Stepping through the Hedgerow

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Myhands316
Myhands316
1,179 Followers

Michael stood between the other men and Estelle. When they started walking toward the back, he followed. "Not you son. You and the young lady have a nice day. I also would like to thank you for your service." He offered Michael his hand. "Been there done that." He nodded letting Michael know he too was a veteran.

"Come on Michael, we need to pay for our stuff. We are sorry this happened." Estelle said as the manager walked away. Estelle was silent as Michael paid for the food in the basket. She remained quiet as he loaded the truck. She didn't acknowledge him as he held the door for her.

Michael sighed at the silent treatment. He didn't care. He would have killed them if he could. Maybe if he got in a fight, he could suicide by cop. He looked at Estelle and wondered if he could really end his life. For some godforsaken reason, this exquisite creature cared about him.

His thoughts raged in his mind as he drove. Every so often to be interrupted by a face of different children. He shivered when one little girl's face, with tears flowing down her cheeks, looked at him and it broke his heart. She looked just like a younger Estelle, but with mist green eyes. The same eyes, that looked back at him every time he looked into a mirror.

Estelle could feel the torment and sorrow from Michael. For some unknown reason his actual thoughts were hidden from her. She felt bad that she had caused him pain. She was also mad at him for almost killing that stupid boy. He would have to learn control before he could ever take up the mantel of power as her husband and the Queen's protector. She didn't speak, because she didn't know what to say.

Michael pulled up in front of the cabin and turned off the truck. "I'm sorry...." He said and got out. Estelle felt him close her out as he started taking in the supplies.

She tried to push against the barrier in his mind only to be met with darkness. He wasn't seeking death, but the spark of life hadn't returned either. She didn't know what to do. She knew she was fated to mate with this man, but not if she could ever love him, like her father loved her mother. It was the first time she ever stopped to think things through.

"It is about time Estelle." He Mother's voice rang in her head. "You will be Queen sooner than you think. You must always think of the reaction to each and every action you make. You are not some shepherd's daughter, but a future Queen."

"Have you reconciled with father yet?" Estelle threw back at her mother. "Are you finished hurting him and the forest with your neglect?" She didn't want or need her mother's interference in this.

"That is not your concern!" Her mother shot back.

"I hope he makes you beg before he forgives you Mother. You tend your mistakes, and I'll attend mine." She spun and headed into the cabin, and closed the door in her mind.

***

After the chores were done and supper was in the oven, Michael waited out on the pole swing. He knew sooner or later the Sherriff would want to talk to him about hurting his son. Part of him didn't care and the other part just wanted the world to leave him alone. He sighed when he heard the vehicle on the dirt road. He waited as the four-wheel drive Sheriff's SUV pulled up.

"Can I help you?" Michael asked as the tall man climbed out and put on his hat.

"Are you Michael...?" The man asked, looking him up and down.

"That's what they tell me." He kept himself flat footed as he waited to see what the man in front of him would do.

They both looked as Estelle slammed the screen door as she came out. "How is your son's arm?" She asked kindly.

"Broken... thanks for asking." Looking at Estelle, he could see how is son would've been taken with the striking woman. "I just need to know what really happened, from your point of view." He asked unemotionally.

"It wouldn't have come to harm if he hadn't grabbed me. He was just being an arrogant child, but when he grabbed me, Michael acted in my protection." Estelle said and walked up and placed her hand on Michael's arm softly.

"What's your last name son?" He asked noncommittally.

"Sparks... Michael Sparks. This is my Grandfather's property."

"He was a good man.... Would you've really killed my son?" He asked, looking for Michael's reaction.

"No...!" Estelle said instantly.

"I don't know... it's what I've been trained for. Old habits die hard I guess." Michael shrugged, not caring.

"Who trained you?"

"Army... Transportation Support, is what they called it. I was a 50 cal. Gunner."

"Damn it...!" The Sherriff swore. "Jeb Dawkins said you were a vet." He sighed. "What happened and why did you...."

"He was showing his ass. Making unwanted comments and bugging Estelle. He grabbed her arm and I reacted. I'm sorry if I've done any permanent damage." Michael folded his arms. "His asshole friend started making threats and the store manager showed up. He said we could leave, so we did." His eyes never left the Sherriff's.

