The Doll Princess
E. D. Telford
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 E. D. Telford
Discover other titles in The Princess Collection by E. D. Telford at Smashwords.com:
Ella and the Prince
Princess on the Glass Hill
The Fickle Princess Isabel
Trudl and Trudeliese
Rumpelstiltskin and the Miller's Daughter
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Pelting rain drenched the young couple as they sloshed their way through the muddy field. The girl, Kirstyn, clung to her companion for support.
“Oh, Gabriel, I am so frightened!” she cried.
The young man, a simple farm boy, reached an arm around her slender waist and firmly held her hand. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by rumbling thunder.
“'We're almost there, my love,” he shouted so as to be heard above the storm.
“Gabriel, are we doing the right thing?” Kirstyn asked with pleading eyes.
The young man stopped and pulled her around to face him. Rain streaked both of their faces, hiding their tears. “Do you love him, Kirstyn?” he asked. “Do you want to marry King Balthazar?”
Kirstyn shook her head and sobbed loudly. “You are the one I love, dearest.”
“Then we are doing the right thing,” he replied. Taking her hands in his, he gently kissed them. “We must hurry, my love. Peczold is waiting with a carriage at the edge of the field.”
Kirstyn lifted her muddy skirts and looked down at her boots. She stood ankle deep in the ooze. “I can't walk any faster, Gabriel,” she sobbed.
With strength gained by years of hard farm labor, Gabriel easily scooped her into his arms and carried her the rest of the distance across the field. As promised, his friend, Peczold, awaited them, standing by a pair of muzzled horses.
“Get in! Get in!” Peczold cried to them, “Before you catch your death of cold!” He limped over and opened the carriage door.
“Let me drive the carriage,” Gabriel offered.
“You shall not!” Peczold scolded. “Now get in back with your lady. You have precious little time left in which to make your final plans – and to say your goodbyes.”
Gabriel nodded and clapped his hand affectionately on his friend's back. Gently he lifted Kirstyn into the carriage.
“Gee-up!” Peczold cried to the horses and off they flew into the night.
Kirstyn leaned her head against Gabriel's chest, crying softly. “What if our plan doesn't work? Will I ever see you again?”
“It will work, Kirstyn. We have to believe that,” Gabriel answered. He did not tell her how fast his heart raced, nor the terror that reigned in his mind. Nor did he tell her about the risks involved and that if the plan failed, she would be doomed to a silent existence forever. “It is our only chance to marry, Kirstyn. We must take that chance – or live in misery apart from each other.”
“I could not bear that, Gabriel,” she whispered. “I would rather die than marry Balthazar.”
“And I would rather die than be with anyone else.”
Gently he kissed her and they rode in silence.
The storm raged as the small carriage made its way through the muddy roads, leading them away from Kirstyn's home and family. Fears and worries flooded their minds; yet speaking those words seemed an unbearable task, and saying goodbye an impossible one. Silence seemed the better choice so they simply clung to each other as lightning pierced the sky and thunder rumbled around them.
After several hours, the storm abated and Kirstyn lay sleeping against Gabriel's broad chest. But Gabriel could not sleep. He stared out the small window into the black forest around them. He could not bear the thought of Kirstyn marrying another man, yet what right did he have to take her away from her family and into the unknown? He breathed slowly in an effort to clear his mind and steady his nerves.
Several months earlier King Balthazar showed interest in Kirstyn, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy landholder. The old king had put away his wife of twenty years and sought a young maiden to wed. A week ago, he announced his intention to marry Kirstyn and made the request of her parents. The news came as a shock to both Kirstyn and Gabriel for they had secretly planned to marry. Never did they imagine that King Balthazar would actually choose Kirstyn to be his wife above all the other maidens in his kingdom.
With whispered words of affection during stolen moments, Gabriel, the farm boy, and Kirstyn, the betrothed princess, made outlandish plans to escape and hide from her fate. However, they both knew that such an attempt would prove futile – and fatal -- unless they hid in a most unconventional manner. And that quest became the object of their every thought, both waking and sleeping.
Oddly, it was Peczold, Gabriel's trusted friend, who came up with a plan for their escape – and eventual marriage. It turned out he knew a curious old wizard, a good sorcerer, whose skills enabled him to change people into different forms. If the plan worked, Kirstyn would remain hidden until old King Balthazar lost interest in looking for her – and then they could escape to another country and marry.
Gabriel's heart raced as he pondered the plan. What if the spell didn't work? What if it worked too well and Kirstyn could not be restored to her natural form? What if the king did not forget about Kirstyn and left no stone unturned until he found her? Gabriel shook his head and stared out the window again. At last a happy, hopeful thought formed in his mind: love is greater than any power in the universe. Love alone would help them find the way. All would be well with them. A smile crossed his face and he kissed the top of Kirstyn's head. She stirred and asked sleepily, “Are we there yet?”
“No, my love,” he answered softly. “Get some more rest.” With Kirstyn nestled warmly in his arms, he leaned his head back against the carriage seat and closed his eyes.
“Whoa, boys!” Peczold cried as the carriage came to a stop in front of a small cottage in a heavily wooded forest.
Kirstyn started awake and stared out the small window. “Where are we, Gabriel?” she asked.
“At the cottage I told you about – the home of Heinczel the wizard.”
Kirstyn shivered, remembering.
Peczold led the way to the old wizard's door while Gabriel and Kirstyn walked slowly behind him.
“This is a good thing. You'll see,” Peczold called over his shoulder. “Heinczel will help you. He's a good wizard – good wizard – good wizard . . . .”
“I hope so,” Gabriel remarked. “If not, we're in trouble.”
Peczold knocked on the door. “He's a good wizard. He'll help you. You'll see.”
Shuffling footsteps sounded behind the ancient door. At last it scraped open. The shuttered windows offered no light into the small cottage, and whoever opened the door stood in the shadows. It was impossible to see the face or form of the person inside.
“What do you want?” a thin, raspy voice asked.
“Master Heinczel, it is I – Peczold. Remember we spoke not long ago – about the princess and the farm boy? I've brought them to you!”
