Chapter Fourteen

In the weeks that followed, they began to get things back together, but came no closer to resolving the mystery surrounding what had happened the night the wolves had come to their door. They had accepted that it was some sort of personal beef between the woman and her daughter that they would never know the full truth of and let it go. Instead, they had focused on rebuilding their home and their lives.

“What do you think?” Angus asked as they stood looking over the new house that was being raised on their property.

“It’s lovely, but it isn’t anything like the old one,” she said.

“No. It’s bigger and has a space for you to have a sewing room where you can sew or anything else you want to do there.”

“It’s just a shame that there is nothing left of our old home ,though,” she replied.

“There is. The cellar is still intact. I had to rip out the walls and replace them but the steps were made of rock, so they survived. It’s not much, but it is at least a little of the original place.”

“I guess I can’t complain. We have a lot more blessings than most people who suffer such a great loss. It usually takes them months, if not years to rebuild a home, and that’s if they even are able to at all. At least we have the money to put things back together again,” she said.

“That is very much true. It’s still going to need a lot of things. It is such a shame that all of the beautiful things you’ve sewn and knitted over the years are gone.”

“Yes, I don’t know that I have the energy to replace them all.”

“Nothing says you have to. You can replace what you like and not worry about the rest or just buy thing from the store things instead of making them yourself.”

“We’ll see. I suppose it would be nice to just buy pretty new things that someone else has made. I haven’t done that for a very long time.”

“I’m sorry for that. I wish I had been able to give you more. Instead, it is you who had afforded us a better life with the money from your inheritance.”

“Don’t you ever think that way, Angus. You have given me the richest life possible with all you’ve shared over the years. Not many women can say that they are protected by a dragon. Not only do I have a wonderful, beautiful husband who I love very much, but he has a power that no one else in this place can ever overcome.”

“I don’t know about all that. There are ways to defeat my dragon, but most people would have no clue where to start. By the time they recover from the shock of what I’ve become, they don’t stand a fighting chance. It’s not something I’m proud of that I must use such force upon people. I only do so when necessary. I enjoy being able to shift and fly through the night. Stretching my wings and gliding in and out among the clouds is beautiful. Having to use my gift to hurt people who would hurt me or those I love is not something I could ever relish.”

“That is understandable. I just hope you know that I appreciate everything you have ever done for me, for our family.”

“I know you do, just as I hope you know just how much you improved my life the day you arrived on that wagon, ready to marry a complete stranger to save yourself. Instead, it was me you saved. You saved me in every way I can think of. I had resigned myself to a life of loneliness and secrecy until you came along and showed me how wonderful it felt to be loved. It was you who saved me. It is you who continues to save me every single day, Margaret.”

Margaret smiled up at him as they stood there holding hands and looking over their partially built house. It would be weeks until it was finished, but it was a symbol of their undying devotion to one another. Tear them down and they would only rebuild, bigger and better each time. There was no tearing them down in body, mind and spirit. Instead there was only an ever-increasing love.

Upon the house’s completion, Margaret was surprised that their friends and neighbors wanted to give them a housewarming party. She and Angus welcomed their children and various members of the community into their new home, each arriving bearing assorted pastries and such for everyone to enjoy. Angus had yet another unexpected treat for Margaret, which she only discovered as he walked her through the new house and \ out through the back door.

Rather than stepping onto the small, open back porch that used to stand there, Margaret found herself on a much larger patio style porch that was completely enclosed with wire screens to keep away the nuisance of insects in the warm months. She had never seen anywhere more perfect than this place for being able to just back and relax, perhaps even reading the bible or another book.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“Are you serious? I love it! I had no idea you were doing this!” she marveled.

“You’re going to need it,” Aaron Paul said, joining them from inside the house and admiring the work that had gone into the porch.

“Did you help with this?” she asked.

“I did. I wanted it all to be just perfect for the days to come.”

“Yeah? Planning on coming over and hanging out on the back porch with your old mom?” she quipped.

“Perhaps, but I was thinking more about how much time you could spend out here with your new grandchild.”

“Grandchild?” She laughed. “Last time I checked, no one has seen fit to give me one of those.”

“Well, that’s about to change, Mom.”

Margaret gawked at him for a moment and then looked at Angus, who appeared just as shocked as she. Apparently, he hadn’t known about this new development, either. His disbelief was only momentary, though. He rushed forward and pulled Aaron to him into a giant hug, patting him on the back enthusiastically.

“And I thought I was the king of surprises today,” Angus said, still beaming at the news.

“You know, I can’t let my old man upstage me,” Aaron told him.

Margaret was still stunned, marveling at having a new baby in the house. It was going to be amazing to have a grandchild that she could spoil and send home. That was the beauty of grandchildren. You could spoil them rotten without worrying about how it affected them long-term. That was the parent’s job, not the grandparents. She felt a twinge of sadness that her own children had missed out on having grandparents. She had only fond memories of her own and her parents would have adored her children if they had lived to see them.

“Well, I guess we best get back in to our guests before they think we’ve ducked out on them,” Angus told them.

Stepping back inside, they mingled a bit with their guests before Angus called for everyone’s attention and stood facing all of them. Margaret hadn’t expected him to make a speech and waited to see what he might say. She was surprised when he called upon her to come stand by his side. Margaret did so, smiling out at all of the people that surrounded them.

