"your father, Sir Lucas, was one of the seven Knights guardian the lands of Arga, he raised me and most of the men here." the guy started as we walked out of the tent. i stopped and stared at the large clearing i walked into. this was supposed to be a forest, why is it clear of trees for miles? am i really in the Mooring forest? wait did i die? between the tent i walked out of, and the forest i saw in the horizon, there were a lot of tents making a straight road to the forest. all of them were like military tents. but Didnt the armies of Arga disband when the king died?
"i know its tiring, not what you expected, but i believe your father, watcher of the dark forest has already told you about this."
uhn... i already knew.
"i suppose he didn't. well, he..." he told me the mg fathers old story. a witch killed my mother so we had to run when i was around around three years and live in the forest. that story i knew. but his version was different. my father took me into the forest my father grew up protecting after he married and had a child with the King's foreseer. after i was born, my family was hunted down because of what my mother saw laying in the future. thats why my father took me into the forest. but i didnt believe it.
"what about the witches?"
he looked at me, like i said something senseless. "what about the witches?" he repeated. we stopped in front of another huge tent not far from the one i woke up in. "well," he flipped the cloth to the side and made me look in.
"this is every witch in Arga. wanna tell me something familiar aboit them?" he asked as i looked in. Ariana and a dozen girls her age were playing in the middle. Ariana had a huge smile on her face i almost didnt recognize her. her dark fragile and scared look was all gone. she just looked pretty and happy.
i looked at him. waiting for an explanation
"everygirl in there is called a witch because they are daughters, courtmaids and sisters of every supporter of the former king." he said as we moved forth from the tent to the other one.
"After you crashed a dragon in front of the king, the King's advisor, usurped the throne, killing both the king and those around the king. He blamed the the generals for the kings deaths and using the church and temple's influence, he started the witch hunts to hunt those that oppose him and the princess, whom the throne rightfully belongs to."
"I've formulated that part out. Even where i fit in his plan. i just dont know yours." i turned to him as i felt rage form within me. i didnt kill witches, Ive killed girls. innocent, defenceless girls.
"i need your help, protecting them. and everyone else in the kingdom." he said. i almost chuckled. that was the very same thing the old man at the canteen said when i first began hunting monsters. i took gold and went after the monsters, only to realise, they used the body part for medicine and magic not for and the monsters weren't hunting men. except for the first one.
"you want me to kill for you too?"
"no, i want you to train to train my men."
oh it's worse. more of me? "not thanks." i said and walked away from him. "I'm not at all interested." i added as i walked away. but i was interested in something else.
"Andre, your father was a general. A knight of the order of Arga! he vowed...!" he shouted after me as i walked of.
"Well i didn't." i growled "plus if you want my father, he was in the belly of the dragon i left at your feet." i said and walked towards the tent i saw Ariana in. just when i was about to approach it, two soldiers stood in front of me and crossed their spears in front of me. i took my eyes of the ground and looked at them in the face. i turned to their boss and asked him if he really wanted to do this.
"sorry, i cant let you take her." He said drawing his sword.
this is definitely not going in the direction i was hoping it would.
"are you really sure you want to do this?" i asked him again. he gave his sword's scabard to the guy watching the opposite tent.
guess he wasnt going to put his sword down.
but why the fuck was everybody trying to fight me?
i yawned. my back was killing me and this... what day was it again?
"sorry i got no other option." he said and balanced himself. "if you're half the man your father was, you would do..."
"you know, for a moment, i thought you were a nice guy. but..." i turned to him, giving the soldiers in front of the tent my plain unprotected back. "i dont think you're as nice as i thought you'd be."
"that's enough Marke." a voice i knew said. it was a bit vague but it was still a voice i knew. i knew I've heard it somewhere. somewhere in my childhood. i turned and saw the Lady in white. yeah. it was her. the lady who always wore the heaviest clothes even is summer she approached us, same way she did years ago, slowly and patiently.
shit! thought i was out of her grasp.
where did she come from?
the soldiers bowed and i almost puked.
"sorry about trespassing on your land. but I'm leaving in a short moment." i told her before she could start telling me the contents of my stomach.
"hello to you too, Andre. how are you?" she asked as usual still walking towards me.
" fine."
"still a one word person, i see."
how do you respond to this without being antagonistic?
"still wearing your bed dressing i see." i said.
she laughed silently and said, "still a son of a bitch i see."
"always."
"gonna stay the night?" she asked. like she cared.
"no i aint." i added, "I'm just going going to grab my stuff and leave."
"Like that, again?"
"like that."
"At least take better armor."
"I'm fine with the one i got."
"I have one made by the Swans of Uriel, it is the best of all armors, the one i promised I'd..."
"have a good day." i said and left. not sure if i was going to get lost in the forest or not. but i wasnt going to stand around here longer than i needed. a minute was all i needed anything longer than that, i wasnt going to handle it.
i cant handle it.
i went to the edge as she called after me. i ignored her and walked into the forest on foot.
How the heck did Ariana carry me into the forest without any horse or... the one who shot me. was he really part of Gruffs crew? i wondered. and what happened. how many days have passed since i got shot again? two? three? i flexed my back and i just felt hot. the pain was gone. all that was left was the heat nothing else.
But i didnt have to worry about it. whether i healed fast or not, that wasnt my problem. The Centaur my father made me fight a lot had long moved into this forest shortly before my father was eaten by a dragon. i had finally beaten it after half a decade of it turning it into a punching bag everytime we met.
i just hoped that it didnt find me. the bastard was like a tiger. he held a grudge like like he was a tiger.
it became dark within a short while. but i wasn't anywhere near the edge of the forest. tired, hungry and hot, i gave up easily and sat beneath the tree hoping that this wasnt in any way going to try to eat me like those of the black forest.
I should have took that armour. or a sword. or anything to protect myself with.
darm i felt naked. exposed. without any steel on my hands, i felt naked.
i as the moon rose, i heard hooves trotting in the distance. i quickly rose to my feet and climbed the tree. besides a few webs, there was nothing coming at me from below.
i climbed up and... i saw in the distance, i saw a fire. like a camp. it wasnt a large group. but it was enough hope that at least i could find the exit out of this forest.
i crawled silently towards the fire. after what seemed like hours, i finally made it to the fire, but remained in the shadows.
as i stood still like a statue in the shadows, i heard the people arojnd the fire talk. at first it was the usual hunter talk. beasts for money and medicine. witches for gold and then tjere it was. me.
apparently, there was a bounty on me too. but didnt gruff say anything about it too? like i was now hunted by the church for falling in love with a witch. but i wasnt in love with anyone.
i heard their dogs bark and i turned, and tried to climb the tree when someone held my shoulder with rough hands. i slowly looked back and my eyes fell directly into green huge eyes. eyes i loathed in all of Arga.
he smiled wickedly. and i almost pissed myself as the memory of years ago clicked in.