Briar felt the warmth from the spell. It enveloped him and made his injuries heal.
The pain that he felt not only from the scratches and the wound but also from the bumps and fall had disappeared.
He nodded after assessing his body, "Good as new. You did well."
"Thank you very much, your highness." She smiled while a tinge of red painted her cheeks.
"Looks like she is still embarrassed." Briar grinned as he watched her tidy up their things.
After their preparations, they resumed their adventure.
Atropa sighed after she looked at her map. "I think something is interfering with my spell. I could not pinpoint our coordinates."
"You mean aside from being lost, there is a force that keeps us from leaving?" the prince asked.
"I could not say that it would keep us from leaving, only that it seemed to be jamming my locator spell. The rich mana from the forest is not helping either. They are pulling the energy at all sides." She muttered in response.
"it can't be helped. Let us just explore the place." The flaxen haired suggested.
It seemed that we have gotten out of that labyrinth but since I could not sense the shadow guards who were supposed to be following us. The prince thought.
It meant that we still haven't returned to Hopley village. Could it be that we have entered another rift? He mused as he helped the girl climb up a five-meter high root of a millennia old tree.
"We've been walking for more than a few hours already and this forest is endless." The girl panted as she heaved herself up with the prince's help.
"Do you think we are under a spell?" he asked as they rested under a huge root.
The witch closed her eyes and let her mana flow. After a few minutes she answered. "No, I could not sense any spell from this place. The mana from the forest is too dense so it is quite hard to tell."
The prince thought for a while before he suggested. "How about we try to fly?"
Atropa scrunched her brows and asked back. "You want to fly? How?"
"You are a witch, you have a broomstick. I think we can get a better view if we fly." He said in a matter of fact tone.
Atropa's eyes widened before she spoke. "You… you want to ride my broomstick?" he aske with disbelief.
"Can't I?" the prince asked while looking like a puppy begging his owner for treats.
The girl was a bit speechless. But she pulled herself together and gave her comment. "It is rather unusual for a prince to ride a broomstick."
"I know, but I want to try it."
Sighing, Atropa summoned her broom. "Materialize."
A beautiful broom made of thyme and birch appeared. Atropa held it horizontally and made it hover a few meters above ground.
Then as the broom steadily hovered, she side-saddle it and made herself comfortable.
The prince approached and curiously peered at the item that the witch was riding.
"Is it possible for me to ride it too?" he asked.
"I think so, my mana had recovered thanks to his highness." She answered as she adjusted her position to give space to the prince.
Briar awkwardly straddled the broom like he would do when riding a horse. Since there was no reins to hold on to, he decided to embraced the girl's waist.
Atropa stiffened and turned to look at him. "Your highness, you don't need to hold on to me that tight."
He adjusted his grip and held on her waist. "Is it this okay?" he asked.
She is still stiff but she no longer complained. "Better than earlier."
Briar smiled. He was quite happy with their proximity. He would have liked it better if she would allow him to embrace her. But he wouldn't risk and push his luck.
"Ready?" she asked to which the prince affirmed. "up we go."
The first time of experiencing flight was exhilarating. Briar was quite excited to know how it feels like to fly with a broomstick.
During his many travels, he was able to ride different means of transport but this is a first in his life that he was able to fly.
Getting on board a dragon may also count as flying but the flight with a broomstick was a different experience.
Briar allowed his gaze to wander the place. The view on top of the trees where fascinating. For miles the towering greens covered the land.
"There seemed to be nothing here but trees." He muttered.
But as they go higher, the wind picked up.
Due to the sudden gust, he reflexively hugged the girl.
"Your highness!" The girl almost stopped the broom abruptly.
"Sorry, I was startled." He apologized.
But a smirk formed on his face while seeing a blush on her cheeks.
"Please stop it, we might get into an accident." She said as she used her free hand to adjust the prince's grip.
"Your highness, why don't we try and check out that waterfall earlier? The are beyond this side are nothing but trees. Maybe we can find something on that waterfall." She said before they resumed their flight.
"Since you are the one in charge of the flight, I will just leave it in your hands." He answered.
So the witch made a turn and they flew towards the waterfall.
Earlier they tried to explore the waterfall but since the area was steep and they could not find a way to climb up, they gave up and explore the area where the trees had towered.
But now that they have another means to travel, they finally tried to give the waterfall area a shot.
The water cascaded down the mountain. Several shrubs and greens grew intermittent with the rocky surface.
At first, one can say that it was just a natural mountain with huge rocks but at closer look, the surface was akin to an edifice closer to a castle wall.
"Can we get to the top?" the prince asked.
The girl nodded and directed the broom to go over the other side of the waterfall.
Their eyes almost bugled out of their sockets at the sight.
On top of the water fall was not only a mountain but a huge castle forgotten and weathered by time.
The ruins had four towers which were already crumbling. Gigantic vines had climbed up and gobbled some of the structure.
Part of the castle had sunken under water and the roofs were falling apart. Greens and other trees had overtaken a part of the audience room and the dais.
"This is the most picturesque ruin I have ever seen from all of my travels." The prince whispered. "but which among the fallen kingdoms is this place."
The girl finally found her voice and answered. "This is the old capital, Mageram. Also known as the magical city which had disappeared from the map."