"THING!"
The name came from Enid's lips as a resounding exclamation that drew diverse looks from the rest of the workers, servants and guards in the courtyard. Tiberius merely looked at her interested and bemused, surprised by the reaction.
"Er... yes, my lady. That is my surname. I admit it may sound unorthodox, but..."
"Oh! No, no, no, no," Enid interrupted, "I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with your last name. It's just that... well, in my reality a counterpart of you is one of my best friends."
"Ah, no doubt a distinguished individual and worthy of your trust as I hope I can be, my lady."
"Oh, yes, no doubt," Enid replied, inwardly debating whether she should mention that the Thing she knew was a living dismembered hand. In the end she opted to let it stand. After all, the description Tiberius had inadvertently given of his counterpart was apt.
A distinguished individual and worthy of my trust. Yep, that's Thing, thought the she-wolf.
Finally, after another brief farewell to Pugslæg followed by a promise to meet later to introduce her to the family before the celebrations began and bring everyone up to speed, Enid began to follow Tiberius into the castle, taking note of everything she saw but also every scent and trail her nose could pick up.
"Don't wander too far, my lady," Tiberius said, "The castle is ancient and has its peculiarities. No guest received in good faith will be in any danger, but it can become labyrinthine and there are still dark corners that can make too much of an impression on the unwary visitor."
"Like the ghouls that live within the walls," said Enid.
"Like the ghouls that live...," Tiberius began to say before interrupting himself and looking at her, "How do you know?"
Enid smiled, remembering her early stays at the Addams mansion and the scratching noises behind the walls wistfully, "The family I know in my universe doesn't have a castle but their home is also ancient and spooky," the she-wolf said, "I have to ask, you and Pugsley have taken it very well that I'm from another universe..."
"Ah, it's unusual no doubt, and even more so that it's a version of someone we already know," Tiberius admitted as they continued on their way, "But this land is infused with magic and access to other planes of existence, so it's not that outlandish. And even if it were outlandish, outlandish is the norm for the House of Adamo," he finished off, not without a hint of pride in his voice.
His last name may have been Thing, but he was an Addams. Well, an Adamo in this case.
Along the way, Thing gestured to a group of maids walking along carrying what looked like articles of laundry. He turned to the one in the lead, a middle-aged woman with her hair covered by a cloth.
"Mrs. Petropolus! As soon as you have time send someone to take charge of the Emerald Room, please."
"As soon as possible, m'lord," the woman replied effusively.
Enid looked at her curiously. Petropolus? Like Ajax? Was that woman a counterpart of Ajax or some other relative? She certainly didn't look anything like his mother...
Lost in thought, she almost bumped into Tiberius' back when he stopped. The hallway they were in was wide, adorned with dark portraits and gory tapestries and with a long carpet stretching across the stone floor. Before them was an exquisitely carved green wooden door, with woodland-themed decorations. Tiberius opened it, inviting Enid to enter.
The young werewolf couldn't help but gawk.
The room was... huge. And luxurious, yes, but not in an ostentatious way. All the decor seemed to simulate a forest. Columns that resembled trees, a canopied bed that looked like surrounded by thick roots rising up, delicate shades of green in the leaf-like designs of the tiles that covered the floor in contrast with the grey stone of the corridor, a window with curtains of a soft olive color that gave a certain autumnal touch to the light that penetrated from outside...
At one end was the opening to a gardened balcony with a small fountain, a bench and a tiny pond. On the other side, a half-open door revealed what was clearly a bathroom.
"This is the Emerald Room. It is one of our most renowned guest rooms," Tiberius explained, "Initially Lady Synklar's relatives were to stay here, but none of them will be present for the wedding. But given that in some twisted sort of way you are the closest thing to a relative the princess has right now..."
"I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense...," Enid mused, still wrapped in the cloak borrowed from Pugslæg, "Wait... Does that mean I'm invited to the wedding?"
Tiberius looked at her, with an expression that denoted he was trying to hold back laughter, "Tell me, the Adamo's you know..."
"The Addams."
"The Addams's you know," he continued, "What would they do if a well-mannered or somewhat familiar stranger showed up at their house during a family celebration?"
"Oh, if they’re not totes a jerk they'd probably end up being adopted...," Enid began, before she started laughing, "Ah, I get it, I get it. That was a silly question on my part."
"No, I'd say it was a cautious question, under the circumstances," Tiberius said with an affable smile, "But I take comfort in seeing that in another universe my family is still like my family in a way."
"Likewise," Enid said, returning the smile.
At that moment, one of the maids arrived to take charge of Enid and the room. Thing withdrew, bidding farewell until later, no doubt still having to take care of many preparations. The newly arrived girl prepared a hot bath for Enid in which the she-wolf immersed herself with a satisfied sigh.
