A Home for the Holidays!

A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 2022

Can a culturally despised/bullied person find Holiday joy and peace?

Dear Readers, the story I am sharing with you belongs to a genre know as fantasy, a world filled with magic and interesting creatures along with ordinary (and extraordinary) humans. It is a world in which evil and good are in conflict. The world I created is modeled in some ways after mountainous areas of Central Europe.

It is my first story of the fantasy genre. Since I had to pick a Literotica category I picked Romance.

At times evil brings some violence to the world, and if you can't deal with violence please backspace and find another story. All the chief characters are adults, over the age of 21.

This story was created by me and belongs to me as the author, and to improperly use it is a violation of international copyright law. If you desire to add to the story, such as a sequel, please contact me for permission.

I have benefitted with an anonymous mentor/editor, but neither of us is perfect. We simply do our best to provide quality entertainment for the enjoyment and encouragement of others.

This is a Winter Holiday entry. Enjoy, and remember to vote. Thanks

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Part One

Most people would have described her small village as picturesque. Nestled in a beautiful green valley with gentle terraced fields extending upwards to the tree line of the dense foreboding forest and above it the mountains sweeping majestically upward with ever increasing inclines. In summer the farmers were at work tending the fields. The cows grazed on the higher pastures, and on the south side of the mountain the special green of the grape vines added color to the blend. In Winter the village often looked like a Christmas card fantasy.

Elyse knew, though, that sometimes the winters were cruel, and despite the pretty houses, many of the villagers were superstitious, emotionally cold and often cruel.

A few days before she had been looking forward to the holidays, but also with some fear that something was about to go wrong.

It had.

It was a cold winter's night as Elyse quickly gathered her things. Her day had been very traumatic. An orphan, she now lived with her grandfather. He had become sick a week ago, and died just after last light. Now she was in a panic. She figured she had less than an hour before her whole world went to Hell. Elyse often felt she was already living there, yet life had shown her that things could and often did get worse, especially for her.

The gentle snow had started in the afternoon, the flakes glistening like diamonds in the sunshine, but more and more heavy clouds had covered the mountains and came down to the valley. Snow was falling heavier now and a quiet percolated the valley. To her it seemed ominous, portending lurking evil.

Elyse knew she had to leave her small village quickly before the ignorant townsfolk came after her. For years, they had tried to banish her because they believed she was a witch. It was only out of respect for her grandfather that they had let her remain. Now that he had died...she was in peril.

Elyse bore a huge wine-colored birthmark on her face. She tried to hide it, behind her hair, but the whole village knew it was there. Anything different, anything unusual and their superstitious minds not only wanted to reject what was different, but blame any ill they could think up on having a "strange one" in their midst.

For years that the villagers blamed Elyse for everything that went wrong. Blight, drought, flood. They were all her fault even though she lived among them and suffered the same fate. Both children and adults alike tossed stones and made allegedly holy signs at her to protect themselves from her.

To tell the truth, Elyse almost believed that she was a witch too. If her alleged "powers" had ever brought her happiness or tranquility she would have known that to be true. But, "powers" of good never emerged. As a baby, Elyse's mother had died only days after delivering Elyse of a placenta abruption. Rose, her mother, had slowly bled to death after Elyse's birth. Still, Rose was cognizant enough to notice Elyse's birthmark. She knew her daughter was in for a rough life for people would accuse her of being a witch. They would harm and malign her precious baby girl. Only the kindness of the gods could protect her, so Elyse must be given to the gods.

Rose had sworn her husband that he would give Rose to the Sisterhood of Volva. This sisterhood was a group of seeresses who foretold and created destinies. The volva were not witches but rather enchantresses of earth magic. Left alone, they brought villages prosperity. It was to the Sisterhood of Volva that Rose wanted her baby girl sent to, but alas this was not to be.

Rose's father, Roland was a superstitious man. He blamed his new born child for being a female and killing his beloved wife; so he didn't send his baby daughter away to be with the volva where she might have found happiness. Roland kept Elyse and mistreated his small child. Roland repeatedly told Elyse that she had killed her mother; all their woes were her fault. Young Elyse had believed it too. Roland was her father so he must be right!

