Under the Full Moon's Light

The small town of Feormetan was all in a buzz. All the ladies chattered excitedly as they fritted over one another, with their best dresses on and ribbons in their hair. The men of the town were wearing their best Sunday suits, with shoes shined, and facial hair neatly groomed. It was a momentous occasion! All the townspeople hurried to the town square, for the Minister himself was coming to give a proclamation! Normally proclamations were heard by the town crier, only the biggest news of the utmost importance was ever given by the Minister. However, for the past two months the Minister had personally delivered two huge proclamations, and it looked like this month was no different. First the minister was able to secure more resources from the crown to fish in the bay to the south of town. Next he secured twice as much land from the crown than what was already available on the east of town for twice as much agriculture. With the town prospering at an exhilarated rate, everyone was excited to see what the Minister was able to secure from the crown next.

Charlotte felt just as much excitement as the town did. Charlotte felt up to her blue satin ribbons in her dark brown hair and gave them a quick tug. They were just as secure as they were five minutes ago, the last time Charlotte checked. Charlotte didn't usually dress up, and she normally would never wear ribbons in her hair. Charlotte typically wore her hair sensibly, tucked neatly under her bonnet. But today was special, even someone as plain as Charlotte felt the need to dress up and look their best. With the new opportunities opening up in the town came more people, many people came from the city to take advantage of a simpler country life. All around Charlotte in the square there were people guessing about what the Minister could possibly proclaim next, and what wonderful changes it would bring. Beside Charlotte stood her sister Gwen looking as perfect as a picture, as always. Gwen was the spitting image of their late mother, a very slender frame, the brightest blue eyes you've ever seen, a fair complexion with rosey cheeks, and a crown of golden ringlet hair. She was easily the most beautiful and sought after maiden in the town. Charlotte on the other hand took after their father. She was a heavy set woman, and if Charlotte and Gwen were to embrace, Charlotte would only come up to Gwen’s chin. Standing behind Charlotte and Gwen was their father Wilbur. Her father had injured his knee a few years back and since then hasn't been able to work. Most days, Wilbur would meander around the house until evening when he would then go to the local tavern and drink with the other old men in this town. He never cared about his appearance and would be unshaven and unbathed for weeks at a time, smelling of body odour and ale. However, even Wilbur got caught up in the exhilaration that the town felt, and decided that it was time to give his old mug a shave and comb his hair.

The sound of trumpets marked that the time the whole town was waiting for had finally arrived. The minister rode valiantly into the town square, surrounded by the cheers of the crowd. The minister dismounted from his steed with a whirl of his cape. He climbed up the stairs of the platform that had been set up for this special announcement. With a wave of his hand the clapping and cheering from the crowd fell silent. The whole town held its breath as he unfurled the proclamation and read with a loud voice that carried over the packed square.

"’It is hereby ordered by the Honourable Governor, Sir Humphrey of Lexington County with permission from Her Majesty the Queen Lexina that any and all humanoid creatures with the same or similar perceptions and intelligences to that of humans shall forthwith be granted the same protections, rights, and liberties as the common population. The creatures that fall under this proclamation are; Sirens, Vampires, Werewolves, and any and all other creatures that her royal Majesty, Queen Lexina, deems appropriate or as found appropriate by the respectful petition of the Governor or the Minister, to be added in due course. These listed creatures shall be granted rights to own land in towns to live or work in, shall be granted the right to sell wares and merchandise at our marketplaces and, while residing or conducting business outside of their respective territories, shall be subjected to taxes.’

Now my good people, I know that many of you will have concerns over this new proclamation. The tensions between humans and creatures have not been calm for many centuries. However, please keep an open mind, these are new and prosperous days! Having the creatures as our full allies will only benefit us and make our great land richer!"

The air in the square was tense, whispers could be heard all around. People looked around at each other trying to see how everyone else was reacting to the news. Could this be a joke or a prank? The Minister, unfazed by the lack of reaction, got onto his horse and gallantly galloped out of the square. Even those in charge of playing the trumpets were too stunned to play for the Minister’s leave. Charlotte looked back at her father, Willbur, and saw that he had a very distasteful look on his face. Wilbur turned and left for the tavern.