"Yeah, that's about what Jeb said. I just needed to check." He sighed. "You going to be staying here long?"

"Don't know. Just needed some space...." Michael started but didn't finish.

"Just don't make a habit of hurting the people in town." He started to turn. "If you need anything, call. Have a good night." The Sherriff went back to his SUV and got in. He backed out and headed back down the dirt road to the highway.

They watched the Sherriff pull away. "You played a dangerous game." Estelle said quietly.

"No game, I just don't care. If he was going to throw me in jail, nothing I would have said would've stopped him." Michael responded and shrugged.

"Dounduff...!" She said and walked away.

"Yeah, and I love you too!" He replied and walked in the other direction.

Estelle froze for a second at the word 'love' then shook herself and went to finish her favorite lamb dinner if the cloddish human wanted it or not.

***

That night as Michael lay there awake, he was angry at himself. His head was swirling with long forgotten emotions. He had worked so hard in becoming numb. He fought them back as he tossed and turned on the big comfortable bed. In his mind, he heard the command.

"Sleep..!"

"And what if I don't want to sleep? Leave me alone." He pulled a pillow over his head and tried to ignore everything and wallow in his anger. Without him knowing it, he did finally fall asleep. In his dreams, he walked the deer path. At the same spot he met Estelle, someone was waiting for him.

It was the same little girl. She stood there and just looked at him. She wore clothes that blended in with her surroundings. He wanted to pull her in his arms and hug the worry from her sad eyes. She walked over to the same tree where Estelle had found him and sat down on a large protruding root.

"How can I help you?" He asked as she looked at him.

"Father, the Forest is disappearing." She said simply. "If you don't heal, my brother's and sister's will die with it."

"Why do you call me that? I don't have any children. I'm not likely too either." He again wanted reassure the sad child and comfort her.

"If you and Mother don't.... We love you Father, but if you don't let Mother heal you, we will all die. I have to go, Mother is worried. I am only a possibility and I am growing weak." She said as a single tear slipped down her cheek. "We love you...." She slowly faded as Michael reached out to touch her.

"LAUREL, NO...! Don't go!" He screamed and jolted awake, drenched in sweat. As the dream cleared from his mind, he realized he was sitting up in the bed clutching one of his pillows.

"It's okay now..." Estelle soothed him as she sat on the bed. "It was just a dream. You are safe. I am with you." She stroked his hair and tried to use the magic to take his fear away.

Michael, overcome with emotion, tossed his pillow away and grabbed onto Estelle and hugged her. She kissed his head as all the grief that he had been holding back came pouring out. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized Estelle was naked, but that didn't matter, as she held him while his body convulsed through his emotions. She sat there and supported him while the storm raged.

***

Michael avoided direct eye contact with Estelle over the next week as he tried to figure out what he was feeling. He woke up frustrated when she wasn't in bed with him. Every morning from then on he looked for her next to him. It was like something that was meant to be there, was missing.

His face would flush at the thought of crying like a babe all over her breasts. When the thought of her being there for him crossed his mind, his body would respond in a way he had thought would never happen again. He didn't know what to do with it.

He swore that he would not think about that. It had crushed him when he found the woman he was sleeping with over there, was killed. Then there was Susan. He was supposed to marry Susan. He had lusted after her all through school. It was because of her, that he joined the military. He wanted to offer her something more than a minimum wage job and being stuck in the same neighborhood they had grown up in.

The day she left him, he told himself that he would never go there again. He would never give a woman the power to hurt him. Yeah, he knew about her having sex with another guy. Hell he did the same thing with the young widow. It wasn't like either one of them were virgins. He thought Susan was pregnant when he joined, only to find out in basic training, that it was a false alarm. What shocked him was when he found out later that she had slept with all of his, so called friends, while he was away.

What hurt the most were the pictures his sister had showed him after she got tired of him pining over Susan. It showed Susan in the middle of a bunch of guys. It was more pornographic than some of the mags his buddies had hidden in their war bags. She had one in her hand, one in her mouth and was riding another. He could see the shapes of other men's legs in the background. He only looked at two of the pictures then vomited.

