Chapter 9
Nine
Granny thanks you, too, profusely—more profusely than you deserve.
“You must stay for dinner,” she says, “stay overnight, please, you’re welcome here.”
She doesn’t accept any of your protestations. She doesn’t care that you’re not afraid of the woods at night, doesn’t care that you can fend for yourself, doesn’t care that you’re looking for the Swan Prince.
“He’ll be there tomorrow,” says Granny. “You can’t bother him this late at night. Besides, you’ve got to do something with that wolf. I don’t want to look at it anymore.”
Roundly defeated in your attempts to leave, you sit down at her table.
Dinner doesn’t taste like anything, and if you want it to stay that way, you’re going to have to find an apothecary to refill your bottle sooner rather than later.
Afterward, you take the wolf’s body outside to skin it.
The pelt will fetch a good price, though you’re not sure you’ll sell it.
It took all these years to beat you, but I beat you.
There’s a lightness in your chest. A sense of closure.
It feels like anything could happen, but only in the good ways.
It feels like something has ended for you.
One last thread of story stitched into place.
The picture is done, which means you’re free.
Which means, from now on, whatever happens next is up to you.