Charlotte held her lantern tight in one hand in the moonless night and grasped her shall around her with her other. It had been hours since the proclamation in the square and her father had still not returned home. This wasn’t uncommon however, Charlotte had travelled many times to fetch her father from the tavern. When Charlotte arrived, she pushed open the heavy wooden door and peaked in. She didn't like to go into the tavern very far. The drunken old men were notorious for pinching young girls behinds, but it was even worse for Charlotte. Charlotte's fuller figure was an even bigger target than most for much more than drunken pinches. Charlotte had learned to stay by the door when she fetched her father. Charlotte looked into the full tavern and scanned the room for her father.

“Giving monsters the same rights as humans, bah”. Charlotte heard her father before she saw him. He was sitting at a table with other disgruntled old men, all red faced and slouched into the mugs full of ale.

“You know what I say, men? Monsters can be beneficial to humans.” Wilbur grunted. The other men at the table looked at him questioningly.

“How so?” One of the men spoke up skeptically in response.

“Well the way I see it,” Wilbur sat forward and the tavern’s torch light created a mischievous glint to his eye, “sirens are good for fishin’ their tails, vampires are right good fun to watch burn in the sun, and werewolves, well who wouldn’t want a huge wolf fur rug to keep their feet warm on the cold floor of their home!” All the men started laughing and they brought their mugs together in cheers to what Wilbur had just said. Charlotte, being disgusted by the imagery her father’s words brought to mind, called out.

“Pa! It’s getting late, let’s go home.”

Wilbur looked over to the door where Charlotte was standing.

“Look at this men,” Wilbur began nodding towards Charlotte, “The whole town got so excited for the ‘proclamation’ that even the most sensible of this town let themselves get carried away. Just look at my Charlotte. One of the most plain ladies in this town and even she put those ridiculous ribbons in her hair, as if that would make a difference.” The group of men broke out in a drunken laughter at Wilbur’s remarks. Charlotte pursed her lips, she knew how her father could get when he was drunk.

“Are you coming? Or are you going to try and stumble home alone tonight?” Charlotte asked plainly. She knew that the men just wanted to get a rise out of her, so she made sure to play off the comment as if it didn’t bother her.

“Yeah, yeah I’m comin’” Wilbur said as he stumbled to get out of his chair.

“See ya gents’ later.” Wilbur said as he stumbled towards the doorway and gave a slight wave of his hand. The group of men grumbled their goodbyes as they turned their attention back to their ale.

Ever since Charlotte and Gwen’s mother passed away, Charlotte took on the responsibility of taking care of not only her younger sister Gwen, but also her father. Her father used to be a completely different man from how he was now. Before Charlotte’s mother, Angela, died Wilbur almost never drank at the tavern. Before, he would always rush home to his wife after he was done with work for the day. Angela was Wilbur’s whole world, he lived for her, he worked for her, he breathed for her. She was the most beautiful woman in all of Feormetan. Whereas Wilbur was much more of the short and funny type, but Angela didn’t care about what people would say about her husband’s looks. She loved him just as much as he loved her. He was always doting on her, and would go out of his way to put a smile on her face. Angela was always a bit more delicate than other women, and Wilbur always paid close attention to her health. Regardless of Angela's health, however, Angela, Wilbur, and Charlotte were a very happy little family. Two years after Charlotte was born, Angela fell pregnant with Gwen. Angela's pregnancy with Gwen proved to be extremely difficult, there were many times when Wilbur and Angela were afraid that Angela wouldn't make it. To make matters worse, Gwen ended up coming early. She was so small and frail that everyone thought that she wouldn’t make it past a week of being born. Angela was also in dire straits after the birth, however Angela’s spirit was strong. She refused to let Gwen go and did everything she could to keep her little baby breathing and growing, even if it was to Angela’s detriment. Her hard work paid off, however, because Gwen stayed with the family and grew into a healthy baby girl. Angela never quite recovered, but always managed to have a smile on her face and love for her whole family. Four years went by, when suddenly Angela couldn’t hold onto life anymore. After that the family would never be the same again. Wilbur wouldn’t rush home anymore, and instead spent almost every evening drinking ale at the tavern. Charlotte at only seven years old, took on the responsibility of taking care of her younger sister and did her best to make food for the both of them when their dad would spend his evenings at the tavern.

