“Yes, it’s very… leafy,” Aiden replied, almost slapping himself for his choice of words. She didn’t seem to notice however, and if anything, suddenly seemed nervous. She took him by the arm and led him away from the others, seeking to keep whatever she was about to say between the two of them.
“Aiden, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, but the time has never been right… until now.”
“You can ask me anything you want, Highness,” Aiden replied, somewhat formally.
“I was wondering if, perhaps, you’d consider kissing me,” she asked bluntly, again keeping Aiden on his toes. This time, however, he kept his wits about him.
“I remember you saying that romance could happen at any time on a big adventure like this,” he recalled. “If I start kissing you, won’t I disappoint whoever it is I’m supposed to meet?”
“Oh, stop that,” she exclaimed, almost laughing as she swatted his arm. “Don’t play dumb with me, Sir Knight. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“This seems rather sudden,” Aiden replied in a more serious manner. “I’m not sure it’s appropriate, given your station. I’d be lying if I said I don’t have any feelings for you, but—”
Before he could say anything else, she stepped in and planted her lips upon his. It was a brief kiss, filled with a heady mixture of anticipation and trepidation. Aiden’s mind went silent for the duration, allowing him to experience every tiny sensation of the moment. When he stepped back, their eyes were locked on each other, almost as if seeking approval from the other.
“So, how was that?” Aiden asked quietly.
“Very… appropriate,” Criosa whispered back with a faint smile. “You’re both brave and smart, and clearly love this country as much as I do. Being as handsome as you are doesn’t hurt either, mind you. I could stare into those blue eyes for hours…” She seemed to compose herself before she continued speaking.
“We’re at war, Aiden. We’ve all seen how life can end in an instant, and the time we have can be over all too quickly. Regardless of what may happen tomorrow, we can be happy here and now, do you understand?” Her words reminded Aiden of what Robert had warned him of, days before. She might be using him for her personal enjoyment now, because in time she would end up betrothed to another, for the good of the Kingdom. At that moment, Aiden no longer cared.
“We can at that,” he replied, tousling her golden hair for a brief moment. She took his hand in hers, and together continued walking through the enchanting forest. Aiden expected a million thoughts and feelings to be swirling through his mind, but to his surprise, he found himself idly enjoying the moment, just as she had suggested.
They weren’t the only ones to be swayed by the beauty of Cairnwood. Pacian and Nellise held each other close as they walked along, finding a moment of peace in a turbulent life. Criosa nudged Aiden in the ribs, drawing his attention to Robert and Sayana. Although his feelings for the sorceress had diminished long ago, Aiden was intensely curious about their growing respect and admiration for one another.
“Look at that view, ain’t that something,” Robert was saying to the diminutive sorceress, whose red hair flowed in the cool breeze drifting through the forest.
“I feel a strange connection to this place that I cannot describe,” Sayana replied. “It is truly magnificent.”
“Yeah, magnificent,” Robert reiterated clumsily, “that’s the word I was looking for. Magnificent.”
“Are you alright?” Sayana asked. “You seem nervous all of a sudden.”
“I do? Damn, I’m usually a lot calmer when I go into battle.”
“I don’t see any threats around us,” Sayana replied hesitantly, glancing around with uncertainty. Aiden felt a little self-conscious to be eavesdropping, and gestured to Criosa that they should move further away, but the princess would have none of that. If anything, she moved them in a little closer. Apparently, she had as much desire to know what was happening between the two as Aiden did.
“That’s not what I meant,” Robert muttered. “Look, you and the others have every right to hate me, but you’ve treated me with respect, always. I wanted you to know I’m not ungrateful for that.”
“Was that so hard to admit?” Sayana inquired curiously. “Are you always this awkward around women?”
“Hey, I get along just fine with the ladies,” Robert bristled, “Most of them, anyway. More than once some tavern servant has been paid to stick a knife in me by a rival, so I tend to be kind of wary around women. It’s just that… you’re different. Special, even.”
