(This page is dedicated to the
stories of Snow in Waddington Willows written by Sherry Marshall)
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Lily in WW: Chapter 170 – “Mardi Gras Mishap (Part 2)”
She closed the door to Mike’s cabin quietly. “Finally, a little peace and quiet.” She looked at the book she’d grabbed and tossed it by the mantle, not really in the mood to read. What she really wanted was a nice hot bath. She then glanced over at Mike’s bookshelf, “Hello…what’s this?” She picked up a bottle of wine and then looked at the second bottle next to it, “Hmmm…seems Mike didn’t want ALL the wine to go for Mardi Gras!” She then changed her plans…what she really wanted now, was a nice hot bath AND a glass of wine…or two. Hmmm...there was just one thing missing. In her haste, she grabbed a book from her cabin, but no clothes. Silly girl! Then she stopped in thought. “Hmmm…I wonder?” She then went to Mike’s closet…”Bingo! As they say in the game at the hut,” she chirped happily to herself. She pulled Mike’s bathrobe off the hanger. “Surely, he won’t mind…in fact, he doesn’t even have to know.” What would she wear home? She hadn’t thought that far, frankly. She went to run the hot water as she poured herself a glass of wine.
“Nugget, you brave mare! This time you have a girl! You hear that 24Carrots?” As Thomas turned to the now grown stallion, “You have a little sister.” His face then contorted in a disturbing thought, “You know, I hope this isn’t your sister AND your daughter!”
Linnet then looked at Stevie with eyes wide…a look he returned with a simple ‘Stevie-like’ smile.
She sat by Mike’s
fireplace and towel dried her hair, taking the last sip of the bottle in her
glass. “Hmm…she contemplated hard as she
peered at the bookshelf. That second
bottle was looking awfully tempting…and she’d had a rough night. Where she’d rather be with Thomas in the
mill, instead she was all alone in her brother-in-law’s cabin, while the rest
of the village ‘partys’ away. So why not!
She’ll just have to ask his forgiveness later. Like Travis always
says…better to ask forgiveness than permission!
Her thoughts
drifted effortlessly to Thomas. “Stupid horse!” She
then chided herself for that…she loved the horses, especially Nugget. She suddenly felt guilty. After all, Nugget was really her horse. She rode her more than any of the other
horses. And Thomas was there. Perhaps she should go over there…and then
maybe once they finish up there they could go back to the mill. Lily sighed, shaking off the thought. “Nah, it’s too late in the evening. He would probably be tired and wish to go
home.” Then she thought about
reality. Come on girl…we’re talking
about a male here! Like he would take
sleep over…yeah, right! She giggled at
herself. The wine was definitely having
its effects on her. She didn’t usually
ramble to herself like this. “So what
are you waiting for Lily? Go get him!” She willed herself to stand…but it didn’t
happen. The closest she came was to rise
to her knees, then fall back to the shaggy rug, giggling once again. Thank God Mai couldn’t see her now! Lily then stood straight up and tutted at herself, “Why in the world am I thinking about
THAT woman! What a waste of my
time!” She giggled again as she stumbled
over to pour herself another glass of the second bottle. She frowned when she noticed it was almost
all gone as well, “Better make this glass count!”
Plopping herself
onto the rug again, she lost herself in the fire’s dancing flames. “Like a gypsy”, she whispered as she likened
the flames’ movement to those of her gypsy clan. She closed her eyes and pictured herself and
her Thomas in front of the fire at the mill.
She smiled…what a lovely dream that would be. And then she drifted off to sleep.
“I think I’ll call
it a night.” Mike smiled wearily as he
took off his apron.
“Aw,
c’mon! One more dance?” Jennifer nudged.
“No…gotta get some sleep.
That is unless you all just don’t want breakfast in the morning.”
Jeff chuckled as he
glanced over at Travis passed out in the chair by the mantle, “I can imagine
some of us may be more up to breakfast than others.”
“Has anyone seen my
Princess?”
Bartolome cleared his throat, “YOUR Princess? Well, um…no, not for a while.”
Mike sighed as he
bid everyone left in the hut goodnight.