As Charlotte and Gwen continued to grow, it became more and more obvious that Charlotte took after their father and Gwen took after their mother. However with Angela’s looks came her health. Wilbur would always treat Gwen delicately and expected more out of Charlotte as a result. Charlotte was old enough to have some memories of their mother and knew how scared they all were when her mother’s health got really bad. Charlotte took on the extra responsibilities with vigour. Charlotte loved her sister Gwen and didn’t want to see her go through the same things their mother went through. Although, as is to be expected of a young child, there were times when Charlotte would feel jealous of the special treatment Gwen got. Charlotte would have to do all the chores while Gwen got to play with her dolls. Charlotte would know that this was unfair, but she would always try to remember that it wasn’t her sister’s fault and she tried hard not to resent her for it. That got much harder when their father would show more affection towards Gwen than he did her. One night on the anniversary of Angela’s death, Wilbur got home from the tavern extremely late at night. He carefully entered the girls’ bedroom with a small candle as his light, when both girls should have been fast asleep. However, on that particular night Charlotte was wide awake, and silently she watched her father as it was unusual for him to enter their bedroom. Wilbur walked over to Gwen’s bed and with tears in his eyes he stroked Gwen’s cheek as she slept peacefully. Then as the tears rolled down his face he gave Gwen a kiss on her forehead. Seeing this, Charlotte pretended to be asleep as she awaited her kiss on her forehead. However, all she felt was a slight brush through her hair and then he left the room. Charlotte sat up in her bed and small tears started to fill her eyes. She sat there very confused as to why her father loved Gwen more than her. However, as time passed Charlotte came to realise that it was only because Gwen was the spitting image of their mother.

It had been a week since the minister had proudly rode into the centre of the town square with the proclamation, and the town had settled back into it's regular routine. The marketplace was already busy as Charlotte dragged her cart to her usual spot. It was early in the morning and everyone was there setting up their booths for the day. All the familiar faces were there that she had seen everyday ever since she started to sell firewood at the market to help make money for her family after her father had his knee injury. The marketplace had become even more of a hub for activity after the Minister opened up more land for farming and received more resources for fishing, everyone wanted to get in on the action. It was considered to be the golden time of Feormetan, prosperous and happy. All around Charlotte was the familiar chatter of busy people bustling about. It was a comforting sound for Charlotte and made it possible for her to forget about the isolating feelings she felt at home. Being able to talk with the townspeople and see the smiles on the faces of the people she met regularly made Charlotte feel appreciated for what she could do, rather than feeling like she was just a means to an end for her family. As Charlotte continued to set up, a cool breeze blew past her causing her to have a slight chill run down her back and the feeling that something was watching her. Charlotte looked up and to her surprise there was a man staring directly at her. Charlotte was a bit confused by this as no gentleman in her small community had ever given her a second glance before. She wondered what peculiarities would cause this young man to have such an intense interest in her. Was her bonnet crooked? Did she have an embarrassing stain on her dress she hadn’t noticed before? Lord she hoped not. After taking a second to go over her appearance and finding that nothing was out of place, especially nothing that would cause a stranger to have such an intense stare at her. Charlotte looked back up at her mysterious man only to find him staring just as intently as before. Only this time Charlotte noticed something about this man that caused her blood to go cold. This man had ears that were slender and so long that tips of them were covered just under his cap, and there slightly wagging behind him was a long fluffy tail. He was a werewolf.

In the time since the proclamation there came a flurry of opinions on the matter, for some this came as wonderful happy news, the humans and the creatures had been doing trading for a very long time and now there was even more opportunity for the sharing of wealth and growth. For others, such as Charlotte’s father, this news was atrocious. They felt as though the governor didn’t do enough to have their own people be prosperous, and now these “monsters” were just going to create more competition and take more opportunities away from the common people. Whereas others, like Charlotte, were more on the fence about it. All she ever knew about the creatures was what her father told her, which was negative to say the least. However, she had never actually seen any creatures do any of the horrible things that her father told her they did. She had never met anyone in the town who had been a victim to a vampire, or knew of anyone who did. All of the ships that got sent out into the bay always came back safely, they weren’t lost to the siren’s songs. And there certainly hadn’t been any stories of anyone getting ripped to shreds by a werewolf if they even set foot in the woods. Well no stories other than what her father and other old men like him have told. In fact, for all of her life, despite living in a town that had vampire, siren, and werewolf territories surrounding it, she had never once, to her knowledge, even seen one of these creatures. But still Charlotte’s father would rebut any such statements with,

“How could creatures be considered the same as humans when they have close relatives to beasts?! Werewolves are no better than dogs, vampires are monstrous mosquitoes that would drain your entire body of blood in one sitting, and sirens are evil fish who enjoy dragging innocent men down to a watery grave. They aren’t the same as people, they are much more closely related to animals, and should be treated as such.”

