Rhiannon left the house earlier than usual, eager to have what she called a real bath at the waterfall. Her father hated when she went there, so she made sure he didn’t see her leave or return. That way, they wouldn’t have the same argument as always.
Of course, she was aware of the dangers. She had lost a few friends at the hands of the demons, and she didn’t intend to become one more of their victims, but she refused to stop living in the meantime.
She gathered a couple of fruits and some bread, cheese, and ham and scurried away from the house right after her father left for work. Being the village’s baker, he had to leave the house as soon as the sun came out in the skies and that often served her purposes.
Rhiannon had considered moving out a thousand times ever since her mother passed away a few years ago. After all, she was an adult now, but their society didn’t approve of single women living alone, and though she couldn’t care less about other people’s opinion, she knew that would kill her father. He might be a stubborn, grumpy old man, but he was still her father, and she loved him.
Instead, she tried to bend the rules as much as she could, going around those she couldn’t and so far, she had been able to live a happy life. People were starting to press her to get married and have a family of her own, but she hadn't met the right man for her.
In fact, she was sure she hadn't met him yet. And knowing new people when there was a war going on against the demons had proven to be almost impossible. The only men that dared traveling around the country were the old merchants she had known all her life.
Sighing, she hastened her pace, eager to get to the waterfall. The forest around her was still sleeping, and she just loved to walk through it.
It took her almost an hour to get to the waterfall, but she didn’t mind. The place was worth the walk, and since she didn’t have anything urgent to do, she could enjoy it as much as possible.
By the time she reached the waterfall, the sun was already shining in the sky. After a quick check of her surroundings, she got rid of her dress, and with just a light petticoat on, she walked right into the water, not stopping until the cold water of the stream was running down her body.
Nothing felt more invigorating than that.
She had been under the water stream for a few minutes when she had the strange feeling someone was watching her. She could feel the burn of the person’s gaze on her skin, and that startled her. She had never felt anything like it.
“Who’s there? I know there’s someone there. Show yourself,” she shouted, as she looked around again, but she wasn’t able to find anyone.
Upset, she decided to leave. There was no use taking chances. After all, she was all alone up there, and she had no way of protecting herself against whoever it was.
By the time she reached her clothes, she had stopped feeling that strange sensation of being watched. She tried to decide whether to stay or not, but this time, common sense prevailed, and she decided to leave.
She would go visit her grandmother instead. She was sure she would welcome her with one of her special treats. Her grandmother was one of the best cooks she had ever known.
In her darkest moments, she had considered moving in with her grandmother, but she knew her father would feel hurt and abandoned. He would only accept her moving out if it meant she was starting a new life with her new husband.
And she doubted she would ever do that.
Picking up her food, she walked back to the village and right to her grandmother’s cabin. She lived right outside the village, and she was a very independent woman, so she might not even find her home, but she hoped she would.
By the time she reached her grandmother’s cabin, it was still mid-morning. Her grandmother was outside, putting some laundry on the clothesline.
“Hello, granny, I’m glad I found you at home,” she greeted the older woman, hugging her waist from behind.
“Rhiannon!” she said, sounding startled. “What are you doing here?” she asked, turning around to face her granddaughter.
Puzzled, Rhiannon took a step back. “Why do you ask? I thought I was welcomed here.”
Gwendolyn flushed slightly. “Of course, you are, you just surprised me, that’s all, you never come in the morning,” she replied, nervously looking around.
Rhiannon looked at her grandmother, with a slight frown. “I know, today, I had this strangest feeling as if I was being watched by someone, so I left the waterfall earlier than usual,” she explained.
“Oh, did you see anyone around?” she asked, not very happy. She knew about Rhiannon’s trips to the waterfall, and though she worried for her safety, she understood her granddaughter’s need to make her own decisions in life.
Going to the waterfall was her way of rebelling against the system she hated so much,
“No, I wasn’t able to see anyone, but I decided it was best to leave. So, I decided to come and visit you. Thought you might have made some fresh bread,” she said, with a smile.
“Yes, I did.” Gwendolyn smiled. “Why don’t you go ahead and have some, while I finish here?” she asked, again looking around as if she was expecting to see someone coming out of the bushes.
“Are you expecting visitors? I won’t stay if I’m bothering you somehow,” she asked, frowning, intrigued with her grandmother’s attitude.
“What? No, I’m not expecting anyone, and even if I did, I wouldn’t ask you to leave,” Gwendolyn protested, with a tremulous smile.
Not very convinced, Rhiannon nodded and walked towards the kitchen door. “Don’t take long. I’ll prepare some tea for us.”
“Good. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Once in the kitchen, Rhiannon picked up the kettle and filled it with water before she put it over the stove. While she was at it, she was observing her grandmother through the kitchen window.
She was acting strangely. She secured one piece of clothing on the clothesline and looked around, clearly nervous. There was no doubt she was hiding something from Rhiannon, but if she didn’t want to share it, she wouldn’t be able to get a single word on the subject from her.
She had inherited her own stubbornness from the older woman.
Sighing, she turned to the table and picked up a loaf of bread, cutting a few slices and spreading some of her grandmother’s delicious butter on them. By the time she was done, the water was boiling and taking the kettle from the fire, she added her favorite mix of herbs to make a delicious tea.
She was pouring it into the cups when her grandmother entered the kitchen.
“That smells delicious. I never get tired of your teas, you should open up a tea house.”
Rhiannon snorted. “People in this town don’t appreciate my teas,” she grumbled, picking the cheese and ham she had brought from home, adding it to the bread.
“You never know, this could be what you’ve been looking for,” she insisted.
“You know what my father thinks about that idea. He doesn’t want me becoming an old maid, with no husband and no children,” she sighed, taking a sip of her hot beverage. “Sometimes, I think he blames me for the fact that my mother didn’t have more children.”
Gwendolyn opened her mouth to deny her words but closed it again before she uttered a word. She still remembered her son’s reaction to the difficult labor and how poorly his wife had been after it. He had refused to look at the little girl for weeks.
“You know your father. I was never able to understand how his mind worked,” she finally muttered, picking up one of the sandwiches.
“I know. So, what else is new?” Rhiannon asked, smiling.
Her grandmother looked up, startled. “Nothing, what could be new?” she mumbled, wriggling her hands on the table.
“I don’t know, you tell me. You’ve been acting strange ever since I got here.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replied, looking away from her granddaughter’s inquisitive look.
“Alright. Do you mind if I stay here all day? I’m not in the mood to put up with my father today,” she asked, getting up and starting to clear the table from their small snack. It was true she didn’t want to go home, but more than anything, she wanted to find out what was going on.
“Oh, I… I had planned to visit some friends on the other side of the village,” she muttered, clearly lying.
That only made her more determined to stay. “It’s alright, I don’t mind being alone,” she assured her.
Gwendolyn rubbed her wrinkled face with one hand, not sure of what to say. “I guess I could stay here with you…”
“No, please, you don’t have to. I’ll use the time to read one of your books on herbs and medicines,” she assured her, smiling vivacious.
Caught in her own trap, Gwendolyn finally nodded, picking up her shawl, and got ready to leave the house.
“Will you be back for lunch? I can prepare something if you want me to.”
“That would be nice, thank you. Why don’t you make one of your famous chicken soups? I sacrificed a hen this morning. You can use it.”
“Perfect, that should keep me busy while you’re gone. Have fun with your friends’.”
“Yes, I will.”
She finally left the house and Rhiannon decided to start cooking the soup before checking the house. To properly prepare a hen, you needed time.
When she had the meat cooking in the iron pot, she started looking around the house, searching for a hint of what her grandmother might be hiding.