The Maiden's Treasure

A great feast was held that evening at the home of Widow Burg and her daughters. After discovering the true identity of the southlanders who had temporarily resided in their village, the people of Merrytown were more than honored to share their bounty with them.

The prince's carriage pulled up in front of the widow's house, with young John, the blacksmith's son, riding ahead on a grand brown steed. The villagers were astounded to see Farmer Ben, his wife, and their three youngest daughters step out of the carriage. Lucas had sent John to retrieve the horse and guide the carriage to the fiddler's home after his daughter Charlotte told him where she suspected the prince and his friend had gone.

After dropping off the fiddler and part of his family, the carriage departed and returned again a short while later. The people were even more surprised when Charles and Prince Fitzwilliam exited, each one with one of the fiddler's two eldest daughters on his arm. The young women were wearing breathtaking gowns of red and emerald green.

Caroline, now recovered from her fainting spell, attempted to lead Will to his seat at the family's table when he entered the house. She frowned when she saw Lizzy remain by his side to accompany him. "Your Highness, you are the guest of honor! She cannot sit with you!" she declared.

"Caroline," Will answered, placing his hand on top of Lizzy's as it rested on his elbow, "Lizzy is my guest of honor."

A mixture of expressions crossed Caroline's face, from bafflement to displeasure to disbelief. At last she sniffed and nodded, then walked away.

"I'm very sorry, dearest," Will said as they sat down.

Lizzy smiled. Caroline's expressions had been amusing and Will's protectiveness quite charming. "Do not worry. She's always treated me this way. Feeling superior is important to her." She laughed a little. "Somehow Anne has persuaded her to join the next journey to the southlands. I am convinced that Caroline only agreed because we received such a great welcome when we returned. She is thinking of the honor, and has no understanding of the work involved."

Will looked thoughtful for a moment. "The trip will be beneficial for her. She will have the chance to see great hardship and to help others. It might change her."

When Lizzy raised her eyebrows skeptically, he reminded her, "I changed. I doubt that she's more stubborn than I was."

Lizzy wanted to protest that beneath his stubbornness lay a tender heart, one that she was unsure Caroline had, but she refrained. Perhaps he was right. A new day of hope had begun, even for Caroline.

During the meal, her sister Mary played the fiddle for the crowd. She strummed a few simple tunes with no false notes, far too slow for dancing but perfect to accompany supper conversation. As Will nodded along in time to the music, Lizzy told him, "My father has been giving her lessons. I insisted."

"It's made a difference," Will said in appreciation.

"It's good for them," Lizzy added. "She wanted to learn to play, and he needs to spend more time with his daughters."

When supper was concluded, Lucas rose to speak on behalf of the community. "We are all very grateful to you, Your Highness, and to Charles. Because of you, our village was spared." The people responded by raising a toast in their honor.

Will rose to acknowledge their tribute. "Charles and I would also like to thank all of you for welcoming us to Merrytown and allowing us to serve you. As to your village being spared, however, the credit is all yours. Many, many around this room were involved in defending this community. It is you yourselves who have saved it."

"Here, here!" a man shouted, and the villagers began to cheer again.

Will waited until the commotion died down, and then spoke again. "There is another here to whom great honor is due. Before I tell you who that is, I have news to share. This village will always be special to Charles and me, for it is here that we met two very special women. Today, Charles asked Jane, daughter of Ben and Fanny, to be his wife, and she has accepted him."

Cries of delight and a round of applause went up around the room. "And I," Will went on, his smile beaming, "asked the bravest and most wonderful woman in the world, her sister Elizabeth, to be my wife, and she has accepted me!"

This time the noise was deafening. Liz felt herself blushing as Will took her hand and helped her stand up beside him. When the clamor finally receded, he placed his hand on her arm and addressed the crowd once more. "This is the woman to whom honor is due. Our nation owes a great debt to Elizabeth. She first spoke to me about making peace with Aurora at a time when I wanted to hear nothing of it. But she led me to think, and to question, and to grow, until peace at last became something that I longed for. I can truly say that it is because of her that the hostilities have ended, that Pemberlea still stands, and that our nation has a great future."

