Our iron bracelets arrived yesterday, so Katie and I repacked our backpacks and went back down again.
We traveled west along the shoreline a second time. Whatever this party is that’s going on in the palace on the other side, it doesn’t seem to ever end? Kind of like the nighttime down here.
This time, we saw Lord Julian from a good way away, and he smiled and waved at us in a very friendly fashion when we spotted each other. He was in about the same place he was the last time, and Katie and I wondered how long he had been there and how often he checked that spot to see if we were in the area? I was a little nervous that he was here intercepting us again, but he was very cheerful and pleasant when we finally came within earshot and said hello.
“Lord Julian--I have to ask,” Katie said when we had finished commenting on the beauty of the night and the weather etc etc (he said the weather is ALWAYS nice here). “Why have we met you here in the same place twice?”
His expression grew rather more serious. “Er...” It was the first time I had seen him lost for words.
Katie looked annoyed. “I mean, isn’t it a little creepy? You intercepting us twice? How did you know we were here in the first place? Why are you trying to get us to go to the palace?”
“The truth is,” he said at last, “that Lady Laurel tries to keep a careful eye on the shores of the lake. “Strangers do wander into our forest from time to time, and they aren’t always aware of the dangers of this place.”
“Dangers?” I said more loudly than I really meant to. “What dangers?”
“Well,” he said reluctantly, “Lady Laurel asked me to intercept you here if you came in this direction, because she does not want you to fall into the hands of the Witch of the Wood.”
“Oh my God,” Katie muttered. “Of course there’s a Witch of the Wood.”
Lord Julian lifted his brows in surprise.
“I mean--” Katie pulled herself together. “So this witch is seriously dangerous?”
“Deadly,” Lord Julian said solemnly. “Terrifying. She makes doppelgangers of people.”
That was a term I had actually heard before. “You mean—those freaky doubles that look like your clones?”
I mean, that sounded a little creepy, but relatively harmless? “What does they do, these doppelgangers?” Katie asked.
“They take people’s lives.”
“You mean they kills them??”
“No,” Lord Julian answered slowly, “I mean they TAKE their LIVES. They go back in the person’s place—take over their life. All your friends and family will think it’s you, but actually, you never return to the other world.”
Katie and I stared at him. THAT was seriously creepy.
Seeing that he had finally made a deep impression, Lord Julian continued. “She lives along the southwest corner of the lake. You’d be safe if you walked eastward, but not if you came this direction.” He turned and pointed at one of the diamond willows, a particularly big one that stuck out far over the shore. “We consider that tree to be the beginning of her territory. We try not to pass it.”
Katie and I looked at each other. “So--we’d be safe if we walked the other way, but not this way?” I repeated.
“So Lady Laurel sent you here to stop us if we came this way.”
“Why don’t you just put up a sign? Wouldn’t that be easier?” Katie asked.
“We’ve tried. The Witch takes them down.” A fleeting expression of anger and disgust crossed his face.
“And there’s nothing dangerous on the east side of the lake?”
“No--just don’t get too close to the unicorns.”
“Why?” I asked nervously. “Do they have some kind of magical powers?”
Lord Julian smiled once more. “No. Because they’re wild animals and they’ve occasionally been known to bite.”
Katie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you going to keep... monitoring our movements while we’re here?”
“No--we’ve just been making sure you don’t pass the Grand Willow,” he said easily. “I can escort you around on your explorations or take you across the lake if you like--but if you don’t, you can go and see this place for yourself.
“Just not pass the Grand Willow.”
There was a long pause, and then we sort of said an awkward good night and walked away.
We don’t know how Lady Laurel managed to tell that someone had entered this area, or how she knew when we would be approaching the witch’s territory. That doppelganger thing is creepy as hell, though. Sounds like the trailer to “Us”: a movie I will never, ever, ever see if I can help it.
Katie and I went back to the path, then walked east a little way along the southern shore, but saw nothing of particular interest, so we went up the staircase and decided to regroup.
We’ve come up with a plan for our next visit: head west until we see Lord Julian again, and then ask him some questions and try to figure this place out a little more.
What do you want us to ask Lord Julian? Our ask box is always open!!
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