Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales Paperback(124)

“What was that about?” asked Ivan.

“For years now, he’s been assuming I would marry him, because

he’s the best hunter in the castle. He asked me the first time on the night before we left for Professor Owl’s house, and then again before we left for Dame Lizard’s. This would have been the third time.”

“And you keep refusing?” asked Ivan.

“Of course,” she said. “He may be the best hunter, but I’m the

daughter of the Lady of the Forest and the Man in the Moon. I’m not going to marry a common cat!”

Ivan could not decide how he felt about her response. On the one

hand, he was glad she had no intention of marrying Tailcatcher. On

the other, wasn’t he a common man?

This journey was longer and harder than the two before. Once

they reached the foothills of the Northern Mountains, they were

constantly going up. The air was colder. In late afternoon, Ivan put on a coat Mrs. Pebbles had insisted on packing for him, and that he had been certain he would not need until winter.

Eventually, there were no more roads or paths, and they simply

walked through the forest. Ivan started wondering whether

Blanchefleur knew the way, then scolded himself. Of course she did: she was Blanchefleur.

Finally, as the sun was setting, Blanchefleur said, “We’re here.”

“Where?” asked Ivan. They were standing in a clearing. Around

them were tall pines. Ahead of them was what looked like a sheer

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? Blanchefleur ?

cliff face, rising higher than the treetops. Above it, he could see the peaks of the mountains, glowing in the light of the setting sun.

Blanchefleur jumped down from his shoulder, walked over to a

boulder in the middle of the clearing, and climbed to the top. She

said, “Captain, we have arrived.”

Out of the shadows of the forest appeared wolves, as silently as

though they were shadows themselves—Ivan could not count how

many. They were all round, and he suddenly realized that he could

die, here in the forest. He imagined their teeth at his throat and turned to run, then realized he was being an idiot, giving in to an ancient instinct although he could see that Blanchefleur was not frightened at all. She sat on the dark rock, amid the dark wolves, like a ghost.

“Greetings, Blanchefleur,” said one of the wolves, distinguishable

from the others because he had only one eye, and a scar running

across it from his ear to his muzzle. “I hear that your mother has sent us a new recruit.”

“For a year,” said Blanchefleur. “Try not to get him killed.”

“I make no promises,” said the wolf. “What is his name?”

“Ivan,” said Blanchefleur.

“Come here, recruit.” Ivan walked to the boulder and stood in

front of the wolf, as still as he could. He did not want Blanchefleur to see that he was afraid. “You shall call me Captain, and I shall call you Private, and as long as you do exactly what you are told, all shall be well between us. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” said Ivan.

The wolf bared his teeth and growled.

“Yes, Captain,” said Ivan.

“Good. This is your Company, although we like to think of

ourselves as a pack. You are a member of the Wolf Guard, and should be prepared to die for your brothers and sisters of the pack, as they are prepared to die for you. Now come inside.”

Ivan wondered where inside might be, but the Captain loped

toward the cliff face and vanished behind an outcropping. One by

one, the wolves followed him, some stopping to give Ivan a brief

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? Theodora Goss ?

sniff. Ivan followed them and realized the cliff was not sheer after all.

Behind a protruding rock was a narrow opening, just large enough

for a wolf. He crawled through it and emerged in a large cave.

Scattered around the cave, wolves were sitting or lying in groups,

speaking together in low voices. They looked up when he entered,

but were too polite or uninterested to stare and went back to their conversations, which seemed to be about troll raiding parties they

had encountered, wounds they had sustained, and the weather.

“Have you ever fought?” the Captain asked him.

“No, sir,” said Ivan.