Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time, there was an attractive, well-bred young lady. Her mother had given her a red riding hood and people recognized her thanks to that nice crimson ornament. They called her Little Red Riding Hood.

This is a story that has been told many times, with many forms. But men often forget that the winner writes the story. Maybe, if the hunter hadn’t been there to “save” the young woman and her grandmother, we would remember it in another, very different way.

So, let’s begin, one more time.

Once upon a time, there was an attractive, well-bred young lady. Her mother had given her a red riding hood and people recognized her thanks to that nice crimson ornament. They called her Little Red Riding Hood.
For as long as one can remember her, she had been a very nice girl. Daughter of the Mayor Tom and his lovely wife Diane, she had grown up from a very sociable toddler to a very polite young woman who liked knowing everybody in her village.
Of course, she also had a strange habit: she talked to strangers. She did this only on the main place of the village, when it was Market Day. But still, people found it rather unnerving. After all, strangers are strangers, even when they come to share their goods, once a month.

They often said that it must be the fact that her mother came from the other side of the woods. Diane’s mother still lived there, and she and her daughter often traveled to see her. Not that it was that far, hardly two hours walk. But the woods were seen as a natural frontier, only to be crossed for Market Day, holy days or war.

To let you understand how hard it was for these people to accept a new member as their own, I will talk about Volk.
Volk arrived in this village when he was eleven, to start as an apprentice to the village hunter, who had lost his own boy to a bad wound. When the hunter died of old age, Volk was eighteen. When this story began, he was twenty-six. But instead of talking about him as the new Hunter or the Hunter, he was still the young Stranger, or the Apprentice. Any other man his age already was married and had taken the name of his office.

In fact, another boy was named the Hunter. It was the Baker’s second son, who had wanted to learn something else. He hadn’t even learnt his art from Volk but from the other men of the village, which meant he was far behind Volk. And still, people made the distinction from their feelings and not the amount of killed beast each of them sell on Market Day.

Though it is hard to tell when a story really began, I will try to pin it. The mere fact that changed lives, a turning point made a story to write and remember: Little Red Riding Hood became a woman at the eyes of every man in the village. She lost her braids to wear her hair high at the first spring Market Day.
The first spring Market Day was the big day. When girls had seen sixteen springs and boys eighteen, they became adults. The girls wore their hair in a bun and received their first feast dress and a fancy apron, with silk and ribbon ornaments. The boys wore their first feast pants and jacket.
All of those new clothes had very deep pocket, so they would be able to contain any gift boys and girls offered each other. Or at least, that was the official version.
The truth was the pockets were excuses to be able to touch without being seen. And the risk of unwanted pregnancy or rape was far lower like that. It was kind of an authorization to feel a little bit to know what you wanted next.

So our Little Red Riding Hood went to her first spring Market Day with a big smile and a red and white dress, to match her riding hood. She was one of the prettiest girls. Not that there were many. Maybe thirty, with the ones that came from around the village. There were a few farms around, bringing some new blood. And a very few older girls from villages around that hadn’t found a husband yet.
On the male side, there were more boys than girls, which meant that the battle would be hard to win their conquest’s heart. Some boys had already chosen, with their girl’s encouragements, like the New Tailor. He just had to ask the Old Tailorfor his daughter’s hand.
Others had a handful of sweethearts already who hoped to be the one, like the Hunter, the one whom we spoke earlier. Word was he had already tasted more than one set of lips the previous summer, and even knocked up a married woman. Well, nobody really said it aloud, so he still had a court of quails around him.
And there was Volk. Tradition wanted him to be there, again, although he thought he was far past the age. People often teased him, saying he would find the one someday, maybe even in the woods, a willing wolf or a furry deer… Well, he had gotten used to the teasing and only showed up dressed like a young adult wanting to wed to be able to keep his place on the market. Maybe someday, a girl that would be desperate… And he would make her happy.