A slow, deep, audible sigh came from the musty cottage. “Peczold, I told you not to bring them. I haven't done wizardry in centuries. . . .”
“You most certainly have, Master Heinczel! Remember, I brought you the pesky cat that bothered my chickens? What did you do? Tell them what you did!”
“I gave you a cage, Peczold.”
“Oh.”
Gabriel patted Kirstyn's shaking hand. “It's all right, dear. We'll figure something out. Come. Let's get back into the carriage.”
Kirstyn nodded, but glanced into the darkened doorway of the cottage as they passed by. Something in her sad face touched the heart of the old wizard.
“Wait,” he called to them. “Tell me your story and why you are so sad. I'm not sure Peczold related it to me properly.”
Kirstyn and Gabriel looked at each other, and then walked towards the open door.
“Please, come in,” an ancient hand gestured to them. They still had not seen the wizard's face.
Gabriel walked in first and glanced around the small room. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkened surroundings before he allowed Kirstyn to follow him inside. “It looks safe enough,” he called to her.
Dusty books, rusted pots and kettles, and rows upon rows of odd shaped jars and bottles lined the walls and filled every nook and cranny in the ancient cottage. The acrid smell of smoldering coals, mingled with burning shoe leather accosted their nostrils.
“Maybe we might talk outside,” Kirstyn suggested as politely as she could muster.
“Is something offending you?” Heinczel asked, and then, lifting his thin, elongated nose to the air, he sniffed.
“My boots! They're burning!” Shuffling over to the fireplace, he retrieved two charred boots from the smoldering embers. “I spilled my tea on them last night and left them close to the fire to dry.” Shaking his head with disgust, he mumbled, “Perhaps you're right. We'll talk outdoors.”
The old wizard led the way to a carved wooden bench at the side of his cottage. Motioning with his long thin hand, Kirstyn and Gabriel moved over to the bench and sat down. He then produced a three legged stool out of nowhere, or so it seemed, and prepared to sit down. Glancing over at the Peczold, he said, “I suppose you must sit as well,” he mumbled and pulled another stool out of the air.
Sunlight filtered through the trees casting light and shadows upon the wizard, making him appear even more mysterious. His long white beard and mustache grew together and piled in a snowy heap upon his lap. A billowing, deep purple robe flowed from his shoulders and fell upon the ground. As the wizard gathered the robes together, Kirstyn and Gabriel viewed two spindly legs and long stockinged feet with mismatched socks. But what held their attention were his eyes-- ancient, yet youthful at the same time. Their piercing intensity surprised them – and caused the young couple to look away with flushed faces.
“You're in love,” the old wizard observed, “. . . and in trouble.” He paused, allowing them time to speak. When they did not, he continued, “So who has decreed that you two cannot be joined in marriage?”
“The king,” Kirstyn replied. “He asked my parents for my hand in marriage, but I do not love him. I love Gabriel – and have since childhood.”
With a nod in Gabriel's direction, the old wizard asked, “And you are Gabriel, I presume?”
Gabriel nodded.
“And do you love her?”
“With all my heart,” Gabriel replied as he reached for both of her hands. “I cannot imagine life without her. My heart would break to see her with another man, and I would rather die than be with another woman.”
Heinczel took a slow, measured breath before speaking again. At length he said, “The king wields great power. He knows what he wants – and he gets it without fail.”
“We know that,” Gabriel answered for both he and Kirstyn. “But this time it will be different.”
“And what will make it different?” the wizard asked with a cocked head.
“Well, he simply cannot have what he wants this time. He can't have Kirstyn,”
“And what will stop him?”
“Love,” Gabriel answered simply, and then added hastily, “with help from you, of course.”
The wizard stroked his long beard thoughtfully. “And just how do you think I might be able to help you?”
Gabriel looked into Kirstyn's eyes before answering. He then replied, “We want you to change Kirstyn into a different form – for a little while, just long enough for King Balthazar to give up looking for her – and to decide to marry another.”
“And you think the king will give up so easily?” he asked. Just like that?” he said with a snap of his fingers.
“Of course! Yes, of course, he will!” Gabriel replied.
“Just like you would give up looking for Kirstyn if she disappeared?” the wise old wizard asked.
“But I loved her first! I love her best!” Gabriel cried. “I will love her forever!”
“And never stop looking for her?” Heinczel asked.
“Never!”
“I see,” the old wizard said with a deep, knowing smile which made Gabriel shift uncomfortably on the bench. The wizard then added, “Never is a very long time.”
“So is forever,” Gabriel replied.
“Wisely spoken,” the wizard said quietly. He drew a long breath and then said, “Very well. I will help you. But I warn you, young lovers, what comes next may not seem like any help at all. It will be very difficult for both of you, and, believe me, only true love will see you through it.”
Kirstyn caught her breath and grasped Gabriel's hands tightly. “Master Wizard, sir, what are you going to do?”
The wizard smiled kindly as he rose from his small stool. Walking over to her, he placed both hands on her delicate shoulders. “My dear, I am going to change you into a doll – and then I am going to hide you in a place where only true love will find you.” He paused and looked deeply into Gabriel's eyes and asked, “Who will find her, lad -- you or King Balthazar?”
“It will be me!” Gabriel shouted brashly. “I will find her though she be hidden in the very depths of Hades!”
“Gabriel!” Kirstyn chided him with a shocked tone to her voice. “Do not speak of such places!”
“And what if you were in such a place, Princess?” Heinczel asked. “Would you be faint-hearted and wish you were dead – or would you be patient and true?”
“I would be patient and true,” she answered, “but I must tell you, Master Heinczel, I should much prefer to be hidden away on some clean, tidy shelf in my mother's closet.”
Heinczel laughed heartily. “Oh, you two foolish children. Do you have any idea what love is – and what you must go through to be worthy of it? You only think you do, but by the end of this journey, you will know what true love is – and what it is not.”
“Will the journey be long?” Gabriel asked warily.
“It will.”
