In Search of Auria

by Alexis Rojas

  I gave it one last try. I stepped on its forehead and pulled hard. The skin broke as I finally ripped the sword off. With my weapon with me, I swiftly ran south upriver. I ran and ran, till the balorian arrows could reach me no more.

  14- Destiny

  Sixth Memory

  After running from the bridge, I spent the night under a large rock formation, sheltered from the rain. I put my shirt and boots on a stone to dry and sat against the wall. At this point, I didn’t care if the balorians came in the middle of the night to capture me, or even kill me. I didn’t care. Auria was now out of reach. I met with failure. I should’ve just kept fighting the army by the bridge and died with dignity.

  After an hour, it stopped raining. I needed to dry the rest of my belongings, so I made a fire with the little dry wood and bushes beneath the rocks. I took my blanket and placed it outstretched on a rock near the flames. Next, I took out the Yang’s egg. The box was wet, but it was well sealed. The egg and the red cushion it rested on remained dry. Lastly, I took out the Book of Beasts. The downpour had wet the cover and the edge of the pages, but it was not damaged. I hadn’t really read it since Richard gave it to me. I opened it and observed the descriptions and illustrations of the various monsters and fiends. I read about the corvus, pixies, gargoyles, vampires, the freaking lamia. And then, I turned to a page that was titled “Sun Fairies”. The illustration depicted rays of light coming from an unknown source. The description only had one sentence:

  “Being children of the fiery star, they shine, blind and burn just like the father.”

  Shine, blind and burn. I knew that all too well. But, if I had feather and ink, I would write that shining, blinding and burning weren’t the only things they did. I’d write that they also flew like the graceful swan, and that their bodies were beautiful and pretty. That they liked conversations, tended to flowers, and cooked mild worm stew!

  It was useless. I couldn’t bear the memories. I threw the book to the side and my face to my hands.

  I started to think how the daystars would be dealing with their loss. Glorio must’ve kept on wailing like a paranoid geezer, and Radian had to be organizing a fairy invasion to the world of man. I didn’t see Beam, but I guess he had to be sad, too.

  Then, I thought about Bri. He was the owner of the shack beside the pond of the forest. I met him before leaving for Balora. He would not be sad or tearful like the rest. He would be expectant and hopeful, because I told him I’d never give up until I returned with Auria. I promised him.

  I was so valiant and righteous when I talked with him. Now, I was withdrawn with shame and defeat.

  A headache began to pain me. I laid on the ground beside the fire and closed my eyes. This was my last night here. Tomorrow I would gather my things and return to Miaflore. I would return empty handed…

  *

  After the battle on Margot Plateau, Erik left the frontlines and returned to the camp beside the Forest of Agony. It was early, so he decided to have a little rest and change his clothes before visiting Auria. When he presented himself at the outpost’s gate, he heard someone yell, “Open the gate, the Blood Marauder is here!”

  Erik was amazed his newly acquired pseudonym was already known here. Raymond must’ve sent a herald with news about the victory, including the details of his nickname. Erik laughed at the thought of it. If he kept being a deadly warrior, maybe the fame would make him a general in no time.

  After a wash and a well deserved sleep, he woke up staring at the ceiling of his room. He rehearsed in his mind how he was going to apologize to Auria. She indirectly said he was below her, but he was the one that made her choose between him, a man she had just met a few weeks ago, and her people, the ones that had been with her their whole lives. To put it plain and simple, it was not meant to be. She was a fairy of the forest; and him, well, the damn Blood Marauder.

  He got up and walked to a chest opposite to the bed. The chest was where he put his apparel. He opened it and took out a dark blue gambeson jacket. It was one of his finest; sleeveless and reached above the knees, with diamond pattern padding. Next he took out a wide silver belt with an octagonal buckle. It fit him nicely around the waist and had a space to place a dagger. Lastly, he reached for the bottom of the chest and took out a pair of black leather gloves with matching boots. The gloves had straps around the forearms, and the boots had a latch on the side for fastening.

  After all was tight, fit and ready, he took a good look at himself. It had been some time he had seen himself this proper and good looking.

  Erik needed one more thing before leaving: his weapons. Above the chest, a heater shield hanged on the wall with a sword attached behind. The shield was made of wood, overlaid with tough leather. The rim was lined with iron and held in place with rivets. It had leather enarmes attached behind to hold it with the forearm, and a long leather strap to let the shield sling across the back. The face had a painted symbol of a golden rose in azure background. The head of the rose was sharp and crown-like, with a straight thin line for a stem. He took the shield and fixed it on his arm.

  Erik then reached for the sword and took it out of the scabbard. That broadsword had seen its share of battles. Not with Erik, but with his father and his father’s father. Nevertheless, the blade was well maintained and still had its mirror-like shine. The silver hilt was cross shaped with a red leather handle, and the overall weight was lighter than any other sword of its kind. These were the heirlooms left by his ancestors; The Silver Sword and The Golden Rose Shield. He had never used them in battle for he believed they were too valuable to get damaged. But for this occasion, he didn’t mind taking them along. He was going to see Auria one more time to apologize and to say goodbye. He wanted to leave her with a good image of himself. Before he left the outpost, he told the men he would take a final walk in the forest. He said not to worry if it got late before he returned.

