And so the story begins

There once was a man, as there have been so many men before. He was not particularly cruel, nor were his actions unbefitting of his status as a member of the gentry. He acted as he had been taught dealing punishment where it was due and rewarding where it had been earned. Many ladies fancied him for his gentle and wise demeanor, as well as his fairly charming looks. He was tall and well built, with a nice head of black hair. His nose may have been a little larger than most, but he stood proudly above many of the other young lords whom were often fat and balding. His purse was never empty which may have aided to his suitors fancy. Indeed even many of the maids in his manor had fantasies about him casting them a lust filled and loving gaze. He was well educated and smart enough to suit the needs of his household, which wasn't much. This seemingly perfect man was Daniel. And Daniel was perfectly dull, but all the same he was perfect for the part he was meant to fulfill.

Daniel was not a dreamer and ingenuity didn't grace him with the skill of cunning or wit. Which one finds is not needed in a man of his status, the women flocked to him at balls and parties, no doubt bathing in the security his wealth could easily provide. Afterall they weren't going to marry someone to talk to, they had countless friends and aquiantences to call on. The women had stories and jokes that the men never heard, and the men dismissed their furtive behaviour as another oddity of women, knowing better than to pry. Because of this ignorance Daniel was a blessing to the young maidens of good stock, he didn't know not to ask, he simply wasn't intelligent enough to ask questions.

One may wonder why this story begins with such a man, but it is imperative that one understands that Daniel is important, a dull but nessecary begining to a rather intriguing incidence. For I could tell you about how Daniel married a wonderful girl, and they had four wonderful children, who would grow up to be wonderful adults and that Daniel had a simply wonderful life. But that is not the story that will be told now, for it is a rather perfect story and a rather boring one as well.

Our story begins on a fine spring day while Daniel is making his way to London for a rather important dinner. Daniel is not the type to be nervous, perhaps it's his noble blood, but it is far more likely that he didn't have the awareness that one should feel anxious about certain things. This dinner was important because he would be introducing himself to the father of the wonderful girl he would later marry and have wonderful children with. Daniel certainly felt uneasy but he summed it all up to the rocking and bouncy of the carriage, what a perfect explanation. The weather was unusually nice, the sun was streaming through the fresh spring leaves, quite nice Daniel thought, before staring blankly out the window and contemplating the dinner ahead. As he was doing this he failed to notice the sunlight dimming and it wasn't until he felt the splatter of rain on his face that he recoiled inside. If only the rain was the most upsetting thing to happen to Daniel that day, alas it would not be.

Without the scenery to stare at Daniel dozed off, it was certainly easier than thinking. It is not surprising then that he didn't notice the carriage stopping several times, and the small patter of feet and the rustling of cloth across from him. In fact it wasn't until there was a rather pitiful cough that he opened his eyes. Dull as he was he thought he must be dreaming to be sitting across from what appeared to be a rather oddly dressed woman. She noticed his attention and gave him a rather pitying glance, her eyes were sharp and clear like the eyes of a lioness, their colour seemed indefinite and the longer you looked the harder it became to remember what colours were. In his surprise from recieving this gaze Daniel managed to sputter, "Do I know you? Why are you in-" Daniel couldn't remember what he was about to ask, in fact he was suddenly remembering that he was the close assistant to this woman, if you dared call her a woman. Diana. Artemis. Arawn. Woden. Pakhet. Mielikki. She had many names, of which Cernunnos, as the Celtic tribes had called her, was her favourite.

"Aren't you rather dull? Not even able to remember your own self? Daniel, I would never favour a man as my most entrusted. Never the less you have travelled to my domain, so you must be seeking something." Her crimson hair hung wildly around her slight frame, and moved almost as if if was flowing life blood. Daniel stared vapidly towards Cernunnos.

"What I want?" He asked astounded, he couldn't quite work out why this woman was asking him this, and was almost reeling from the shock of not realising who he was, though there wasn't much about himself he needed to remember. He could tell that this question aggravated her and her slim frame slid towards him with the speed and litheness of a snake, she was not tall but he felt as if she was the largest person he had ever met. And he stumbled backwards, tripping into a sprawled sitting position. Momentarily finding the situation odd as just a minute ago he had been sitting across from Cernunnos in his carriage. But this memory was so fleeting it was forgotten instantly as he was sucked back into the scene. Cernunnos was once again his master and he lived only to serve her.

"No you don't." Cernunnos hissed and as she grabbed his arm he felt himself suddenly remembering who he was and where he belonged. The whole situation was rather to much for him to stomach and he found himself being sick out the window of his carriage, his head and collar being soaked by the rain.

After a few minutes of recovery, Daniel found the ability to speak returning to him."You will grant me a wish?"

"Perhaps" He could tell by her relaxed position across from him that she was quickly growing bored and listless, she was completely still but he could feel her waiting growing in the thin air of the carriage. He knew she could wait for eternity if need be, but prefered not to.

"I would like a wonderful life, with wonderful children and a wonderful wife." Cernunnos certainly looked annoyed at this request, and her expression was rather disdainful.

"Luck shall be with you, as long as your blood never hunts the white stag that resides near your manor." And she was gone, as Daniel woke up to find that he had fallen asleep looking out the window at the nice spring day, where not a cloud was in sight. And he would have forgot what he would think of as a dream by the time he had reached London.

"Lady Cernunnos, is it wise for you to intervene in the life of that man? He was supposed to die in an accident later today, and you know Baron Samedi will be upset that you've postponed one of his souls. The Baron can be quite nasty about that stuff." Cernunnos smiled silently, her sharp teeth gleaming in the moonlight of her halls.

"So he can be, but it's been awhile since I've had much fun." And with that she turned her worn leather sandals making no noise against the marble floor of her home, and she went out to hunt. All good fun requires a bit of waiting, Cernunnos thought, but she was already estatic about what she had just created.