Chereads / Kingdom's Horizon / Chapter 16 - The forest and the villagers

Chapter 16 - The forest and the villagers

Mushrooms grew under the shady roof of the forest, inviting all sorts of wildlife to it, turning the woodland into a living canvas of life. The moss-veiled trail snaked through the leaf-carpeted path, slowly directing me towards the village.

The forest's beauty was indeed soul-soothing, catching myself enjoying for once life in its purest form, full of vigour and activity from all kinds of animals.

The forest I entered was bamboo-brown and primitive. The grasses I stepped on were crackly beneath my feet because of the recent waterless period of summer, being in awe of the size and splendour of the trees. Their intertwined arms rose ever upwards, as far as my head could raise. They were like strongholds that stood proudly against the winds.

Suddenly the orchestra of chirring I could hear from them stopped. A pair of hawks were screeching high up in the canopy of the trees. Hawks are the hunters of the bird world. Their cruel, bloodthirsty eyes are always on the lookout for a hearty meal. In the winter, they raid chicken nests for their eggs, often damning the peasants to starvation. They drifted across my sight in a flash of flesh-grey and ink-black, trying to size me and my horse up. That was the last I saw of them, as they are slippery birds, full of suspicion.

I could see wild barley growing freely on the lumpy, mossy mattress of the path while the howling wind carried its fragrance with it. It was soul-refreshing to smell the earthly mix of the forest's perfume, something I never had the chance to do while growing up.

As I continued the moss-filled path, I ate a few bland-looking apples only to realize to my surprise, that they were mead sweet with a bitter twist. It was only after my stomach started acting up that I lived to regret it.

I urged my Horse to resume our path when suddenly my ears perked up at the metallic, chiming sound of a creek. It shimmered with a glitz shade through the lace of leaves. When the trees finally parted, I could see it was sliding into a small pond. The pond looked like a polished mirror of silver, with strands of swirl-blue twisting unhurriedly on the surface. A lustrous spillway led to a more rapid pond. Little rocks occupied the edges of the pond filed with rows of moss. They induced a stony gurgling as water met rock.

I must have spent at least an hour idling in the forest before finding the willpower to renew my course toward the village. I rarely had the chance to enjoy nature to its fullest so when I got the opportunity, I just grabbed it.

The steady trot of a horse, followed by Nathan's anxious voice searching for my whereabouts, snapped me back to reality.

''My Lord, what you did was extremely dangerous,'' he said panting, trying to catch his breath from all the screaming and yelling he did while in search of me.

''This forest has elemental beasts in it. If something were to happen to you, your father would never forgive me.''

Apologizing to Nathan profusely, promising I would never leave without him again, we slowly headed towards the village, finally having in our sights the first huts.

Witnessing for myself the destitute condition of the sheds, lacking even the essentials a house should have while preparing for the winter, I nudged my horse to speed towards the village's square, ordering Nathan to gather the people up.

No less than an hour had passed before the first signs of human activity were seen, grouping up fearful and scared, toward the square, not comprehending what was going to happen to them.

With barely any money trickling down to the villagers from the barony, their circumstances were dire, to say the least. Watching them dressed in rags, having no shoes or any cloth that could protect them from nature's deadly elements, not even mentioning the beasts, only made me feel ashamed for my family's incompetence.

My family was responsible for these people yet they were in such conditions, barely having any muscle on their bones.

Some of them overheard my talk with Nathan, instructing him this time to bring forth the farmers first, and fear and panic started spreading among the peasants.

''My lord, please have mercy,'' some farmers begged while kneeling on the muddy ground, thinking I grouped them here to punish or kill them for the bad harvest.

Cries of small children and women were heard, adding to the cacophony with their sobs, believing I was about to massacre them to set an example for the rest.

The nobles were known for their cruelty towards the peasants, assuming I was the same.

'' I am not here to harm you,'' I loudly declared, wanting them to stop wailing and hear me out.

''There are some things I want from you,'' I continued, believing they calmed down a bit, only to rise a cacophony of cries yet again...