As he left, Bartolome threw Jeff a look of
concern…one that Jeff in fact returned.
The night air was
cold, especially at such a late hour.
Mike wasn’t looking forward to having to wait for the fireplace to warm
up. That is until he saw the smoke
coming from his chimney.
He hated to wake
her. She looked so beautiful, so peaceful as she lay by the fire in his robe, as she would
so often do while reading. He noted the
book aside the fireplace was one he’d not remembered seeing before. He knelt down next to the sleeping Princess,
“Hey, Sleeping Beauty.” She didn’t stir at all. He then leaned down and kissed her…a kiss she
awoke from and returned with eagerness.
Gently, he then picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the
bed…their bed.
Lily in WW: Chapter 171 -- “The Morning After” (Yes, it’s
a cliché, but oh well!)
She awoke with a start, then squinted at the rising sun in the window. Ugh! Why did the window seem so close? The window was on Yvonne’s side of the cabin. She went to turn over, when she felt something next to her…it was a someone! What the? ‘Oh my God!’ she thought, as it all began to come back. The mill, Yvonne, Mike’s cabin, the bath…the wine. She was terrified, but she had to look. Yes…it was indeed her own brother-in-law in bed next to her. And why shouldn’t he be…it was his bed. Perhaps he was just being kind and let her stay there. She moved slowly away from him when his arm pulled her closer, “Snow,” he whispered.
“Shit,” she whispered back. Slowly, she moved out of his arms and out of the bed. To her shock, the bathrobe was on the floor instead of where it was supposed to be…on her! So what was on her? “Shit!” she said again, as she dashed over to her pile of clothes by the fire. She’d never dressed so fast in her life. “Dammit!” She almost tripped as she tried to put her leg through her sleeve. “Ouch!” She clutched at her head, because on top of it all, it was pounding like mad! ‘What have I done?’ she thought as she ripped her clothes onto her body. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she quietly slipped out the door.
“God, you look like hell? What happened?”
“Shit,” Lily whispered under her breath. (How many curse words had she uttered today anyway?) She was hoping Yvonne would be asleep…dumb cow! “Nowhere…I just fell asleep last night reading.”
Yvonne paused as she sat up in bed to get a better look at Lily. A grin formed on her lips. "So what happened? Rough night?”
Lily hissed in frustration, “I already told you…I fell asleep reading.”
Yvonne was still grinning, “At Mike’s?”
Lily whirled around suddenly, “What makes you think I was at Mike’s?”
Yvonne turned toward the window, then back again, “I’m nosey…and I’m not stupid. I saw you go over there when you left last night. And besides…you’re acting too guilty to not have been over there.”
“Guilty? I have nothing to be guilty about. If you MUST know, Yes. I went over there for some peace and quiet and I fell asleep on the floor by the fire. Mike was nice enough to drop a blanket on me when he came home.”
Yvonne cleared her throat and uttered triumphantly, “So is that why your clothes are on inside out?”
Lily’s eyes widened as she suddenly inspected herself. “Shit,” she uttered to herself again.
“You’re not fooling anyone. You don’t think we can’t see how he looks at you? And you expect me to believe you don’t see it either? Look, it’s your business…”
“Yvonne…” Lily suddenly rushed to her roommate’s bedside in desperation, “Please don’t say anything. It was all a…a misunderstanding. I had a little too much wine…and he’s been seeing me as Snow…”
“Aha! So you finally admit that, eh? I’m sure Mai would be thrilled to hear it.”
“Oh God ! You CAN’T tell Mai about this! You can’t tell anyone! Please promise me, Yvonne...”
“So are you saying then that you and Mike really DID…”
Lily interrupted her loudly, “PLEASE, just promise me…”
“OK, OK I promise. Sheesh.”
Lily sighed in relief. She then decided to get away for the day…she didn’t want to have any relations with any of the villagers…not today. She changed her backwards clothes and prepared to leave. Just as she opened the door, she heard Yvonne’s sneer, “So Lily…” Lily could hear the smirk in her voice, “…how is he?”
Enraged, Lily slammed the door.