The first incident happened when the Hunter arrived in front of Little Red Riding Hood.
“Hey Red, I thought you and I could ride someday together!
-Nay, she answered, I don’t really ride in duet.
-Well, I still have a gift for you!”
He went to her and put his hand in one of her lower pocket. Surprised, she didn’t move, not knowing what to expect. Then, she felt a small rip and a blade touched her leg. She stepped back. She knew what this was. She slapped him.
“I’m not that easy. Go play with your other dolls.”
The Hunter put his knife back in its sheath. He thought it would go smoothly, he being the best egg in the basket. Also, he had seen this pretty girl make some needlework of a bow and a wolf on a handkerchief, so he had thought she was doing this for him. Maybe he had been too straight to the point. No worry, she would agree to marry him some day. It must have been this train of thoughts that made it harder when he saw her walking to Volk and offer him the handkerchief, blushing before turning back and go back home.
The rest of the day became a buzz in the village, naming the Little Red Riding Hood, the Mayor her father, Volk the Stranger and a little bit of the Hunter. The main line was:
“How could our Mayor’s daughter be mistaken so much she prefers a Stranger to our nice Hunter…?”
The Mayor waited until after supper to talk to his daughter.

“Red, my darling, what happened today?
- Well Father, today was the first spring Market Day of this year.
-Yes Daughter. And what happened on this Market Day?
-Well Father, boys who became men chattered with girls who became women. And girls who became women gave presents to boys who became men.
-Yes Daughter. And which boy who became a man chattered with you?
-Well Father, the young Hunter chattered with me.
-Yes Daughter. And to whom did you give a present?
-Well Father, I gave a present to the man I love, the older Hunter.
-Yes Daughter. And why on earth did you choose a Stranger rather than one of our own?
-Well Father, the older Hunter is more a man than the younger Hunter. He is better at what he does, brings more food to the Market than the younger one. He would be able to build for me a bigger house and feed my children more than the younger one. He is also stronger, and much more handsome than the younger. I don’t understand why he is not yet married, but I’m happy, because he also seems wiser. He did not try to rip my pocket open to pick up my innocence.”

The Mayor waited in silence. His wife however, said only one thing:
“Had I married one of my own instead of a Stranger, I’m not sure the Stranger would be the happiest man in our village.”
The Mayor took his daughter’s hand.

“Daughter, I will have to ask you to be patient. You did a mistake today, but you are my heart’s dearest, as much as your mother. So I will try to mend this for you, so then nobody will get hurt or tell bad things about you.
You won’t marry this year, I cannot let this happen without risking your reputation. Nobody can think this older Hunter took your innocence and that I forced both of you to the altar after this.
As for him, I will let him court you, if his heart does incline in the same way.”

When the Mayor went to talk to Volk, everybody wondered if a scandal was about to burst. But when no wedding was announced, and no exile either, life just went on.
The younger Hunter, haunted by the Little Red Riding Hood’s disdain, settled for one more year to wait. Anyway, he did have company to keep his bed warm whenever he wanted. And the single young women tried pretty hard to win him by playing in his pockets. One of them even had to marry quickly so her mistake would be taken as another man’s virility. The fact that the baby was born seven months after didn’t ring any bell, at least openly.

Volk did come to court the Little Red Riding Hood. He didn’t want to look ungrateful. But he did believe her interest would fade and that she would soon find a young man her age. The good thing is, the jokes weren’t as hard as before. And, as time went by without the shadow of a bastard child, people came to believe the Mayor’s daughter was just interested in the Stranger. Only the Baker had a hard time accepting his son had been rejected.

A the end of the winter, right before the year had once again come back to the first spring Market Day, the Mayor caught a bad cold and died very quickly. Sad, the Little Red Riding Hood and her mother mourned for him. And Volk decided to wait to ask for the woman’s hand, even if by now, he was very much in love with her, and she with him.

