Maid in the Mist

Bloody Thorns

Hours would seem to pass before Holly's eyelids would begin to droop, and Solaria would not begin to notice until Holly leaned and relaxed as she rested her head on Solaria's shoulder.

If Holly were more awake, perhaps she would have walked to a tree and rested against that. But the fire was so warm and she apparently she was in a good amount of comfort, and considering the amount of pain she was in only hours before, it was really a miracle of nature. Solaria even began to suspect that the witch hazel and the comfrey paste Montague crafted had a numbing agent of great spades.

Solaria's cheeks grew pink, as they tended to do. But she found her own limbs heavy with sleep and comfort. Why in these moments did this feel right when the world around them was in chaos. Solaria knew however, that perhaps Holly would not like this closeness. For she was seen as vulnerable.

It was this process that made Solaria use her splintered wand to create a bed of minty woven grass with little white cup like flowers that smelled of white tea. With that, she laid Holly down into it, creating a lavender woven blanket with the last of her wands ability before it finally gave out, snapping in two and becoming useless.

Solaria sighed and prodded at the fire, her mind was whirling again.

Holly was nearly powerless.

Solaria herself was a reckless fool.

And Montague was only good for healing but a coward in battle.

And yet, a thought bubbled up in Solaria's mind.

Out of all of these three misfits, Solaria stood the most chance. Considering she found that the mist was flammable.

And she held the spark to ignite it all.

It was then that Solaria stood up, stuffed her pocket with the heel of the rosemary bread and one small pinkish apple, scribbled something in the dirt using her broken wand, and left the warm glow of the fire behind as she treaded deeply into the mist.

***

Oh how Solaria regretted leaving the warm fire, for her toes had stepped in a black puddle of mud. Now she would have been able to see it if the white fluffed mist didn't cloud her senses. And now her poor toes were numb with cold.

It was surprising to note by all accounts that, even though there was no wind to carry it, the cold clung to the air like invisible ice crystals. It was so cold that each breath Solaria took, be it quiet or harsh added to the mist ahead of her.

Using her fire would be a horrid idea, considering one spark could cause her to become a log in a sea of fire. So going blind was better than burning in this rare case.

The only thing that kept Solaria going was not the howling wolves and the cawing ravens waiting for a meal of carrion, it was the need, the drive for revenge. Not to mention a slight thirst to prove herself. Which, when mixed with the fires of her rationality, proved to be a worthy adversary for the cold and thorny path ahead.

Soon Solaria came to a steep downward hill, coated with mist and free of sight. There was no telling what laid ahead, and Solaria knew that.

The young witch extended her palm, intending to spark the mist ahead as a fiery inferno. Only to hear Holly's blood curdling screams of pain in her ears as a horrid echo.

Fire brought pain, and pain brought panic in Solaria's heart. Only then did she withdraw, realizing there was only one way down. Rolling dice with fate.

But what as the great Solaria of Farthing to do? Turn back around? Too late. Use a wind spell? There was no wind to change or clouds to push away from the maroon moon. There was only one option, to take a step of faith. So, with a harsh sucking in of breath, Solaria stuck her foot down and tumbled through the mist, bumping her head, poking her eye, possibly breaking bone.

And for a moment, Solaria caught wind she created, she had thought that for in that moment, she would be safe. For in her sight, she saw long whistled grass to catch her fall.

Oh but this was nothing more than a trick of the mind, for the minute the black thorns pierced her skin she had known pain would come.

And pain was indeed to be received. Sharp thorns that burned in Solaria's blood like acid. Her hips were bloodied, her chest stabbed, her arms stuck with quill like barbs, her legs paralyzed with burning pain. As if a hot iron had been applied to her blood.

And there were a sea of barbs to wade through. To stand would equal pain, to crawl or stay would equal pain. So with gritted teeth did Solaria crawl through the tunnel of thorns and into a dusty road leading to soft grass.

Solaria wined and limped across the road to the grass where a rolling hill downward resided. With it, a view of a large still midnight tinted lake stayed. Possibly growing cold.

Unable to move, Solaria plucked each thorn she could from her skin. From her cheeks to her thick thighs, she took her time in removing the thorns and regaining movement. By the time she was weeding through her cloak for those horrid blood soaked thorns, she could feel the pain fading from her blood and yet, something remained. A rolling stomach.

Nausea began to course through her gut, small at first like a shadow. But like darkness is prone to do, it grew. The discomfort was soon unbearable as Solaria groaned and wallowed in her pain.

Soon the horrid nausea faded, leaving a warm tingling feeling on Solaria's skin. It was as if the holes in her skin were closing up and healing with no scabs to be had.

It wasn't until her hair shortened and red painful swollen dots grew to be around her cheeks that panic set in. Solara stood up and staggered down the hill, surprised to find her cloak was slightly oversized. What she found in her reflection what horrified her.

Pimples grew on Solaria's face where only hours before her skin was quite clean. Her hips were less defined, as was her hair that was now just passed her ears. From her memory, her new age hit her.

"Sweet Gaia! I look to be sixteen again!"

"Yes, the Thorns of Youth will do that..."

a head bobbed from the water. A woman with black hair and cornflower skin, with pale yellow cat eyes.

Solaria staggered back, "What are you?"

A long crocodile like tail with midnight blue sales rose from the creature's behind.

"A mermaid of course..."

Solaria raised an eyebrow, "I see...my mother always said she ran into them when she fought the dragon...what is your name?"

The mer smiled, "Lilly Whippertail..."

"And where am I?"

"Epsom Lake..."

"I see..." Solaria stared at her own hand, horrified, "Am I going to have to grow up again?"

Lilly giggled, "No no...when the magic finishes through your system, an age potion will do it...you took a mighty fall I saw..."

Solaria nodded, "I received many thorns...will I fade into non existence..."

"The youngest you could get is mere seconds after your birth...but you will not fade away my dear..."

Solaria nodded, "And an age potion will fix it?"

Lilly nodded in return, "Yes, but the herbs you seek are far away from here...up the Misty Mountains..."

Solaria then stood up, "Good thing that is where I need to go..."

"You need to go up there?" Lilly gawked, "For what purpose...?"

"Merlot, the Maid in the Mist is up there and I need to stop her before she kills again...now..." Solaria knelt down once more, meeting the mer eye to eye, "Now...tell me how to make the potion before I get too young to toddle."