"Do you require my assistance to wash yourself, m'lady?" the girl asked.
"Er... No! No, I'll manage on my own, thank you," Enid replied, trying to ignore the redness in her cheeks. There was no strange or uncomfortable sign in the maid's look and gestures, so Enid could only assume that servants contributing to the grooming of guests must have been common practice.
The young maid gave no sign of feeling insulted. She merely bowed her head with a faint smile, "I'll prepare your clothes then. Will you also manage on your own or will you need help getting dressed?"
"Uh... What kind of clothes are we talking about?"
The clothes turned out to be a simple but beautiful red one-piece dress. Oh, and some comfortable shoes.
They may have been peculiarities of the multiverse, but the undergarments struck her as oddly modern. The dress itself covered her completely, barely leaving her shoulders exposed, but it fit her figure almost like a glove. The only exception was on her arms, where the fabric was much looser, leaving wide, flowing sleeves. The outfit was completed by a dark green ribbon tied around the waist and a short cape of the same color to drape over her shoulders.
The maid –her name was Joanna Glicker, by the way– insisted on adorning Enid's hair with braids, but the lycanthrope managed to convince her that a simple hairstyle would suffice.
The last preparations were finished and Joanna said goodbye, stating that someone would soon come to pick her up. In the meantime she could rest at ease in the room.
Rest perhaps, but not at ease.
Enid tried, lying down on the bed careful not to cause unnecessary wrinkles in her new clothes, but the moment she was alone her head began to spin again about what had happened in Agent A's universe and how everything had gone wrong. The lump in her throat as she was assailed by doubts as to what had become of her Wednesday began to form again now that the welcome distractions of Pugslæg and Tiberius were no longer present. Had Wednesday saved herself? What about the others? Would the twins be all right? Were they looking for her?
When someone finally came for her there was no knock at the door. It opened, with a creak that Enid was sure it hadn't made before. The werewolf stood up and her gaze fell on the figure that had just entered.
It was an elderly woman, hunched over, leaning on a piece of branch turned makeshift staff, dressed in a dark gray tunic and a black hooded cloak at her back, with long, tangled gray hair. Her wrinkled face was marked by a scar over her whitish, blind left eye, but her dark right eye was riveted on Enid, as she smiled a grin with hardly any teeth.
"Gr... Grandmama?" ventured the young she-wolf.
"Ah, good, you know me. You know who I am," the old woman said, "And do you know who you are, Volvaugr?"
Volvau-what?, Enid thought, before answering, "I am... I am Enid Sinclair, I come from..."
"From another universe, I know. Tiberius didn't even have to tell me, I noticed your presence from the moment you appeared in the forest, like a small burning sun. Your whole essence screams for the stars of another sky and a lost moon, child. And I didn't ask you the name your parents gave you, I asked you if you know who you are."
The question was more loaded with meaning than it first appeared. Enid noticed something, like a natural instinct taking control of her, as if a part of her soul understood innately what she was being asked.
"I am the Guardian Wolf," she said, almost whispering.
The old woman nodded, "Ajá. Yes. The Volvaugr. And it's good that you know that, but it's only a part of who you are. You don't seem to have it all figured out yet."
Well, that's not cryptic or anything, Enid thought, somewhere between puzzled and irritated.
The old woman laughed, "Ah, there's fire in there. I smell the burning. But whatever, follow me wolf. The family wants to talk to you before the celebrations begin."
The Grandmama turned and left the room without looking back. Enid followed promptly, knowing that the woman would surely not wait.
Though the lycanthrope could still hear the sound of activity in the castle, the corridors she now walked through following the old woman were strangely empty. It wasn't like when Tiberius had taken her to the room, there were no servants hurrying about. It was as if the old woman Adamo emitted some kind of aura that caused everyone to move out of her way and vanish long before she arrived.
Enid couldn't help but watch the old woman walking in front of her intently.
Truth be told, she is maybe the most witchy Grandmama I've ever met, she thought.
"Why, thank you," the old woman said, with a chuckle.
Enid gasped, Did she just...?
"Yes. You need to learn not to project what you think, wolf. You never know who might be listening."
Finally the two of them reached an inconspicuous little door. Passing through it led them into a large living room. It was decorated by a huge map hanging on the wall above a large fireplace. In the center, a circular table with another three-dimensional map of the castle and its surrounding lands, all carved in wood. Bookshelves filled with books, rolled-up scrolls, and stacks of piled paper lined the walls.
"This is one of my son's private war rooms and studies. No one is to enter here without permission," the old witch said.
On the other side, on the opposite wall, a double door much larger than the one through which Grandmama and Enid had entered opened, and a tall figure of Frankenstinian bearing entered the room ducking his head.
