Beyond The Trees
by Darren Stone

When Henry the Cobbler passed away, a simple honest man, years before his time, there was great sadness throughout the village. His three sons carried his casket to the cemetery where friends and family gathered with their final thoughts.

While the minister spoke of better places, and lives well-lived, Henry’s second son, Wade, the Village Dreamer, was wrestling with the reality of his own life. A rented cottage, a pen that wouldn’t write, and a world of things he would do for The Right Girl.

Two long prayers were followed by six "Amens," and the villagers began to drift out of the graveyard and towards their homes. Wade stayed behind - alone. Alone, except for the shadow of a woman. A shadow that stood motionless for a few minutes, then drifted closer to the dreamer. As he felt the shadow move across his eyes, he looked up and saw her face.

It was Princess Lorraine. Lorraine, the most beautiful woman in the land. Her Kingdom was far away, past the rocks and rivers. Beyond the trees.
"You………you are Princess Lorraine, are you not?"
"Yes."
"Why are you so far from home, and at my father’s funeral?"
"Many years ago I met your father. He repaired my favorite riding boots one rainy day as I was stranded in your village, and not knowing who I was, he insisted on doing the work for free. He thought I had enough trouble for one day, and only wanted to see me smile and return home safely."
"You are very kind to remember him this way."
"I also remember that you are Wade, his son, and you enjoy telling fairy tales to the children and singing romantic songs at the inn. And, I happen to know that you have your own reputation of a loving, giving heart."

Wade was caught offguard by her remarks, smiled nervously, and fumbled for words, "Your Highness appears quite knowledgeable of my meager life. I am flattered."
He paused. "What you say is true - WAS true, that is. Alas, the years come and go, the fairy tales are few and far between, and the romantic songs are all but silenced."
The beautiful Princess Lorraine took Wade’s hand, looked straight into his eyes and spoke like music to him. "In my Kingdom is a village. In that village is a woman, and within that woman is a heart. That heart beats for you."
Wade returned the gaze into Lorraine’s eyes, though his eyebrows rose as he studied this riddle.
Lorraine smiled, kissed the palm of his hand, leaned into his ear, and whispered, "I am that woman."

By the time his breath returned, she was out the gate and weaving her way among her stallions and bodyguards, her mapmakers and hunters, and the other fancy carriages of her traveling entourage.


"What do you think you’re doing?" asked Wade’s family. Several months had passed since their father’s funeral, and his encounter with the princess. Letters had been exchanged for the past few months - sometimes three and four a day. There was no denying the two seemed to have fallen deeply in love.
"I am going to her. I’m folding my knapsack, and I’m going to Princess Lorraine’s village," replied Wade with an unusual confidence.
"But it’s so far away," warned his mother.

"It’s so very far away," echoed friends, as they gathered around Wade on this, the morning of his departure.
"I have found love. And no distance can dilute true love. We can no longer bear to be separated."
And he walked to the edge of the village.

Wade looked at the rocky road that lay ahead of him.

The villagers began to gather. "See? "The road is rocky and very hard to travel. You are certain to bruise a heel or twist an ankle."
Wade climbed a tree to see farther.
"Yes," cried the villagers, "Look ahead at the dark forests. How will you navigate your way? There is rarely a ray of sunlight in the forests, and you’ve no experience."
Wade climbed onto the roof of a nearby house to see even farther.
"And what will you do for shelter? What about the serpents and wild beasts? What about the burning sun and the freezing rain? What will you eat? How will you cross the dangerous rivers? You’ll be swept out to sea, for sure!"

Wade heard the villagers, of course, but paid no attention. He walked up the tallest mountain near the village. He stood at the edge overlooking the villagers, their homes, and their businesses. From there he could see for many, many miles and he could see all the sharp rocks and dark forests and sweeping rivers. He could see his cozy rented cottage and his easy, familiar life, as well.

By now, all the villagers were in agreement and shouted up to him, "At last you can see the dangers we speak of! You MUST reconsider this nonsense, and return to your home! You should never have thought to leave your comfortable village for a silly dream!"

Wade looked at the villagers below.
He looked up, and beyond the trees.
He focused on a point far in the distance that he imagined to be Princess Lorraine’s village.
And he leapt.


For what the villagers did not know, and what Wade did not know for sure - until just that moment - was that since the day he met Lorraine, he felt like he could fly.
And that’s just what Wade did.
Over the rocks and forests and serpents and raging rivers, and into the Princess’ Kingdom, and into the Princess’ heart.

And it was there they were wed.
And it was there they lived happily ever after.