Arthur and the Invisibles 5: Legend of the Forest

Chapter 20: A Past Untold

Arthur and Selenia emerged from the passageway, out into the bright light of the village once more. Selenia seemed to pause, taking a brief look back towards the Ancestor's Way, and Arthur gently squeezed her hand. She turned back to him, and smiled, and the two of them headed back into the light of the square.

The others were waiting for them, and looked up at their approach. They seemed nervous at first, but seeing the two smiling and holding hands, they seemed to realise that things must be okay. Still, Dylan decided to ask, just to make sure.

"You...alright, Selenia?" He asked tentatively, but with a smile. Selenia seemed somewhat surprised at the question, looking around at the concerned faces of the group, before smiling and straightening her face, regaining the confident, courageous face Arthur knew so well.

"I am now, thank you Dylan." She replied confidently. Arthur grinned, as did the rest of the group.

"So, one down, two to go." Gardenia stated, motioning to Arthur's bag. Arthur reached inside it, taking out the small, three-sided pyramid, which still glowed brightly, before slipping it back inside.

"Well, you guys are the experts." Dylan said, gesturing to the four of them. "Where to next?" Arthur looked to Selenia and Beta, who met his gaze.

"At the end of one of the pipes that branches off from the entrance to the village, there's a system of smaller pipes that go up into Arthur's house. The second guardian is there." Selenia explained. 

"He let us use the bubbles to get into Arthur's house a few years ago!" Beta added. Dylan pinched the bridge of his nose. 

"Bubble travel...why am I not surprised." He said with an incredulous sigh and a smile. "Well, if we've got everything we need, let's be off."

"Wait." Arthur said. "Before we go, there's someone I need to talk to." He turned to Selenia. "Does the Minimoy Village have a Chamber of the Forest too?" He asked her. Selenia's eyes widened, before her face returned to one of confidence, and she nodded.

"Follow me." She said, and as they began to walk across the square, Dylan sighed again, marvelling at the situation.

"Here we go again..."

Selenia lead the four of them through the village and up a series of sloping paths, until they reached the very edge of the village, the buildings around them hugging the earthy borders that surrounded them. This area was a stark contrast to anywhere else Arthur had seen in the village, whilst many of the more modern Minimoy buildings were built from wood, or natural leftovers such as leaves or pinecones, the buildings all around them were carved completely out of stone. They hugged the edge of the village, and ascended upwards against the wall of dirt, each one balancing on the shoulders of the others. They looked...ancient. 

"What is this place?" Arthur asked, gazing up at the ominous stone structures towering above him.

"A tribute to the Ancient Minimoys." Selenia explained. "When we left Africa, we were forced to leave everything behind. Everything the Ancient Minimoys built. And so we built this part of the village as a reminder of where we came from, and of those that came before us." She said, gesturing to the towers of stone. 

"Wow..." Arthur whispered, eyes wide as he gazed up at the many buildings around him, trying to imagine what a whole city of these buildings might look like.

"Awesome." Dylan said with a smile, looking up at the buildings with the same wonderous expression as Arthur.

In front of them stood a building different from the rest, it was a large, round building, the walls of which were seemingly made from beautifully smooth wood, with intricate patterns and symbols which Arthur didn't recognise carved into it. The roof of the building was composed of wood also, but was a stark contrast to the walls, as the roof seemed to be made out of solid bark extracted directly from the surface of a tree.