Chapter -1- The Beginning

One rainy afternoon my boss Steve came to me and asked me if I would go and meet with a woman whom he believed to be the oldest druid in the world. Although, I do not believe in the ancient cultures, there was something in what he told me about the woman that intrigued me. He told me about his beliefs of the old religions and how he felt part of them. However, that was not what caught my attention about the woman.

It was about the way she had lived that made me want to go and meet with her. I did not know anything about druids or their beliefs, which sent me to the library. I was glad the librarian allowed me to stay the full night and helped me to acquire the material I would need to educate myself.

However, there was not much on the subject; the only things I found were their beliefs in the old mystical ways and that their land was sacred to the point they would not allow anyone to desecrate it.

After my night at the library, I returned home to prepare for my visit to this woman’s home. I notified Steve that I was prepared at leave and he said he would send the limousine around to pick me up in about an hour.

 “Make sure you have comfortable footwear because you will need to walk the last distance to her residence,” he advised.

When the limo came to a halt, I got out and it was then that I realized why my boss had told me to wear comfortable shoes. It was that her home sat three miles from any road and I would have to walk the rest of the way.

I knew it would be almost evening before I reached her dwelling. I decided to walk the beachfront since it would be much nicer than the hot sticky tarred road.

As I headed down to the beach, the brisk air and sun upon my face felt both warm and inviting.

My mind was so full of the mystical things, I had studied at the library the night before that time and my walk passed quickly and before I knew it, I was standing at the gates to her home.

I stood there looking at the surroundings. The scene was so amazing, with the sun-stained log fence that bordered her land. It seemed to fit there as if it were placed there by something other than the hand of man. The cottage faced the shore of the Panira Ocean, with the Timbermall Forest guarding its back. Many different colorful and fragrant flowers filled the lines around the fence making it an eye-catching place. The soft green grass encompassing the cobblestone walk was so lush and green; it resembled a soft pillow you could lay your head upon.

To the right of the deck sat a beautiful garden filled with many varieties of plants and herbs, some of which I had never seen before. The color of the sand painted walls and dark stained deck looked as if it were fit for a royal families wedding party. I got the immediate impression that if anyone sat upon the deck they could find peace within all this serenity.

All this exquisite appearance of this quaint home made me feel as if this place was grander than many of the mansions I had had the pleasure of being in. It looked like this secluded place was right out of one of the fairy tales my own mother had read to me when, as a youngster, and had settled down for the night.

As I stood there gazing around, I saw her sitting on the deck. Opening the gate, I made my way up the path. I remembered what Steve had told me about the dwelling the woman had once lived in. Oddly enough, this place did not resemble anything he had described to me. Then I saw her wave for me to come and sit at her side.

“Hello, I am Sophie Carbonelle. Steve Carwin has sent me to tape your story and hopes that you will allow us to publish it,” I told her as I watched her face turn back to the water.

“Greetings, I have been expecting you,” she said so sweetly, it was as though she was singing.

“Please sit and I will tell you all,” she said as I took the seat next to her.

“I do not know what he has told you, but that does not matter. If you are going to understand my tale, you’ll need to hear it from the beginning,” she said as she got to her dainty feet and gestured for me to follow.

I noticed that she only stood to my shoulder. With me being five feet two, this made her around four feet five maybe seven. She may be a small woman, but she looked as if she was strong in body and mind. I looked closer at her and noticed that while most elderly women tend to hunch over, she did not. She stood up straight and had a way about her stride that made her look as if she were floating on air.

When I stepped inside, it made me feel at peace and I yearned to see more of her beautiful home. I guess she sensed my desire.

“Would you like a tour of my home?” she asked in a soft voice.

“I would love that,” I told her as I followed her into her living room.

“I love to read so I made this a reading room, others might call it an entertainment room,” she said as I looked around and saw it filled with books that were lovingly placed on the shelves.