When Elyse was seven her father had died in an ice fishing accident. The ice on which Roland had been fishing was too thin. He had fallen in and drowned. That's all there was to it; accidents like this happened almost every year in Elyse's small village. Still Elyse blamed herself. She had hated her father. He was never kind to her. He had never loved her. She had wished harm would come to him and harm had come. That was another reason, Elyse believed herself to be a witch.

After the death of her parents, no one in the village would care for Elyse. She was sent to live with her grandpa, David. Elyse's grandfather lived outside the village, on a path that led way up the mountain. Villagers came to him for medical care and advice in their daily lives. He was respected far and wide. David took Elyse in. Grandfather and granddaughter were a family.

Still, she was lonely; no children would play with her. Often, she had gone into the forest in search of friends, Elyse was cautious of the dark forest but not truly afraid. She was more afraid of the children than the forest. The children, especially a bully named Bryce tormented her. Bryce was athletic, he tossed stones and called her names. Bryce could always bring tears to her eyes. Naturally she avoided the village children as much as possible. This division only intensified as both Elyse and the children grew, for now they had adult problems instead of easily mendable childhood cares.

If Elyse had one friend in the world, it was a black wolf. Not a pup and not an adult wolf, it was a wolf who seemed to be without a pack. It was alone in the world, like Elyse. The wolf never came to her but she knew he was always close. A protective dark angel. They were friends in their loneliness.

But, now none of that mattered. Elyse's grandfather had died during the night so the protection the villagers granted her was gone. They would blame her for the death of their medicine man and advisor; they would certainly kill her.

She finished gathering her meager possessions. Elyse put on most of her clothes in layers and wrapped herself in a large, heavy woolen blanket and, after checking for spies, slipped away in the darkness. She soon encountered heavier snow that she had anticipated and the going was not easy. Already the snow was deep and, in some spots, came up to her waist.

Elyse knew she had to immediately get as far away from the village as possible. She feared what some of the more malevolent or superstitious ones might do if they found her.

She knew her life was at stake! It was hard to leave her grandfather's home in search of a new one; but, not hard to leave the superstitious village people.

Elyse followed a path that led up to the higher elevations though it was difficult to follow in the darkness.

According to local lore, the mountain was supposed to be cursed. Legend had it that dangerous creatures lived up there. When a few years previously a sheep was found one night torn apart and half eaten, someone claimed he had heard wolves howling that night. Others said maybe they were werewolves. Some people said those who saw them never returned. She knew that had to be silly, because if they never returned how could those ignorant peasants know what they saw?

Still, Elyse was a bit familiar with the lower mountain and no creatures who lived there had harmed her. Given the choice of proven dangerous harm or death from the villagers, or unknown potential harm in going up the mountain, she felt she had no choice.

Part Two

As she moved further up the mountain the more the weather intensified. Soon Elyse's vision was completely obscured. She couldn't see in front of her due to the intensity of the snow storm. She leaned into the wind so as not to be blown off the mountain .... Bam! She ran into something.

Endres looked down at the small human woman who had blindly run into him. She looked so tiny, so frail. Foolish woman! What was she doing all the way up here on the mountain alone? Not even the biggest and strongest human men would brave the storm. It was rare they came this far even for hunting, foraging or cutting wood, AND NEVER AT NIGHT. Men feared the forest and the dark foreboding mountains.

Endres continued looking at the woman as her hat blew off and the wind swept her long hair back, revealing her birthmark. Fuck, he knew this woman...sort of. This was the woman who was always alone. This was the woman he'd watched from a distance. The woman he wanted to know...and now, like a dream she was here.

Endres knew he'd have to do something or she'd freeze to death. The muscular man reached down and lifted the frail woman up. She weighed next to nothing. Endres hurriedly carried her back to his small remote cabin. He gently set her down on a pile of furs next to the fire and waited for her to wake up.

