Chapter 28: Belle awakens
The tea, with the adding of calming mana, was something that saw Erin sleep like a log. Still, the blonde slept in Lysander's bed, with his arms wrapped around the wanderer's back.
Lysander didn't mind all that much. Sure, Erin's knees dug in his back, but that was a small price to pay, for the fact, that Erin wasn't waking up with nightmares. Besides, Paul liked to curl in their feet, which added his fluffiness as a second heat source for Lysander.
When the first leaves unfurrow in the spring, Belle finally came out of her tree. She saw that her saplings were being kept upright by bones, and that there was a huge mammoth meat pile, buried in her roots.
Her brows furrowed, trying to think how that could be possible. Then, she saw the hut, and got an aha moment. With brisk steps, she went, and knocked.
Soon, Lysander was before her, hugging her legs.
"Belle, oh, Belle, I missed you," Belle patted him on the back. She had expected this kind of behavior from Erin, but she supposed that Lysander was a child as well.
"What is with the mammoth meat in my bones, children?" She asked when she saw Erin. "Why would you even fell a mammoth?"
"I stole it from some wolves," Lysander said, chest puffing up. Belle heard a bark, and she saw a wolf pup on the bed.
"Oh, what have you done?" She asked, though, she was already piecing things together. "Thieving is bad, children. Now, the wolf pack had to hunt again, they might have starved."
Belle wanted to show the two the error in their ways. When she looked at the fireplace, she saw meat hanging from the rafters. There was enough to feed a small family for a year. More than two boys could eat.
"But, I challenged the wolves to an honor duel," Lysander said. Sure, the wolves might not have seen it this way, but back then, he had been desperate to get some meat inside his stomach, and Erin's, for that matter.
"Did they know that?" Belle asked. Lysander let go of her legs, and bowed his head.
"No," he mumbled. "I did badly?"
"Awful," Belle said, her brows knitted together. "For stealing, and for kidnapping."
Lysander opened his mouth to say that Paul liked it in the hut, but Belle swatted him on the nose gently. He closed his mouth, after that.
"I do believe you are in for a spanking," Belle finished. "And you will give back the puppy to the wolf pack!"
"I'll take the spanking," Lysander said, his head bowed. "But Paul likes us. He will help me hunt, when he grows up."
"Paul, is a wolf pup. He will grow into a wolf. Then, if the winter is harsh, he will eat the two of you in your sleep," Belle said, not backing off.
"What if Paul's family don't want him back?" Erin asked.
"And you, young man. Just what have you done, while I was asleep?" Belle asked, leveling Erin with a stern look.
"I did badly," Erin admitted, his blue eyes getting misty. "I ate a witch."
"Wait, what?" Belle looked from Lysander, to Erin, then back to Lysander. "Explain."
"Rin is a dragon shifter," Lysander said. "Don't spank him. The witch was going to eat him."
Belle was touched that Lysander wanted to protect his friend, even now. Yet, a murder has been done in her forest. She was before a tough choice.
She could chase away the two boys from her forest, have them go to the wastelands, of the frontier, or even to the deserted islands in the ocean. Yet, it had been her fault, for not being able to keep watch over them. If she had simply been stronger, she could have skipped the hibernation period.
With a heavy sigh, she picked up Lysander, and carried him to the bed.
"A spanking, for the both of you," she said. The children were still innocent. Besides, she had known that a witch lived in her forest. Yet, because of the barriers around the hut, she had never known where the woman was.
Even if it was done in self-defense, the two had to know that killing was a crime. They had to face the consequence. Belle let two sticks grow from her hands, and then motioned for Erin to stand by the bed, right next to Lysander.
"This hurts me, more than it hurts you," Belle said, as the two boys gulped. Erin's hand grabbed Lysander's and the two boys began to shake.
Something in Belle's throat became like a lump. She didn't want to rise the sticks towards the boy's behinds. They were so little. Yet, she gritted her teeth, and swatted each one of them once.
"Ouch," the chorused, and she gritted her teeth once more, preparing for a second strike. Yet, before she could do so, the wolf pup took one of her sticks, and snapped it in half.
"You don't believe they should be punished, do you?" Belle asked the puppy. It growled at her. "I guess; you also view this hut as a home?"
She then went, and tugged at the animal's ear. It whined then, but didn't try to bite her. Animals knew not to harm nymphs.
"That was because you butted in," she said. Then, she looked at the remaining stick, and threw it away. Gently, she swapped the behinds of the two boys one more time, and then turned them around. Erin's eyes were full of tears. Belle sighed, and then hugged them both.
"I don't want to ever need to spank the two of you again," she said, her voice wavering. "So, no stealing, no killing, when it is not for food. And I better not see any more meat in my roots. What if some animal had come, and dug my roots out, to get to the meat?"
From the confused look in the boys' eyes, she saw that they hadn't thought about that.
"But, I thought you need fertilizer," Lysander said.
"Dung, dead plants, ash. Never meat," Belle told the two of them, and then kissed their heads. They hugged her back then, and she knew that she was forgiven.