“And will it hurt?”Kirstyn asked with a trembling voice.
“Of course it will hurt!” the old wizard thundered. “Love always hurts! But will it be worth it? That is the question you must answer for yourselves.”
Gabriel and Kirstyn looked deeply into one another's eyes. Gabriel blinked hard to keep the tears away, but Kirstyn could not hide her fears and hot tears spilled down her face.
“Are you willing to do this?” the old wizard thundered.
“I'm terrified,” Kirstyn said truthfully.
“And I'm doubtful,” Gabriel replied. “What if it doesn't work? What if I can't find Kirstyn again? What would I ever do without her?”
“Spoken like a true hero,” Heinczel mumbled with a shake of his old, wizened head. Slowly, he walked back towards his cottage.
“Wait!” Gabriel called to him. “I didn't say that I didn't want you to do this! I – I just said I didn't know if it would work – and if it didn't, well, I'd just miss Kirstyn terribly if I couldn't find her again.”
The wizard turned and faced them as a sudden gale of wind caused his purple robes to billow and flap behind him.
“Love doesn't doubt, farm boy!” he shouted above the wind. “Love doesn't pale in the face of death and it doesn't shrink and hide! Either you love this girl enough to risk life itself, or you don't! I can't – I won't help you if you if your heart and mind are cluttered with doubts!”
Peczold jumped up from his stool and limped over to Gabriel. “You can do this, my friend! I will help you! If you don't go through with this, then Balthazar wins!”
Encouraged by Peczold's enthusiasm, Kirstyn joined in. “Yes, Gabriel, we can do this! The three of us will fight and win!”
“The three of you?” Heinczel asked with a furrowed brow. “And which of you wins the princess?”
Peczold looked at him oddly. “Gabriel, of course. He's the hero here.”
“Is he?” the old wizard asked.
“Yes, of course he is,” Kirstyn replied.
Gabriel turned and looked away from them.
“I love you, Gabriel,” she said quietly. “You're my hero.”
Gabriel shook his head and looked down. “I'm not a hero, Kirstyn. I'm a farm boy. What gives me any right to take you away from your family – or from our king? It was a mistake to come here.”
Kirstyn stood firm and folded her arms across her chest. “I don't love Balthazar and I refuse to marry him, Gabriel. I love you – and I thought you loved me.” Turning to face the wizard, she said, “I'm ready, Master Heinczel. Change me into a doll now. Whoever finds me and loves me enough to change me back into my true form, will be the one I marry.”
The old wizard smiled. “Well said, my dear Kirstyn,” he remarked. “You may be surprised yourself as to who finds you, but you will be happy and know that it is right when you see him.”
As Gabriel turned to protest, a puff of gray and pink smoke billowed up where Kirstyn stood. When the smoke cleared, a small porcelain doll wearing a pink satin gown lay on the ground.
“Kirstyn?” Gabriel cried.
“Say goodbye to your love,” Heinczel said firmly, as he reached down and picked up the doll.
Gabriel stared in shock as the old wizard covered the doll with his robes, whispered some magical words, and then disappeared in a huge puff of gray and purple smoke.
“Kirstyn!” Gabriel shouted. “Heinczel, bring her back!”
The puff of purple and gray stopped in front of a small, dirty shack and then the wizard materialized again, holding Kirstyn, the doll.
“I know it looks old and dusty, my dear,” Heinczel explained, “but you'll be safe here – until I find a better spot for you.”
The doll looked back at him with wide, fearful eyes.
“There, there, my dear. You needn't be frightened. It's just for a little while anyway. Gabriel simply needs to learn who he is and to see that he really is a hero. It shouldn't take him more than a year or two.”
Upon hearing that, a tear trickled down the doll's cheek.
Heinczel dabbed Kirstyn's porcelain face with the sleeve of his wizard's robe. “You still have your heart, Kirstyn. That much is obvious.” He laid her on a small shelf behind some cracked vases and chipped cups and saucers. “Take a nap, my dear. It will make the time go by faster,” he said. Looking into her sweet face, which seemed twisted with pain, his old heart melted with pity. “Tell you what I'll do, Kirstyn,” he said, “I'll give Gabriel a little help along the way. Hints, you know, little ideas to help him find you.”
With that said, the wizard mumbled some magical words and disappeared in a puff of purple and gray smoke. He had not been gone more than three minutes when two little girls entered the small shack.
“Let's play with our dolls, the older one said, as she pulled out her rumpled rag doll wearing a faded red dress. Frayed blue and yellow flowers lined the skirt and sleeves of the doll's dress, embroidered by her mother years before.
The younger girl unwrapped her doll from its coarse blanket and sighed as she looked upon it. The poor little doll, made from dried corn husks with a painted on face, hardly looked like a doll at all – except for the simple white dress she wore. Her mother had lovingly embroidered a small bluebird with a bright yellow beak on the front of the doll's dress. “I wish I had a prettier doll,” she sighed, “one that looks like a princess.”
Kirstyn closed her eyes and scarcely dared to breathe. Please don't see me! she thought desperately. What if these little girls take me away? How will Gabriel ever find me? She shivered and cried in her heart, Master Heinczel, come back for me!
The horses plodded along the rutted road as Gabriel and Peczold shared the driver's seat in the front of the old carriage. As it jostled and bumped along, neither of them could find words to speak. At long last, Gabriel muttered, “I don't even know where to start looking for her, Peczold.”
“I'd say the best place to start looking is in your heart,” Peczold answered quietly.
“In my heart?” Gabriel fumed. “Why should I look there? She's a doll, Peczold. A cold, lifeless doll! How could she be in my heart?”
“Well, she's in mine,” Peczold whispered so quietly that Gabriel thought it was the breeze.
They continued riding in silence for several more hours when they heard thunder in the distance. Looking up at the clear sky, they puzzled at the sound. However, looking behind them, they saw the source of the great noise. Dozens of men on horseback thundered down the road towards them, raising a huge billow of dust in the wake. As they men drew closer, it became obvious by their crested robes that they were the king's guard.