As Lily made her way into the woods, she was fortunate enough to spot Jennifer on her way to the hut. "Here's my chance."
"Jennifer!" She smiled and waved as Jennifer trotted to the hut for breakfast. "Where's Ribold?"
"Aw, lazy bum! He said he'd catch up with me...still washin' up."
Lily took a deep breath, "Jenn, the other day, I could tell you were bothered by what you saw in those raven feathers...is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?"
Jenn read the desperation in Lily's eyes and smiled, "Yeah, and I knew exactly where ya found those feathers, although I didn't want ta say anything in front of th' guys. Those white feathahs are from a real special creature...one I've nevah seen m'self, and didn't even know was here in th' Willows frankly. It was as at that othuh waterfall, right? I've been there a few times, but I prefer th' one on th' south side of Willows mountain. There's somethin' strange at the north waterfall, an' I can't quite sense what it is. But the raven feathers, I could sense about those. Are ya sure ya wanna know?"
Lily leaned closer, "Yes! Yes, please!"
Jennifer's demeanor darkened somewhat as she looked around, "Well, alright. I think that this is somethin' you're entitled to know because you were Snow's sister, but I would advise ya keep it ta y'self till we know more 'bout what's goin' on with these demon creatures, OK?"
Lily nodded.
"Most those raven feathers were from normal ravens, Lily. But there was one...it was from a medium who’d taken a raven form."
"A medium? What is that?"
"It's a human that has magically transformed themselves into an animal form ‘a some kind."
Lily was baffled, "I wonder who the human is?"
Jenn sighed, "I know who it is." She stepped closer to the gypsy girl and put her hand on her shoulder, "It's Margurite, Lily."
Lily's eyes grew wide at the shock.
Jenn nodded, "Now ya see why it'd be bettuh ta not say anythin', right?"
Lily's pitch increased, "But if Margurite is alive, then what about...?"
"Excellent question...and one I would like to know th' ansuh ta m'self. I'm willin' ta bet that she knows. That raven knows somethin', Lily."
"Hey you two! Why so serious?" Ribold caught up to his love and Lily on the path to the hut.
Jennifer smiled at Ribold, "Nothin'...I'll tell ya about it latuh. Let's go get some breakfast."
Lily stood watching the couple walk towards the hut. She felt frozen in her thoughts, 'Margurite is alive? She must know what happened to Snow! So, where is the raven now? And why did it have a fight with a magical creature no one here has ever seen?' Her thoughts were disturbed as she caught a glimpse of Thomas out of the corner of her eye. He was coming out of the barn. Had he been there all night? Quickly, she knew she must get out of sight. Without being seen, she dashed into the woods.
It was the chirping of the birds outside that awoke Mike. With a sleepy smile he sighed, as he reached for his beloved. When he felt an empty space he opened his eyes and looked toward the bathroom…the door was open, “Snow?” No answer. He got up, putting on the robe lying in the floor. He wondered, hoping to himself that she was in the bath. He liked to wash her hair, and she always had such a sweet smell about her. “Snow?” He walked into the bathroom to find it empty. How strange, he thought. Usually he is the first one up and off to the hut to cook breakfast. Realizing the late hour, he knew he had to hurry. Perhaps she had gone ahead to start it for him and let him sleep. He smiled to himself…he loved that woman so much! As he dressed, he again spotted the book on the floor by the mantle and picked it up. A flash of green caught his eye on the other side. He frowned, “What’s this?” In his hands, he picked up Lily’s gypsy scarf she’d left behind in her hasty exit. He shuddered, dropping the book as it all came back to him. “Oh God…Lily!” It was Lily in the Willows now…not Snow. Quickly he dropped the scarf and stumbled backwards, the bed catching his fall. “What have I done?”
