This is Hedgewitch 'verse.
But it involves spoilery things, if you want to know those spoilery things ask me, and I shall tell.
How to pronounce the name Yvaine, the only confusing name I use in this: Yvaine > E-vain.
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Keyholes and Unicorns
(or Unicorns and Keyholes)
“‘There is no use in trying," said Alice. "One can’t believe impossible things.’”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
She was running, her legs making quick work across the ground; at one point her left sneaker went squick! in the mud and she lurched forward. Grubby hands and raggedy nails sunk into the forest floor beneath, but still she pressed on. She had to. Her breathing became more labored with each movement she made, and she could feel the acute pain, like darts into her side, as the stitch in her side grew wider. She focused on the way in front of her, trying to make out the path through the dense undergrowth. Large trees obstructed her view and everything was a mass of green and brown, melding together like melted wax.
There! She smiled. She could see the clearing through the trees; she could see the giant carving rock. Her heart raced a little faster. She felt excitement explode in the pit of her stomach the aftershocks threading throughout her body.
She was in the clearing now, no trees, vines, or brush to stop her or slow her down. Just there, the rock stood like a dark, mammoth of a beacon heralding safety. As long as she made to the carving rock she was safe.
Straining her entire body towards it, she ran.
Finally her palms came in contact with the cool face of granite.
She had won; she was safe. Bracing her back against the rock, she heaved, forcing air back into her aching lungs. God, she hurt. But, I made it. I made it! A large smile broke across her face and she felt the urge to giggle.
Taking one deep breath after another she let her body go limp against the rock. At last, when she could breathe properly, she sighed and looked up.
I couldn’t have been that far ahead.
But, there was no one.
Then as she squinted and looked closer at the line of trees from whence she came, a shadow of white caught her gaze.
Yvaine felt her mouth drop wide open as a creature, larger than a horse with a silverly horn jutting from its forehead, ambled out of the forest towards her.
Yvaine blinked, it couldn’t be. Unicorns didn’t exist. But, the animal that was walking towards her clearly wasn’t a horse.
A voice broke the silence. “I’d take that as an insult if I didn’t know any better.”
Yvaine whipped her head around searching for the source.
“It’s me, you ninny, I’m right in front of you.” There, there was the voice again.
Yvaine swallowed, the unicorn was merely a foot from her, Yvaine starred at it, confused. It can’t be. Then it winked.
“Did you just… wink at me?”
“No, my eye just randomly spasms from time to time.”
“I…I… are you real?” Yvaine fought the urge to reach out and touch the creature.
The light was sparkling off its sheer, white coat and made the horn jutting from its head shimmer.
“Listen, I have something for you…” Suddenly a chain with a large, old key on the end of it appeared near the end of the unicorn’s horn. The unicorn bent his head towards her and shook his head so the chain slipped. “Take it. Your mother will know.”
“Whaa? How?” Yvaine shook her head and squinted, even as she stretched her fingers and clasped them around the key. “What should I tell her?”
“I suppose explaining that a unicorn just appeared and gave it to you is a bit out of your league even for you—don’t want them accusing you of your father’s eyesight—it will be the Boy Who Cried Unicorn all over again, and your mother will blame me, again, for something not entirely my fault, just like before.”
The unicorn knew her father as well? Someone was going to answer some questions when she got home.
Though, still confused Yvaine took the chain and stuffed it in her pocket. “I don’t understand, but I guess, sure…”
“Your mother didn’t, hell, I still don’t. Oh, joy, more of the rabble is on their way.”
Yvaine twisted around. She had entirely forgotten about the game they were playing.
“Wait!” Yvaine shouted, as the unicorn started off, “What should I tell her?”
“Tell her it’s a gift from Cym.” Yvaine had the feeling that only she could hear the unicorn’s parting words.
As the unicorn disappeared Yvaine fought the urge to shake her head and right the things rattling around in her head. She was no stranger to magic; growing up a Swift she had seen all sorts of fantastical things. Though, Yvaine herself hadn’t shown any magical abilities, most of her family was. But, unicorns were myth. There was no way anyone was going to believe her.
Loud crashing sounds came from the edge of the forest and within minutes two figures were free of debris and scrambling to get themselves upright. The pushed and prodded at each other, slipping and sliding in the grass, dirt smeared all over their hands and faces.
