Chapter Three

In which we discover the plight of Eldras, prince and heir.

Now to the deathbed of Eldras, the eldest of the princes. Do not make the mistake of envisioning a feeble old man, for Eldras has fallen ill in his eighteenth year. Until a mere week before it was common knowledge that Eldras would be crowned King before the next harvest, as King Darwin himself has been bedridden for the better part of the season. (And a relief the King's infirmity was for more than a few. It became apparent soon into his reign that this was not a man made for ruling kingdoms, but many believed �" prayed �" that his reign would come to an abrupt end due to his advanced age when he was first crowned. He was viewed in many circles as possessing demonic or at the very least, slightly mystical powers as forty years was regarded as a long and natural lifespan.) There had been rejoicing �" always out of the royal family's hearing distance and at all times subdued �" at the anticipated reign of Eldras.

He was a kind man, gentle and strong where his father was obviously weak minded and cruel. He took a great interest in politics and in the laws governing the kingdom. It was because of Eldras that the North River had been cleaned and made suitable for swimming, and the young prince had also seen to it that the farmers were not too heavily taxed, wisely stating that were it not for the farmer, bread would never make it to the table. The young man was infatuated with the great outdoors and had become an avid and accomplished hunter. He knew all of the plant life in his region by sight and what each specimen could be used for, medicinally and for food. Eldras could spend days in the wild, and very often did. This was the habit that would unfortunately lead to the prince's downfall.

He had been tracking a wounded doe for nearly three days, torn between the desire to carry it home triumphantly and the impulse to heal the magnificent beast. Twice he had nearly lost the thin trail of blood but eventually managed to regain the correct direction. Judging from the weak spatters if crimson the animal did not seem to be too badly injured, which was why he wanted to repair the damage he had caused it. It was a deer unlike any he had seen in his years of hunting, snow white with eyes of sapphire. Just before he had released his arrow, the doe had looked up into the tree in which he was concealed and stared directly into his eyes. This had startled the prince, causing his arm to twitch slightly and change the arrow's intent from death blow to mere injury as it grazed the doe's hindquarters while she leapt away from him.

Eldras had not bothered to sleep, as he feared that time spent in slumber would compromise his chances of catching up to the creature. The prince was so completely intent on the deer's faint trail that days ago he had disregarded his impeccable sense of direction and too late realized where he was bound for; indeed where he already stood in the presence of danger.

Dimly he had been aware for hours that it was getting more difficult to ascertain where the trail lay but he put that off to the possible healing of the deer, as she would be letting less blood. Slowly he realized that not only was it hard to see the blood but everything around him was becoming much fainter. Eldras looked up to determine what time it was and a chill ran through him as he finally realized where he stood.

Trees towered above him and this was not unusual apart from the fact that the canopy of leaves seemed to be miles above him and so dense that they blotted out the sun. He was nearly certain that the time was midday, yet only a gray gloaming of light surrounded him. He noticed that the trunks of the trees were bent and twisted, and six large men circled around the base would not be able to clasp hands to close the ring. Many of the trees bore deep scars, white slashes imprinted in the near black bark.

Eldras turned in a slow circle, attempting to ascertain how long he had been traveling in this forest and from which direction he had come. The trees looked the same on all sides, running on with not a change in even the degree of light. Barren shrubs abandoned by the light reached like skeletal fists from the ground, some clutching deadened leaves protectively. The prince listened, straining his ears for any clue that might belie the direction of the nearest town but he heard nothing. Even birdsong or the sound of wind in the trees was completely absent. He felt as though he had wandered into a great void devoid of daylight and sound.

He knew then where he was, or at least where he must be.

It was the Dark Forest, spoken of only in whispers and told in stories to frighten children into behaving. Eldras himself could remember listening to the tales as a child, eyes wide and heart racing. There were only a handful of men known to enter this forsaken place and again see proper daylight, and those who lived to tell of their plight were considered men only in the general sense of the word. They were changed, hollow and empty creatures always looking over their shoulders. Some returned blinded and unable to withstand the sun's full light. Most never spoke a word again.

Still, these tormented souls were the lucky ones. Most men foolish or stupid enough to knowingly enter the Dark Forest were never seen or heard from again on this mortal plane. The trees claimed them as their own, quite literally. The ones that were seen again were generally found at the edge of the wood, strung by their necks in the boughs of the outermost trees like some gruesome ornament or strange fruit. There would generally be some debate over whether the man in question made it to the rope of his own volition, and the consensus reached was always the same: it was a tragedy, but one that no one felt the desire to go and investigate within the dark tapestry of the trees.

It was for these reasons that only fools dared venture even to the edges of the wood. It was the fear of losing one's soul.

Eldras' mind reeled, the blood trail completely forgotten.

His heart raced as he spun around, attempting to ascertain which direction he had come from, but the light was much too faint for that. All of the trees looked the same. He curled his sweating hands into fists. There was a way out; he knew this because men had made it out of the forest. Not completely whole, but still some men had found their way back home. There was a trick, a secret, something that had to be remembered. What was it that made the Dark Forest so dangerous to begin with? Eldras searched his memories, tried to recall the words spoken by the storytellers of his youth.

It was at that moment that Eldras spied something from the corner of his eye, something white as snow and dodging from tree to tree.

This was the last coherent memory the prince had. When he stumbled out of the Dark Forest one week later he could hardly string together a complete sentence. Eldras emerged on the far East side of the trees, the opposite end from which he had entered, near the bank of the Great River. A fisherman passing by seeing Eldras as a madman, twitching and gibbering to himself at first drew away, not daring to meet his wild and rolling eyes. The man had sense enough, however, to recognize the prince's elevated status from his fine clothes, tattered as they were, and took him straight to the castle with his rickety cart and aging mule. Eldras was ushered to his bed and there he remained.

His apparent madness abated �" the continual mutterings punctuated by frantic screaming, the anxiousness and paranoia seemed to subside within one month. Then the fever was on him, hot and fierce, and no amount of doctoring could dissuade it. It seemed that the reign of Eldras was over before it had even begun.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! Comments are welcomed.