Why? Wouldn’t the town be safer if they knew the danger?”
“No, it is not as simple as that. If they believed it, it would create mass panic. But they would not believe. They would call us witches or satanists and our lives would be forfeit…The greatest power a vampire possesses lies in the fact that no one will believe he exists. That will remain truth for all the ages.”
“Mr. Giles…Why must you live here, isolated so?”
“We lived in town once, briefly. I taught the young children for a time, but I…evidence was recovered by the magistrate that I’d practiced magic. Instead of hanging me, I struck a deal with your uncle. He allowed us to live here.”
“And what does my uncle know of all this?”
Giles snorted, “Nathaniel knows much. And I know him well. Better than I’d like. We were close once, but he was a different man then. Elizabeth, you must understand, he…he is not what he seems. I caution you to be careful where he is concerned. I don’t believe harm would come to you as one of his kin but—just exercise caution.”
“What do you mean he is not what he seems?”
“I will say no more of it.”
Elizabeth sighed heavily, quite tired of all the evasiveness. The more she was given, the more she desperately needed to know.
“I know you’re right,” she began tentatively, chewing her lip, “Something is wrong about him; I felt it from the moment we met. Mr. Giles…I don’t want to go back—to that town, that house—I can’t.”
“What? You must go back, child. Your family is probably dreadfully worried. I’m sure we can simply tell them that you wandered away from town, became lost, and William and myself offered you shelter for a time.”
“No. I can’t go back now. I cannot have this newfound knowledge and just return to that life. It’s not safe there.”
Giles studied her carefully, his expression strained. He opened his mouth for what appeared to be another argument, but seemed to think better of it and fell silent.
“And when they come looking for you?” he asked softly.
“I won’t let anyone find me. After all, I would not be the first to disappear, would I? Please, let me do what I can to help. Let me stay.”
“If I agree to this—it is only for the time being. Should trouble come from town…”
“Thank you, sir...My only concern now is for my young cousin, Dawn. But in time, perhaps I can get her out of that place. Somehow give her a better life…show her all the things she’s never seen. She can’t even read!”
“For that you should wait until she comes of age. Let her decide. I know Will and myself are poor examples, but taking a young girl from her home in the middle of the night is usually not a wise course of action.”
“I’ll find a way to see her. But not the rest of them. I doubt my absence is any great loss.”
“If you stay, however briefly, you must learn how to defend yourself,” he insisted, “Many dangers lurk around the pond. You must be instructed in defensive combat.”
“Of course.”
“I’m getting too old for the rough and tumble these days. William can teach you, if you would feel comfortable with that arrangement.”
“Yes, sir, I would.”
--
“Hmm no,” Elizabeth mumbled groggily, flipping over and burying her face in the pillow.
“Yes. You already agreed to it. I’m not lettin’ you weasel your way out.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t actually serious when I said I’d get up before dawn.”
“That’s not gonna work with me, pet,” William said quietly as he gently shook her shoulder. She could hear the amusement in his voice.
Elizabeth batted his hand away and pressed the pillow over her head. Her voice was muffled and scarcely understandable when she spoke. “Don’t you ever sleep, William? I’m not sure if you’re familiar with the concept—it’s something normal people do at night.”
“Nah. It can wait till I die.”
“Five more minutes.”
“Can’t do it, luv. You said that five minutes ago.”
“You’re going to sit there and pester me until I get up, aren’t you?”
“Yep,” he said with exaggerated glee.
“Fine. I surrender,” she rolled over begrudgingly and slowly blinked her eyes open to the sight of William leaning over her.
She would never forget how he looked that morning. His chestnut curls were more unruly than usual, causing him to appear younger and softer as he gazed at her with a lazy, contented grin. In the delicate light of predawn, he looked quite peaceful.
“Hullo there,” he whispered.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes in mostly feigned annoyance. “Go away and I’ll get dressed.”
--
An electric charge stirred through the air just before sunrise. Elizabeth’s mother had once told her that it was the most magical time of day—when the world woke gradually from its slumber.
