Somehow, I had gotten lost along the way. What embarrassed me most was that I had been in this wood hundreds of times since my youth, running alongside streams and climbing the thick thornberry trees, and I had thought that I knew it as well as the back of my gauntleted hand, but alas, I was confounded.
I rode upon my white horse at a steady pace through a lonely trail in the Old Wood, adorned in the strongest Sentrian armor. My white cloak with the Sentrian sigil of the silver griffin flapped in the wind behind me. I cursed myself for having been so foolish; My lust for adventure took me away from the company of knights charged with overseeing my well-being. Such cravings were beyond my control. My dream was to become a knight of valor, but my princely duties only permitted mere glimpses of storied conquests. Instead, I endured mocked jousts and battles with underlings who would lose to me on purpose. They would sooner cut their own necks than cut a strand of my midnight black hair, and I resented them for their restraint. I needed distance from all the coddling and attention and wound up damning myself in the process.
I came to a narrow path with rows of perfectly aligned trees at either side and I spun my horse around to look for any familiar sights. Nothing struck a chord and I huffed in frustration. This was like a completely new land. It didn't make sense. I snapped the reins and sped through the tree lane and dismounted when I reached a small pond, washing my face and cooling down, more from frustration than fatigue. I looked down in the waters upon my pale reflection, as if to remind myself who I was. I had been told by peasant and noble alike that I was the most handsome prince in all of Askeran, but I never took these words to heart, for words are oft wrapped in hidden agenda.
I hopped on my horse and kicked the heels of my boots into his side. "Hyah!" I said, inspiring him to trot down the narrow dirt path. I listened for any sounds of my clanking guards who were surely searching for me, but all that I heard was the sound of woodland creatures scurrying about and the faint whispering winds. The path became hilly with ups and downs and twists and turns and I worried that the further I went, the further I would get from my Sentria Castle. It was still light out, but if I stayed for a few more hours, the dark would come and overtake the wood and it would become that much harder to navigate. Southern Bears liked to rummage through the woods at night and they wouldn't have a care that I was High Prince Darren of the noble family Colress, worth more gold than could be imagined. They would have only seen me as fresh meat.
The trail ended and I made it to a small clearing where I heard the light sounds of music. It was hauntingly beautiful, like a nightmare painted in pastels. It was so incredibly strange that I at first thought that I was hearing things untrue—a trick of the wind. I grabbed the rose-gold swirling hilt of my long Lorian blade in preparation for battle. Perhaps this wood had driven me mad, or the dreadful spellcasting relics had wandered past the boundary and were playing some mischievous game. My family had driven them out many decades ago and they weren't permitted in this hallowed land so close to the civilized kingdom of Sentria, the greatest kingdom in the realm of Askeran.
I snapped the reins and rode in the direction of the sound. It was difficult to claim. It seemed to be moving in unpredictable ways—sometimes it sounded like it was in two places at once, sometimes close, sometimes far. I kept turning and moving and racing and none of my choices prevailed. Even my horse was confused by it, but I wouldn't give up so easily. If I ever wished to prove myself a knight, then every confrontation needed to be met with triumphant vigor. Nothing less.
My searching eventually brought me to a cave in the form of a monstrously craggy face with its mouth open wide as if it wanted to devour all of creation whole. There was something unspeakably morbid about it. I had never seen anything so ghastly, and I thought to blame the relics for its creation in this peaceful place. They were known for terrorizing the villages in the Sentria Kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms in olden times, killing off cattle, sending bugs to devour crops in the western farmlands, and creating temperamental weather conditions, making travel a wearisome affair. If they were responsible for this crime, they would be held to account.
I slowed my horse down until he stopped in front of the cave. I imagined some great dragon inside, as old as time itself, riddled with scales and horns, just waiting to eat wayward travelers too curious for their own good. The music came from inside and it was like a choir of celestial beings, singing a dead language. It was as if beauty itself was beckoning me to enter and it contrasted the ominousness of its appearance.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose and I thought to myself that I must've been brought there for a reason. I pictured myself slaying this evil dragon and becoming known as the Knight Prince of Sentria.
"O!" a voice said, cutting through the musical voices.
I whipped my horse around with surprise written all over my face. Before me stood a relic about my age, seventeen, looking up at me with a smile as if I was just some commoner. He had rich brown skin and bright hazel eyes that captured the sun like nothing else I had ever seen before. His ears were pointy ears and his black hair was tight with black curls. I had never met a relic in-person, I had only heard them described by their peculiarities and ill magicks.
