In Her Shoes

Dave’s father had been sick for weeks now and not getting any better. The doctors say it is from a broken heart, but Dave and his brothers knew better. After their mother died his father refused to come out of their room. He said that he could not live without her, which was understandable. They have been together for centuries and she was his whole life. Not even his kingdom which he fought so hard for matter anymore. The King's brother, his uncle was elected to make sure that everything in the kingdom ran smoothly until Dave could take over the throne. But his was not a broken heart. His skin was turning yellow and he was getting very thin. Before they could even think of investigating, he died, and all thoughts of investigating were forgotten.

It was a Tuesday morning and he and his brothers were sitting in the hallway that leads to their fathers’ room. Even though there were chairs now they always sat on the floor with their backs against the wall. One of the brothers still smirked and they all knew that he was thinking back to the days when the hallway had no carpets and they all had to sit on the cold cement, waiting for a beating for something stupid they all did. One thing about the brothers, they were inseparable, and they all got into trouble together. Their mother used to always try and calm her husband down but failed miserably. He believed in teaching his boys that they should take responsibility for their actions.

Dave was sitting in his chamber when his brothers all barged into his room and he knew exactly why they were there. The throne was empty, and the people needed a king. “I know,” Dave said before anyone could say anything.

This time Dave let Dewayne speak his mind, but nothing came from him.

When he looked at him, he could see the unshed tears and got up. “I know, but I will be fine. Just keep my pack under control and all will be fine”

After the last meal, they all said their goodbyes as they did not want to know what time Dave was leaving making it easier for them to lie. It was a hard goodbye but a necessary one. Dave could not fall asleep that night, so he decided to pack his bag and leave before the intended time. As he was walking to the stables, he heard someone follow him. As he turned around, he saw a woman approaching him very cautiously, hand in the air.

“Dave, I mean you know harm, but harm is going to come to you and you need to listen to my” At first he didn’t understand what she meant, but then he saw that she had a glowing eye and he knew she was a witch.

When she saw that he realized she was a witch, she dropped the hood of her cape and lifted her hands again. “Please you need to listen to me. I am not the enemy here, but you do have one and he will stop at nothing to end you and your brothers”

That caught his attention and he nodded. She came closer and motioned for him to follow her into one of the empty stables. Waiting patiently for her to speak, but when she just fiddled with her fingers, he got a bit irritated and raised his voice “Talk!” when she jumped, he regretted it immediately. “Sorry, I am just not good at waiting”

Lifting her head, she looked him straight in the eye. “I need you to listen, like really listen and not to react, please. I cannot have you not pay attention to what I am about to tell you. You cannot change anything, but you can listen to me and when the time comes you can do whatever you need to. Tell me you understand…...please”

Dave knew this was serious and he nodded before saying it out loud, having to hear his own voice to the promise.

“Your uncle killed your father. He wants the thrown and you and your brothers gone. When I say gone, I mean dead. He has taken on the help of a very powerful witch and her powers are almost endless. I do not have time to explain everything, but I need you to do exactly as I say.” Before she continued, she pulled her hand through her hair and sighed. “I know all this because the witch that is helping him is my twin and I have been watching her and know what her plans are” Now he knew how Dewayne felt every time he used to answer before he could say anything. He smirked and when he sees the witch’s face, he just waved his hand and motioned her to continue.

“She is going to try and separate you from your wolf. Basically, killing him and leaving you alive. That way you will never be able to shift and protect yourselves against the onslaught that will be sent your way. Everyone will think that you were killed, and I can tell you know that your brothers will try to find who did this and they will fall into the same trap. We want this to happen because that is the only way I can save them. I have made a potion that will put your wolf to sleep. That way she will not be able to break. I will need to put a spell on you to keep you hidden for some time until my sister is weak enough to be defeated. She will never admit to anyone that she is weak and will try to hide it from everyone, including your uncle.” She looked up at him and saw that he was paling but listening.

“I am going to have to trap you in a volcano. That way my sister will not be able to detect you and when the time comes you would not have aged. Time will stand still for you, but a lot of things might change in the time you are away”

Dave put his hand up and she got a bit annoyed with his action but tried not to show it. “How long” when she shook his head, he knew it was not going to be a week or months, but years. She looked at him and sighed “100 years” The sharp inhale was expected but when he stood up, she got a bit scared and tried to stop him from walking away.

“Please, I know this doesn’t make any sense, but please listen to me.” Taking a vile out from the inside of her cloak she puts it on a nearby table.

“Please take this as soon as possible” He could see the desperation in her eyes and took the vile swirling it before drinking it all in one go. “Ok now what?” Dave asked rather annoyed. She looked at him and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Now you go and get killed. It is not going to be easy, but I will take care of you after that and when you return. I will help you find your brothers too” He reached out to wipe her tear, but that only made more roll down.

“What is your name?” he asked softly. Shaking her head, she almost whispered “No-one” He tried to not get annoyed but when he asked again, she looked him straight in the eye. “I AM No-one. I was never given a name at birth as I was weak and nearly died. A peasant couple took me in and raised me as their own, but it did not take long for me to find out the truth when I got older. But that is not important. What is important is that you need to find all your brothers before you can take on your uncle. You cannot take him on by yourself. That you need to remember.”

He nodded and was about to leave when something hit him. “What will happen to my brothers?”

She has not turned away yet instead, she was looking at her hands as if she wanted to say something else but decided not to. “I will hide them just like I am going to hide you, but it has to be far away from each other so that the bond between you van not be sensed. You will be dead to the world, but not to each other” With that she disappeared, and he was left standing alone with just his thoughts.