She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to ease her shivers as she watched the dark surface of the pond ripple with the movement of small creatures. A bullfrog croaked loudly from across the water, causing her to flinch. Frogs of any sort now had a somewhat negative connotation in her mind. The morning star shone bright on the western horizon, and as she admired its twinkle, Elizabeth inhaled a cleansing breath of sweet pine. In her opinion, the woods at first light should serve as the definition of religion. If a god could dwell anywhere on earth, it would be here.
She turned when the door of the cabin shut with a bang.
“Shhh! William, you’ll wake Mr. Giles!”
“Bloke sleeps through anything.”
“I still don’t understand why you insisted on starting at such an early hour.”
He approached her side wearing his wide-brimmed hat and the long beaten cloak that he seemed to carry like a second skin. A leather satchel hung from his left shoulder.
“Cause the day is ours, and we have a lot to do…Gorgeous, in’t?” he nodded to the distant hills at the horizon where hints of violet and orange splashed the sky, “Would you really want to sleep through this?”
“Yes,” she quipped.
He snorted and tossed her an organ pouch of water. “Come on. We’ve got a trek ahead of us.”
--
They hiked across rough paths through thick wilderness as the sun rose over the tree line in the east. Truthfully, Elizabeth was growing a bit tired, but she maintained a near jogging pace to keep up with him. Hills rose all around as their path crept higher and rocky inclines towered above them on their left side.
“Is it futile to ask where we’re going?” she panted.
“You’ll see when we get there…You need a break?”
“No!” she answered emphatically.
“It’s all right if you’d like to rest pet; I promise I won’t think less of you.”
“You said I’m not an outdoor girl. I think I’m proving you wrong, am I not?”
“Never said I believed that,” he smirked.
“Well, no stops until we get—wherever we’re going.”
“Sounds like a challenge of manliness then, yeah?”
“What does that mean, anyway? To be manly? Is it meant to imply that you can do what I cannot? I am not a stuffy girl as you have said…All of it is so tiring—needlework and bonnets and cooking and not saying what I want to say when I want to say it! I could never be one of them,” she said bitterly.
Elizabeth flinched, surprised at her admission. She’d been longing to scream some of her frustration for so long, and suddenly it had just tumbled out. Instantly she felt a twinge of guilt for going on about it to William unprovoked.
“I know, Elizabeth. Always knew that. It’s why I…”
“You can’t know what it’s like. Living in a cage. That’s what it is to be a woman here. Sometimes I wish I’d just been born a man so that I could do what I please!”
“Don’t wish that, pet. You make too pretty a lady…If you—when you go back, just don’t let ‘em change you. Promise me that.”
“I won’t. If I’m even able to go back to that…Nothing I ever do there is right. From the moment I arrived, I’ve longed to just step outside the door and never come back. Some days I only wanted to walk into the woods to see where they end.”
“So let’s find out. I’m game if you are. I reckon we’d reach some ocean eventually, but I got nothing better to do today.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“I just want…”
“What do you want?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know. I don’t know where I’m supposed to go anymore,” she sighed in defeat.
“Well, quick answer to that one.”
He gestured with a nod up to their left, and Elizabeth tilted her chin to see where he pointed. A large rock formation loomed in a steep incline that peaked above the tree line.
“We’re climbing that?”
“To the top,” he smiled.
--
“Heights—I’m not fond of them. Perhaps I should have mentioned,” Elizabeth squeaked, her former bravado starting to fade.
“Just keep lookin’ to the sky till we reach the top. Then when you look down, the view’ll be too incredible for you to be scared.”
“Scared? I’m not scared. It’s just that falling to my death in the process of reaching this view in question is a fair concern,” she stammered.
“You’ll be fine, Elizabeth.”
At this point in their climb, she’d been just an inch away from terrified ever since her boot had caught on a large rock and she’d slid backward a level. Observing carefully exactly where William placed his hands to propel himself up and the precise pathway his feet took in their ascent, she imitated his steps at a snail’s pace.
“There’s really nothing to it,” he called down to her, “Your problem is that you think too much. Just go with it. Your body knows how to balance.”