“The fireplace was made from the slate of the mountain that sits not too far behind my home. I took the most special things that I could carry with me and adorned it with the ancient artifacts of the druids. The furniture was all handcrafted from cherry wood, the fabric I handmade and dyed to be the color of the forest in its greens and browns that you will see throughout the cottage,” she said as we made our way to the archway that led into the kitchen.

“I had the cabinets made of cedar and the tops of black marble. I filled the windowsill behind the double sink with herbs, making this room a cozy place for any family meal. The island bar I had positioned so that I could look out the double doors at the wildlife,” she told me as we walked back into the reading room.

“If you need the washroom it is there,” she pointed to a small room under the staircase.

“Above is my sleeping room. I have always loved the loftiness in a home. So when I had this place built about forty years ago, I wanted to accommodate a loft so that I could look out the front windows from where I sleep,” she said as she made her way to the stairs that led to her bedroom.

She did not speak when we had entered the small loft. As we reached, the top the first thing I saw was the king-sized, hand-made, oak-stained dark colored, four-poster canopy bed, with matching end tables. The lamps that were seated upon them looked as if they had been handcrafted nearly five centuries earlier. The handcrafted armorer matched all the furnishings in the room, but it had some strange carvings upon it. The drapes that hung from the windows were made of the same solid beautiful colored fabric like the pillows that covered the living room furnishings.

“Your room is something that I have always dreamed of. The sanctuary of the canopy bed with its drapes of solid colors makes me feel like I can rest here in peace. I could use a place like this to hide away in when I have had a bad day. Thank you for the tour,” I told her and saw in her face that she could feel my envy as she turned to make her way back down the stairs. However, the tapestry that hung on the wall stopped her and as she looked back, I saw that she noticed I was staring at it.

It was of a child surrounded by animals, a bear lying at her feet, a wolf sitting to her right-hand side and a bird that looked as if it were a hawk seated upon the young girl’s shoulder. Looking a little closer, I thought that the young girl in the tapestry looked a little like the woman standing just before it.

“Is this you with the animals?” I inquired.

“Yes, that was made to represent my life. It is called ‘A Druid’s Tale.’ These are my friends: Storm the Shadow Hawk, Seaory the Timber Wolf, and Tarria the Moon Bear,” she said as she lovingly touched her wrinkled finger to where each animal was positioned on the tapestry.

“Please come, I had prepared some food before you arrived and I know you have not eaten since last night and then you did not eat much. I will tell you my tale while we eat,” she said as we made our way back down the stairs.

It surprised me that the woman revealed I had not eaten much that it sent chills down my spine.

How does she know what and when or even how much I have ate?

What else does she know about me?

“Please speak your concerns dear child, for the questions you ask cannot be answered if you do not speak them aloud,” she said as I followed her down the stairs.

“How do you know what I have eaten or what I was thinking? What else do you know about me? I only know what Steve told me about you and that was not much and as for druids, I know even less. I had to do some research before I came just to find out that your land must not be desecrated. So how is it that you know more about me than I know of you?” I asked with a burning sensation growing in the pit of my stomach.

“In time you will see how it is I know a lot more about you than you do of me. You will also come to know me through what it is I am going to reveal to you,” she said.

As we reached the kitchen, I took a seat at her cedar table where she had already placed plates of food. Eating what I would consider a wonderful summer meal, that looked as if she had prepared a feast fit for a king. She had a lovely fresh garden salad that included some herbs and vegetables I had seen growing in her garden, the homemade rolls had a lovely earthy smell to them and the tender looking meat appeared to be that of either deer or elk. I had never eaten meat this tender and mouthwatering as this before. While I ate and watched her, she began to tell me the story of her life.

With my tape recorder running, I sat and listened intently to her with a great interest, as she began her tale…

“I am a druid.”

“Although, I have many hidden dimensions, however, my heart belongs to the nature of the druids. I am going to tell you a tale that most will not believe. Anyone that might be able to verify this has long since departed. Even when they were alive they did not believe what they had lived,” she said with sadness in her voice.