"Long live Elizabeth!" someone shouted and the cheering began again. Lizzy closed her eyes, humbled but also pleased. For so many years, she never would have believed that her community would feel this way about her.

Will turned toward her, taking her hands in his own, and she opened her eyes to see him gazing at her, his own eyes shining in a way that stilled her heart. He spoke to her, but in the hearing of everyone. "My dearest Lizzy," he said, "my love for you is limitless. I am so honored and grateful that you will soon be my wife and my princess."

She could not stop the tears that sprang to her eyes.

Will smiled, his grin a bit mischievous. "And now, my beloved, I have a request. At the very first feast I attended here in Merrytown, I heard the most beautiful woman I had ever seen sing in the most beautiful voice I had ever heard. Will you sing for us again tonight?"

She leaned toward him as tears started to roll down her face. "Will," she whispered, both laughing and crying, "I cannot sing right now! I am a wreck!"

"Dearest," he whispered back, looking concerned, "I did not mean to cause you distress. I will rescind my request."

The assembled villagers, however, had begun to shout, "Sing, Lizzy, sing!" so she decided to wipe her eyes and pull herself together. She squeezed Will's hands and said, "No, I can do this."

She turned to the people of her village and inhaled deeply. She would sing an old melody of their land, one they were all familiar with, but one to which she had added words of her own.

In darkest night, when all alone,

I found strength to persevere

'Twas you who gave me hope to own

For in love, there is no fear.

s~s~s~s~s~s~s~s~s

Will and Charles stayed in Merrytown for two more days, before being required to return to the capital city to resume their official duties and begin preparations for their weddings, which would take place one month hence. None among the two couples wanted to part after being so recently reunited, but in this circumstance, at least, all would be able to bid one another farewell and with the knowledge that they would very soon meet again.

On the day after the feast, Lizzy and Will took a long walk into the woods in order to discuss the many things that had happened in their lives since they were last together. Lizzy began with a pressing question: why had Will made his very public pronouncements the night before?

Will smiled. "I am certain the people of this village are wondering how you and I came together, given that they did not see me court you when I lived here."

Lizzy laughed. "Unfortunately, it's a story we cannot share."

He chuckled. "No, we cannot." Will stopped and gazed at her, gently stroking his hand down her cheek and along her jaw. A feeling of warmth flowed through her, as it did each time he looked at her or touched her this way. "Thus, while they may continue to wonder about our courtship, I wanted everyone present to have no doubts about how much I love you and how worthy you are to be my wife."

His words left Lizzy breathless, as she realized that the sentiments he had expressed were meant not only for her fellow villagers, but also for herself. He wanted her to have no doubts about how deeply he loved and esteemed her. Before she could say this, however, Will spoke again. "Indeed, it is I who am not worthy of you."

"That is not true!" she protested.

"No, Lizzy, it is. I have much to tell you." He began to look around. "Is there a place where we can sit?"

Lizzy led him to her favorite tree stump, the place where he had first seen her with the gemstones, and they settled themselves. The chilly air became more biting now that they were no longer walking. Will placed his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer for warmth.

He began to tell her about his time with King Thomas, his discoveries about his parents, and his use of the acorn with both warring kings. When he finished, he said, "I am heartily ashamed of myself when I think about how you tried to give me the acorn sooner, and I would not accept it. I could scarcely look Philip's family in the eyes when I met them yesterday."

Lizzy took his hand and squeezed it. "It seems to me that the acorn would not have worked had you tried to use it sooner. Your father, your uncle… they both needed to be involved. And I dare say that the magic would not have been possible until it was your own belief that peace was the right course of action."

He looked at her thoughtfully. "Perhaps, but I did not need to be so stubborn about listening to you."

Lizzy touched his face gently. "Allow me to tell you something about Philip's son, who is also called Will. He accompanied our group to the southlands. He told his mother that he wanted to go so that his father's death would not be in vain. He made a choice not to live in anger or hatred for what has happened. That is all any of us can do. We cannot change the past."

"I said something similar to my father," Will told her.

"There, you see!" she smiled. "You realize the truth of what I am saying."

Will still appeared troubled. "My father asked me to forgive him, Lizzy, for what happened with my mother, and perhaps also for his neglect of me after she died. He was lost in his own grief, and I was left on my own to mourn and to grow into manhood. I could not say the words he wanted to hear. I told him it was God's forgiveness he needed, which is true, but I believe he also feels the need for mine."