In those times, women weren’t allowed to decide much for themselves. Even if they could pick a man they wanted to marry, they still had to get their parent’s and the Mayor’s approval. Now that the Mayor was dead, a new one had to be appointed. Until then, the Council of the village would decide.
The thing was, the main Counselor was the Baker. Now that his son has taken the Bakery, he could take time for the village affairs. And soon enough, it was decided he would be a fine Mayor.

So, after one year of mourning, Volk and the Little Red Riding Hood came before the Council to ask to be married. But the old Baker, new Mayor, was against it. So he found a way to postpone the wedding, saying that, since they hadn’t eloped right away, they should let other young couples take the step and only then, set a date. With only Diane, the young woman’s mother on their side, they decided to obey.

The problem was, the Baker always found a new couple ready to get married rather than the couple he despised. And Volk wasn’t getting any younger. When he reached 29, he got impatient. And he did one unforgivable thing.

As they were selling their products on one summer Market Day, the young Hunter decided to brag. He just said:
“You know, Stranger, I could try to talk to my father. But you would have to give me something. Why not your fiancée’s virginity? I mean, she’s going to spoil.”

Volk hit him. Once on the nose. He felt it crack. And he knew he shouldn’t have. Between the horrified look on the villager’s face and his love’s sudden sadness, he just knew.

The new Mayor didn’t wait. Hardly hiding his contempt, he banned Volk in the woods. He declared him unsuitable for the Red Little Riding Hood. And nobody wanted to help him, except his now former fiancée and her mother.

Of course, after one month, the young Hunter started courting his target. He knew it was only a question of time. She was the only one he wanted that had said no. And he was going to make her his trophy. He just had to wait.

But the two lovebirds couldn’t accept the situation. And Little Red Riding Hood was still traveling to see her grandmother twice a month. So they decided to meet anyway.
In the beginning, it was just walking side by side along the way. But waiting those three years had taken a toll on them. So, after a month, when the young Hunter started to court our dear young woman, she decided to give Volk what she had that she could never surrender willingly to anyone else: herself.
“My love, Volk said, I can’t accept this. If someone sees us, you’ll be banned too. And what can I offer you? I have no roof yet. No situation. I can’t even sell the meat I catch around, I have to travel far for that. I am no man to be with.
-I don’t care. I won’t let this arrogant bastard get me. Not like that. He will suffer as I have suffered. He will regret ever letting his father take us apart.”
They walked silently for the rest of the way. But the next time, she arrived earlier and walked very slowly, to be with him longer. And even longer the time after. Until she knew she had all the time she wanted.
On the next spring Market Day, she decided it was the right moment, and she put on her nicest dress. She went into the woods, saying she was going to see her grandmother. But instead, she took the path to her love’s hideout. And she waited there. She knew he came back around noon, to work on the beasts he had killed in the morning.
When he arrived, she rose and bowed to him. Then, she recited the words of the Wedding Ceremony. And Volk understood. So he answered right back. Then, he took his bride to his bed.
The problem was, they weren’t alone. The young Hunter had followed his desired trophy. He had decided he wanted her too much, and he thought this was a good way. She wouldn’t be able to say no after he took his pleasure in her. And he had tracked her down. But, when his paces drove him to the hideout, he froze. He knew those noises. And he felt his rage take power. He ran to the door, punched it down and drew his knife out of its sheath. And he stabbed Volk, who stumbled to the ground. Then the young Hunter turned to the Red Little Riding Hood and tore her dress apart. Then, he knocked her out and raped her.
When he came to his senses and realized what he had done, he panicked. He took the red riding hood and parts of the dress and put Volk’s blood on it. He realized Volk was still breathing. He wondered for one moment, whether he should kill him. But then, he had an idea.
He took a wolf’s hide that was drying, put some more blood on it. And then he ran off with all of this. He went to Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house, disguised with the wolf hide. Once he was in, he shrieked like a madman and seeked the old woman. She was in bed, because she had a cold. When she saw that apparition, all in blood and with her granddaughter’s dress in one hand, she nearly had a heart attack.
“I am Volk, the young Hunter said. I am Volk and I am a werewolf. And I killed your granddaughter. Here is for you!”
And he threw the pieces of the dress, before he ran out.
When he came back in his village, with the red riding hood and the wolf hide in his hands, he cried on the Market Place, where everybody was. There, he told his story. He wanted to meet the woman he loved when she came back from her grandmother. She had said, once, that she was afraid to walk alone, because she had heard wolves. And he also knew she feared Volk, because she had trusted him, the Hunter, with her heart even when she was betrothed to this Stranger. This was the real reason why there had been the fight, a few months before. And on and on he went, telling such a tale everybody wanted to believe he was the one the Little Red Riding Hood really loved and Volk was hardly human.