Instead of just “going with it”, Elizabeth chose to focus on her hands instead of her feet, since it was less to think about. When she looked up again, he’d disappeared over a ledge.
“William!” she cried.
“Right here,” he said, his head peeking over a rocky overhang, “We’re at the top. Just a few more steps and you’ve made it.
Almost there. Don’t think, Elizabeth. Stop thinking! She rushed onward, reaching up to grab hold of a crevice; but in the process, lost her footing and fell back once more. Glancing over her shoulder while she steadied herself, she accidentally caught a glimpse of the far distance to the ground below and panicked.
“I’m falling! Oh God! William!”
“You’re not falling, Elizabeth. Grab a hold of that boulder there, pull on it, and swing your feet up.”
“No—no, I can’t. Help me!” she cried out, squeezing her eyes shut tightly while clinging to the rock for dear life.
“You don’t need my help. You can do it by yourself.”
Elizabeth whimpered, shaking with anxiety, and reluctantly opened her eyes. William was still above, watching her steadily.
“What’re you waiting for?” he asked.
After willing herself to breathe and firmly deciding that if she fell, she’d kill him later, Elizabeth used all the strength in her arms to propel her body up. Once she lay in a heap on the large, flat rock at the top, William offered his arm to help pull her to standing.
“I’m here? I made it?”
“See for yourself,” he spoke softly, placing his hands about her waist to slowly pivot her around.
Before them lay a vast sea of every shade of gold, green, and red she could imagine. The leaves rippled gently with the breeze like the surface of a multi-colored lake. In the far distance, she could see smoke rising from a settlement, and farther still, a haze of blue-grey flickered on the horizon where the Atlantic Ocean crashed into the bay.
“It’s so small,” she whispered, “So insignificant. Wethersfield is down there somewhere, and they don’t even know how small they are.”
“They don’t see the land,” he answered calmly, standing behind her, “They see what they want, how they can use it, what they can take. They’re not like you and me.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much at once,” Elizabeth murmured in awe.
“I’ve seen a lot of great views in my day, but I think this might be the best, hidden in these hills above a town that’s too scared to step outside their own borders.”
“This is the best, is it? Tell me of the others,” she requested.
“Another great one—top of Notre Dame among the gargoyles.”
“Paris?”
“You could see the whole city from up there. Maybe it wasn’t the view so much as the place. I was dirt poor livin’ there, but I never felt like it cause it was just so beautiful…romantic, yeah? The place had a light and an energy I’d never seen anywhere else.”
“Wait, you actually lived in Paris?”
“I did. When I was on my own for a couple years. Rupert and Susan stayed on in London.”
“I must say that I’m quite impressed. I’ve often dreamt of visiting an old city like Paris, though I know I never will.”
“Don’t say never to me. Of course you will. If you want it, you’ll do it,” he said firmly.
“I wish it were that simple…But Paris, my my. I’m sure it was difficult living there as an English speaker.”
“Well it mighta been. That’s why I spoke French.”
“I’m learning so much about you, William Wells,” Elizabeth laughed, shaking her head in surprise, “Tell me something in French.”
A calm, wistful expression passed over his features; and his eyes fluttered closed for a brief moment before he spoke softly.
“Je souhaite que vous resteriez avec moi toujours.”
“What did you say?”
“I said it’s a beautiful day.”
Elizabeth raised a brow skeptically. She knew he would not tell her, so she changed the subject.
“Is this the destination—the place you planned to show me?”
“Yes and no. Yes—I wanted to show you—but where we’re going’s on the other side. We gotta go over and down.”
“Over and down—couldn’t we simply have gone around and avoided the climb?”
“We gotta work on your sense of adventure,” he replied with a tsk.
“So you just wanted to make me struggle up here and scare me half to death? Stupid brute!” Elizabeth exclaimed, giving him a light punch in the shoulder.
To her surprise, he looked hurt.
“Hey—teasing. It’s beautiful. Of course I’m happy that you showed me. We gotta work on your sense of humour.”
“Corker,” he muttered with a playful eye roll after a small sigh of relief.
--
A/N: Translation of William’s French: I wish that you could stay with me forever (or always)
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