“Really? Tell me more about how special I am,” Sayana said, the closest thing to flirting Aiden had ever heard from her.
“Our little lost lamb is growing up,” Criosa confided to Aiden, leaning in to speak softly into his ear.
“Well, you’re courageous,” Robert went on. “I’ve fought alongside a few warrior women in the past, but they’re hard on the inside as well. Whereas you seem to be more like a woman when it counts.” There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, before Sayana answered.
“Listen, Robert,” she replied hesitantly, “I think I see where this is leading, and I want to stop you before it goes further. I’m sorry if I was leading you on, but I’ve actually sworn off men. My last lover ditched me when he was done, and the one before that, well, he’s standing right over there.” Aiden and Criosa suddenly turned to look away as Robert glanced in their direction.
“I see,” Robert mused. “If I was too forward with you, I apologise. I thought we were getting along well, but I probably read too much into it. I’ll get out of your hair.” Without waiting for a reply, he started striding through the undergrowth faster, easily outpacing the red-haired woman. Sayana sighed, clearly realising she’d unintentionally hurt his feelings.
“Perhaps that was for the best,” Criosa whispered as she nudged them along a slightly different course through the forest, to give Sayana some space. Aiden had mixed feelings about the results of her encounter, but in the end, Sayana was responsible for her own choices.
They continued at a leisurely stroll for another hour, pausing briefly for a quick meal, before pressing onward. Aiden and Criosa spoke a little along the way, but for the most part, they simply enjoyed the magic of their surroundings in each other’s company.
Spartan came to a halt at a particularly large oak tree, one that had sent its roots deep into the earth over the centuries. He reached up and placed a claw upon the trunk, and then took one step beyond the tree. To the astonishment of everyone present, he promptly vanished.
“Was that supposed to happen?” Pacian blurted, glancing around for any sign of the dragon in their surroundings. Startled, Aiden rushed over to look closely at the place where Spartan had disappeared for any sign of what happened.
“He must have used some sort of incantation,” Criosa suggested, following closely behind. The rest of them gathered around as they attempted to figure it out.
“He didn’t say anything, nor did he make any gestures typical of incanting,” Sayana corrected.
“Spartan did touch the tree,” Robert pointed out. “Maybe it’s a magic tree?”
Aiden stepped past the tree as he’d seen Spartan do, but apparently remained quite visible to the others. Criosa took a different approach, choosing to inspect the tree a little more closely.
“I don’t see anything here,” she murmured, “wait… it’s hidden. Yes, a sigil engraved upon the trunk, hidden to the naked eye but visible to those who can see beyond such limitations.” Understanding her meaning, Aiden focused his vision and shifted his sight further along the visible spectrum, a trick he had learned from Sayana, and perfected by Criosa.
The world around him changed colours, eventually ending up in shades of dark blue, but with a bright orange hand print imprinted upon the bark of the tree. In the centre of the palm was a curious glyph, one denoting a passageway, or path.
“This is some sort of spectral doorway,” Aid
en surmised, seeking to retrace the dragon’s actions. “Spartan touched it and then stepped forward—” The sudden feeling of stepping through a fine mist descended over him, and when he released his arcane sight and looked behind him, the surprised figures of his companions stared at the place he had been standing, their images slightly distorted, as if looking through glass.
They weren’t the only thing that appeared different. The plants and trees in the forest around him seemed darker somehow, as if the light wasn’t as strong here. Strangling vines weaved over the trunks of many nearby trees, giving the place a wild, unkempt feeling, as if everything here was struggling for life.
Well done, Spartan congratulated him from the deep shadows, as the others came through the spectral doorway one by one.
“You could have just told us how to pass through that,” Aiden retorted, unimpressed by the apparent test of their abilities.
