Scarlet Moon (Once Upon a Time) Read Free

there?
    Ruth shook her head to rid it of the question. The woods held enough terror for her without her allowing thoughts like that in.
No, he probably died long ago.
That thought did give her a great deal of satisfaction, and she stood, ready to continue working.
    She crossed to the anvil and bent to pick up her hammer. A shadow darkened the door and she glanced up. A man stood there, his form thin beneath travel-stained clothes. His blond hair was unkempt and straggled past his shoulders.
    “What can I do for you, stranger?” she asked.
    “I guess I would seem a stranger to your eyes, butI know you, Ruth,” he said, his voice cracking. “Though when I last saw you, your appearance was less that of a boy and more that of a girl.”
    She wrapped her good hand around a metal rod used to stoke the fire. “Who are you?” she asked warily. She stood her ground as he advanced.
    When he got close enough that she could see his eyes, she froze. “Peter?” she whispered.
    The wraith before her nodded. “What’s left of me.”
    “Peter!” she cried, dropping the poker and flying to him.
    “Careful!” he exclaimed as she hugged him fiercely.
    “Sorry,” she laughed, pulling back slightly. She couldn’t believe the boy she remembered had grown into the man before her. Only his eyes were the same—a soft brown, shot through with gold flecks. Even they had changed, though; a shadow was in them that had not been there before.
    She glanced over his shoulder to the open door. Would her brother stride through it next? Several seconds elapsed and she could feel disappointment curling like a serpent in the pit of her stomach.
    Peter just continued to stare at her, and tears slowly began to trickle down his cheeks. He looked as though he were struggling to speak. Finally he gave up and just shook his head.
    “Come,” she said, still gripping his arms. “I must take you to see my father. We will dine and you will tell us everything.”
    He nodded before clasping her in his arms once more. After a moment he pulled away with a pained laugh. “Lead on, lady.”
    She smiled self-consciously, brushing off her trousers hastily. She had begun wearing them long ago. They offered better protection from the sparks of the fires with which she worked and better covered the scars she carried. Seeing Peter reminded her of a time long before, when she had still dressed like a girl and behaved like one.
    Quickly she dampened the fire in the forge and checked to make sure nothing else needed immediate tending. Satisfied, she took his hand and led him from the shop toward her home.
    Warm memories of childhood filled her as they walked. She watched Peter as he looked around him with eyes that seemed slightly bewildered. He caught her watching and gave her the ghost of a smile.
    “I never thought I would see this place again. Somehow I expected it to be different, changed.”
    “Like you?” she asked gently.
    “Strange, the thoughts one has when far from home.”
    “Well, you’re back now, safe. You can put such thoughts behind you.”
    “One day, maybe,” he admitted. “But that day seems far away.”
    His words struck her as strange, but her worry for her brother pushed them away.
    Suddenly a man cried out, “Peter!” and rushed toward them. Peter jerked and twisted toward the sound. He relaxed visibly after a moment.
    “Hello, Marcus,” he called good-naturedly.
    Marcus embraced him and then turned. “Peter has returned from the crusades!” he shouted.
    Within moments people were streaming from their homes, shouting Peter’s name and rushing forward to touch him. Two men lifted him high into the air and paraded him up and down the street, laughing with joy. Ruth’s father rushed up and they delivered Peter into his arms. He crushed his nephew with a happy cry, and Ruth felt tears burning her eyes.
    Peter is the returning hero, but where is my brother and when may we welcome him home?
She shook her head, willing herself to be