Lurch!, Enid thought with a smile, recognizing the reliable family butler instantly, and this time restraining the impulse to call his name aloud.
Lurch wore a sober two-piece black robe, elegant with no embellishments beyond a belt decorated with an "A" on the buckle. He nodded at them, casting a curious but friendly glance in Enid's direction.
"Uuuuurgh," he said.
"Oh, for the...," Grandmama grumbled, " They want to get ceremonious for this?"
"Is something wrong?" asked Enid.
Grandmama merely shook her head, "No wolf, just my family and their absurd love for theatrics," the old woman said, letting out a jaded sigh, "Proceed Lurch."
Lurch nodded. He stiffened, cleared his throat, and...
He proceeded to declaim with the most perfect diction and clearest tone of voice Enid had ever heard, leaving the she-wolf with an expression of pure astonishment.
"Our Lord and Lady! Lord Gomesco of the House of Adamo, King and Great Protector of the Lands of Nova Gersia! Lady Morsician of the House of Adamo, previously of Fhrump, Queen of Nova Gersia, Guardian of the Green and General of the Dark Legion!”
Two figures came through the door after the proclamation. Enid immediately recognized Gomez and Morticia. Well, Gomesco and Morsician.
King Gomesco was perhaps the most different. He was still short in stature, but his physique was much fitter than the Gomez that Enid knew. His smile still had that touch somewhere between manic and charming and his eyes lit up with almost childlike delight as he looked at her. He wore something more akin to an eighteenth century European military uniform than anything medieval, with a saber resting at his waist.
Queen Morsician on the other hand... she was Morticia. Oh, yes, the facial features were somewhat different, somewhat sharper, but the pallor, the look of serene cordiality, the tight black dress, the almost floating gait... She was virtually identical to the Morticia Enid knew.
Lurch continued his presentation.
"Their son, Ser Pugslæg of the House of Adamo, Prince and Knight of the Realm and Master of Demolitions!”
Pugslӕg was the next to enter, throwing Enid a wink and smile. He had left his armor behind, but his figure was still imposingly tall, like a human mountain of muscle. He wore a two-piece suit, with a black and white striped upper tunic, black pants, and a gray cloak covering only one of his massive shoulders.
Tiberius entered next to him, without introductions and with a hasty manner, tossing a hurried nod towards the young she-wolf and Grandmama.
And finally...
"Their firstborn and Crown Prince, Lord Wodnesdæg of the House of Adamo, Prince and Lord of the Assassin Order of Nevermore! Slayer of the Hyde! Child of Woe!”
The last figure entered the war room nodding a greeting to Lurch as the huge butler exited the room, closing the door behind him.
If Pugsley had removed his armor, it was clear his brother didn't think so. Or maybe it was part of the upcoming ceremony. The point was that Lord Wodnesdæg entered the room wearing intimidating-looking black armor, spiky and dark.
But Enid felt anything but intimidated.
Oh my Gosh, he's like the Dark Lord Sauron but if he didn't wear a helmet and was stupidly pretty!
A cough camouflaging a laugh escaped from Grandmama.
Although his figure was considerably more slender than his brother's and of lesser height, Wodnesdæg was still clearly taller than Wednesday and a tad taller than Enid, with a broadness on his shoulders that denoted a well-exercised physique.
But his face, his face was what drew Enid's gaze. It was her Wednesday's face, perhaps the most similar to her of all the variants they had met. Oh, it wasn't identical, it was an eminently masculine face despite the finesse in his features, but those features were the same ones Enid could recognize anywhere. The same lips, the same dark eyes looking at her with an intensity and curiosity beyond measure.
And the pigtails. He had kept the pigtails. Slightly thicker and more elaborate, falling over his armored shoulders, but there they were. Unmistakable.
"So...," Wodnesdæg began to speak, and his voice was as Enid imagined Weds voice would be had it been male and her knees felt it, "This is our surprise guest."
It took Enid a few seconds to react, to realize he was addressing her.
"Uh... er..."
She gulped.
"How...?" she started to say, only to be interrupted.
For suddenly, the door through which Lurch had exited, opened again. This time suddenly and noisily. And a huge, muscular, blonde figure, dressed in furs and looking nothing like Enid's mental image of a princess walked in like a summer storm.
"HOWDY!" greeted Eneit Synklar, with a wolfish grin.
NOTES
Once again I apologize for the delay. Once again, I blame Baldur's Gate 3. I'm approaching the final stretch and if the game was already addictive before, now it's ten times more so 😭
But anyway, better late than never. We finally meet Wodnesdæg and the rest of the Adamo, although the big part comes in the next chapter. Because with all she has on her mind, Enid has forgotten to warn of the immediate danger...
Oh, and Eneit Synklar is a buff barbarian queen. You're welcome 😙
No comments:
Post a Comment