Protector of the Enchanted

Trees. All around us, there is nothing but trees. Dark hulking masses casting a shadow under the moonlight, darkening the slivers of light on the footpath. Now normally, this wouldn’t be much of a problem, however the horses that lead the wagon would suggest otherwise. They, along with their passengers, have been travelling all day, and are now in need of some rest.

 

“I think that it’s time we set up camp.” Gem yawns out.

 

Cylen nods along. “Let’s set up camp at the next clearing.” His eyes are struggling to stay open, a yawn following his words.

 

I hum my agreement, looking towards the silent mass next to me, who only nods in agreement, not even opening his eyes.

 

It’s not long till we reach a relatively open space in the woods. There’s a dense layering of grass on the ground, so we’re not in much danger of being stabbed by the sharp rocks lodged underneath. As Gem and Cylen set the tents up, I nudge Chess awake.

 

“Hey....” I poke him in the side. “Let’s go tie up the horses.” Poke. “Let’s go.” Poke. “I’m going to name one of them Cocoa.”

 

That catches his attention, his eyes opening a slit to narrow on me. “It’s the brown one, isn’t it?”

 

“No.” I tell him matter of fact. That would be too obvious. “It’s the golden one with the silver mane. Obviously.”

 

The narrowed eyes widen to shoot me a blank stare. “Why?”

 

“Because it’s funny.” I lean down and whisper into his ear, a grin spreading over my face. I don’t think Gem would find it as funny, so I’ll tell her some other time. The blank stare continues, but I can see his lips twitching.

 

“Fine.” He sits up, ruffling his hair as he makes to stand up. “I suppose it would be safer to find them a place to rest. There are very few things worse than tired horses.” Resisting the urge to point out that’s obvious, I go over to Cocoa and the horse beside him and grasp the reins, freeing them from the wagon.

 

Holding the reins in my hands makes me feel an odd sense of peace. Which only grows when we reach the place I’d thought would be safe to shelter them. Ryan seems to be going slow, as if telling me to follow along as he loops them securely around the tree.

 

“This fire won’t start!” Gem yells out, breaking the peace.

 

My cousin had decided that we need to eat before going to sleep and is now in the process of attempting to start a fire. Cylen shakes his head fondly, but also clearly has no clue on how to start a fire. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. How have they survived this long?

 

Sighing, I decide it might be dumb luck. “Here, let me try.”

 

Gathering the flammable plants that Gem had dispersed in her frustration back to the middle of the circle, I add in a couple od drier sticks to the mix. The ones from before are wet from the dewy grass. Weighing the rocks, it takes a moment for me to find two that feel right.

 

Conscious of the eyes boring into me, I make a quick matchbox motion, having only the outsides collide and scrape. A spark flies out, lighting the flame. Followed by the grin that lights up my face.

 

A short chuckle draws my attention behind me, what’s he laughing at? He just shakes his head at my cocked head, throwing a mysterious smile my way. A sigh escapes my mouth, I can’t believe he opened his eyes again just to laugh at me!

 

Not long after, everyone has eaten and retired to their tent. We’re all beat from the long day, and I can see the way Gem’s struggling to stay upright as she wobbles to her tent. For some reason, the men decided that it wouldn’t be safe two women to sleep alone. I understand the sentiment, but that doesn’t mean I like it.

 

Sure this forest is supposedly dangerous, but I doubt it would be anything I couldn’t handle. I have a sword attached to me. But…the concern is something I haven’t felt in a while, so I’ll let it slide this once.

 

Also, my room (or tent) mate has already fallen asleep, so I can’t exactly kick him out. Even if I wanted to. Especially since, under the firelight, the dark circles under his eyes were even more obvious. Oh well. It’s a big tent anyway.

 

Despite my best efforts, I just cannot sleep. My eyes keep wandering to the sword resting to the side of the makeshift sleeping bags. After a couple more moments of hand twitching and restlessness, I decide that I won’t be able to sleep until I deal with the cause. Taking care not to disturb the slumbering form near me, I slowly creep out of the covers, grabbing the sword on my way out.

 

You’d be surprised at how easy it is to find an isolated spot in the middle of a forest. Trees are such easy targets to focus on, they help you learn how to avoid moving too wide. After a couple of mishaps, moving to avoid the trees while attacking, feels like instinct. Hmm. Now all I need to do is increase my speed and endurance, but how?

