fay woman lost her footing, and would have fallen if I hadn’t been gripping her arm. My strength did not fail me. As we reached the door, it flew open. There stood my father in his plain roughspun tunic, his long grey hair and beard flying in the winter wind. I will never forget his eyes, filled with determination and bravery. He glanced briefly at the faerie, then turned to me, unflustered by our fantastical guest.

“Who comes?” He asked. 

“It’s the Wild Hunt, father,” I gasped, nodding toward the faerie. “They’ve come for her.”

Father studied the fay woman again. “Get her inside, sit her by the fire, and put a blanket on her.” He stepped out into the cold, and reached up into the thatched eaves of the roof. I was shocked to see him pull out a sword. 

I’d never seen my father hold a real weapon, though I’d seen him brandished farm tools at strangers and the tax collector. I did not know he had a sword, but there it was, clutched in his bony hand. It shone in the dim winter sunlight, and showed no sign of rust.

My father saw me staring at the blade, and bellowed, “Inside!”

I swallowed my shock and the questions raised by the sword, pulling the faerie toward our blazing hearth. She kept opening and closing her mouth, making rasping noises that might have been attempts to speak. I sat her down on one of the sturdy chairs my father had made, threw a fur over her shoulders, and ran back to the door.

I saw three black hounds burst from the trees in a shower of snow. They slid to a halt before my father, snarling and barking at him as he pointed the tip of the blade at them. I was amazed at how steady he kept the sword. 

Then, three horses trotted into view from the direction of the road. The men riding them were dressed all in black. The lead rider wore the garb of a nobleman. His doublet was embroidered with cloth of silver, and his polished boots gleamed. The other riders had the appearance of men-at-arms. They wore boiled leather and rough trousers, and heavy swords in thick scabbards hung from their horses’ saddles. One of the men dismounted, and shouted a command at the dogs. The menacing beasts became calm, sitting back on their haunches. 

These were mortal men after all, not malevolent spirits. The nobleman guided his horse toward us. The well-dressed newcomer looked amused as he regarded father, who still held his sword at the ready.

“Ho, old man, put up your weapon,” the nobleman said. “Do you know who I am?”

“I know who you are,” said father. “You are the Baron Hesse.”

“Indeed I am. You would not threaten a baron, would you?”

“I make no threat,” father said. “A man may protect his land when strangers trespass.”

“If you know me, then I am no stranger. Yet you have me at a disadvantage, for I do not know you.”

Father lowered his sword, and stood up straighter. “I am Sir Johannes Frieden.”

Baron Hesse’s eyes widened, as did mine. I never knew my father was a knight. I wondered what other things he had kept from me, such as the fate of the mother I had never known. 

The baron turned to his men. “We stand before a protector of the realm!” All three men in black laughed loudly. When the nobleman turned back to my father, he was no longer smiling. Baron Hesse leaned forward in his saddle and urged his horse forward until he was looming over my father.

“Well, Sir Johannes, I am not trespassing, because this is my land. You are merely a caretaker. But I am not here to correct your perceptions. I seek that which has momentarily slipped my grasp. Tell me, have you seen a woman in a red dress?”

“No,” said father.

The baron frowned. Then he raised his eyes to look at me.

“You, boy,” the nobleman called, “have you seen such a woman?”

I opened my mouth to respond, then shut it quickly. I felt the weight of the baron’s gaze as it bore into me, seeking to pull forth a confession.

“My son is a mute,” father said, and looked back at me with the stern face he often used to silence arguments with others.

Baron Hesse continued to stare at me. “Is he? Unfortunate. Well, if neither of you have seen our quarry, we shall move on. After my men have searched your hovel.”

The men-at-arms moved to obey their master, one on foot and the other still on his horse. My father lifted his sword again and pointed the tip toward them. 

“No one steps foot in my home without my leave.” Father’s voice was a menacing growl. 

“You dare defy me?” Baron Hesse asked.

“I do. Your reputation as a cruel bastard precedes you, and I do not bow to bastards.”

The baron’s face twisted with anger. “I’ll see you dead for that insult, Sir Johannes.” He gestured to his men, who drew their own swords and advanced on my father. 

“No!” 

The word was a shout from behind me. I turned to see the fay woman just as she pushed past me and stepped into the cold daylight. She still wore the wolf fur I’d given her, and had pulled on a pair of my father’s boots.

“Do not harm these men, monster,” the woman said defiantly as the baron towered over her on his horse. “Here I am. Take me back to the horrors of your castle. I pray for death to take me before long.”

Baron Hesse leered at the faerie before addressing my father. “Ah, I see you hold your honor as a knight in low regard, sir. You are a liar as well as a disobedient wretch.” The nobleman waved at his men again. “Kill this old fool and his son, and seize the woman.”

The men-at-arms moved quickly. One leapt toward my father, swinging his heavy sword in an overhead cut. My father’s own blade came up to barely deflect the blow, then came down and across to slash at the attacker’s belly. The man-at-arms stumbled backward to avoid my father’s counterstrike.

The other scarred warrior caught the faerie by the wrist. I rushed forward to aid her, striking out with a fist. The man must not have expected this, because I saw surprise on his face as my knuckles smashed his nose. He lost his grip on the fay woman and slipped on the icy ground, dropping his sword as he fell onto his back. 

“You fools!” Baron Hesse roared. 

The man I had struck wiped at his bloody nose, then whistled. The three hounds responded instantly, lunging toward me. Their master was struggling to stand and retrieve his sword. I shoved the man, knocking him back down, and reached for his sword. Just as my hand wrapped around the blade’s hilt, one of the huge dogs bit into my arm. I felt the terrible strength of its jaws and the piercing pain of its teeth. I tried to shake...Continue Reading