Lily skipped to the cabin with hopeful eager. She knew she would dream of that boy tonight. He was so handsome and sleek. She could barely hold herself still at the thought of him. "Oh, Jacque, isn't he perfect?" She hugged herself and spun around as if she were dancing. "I can't wait to see him again."
"See who again?" her father asked as he walked through the front door.
"Oh, Papa; I didn't realize you were home." She could feel her face redden.
"Be careful," warned the skunk. "He mustn't know where you've been today." She looked at Jacque fearfully, then back at her father fearing he heard the skunk's voice. "Relax, my lady. He cannot hear me."
"I just returned. Who did you meet today?" with his voice full of anger.
"No one. Papa. I was speaking of you. I have missed you terribly and I am so sorry for my behavior earlier. I should not have spoken to you with such disrespect."
"Good show, my lady." Spouted the animal. "Good Show indeed." She shot him a look as if to say 'be quiet'. He complied and waddled out of the room.
His anger subsided at her confession. "Why do you insist on keeping that nasty animal in the house?" he asked pointing to Jacque who had stopped long enough to hear her answer.
"Because he is my friend. The only friend I have out here." She sighed and then turned the conversation to the village. "How was market today, Papa? Did you sell all the yearlings?"
"Yes, my dear. This certainly proved to be a good year for calves. I was able to sell all the quilts as well. Marisa, the one who runs the main mercantile in the village, would like to see at least ten more quilts in the fall. She says my quilts are the best in the valley. I think she is just surprised to think a man could make them. Wouldn't she be surprised to know of you? Oh, I almost forgot I bought you something in town today." He pulled a small box from his pack and handed it to her. "It's for your birthday."
"But my birthday isn't until fall." She reminded him as she took the box. She opened it carefully to reveal a silver necklace that bore a charm of a flower unfamiliar to her. "It's beautiful."
"I'm glad you like it. The flower is a lily; a very rare and exceptionally beautiful flower. It only grows in a small part of the forest that surrounds this valley. It is what you were named for."
She felt the delicate features of the flower in her hand. He had given her a glimpse into her past by revealing the origin of her name. She wanted more. "If it only grows in the forest, then how is it that I came to bear its name? I did not realize you had ventured into the forest."
"Twas your mother that would explore the forest. She loved to spend her time there. It was her home away from home she would say. She would go and pick the fruits and flowers. Sometimes she would be gone for days. When she became pregnant with you she brought me a lily to show me how beautiful my daughter would be. It was the first time I had ever seen such a flower and it was truly remarkable. When you were born she took me into the forest to where she had found the lily. There was a bed of roses in every color you could imagine. For miles it seemed there was nothing but these beautiful roses, but right in the middle of them stood a single lily. It was far more elegant and enchanting then any of the roses in the garden. In fact their color seemed to fade in its presence. It was there that I named you Lily, because you were the most beautiful creature in my life, just like your mother." His eyes began to mist over and turned his face away to avoid her gaze. He gathered together his emotions and faced her once again. "You are the lily of the rose bed. Once your mother was killed, I buried her in that garden near that very lily and have never returned to the forest."
"So the forest isn't dangerous after all. It's just a painful memory for you?" she questioned hoping for a window of opportunity.
"It didn't used to be dangerous. But shortly after your mother's death, people started getting killed when they entered the forest for any reason. Their bodies would be found at the forest's edge brutally murdered. Ten people were killed before the law was passed, banning people from entering into it. No human has entered the forest since then."
"Who are the elves?" she inquired without realizing her mistake.
"Where did you hear of elves?!?" he demanded startling her.
"Oh, well I..." she searched for an answer in the room. Jacque casually knocked a book off the shelf. She picked it up and noticed elves in the picture that graced the cover. "This book. I was looking at this book and thought…"
He took the book for her hand to examine it not sure he if he believed her story. "This is only a fairy tale," he said returning the book to her. "Fairy tales aren't real." It had appeared her ruse worked as his face softened as he smiled at her. "Now. What's for supper? I am famished."