"And now? Do you feel the same?"

"Perhaps not. I have watched you with your family. Your relationship with them is very different than it was before, is it not?"

She nodded.

"Mine is with my father as well. He has his flaws, but I also have mine. He is changing, and continues to change for the better."

"It sounds as if you do forgive him, and should perhaps tell him when you return."

"You're right; I shall," Will nodded. "I believe I have learned that none of us is beyond redemption." He frowned. "Well, George perhaps. Is it wrong of me to hope that he is now rotting in hell?"

"I share your sentiments, but fortunately that is not for us to determine. Meanwhile here on earth, most people are not so given over to evil as George is. Caroline might put on airs, but there is potential for goodness in her also, as you reminded me last night. I just could not see it before."

He grinned. "Ah, my perfect Lizzy had a blind spot!"

She smacked him lightly on the arm. "Yes, well, now that we are to be married, you will have plenty of time to become well acquainted with my flaws. I hope I do not disappoint you too much."

"You could never disappoint me, Lizzy."

For that, she gave him a kiss, one that quickly became passionate. He finally pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. "Sweet Lizzy, I could kiss you all day. However, I have something I want to share with you, something my uncle gave me."

Will pulled a few folded sheets from his overcoat. Lizzy opened the fragile pages delicately and looked at the markings on them. She could make out part of it, but many words she did not recognize. Her face began burning as she admitted to him, "Will, I do not read well. I have not had many opportunities to learn."

He looked at her with some surprise as if the possibility had never occurred to him. She wondered if he would now consider her inadequate for the role of representing their nation as his wife. Will, however, smiled gently. "We'll have to correct that. I shall hire tutors for you. You are so intelligent that you will learn quickly. I will love being able to share books with you."

"I'd like that very much," she said with relief. It seemed a small thing, given how greatly her life was soon to change, but Will's acceptance of her limited education and his belief that she could overcome it touched her deeply.

He took the folded sheets from her hand. "I'll read it to you." He cleared his throat and began.

My dear Thomas,

I still do not know why you do not write, but I will persist, so that you will at least always know of my life, even if I do not know of yours.

Old Morgan, Jerald's cupbearer, is ever valuable to me, for he listens not only for discussions of politics, but also for the personal news that I care so much more to hear. He tells me that Jerald has recently learned of your marriage. I am so happy for you! I am surprised that it has taken you to the ripe old age of four and thirty to take a wife, since I know how many young women of the court were eager for your hand and I myself have now been an old married woman for seventeen years. The lady who has finally caught you must be special indeed.

Your celebration coincides with my own, for my dear Fitzwilliam has just turned thirteen. He reminds me of you, for he is very intelligent and often serious and quiet. Like you, however, he can still be drawn into mischief by servant boys his age—although I must admit that I was often the biggest creator of your mischief as a child! (Of course, I was punished far less than you, since our parents assumed that you as the boy were the more likely instigator! Have I ever apologized for that?) More important to me, however, is Fitzwilliam's heart, for he is very kind and loving. He has grown so tall in the last year that he has reached my height, and I already see in him the man he will become. I am so very proud of him.

With your new marriage, I know you must be thinking about producing an heir. As a parent, I would like to give you some counsel. I know you are deeply unhappy about my marriage to Jerald. It is the only reason to which I can attribute your many long years of silence. I need you to understand why I have chosen to love him. It is for Fitzwilliam's sake. I want to create a better world for my son, and as a woman, there is little I can do except use my influence with his father. I would like to think I have had some effect, for Jerald is in many ways a good man, who loves our son as much as I do.

My greatest dreams are for Fitzwilliam. Yours will be as well for however many children with whom the Lord blesses you, and you will be in a much better position that I am to create a world in which they can live in peace and happiness. I urge you to use your power for good, for I truly believe that the time we are given on earth is for our children's sake, and not our own.

Again, I beg you to write to me. I miss you dearly. Please give my greetings to your new bride.

With all my love, Angelia

When he lowered the letter, Lizzy, whose eyes were misty, placed her hands on his face and drew him toward her, kissing a tear on his cheek. "I have read this many times already," he told her, "and I am filled with emotion each time. I can't help but wonder how our history might have been different had my father sent this letter and Thomas read it and taken it to heart."