"Who goes there?!" I asked in the most commanding voice my recently changed vocal cords could muster.
"I do," he said in a calm voice that offended me. His disposition was so casual, as if he had been wearing the finest robes and not the scraps of blue rags that he actually wore. "Don't you see?"
"How dare you address me so informally." I lifted my chin, despite my literal higher position. "Are you aware of who you're speaking to?"
"I do not, won't you tell me?" he asked, holding tightly to the satchel wrapped multiple times around his body.
I huffed and got off of my horse. "You are speaking to High Prince Darren the Third of the royal family Colress, heir to the Sentria Kingdom and my subjects kneel before me."
"But we are not in the royal kingdom, this is the Winding Forest."
"This is not the Winding Forest, relic," I said, looking around. "This is the Old Wood, just north of my kingdom."
"You must have crossed into one of my portals." This relic covered his face with his hand, as if he had made some small blunder. "They usually disappear shortly after I make them. I still haven't mastered them yet. My master is still teaching me."
"This is no laughing matter. Tell me, relic, what is your name."
"Name?"
I looked him up and down. "Yes. Everyone has a name."
"Is that so?" The relic asked. "What is your friend's name?" he asked, looking at my steed.
"My horse? It has no name. It is but a trained beast. I call him 'horse.'"
"If your horse hasn't a name, then not everyone has a name. Isn't my character more important to you than some title?"
I pursed my lips and narrowed my gaze. "...No more games, tell me your name."
"I am the forest, the rotation, and the storm that gathers." He closed his eyes, raised his hands in the air, and spun around. "I am the whisperer of winds."
"You are just a relic, and I've had enough of this." I took another step forward and grabbed his arm. "You have offended your prince and I will take you as my prisoner for dishonoring me so."
"I'm afraid that this cannot happen."
"And why is that?" I tightened my grasp.
"Because there is a blackwolf behind you."
I turned around saw a yellow-eyed blackwolf snarling from atop of the cave's mouth. My horse neighed in fear and then galloped away from the cave. The wolf jumped down at us and the relic and I jumped apart as the beast landed between us with a heavy thud! It was feral, drooling with hunger. I pushed myself up to my feet and unsheathed my Lorian blade. The long silver blade shimmered in the dusklight and I swiped at the blackwolf as it crept towards me, ready to pounce. My hands were shaking and I hated that I displayed such weakness. The harder I fought it, the more I shook and I couldn't control it.
The blackwolf lunged at me, this time quicker than I had anticipated, and it landed on my chest, pushing me down to the ground. I held my sword at both ends and caught his jaws with it before he could rip into my face. I felt his hot breath on me and his yellow eyes wouldn't stop glaring into my soul, as if he wished to possess me. I was too scared to scream and I knew I couldn't last much longer.
Suddenly, I felt a strong gust of wind, and the blackwolf was thrown away from me, rolling on the ground and whimpering in pain.
"Away with you, blackwolf," the relic commanded, walking up to me and pointing away as the blackwolf whimpered like a scared pup and scurried away through the trees.
"Are you well?"
The relic held out his hand to help me up, but I refused.
"I had him," I said, standing up and sheathing my sword. I hated that he saw me in such a bad form, even if he was just a relic. "Now, I must find my horse. You are held by fate on this day, relic, as I won't be able to hold your impropriety against you. Your informality and your magicks are more than enough to warrant the separation of your head from your shoulders, but I haven't the time. You should thank the gods for your spared life." I shook my head and walked in the direction that my horse had gone, hoping he hadn't gained too much distance.
"There is but one god," he said, "and the one is all."
"I will hear none of your heresy," I said, looking over my shoulder.
"Wouldn't it be wise to take me with you? I know this forest better than most, and I'm a good companion."
"You've proven yourself bothersome, relic. I can find my horse and return home myself."
"Can you, young knight? The dark will be upon us in but a few short hours and this place is even more unforgiving when the Sun is asleep."
I stopped in my tracks. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right. This wasn't the Old Wood, and I didn't know what manner of beasts dwelled there. I needed to ensure my survival to return to my kingdom alive. In the end, I wasn't left with much choice.
"Fine," I said, and turned around. "You may come with, but once I find my horse, I never want to see your face again. Is that clear, relic?"
"Eldwyn," he said, walking towards me.
"What?" I asked.
"Eldwyn," he said again. "My name is Eldwyn Gamor of the Misty Moors."