“Pull the carriage off the road and let them pass!” Gabriel shouted to Peczold.
As Peczold reined in his frightened horses and led them off the road, the guards closed in on them and surrounded the small carriage. Before they could speak, King Balthazar rode up on his great steed.
“Your Majesty,” Gabriel bowed as he sat on the front seat of the carriage, and jabbed Peczold with his elbow to do the same.
“Where is she?” the king demanded as he pulled his great sword from its sheath.
“Wh-who are you looking for?” Gabriel managed to reply.
The king swiped the top of the carriage with his sword, tearing a huge gash in it.
“My carriage!” Peczold cried in dismay.
“Shush!” Gabriel whispered.
“Where is Kirstyn?” the king demanded again.
“She is not here,” Gabriel managed to say. “Search the carriage if you like. She is not with us.”
“Guards!” King Balthazar shouted. “Take these men and bind them!”
The guards pulled them off the carriage seat and bound them with heavy cords.
“She is not with us!” Gabriel cried out again. “We do not know where she is!”
“You were seen escaping with her last night!” the king shouted. “What have you done with her?”
“I tell you, she is not with us! She escaped from us when we were not looking!” Gabriel answered.
“You lie, farm boy!” the king shouted from his horse and kicked Gabriel in the ribs.
Gabriel cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
“Tell him, Gabriel,” Peczold whispered as he knelt down beside him. “You cannot save her if you are dead.”
“He will not believe me,” Gabriel whispered as he winced in pain.
“You must say something,” Peczold whispered frantically.
“I cannot betray her, Peczold,” Gabriel whispered. “Though I am not worthy of her, still I cannot betray her.”
“Only you know what she looks like, Gabriel,” Peczold urged. “Though the king collects every doll in the kingdom, still he will not know which one is her!”
“What are you blubbering about?” the king shouted. “I demand that you tell me the whereabouts of Kirstyn immediately!”
Gabriel drew a slow breath and looked into the eyes of his friend. “Is this not betrayal?” he asked.
“It is not,” Peczold replied. “The only way to save her is by saving yourself first. If you die, she will never come back to life.”
“You could save her,” Gabriel said quietly.
“But I am not her hero. I am not the one she loves.”
“Stop talking, knaves!” the king shouted. “I want to know the whereabouts of Kirstyn now!”
Gabriel turned to look up at the king. “She has been enchanted, Your Majesty. She is now in the form of doll.”
“You lie!” the king shouted angrily and lifted his sword to strike him.
“He tells the truth!” Peczold cried out. “We are as shocked as you! We, ourselves, are journeying to find the princess – to bring her back to you, O King! Is she not the one you chose to marry?”
King Balthazar pulled back his sword. “Yes,” he replied.
Gabriel felt his muscles tense and the hairs on the back of his neck bristle. His face grew hot and his clenched fists told a story that his lips did not.
“You are not journeying to find Kirstyn for me!” the king thundered.
“But we are!” Peczold cried out weakly.
“The farm boy is not!” Balthazar shouted and he kicked Gabriel again. Pointing to Peczold, he shouted to his guards. “Take him as our guide and leave the farm boy to die!”
“No!” Peczold whimpered. “Please leave me to die also!”
“Not so,” said the king. “I want Kirstyn by my side in a fortnight – and you will help me to find her, or you will die a miserable death as well, knave!”
The king and his guard thundered off, taking poor Peczold with them – and leaving Gabriel bound, bruised and lying face down in the dust. “At least I still have the carriage and horses,” he mumbled, “if I can manage to get up on my feet.”
Just at that moment, a guard returned on horseback and grabbed the reins the horses.
“You won't be needing these fine steeds when you are dead,” he sneered, and led the horses and carriage away towards the direction of the king.
Gabriel craned his neck and stared as the carriage disappeared from view. He drew a deep, exasperating breath, and then coughed and sputtered as dirt filled his nostrils and mouth.
“Aaugh!” he cried, and shook wriggled his head and body until he managed to roll over onto his back. He coughed some more and then breathed deeply to fill his lungs with fresh air. “It would be so easy to simply die right now and be done with it!” he muttered aloud.
He lay on his back, staring up at the sky with its searing mid-day sun. After a few minutes of slow breathing, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position, even though his side and stomach throbbed with pain. “I can just die,” he repeated, “or I can figure out a way to get out of these shackles and make my way back to Heinczel's cottage.”
Gabriel breathed slowly in and out to control the searing pain, and then worked his way onto his knees. At last he stood up. “Here I am, in the middle of nowhere, without food or water,” he muttered, “and without a horse.” He pulled irritably at the ropes binding his hands. “And with my wrists tied behind my back.”
He kicked the ground with his boot which sent a piercing pain into his chest. “Ow!” he cried, “that was stupid of me.” He shook his head, and muttered, “Why should I even try to live – or even think of finding Kirstyn? It's impossible!”
As he spoke, something deep within his heart stirred. Suddenly, he desperately wanted to live so that he could find Kirstyn and make her his wife. All doubts fled with his new determination, and hope filled his heart and mind. Stumbling over to a gnarled tree, Gabriel backed up to it and rubbed the ropes on his wrists against the rough bark. “I've got to free my hands!” he cried aloud. Over and over he rubbed the ropes against the tree and wriggled and moved his hands within the shackles. The ropes and bark cut into his hands and wrists, but he kept moving them back and forth against the rough bark of the tree. At last, after an hour, the knots loosened and he pulled his hands free.
Though his wrists were chaffed and bleeding, Gabriel felt great joy at being free. He spied a small brook not far from the tree and hurried over to it to bathe his sore hands and then to get a drink of cool water. As he drank the water, a plan formed in his mind.
He needed a horse, but since he didn't have one, he decided that his feet would work just as well – as long as he had water to drink. He stood and followed the course of the brook until he came to a broad river. At this point, Gabriel had another decision to make. He could build a makeshift raft and float down the river and, with any luck at all, find lodging and a horse. Or he could walk upstream – and deeper into the forest in the hopes of finding the wizard, Heinczel.