 

“Why am I not surprised that you sneaked out just to torment trees?” An amused voice calls out from behind me, effectively scaring the living daylights out of me. I throw him an indignant glare, before cocking my head as an idea comes to mind. Since he’s awake…

 

“Did you bring the sword?”

He hesitates for a second, “Yes…”

 

“Can we keep practising?” I only realise I’m right in front of him when he takes a step back. He contemplates that for a moment, glancing at the sword in my hand and then flickering back to my expectant face.

 

“Alright.” He sighs, “But, on one condition.”

 

“What?”

 

“No cheating.”

 

“I did not cheat.”

 

His only response is a disbelieving expression.

 

“Ok fine!” I give in, “I won’t kick you just to avoid losing.”

 

“You’re sulking.”

 

“…” I would say ‘Am not!’, but it would probably come across as somewhat childish.

 

He grins. “Alright, let’s begin.”

 

It was on a dark, moonless, cloudy night that the couple ventured into the forest. They were getting desperate; this was perhaps their only chance of getting what they wanted most. They had heard rumours that she could be found in the clearing on nights like this. Their cloaks were fastened tight around their bodies, as if that could protect them from prying eyes.

 

The rumours did not lie. She stood there, as if she expected them to come and seek her out. Her floating form above the tree trump looked ethereal, the almost transparent wings behind her creating a beautiful shimmer in the dark. There seemed to be a soft glow surrounding her as she waited for them to approach.

 

“Why have you come to me?” Her soft voice asked.

 

That gave them pause, they were under the impression that she would know even without them speaking the words out loud.

 

The ethereal form smiled gently, “I still need you to say the words to confirm.”

 

That made a lot more sense. “A child.” The woman spoke. “We want a child.” Her husband put his arms around her as they waited for her answer.

 

“Just as I thought.” Came the reply. “You’ve come here seeking a child.”

 

Waiting seemed like torture, this was their last chance. They had tried for so long with no luck. The priests and healers they visited told them that there was little chance for them to conceive a child. However, they still believed there was hope yet. Their kingdom needed an heir.

 

“As luck would have it, there is a way.” She finally continued with a mysterious smile. The faerie knew that for any other couple this would be almost impossible. But for this couple…there was a chance.

 

“What is this way?” Asked the man.

 

“It is somewhat hard to explain. For now, it is better that you do not know.” After all, the faerie thought, they would remember in time. They all would.

 

Seeing their confused looks, she shook her head, “For this to work, you will not remember that you came here.” She pulled a small orb out from behind her, moving closer to the woman, “I will place this inside you, it will allow you to have a child.”

 

A hand came out to stop her before she could fully place it inside the womb. A soft chuckle escaped her lips, “Don’t worry, it will be your child.” They didn’t completely understand but allowed her to proceed.

 

“All the kingdom will know is that you’ve conceived a child. No one, not even you, will remember that you came to me.” The words sounded like a prophecy ringing out behind them as they made their way out of the forest. The next morning, they would not remember. The young queen unaware of the small form growing inside her.

 

Watching them walk away, a sense of relief consumed the faerie queen. Finally. After such a long wait, it had been set in motion. She only hoped that this time, it would go better than the last. This time, she prayed they would find happiness.

 

My muscles ache. It was unanimously decided that we don’t know where to go from here, it was better to just set up camp and wait until we had a clue. So, for a week, I’ve been subjected to the torture that is intensive physical activity. Ryan may not be that adept at sword fighting, but as I’m unable to just kick him, it’s been evened out.

 

And by evened out, I mean he’s taking advantage of the situation to bully me and make me practise more. The absolute ass.

 

On the bright side, the ruthless training is having some impact. My muscles do feel somewhat stronger, and I’m now able to knock him down without resorting to kicks. Well, most of the time. I also feel relatively less tired now as compared to before. Sometimes, Gem comes and watches us, cheering me on. Most of the time, she just wanders around the forest, dragging Cylen with her. I think they’re looking for clues, but there hasn’t been much success.

 

Sitting down by the fire, a loud grumble escapes my stomach, eliciting laughs from my companions. I just hold my hand out, waiting for Cylen to pass me a bowl of the broth that Gem cooked up a while ago. Training is exhausting, I don’t have the energy to glare right now.

 

“Why don’t we tell stories?” Cylen asks after a couple of seconds of silence.

 

“What?” That was a little random.

 

“About what?”

 

“Ourselves.” Cylen replies. Ah. I see what he’s trying to do. It’s not a bad idea.

