Ozette's Destiny (3 page)

As the two approached, the unicorn looked up from where he was munching lettuce. He looked surprised to see a dog and squirrel running toward him. He stopped eating and cocked his head.

“I know you,” he said, looking at DZ. “You’re Queen Beatrix’s dog. All of Farland has been in an uproar since you disappeared! What happened? Where have you been? Are you safe?” he asked.

DZ told him the story, and the unicorn shook his elegant head in amazement.

“Some silly mice stopped me today with a crazy story about seeing squirrels pushing a little white dog up a tree, but I thought they had over-active imaginations. You know how mice can be.”

The dog and squirrel nodded in agreement.

“It was probably Milligan Mouse and his family. He does have a wild imagination, but this time he was right,” Ozette said.

The unicorn knelt down with one leg extended and invited the two friends to grab his thick black mane and climb onto his back.

Ozette hesitated. “You take DZ home. I’ll head back to my nest,” she said.

The unicorn gave a snort. “Nonsense! You’re a heroine. You’ve no idea what a stir this dog’s disappearance has caused. The queen will be ecstatic. She will want to meet you and there’s even a reward for this little dog’s return,” he said.

“I just did what was right. I don’t need a reward,” Ozette replied.

The unicorn dipped his glossy black wing, scooped up Ozette and tossed her onto his back.

“Ever ridden on a unicorn?” he asked.

Ozette shook her head.

“This is your chance. I’m Maxwell, by the way. Off we go!” he shouted, flapping his powerful wings.

And off they flew into the late morning sky, both clinging for dear life to the unicorn, but amazed at the sights beneath them. Farlandia looked so different from high above the trees. Ozette found herself loving the ride. DZ’s ears were flapping in the breeze, and she held tightly onto Ozette’s paw.

“It’s a different world up here, isn’t it?” DZ shouted, as if reading her thoughts.

Ozette nodded as she watched meandering streams, flower-studded meadows and verdant forests pass below her, in all their grandeur. She thought she glimpsed lofty mountain peaks in the far distance. She caught her breath at the sheer beauty of it all.

Soon the forest gave way to fields, barns and gardens. Then they came upon the castle itself, a massive gray stone structure topped with three tall bell towers. Ozette’s eyes widened as she took in the towering spires and wide balconies.

DZ was bouncing up and down on the unicorn’s broad back, almost losing her balance, as Maxwell made a sweeping descent and landed on the lawn in front of the palace. The little dog leaped off of Maxwell’s back, barking and yipping. Ozette accompanied her to the front door of the castle, where DZ yipped and barked until it was opened by a stocky young woman carrying a mop and bucket.

“Oh my! Duchess Zorina!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air and dropping the mop and bucket on the marble entryway floor with a splash and a crash.

“And you brought a friend with you! A beautiful white squirrel! Wait until Queen Beatrix sees you’re back,” she said, scooping up the excited dog and motioning for Ozette to follow them.

“The queen has been in bed, awash in grief, since you disappeared,” she said, kissing the top of the dog’s head, as she led them into the most opulent bedroom Ozette had ever seen.

Farlandia had much simpler dwellings. The elves, fairies and even Princess Abrianna lived in nice cottages, but nothing like this. The lavish room was decorated with pale yellow and sky blue velvet, satin and silk. Ozette’s eyes grew wide, and she couldn’t help but compare it to her humble nest.

The queen lay in bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying, and her auburn hair uncombed.

When she caught sight of her beloved companion, Queen Beatrix gasped with joy and held out her arms. DZ flew into them and smothered the queen’s face with wet kisses, washing away tears of happiness.

When DZ had calmed down and was nestled in her lap, the beautiful and very grateful queen turned to Ozette.

“Only an hour ago, we heard a rumor that Maxwell was flying you both here. I hardly dared hope it was true. Please tell me how you found my precious.”

Ozette told her the story, and the queen hugged the dog tighter, as she heard how the squirrels had pushed her up a tree, and the fairies and elves had carried her down.

“You know I’ve offered a generous reward for Duchess Zorina’s safe return,” the queen said.

Ozette shook her head. “I only wanted to bring her back to you safely,” she said, bowing respectfully.

“Most admirable,” said the queen, stroking the dog’s floppy ears. She asked Ozette to tell her all about Farlandia, as she had never traveled that far into the realm of her own queendom.

Ozette told her about the magnificent old-growth forest, the meadows, the clear streams and rivers, the fields of wild flowers. She spoke of the wildlife, elves and fairies that lived there.

The queen kept nodding her head and saying, “I see.”

When Ozette was finished, the queen rang a bell on her bedside table and a woman wearing an apron came scurrying into the room.

“Please fix Ozette and Duchess Zorina lunch, make sure that Maxwell has the choicest vegetables to eat, and summon my top advisors immediately,” said the queen, looking thoughtfully at Ozette.

Ozette and DZ dined royally in the cavernous dining room. Ozette was stunned at the size of the table. All of the fairies and elves in Farlandia could dine here and still have room to spare.

At the end of the meal, Ozette and DZ shared a plate of hazelnut tarts filled with raspberry jam.

“I wish you would stay here and live with us,” DZ said wistfully to Ozette. “I’ll miss you, if you leave.”

Ozette had become quite fond of the little puffball and smiled gently. Lifting a fragile china cup in her paws, Ozette explained, “I’ll miss you too. But I belong in the woods. I could never be at home here, even though it’s so beautiful. But I promise to try to visit.”