Just then Gabriel heard horses’ hooves thundering down the rode. Quickly, he dashed behind a tree to hide. As he looked up, he saw King Balthazar, his guards, and poor Peczold with his hands tied to a horse's saddle.
“Is this the way to the wizard's cottage?” King Balthazar demanded.
“Y-yes, I believe so,” Peczold whimpered.
The king rode over and struck him with the handle of his whip. “You'd better be more sure than that, knave, or you'll feel the sting of the whip on your back and not just the handle!”
“This is the way!” Peczold cried out in pain. Just then he glanced over at the trees and caught sight of Gabriel's worn, brown coat. He drew in his breath suddenly, which caused Gabriel to slip further behind the tree and hunch down to the ground.
“No, Your Majesty,” Peczold stammered. “I-I got confused. This is not the way at all. We should have turned the other way at the fork of the river. This way will only lead us to trouble – and not to the wizard's cottage!”
King Balthazar ordered his guards to stop. He stood tall in his saddle and looked slowly around, taking in every sight and sound in the shady forest.
Gabriel held his breath and closed his eyes. He imagined himself to be a sly, cautious fox hiding from the king's hunting party.
At last the king gave the order to turn around and go back to the bend in the river.
Gabriel opened his eyes and peeked through the bushes at Peczold. He saw his friend smile as he rode away with the king – in the opposite direction of Heinczel's cottage.
“Thank you, my friend,” Gabriel silently mouthed. He stayed crouched on the ground until he could no longer hear the hooves of the horses.
As he rose to his feet, he noticed something he had not before. A blackberry bush, laden with plump, juicy blackberries stood not twenty feet away. Stuffing himself with the sweet berries, he ate until he his stomach bulged out. “This ought to get me most of the way to Heinczel's cottage,” he mused to himself.
Onward he trudged, staying close by the river's edge to ensure that he had plenty of water to drink. He walked all that day and far into the night. When sleep threatened to overpower him, he walked over to the river's edge and splashed cold water on his face. “I must make it there by morning, for the king will soon find out that Peczold has tricked him.”
Gabriel walked through the dark forest, guided by the moon as its light filtered through the gnarled trees. As he worked his way through the thick underbrush in the old forest, his thoughts turned to sweet Kirstyn. He missed her so very much. With a heavy heart he thought of his last words to her, doubting his love for her – and whether or not it was right to marry her. It pained his heart to think of what a coward he had been. And now she was gone – changed into a porcelain doll. He had not a clue as to where Heinczel might have hidden her.
The two little girls sat on broken chairs at a small wooden table.
“I'll serve tea,” the older girl remarked as she pretended to pour tea from a small, chipped teapot into two cups.
“My doll wants some tea,” the younger girl remarked as she held out her corn husk doll.
“But I only brought two cups,” the older girl replied.
“Look, there on the shelf, Anna,” the little girl cried. “Tea cups!”
The older girl smiled brightly. “What good eyes you have, Lucie!” she beamed. “There are enough cups for all of us to have tea – you, me, and our two little dolls.”
As Anna reached up to get the cups, she said, “I'm not tall enough, Lucie. Pray, bring me my chair so that I can stand upon it!”
Lucie pulled the chair over for her big sister. As Anna stood upon it and gazed at the shelf, her eyes grew wide with amazement. “Lucie!” she cried, “You'll never guess what is here upon this shelf!”
“What?” Lucie cried. “Is it a horrid mouse?!”
“No! It's a doll!”
Kirstyn shivered with fear. Please don't take me! she cried in her tiny doll heart. But it was too late. Two tiny little hands picked Kirstyn up around the middle and held her out for the younger girl to see.
“It's a princess! A doll princess!” Lucie cried with delight as she held her hands up to her face.
“Yes!” Anna replied happily, hopping down from the chair. “It truly is a doll princess!”
As Gabriel walked through the dark forest, he started suddenly when he heard a stick crack behind him. Instinct caused him to freeze in place. Not a muscle or a hair on his head moved. He stood as still as the giant trees next to him. Again, he used his keen imagination, only this time he thought of himself as a rock. He stood solid and firm, as if he were a cold stone -- without a beating heart, without warmth, and without feeling. Through narrowed eyes, he saw a lone wolf creeping slowing towards him. Gabriel forced his mind to think of himself as a great, cold rock – without blood, warmth or the scent of man.
The wolf moved closer, his nose sniffing at the space around Gabriel.
I am a rock, Gabriel said in his mind. I am cold and hard and impossible to eat. Go find food elsewhere, O Wolf, and leave this poor rock alone.
The wolf sniffed Gabriel again, and rubbed against him. Gabriel stood still, firm and immovable, as a rock. He filled his mind with commands to the wolf to go and to leave the rock alone. After what seemed like an hour, the hungry wolf howled at the sky and slowly walked away.
Several minutes passed before Gabriel moved from his frozen position as a rock. He listened intently for any sounds of the wolf and then walked closer to the river's edge to continue his journey. At last he saw the sky lighten with rosy the rosy hues of dawn. He knelt down by the river and filled his belly with many handfuls of water. When filled, he left the safety of the river and walked through the forest to find the road which lead to Heinczel's cottage. Upon finding the road, he recognized it at once and knew that the cottage lay but an hour away. Quickening his pace, he hastened to reach it.
“Let me hold her!” Lucie squealed with delight.
“Anna handed the treasured doll to her little sister. “Be careful not to drop her,” she commanded. “She's made of glass!”
“Oh!” Lucie cried with quiet reverence. “She's beautiful!” Looking up hopefully, she asked, “Anna, can I have her? I want her so badly!”
Anna gazed at her own worn out rag doll propped up in a chair and then said kindly, “Lucie, we can both have her. We can share, can't we, dear sister?”
Lucie nodded happily. “Yes! Yes!” she cried. “We can share her! Oh, whatever shall we name her, Anna?”
Anna considered the matter carefully as she climbed down from the little chair. “It has to be a royal name, not a common one,” she remarked with a great, wise expression on her little face. “Why don't we call her Margarete?”