Some in his pack would say that he should have let her freeze. She was a mortal who had strayed into their territory after all but Endres disagreed. This woman was a living being and he had a responsibility to her, as a fellow creature of the earth. As she gently snored on the bed of furs, he wished there was something...anything ...more he could do for this lovely delicate creature.

It took a long time but the travel-weary woman finally stirred and opened her eyes. Elyse instantly knew she wasn't in the cold forest any more. She was somewhere else. But, where? No one in her village would nurse her, for fear of reprisal and Elyse knew no one else. Briefly, she wondered if she was dead and this was some afterlife. After all, wasn't Valhalla supposed to be a great dining hall, where a person lived and feasted with their ancestors?

Elyse quickly dismissed the thought. She wasn't dead, but something was happening. Where the fuck was she? She couldn't be in a person's home on the mountain. The mountain was too dark and dangerous and no people lived here.

A log in the fireplace cracked, startling Elyse. She saw a blur in the corner and rubbed her sleepy eyes in an attempt to see better. She saw what appeared to be a man. But, it couldn't be. The mountain was too wild. It was too dangerous. Or so all the stories said. Anyone who survived up here must be a savage! The idea of Valhalla entered her mind again...how would a person know if they were dead?

"Hello, again." came a deep voice.

"Hello again?" What the fuck was going on Elyse thought to herself. She had no one left in her life who would say "hello".

"Sorry, that bump on my head has me seeing things. It looks like you're a man and I seem to be safe in a home. Isn't that strange? Everyone knows the mountain is a treacherous place. There are voracious creatures up on the mountain top. Where am I? Why is this home warm and safe? Did I fall down the opposite side of the mountain into some miraculous shelter?

Elyse laughed without humor and pulled her hair over her birthmark. She was nervous. She was glad she'd left her home village. There people had persecuted and maligned her. Now Elyse wondered if she had fallen out of the frying pan and into the fire. At least, she thought in her village, they would have killed her quickly. Still, as Elyse basked in the fire's glow, she knew in life things could and probably would get worse. She took a deep steadying breath. She would meet her fate; she would endure this. She could be strong even in death.

Endres looked at his guest and smiled. His peculiar mortal friend was awake and apparently physically alright. "Well, actually I am a man. My name is Endres. Can I do anything to help you? Would you like some tea? I've just started the kettle. You don't have to be afraid of me. You're safe in my home. I make my living by trading goods between villages. Most of the time here it's just me and my sheep. I don't get many visitors. I lead a very lonely life." stated Endres.

He paced across his cabin nervously. He knew was lying of course, on so many levels, but, there was no need to upset Elyse with his life story right now. She was sick and only the outside storm awaited.

Why in the nine realms had he brought this woman here? She was mortal and fragile. He was a man...for now. Yes, he knew her from a distance...sort of. Still, his wolf side had poor control. That was the main reason he lived up on the mountain and away from others. Endres was reclusive as a man and as a wolf. Apart from watching Elyse when she came into the woods, he kept to himself. Endres's protection of mortals came at the price of his isolation from both people and his own kind.

Endres had no idea what this woman would do. Despite the storm, he expected her to run. Where to? He didn't know. But no human woman would stay with him. This one was too afraid of the upper mountain creatures. He was sure that this mortal could see through him. This woman could see his dark soul.

He wanted her to know the truth. He wanted a friend and a confidant. He wanted her to run. He wanted her to stay. Endres wanted to keep her, to look after her. Surely, after all this time, he deserved something of his own.

The kettle whistled. Endres took it off the fire and prepared some special tea.

" Here, have some wintergreen tea. I get the berries from the forest. They're freshly picked. I think it adds a different dimension to the tea. It'll warm you up. The mountain's cold can really get into your bones." Despite the fact that the woman hadn't answered, Endres brought her a cup.

The woman trepidatiously took it. The cup warmed her freezing hands. Elyse's head was clearing. She looked harder at Endres. The strange man was large, strong and different from the men who lived in her village. He had long black hair, dark skin and broad shoulders. He stared back at her with curiosity in his penetrating eyes.