DZ shuddered. “Yes, you would have to come here, because I never want to venture into the woods again. I was so lucky to find you,” she said, putting her paw over Ozette’s.

After lunch, DZ showed Ozette around the palace. Ozette was dazzled at the splendid rooms with their intricately carved furniture, brocade draperies and plush carpeting. Ozette giggled as she noted that almost every room held a large portrait of the little dog.

Suddenly, they were summoned into the queen’s office. She looked refreshed and her eyes shone happily. She had dressed in a flowing green silk gown, fastened with a braided gold sash. A green ribbon held back her long silky hair. In her hands were some important-looking papers.

“Ozette, I’m eternally grateful to you for bringing my precious Duchess Zorina back home. I have been mulling over what reward to give you. I have many riches, but Farlandia already seems to provide you and your friends with everything you need to be happy.”

Ozette nodded in agreement and started to repeat that no reward was necessary, when the queen held up her hand for silence.

“My cousin, Boardmore, and his brother have wanted your section of the woods to build a hunting lodge and to clear land to grow crops.”

Ozette shuddered. Hunting! Clearing land! Oh no! She forced her mind back from a dark time in her life and focused on what the queen was saying.

The queen smiled wryly. “Boardmore is not a fan of wilderness unless it suits his own purpose,” she said.

“But you have made it sound like such an enchanting place, and I want to reward you and your friends for returning my precious companion. So, this is what I’m doing.”

She picked up the papers and showed them to Ozette. “I’m deeding Farlandia to itself, Ozette. It will be sovereign land, so no one will ever own it and use for their own purposes. And you will be the caretaker of the land, its ruler, much as I rule Farland, to see that it remains in its wild state forever.”

Seeing Ozette’s shocked and puzzled look, she said firmly, “By belonging to itself, no one can make any claim on it. It will not pass to my heirs, who might not honor my wishes. It’s all within the laws of Farland. I’m a good judge of character, and I sense that my trust in you is well founded.”

Ozette’s mouth dropped open in awe, and she shook her head unbelievingly.

“It’s done, Ozette,” the queen said firmly, clasping the squirrel’s paws in her soft hands to seal the deal.

Ozette’s head was spinning. She pondered the queen’s gift and felt like she was in a daze.

Maxwell snorted and stomped his giant feet, ready to take to the air. As Ozette headed for the door, DZ raced back into the hall with something in her mouth. She dropped it at Ozette’s feet.

“I wanted to give you something of mine. Something to remember me by,” she said.

Ozette looked down and gasped. It was a beautiful gold tiara embellished with diamonds, emeralds and rubies. At the peak was a small flower inset with diamonds.

Ozette picked it up with her paw. “Are these real?” she asked.

“Of course they’re real,” DZ said indignantly. “My queen wouldn’t give me fakes. But I want you to have it, Ozette. If you’re going to be the caretaker of Farlandia, you need a crown like a real queen.”

Ozette started to protest, but DZ gave her the most plaintive look, so she let the dog set it on her head.

“Besides, Ozette, I got it when I was a pup. It fits you much better than it fits me now that I’ve grown,” the dog said.

They hugged tightly, and Ozette slipped out the door and onto Maxwell’s back. He flapped his enormous wings, and they were quickly airborne.

Ozette held onto her tiara as Maxwell soared toward the setting sun, the sky laced with violet, salmon and gold. The feeling of awe and freedom was almost overwhelming, and Ozette found herself envying winged creatures. All too soon, Maxwell landed by her tree. She slid off of the unicorn’s back onto the ground.

Using his teeth, Maxwell retrieved two intricately woven baskets that had been tied across his flanks.

“These are from the cook. The green one contains nuts for you and your squirrel buddies, and the brown one contains treats for your other friends. Whenever I fly this way again, I’ll bring you more. You made quite a hit, Queen Ozette,” he said, bowing.

Ozette’s head whipped around, and she snorted. “Queen Ozette! What nonsense is that?”

“Well, you have a tiara fit for a queen, and the cook told me Queen Beatrix has deeded Farlandia to itself and appointed you as caretaker. That sounds like the job of a queen to me,” he chuckled over his shoulder as he took to the sky.

Ozette shook her head dismissively, stashed the baskets in a bush near her tree and clambered up to her nest. She took off her tiara, hid it in a corner of her nest and went to sleep.

Ozette awoke as the sun peeked over the horizon, the sky a brilliant canvas of blues streaked with salmons, reds and golds. She loved the early morning hours, when the forest was dew-kissed,and the day held unlimited possibilities.

She sat up, licked her paws, pulled her tail between her legs and began preening herself. When she was satisfied that she looked presentable, she hurried down her maple tree to search for breakfast. Remembering the baskets of goodies from the palace cook, she retrieved the nut-filled basket from the bushes where she had stashed it the night before.

Ozette feasted on the delicious nuts. Some she recognized – walnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts and pecans – but others she had never seen. Moon nuts, star nuts, sun nuts, grizzle nuts and chuck nuts. All were tasty, and she decided to save some to plant and grow trees of her own.

Ozette thought back to the lesson that her grandmother, The Divine Miss Piddlewinks, taught her as a youngster, called the gift of the acorn.

“If you aren’t greedy,” her grandmother had said, “and if you plant more than you will eat during the season, there will always be trees and food for generations to come, for squirrels, birds and all kinds of creatures. So don’t be selfish,” her grandmother had told her, tapping Ozette’s nose with the tip of her sharp claw.