“Oh, yes!” agreed little Lucie. “And since she belongs to both of us, why don't we give her two names – Margarete Katharina?”
Anna smile happily. “Yes, Margarete Katharina it is.” She then bowed to the doll princess and motioned for Lucie to do the same. “Princess Margarete Katharina, won't you join us for tea?”
Kirstyn stared at the two little girls and wanted very badly to cry, but she thought in her heart that the two little girls were better guardians for her than the King's guard. She forced the tears back in her eyes and tried valiantly to smile. But please leave me here when the tea party is over, she said in her tiny heart. If you take me away, Heinczel won't know where to tell Gabriel to find me.
The sun shone through the trees leaving splatters of sunlight on the mossy ground when Gabriel at last spied the wizard's cottage in the distance. He quickened his pace, certain that the king and his guard would find their way to the cottage by mid-morning. As he ran along the road leading to the cottage, he heard the pounding of horses’ hooves in the distance.
“Heinczel!” he called out, as he sprinted the final distance to the cottage.
The old wizard peeked out of the cottage door and squinted in the sunlight. Gabriel ran towards him, half-running and half-stumbling. Heinczel perked up his ears and listened.
“Gabriel, get off of the road!” he shouted, wildly waving his arms.
“I must talk to you!” Gabriel shouted.
“Get off the road now!” Heinczel cried, motioning to the side of the road.
Thundering hooves pounded the dirt road as Gabriel leaped off the road and rolled down a small slope. Scrambling behind a bramble of bushes, he crouched low to the ground. I am a brown rabbit, small and still, he said in his mind. I blend in with the bushes and am invisible to prying eyes.
The horses slowed down at the raised arm of the king. “Down there!” King Balthazar commanded as he pointed down the slope. “Someone or something leaped over the embankment is hiding down there. If it is Gabriel, bring him to me!”
Gabriel crouched lower behind the brambles. I am a rabbit, not a man. Neither the king nor his guard can find me, he said in his mind. A black hawk circled the sky overhead, cawing hungrily.
I am not your breakfast! Gabriel cried out in his mind. Go away, Hawk!
Gabriel turned his attention to the guards working their way down the knoll. I am a rabbit, hidden from view. Neither the king's guard nor the hungry hawk can see me, Gabriel said in his mind. He did not move a muscle, nor twitch his nose nor wiggle his fluffy brown tail.
“Your Majesty!” one of the guards called up to the king. There's nothing here but an old rabbit. No need to worry about him getting away either. That hawk circling above us will make a short meal out of him!”
Slowly the guards made their way up the slope and back to their horses. King Balthazar huffed irritably and shouted, “Forward to the cottage!”
Gabriel lay still in his hiding place, pricking up his ears to hear what might be said. What he heard shocked him.
“I thought you said this was the way to the wizard's cottage!” the king shouted.
“Yes, it is,” Peczold replied. He paused and said, “It was! At least it used to be -- I think.”
“Well, there's no cottage here!” the king fumed.
“It- it must have disappeared!” Peczold stammered.
“Either that, or you're trying to trick us again!” King Balthazar shouted.
“No! I swear I am not!” Peczold whimpered.
Gabriel's muscles tensed with anger. He wanted to jump from his hiding place and shout, Leave poor Peczold alone! It's me you want, not him! But he forced himself to lie still and silent and crouched down as though he were a small, brown rabbit.
“Take me to the wizard's cottage!” the king demanded as he raised his arm to strike poor Peczold, but in a flash of blue smoke, Peczold disappeared before his eyes.
“What the blazes is going on?!” King Balthazar demanded.
“I don't know and I don't want to find out!” one of his guards replied, as he turned his horse around.
“Do not retreat!” the king commanded.
“What are you going to fight -- or find in this enchanted forest?” one of the guards asked the king. “If we don't leave soon, all of us might turn into puffs of blue smoke!”
King Balthazar shook his head, and then shouted, “You cannot hide, Peczold! I will find you and when I do, you will face execution!”
Leading his horse over to the embankment where Gabriel lay crouched like a rabbit, the king scoured the area with his eyes. At length, he commanded his men to retreat.
The guards turned their horses around and raced each other to be the first one out of the glen.
“I am your king! I demand that you wait for me!” Balthazar shouted at his men, but the thundering hooves of the retreating horses drowned out his voice.
The king kicked his horse and raced after the guards, his face burning red with anger. “Stop and wait for your king!” he fumed.
After the king and his guard thundered past him, Gabriel crept slowly up the hill. The startled hawk, which had moved in closer for the kill, cawed at him and flew away. “How odd,” Gabriel mused to himself. “That poor hawk must have thought I was a rabbit.”
Gabriel crested the hill and gazed at the small, empty clearing where minutes before Heinczel peered out of his cottage and called for him to hide. “Where in the blazes could that old wizard be?” Gabriel asked as he shook his head in dismay.
Just then he heard a sound like the crack of a whip and a big puff of greenish-purple smoke filled the clearing. When the smoke cleared, the wizard's cottage stood in its old place, except that the door now opened to the east instead of to the south.
“Fitzwoodle!” Heinczel grumbled. “I never get that right! One time I made my cottage disappear, and it ended upside down!”
“Well, at least it's upside up this time,” Gabriel commented as he drew closer to the wizard.
“Gabriel!” the wizard beamed. “You're here!”
“Yes, but where is Peczold?!” Gabriel asked, looking around.
“Is he missing?” Heinczel asked as he scratched his nearly bald head.
“He vaporized-- into a puff of blue smoke!”
“Oh, that,” Heinczel remarked. “He'll be back shortly. I thought it best to get him out of harm’s way for the moment.”
Gabriel nodded in agreement, and then said, “I want to thank you for helping me out – by turning me into a brown rabbit. It was the perfect disguise – although that hovering hawk thought I might make a tasty bite of breakfast.”
Heinczel gazed at Gabriel with his head cocked to one side. His face wore a quizzical expression. “A rabbit, you say?”
