Lady of the Woods

In hindsight it should have taken me a lot less time to find the Lady of the Woods, but, since King Richard had been no help whatsoever in that regard, I didn't recognize the help when it did come.

And it was almost instantaneous, now that I think about it. As soon as I got out of my hiding place and back on a road, I was greeted by butterflies. At first I thought, Cool. A bunch of butterflies. But after two days I started wondering, Why do these danged butterflies keep flying into my face?

Because that was what they were doing. Fluttering against my eyes and tapping against my nose and cheeks as hard as they could. At the beginning of the third day, when I got up from where I'd slept, I noticed they were all sitting on the ground.

Maybe if I move real slow, they'll stay there. Then I noticed something strange. The butterflies seemed to be forming a shape. Wow! What a neat coincidence, I thought. If you look at it a certain way it almost looks like an arrow pointing straight into the woods. Then I realized: That is an arrow pointing straight into the woods! They're trying to lead me to their Queen! I headed into the forest.

After another two days of following the butterflies, I finally saw her. She was sitting on a bridge over a peaceful stream. The sight of her was beyond description, so I'm sending a picture she allowed me to take with my cellphone:

She shimmered like the purest diamond, and her smile was radiant. The butterflies swarmed around her as if frolicking in the presence of bliss itself. And when she spoke to me, her lips did not move, other than to smile even more benevolently. Her voice was projected directly into my mind. It was like warm honey slowly coating my very brain.

:You know, it's one thing to refuse to ask directions. But to ignore them when they're beating you in the face:

"This place is new to me," I said in my defense. "I didn't know butterflies were like little GPS signals."

She laughed in my mind, and the sound was like butterflies fluttering through my synapses. "Ow," I said. "That kinda hurts."

:Sorry, you really are out of your element, aren't you: She reached out a hand. :Here:

I noticed then a ray of light playing along the strand she held in her fingers.

:A lady's thread: she explained. :You'll need it:

I took the pouch from my belt loop and opened it. She gently tucked the thread inside.

"Is that the thread you used to sew that really cool outfit?" I asked.

:It is indeed. But it's not merely a thread. It is a hair from my head. A small portion of my magic lies within that fiber:

My eyes widened, and I looked into the pouch. The hair actually glowed, illuminating the inside of the bag. "Cool," I said.

:Go now, champion. Fair-to-middling Earth needs you: She stood and took her cloak from her shoulders. She wrapped it around her arms and head like a veil, turned in a circle, and for a moment she was camouflaged against the forest background. I blinked involuntarily, and she was gone.

"Hey," I yelled. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Though my searching eyes never found her again, I heard her voice one last time in my head.

:When the time comes, you'll know what to do:

I looked all around. The Queen was gone, the butterflies were gone, and, once again, I realized I had no idea what I was doing. I also had no idea which direction led out. So I decided to keep moving forward. Over the bridge. Deeper into the forest. I noticed then, on the horizon, a column of black smoke. I heard also the not so distant sounds of battle.

Against my better judgment I headed toward the sound. Destiny, here I come.