“As you all know, Margaret and I joined this community with little more than a pot to do our business in,” he said, drawing laughter from those gathered around them. “Now, we are a little better off and hopefully, we have helped some of you improve your lives in small ways as we’ve made our journey to where we are today.”

Several cheers rumbled through the crowd as he continued to smile out at them.

“First of all, I would like to make the announcement that our eldest son and his wife, Catherine, are expecting their first child. We could not be more excited about having our first grandchild and feel certain that our other children will follow suit soon by getting married and having even more grandchildren. Our children are nothing if not competitive, so this should get the ball rolling.”

There was more laughter and the remaining children shook their heads disdainfully as he continued.

“One of my great regrets is that when Margaret came here, I had nothing to give her except a roof over her head and very long days of working in the fields that surround our home. She was a great sport, never complaining, but instead doing everything she could to turn an old, dusty house into a place that was full of hope and happiness. Believe me, it took a bit of soap after years of me dragging in dust from the fields!”

Margaret smiled as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then stepped in front of her. Getting down on one knee, he looked up at her and smiled.

“Margaret Ann McCord, I know that we have been married for decades as it is, but I’ve always felt I didn’t give you the proper wedding that a woman of your great beauty and grace deserved. So, I am asking you today, in front of all of these people to marry me. This time, in a church surrounded by our loved ones so that I can enjoy watching you walk toward me in a grand white gown and cherish the way you look into my eyes when you say your vows.”

Margaret gasped as he slipped a large antique silver ring on her finger. She had never even owned a wedding ring, and to finally have a symbol on her finger of the love she had always carried in her heart was breathtaking. She was beside herself with joy as she stood there looking at it, unable to speak.

“Well, answer the poor man, Margaret! You aren’t going to leave him hanging like that are you?” someone shouted from the crowd, causing laughter from those that surrounded them.

“Of course, Angus. I would marry you as many times as you want until the day we turn to dust,” she replied, flinging herself toward him for a deep embrace. They stood kissing as they were cheered on by the collection of guests in front of them for what was probably beyond what was considered decent. Afterward, they spent the rest of the evening walking around, hand in hand, sharing their great joy with everyone who had joined them.

Margaret was somewhat surprised to see the young girl from the night of the wolves toward the back of the room. She smiled at her and then seemed to disappear. Margaret wondered if she had really even seen her or merely imagined her there. More importantly, she wondered why she would have. Surely, there was meaning in everything. Dismissing it from her mind, she returned to her guests and didn’t give it another thought.

Afterward, she told Angus about it and he said he hadn’t seen the girl at all. They agreed that it meant something, but neither was sure of what that might be. In the end, they decided that what had happened with her on the night of the wolves and her possible appearance at their housewarming were things that might never make sense to them. That was okay because the most important thing was that they were happy together and that would always be the most important truth.

Many months later, they would learn her secret in a way that neither could have ever expected, but that was a story for another time, one that would be told when it’s time had come. Until then, she remained a mystery as Margaret and Angus continued into the second half of their lives together, getting married in the same church where they had joined one another in marriage so many years ago. This time, though, it seemed to mean so much more. They were no longer terrified strangers, but a man and a woman who loved one another deeply.

Spring came again and, with it, new beginnings with the tiny hands of their first grandchild, a beautiful little girl named Alyssa. She quickly became the light of their lives, winding each of them around her fingers in a way that neither could deny. She possessed Angus’s power to shift, but seemingly nothing beyond that. That was, until one day, when a wolf walked into the front yard and stood staring at where she played in the grass.

At first, Margaret was terrified, trying to edge her way closer to scoop her up and protect her, but then something amazing happened. The wolf cocked its head sideways and whimpered before walking up to her and allowing her to pet it.

Alyssa giggled as she stroked the wolf’s fur, completely oblivious as to its danger, for as they would soon learn, there were no animals that were a danger to their granddaughter. She commanded each and every one of them without effort.

Many years would pass as Margaret and Angus watched their children and grandchildren grow into powerful shifters in their own right. Margaret was well into her elder years in what seemed like the blink of an eye and yet, that time was filled with beautiful memories. She looked up at her husband as he exited their home and smiled down at her. He looked very much like she had the day she had first met him.

Margaret’s hair had begun to gray and wrinkles formed across her face, but Angus didn’t seem to notice them. Still, others did and she knew the time would soon grow near that they would have to move away from this place to protect themselves from the questions. Worse, she knew her time here would come to an end while his continued.

“Promise me that you will move on, that you will find love again when I am gone,” she told him.

“Don’t even speak of such things, Margaret. You are my only love and you always will be.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I never will be. You have filled my heart with a lifetime full of love. You have given me children and grandchildren to watch over and to love me just as you have. I will always have a full heart.”

Margaret smiled up at him as he knelt beside her and cupped her cheek in one hand, kissing her softly. This is how she would remember him for however long it took him to find his way to her again and for all the sadness in her heart at that thought, she knew every day that remained would be filled with just as much joy. He was her miracle, her savior – a dragon for a former princess in distress. That was the part of the story the fairy tales always got wrong. It was the dragon that saved the damsel, not the knight.

Or, maybe, they were one in the same.