“Boys…” muttered Yvaine as she watched them racing towards her and the rock. They were probably too busy trying to out to the other to notice she was even there. A grin stretched across Yvaine’s face, and a sharp glint showed in her eyes. She fought the urge to cackle maniacally at them. She had beaten them square. She had won. Oh, it was a glorious feeling. But, not, Yvaine mused, as glorious as gloating would be.
“Hey guys!” Yvaine shouted out at them. “Take a look-see.”
She grinned as they stopped tussling with each other and faced her, their mouths dropping open, their look plastered to their faces: pure disbelief.
Yvaine’s brother Edmund—the shorter, younger of the two—huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, so that the hooded jumper he was wearing lifted and she could see the atrocious shade of orange of his shirt.
“You spoil all the fun.” Edmund wistfully glanced at the rock before stalking off the way he had come.
The other boy was brushing off the dirt from his pants, and paid no attention to the outburst, or the other boy at all. When he stood up, he brushed strands of hair, the color of straw, out of his face and there looked to be muddy imprints of fingers on his cheek.
“So you did win.” He frowned as if he didn’t quite believe the words he was saying.
“Yup, beat you square, Lucas.” Yvaine couldn’t keep the smile from her face. She had beaten them, she had one. True, Delphine, her eldest sister, hadn’t joined in this time, but she had won. She had conquered. Excitement still flowed through her.
“Not just me, Yvaine, but your brother too. Is Ed going to be okay?”
“Oh, sure. He’s just a sore loser is all.”
Lucas nodded, and then made an expansive gesture. “Shall I escort you back?”
Yvaine snickered at his formal tone. “Like I need help finding my way back to my own house.”
Lucas seemed content to follow her as she ambled off towards home.
It was passed dinnertime before Yvaine had a chance to speak with her mom about key. When she was finally alone with her she took her chance. Her mother was in the kitchen finishing up with the dishes, Yvaine sat down in a chair at the dinner table. Carefully, she extracted the chain from her pocket.
“Hey, mom. Know any unicorns named Cym?”
Yvaine held out the key, which rested in her palm, towards her mother.
There was no answer just silence.
Yvaine felt nervousness tingle along her spine and in her fingers. “Well, he told me—he said you’d know what he was on about… Mom?”
Finally, her mother seemed to tear her eyes from the key. “Cym? You mean he actually came out and talked to you?”
Yvaine stared at her mother. So, she did know the unicorn. And unicorns were real. And it wasn’t just her own imagination, being that she had conjured things that weren’t real before. Her mom, her mom knew a unicorn. True he didn’t seem like the ones out of the myths—always going around saving humanity from impending doom with their magical horns or raping virgins.
She tried to remember if he had actually talked to her or she had just heard his thoughts in her head. Just thinking about it was making her brain spin.
“Uh… yes? I think. Yes. Or at least I heard him in my head.”
“Oh, lord.” Her mother was grinning. Yvaine was confused.
She watched her mother ponder over something silently before she nodded her head, and spoke. There was a sparkling glint in her eyes. “You keep the key, honey, if Cym gave it to you, then I’m sure you’re the one to keep it.”
Yvaine huffed. “But what is it for?”
Her mother shook her head slightly. “No idea.”
“Then why would he give it to me?”
Her mother shrugged her shoulders. “Who knows. I’m sure Cym had a reason, albeit it probably is one of those peculiar things only he understands. Even if he told you, you probably wouldn’t understand. Here, hand me that plate.”
“Well, that’s weird,” Yvaine grumbled as she reached for the plate to give her to mother.
She watched as her mother started to load the dishwasher. It was getting more confusing, the more she though about it.
Who was this Cymbeline and why had he wanted her to have this key? Delphine was the more logical one when dealing with magical things; after all she was going to the Academy in the fall, Yvaine had yet to show much magical ability, what so ever. All this thinking was just making her head hurt.
“Just great…” Yvaine muttered, trailing off about cryptic unicorns giving cryptic directions. Just then the oddest remembrance struck her. “Hey, mom?”
Her mother turned from where she was programming the settings on the dishwasher. “Yes?”
“Why is this Cym worried about me inheriting Dad’s eyesight?”
Yvaine didn’t get an answer, oh she would get one later, from her father, as for her mother, she just laughed.
