William once again found himself completely disoriented. A symptom that often came from following his two older brothers. If only he knew they would be riding deep into the Queen's forest, he probably would have skipped out on this… Well, actually, he wasn’t quite sure what this was. All he knew for sure was that he regretted begging them to let him tag along.

“Oscar, where are we going?” William called from the back of the group. As he guided his mare around a large rock on their path, she clearly didn’t know this trail, which told William three things.

First, they shouldn’t be on this path at night.

Second, they must be well past the Queen's trails. So he had no clue where he was. Leaving him at the mercy of his brothers.

And lastly, his mare was in a stubborn mood this evening. Or else, she would stop trying to blaze her own trail at the back of the group.

William had the feeling it was going to be a very long night.

“Yeah Osc’. We almost there?” Owen called from the middle. His stallion following the steps of Oscar’s horse.

Oscar pulled gently back on his reins and turned in his saddle. “Alright, you remember those girls I told you about?” He said it as if he were speaking to the group. Though William knew the question was more for Owen.

“You mean the one where mom took that guy’s head off?” Owen smirked

“Don’t say it like that.” Willam cut in. “It was the Queen's justice; it’s part of her duty to—”

“Yeah, that one.” Oscar smiled back, ignoring William. “Well… They said they found a cool place where we could meet. Told me how to get there before we all left.”

“Sweet!” Owen smiled back. “Carry on then!”

“All this for a couple of girls?” William moaned. “For all we know, this could be a trap. Have you thought about that?” He waited for a response, but his brothers just stared back in mock horror. “For all we know, they were related to that guy mom... Oscar, this could be revenge!”

There was a pause among the three of them. William looked between his two brothers and watched as they gave each other a straight-faced sideways glance. Before breaking out into two big goofy grins. There was no hope with these two. William shook his head and sighed. Thinking he should have stayed home in the library instead.

“Well, carry on then.” William said, giving in to his only real option.

“Ohhh Yes! That’s the spirit!" Owen cheered!

“We’ll then, Onward!!” Oscar declared into the night.

William leaned down and brushed his mare’s mane. “We’ll never make this mistake again, will we girl?” She snorted and huffed in frustration, then began leaving a trail of road apples as she walked. “Yeah.” William groaned, “Feeling about the same as that.”

It was then that William truly felt the fear knot up deep in his stomach. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, his body rocking as his mare pulled him closer. They had taken a bend in the trail, and finally William was getting his first sight of the meeting place.

Along a winding path were spires of rock that jetted out at all angles. At the far end of the path sat a precariously leaning tower with what looked to be a small cottage as its topper. William knew what he saw the moment he laid eyes on it, and he feared for their lives.

“The lights are on!” Owen shouted over the wind.

It seemed to be picking up. William watched as it began to swirl, whipping up fallen leaves and loose dirt. And in the center of it all sat his two brothers, unaware.

“They must be here already!” Oscar shouted back. Kicking his stallion into a trot to follow the pathway. Owen, close behind.

“Stop!” William screamed, “Oscar! Owen! Stop!” He cried. But they couldn’t hear him. In fact, it seemed as if they had completely forgotten he was there at all.

The wind rose up. Higher, engulfing the tower, the path, his brothers. William shielded his eyes with his elbow as bits of rock, caught up by the wind, sprayed into his face. His mare reared, spooked by the chaos around them. Causing his hand to slip and sending him tumbling backwards off his saddle. His arms flailed, as he tried to grab hold of his horse, but his fingers simply slid down the mares rear and he went head first into the rocky ground.

“Agh!” He screamed out in pain. There was the slightest hint of iron in his mouth. He forced himself off the ground, but the wind hit back, the velocity of it whipping him over onto his back.

“Oscar! Owen!” He screamed again. Straining to keep his head up he peered through his parted fingers. He could barely make out the tower's front steps. Water pearling at the edges of his eyes, the wind stinging them. He could see his brothers now, Oscar with his hand on the front door.

“No! It’s a witches house.” It came out as barely a whisper. His breath caught up by gusts of wind. The door opened, and his brothers stepped inside, disappearing in a sudden snap. But it wasn’t just his brothers; everything disappeared.

A deafening silence settled heavily around him. William wasn’t sure if he believed what he saw. He blinked, lowering his hand as he gazed out all around him. He was alone. The clearing in the forest was just that—a clearing void of anything but himself and an expansive meadow. The flowers full white blooms aglow in the full moon’s light.

But then, William noticed them. There, across the meadow, stood two women. They smiled at him laying there in the dirt, utterly alone. Then, together, they turned away. Disappearing into the darkness of the forest.