Then, he arrived at the part when he had, supposedly, found a big wolf killing his beloved. Mad, he had jumped on the wolf, and the hide had stayed in his hands while Volk, naked, had stood before him, covered with the young woman’s blood. Then, the terrible Stranger had taken the body he had been savagely eating and flew away, leaving him, the Hunter, alone with the bloody clothes.
No need to say, every man in the village took a pitchfork and together, they went into the woods to find the mad Stranger and try to get back the corpse of their innocent village girl, hardly a woman, whose life had been taken too early.
They never found our couple. The hideout was empty. The lovebirds had hidden so well nobody could see them. But from the cave they were in, they heard the story, and understood they couldn’t stay.

Of course, the Hunter became a respected man in his village. He married some young girl and became Mayor after his father. And he told his story, always his victory over the beast. And his children had a version even further from reality. Until, one day, some guy named Charles decided to make it a tale to tell young women so they would say nay to the strange men they found in the woods.

A beginning

Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a queen. She was standing on the highest tower, in the cold morning. With a few tears in her eyes, she was staring at the horizon. A forest, as far as she could see. But she knew behind, many miles away, her loved king was trying to help her people, and his, to reach an agreement.

Because, you see, they were queen and king from two different countries. Neia and Otrena. The two were near each other, in the south of a very large island in the Empire, called Satrachetta. For as long as tales were told, those two kingdoms had been led by linked rulers. Brother and sister, husband and wife, father and daughter, mother and son. By tradition, Neia had a female ruler and Otrena a male one.

Gaelcediene, our queen standing on the tower, had been Neia's sovereign for over fifteen years now, after her mother died in a tragic accident. She had been an only child. Her mother's brother, the king of Otrena, had been childless, but had a favourite he had given to her for a husband. Illistin, who had been crowned after he married her, to continue the tradition.

It had truly been a love marriage, from the very beginning. And her womb was another proof. Even though they had had twins already, Beani and Nanend, who were to rule after them, their love had conceived another child. Who was very likely to be born in a few days.

Gaelcediene was crying, because she didn't know if Illistin would be there for the birth. He was there when she had the twins, afraid and proud, like any new father. But she crossed her fingers, and headed back to the Counsel Room to hear whatever the Counsellors had to tell today. They couldn't proceed without her. So, she went.

A beginning

There are several beginnings. Beginning of a cycle, of an era, of a life, of an end.

This is the beginning of a quill. Or, rather, the beginning of this quill's opening to the world.

I bid you welcome to my mind. Here, you'll find a few thoughts, a few stories. A mere fragment of myself. I just hope you'll enjoy it.

Finding your way

Finding your way

Beani took her sister on her lap.

"Tell me Gali, what do you want to do when you are older ?

- I like being a princess. Everybody does what I want. And they are nice. And I don't have to go and see the Counsellors with you. I like it."

Beani laughed bitterly.

"Well, I wished life was that simple. When you are a child, you feel like a princess. But as you grow older, you understand that people aren't yours. You are theirs.

- But, they do what I want. I don't understand. Am I not a princess ?

- I am the queen my dear, and I do have to do what I am told. The older you grow, the more you have to do for other people. The secret is : if you do everything for people around you, then people won't bother you.

-But... When do you have time for yourself ?"