In a world filled with beauty and wonder, a young girl once reveled in the joys of nature alongside her beloved father. Together, they discovered the secrets of the sprawling forest - its hidden creatures, its healing foliage. But tragedy struck whe...
With a brave face and determination in my eyes, I followed Barron. I will be okay without Thyr beside me and I will learn to be a great ruler for this forest.
That's why the melody brought me here right? To rule these people in place of my father? I mean that's what makes the most sense for why I'm here, right?
So many questions fill my mind as I walk alongside Barron. We are headed back towards the village as I see people starring again. We crossed through the village square close to where we first came in.
" Why is everyone starring?" I whispered.
" They are curious about who you are. We haven't had any visitors before." He answers.
" So there hasn't been a single visitor that's come to Elwood?" I asked in surprised shock.
" Not in a very, VERY long time. People of this village come and go as they please, but we have never had any visitors from outside of the village in many cycles." He says as we exit the village. Instead of walking back out of the woods we took a left down a pathway.
"Where are we going?" I asked looking around at the forest and the buildings slowly coming out of view.
"To my house. My family and I live just outside of the village. We like our the quietness of the forest so we chose to be further away from the village" He answers as I nod in understanding.
We walked in silence for a while. Listening to the crunch of the gravel underneath our feet. About a 5 minute walk along the path, I see a house nestled within the trees.
" You have a very beautiful home." I said, admiring the wood and stone structure that gave off a homey feel. It looked to be a two story home. With a front porch that had an overhead roof canopy to block the entrance from the elements. The structural walls were made of stone and supports and beams were made of logs. The roof of the home was made up of wooden shingles. It looked like a home that was built to last and reminded me of the buildings my father and I used to build. We made structural building for our animals and to protect our farm equipment. We were a self sufficient family, so we used materials that we had on hand. We tried to not buy anything from stores. If we did it was something that couldn't be hand-made or grown.
" Thank you. I built it many, many years ago." He responds.
" You have amazing skills and craftsmanship." I spoke, admiring the home.
" Thank you, princess." He says walking up onto the porch.
" You can call me Kenley." I said following behind him as I glanced around at the stones and hand cut wood pillars.
" Well, Kenley, let me show you to your room so you can get settled. My family will be returning soon so I will introduce you to them after they get back." He says; I give him a nod and he leads the way. If I thought the outside of the home was beautiful, the inside is even better. The floors were wooden in a beautiful light brown color that compliments the stone work. The walls were wooden planks and logs for all of the inner walls. Pictures were hung on the walls with either family portraits or art. There was a family room with a fire place built into the wall and a couch and chairs that adorned the center of the room. A beautiful wooden dining table with wooden chairs surrounding it sat in the middle of the dining room on the right. I'm guessing the kitchen is in the room across from that. He leads me up stairs to the left and I follow. Upstairs has three doors. He leads me to the first door on the left. It had a beautiful wooden door that was for sure hand crafted. You can see the intricate details and grooves that the tools created. Even the door knob handle was made of wood.
" Here's your room." Barron says, opening up the door. I was greeted with a spacious room that had a wooden bed made out of logs against the wall to the right. The bed was already made neatly with what looks to be a blanket and animal hide that laid across it. There was a dresser off to the side with a mirror attached. Swirls of detail adorned the piece of furniture that stretched across every inch of it. The surface was shiny with not a single speck of dust coating it. Two of the four walls were made of stone. The stones color and size varied which gave the room a rustic but beautiful look. Straight across the room was a glass paned door that opened up to a balcony. The balcony was made of planks and logs. Flowers adorned the railing as the plants sat in pots and cascaded down its surface. I was in complete awe of the view.
" This is my room?" I asked in shock. Because this looks like a room that they should be staying in instead.
" Yes. If you don't like it we can give you a different one." He says looking slightly worried.
" No, no. This one is perfect. If I'm being honest though, it seems like too much to offer to a quest." I said looking at him.
" I'm glad you like it. We never use this room so it's free for you to use for as long as you need. I'll leave you to get settled in and unpack. I'll call you down once they get here, but if you need anything I'll be just downstairs." He says as I give him a nod in understanding, glancing over the room in awe once again.
Once he left I pulled off my my bow and propped it up on the wall beside the dresser. I then sat my food basket on top of the dresser. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and said it down beside it. Luckily I had a water proof case on it, because the dive in the lake earlier would've been awful. I then took off my scabbard, unhooking the fish trap from it and sat it on the ground by the dresser as well. I then sat my sword on top of the dress longways attached to the scabbard with my arrows still inside the quiver.
"Well that was easy." I thought to myself.
I didn't bring much along with me because I didn't know I was going to be transported to an unknown place through a portal. If I knew that, I would've at least brought some clothes along with me. Looking over at the balcony I decide to go look at the view. I am waiting for Barron's family to show up after all, so I have some time to pass. Pulling open the double doors that open inwards into the room, I see a wooden chair that's sat to the side. Walking over to it, I sit down looking out at the forest that goes on for miles. The green of the forest floor is vibrant under the sun. I see some of those red squirrels running across the forest floor, searching for food amongst the foliage. I see several birds flying through the trees, singing a beautiful tune as they make their way to their homes.
Looking up at the sky I see it's starting to turn dark out as the sun begins to descend over the horizon. It's even prettier out here watching the stars slowly appear, than it is on the ledge back at the apartment. Even though we lived on the edge of the city and can see the stars, they were never this vibrant from the lights and exhaust that surrounded it. I used to watch the stars all the time at my old home with dad. We would point out all the constellations and just talk about anything and everything. I miss those times. Grasping onto my fathers dog tags that are secure around my neck, I reminisce on all the times we spent together. Playing in the forest with the animals, foraging, hunting, and sword fighting. All of the amazing times that I had with him. He's the one that taught me how to wield a sword and hit my target with a bow. He taught me how to fight and how to distinguish between toxic and edible plants. My father taught me valuable knowledge that no school system can ever teach you. Sitting here watching the clouds fade under the darkening sky I realize this is the first time that I have been able to actually sit and think. The past several days have been hectic with traveling and foraging. It feels nice to finally have some relaxation.
The stars are almost fully visible now as I hear a door open and close downstairs. Talking erupts as I hear Barron's and a females voice echo into my room. Sounds like they just arrived. I guess it's time to meet Barron's family. __________________________________
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