“Yes. And earlier you changed me into a rock – to save me from a hungry wolf. And then I lay hidden as a red fox. . . ”
“My stars and pumpkins!” the wizard replied as he stroked his long, white beard.
“Thank you for you kindness to me,” Gabriel remarked. “I only wish I knew how to repay you.”
Heinczel cleared his throat and then said, “Gabriel, my good fellow, please sit down. I want you to tell me about what you recently experienced.”
Gabriel obediently sat down upon a grassy mound close by Heinczel.
Heinczel waved his hand and pulled a pipe out of thin air and puffed upon it. “Go on,” he urged Gabriel. “Tell me about your, er, unusual shape-changing experiences.”
“What more can I tell you?” Gabriel asked as he plucked off a long blade of grass and chewed on it. “You changed me into a fox, a rock and then a rabbit. I don't know how you did it, but you saved my life, and I thank you.”
Heinczel slowly stroked his beard with one hand and held the stump of his pipe with the other. At last he spoke. “Gabriel, I didn't do anything. I didn't change you into those shapes. After I yelled for you to hide and didn't see you again, I feared the worst. When the king thundered up to my cottage with his guard, I thought it best to simply disappear.”
Gabriel shook his head and stared at the old wizard. “That's not true, Heinczel. You helped me. You changed me into a rabbit when you saw the king's guard come after me. Even the hawk saw me as breakfast, and not as a man!”
“Gabriel, I didn't do anything,” the wizard insisted. “Somehow you shape-changed yourself.”
Gabriel stood up, but then fell down again, too startled to move. “That's impossible! What do I know about wizardry?”
“Nothing,” the wizard replied, “but you obviously know how to vividly imagine – and that's worth a lot.”
Just then the sound of a cracking whip snapped and a puff of blue smoke turned into Peczold.
“Now don't tell me I imagined that,” Gabriel retorted, “or that poor Peczold made himself disappear!”
“No, I helped him,” the wizard replied, “but I did not help you, Gabriel, I swear it. I am a wizard, not a clairvoyant. I had no idea you were in trouble.” Heinczel paused, and then added somberly, “Gabriel, you helped yourself. You turned yourself into those objects.”
“But that is impossible! I couldn't have. . . . I'm just a farm boy!”
“Stop saying that!” the wizard snapped. “You are so much more than a mere farm boy! You have a gift – and it will serve you well – as long as you don't foolishly overstretch your powers.”
Gabriel paused, taking in the words. At last he spoke. “Will this gift you speak of it help me find Kirstyn?”
Heinczel paused and stroked his beard before answering. At last he said, “The answer is both yes and no. Yes, it will help you hide successfully from your enemies, but no, it will not help you find her. Her whereabouts lies within your heart, Gabriel.”
Gabriel slammed his fist into his other hand in sheer frustration. “I don't know what that means, Heinczel! How can she be in my heart? My heart has no idea where she is!”
Peczold pulled on Gabriel's sleeve. “My friend, maybe if you didn't yell so loud and listened a little more closely, your heart would tell you.”
Gabriel turned to him and shouted, “I'm not yelling, Peczold! I'm just so frustrated! I don't even know how to listen to my heart – or what that means. I don't know where to go or what to do to find her!”
Peczold recoiled with surprise. “I-I'm sorry, Gabriel,” he replied. “I only wanted to help.”
Heinczel put his hand firmly on Gabriel's shoulder. “You must learn to listen to your heart, Gabriel, for it will lead you to your beloved Kirstyn. This much I will tell you. Your lady fair is safe – in a cottage not far from here. But finding her will do you no good unless you have the magical elixir to bring her back to life.”
“Let me go for her first!” Gabriel insisted. “If I have her with me, at least I will know she is safe.”
“She will be safer where she is – hidden away on a shelf and not in your knapsack, Gabriel. What if King Balthazar captures you –and finds Kirstyn in your possession, eh? He will kill you on the spot. He may not want to admit it, but he needs you to find Kirstyn. The longer she stays hidden, the better chance you have of staying alive. Heed my words, young Gabriel,” the wizard replied somberly.
Gabriel drew a deep, slow breath to calm his racing heart. “Where can I find this magical elixir you speak of?” he asked.
“In the Black Mountains.”
Gabriel started when he heard that and Peczold shuddered.
“No one returns from the Black Mountains alive,” Peczold whispered to Gabriel.
“Oh, a few do,” Heinczel remarked. “The brave ones, the lucky ones – the ones who keep their heads clear and their feet quick.”
Gabriel glared at Heinczel and shouted, “Why did you turn Kirstyn into a doll?”
“I thought that's what you wanted me to do,” the wizard answered with surprise.
“No, not a doll – something, anything,” Gabriel muttered. “I thought maybe you could make her invisible from King Balthazar – or something, and then we could go someplace far away and . . .”
“And the two of you could live happily ever after?” Heinczel asked.
“Yes, something like that,” Gabriel said as he ran his hand through his brown hair.
“Folks never live happily ever after without great effort, without a fight, Gabriel. You must earn the right to enjoy such bliss,” the wizard explained.
“I got kicked, tied up and left to die at the side of the road,” Gabriel shouted. “And then a wolf and next a hawk wanted to eat me! Haven't I earned the right to bliss yet?”
“No, but you're getting closer,” Heinczel said with a knowing smile.
Gabriel shook his head and shouted, “This is madness!”
“Do you want to give up and let Balthazar find Kirstyn?” he asked.
“No,” Gabriel replied.
“Then quit wasting time feeling sorry for yourself, boy! Go to the Black Mountain and get the elixir before Balthazar does!”
“How does he know about the elixir?” Gabriel asked with surprise.
“He's the king. Kings know these things. They have their own wizards and soothsayers. Now, go!” Heinczel admonished.
“Do you have a horse we could borrow?” Gabriel asked, and then answered his own question by simply saying, “No, of course you don't.”
“That's right, Gabriel,” Heinczel answered. “I don't have a horse, but I do have a llama. They are stronger than horses and do very well when confronted by wolves.”