  The forest was as silent and dark as usual; the trails were the same, and the air was as moist as ever. The only thing that had changed was Erik, his perspective. Rather than being enthusiastic, he walked grimly. His mood made the walk longer than normal, and it gave him the time to think about all the other times he had gone back and forth through that same trail. All those times wishing for the unobtainable, it was a shame this was how it was going to end.

  Reaching Auria’s tree, Erik passed through the ivy curtain and commenced the long way up the stairwell. The dampness lessened and the staircase brightened with each passing step. At the end of the long flight of stairs, he opened the door to the landing, making the shine of the sun blast through. He peeked by the door frame and saw the fairies with their daily chores, and the young ones with their usual play. He then noticed that the front door of Auria’s home was open. He walked closer and heard some weeping. He immediately felt the guilt deep within. Auria had been distraught with sadness all this time. Wanting make things right, he stepped inside her house.

  “Auria, I’m sorry!”

  But, Auria wasn’t there. Sitting on a chair by the table was Glorio, Auria’s grandfather. He sat with a shaking frown; one hand on his knee and the other on his forehead. He looked up as Erik made his entrance. He wasn’t too happy to see him.

  “You!” Glorio blurted out. Erik had been prohibited from entering the heights of the forest. So as he feared, Glorio turned violent against him. The old man tried to push Erik, but he held him back by grabbing his arms. They both struggled as they pushed one another.

  “I know I’ve been banned from your presence,” Erik said, “but I need to talk with Auria.”

  “How dare you call to her!”

  They continued the tussle until Erik had to jostle him off. Glorio fell back with a painful cry.

  “Elder, I’m sorry. I meant no harm,” Eric approached, but Glorio started to yell frantically.

  “What have you done? Tell me what you did!” he roared, followed by sobs and wild screams. Erik decided to leave before the old man’s tantrum attracted any unwanted a
ttention. Halfway through the open landing, Glorio’s screams lured a certain individual that wasn’t too keen with Erik. It was Radian.

  He stormed towards the house after hearing the screams. And at the sight of the land dweller, his wings instantly flared an intense red. He punched the air, casting a blast of light from his fist. The flash darted right for Erik. He ran for the stairwell’s door, but when the light hit the tree, its heat instantly cracked the trunk open. The blast knocked him into the stair’s door, slamming it off its hinges. The door served as a sled as he slid down the stairs. Shrieking like a baby, Erik held on tight as the bumpy spiral ride continued. The light dulled and it quickly turned dark again. Erik felt sick to his stomach as he swirled down round and around. When the ride reached the bottom, the door stabbed into the last step and launched Erik to the opposing wall. He moaned as he laid on the ground, trying to rub the pain off his body.

  He exited the tree by the ivy curtain, when he suddenly heard Radian calling to him, “Show yourself, you gutless worm! Stop hiding!”

  Erik walked closely by the giant root of the tree and peered around it. He saw Radian clinging from another tree not too far off. The shine of his wings illuminated the surrounding trails and bushes in a fiery crimson. His facial lines pulsed in a dark purple. Erik stayed hidden and quiet as Radian feverishly looked around for him. The fairy finally let out a mad roar and flew back up to the Heights. Once the light diminished and the atmosphere returned to its regular ease, Erik sighed, “Wow, when they say ‘never return’, they mean it… Maybe I should never come back.”

  Making up his mind, he turned around to leave when the tip of a wooden spear almost impaled his face. It was held by a thin, short man. He wore a shabby mantle with dirty peasant’s clothes and gloves. And covering his face with a blue scarf and a brown woolen cap, the only thing Erik saw of him were his eyes.

  “You must be Erik,” The man said with a young tone. “The fairy heard my footsteps as I walked through here. He pursued me, thinking I was you. Tell me, why have you returned?”

  “Why is this forest so hostile today?” Erik remarked.

  “Answer me!”

  Erik raised his hands and spoke annoyed, “I only passed here to see Auria.”

  “Lair, what have you done to her?”

  Erik’s face waned as he heard that.

  “What?” he replied confused.

  “Where is she?” the youngster demanded.

  “Auria is missing?”

  “Speak!”

  Erik swiftly grabbed the spear and yanked it out the young man’s hands. He then grabbed him by the shirt and pressed him hard against the root wall.

  “What’s happened to Auria?” Erik barked, but the young man only replied with fearful eyes. “Tell me, or by the heavens I will drag you to the top of this tree and let you drop dead to the bottom.”

  The young man calmed down and stared at Erik, “Y-you really do not know?”

  “Know what!”

  “I will tell you, but not here. I will take you to my place.”

  Erik heard him, but wouldn’t let go.

  “Release me, or be done with me!”

  Erik finally set him free, but with a fair warning, “You lead me astray, and I shall slay you in the blink of an eye.”

  “Do not worry. You may trust me.”

  #

  The trek through the forest was short, but only because the young man walked with a restless pace. Erik noticed a hump on the right side of youngster’s back, but he did not comment on it. He led Erik to the pond, where he and Auria had seen each other last.

