Nora clung tightly to the bear’s neck. His gait wasn’t graceful, and she jostled awkwardly, but the ground fell away behind them in a rush. They soon left behind the boundaries of the village and the fields Nora recognized, hurtling to places she’d never been. Green fields, clusters of trees, majestic peaks—the glorious, rolling countryside of the Lake District slid past. Nora had never imagined moving at such a speed.
After only a minute or two, they slowed. The bear was breathing heavily; she could feel the rough rhythm of his inhales. Nora, by contrast, had been struck breathless, and now she filled her lungs fully for the first time since they’d left the garden.
“Can’t run for long,” the bear gasped after a long moment. He was walking now, but they were still moving faster than a wagon. “I was afraid your father would change his mind.”
“Papa wouldn’t,” Nora assured him. Her father had given her the choice, and he would trust her with it. “John might, but he’s notoriously hard to wake in the morning.”
“The brother who opened the door?”
Nora nodded, then realized he couldn’t see her. “Yes. He thought I ought to leave well enough alone.”
“Perhaps he’s right, but I’m glad you didn’t.” The bear’s deep voice rumbled through Nora. She realized suddenly that she was beyond the reach of her family and getting farther. Her companion must have felt her stiffen, because he said, “You’re safe with me. I won’t harm you, and I won’t allow anyone else to.”
Nora gulped back her nerves and shifted slightly to settle more comfortably against his back. Her knees were just behind his shoulder joints, and she half lay along his spine so she could cling to his long neck. He walked with a kind of swaying stride, but Nora soon adjusted to it.
They didn’t speak much after that. They moved steadily north for several hours. When the sun was climbing high overhead, they reached a valley with a small lake, where the bear stopped to drink. Nora tumbled awkwardly off his back and knelt to drink herself. The water was clear and cold. Without giving her any warning, the bear finished his drink and plunged into the water, splashing her. She gasped at the shock but was soon fascinated by watching him swim, only his narrow head visible above the water. She’d never learned to swim, never even wanted to, but watching him glide through the water made her almost wish she could.
After a few minutes, he returned to shore and shook himself. “Needed to cool off,” he grunted as he turned back to her. “Are you ready?”
Nora nodded and scrambled onto his back. His fur was still wet, which made her skirt cling to her legs, but she ignored the discomfort. She was riding a bear into an adventure; discomfort was to be expected.
They stopped several more times that day for a drink and a cooling swim. One pond was well stocked with fish, and Nora watched in amazement as the bear caught several and immediately devoured them.
“Would you like me to catch you one?” he asked when he caught her staring.
“No, thank you.” Papa and John sometimes caught fish from the nearby lake or stream, but Nora didn’t know how she’d cook one without a frying pan or fire. She’d found some brambles not far from the shore and snacked on a few handfuls of berries while she watched the bear catch his lunch. It would have to do.
The bear cleaned his face and paws in the water, and they were off again. The sun was sinking low when they approached a village. Stopping, the bear sank to the ground to let Nora climb off.
“Walk into the village and find the inn. Give them my name; they’ll have a room ready for you, and dinner too.”
“Aren’t you coming?” For some reason, staying alone in a strange place made Nora more nervous than leaving home with an enchanted bear.
“I would frighten the villagers,” he said. “The innkeeper is a good man. You’ll be safe. Meet me here at dawn.”
Nora bit her lips together and nodded, sucking a deep breath through her nose before turning and walking into the village alone. She glanced over her shoulder once before the buildings closed in behind her; the bear stood exactly where she’d left him, watching.
The inn was not hard to find. It was a whitewashed timber building, three times the size of Nora’s family’s cottage, with rooms on two stories. At the mention of Alek Davies, the innkeeper led her to an upstairs room and left her with the promise of a dinner tray to be brought up. Nora looked around in awe. The room was the same size as the parlor she’d shared with her siblings, with one large bed, a washstand, a desk and chair, and a wardrobe. All of this space was for her? She shivered, feeling suddenly small and out of place. A man—or bear—who could afford to travel and stay in places like this was above her station, and by quite a lot. Why on earth had he chosen her?
Nora’s mind raced with questions until a knock on the door announced the arrival of dinner. The serving maid placed the tray on the desk, eyed Nora curiously, curtsied, and left. Nora didn’t waste time. She devoured the cold chicken and salad and crusty bread just as voraciously as the bear had inhaled the fish earlier. At last, feeling truly full for the first time in ages, she changed into her nightdress, climbed into the big bed, and fell asleep.