She knew it was against the rules to be in the woods without an armed escort after the emergence of those "creatures", but Lily didn't care at this point. She had a mystery to solve...and it took her mind off of her guilt of the previous night. She trekked to the waterfall once again. The feathers she'd left behind were gone. The part that looked like an entrance remained, however. She felt around the crack in the stone for anything that might give her a clue on whether or not this was an opening of some kind. She lightly tapped on the rock, "Hello?" Then laughed at herself for being silly...that is until something shiny on the ground caught her eye. It was partly covered by dirt, but still sparkling. She fished it out and collapsed in shock, sitting involuntarily on the ground at the sight of the object in her hand. She was right...all this time. She knew it had been true. She rubbed the dirt from the ring…her sister's wedding ring. Tears began to fall from her eyes, "How could I? How could I do this to you? Somehow I must have known what I was doing last night...why didn't I stop it? Why didn't I? I didn't mean to hurt you like this, sweet sister. How could I do it...when all this time, I knew...I knew you were alive!"
Lily in WW: Chapter 172
(MISSING IN PART)
"Rebecca
was killed last night by her ex-husband.
It was tragic and violent and I can only imagine what Raif is going through right now. "Lily raised her head to look at him and
nodded. After a moment's pause, Thomas
offered softly, "I'm sorry I was pulled away last night. Nugget had a baby girl...and
they are both doing fine."
Lily
smiled slightly. Her mind was too occupied
with what she knew she must do, "Thomas..."
He
took her face in his hands and smiled, "Lily, I have to tell you
this. As much as I was upset by the
interruption last night, I'm glad it happened.
I never want our first night together to be a haphazard one. I want the time for us to be right. I want things to be perfect." He stopped and took a deep breath, "I
want it to be our wedding night."
Lily
was taken aback by his words. And
although they were words that would have made her heart soar last night, at
this moment, they only made her heart sink.
She couldn't stay here with Thomas now...after what had happened. She knew she had to simply finish her
investigation of what happened to her sister and return home, however
heartbreaking that might be for herself as well as Thomas.
"Thomas,
there's something I have to tell you."
Thomas
kept his warm smile as he brushed his hand through her hair.
"After
you left the mill, well, needless to say I was lonely."
Thomas
chuckled slightly, "Yes, well even being in the barn with Stevie, Linnnet and several
horses...after being in the mill with you, I was lonely myself."
Lily in WW: Chapter 173 – (MISSING)
Lily in WW: Chapter 174 -- “Feathers”
Still exhausted from the search the night before, Thomas prepared that next morning to go out again to look for Lily. He didn’t expect any of the men to join him, even though they might. He’d heard of some kind of bad encounter that Mai and Prasut ran into and regretted letting Mai come on the search party, but what could he have done? As it was, they had found nothing in the search, yet Thomas was not prepared to give up hope. He went to the hut intending on grabbing a quick bite and packing a lunch to eat while on his search. He came into the kitchen to find Mike in quite a seemingly bitter mood. “Can I help you?” His words expressed an attitude of service, but his tone said otherwise. Thomas hesitated, “Can…can I just get something quick and a packed lunch for a woods’ hike.”
Mike nodded and turned to his task, “So you going out again?”
Yes.” Thomas couldn’t help but notice the bitterness in Mike’s voice. “Are you alright, Mike?”
“Fine. What did you want for lunch?”
“
Again, Mike said nothing but went straight to his work. Thomas couldn’t stand it any longer, “Are you mad about something Mike?” At first Thomas thought he was upset over Rebecca or Lily….but this wasn’t sorrow. It was more like…bitterness.
“No, Why?” His retort was curt and accusing.
Thomas was taken aback. Mike then handed him his lunch.
“There’s breakfast stuff over there on the counter. Take what you want.” He then took off his apron, threw it on the counter and left out the back door, spouting off something about needing some supplies as he left. Dumbfounded, Thomas took the lunch, grabbed some breakfast and left the hut.
Mike cursed under his breath as he realized how rude he’s been to Thomas. Why? Why did he do that? None of this was Thomas’ fault. Hell, Thomas was such an honorable man, he figured he hadn’t even slept with Lily at all yet…a thought Mike suddenly regretted. Perhaps if he had, none of this would ever have happened. For this, Mike couldn’t help but feel resentment towards his friend…silly as it was.
Thomas was just leaving the village when he ran into Jennifer. Feathers! He had to check with her one more time about the feathers. Where did the white feather come from?
“Jennifer?”