  “What are we doing here?” Erik asked.

  “That shack by the pond is my shelter. This is my place.”

  “Wait, Auria told me once about you. You’re the one that lives here at the bottom of the forest. If only I’d remember… Bri! Your name is Bri.”

  The boy stopped walking when he heard his name. He turned and removed the scarf and cap. Erik stepped closer and recognized the features he knew too well.

  “Y-you’re a fairy, too.”

  Not only was Bri young, he had the same facial lines as Auria and the other fairies. But, the lines were completely black, and his skin was as pale as a white mushroom.

  “I don’t understand. Why are you like this? You don’t look like the others,” Erik stated.

  Bri smiled and put his cap on again, “I know I am different. It is my punishment for being reckless.” He turned to the pond and took off his mantle and shirt. When he revealed his back, Erik pitied the sight. His right wings unrolled and stretched, while on his left he had none. They had been ripped off clean from the root. Only scarred skin and cartilage remained.

  “What happened to you?” Erik asked softly.

  “Up in the Heights, I was once the brightest young one,” Bri told with grief clinging on his throat. “I was the one with the best set of wings and the fastest flyer. But also, I was an adept troublemaker. On every flight I would annoy the others, pushing them around for being slower than me. I even knocked belongings from the balconies down to the bottom.

  “Then one day, while I was flying near the top of the tallest tree, a sudden gust of wind caught me by surprise. It swirled me out of control and sent me spinning down. I ended up slamming against a tree trunk and landing on a branch. I thought the pain I felt on my back was because of the hit, but I was wrong. The bark of the tree I slammed on was splintered and cracked open. By the sticky mix of blood, veins and skin, my left wings hanged lifeless from the ruptured trunk.”

  Bri coiled his wings and put his shirt back on. “Because of my failure to behave, this happened to me. My people tried to help me, but I refused. I was so ashamed I hid myself at the base of the forest. And without any sun to light me, I gained this pale complexion. I felt so alone. That is until Auria reached out to me. She found me once and offered me company. She made me as happy as I used to be.”

  Bri suddenly remembered the urgency about Auria. He got a bit sidetracked by his own past. He turned to Erik, but too many thoughts came into his mind. He couldn’t get out a single sentence.

  “Hey, stop. Breath and relax.” Erik put his hand on his shoulder, “Just calm down and tell me what happened.”

  Bri nodded and continued, “Auria wanted to meet me by the river at the west of the forest. She wanted to talk with the relaxing sound of the running waters. I went to meet her, and as I got near the edge of the forest, I heard a scream. I ran as fast as I could, but when I got there, I saw land dwellers. They looked like you, with swords. And there was a man with blue robes and a staff. Using some kind of power, he created a bridge of ice to cross the river.”

  Erik rubbed his chin and said, “The ones that looked like me had to be soldiers, but the one with robes and staff must’ve been a sorcerer of some kind.”

  “Some of the soldiers had already crossed, carrying a large bag,” Bri resumed, “But the ones preparing to cross, they had captured Auria with chains. I ran towards them, when the sorcerer got in my way. He said, ‘Weak, worthless boy, don’t interfere with bigger things than you’. He then spoke some strange words with his staff and something knocked me unconscious. When I came to be, they were gone and the bridge was there no more. Using the stairs in the tree, I went up to the Heights and told my people. But, when I said it was land dwellers with swords, they thought you had come with others and took her away.”

  Erik looked at the pond in thought. That explained why Glorio and Radian where angry at him. They believed it was he the one that abducted Auria. But, he still didn’t understand why soldiers were there. He didn’t know of any miaflorian plan to go by the river, and the balorians had been pushed back. He needed more details.

  “Bri, what were the soldiers wearing? What type of armor?”

  Bri shook his head, “I did not notice that, but I do remember something about the one leading the land dwellers. He wore a helmet with many horns.”

  Immediately, Erik had a flashback of when he defeated S
ebastien “The Beast”. The man that commanded the balorians and ordered the bowmen to fire, he wore a helmet with horns. It had to be him!

  Bri then looked at Erik and said, “Auria told me that you were the one that defeated the Great Corvus. You are braver and stronger than any of us. So, will you go? Will you please bring her back?”

  “I will bring her back, Bri,” Erik said, showing his courage and valor. “I promise you I’ll never give up until I return with her.”

  He then put his hands on Bri’s shoulders and shook him a bit, “And don’t speak as if you’re a weakling. Even though you knew I slew the corvus, you still had the courage to raise a spear against me. You don’t have your wings, but you are still a fairy. You are still a Daystar!”

  Bri’s eyes brightened as if a spark ignited inside him. Erik then took off, running towards the Crude River.

  Nearing the edge of the forest, light started to pierce through the branches and the sky became clear to see. Finally reaching the river, there was only one problem to overcome: how was he going to cross it? He was no sorcerer to magically conjure a bridge. The river was harsh, rocky, wide and deep. He would not be able to swim to the other side. It was a miracle he made it out alive the last time. Erik paced up and down beside the bank, thinking what to do.