I had hoped you would be able to figure it out yourself, Spartan informed them with dark amusement. If you couldn’t find a simple runic gate like that, my associates would have no desire to meet you. Thank you for validating my suspicions. Come, we aren’t far from our destination. The dragon set off at a brisk pace through the forest without waiting for them to keep up.
“I don’t think I like where this is headed,” Nellise remarked, glancing around at their ominous surroundings.
“Where exactly are we?” Robert asked nobody in particular. “This feels like a completely different forest.”
“We couldn’t see any of this from the other side of the ‘door’, either,” Sayana said. “Perhaps we have been transported to another part of the country?”
“I’ll ask the expert,” Aiden replied, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Salinder, where is this place?”
We have passed into a pocket dimension on the prime material plane, the sword replied. There is a field of energy surrounding this entire region of the forest, separating it from the rest of the land. The sheer scale of it would require immense power to maintain, and the amount of growth around us suggests it has been in place for centuries. Little wonder I knew nothing of this — whoever dwells here has been hiding behind this shield for the entirety of its existence.
“Who could accomplish such a feat?” Aiden asked, a little taken aback by this revelation.
“They possess great power, that much is clear,” Criosa remarked. “I am less concerned about who they are, and rather more alarmed at what they are doing in the middle of our Kingdom.”
“They pre-date Aielund,” Nellise pointed out. “Perhaps they are more concerned about the kingdom that has sprung up around their home?”
“Uh… You know Spartan isn’t waiting for us to catch up, right?” Pacian pointed out, peering through the forest to try and see where he went.
“I suppose we shall have our answers somewhere ahead,” Criosa suggested, gesturing helplessly at the vague trail leading onwards. Aiden considered the path before them for a moment, then drew Salinder and held it before him as he took the lead. The peace everyone had felt over the past hour evaporated as they took their cue from him, readying their own weapons in case something unpleasant waited ahead.
There was no sign of Spartan’s passing in the soil, despite Sayana’s best efforts at tracking him. Still, it wasn’t difficult moving through the undergrowth, and after a few minutes of travel signs of civilisation could be seen. Soaring columns of white marble were arrayed along what was once a promenade, almost completely buried beneath vines and other aggressive plants. The canopy above thinned out a little, and ahead Aiden could see a larger space, less cluttered but awe-inspiring to behold.
Massive, thick trees battled each other for a place in the light above, resulting in a tangled web of greenery that had completely taken over what was once an ancient city. Half of the large, tree-like structures around them were actually buildings, covered in plant life yet still standing despite extensive damage to the intricate stonework. The ground beneath was flat and level, and cracked flagstones of some ancient design could be seen through the soil.
Faint hints of movement could be seen in amongst the trees and buildings of this alien place, enticing Aiden to go in for a closer look. A few men and women of little more than five feet in height were carrying baskets of berries and other fruits in their arms. They were thin and wore simple, faded clothes that looked as though they had once been magnificent and colourful. The most obvious feature about them, and the most profound revelation, was the graceful, pointed ears on each of their elegant, almost gaunt heads.
“Elves,” Sayana breathed, as astonished as the rest of them at this information.
“An entire city, hidden in the middle of the country for centuries, populated by elves in faded clothing,” Aiden noted. “I have so many questions right now.”
Then we shall have to find you some answers, Spartan replied, the colours on his hide shifting to reveal his location in the nearby undergrowth. Welcome to Acadia, the forgotten shadow of a once-great elven city.
“I thought elves lived in forests, not cities,” Sayana pointed out.
“This place is a little of both, when you think about it,” Pacian replied.
Now, perhaps, Spartan agreed, but when it was new, Acadia was the pearl of civilisation. This is the city centre, or what is left of it, and despite appearances still harbours a modicum of its great heritage.
“When exactly was that?” Aiden prompted.
Over three thousand years ago, Spartan replied soberly. The few elves nearby paused for a moment and bowed fervently to the small dragon, to which he inclined his sleek, serpentine head ever so slightly.
