Ingrid’s Tale

Glad to be back and sharing again. It has been a few weeks of travel and a bit of chaos. Which is always welcome. Nothing like a shake up here and again to revive the soul.

This is my contribution to Hélène Vaillant’s “What do you see?”, challenge. Always an intriguing prompt. Thank you, Hélène!

Photo courtesy of Hélène Vaillant.

Ingrid’s Tale

It was the prescribed day and time for me to return home. The journey was long even in flight. I was almost frozen to the core as I walked the last steps through the snow and icy banks of the mote that surrounds my castle.

I had asked my falcon, Rain, to drop me atop the castle spire. It would be the only way to enter undetected. But Rain’s sense beacon detected otherwise and he dropped me further down the road. It was likely too icy to have climbed down from the spire.

My stepmother the Queen, Isabelle and her daughter’s, Clara, Stella and Herminia, would have tied me to a stake and burned me alive had they seen me.

They stole the castle after poisoning my Father, Isold, the King. I warned him they had bad intentions. Yet after all, he was a drunkard. It was an easy affair to conspire to put poison in his wine. Such swine they were!!

I had escaped after finding his body slumped on the throne with legs sprawled out in front of his hefty girth. Fool he was! Always such a careless arrogant fool.

It had been more than a year since my disappearance. It was a good year of healing, study and practice in the forest miles away. The four of them had no idea that their end was near.

The Witch, Siddie, at Old Raven’s Forest took me in and tended to my soul’s grief. She taught me the old ways and how to work with herbs and magic. She had no idea I intended to kill them. But she did say that intentions were answered by the ancient ancestors that presided over lost souls.

The time I spent with Siddie was healing although the rage inside abated somewhat I was determined to return home and end their lives!

As I walked toward the candlelit castle, Rain flew and circled the Moon. The number of circles he made told me the four of them were seated around the hearth sipping tea in the Great room.

I could hear their inane chatter traveling with the wind, the sound of their voices chilled me even further. I could take them out then but I wanted to see them suffer and wriggle from the poisonous herbs I prepared. Revenge was the only way to release this rage!! How dare they to have killed my Father and taken my home?

The time came to change my shape. My steps became silent and I turned into a cat. Stealthily reaching the entrance, i scratched with my paws at the door. The maid brought me milk.

I glided past her as she opened the huge door and maneuvered straight away to the Great room.

Herminia, one of the sisters tried to pet me but I tore at her arm and ripped through her skin. She screamed at the top of her lungs as her sister, Clara ran to get cloth to wrap around her bloody arm.

It was a precious moment to see the Queen holding her head and shrieking.

They tried to catch me but I was too fast for them.

While they all gathered and began tending to Herminia, Rain swooped in through an open window and dropped the herbs into each cup of tea.

Eventually, they began to calm down and then called for the Doctor to administer to her arm.

One by one they sipped at the tea. I watched from on high yet hidden across the room. The poison began to take effect in a way I had not considered. Rather than killing them, it loosened their tongues.

The Doctor, Frank arrived just as they began to laugh and talk of how they poisoned my father and scared the little idiot girl and made her runaway. Oh they wished they could have killed her too.

Frank stood with his mouth agape in disbelief. After several moments he muttered, “what evil do you speak?”

However, they had all quickly faded into a deep sleep.

I scurried to the door and threw on my wet cloak.

“Dear Sir!”, I proclaimed as I entered. “What has happened?”

“My dear Ingrid, you’ve returned? I came to tend to one of the sisters and found them all huddled together laughing as they confessed to murdering your father. We must call the constables at once before they awake!”, he cried.

I was somewhat relieved as I wanted to kill them all, but remembered what Siddie shared about intentions. My true intent was to recover my castle, not to become a murderess.

I answered, “Let us bind them first and then call. I am glad this is over and home once again.”

“Indeed, sweet child, indeed!”