She woke in the dark and spent a frightened, disoriented minute trying to remember where she was. She was alone in bed with no sister to cuddle against, no brothers snoring across the room. Loneliness crept in, and Nora lay wide awake, unable to sleep again. She fumbled with the shutter of the nearest window, letting in the cool night air. The sky was just beginning to gray. She watched it slowly lighten for a while before dressing in the dark and pulling the bell cord for a servant. By the time a sleepy maid knocked lightly on the door, Nora had bundled her nightdress back into her sack and had her boots on.
“I need to be on my way before dawn,” she told the maid, who couldn’t have been much older than Julia. “Do I owe anything? And might I have something for breakfast? I’m so sorry to wake you.”
“You didn’t wake me, miss,” the maid said, stifling her yawn so that she didn’t inadvertently blow out her candle. “I was already getting up to help cook. I’ll find you something to eat and be back in a moment.”
True to her word, the girl returned a few minutes later. “I’m afraid it’s not much, but nothing else is ready yet.” She set down a plate with two slices of day old bread and a small pot of strawberry preserves.
“It’s perfect, thank you.”
The maid used her candle to light one on the desk for Nora then disappeared down the stairs. Nora ate quickly and made her way down to the small foyer, looking around for the innkeeper. She found him in the empty dining room, poring over a ledger.
“Pardon me,” she said softly.
His head jerked up, and he pressed a beefy hand to his chest. “Gave me a turn, didn’t you, miss? How can I help you?”
“I need to be on my way. Do I owe anything?”
“Nothing, miss. It’s all been prepaid.”
Nora nodded, bemused, and thanked him before leaving the inn and starting back down the street. Alek Davies had planned for her to stay there. He’d prepared for this trip to Scotland in advance. When? When had she come to his attention, and when had he decided to propose? Nora shook her head as if it would help her clear her muddled thoughts. She didn’t regret accepting him, but she couldn’t help feeling like a helpless pawn in a game whose rules hadn’t been explained to her.
She reached the outskirts of the village just as the sky was brightening with the sunrise. The nearest mountains kept the village in shadow, but the birds knew what time it was and set about exuberantly welcoming the day. The bear was nowhere to be seen, but Nora was early. She found a spot under the nearest tree and leaned against the trunk, enjoying the birdsong and the golden glow bathing the underside of the clouds.
A minute later, a large shape eased up beside her, and a low voice rumbled, “We should go.”
“Good morning.” Nora turned to the bear, shaken to find his head so close to hers. But after the lonely hours of darkness, she was glad to climb onto his back. They set off, keeping the rising sun on their right.
That day and the next continued much the same as the first. The hills, valleys, and fields began to blur together for Nora. They stopped every few hours for a drink and a splash in a stream or pond. The bear fished; Nora foraged. They followed the road, keeping off of it but near enough to use it for guidance. The bear only broke into his full sprint once, when the sun was sinking and there was still a distance to go to the second village. As Nora clung to his neck and buried her face in his coarse fur, a small part of her wondered why he was rushing. Even after the sun went down, the sky would be light enough to see by for another hour or more.
Nora didn’t ask; she couldn’t find her voice while traveling at such a speed, and the bear didn’t have breath to answer anyway. When at last she tumbled off his back at the edge of the village, he gasped out a gruff, “See you at dawn,” and began to walk away even before she had passed the first buildings.
Somewhere on the second day, they’d crossed into Scotland. Nora couldn’t tell when; the countryside all looked the same, and she couldn’t read the rare road signs they passed. On the third evening, when he left her at the edge of the village, the bear said, “Bring MacArthur with you at dawn. I trust him to marry us and not ask questions.”
Nora nodded silently and made her way to the inn. As she’d guessed, Mr. MacArthur was the innkeeper. He, like the others, was expecting her, though he seemed surprised when he took in her worn clothing and small bag of possessions. Nora ignored this reminder that she was too poor and insignificant for whoever Alek Davies really was. She was here, and she’d carry on with the plan.
Mr. MacArthur showed her to her room, with another large bed that she could have easily shared with two or three sisters.
“I’ll have them send up some supper for you, miss,” the innkeeper said, his hand on the door handle. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Yes, actually,” Nora said hesitantly. “I need to meet Mr. Davies at dawn. He asked that you accompany me—we’re to exchange our vows, you see, and he trusts you to do it.”
The innkeeper gave her a strangely sharp look when she said the bear’s name. “He mentioned it to me when he booked your room. I’m at your service.” He bowed slightly. “Would you like breakfast before then, or something to take with you on the road?”
“Just something small, please.”
Nora thanked him, and he left. She stood at the window, watching the color leach from the sky until her dinner tray arrived. She ate, changed, and lay on the bed. Her full stomach made her sleepy, but her nerves kept her awake. In the morning she’d be married. To an enchanted bear. She closed her eyes and stifled a moan. What had she gotten herself into?
Copyright 2025 by Eliza Prokopovits