Chapter 28: Belle awakens
The tea, with the adding of calming mana, was something that saw Erin sleep like a log. Still, the blonde slept in Lysander's bed, with his arms wrapped around the wanderer's back.
Lysander didn't mind all that much. Sure, Erin's knees dug in his back, but that was a small price to pay, for the fact, that Erin wasn't waking up with nightmares. Besides, Paul liked to curl in their feet, which added his fluffiness as a second heat source for Lysander.
When the first leaves unfurrow in the spring, Belle finally came out of her tree. She saw that her saplings were being kept upright by bones, and that there was a huge mammoth meat pile, buried in her roots.
Her brows furrowed, trying to think how that could be possible. Then, she saw the hut, and got an aha moment. With brisk steps, she went, and knocked.
Soon, Lysander was before her, hugging her legs.
"Belle, oh, Belle, I missed you," Belle patted him on the back. She had expected this kind of behavior from Erin, but she supposed that Lysander was a child as well.
"What is with the mammoth meat in my bones, children?" She asked when she saw Erin. "Why would you even fell a mammoth?"
"I stole it from some wolves," Lysander said, chest puffing up. Belle heard a bark, and she saw a wolf pup on the bed.
"Oh, what have you done?" She asked, though, she was already piecing things together. "Thieving is bad, children. Now, the wolf pack had to hunt again, they might have starved."
Belle wanted to show the two the error in their ways. When she looked at the fireplace, she saw meat hanging from the rafters. There was enough to feed a small family for a year. More than two boys could eat.
"But, I challenged the wolves to an honor duel," Lysander said. Sure, the wolves might not have seen it this way, but back then, he had been desperate to get some meat inside his stomach, and Erin's, for that matter.
"Did they know that?" Belle asked. Lysander let go of her legs, and bowed his head.
"No," he mumbled. "I did badly?"
"Awful," Belle said, her brows knitted together. "For stealing, and for kidnapping."
Lysander opened his mouth to say that Paul liked it in the hut, but Belle swatted him on the nose gently. He closed his mouth, after that.
"I do believe you are in for a spanking," Belle finished. "And you will give back the puppy to the wolf pack!"
"I'll take the spanking," Lysander said, his head bowed. "But Paul likes us. He will help me hunt, when he grows up."
"Paul, is a wolf pup. He will grow into a wolf. Then, if the winter is harsh, he will eat the two of you in your sleep," Belle said, not backing off.
"What if Paul's family don't want him back?" Erin asked.
"And you, young man. Just what have you done, while I was asleep?" Belle asked, leveling Erin with a stern look.
"I did badly," Erin admitted, his blue eyes getting misty. "I ate a witch."
"Wait, what?" Belle looked from Lysander, to Erin, then back to Lysander. "Explain."
"Rin is a dragon shifter," Lysander said. "Don't spank him. The witch was going to eat him."
Belle was touched that Lysander wanted to protect his friend, even now. Yet, a murder has been done in her forest. She was before a tough choice.
She could chase away the two boys from her forest, have them go to the wastelands, of the frontier, or even to the deserted islands in the ocean. Yet, it had been her fault, for not being able to keep watch over them. If she had simply been stronger, she could have skipped the hibernation period.
With a heavy sigh, she picked up Lysander, and carried him to the bed.
"A spanking, for the both of you," she said. The children were still innocent. Besides, she had known that a witch lived in her forest. Yet, because of the barriers around the hut, she had never known where the woman was.
Even if it was done in self-defense, the two had to know that killing was a crime. They had to face the consequence. Belle let two sticks grow from her hands, and then motioned for Erin to stand by the bed, right next to Lysander.
"This hurts me, more than it hurts you," Belle said, as the two boys gulped. Erin's hand grabbed Lysander's and the two boys began to shake.
Something in Belle's throat became like a lump. She didn't want to rise the sticks towards the boy's behinds. They were so little. Yet, she gritted her teeth, and swatted each one of them once.
"Ouch," the chorused, and she gritted her teeth once more, preparing for a second strike. Yet, before she could do so, the wolf pup took one of her sticks, and snapped it in half.
"You don't believe they should be punished, do you?" Belle asked the puppy. It growled at her. "I guess; you also view this hut as a home?"
She then went, and tugged at the animal's ear. It whined then, but didn't try to bite her. Animals knew not to harm nymphs.
"That was because you butted in," she said. Then, she looked at the remaining stick, and threw it away. Gently, she swapped the behinds of the two boys one more time, and then turned them around. Erin's eyes were full of tears. Belle sighed, and then hugged them both.
"I don't want to ever need to spank the two of you again," she said, her voice wavering. "So, no stealing, no killing, when it is not for food. And I better not see any more meat in my roots. What if some animal had come, and dug my roots out, to get to the meat?"
From the confused look in the boys' eyes, she saw that they hadn't thought about that.
"But, I thought you need fertilizer," Lysander said.
"Dung, dead plants, ash. Never meat," Belle told the two of them, and then kissed their heads. They hugged her back then, and she knew that she was forgiven.