"I understand," she said, "but as we both have said, we can't change the past, only the future. In some ways, it's as if your mother wrote this letter to us and for the children we will have, and the many other children of Pemberlea and Aurora. We can do much to create that world of peace and happiness for them. Perhaps that is our destiny."

"Oh, Lizzy," he whispered. He kissed her lips then, lingering for some time. "I love you so much, my darling. I cannot believe sometimes that I have been so blessed to have you."

She returned his kiss. "And you are my blessing, my beloved Will."

They remained in the woods a while longer, talking about the past and the future, but most of all appreciating their present moment together after so long a separation. Will and Charles were to depart the next day, while Lizzy and Jane would remain on their farm to prepare themselves for leave-taking. So many others in Merrytown had agreed to go on the next journey to help in the southlands—Caroline included—that Lizzy would not be needed. She was a little sad to not rejoin the group, but even more eager to be with Will again. In a fortnight, Will and Charles would return to retrieve them. The sisters would live in the castle for the final two weeks before the wedding ceremony, being fitted for their dresses and preparing for their new lives. Their family would join them for the Christmas holidays, and their weddings would take place shortly thereafter.

On the day of Will and Charles' return, both sisters watched the windows anxiously, and ran outside to greet their carriage when it arrived. Jane and Charles entered the house to bid farewell to the sisters' family, but Lizzy, entwining her fingers with Will's, told him that they had an important task to complete before they departed.

She led her betrothed into the woods, noticing how windy the air was and how bare the trees had become. Winter was almost here.

"On our way back to the capital," Will told her as they walked, "Charles and I paid a visit to the village of Lambton."

Lizzy grinned. "Ah, your so-called farming village."

"That was a falsehood, Lizzy," he admitted, "borne of the nervousness that comes from being interrogated by a beautiful woman."

She laughed. "I concluded as much."

"Nevertheless, it is an important place to me."

"Is it Thumpin's home?" Lizzy asked. "You told me he lived in the northlands."

"Very clever," Will answered, "yes, it is. I had to see the man. I had many questions for him."

"Is he very much like his cousin?"

"He is, in both appearance and personality. More intriguing to me, I now know that he and I share a connection. We are both the children of a Pemberlean and an Auroran parent."

"Hmm," said Lizzy, "and what questions did you have for him?"

"I wanted to know how he had come to make sashes for my family, and why he knew that the golden acorn was meant for me."

Lizzy reached into her belt and removed the small piece of cloth Will had given her. "Did Thumpin make this for you?"

"He did. I confess that I did not like it at thirteen. I wanted warrior images on my sash, not a small nut that he claimed represented peace."

"Why did he choose it for you?"

"He told me he learned his craft of sash-making from his father, a service which they had provided to the royal family of Aurora for many generations. When he reached adulthood, violence was increasing between our countries, which disturbed him a great deal as the son of an Auroran man. He wanted to have an influence on events in Pemberlea. He sought an audience with my grandfather and shared a sash he had made for him. My grandfather was impressed, and commissioned him to keep making them, as did my father after him. During his service, he would gently offer advice without actually seeming to, and eventually, my father especially came to rely on his counsel. Of course, my father did not realize that Thumpin had firsthand knowledge of the kingdom of Aurora that contributed to his wisdom."

"And what of the acorn on your sash?"

"He noticed the resemblance between me and my maternal great-grandfather, an Auroran duke who believed that peace was possible. He wanted to encourage me to have the same heart."

"You do," said Lizzy with a smile.

"I only came to have it thanks to your vision, and Thumpin's, and Truman's."

Lizzy thought about Will helping to hide her from Aurorans in the Merrytown forest, searching for her when she was missing, and cutting himself to protect her—much of this during a time in which he did not have a high opinion of her. He had always been a man of great compassion, now even more so since he had learned to extend it to those he had formerly called enemies. "No," she shook her head firmly, "that heart was in you all along."

He gazed at her for a moment and then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Thank you."

As they continued to walk, Lizzy felt certain she would find the right place. As she expected, they were soon able to locate the large oak tree under the root of which lay a foxes' den. "The golden acorn," she asked when they arrived at the spot. "Do you still have it?"