He caught up to her. She smiled at him, knowing already his purpose. She spoke before he had the chance,
“You’re right, Thomas. Those white feathuhs Lily brought back belonged to that white creature you saw.”
“What was it Jennifer?”
“I think, from your description, at least it sounded like a winged Pegasus…you know, white flyin’ horse.”
“A Pegasus? Those creatures are mythical…they don’t even exist.”
She cocked her head and gave him a knowing grin…he caught on quickly.
“Oh right…OK, I see. We’re in the Willows…nothing can be ruled out.”
“Right,” she winked.
“But why would take her?”
“Well, ya said it rescued her from th’ attack. Sounds like it means her no harm…like those ravens did. In fact, it probably woulda rescued you too, except ya ain’t the lightest guy in the world!” She giggled and punched him lightly in the stomach.
He smiled, then began, “Jennifer,” apparently on another thought wave, “When we were attacked, Lily mentioned something about Margurite. Do you know what that was all about?”
Jennifer’s smile faded. She hesitated, but then nodded. “It’s one of th’ ravens, Thomas. It’s leadin’ th’ others ta do its will. It’s smarter than th’ othuhs ‘cause it ain’t really a raven…it’s a medium…it’s Margurite, Thomas.”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear and he sighed. “I was hoping it wasn’t true…what do we do now?”
“That’s what Lily was tryin’ ta figure out. I imagine that’s why th’ ravens attacked her…’cause she was getting’ too close. She could be in real danger, Thomas. Ya bettah find her quick.”
As he was leaving, she caught his arm, “Thomas…wait. Th’ feathuhs…Lily found ‘em at a waterfall located jus’ north a’ Willows mountain. I would start there fuhst.”
Thomas nodded, “Thanks Jennifer.”
Then he quickly started into the woods.
Rebecca’s
funeral had been that morning, so Thomas postponed his daily search until after
it was over. It was now the third day
since Lily had been taken and still Thomas’ searches had found nothing. Nevertheless, he continued to go out every
morning and would not return until dusk.
It was apparent that it was all taking its toll on him. His eyes had dark circles under them, and he
had fallen asleep at the dinner table every night since. He wouldn’t listen to reason, insisting that
”she was out there”. But even Jennifer
couldn’t feel anything…something that disturbed her greatly. It was Stevie who
saw her first. Later that afternoon, he
was bouncing happily from the cabin, leaving Linnet to take a nap. Stevie could never
stay in a sorrowful mood for long, especially now in his newfound happiness
with Linnet. He then suddenly stopped
dead in his tracks. He could hardly
believe his eyes. He spotted Lily
leaving her cabin with a bundle in her arms that appeared to be laundry…her
familiar gypsy scarf atop her head. Here
the village had been searching for her for days, and she just appeared out of
nowhere! Not one to question things, Stevie was just thrilled to see her. He rushed up to hug her, “Oi! Lily!
I’m sa glad ta see ya! Where ya been? Ev’rone’s been lookin’ for ya like mad!”
She pulled from his nearly crushing embrace and smiled sweetly, “Hi Stevie!”
He smiled real big…he couldn’t believe he was seeing her, “Oi, Lily, ya look great! Thomas said he was afraid ya might ‘ave scratches all over…but I don’t see a one!”
Lily gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah, well. Those birds didn’t hurt me as much as he thought I guess.”
“Whatcha got there…laundry?”
Lily looked at the bundle in her hands, “Um…YES! My laundry.”
“Ya need any help?”
“No, actually I was going to do it by the riverside today I think. It’s such a lovely day.”
“Oi, Lily no! Ya can’t go inta th’ woods by y’self! Those horrible demon things are out there!”
“The what?” She looked at him confused.
Stevie was taken aback. How could she forget about those monsters? The village had been living in fear of their attacks…especially after what happened with Mai and Prasut.
Lily tutted and smiled as she touched Stevie on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about me Stevie. I’ll be fine.”
As she turned to go, Stevie grabbed her gently by the arm, “Wait! Does Thomas know you’re back? He’s been worried sick!”
“Um…well, I don’t…”
Stevie beamed a smile, “He doesn’t, does he? Oi, he’s gonna be SO thrilled ta see ya! Jus’ wait here for a sec!”
