Chapter three

After four grueling hours of work, all the survivors and dead were recovered. The wall was prepared for repair, which would proceed the next day. Luke wiped sweat from his brow onto his sleeve.

 

The sun was already commencing its downfall, and the sky was turning a brilliant crimson. Fascinated by the colors, Luke sat on the ground and gazed at the sky. He was always far too busy to watch a sun set, so he never noticed it. As the soldiers passed on their way to the barracks, they stared at him strangely as he sat on the hard ground, staring at the setting sun.

 

He suddenly felt a feather light hand being placed on his shoulder. Looking at it, he realized whom it belonged to.  Lucas leaped up, and bowed to the lovely lady he had met earlier. He stared at her in disbelief though, because there was something different about her than when they met. All of her cuts and bruises had disappeared. She now looked as though she were never in an accident.

 

A brilliant smile spread across her face, smirking at his astonishment. She had clearly expected him to be shocked.

 

“My dear lady, how are you, may I ask?” he questioned as he felt himself blushing uncontrollably. He couldn’t help but notice how radiant she looked in this light. She had changed into different clothes, but still as disheveled as before, but slightly bulgier. He realized that she was wearing something underneath, but he was not able to determine what it seemed to be.

 

“I am quite well, thanks to you, thank you. The kind doctor told me how you had rescued me.”

 

“Well it was my duty. I saw a lady in distress, and I obeyed my instinct” he replied as he stood up straight. His armor suddenly felt foolish, and he wished he were in his house clothes.

 

“I was just about to go for a walk. Would you like to join me, Lucas?” she asked, cocking her head.

 

“I would be honored.”

 

He offered her arm, and she gracefully accepted it. They strode towards the gates, and as they approached, the guards snapped smart salutes to Luke, then bowed to the lady. The two strode out the gates, and they swung shut behind them.

 

There was one problem with this walk, he thought as he strode along with the lady. If there was an attack on the kingdom while Luke was walking with this woman, he would not be able to protect his king. He would instead be oblivious to the attack, and therefore they would most likely not succeed in protecting the kingdom.

 

Also, if they were attacked on the walk, they would not have a fallback position, because the gates would not open for them. To ensure the safety of the kingdom, the guards were obligated to reject their requests to enter.

 

The young lady seemed to be untroubled by all these risks though, as she strode along, almost dragging Luke with her. He noticed that they were heading in the direction of the Enchanted Forest, which was a bad thing…a very bad thing. He didn’t want to end up in the middle of the enemy’s territory.

 

“May I ask what your name is, fair lady?” he asked as she walked into the trees.

 

“You may call me Mirabell.”

 

“Mirabell. That is quite a lovely name. And where do you come from, dear Mirabell? I have never seen you in the kingdom before today.”

 

“I come from not too far. In fact, the purpose of this walk was to visit my homeland. I was curious about what is happening in my kingdom.”

 

“And what kingdom is that?”

 

“One that you will be very familiar with. I believe you may be more familiar with it than you realize”

 

Puzzled at this response, he decided to let her lead as they wandered into the forest. In the crimson light of the sunset, the forest looked quite pleasant. Lucas noticed every drop on each leave shivered as a slight breeze blew through the trees. The trees themselves were higher than any he has ever laid eyes on. The trunks were all a deep brown or black, with deep crevices featured on their skin, indicating ancient age. Arrow marks were stabbed into almost every tree, portraying tales of war, or practice.

 

They wandered further into the forest until they reached a wide clearing. The presences of strange beings were hanging all around them, sending sharp chills down his spine. Mirabell let out a low whistle, consisting of numerous notes. The wind stopped, the presence grew stronger, and silence hung in the air.

 

Eyes started appearing out of the dark, gazing at the strange new comers.

 

“Want to tell me where you come from again?” he asked, starting to feel very uneasy about this situation.

 

“Is the greatest swordsman in the kingdom afraid of a little bit of a tight situation?” the mysterious Mirabell questioned, with a hint of challenge in her voice.

 

Suddenly embarrassed about his words, he shut his mouth. A smile appeared on her face as she took a step towards one of the trees. A dark visage appeared on the ancient bark. Mirabell mumbled words to the face, so low that Luke couldn’t make out what she said. He thought that he heard something about legend.

 

Mira finished talking to the…thing, and it disappeared back into the tree. She spun around, facing Luke.

 

“Follow me Luke, they’re waiting for you”

 

“Who is waiting for me? What was that thing in the tree? What were you talking about?”

 

“Shh”

 

The breeze returned, except slightly harder than before. Leaves started swaying with the wind, the droplets tumbling to the ground harder and faster than rain. Hundreds of green and purple soldiers that looked identical to Luke started appearing out of the shadows. Bows and arrows were draped across their backs, clearly not ready to fire. They seemed to think that these two newcomers were friends.

 

One of them stepped out of the crowd. His ancient features became clear as he stepped into the threaded canopy light, gliding his way a long. The robes he was wearing flowed well past his feet, dragging classically on the ground. A staff that he gripped in his hand was beautifully carved, with mathematical symbols covering its entire surface.

 

The strange being lowered its head to Luke, then lowered to one knee. As he did, every other creature followed, bowing to Luke.

 

“Um, Mirabell? What’s going on?” he whispered out the side of his mouth.

 

“Welcome home, Lucas” the elder answered. “We have awaited your return for many decades.”