Elyse blushed a deep red and again tried to cover her birthmark with her hair. What would this man think if he saw it? Would he cast her out like her village folk had? Surely, it was her fate to be cast out from wherever she settled. It was her curse. The birthmark proved it.

"Do you have a name?" questioned Endres. He was eager to know the name of the woman he'd watched so often, yet he wanted her to leave. Endres didn't want to become familiar with this woman. If he became friendly with her, how would he bear it when she fled? Her flight was inevitable as his wolf side always overtook him sooner or later.

"Oh...I'm Elyse...thank you for bringing me here. I'm glad to be out of that storm. You're right about this tea warming my bones...and it's delicious." Elyse responded shyly wondering when Endres would show her the door.

He must have seen her birthmark after all while she slept. He'd soon blame her for all his latest troubles. The storm, his sheep not giving milk, whatever. Elyse knew there must be a whole litany of woes Endres endured. After all, she faced troubles every day. This man, like others, would blame her, even if they had occurred long before she'd arrived.

Elyse took another sip of the wintergreen tea. She enjoyed the tea. It was warming her up after the freezing storm. Elyse wanted to have more before he kicked her out. It was also nice talking to Endres. She hadn't talked to anyone who cared since her grandfather had become too sick to talk. No one in the village talked to her. They didn't want to be accused of associating with a witch.

"I've never met a person outside my village...I didn't know people lived up this high on the mountain. My grandpa told me stories of magical creatures who lived upon the mountain and their adventures. I always believed the stories and talked to the animals I saw on the lower mountain, hoping they'd take me on some adventure but nothing ever came of it. Silly, I know." Elyse blushed a deep red and drank some more tea.

But now, you're here on the mountain. I think...unless I'm dead...killed by the villagers or in the storm; if this is real and that's a big IF, mythical creatures would explain everything." Elyse said. Her hands were shaking from nerves and fear of the unknown. She couldn't look into Endres's eyes for fear of reprisal. Elyse was still trying to cover her birthmark with her long hair. She liked it here, she felt safe and she didn't want to be cast out.

"Have some more tea. It'll warm you up some more! I promise you that your grandfather was right. Magical creatures exist up here, I haven't seen one in a long time, but they're here. I'm just a man. In the villages, they think our customs are strange. Peasants usually have malevolent intentions towards us. They blame us for all their troubles. We stay away from them besides the occasional accidental encounter. Are you warm enough, Elyse?" said Endres as he moved to get Elyse another fur blanket.

He ached for her continued company, which compounded guilt of hiding the truth from Elyse. Endres couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. How could he just blurt it out? She would run out into the storm and perish, not to mention it would be breaking with ancient wolf law. Mortals weren't supposed to know. Mortals lashed out in fear and persecuted alleged werewolves. What would they do to a real one?

Endres knew he had been tempting fate by watching Elyse in wolf form. He should behave. He shouldn't put his pack in danger, even if he was isolated from them. He would to be strong; after all He could live his own lonely life.

"Yes, I'm warm enough...thank you for letting me stay here but I better be going. I think the blizzard is clearing up." opined Elyse. If she left before Endres kicked her out, then it was her choice. She couldn't resent Endres for his actions she just knew were coming.

"The storm is not clearing up. Why are you so eager to go, woman? You came up the mountain in the middle of a raging winter tempest! Do you think I'll harm you?" questioned Endres with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Endres desired Elyse. He had watched her long enough to know that; but he wouldn't hurt her...at least he hoped not. Endres couldn't be certain. He was never certain when it came to his wolf side. He'd never encountered anyone like Elyse and...his wolf side sometimes was difficult to control. It threated it could lash out in uncontrollable ways.

When Endres had watched Elyse on the lower mountain, he used to imagine they were friends. (Well, if he was totally honest, he'd imagined they would be a lot more than friends, but for now he would settle for just friends.)

Endres wanted a friend after so long. Surely, the fates owed him that. Someone to just be with? He just had to control his inner wolf no matter how hard of a battle it was. Endres thought he could do that.