 

“You start.” Gem tells him, warming her hands on the fire. I had to light that as well. They still haven’t figured out to do it and have since foisted the responsibility onto me.

 

“Alright.” He cracks his fingers, leaning back. “I know just the one.”

 

It was a rainy day, thunder rumbled in the sky. The wind howled all around him as he walked towards shelter, his clothes completely soaked. He should have known better than to wander into the woods at this time of the year. Even the chopped wood behind him was getting soaked. On top of that, he didn’t know where he was.

 

Just as all hope seemed to be lost, he spotted a cottage past the trees. It looked picturesque, but more importantly, the lights were still on. He knocked on the wooden door thrice before the weight of the wood became too much. The door slowly swung open to reveal a feminine figure staring curiously at the man in front of her. She looked beautiful.

 

“Yes?” she asked, “What are you doing wandering around in this rain.”

 

“I’m…lost. May I take cover in your home?” He asked hopefully, “I come bearing wood.”

 

Gem’s loud laughter follows the end of the story, a grin lighting up her face. “You looked so pitiful standing there at my doorstep, drenched from head to toe.” I laugh along with her, the mental image is too funny. “What else was I supposed to do, other than let you in?”’

 

Cylen shook his head, a smile on his face, “So, who’s next?”

 

“Well, I can’t think of any other stories at this point.” Gem states.

 

“I have nothing fit to tell.” Ryan whispers. Three pairs of eyes stare into mine, expectant.

 

I sigh, “What do you want me to tell?”

 

“Where did you live before?”

 

“What was it like there?”

 

Ryan stays silent, only giving me a soft smile of encouragement.

 

“You said one story.” I point out. They say nothing else, only staring in expectation. Hmm. There might be one story I can tell…

 

Fireworks lit up the sky as the crowd cheered the new year in. There was a free feast laid out in front of them, although you did need to pay to eat. A little girl stood atop of a balcony, taking in the brightness of the sky. She was staying in a nice foster home this time, a bed waiting for her to get back to.

 

But she knew that they couldn’t afford to adopt her. They simply didn’t have enough money to have a child long term. This was only until the facility was built. Still, she decided to enjoy it for as long as she could.

 

A plate was placed on the table beside her by a smiling man. He ruffled her hair, before making his way inside. On the plate lay a mug of hot chocolate and slice of chocolate cake. It tasted warm and sweet, which might be what heaven would be like, or so she was told.

 

Briefly, she felt content in where she was. She let herself forget the never-ending restlessness that seemed to follow her. Glancing at the happy people beneath her, wearing colourful hats and eating all sorts of food, felt nice. As if that joy could somehow transfer to her as well.

 

There was so much to see beneath her, but one sight drew her attention more than anything else. A little way from the cheering crowd, there are a group of kids play fighting with swords. She smiles, deciding to mention it to her foster parents the next day.

 

“Did you mention it?” Gem asks, eyes wide.

 

“No.” A sheepish smile makes its way onto my face, “I forgot.” A soft sigh makes me turn my head to the man beside me, the corners of his lips were raised, but he looked tired. Odd.

 

“Well,” Cylen finally states, “I think it’s time we finally got to sleep.”

 

I start to make my way over to my tent when a ball of light catches my eye. Without another thought, I start running after it. There’s something strangely familiar about it.

 

Being surrounded by trees, riding out on the forest floor had always had a calming effect on her. With nothing but her horse, she felt free. Today, however, a curious light had caught her attention. She spurred her horse into the direction, manoeuvring past trees in her way.

 

Getting off, she held the reins as she glanced around, wandering to the centre of the clearing. She could sense another presence in the area but wasn’t entirely sure where they were. She closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them once again, turning to the right.

 

“Hello.” She called out, “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?”

 

“Hello princess, I do believe you already know who I am.”

 

“Still, it’s rude not to introduce yourself.”

 

“Alright then,” She smiled in resignation, “You can call me Tatiana, may I know your name?”

 

Raising her eyebrows, the princess smiled, “You can call me Celeste.”

 

The compelling force that made me race after the ball of light, also makes it difficult to focus on anything else. Even as I see Ryan appearing at my side, having followed after me. He doesn’t get the chance to open his mouth before I come to a stop.

 

There’s moss everywhere. The light has stopped right over a tree stump in the centre of the clearing. At the foot there is a ring of flowers, moonlight shining on it through the trees. The light expands until it takes the form of a woman, her wings unfurling behind her.

 

A whisper breaks the silence, “Welcome.”