"I used it, Lizzy," Will answered.

"Yes, but do you still have it?"

"I do; I somehow could not bring myself to part with it." He reached into his pocket and retrieved the brown nut.

He stared at the nut for a moment, and then looked up at her, mystified. "It was naught but an ordinary acorn as recently as yesterday, but now it appears as if the gold color is returning."

Lizzy smiled. "Indeed. Mine are doing the same." She opened a small box she had carried with her into the woods. Inside, the three brown acorns had recovered the faintest hints of their formerly jeweled appearance.

"What does it mean?" he asked. "Is there more for us to do?"

"No, I do no think so. Place your acorn with mine, and we will wait."

Will dropped his acorn into the box, and they waited. Soon, a young vixen emerged from the den. Lizzy had not seen her before, but somehow knew that she was the granddaughter of the recently departed old reynard.

The vixen bowed her head when she saw them. "The worthy maiden and the man of honor," she said. "I have heard much about you."

"We have come to return your treasure," said Lizzy.

"You have used it well," the vixen replied. "Much of the world has been set right because of you. Please, restore it to its hiding place."

Lizzy bent down, lifting the large rock at the base of the tree to reveal a hole. She placed the box in the hole and returned the stone to its position.

"Thank you, my lady," the fox said. "I will guard it, and my kits, and their kits after them, until such a time as it is needed again."

"Thank you," Lizzy replied as the vixen turned to reenter her den. She stood and returned to Will's side, noticing the look of marvel on his face.

"She spoke," he said. "I heard her speak."

"She did," Lizzy acknowledged. "You and I were entrusted with a great magic, but now it is our time to go out into the world and do good without it. I am ready for a new adventure with you."

He gazed at her in wonder. "You told me I would be a great king, Lizzy, but you will be an extraordinary queen."

"Yes," she said, taking his hand again, "Together, we shall be."

s~s~s~s~s~s~s~s

Epilogue

In two weeks' time, a splendid double ceremony was held in the capital city of Pemberlea, uniting Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, and Charles and Jane, in the bonds of holy matrimony. The wedding of the kingdom's prince brought much joy to the people, instilling a belief that hope had at last returned to their land. The Pemberlean people were delighted with their new princess, who, along with her husband, would go on to spend much time visiting the communities of the southlands, participating alongside the people in the rebuilding efforts.

The wedding itself was attended by Will's Auroran relations, his three young cousins serving as ringbearer and flower girls. King Thomas and King Jerald greeted each other in civility. Too much had passed between them for them to ever have friendship, but they were united in contrition, in their desire to maintain peace, and in their respect for the young man who shared both their blood.

Among the honored guests were Truman and Thumpin, reunited for the first time in more than thirty years. Truman's joy at seeing his cousin again, and at witnessing the union of his "children," was so great that he worked up the courage to propose to Dottie, who had come with him. This time, she said yes!

In seven years' time, upon Jerald's death, Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth ascended to the Pemberlean throne together. They ruled their nation in peace and wisdom, and maintained close ties with Aurora throughout the reigns of Thomas and his son Lawrence after him. Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth had more than fifty happy years of marriage together, giving birth to four children, whom they named Angelia, Truman, Dottie, and Thurman. Throughout their days, and for many generations thereafter, the people of Pemberlea and Aurora were at peace and called one another brothers and sisters. And they all lived happily ever after.

In memory of Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

"Blessed are the peacemakers…"

The End

s~s~s~s~s~s~s~s

Author's Note: I shared at the beginning how I had written the prologue to this tale several years ago, and then abandoned the story because I didn't know where I wanted to take it. My daughter found the prologue in December 2013, and encouraged me to start writing it again.

Something significant happened in December: Nelson Mandela died. As I read and listened to news stories about Mandela's life, a theme for this story came to me. I wanted to explore how a man grows into the role of becoming a great peacemaker, and how people come to understand the humanity of their enemies.

Will in this story is not meant to represent Mandela, and of course, the Pemberlea/Aurora conflict in no way resembles the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. However, I hope that in a small way, this tale has been able to honor Mandela's legacy of peacemaking. Thank you for reading.