As he thought of his war buddies, he got angry that he couldn't go to their funerals. It didn't matter to him that he was still in a coma. It was the principal of the thing. They were closer than family. They shed blood, sweat, and tears; together. He should have died with them, not left here lingering in his inadequacy.

"When you are done talking to the Mother, I would like to take a walk in the woods." Estelle said from behind him.

"Go ahead." Michael answered automatically.

"With you... if you want to join me?" She smiled at him.

"Oh... um, okay." He got up and followed her to the path.

She slowed so he could walk next to her. "You are lucky. There are many places where the forest is dying. This place is very peaceful." She said, trying to gage where his closed thoughts were.

"I hated coming out here as a kid." He commented thoughtfully. "No TV, no place to ride my bike or friends to play with; I thought it was torture." He said, thinking about the little girl telling him about the forest. When they passed the tree, he paused and whispered, "Laurel...," as he looked at the small root that had started protruding out of the ground.

"Who is this Laurel?" Estelle asked with frost in her voice.

"Our daughter, I think." His eyes lost focus. "She has your face and my eyes. She is sad, the forest is dying she said. She wants to be born." If he had been looking at Estelle, he would have seen her almost faint.

It was the way he said it. He was talking to the Goddess, not her. He had the same faraway look in his eyes that he has had over the last weeks. He was speaking the truth if she wanted to hear it or not.

"There have been none strong enough to do that in so long it can't be remembered." She said softly.

"She said she is getting weak. I have to help her." He turned and looked at Estelle. "I'm sorry, it was just a dream. I didn't mean to assume..." He blushed as he noticed her nipples through her top.

"Let us walk." She turned and tried to ignore the flash of heat from him. It did things to her that she didn't understand.

"And you never will!" He mother's voice said.

"Flagsgraph...!" She muttered under her breath.

"What..?" Michael asked.

"Nothing.... Let us go." She reached to clasp his hand and started walking.

"Where we going?" He asked confused.

"Not to cliff, but to special place I have found." Estelle said and marched them deeper into the forest.

"You mad at me...?" He started to ask but was silenced by her look.

They walked in silence until she brought him to a clearing with a small pool in a falling stream. He looked around and was surprised at the beauty surrounding him. "How did you find this place?"

"It wasn't hard. It called to me. It is a better place for you to talk to the Mother and Father. The house was getting too full of your thoughts. Don't worry, I will watch over you." She left him standing there taking in the scenery.

Michael found a comfortable place to sit and watched the small water fall as it filled the pool. He listened to the relaxing sound of the water tinkling over the rocks as his eyes lost focus. He didn't know how long he sat there with the sun shining. It warmed his skin as thoughts tumbled in his mind.

His brain caught a flicker of movement and his eyes focused on the spot. He throat went dry as Estelle came into view. She was swimming in the clear water, not making a ripple as her body moved across the expanse. In his mind, her lithe form was magnified as he watched her without blinking. He knew if he closed his lids for even a fraction of a second, she would disappear.

A slight breeze bushed his hair across his vision and he flicked back the grey streak that had replaced his once blonde hair. He was surprised that it was actually long enough to get in his eyes. He was so used to having it short for the military.

He tensed when he saw a large brown animal approach the water's edge. Estelle laughed as she crested the water a couple of feet away from the bear. She held out her hand and let the animal smell her and then did a reverse flip back into the water. The bear looked at her and then dipped its muzzle into the clear water to drink.

He was still shaking when she approached. She was back in her fawn leggings and green top that she always wore. "I didn't need protection. Their kind and mine are friends of sorts. Though we are wary of each other and respect the other's power. They will not attack us. She just wants to bring her cub down for a drink." Estelle said trying to calm him down.

"A lot of good that would do if that bear was hungry. I couldn't get to you. What were you thinking?" Michael shouted. "You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry if I worried you...." She said trying to placate him.

"Worried...! I was scared shitless. How can I take care of you if I'm so far away?" Michael responded with his fear and anger flowing through him.

"I don't need a keeper." She shot back, her voice going cold.