“What do they do, sit on them?” Gabriel asked sarcastically.
“No, they kick them with their mighty legs and then fall on them, crushing them with their massive chests.”
Gabriel looked over at the wizard for a moment and then realized that he was serious. He grinned and said, “Thank you, Heinczel. We'll take two of them.”
“But I only have one,” the wizard replied.
“Then use your magic and turn it into two!” Gabriel demanded.
“I'll make it into none if you keep up with that attitude,” Heinczel snapped.
Gabriel stood back and took a slow breath. With a subdued voice, he said, “One llama would be perfect, Master Heinczel, if you would be so kind as to loan it to us.”
Heinczel smiled with satisfaction. “That's much better, Gabriel,” he remarked. “Come with me. The llama is tied in the back.”
As they walked towards the llama, Heinczel said, “His name is FireLight. He is wise and will serve you faithfully-- as long as you treat him with respect.”
As Gabriel and Peczold climbed upon the llama's back, Heinczel handed them a leather pouch filled with water and another bag with bread and cheese. “The journey is long, but these victuals will get you started.”
“I don't suppose you're going to tell us just where in the Black Mountains we'll find the elixir – or what to do with it when we find it, are you?” Gabriel asked.
Heinczel simply smiled at them.
“Of course not. And why should you?” Gabriel snapped. “My heart has all the answers we need!” he said sarcastically.
“Yes, it does,” Heinczel replied. “The question is: when will you start believing it?”
“Come on, Peczold,” Gabriel muttered as he led the llama down the road, “let's go find us some elixir!”
“Ah-hem, Gabriel,” Heinczel called after them, “you're going the wrong way.”
Gabriel turned and looked at the wizard. He pointed at the dark, tangled forest beyond his cottage.
“Through there?” Gabriel shivered. “There's no path to follow!”
“Look into your . . .”
“I know, I know,” Gabriel snapped. “Look into my heart.” He turned the llama around and they lumbered past the old wizard. “And my heart tells me we're going to need this bread and cheese for something other than eating,” Gabriel muttered.
Heinczel smiled and nodded. “Exactly right, young master Gabriel. You're starting to listen to your heart already.”
Lucie gazed lovingly at their new doll. “Shall we take Margarete Katharina home with us, or shall we leave her here?” she asked her older sister.
Anna thought a moment, and then answered. “I think she will be safer with us.”
No! Kirstyn cried in her tiny heart. Leave me here where you found me! Heinczel won't know where to find me if you take me away!
“Will Papa and Mama let us keep her?” Lucie asked.
Anna nodded. “Yes, as long as they don't know that we have her.” She paused and then added. “This doll would fetch a good price in the marketplace. Papa may want to sell her. . .”
“Then we should leave her here!” Lucie cried.
Yes! You're a smart girl, Lucie, Kirstyn said in her mind. Hide me behind the vases again and leave me here!
Anna shook her head. “I want to take Margarete Katharina with us, Lucie. We can keep her safe. She is so pretty; I don't want to chance losing her to someone else who may come to this old cottage.”
Lucie grinned and hugged the doll tightly. “Yes, Anna. We can keep her safe!”
With that, the two girls headed out of the cottage and took turns holding the doll until they neared their own humble home.
An hour after the girls left the abandoned cottage with the doll princess, Heinczel returned to check on Kirstyn. He reached up on the shelf for her, but found only dust and chipped vases. As he glanced about the room, he spied the little table set with five saucers and teacups. “Blazing stars and pumpkins!” he cried. “Who has been holding a blasted tea party – and where have they taken Kirstyn?!”
Gabriel and Peczold rode FireLight deeper into the dark forest. Soon the light from the sun faded as they wound their way through the tangled mass of trees and vines.
“Can we stop now?” Peczold asked.
“We have to keep moving,” Gabriel told him. “It's not safe to get off FireLight and rest just yet.”
They traveled in silence for what seemed like hours. At last Peczold said, “Gabriel, I am so tired I fear I might fall off this old llama. Can't we stop and rest for just an hour?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No, my friend. It is not wise to do so – not yet. Perhaps when we get a little further on we'll come to a clearing – and maybe a cottage.”
Peczold nodded in agreement, but Gabriel felt his displeasure through his tensed arms around his waist and his short, quick breaths. As they slowly made their way through the thick underbrush and slimy vines, Gabriel felt Peczold's grip around him relax and then he heard snoring sounds. “Peczold, wake up!” he cried, but just then Peczold leaned sideways and fell off the llama.
“Peczold!” Gabriel cried.
Peczold awoke once he hit the ground and found himself covered with black rats that gnawed at his clothing and boots. “Help me, Gabriel!” he cried as he struggled to stand up.
Gabriel quickly opened the bag of bread and cheese. He broke the cheese wheel into several large chunks and threw it off to the side of Peczold. Immediately, the rats left Peczold and scurried over to the cheese.
“Give me your hand!” Gabriel cried and quickly pulled him up on the llama behind him. “Go!” he shouted to FireLight, and the huge animal lumbered away from the rats as quickly as the vines and underbrush allowed.
“I'm sorry, Gabriel,” Peczold cried. “I didn't mean to fall asleep. It won't happen again.”
“No need, to worry,” Gabriel remarked. I see a dim light up ahead. Within the hour we should be out of the forest. Perhaps we can find a place to safely lie down and take turns sleeping.”
True enough, they soon came to the edge of the forest and found an abandoned cottage. Gabriel dismounted and looked around. He knocked and the door opened easily. “Come,” he called to Peczold. “There are two beds – and a kettle of water on the stove. Start a fire while I tend to FireLight.”
Gabriel found some hay stacked behind the house and brought over a pitchfork full for the hungry beast of burden. “I'll bring you water as well,” he said.
Once the llama started eating, Gabriel stepped inside the cottage and searched for food to eat.
“What about the bread?” Peczold asked. “Can't we just eat that?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No. It serves another purpose – the same as the cheese. Here is some dried meal. I'll boil up some porridge while you sleep.”