Charlotte didn’t know exactly why humans and creatures had historically hated each other so much, she just knew that the creatures had their respective territories and the humans had theirs. All the rest of the nonsense that was spread around in her little community seemed to be nothing but rumores. When asked, her father would do nothing but complain loudly about “those damn things”. So when Charlotte caught her very first sight of an actual werewolf she couldn’t help but feel a little unease about it. Especially when that werewolf was a particularly attractive young man who seemed not to know that it was rude to stare. Charlotte pried her gaze from the mysterious young werewolf and tried to pretend that she hadn’t noticed him. After a few minutes Charlotte couldn’t help herself and risked a quick peek in the werewolf’s direction, only to feel a little surprised that he was gone. Charlotte whipped her head around and looked for the werewolf only to find that the werewolf was nowhere to be found.

As the afternoon light began to change to evening, the people of the marketplace started to close up their shops and head home to their families for a warm supper. Charlotte took a look at her cart, it had been a prosperous day for her. She always loved a day where she had nothing left in her cart by the end of it. As Charlotte packed up her stuff to head home, the usual thoughts of what she would make for her father and sister for supper had begun to fill her mind. However, she also couldn’t help but wonder who that mysterious werewolf was from this morning.

As Charlotte arrived to her small home she noticed that there were some wheel tracks in the mud that had not been there when she left. Who would have come to visit while she was gone, Charlotte wondered. Charlotte put her little cart away and headed inside, where she was greeted by her father which was unusual, particularly seeing that her father was sober.

“Pa?” Charlotte started a little confused. Gwen was also sitting there next to their father, Charlotte could tell that Gwen had been recently crying but the expression on Gwen’s face was muddled. Charlotte couldn’t tell if Gwen’s tears would have been sad or happy.

“Charlotte, come on in, we have much to discuss.” Wilbur said as he gestured towards a chair across from him for Charlotte to have a seat in.

Charlotte took a seat in the chair and continued to examine her sister’s and her father’s faces, trying to figure out what this could possibly be about. Before she could ask, Wilbur started to explain.

“A week ago, Richard, the Minister’s son, had approached me at the tavern after his father gave the proclamation in the town square. He told me that Gwen was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he knew instantly from the moment he first laid eyes on her that he had to marry her. At first I was wary of his sudden proposal, but he assured me that I had nothing to worry about. Not only was he the Minister’s son, but he was also a doctor. He has an excellent education and has apprenticed under one of the country’s best doctors.” Charlotte listened quietly as her father told his story. It was a well known fact that Gwen had the same effect on every man who saw her, they all instantly wanted to marry her. In fact this wasn't the first time a hopeful young man had asked Wilbur for Gwen's hand in marriage. Charlotte ponder what would be different this time? Why was her father making such a big deal of this?

Wilbur continued with his story, “He said that he knew it was uncommon for the youngest daughter to take on the care of her ageing parents, but he said that he would be willing to allow me to live in the estate with them, that I would want for nothing for the rest of my days, so long as I agreed to let him have Gwen’s hand in marriage.” With that Charlotte realized what the difference was. All the other men who asked for Gwen's hand in marriage were common people, men who couldn't provide much for her father's favourite daughter's hand. Obviously her father had been swayed by the prospect of a comfortable life.

“This past week I have been mulling over his proposal tirelessly. I know I couldn't accept his proposal without knowing that you would also be taken care of, my dear.” Wilbur continued. “As luck would have it, a man creature came knocking on our door today. He said that he saw you in the marketplace this morning and as soon as he found out that you were a maiden, he spent the rest of the day trying to find me so that he could ask my permission for your hand in marriage! Isn’t that wonderful?” Charlotte was shocked, she felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. She now started to understand the look on her sister's face. Their father must have told Gwen about the marriage proposals before Charlotte got home.

Wilbur looked between both his daughters proudly as he continued, “Both of my daughter’s having men seeking your hands in marriage within a week of each other.” Wilbur gave a slight chuckle as he ended with, “ You know, I was so worried about you two, and what your futures might hold.” Wilbur reached out and put a gentle hand on both Gwen and Charlotte, “But now I can rest easy knowing that both of you will be taken care of.”