"Are you sure about that? Parading around the woods nude, waiting for any stranger to come and rape you. Frolicking with wild animals tempting them into a warm lunch. I think you need more than a keeper."

"I can take care of myself. I am not a child." Her eyes narrowed.

"I didn't say you were. But you are a defenseless woman in the woods."

"I am not...!" Her voice rose.

"What...? A woman or defenseless?" Michael shot back, spoiling for a fight.

They stood there for an hour hurling anger at anger, both of them blind to the underlying emotions. They gave as good as they got and then some. Estelle didn't realize she was pulling in the magic until she released it.

"Stop this..!" She ordered, expecting him to be held immobile.

"Or what...?" He shot back feeling the ripples in the air around him. "What are you going to do about it?" He stepped closer and looked into her shocked eyes.

No one ever had been strong enough to thwart her magic. Not even her mother. It took all the elders to teach her control. "Sleep..." she placed her hand on his cheek.

"I don't want to sleep, I want to fight. Try your faerie bullshit on someone else. I'm wise to you now." He spouted, the anger overpowering his reason.

"I am not some foolish faerie... pollinating flowers and teasing men." She spit back out indignant.

"What the hell ever you are, don't try that on me again. I'm not tired. I don't need rest. I don't need to be coddled like a child. I am a man. I have lived through hell and I'm still standing."

"A man... you are nothing but a youngling to my people." She met him emotion for emotion.

"Since I don't even know who the hell your people are, that must mean I'm not one of your people. I am twenty five years old. I am a man. I have finished school, slept with a woman, fought in a war and watched my friends die in front of me. Can you say as much?"

He stood there dumbfounded as she ranted in whatever language she spoke. He knew by the tone she was reading him the riot act. Her hair literally crackled in the wind as she gave him the what for, even if he didn't understand a word she was saying. He felt things he had never felt before.

She was lovely in her anger, her movement's; poetry. As soon as his anger overcame him, it left. When it disappeared, he felt warm and somehow whole again. Instinct drove him as he reach out and pulled her into an embrace. Without thinking his lips captured hers.

Estelle was shocked speechless. Part of her wanted to pull back and continue scolding him, and another part of her wanted to get lost in his emotions that she now fully shared. She knew this for him wasn't 'fuck'. This was special. He didn't want to do anything but kiss her.

As the kiss lingered, neither one noticed when their feet left the ground. Neither one saw the thunder squall move in. They stood there holding each other and let their lips linger until the first crash. Michael pulled back and felt himself flinch when there was nothing under his feet.

"Sodoma mia grah...?" Estelle asked heavy lidded.

"With my life...." Michael didn't understand that they hadn't spoken out loud.

"Flonggis mia esodda." She reached back up to him as he lowered back down and kissed again. This time as they kissed, Estella felt the magic flow. It flowed stronger than it had ever before. She knew if she unleashed it, she could make her heart's desire and not be tired. Could this be what her mother was trying to tell her?

This time as he pulled back, he tapped his toe to make sure he was still on the ground. He felt something solid under him, so he risked opening his eyes. He was still in the clearing, but the perspective was wrong. Without letting Estella go, he looked around. He gasped as he realized he was in a large tree. They were standing on a wide branch.

"What... how... who...?" He tried to ask and looked into her eyes. Placing his forehead on hers, "Lucy you got some splainin to do," he said in a bad Ricky Ricardo voice, from all the reruns he was forced to watch while he was immobilized in the hospital.

Estelle laughed as she saw the visions of what he meant. "But not right now." She spoke to his mind.

"How the hell do we get down from here? He asked prosaically.

"The same way we got up here." she said, like it all made perfect sense as she initiated the kiss this time. She took them down in long lazy spirals as they held onto one another.

"Wow... I've heard of a kiss spinning your head, but that was out of this world. Who are you, that you can do that?" Are you really an Elf?" He reached up and softly touched the tops of her ears through her hair.

"Stop that...!" She giggled. "It tickles...." She reached up and pulled his head down to hers. "It is better to tell you this way. I don't know the words in your language." As soon as their heads touched, they were sharing their thoughts. "Ah grah mis esodda toddo juno tablue" She pulled him into her mind.

Myhands316
Myhands316
1,179 Followers