“How did you know of this place?” Aiden asked the dragon.
I have visited here many times over the past decade or two, Spartan replied. My friends in this city have requested aid, and I have delivered you. The possibility exists for an exchange of services, or possibly an alliance. Please do not disappoint them, as it would reflect poorly upon my judgment.
“Perish the thought,” Aiden murmured, glancing knowingly at Criosa.
“If we have been invited, then we would do well not to keep our hosts waiting,” she declared, sheathing her rapier and gazing up at Spartan with an equally cool demeanour.
This way, Spartan instructed curtly, issuing a purring growl from his throat at the same time. He set off at a stately walk, weaving amongst the decaying ruins and rapacious forest with familiarity. Aiden led the rest of his companions until the forests parted and revealed an astonishing sight.
Before them, rising out of the murk of the surrounding forest, was a tall, faceted marble spire easily a hundred feet in height, gleaming in the evening light streaming through the canopy. Stained glass windows provided a splash of colour to its austere outer shell, which had an air of cold majesty about it. Unlike the rest of the surrounding buildings, this one was almost completely free of overgrown plant-life.
The chancellery, Spartan declared. Although they are cut off from the world, they know much of what is happening out there. You would all do well to heed their counsel.
as Spartan approached the great double doors leading into the building, two guards, resplendent in ancient, elaborate armour, came to attention, then opened the doors to permit entry. Their eyes locked straight ahead as they performed the rigors of their duty without question or deviation. Neither of the guards looked at Aiden or his friends as they passed.
Criosa fell into step next to Aiden as they entered the vast hall of the acadian elves. It was far more impressive on the inside, with high, vaulted ceilings and walls decorated with beautifully rendered portraits of majestic leaders, faded with the passage of time. Small spheres of glass dotted the walls, shedding a soft luminescence into the hall. Despite all this finery, ancient, dusty cobwebs were visible in the corners and the higher areas of the room, and dust blanketed many surfaces around them. This place wasn’t just old; it was one step away from becoming a museum.
There was no sign of a
ny other elves, be it guards or otherwise, and Spartan was once more resting on his haunches, as if awaiting something. Seizing the opportunity, the princess took a moment to attempt to tidy up her appearance after a day’s travel in the wilds.
“You look just fine to me,” Aiden whispered, leaning in closer to her for a moment. Their proximity set his pulse racing.
“I can hardly trust your opinion,” Criosa replied with a sly look. “We are meeting very important people here Aiden, and I want to represent Aielund as best as I can.”
“That’s a nice way of saying you want to look pretty for the new people,” he surmised wryly.
“Hush,” she whispered back as an entourage of six guards entered the hall from the large doorway ahead of them. Like the two outside the main entrance, these were dressed in heavy, shining ceremonial armour and moved with military precision. Their cloaks were a faded royal blue, but their demeanour was crisp and disciplined. The lead guard spoke in his flowing native tongue, which Aiden could not understand.
The chancellor will see us now, Spartan told the rest of them, the dragon snaking his way forward as the guards formally parted to either side. Before Aiden could move, Salinder’s voice spoke within his mind.
Keep this sword out of sight, and do not tell them of my existence, he warned. Aiden didn’t dare speak, lest he draw unwanted attention to the weapon. He overcame his hesitation and fell into step behind Criosa as she led them into the central ruling chamber of Acadia, guessing only that since the sword was of elven design, they might lay claim to it.
Focusing on his surroundings, Aiden was astonished at what he saw. He had been expecting something grandiose beyond the doorway, something that would complement and accentuate the alien beauty of the rest of the forgotten city, but Aiden wasn’t prepared for what awaited him.
The ceilings were as high and vaulted as the waiting room had been, but there, the similarities ended. Huge stained-glass windows tapered upwards along the walls, lighting the central chamber in subtle colours. If he looked carefully enough, patterns and shapes could be made out on the windows.
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