“It was said that the oracles reigned over the world of Arkadia and the dark lord was granted the world of the undead, which resides beneath my world. However, he had a different plan in mind, when he descended from the oracle realm, Draven the lord of the dead wanted Arkadia for his own selfish purposes. He had been plotting to be the ruler of both worlds. However, there was one he knew he could not beat-the High Priestess. She, the most powerful, had already beaten him in battle to determine which would rule what realm. She became the ruler of the oracles.

This did not sit well with Draven and he made a vow to his love, that he would rule both realms. He told her that he was the God-like being that should control what happened to the lesser ones, not the High Priestess.

Therefore, when he descended to the underworld of Arkadia, he started gathering the souls of the wicked and began putting his plan into action. With the help of his disciples of undead, he then started to corrupt the living, but only those whom he was able to control. He was determined to acquire the oracle realm. He set a pandemic loose upon the lands, which spread rashly.

With the help of the oracles, the people of Arkadia were told to gather certain plants, which they could use to keep the plague at bay.

They started a ritual called the ‘Becoming.’ where the young men and women who were turning sixteen winters old, would be asked to take a journey to prove their love for their village and families.

The oracles decided that there must be one brought forth, to reign over the lands between the two realms. So they set forth a prophecy that the Dark Lord was said to be oblivious to. However, much to their surprise he was not, for in their midst lived one they found to have deceived them.

Draven did not know that the oracles’ High Priestess had already captured and imprisoned the traitor and tortured her until she had revealed her love’s plans.

The High Priestess knew that she must be the one, to go to Arkadia and help the unsuspecting people. She knew that it would be her task to teach the ‘Chosen One’ how to defeat the Dark Lord. She also knew that her mission was not going to be easy and in the end, she would have to return to the oracle realm to protect it when the time came.

It’s believed that the day when the strongest of the oracles had descended to the lands that she had at that time chosen two women, who would give life to the ‘Chosen Ones’ parents. When the High Priestess landed, she called back to the heavens and asked that the two women be marked with the sign of the druids. A mark that would not fade as time passed and would be passed down to the children they would bear. The mark bore the look of a willow tree, encircled with the never-ending ring of leaves that would lie upon the back of the person’s shoulder, similar to what you would know as a tattoo or birthmark.

It was foretold that the child of the first woman would be granted a son and the second woman would be gifted with a daughter. However, this plan would have to wait, because the second child had not yet been conceived.

One of the chosen ones parents would find love from the one who had caused it all. The oracle decided that the chosen child would come from these two, the man, and woman who would both see and live a life of pain. Their child would be taught all the things that this world had to offer.

The Dragon Kin would grant the two his life’s essence as they stood in the moonlight of the oracle, while being washed by the sea. This essence held the powers of the two realms. He would gift the two that had found love within them. In turn, granting their child a long life, longer than that of this world you know. The child that would be born to them would be gifted through the womb, with the gifts of the Dragon Kin’s great strength and cunning and much more.

Feeling the need for the child to be protected they sent down their strongest to help guide the child that would be born to a Wood Elf and a Halfling, since it was decided that they were the strongest of the world of Arkadia.

The young woman would have to face untold pain and hatred for the man that she would find towering over her dead mother. She would, within a short time and with the help and power of the oracle, find it in her heart to understand that this man was not responsible for her mother’s death. Then she would have to find a way to give him back the life, which was once taken from him.

They would both discover that each of their mothers had been struck by lightning and branded by the oracles to be marked as the ones of the prophecy.

However, as you can see this is not where the tale ends. We will need to find a more comfortable place, so that I may tell you the rest. As we got to our feet and headed towards the front door to the sanctuary of the porch I felt as if there was something she was hesitating to ask. As she sat, I could see her face was pointed to the evening sky and her tears shone as they streamed down her face in the night’s moonlight, it was as though she was longing to be with the stars.