“Pa, you said that it was a man creature who asked for my hand in marriage. What did you mean by that?” Charlotte managed to ask through clenched teeth, although she was afraid that she already knew the answer. Wilbur removed his hands and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Well, uh, you see, this ‘man’ wasn’t really a man per say. He was, well, you see, he was..” Before Wilbur could continue trying to get the words out, Charlotte interrupted him.

“Pa, was he a werewolf?”

“Aye, my dear.” Wilbur cast his eyes down to the ground, and cleared his throat, “Yes, I’m afraid he was a werewolf.” Wilbur answered calmly. At that moment Charlotte could feel the anger begin to rise, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her father who a week before said that the only good use werewolves had was to be skinned and have their hides used as rugs. Her father, who told her her entire life that it was too dangerous to step foot into the woods because a werewolf would rip her limb from limb. Her father, who thought of creatures as monsters more closely related to animals than humans. Her father was really telling her that it was wonderful that a werewolf had asked for her hand in marriage. Charlotte hit her breaking point, she slammed her hands on the table next to them and shot up.

“Did you say yes?!” Charlotte inquired with a shriek, eyes brimming with unwanted tears.

“Charlotte really! There is no need to have such an outburst. You’ll give your sister a heart attack!” Wilbur responded loudly. Charlotte didn’t move, nor did she lift her stare from her father’s.

“Did. You. Say. Yes?” Charlotte asked again, this time slowing down her words and lowering her voice. Although her tone still had a sharpness that could cut a person. Wilbur took a deep breath.

“Aye, I said yes. It’s what’s best for all of us” Wilbur answered finally.

“What’s best for all of us?” Charlotte was almost screaming now, she had lost all control over her voice and emotions. “How could you say that? You’re marrying Gwen off to some snobby rich guy that she hasn’t even met just so that you can live the luxurious life of your dreams. And you’re sending me off to live in what? A wolf's den? How could you do this to me? How could you do this after everything I’ve done for this family? We were doing just fine! Sure I can’t make much selling firewood, but it's still something. And now you’re just going to marry me off to some wolf!?”

With that outburst from Charlotte, Wilbur shot out of his chair as he too lost all control over his composure.

“Charlotte, you know very well that there is no way we could continue to live like we have been. I haven’t been able to work for quite a few years now because of this damned injury and I want my daughters to be taken care of! This family is looked down on and my daughter’s deserve to gain some respect for their names. And whether you like it or not, that means you’ll have to find husbands. Now, Gwen has a fine young man who wants to give her the life that she deserves and if you refuse to marry then you will be taking away her chance at a happy life!” Wilbur hollered.

“A happy life?” Charlotte scoffed, “A happy life is being with someone you love like you and mom. You two got married because you loved each other! Why isn’t that the life you want for your daughters?” Charlotte retorted. Wilbur took a step towards Charlotte so that he was directly in her face, towering above her. Charlotte didn’t stand down.

“You insolent girl!” Wilbur shouted, thrusting his index finger towards her. “How dare you bring your mother into this! Your mother died! Is that the life you want for your sister? To live every day in agony until she dies and leaves her husband alone with two young daughters! Richard is a doctor! He can take care of Gwen. And, if God forbid she does get taken from this world young, then he will have the means to provide for any children she leaves behind. The fact that any man wants to ask for your hand in marriage is a miracle! Do not be so selfish as to expect me to watch your sister go to an early grave just like I had to watch your mother!” Wilbur responded, his face was tomato red and the rafters shook with the power of his voice. Charlotte looked square in her father’s eyes unwavered by his words.

“Please… the both of you.. Stop” Gwen finally pleaded softly, tears flowing down her face. Her wide blue eyes looked up at both of them desperately. Wilbur looked at Gwen then back at Charlotte before pushing past Charlotte and leaving the house in a huff. Charlotte took a breath to compose herself, then walked over to Gwen and knelt down in front of her. She took Gwen’s face in her hands and tried in vain to wipe away the tears that were overflowing onto her cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” Charlotte said in a whisper. Looking at her sister’s face, Charlotte felt remorseful for the ugly words that had been said by both her and their father. She knew how delicate Gwen was and still she fought with their father right in front of her. Charlotte embraced Gwen’s small frame into her big one and hugged her. The two sisters remained in their embrace for a long time, quietly crying into the crooks of each other's necks.