Excruciation

Eastern Forest - Ch. 2

''Ellie, time to wake up.'' Eliza twitched and rubbed her eyes as her dream slowly slipped away from her memory and reality started to take over. She opened her eyes and met her father's blue ones. He was sitting at the edge of her bed, one hand on her shoulder to carefully stir her from her sleep. The sun had barely showed its first rays, the air was cool and the wind sweeping with the same gentleness as the night before. But as usual, her father was already dressed in his leather armor.

''I will go and ready the horses, I have packed some bread and cheese.'' He placed a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving her room and closing the door quietly behind him.

Eliza sighed and threw her covers over her legs and sat up, hair in a mess and drowsy from tiredness. She dragged herself to her window and closed it before ripping out her clothes from the wardrobe and putting them on, brushed her hair and took her sword. She looked outside.

The sun had barely made it up above the trees that surrounded their manor.

Dale stood outside the paddock when Eliza got out, holding the horses' reins and stroking Atlas' muscular neck. His face shone up as soon as he saw his daughter.

''Tired?'' he asked and passed Callista's reins to Eliza.

''Not at all,'' Eliza mumbled and yawned. Dale only smirked and helped her fasten her sword to Callista's saddle, along with the bow and a quiver full of arrows.

They sat up and the horses started trotting out of the manor. Eliza turned her gaze back and threw a quick glance at her home.

Strathmore was a quiet little town lying in the middle of the Forest, resting by a big lake that opened into a huge, handmade canal. It was a bit divided, however; townspeople lived in apartments and houses around the old Castle, having the Market in the middle of it all. The Southern Road led up to farmer families and their homes, further away from the centre of the town. At last, up the Northern Road and closest to the forest but furthest away from the rest of the town laid the Lextus manor. The farmer's cattle were scattered around the town, like a wall.

The canal went through the Forest, into the Western parts where it connected with multiple other cities and villages. It had been built many hundred years ago, for well over fifty trade ships to be able to cross it at once to make trading and travel faster. The biggest trading city, Doveport, was close to the border of the Northern and Western forest.

''It's a long way to the Eastern Forest, we will stop halfway for breakfast,'' Dale said. Eliza nodded and turned her attention back to the path in front of her, trees towering high over them as they reached the forest.

The sun stood high, hidden by the trees when Dale finally signaled to stop. Eliza pulled gently on Callista's reins and the pony slowed down, throwing her head back before reaching down to sniff the grass. They had been riding for hours, it was almost time for lunch. The wind had subdued and the summer heat was suffocating. Callista's brown fur was coating in sweat beneath the saddle and her black mane stuck to her neck and forehead.

''There should be a river nearby, we'll rest there.'' Dale took his daughter's hand and led her away from the road, into the forest with their horses in tow. It didn't take long before Eliza could hear the faint sound of running water.

''You have been here before.''

''Aye,'' he said and started tying Atlas' reins to a tree. ''I've had many meetings and negotiations in cities in the Western Forest, as well as the Eastern.'' Eliza just nodded at this new information and tied Callista as well.

Dale took the bundle with food before taking Eliza's hand again and walked over to the water.

They sat down and sat quietly. Eliza didn't say anything as she took the bread and cheese that was passed to her, didn't say anything when her father filled a cup with fresh water from the river and placed it in her palm. The same thoughts swirled through her head over and over.