He hurried off to the hut where Thomas had returned from his search just a short while ago. As soon as he was out of sight, Lily hurried off into the woods. Just as she disappeared into the brush, Mai caught a glimpse of her. “Well, if that just don’t beat all!”
Thomas’ eyelids felt like lead as he rested his tired back at the hut. Just about to drift off to sleep, he was jolted awake by Stevie’s sudden entrance.
“Oi! Thomas! Ya won’t believe it…ya won’t believe it a bit!”
His adrenaline racing from the sudden start, Thomas asked quickly…hope in his voice, “What is it Stevie?”
“I jus’ saw her! She’s outside jus’ now…waitin’ for ya!”
Without question, Thomas leapt from his chair as his heart leapt into his throat. But when they got outside, Lily was gone.
“She was ‘ere! I swear Thomas! She was standin’ ‘ere talkin’ ta me. She had ‘er laundry. I hugged her…I wasn’t dreamin’ it.”
“OK Stevie, I believe you. Now you’re sure it was Lily?”
“Oi!”
“He’s right…I just saw her head into the woods that direction.” Mai pointed at the woods as she joined the conversation.
Thomas’ pulse quickened, “Where on earth was she going?”
“She told me she was gonna do ‘er laundry at the river.”
Before another word was spoken, Thomas took off in the direction of the river.
Stevie then turned to Mai, “I’m glad you saw her too. Now th’ others won’t think I’m crazy!”
“I just saw her from a distance. What did she look like? Was it pretty bad…the scratches from the attack?”
“Oi! That was the weird part! She didn’t have a scratch on ‘er! Not one!” Stevie smiled at the thought as he trotted back to the hut to share his news, leaving Mai with not so happy thoughts about the strange behavior of the missing woman.
Lily in WW: Chapter 175 – - A Foreseen Coming (part 1)
(MISSING)
Lily in WW: Chapter 176 - A Foreseen Coming (part 2)
Regretfully, Lily pulled from Thomas, There are some things I must do. Perhaps we can talk later.
He held tight to her hand, Im afraid to let you go afraid you will leave again.
She gave an understanding smile and put her hand on his, Im not going anywhere for a while I promise. This was enough to satisfy Thomas enough to let Lily complete her errands. She did not, however, get away so cleanly yet.
Well, well, well so the thoughtless gypsy returns. But not for long I take it. You wouldnt want to spoil your reputation for picking up and leaving at the drop of a hat at the expense of everyone you care about of course not.
Lily frowned and shot Mai a dirty look. After promising herself she would ignore the woman if she was confronted, she couldnt help it she couldnt ignore this womans indignation.
Well, from what I hear, its better than the reputation youve been making for yourself as of late. Youve been quite a busy bee since Ive been gone, eh?
Lily had to curb an internal smile at her quip back at Mai.
Mai was never one to back down from a verbal challenge or a physical one for that matter.
Dont worry dear youll get there. Youre well on your way with two men at your beck and call give it time. Oh wait .it s three in your case, isn t it? Prince Charming is still waiting your return back home, isn t he? Guess you and all your guys could make it a foursome.
Mai s grin irritated Lily all the more. Its a good thing she didnt know about what happened between her and Mike shed never hear the end of it from Mai.
I have things to take care of Mai.
Ah of course. You must make your grand exit yet again. Well, dont let me stop you although you know how much Ill miss you.
Without a word, Lily turned and headed back to her cabin.
Truly Mike did understand Lilys desire to have her mothers wedding gown for her wedding. After all, Liz was now alive and well and would be able to attend at least one of her daughters weddings back in the kingdom. He’ll never forget that Christmas when he and Ben went through that bloody mirror into Snows time to find that dress and surprise her. Mike smiled as he remembered how thankful he was to his dwarf friend for helping him it had been a dangerous mission indeed. But it had been worth it. He’ll never forget her face when she opened her Christmas present that year. Tears fell upon his lap as Mike blinked his senses back to reality. He quickly shook off the memory, Mike you fool you have no use for that sodding dress anyway.