Despite having to deal with Ce and all his foolishness Klavis managed to get to the tavern shortly after dusk.
He handed off his horse to the stable hand and walked into the tavern. It was warm and inviting. There were two fires going, one on each side of the common room. The slight smell of burning pine mixed with the delicious smell of freshly roasted meat helped him feel more relaxed and reminded him how hungry he really was.
There were several groups of people eating at tables and talking amongst themselves. It was a very cozy atmosphere.
As Klavis walked to an empty table, a few people looked over, smiled and waved. Klavis responded in kind but didn’t move to join them. He took a table in the corner. Unlike what would have happened at his usual haunt, none of the people he knew came over and imposed themselves. Most of the people who came here understood personal space and realized when a person wanted to be left in peace.
After a few moments a smiling young woman, wearing a blue dress and a clean, impossibly bright white apron, sauntered over to the table. “Hello Klavis, is there anything I can get for you?”
Klavis smiled, trying to hide the fact that he had no idea who she was. “Oh yes, there sure is. A plate full of that lovely smelling roast, with some cheese and a bit of bread and butter. Oh, and a mug of ale too.”
“Great, I’ll be right back.” She winked at him as she turned and walked back to the kitchen.
After she left his smile began to turn into a frustrated frown as he thought “What was her name? I should know her; she knows me, and I’ve been here enough?” His frustration only mounted as she came back with his drink and still couldn’t remember her name.
She set the cup on the table “I’ll have your food for you in just a few moments. I’ve also made sure there was a fire going in your room, to warm it up”
Klavis not knowing what was going on opened his mouth “I didn’t…”
But wasn’t allowed to finish his sentence. “I figured since you’re here instead of The Joyous Fiddler you’d want a room.”
Klavis frowned and gave up any pretense of familiarity. “Have we met?”
The waitress narrowed her eyes, he could almost see the anger in them “Have we met?” her voice rose as she repeated the question “Have we met?” Klavis noticed a few of the patrons glance over their way as she raised her voice. “Yes, we’ve met! Last month! You said you loved me, you couldn’t be without me.” Her voice rose even higher as she nearly yelled “I’m carrying your unborn child, and you can’t be bothered to remember my name?!”
For a brief moment the room was dead silent, every head in the room was looking towards them. After one of the longest moments in Klavis’s life, everyone finally looked away and turned back to their own tables, but the buzzing in the room was nearly palatable. He knew they were talking about him.
He stood up and pulled out a chair. “Please, have a seat.” As she sat down, he sat back down himself. “Of course, I remember you, I was just playing a joke. I’m sorry, it was in poor taste, please forgive me…Cirana?”
At that she started laughing and Klavis only became more confused “Oh my, by the gods, you actually think I’m caring your child! You’re as bad as she said. I can’t wait to tell my cousin. I bet she won’t stop laughing for weeks.”
“You’re cousin?”
“Yes, my cousin, Janel. She’s very cross with you after your last visit. She was never able to get that stain off her dress.”
He let out a sigh of relief as he realized that he had in fact not met this person before and she wasn’t carrying his child. “You’re Janel’s cousin?” Klavis looked at her again and he could tell that they were indeed related, she looked a little like Janel. “You do realize that by tomorrow night everyone in town will think you’re having my child and if I’m lucky, I might be able to get home before my family hears about it. You’re a very evil woman…”
She chuckled as she said “Arlana”.
“Arlana. Well Arlana, you’re not someone I’ll soon forget, that’s for sure.”
She stood back up, still smiling and winked as she said, “You better not, otherwise next time you see me you’ll really regret it.” She started to walk away but turned back around. “I was serious about the room though, it’s getting ready. I heard enough about you from my cousin to know if you’re here, you won’t be going over there.”
She was as good as her word; it didn’t take long for her to bring him a plate of food. He smiled and said “Thank you. Would you like to join me?”
She laughed slightly “Maybe if I didn’t know who you were, besides, I’m working and you’re not the only one here.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“How about after you’re done?”
She only answered with a coy smile as she turned and walked away.
His attention quickly went to the large plate in front of him. A loaf of warm, soft bread with a lump of butter, but it was the heap of thinly cut roast piled on the other half of the plate that really caught his eye. It was more than he expected, he didn’t wait to dive in.
He’d barely made a dent when the tavern door opened. He looked up and much to his surprise Kamilis walked in. He stood there a moment and looked over the room and as he saw Klavis he walked over to the table.
“Hey Kam, I didn’t expect to see you in here. Want to join me?”
Kamilis pulled out a chair and sat down. “I was just thinking the same thing about you. I figured you’d be out fully embracing the city life.”
Klavis ripped the loaf in half and handed a piece to Kamilis then edged the plate closer to his brother, inviting him to share the plate. “I know, it’s odd, but I didn’t feel like staying up all night. Besides I got some pretty life changing news.”
Kamilis raised an eyebrow “Really, what would that be?”
Klavis nodded towards Arlana and Kamilis followed Klavis’ gaze. “I just found out she’s carrying my child.”
Kamilis frowned “Arlana? I don’t think Janel’s going to be all that happy?”
Klavis’s mouth dropped “You’re not surprised? Geez, I guess I know how you all really think of me. I can’t believe…wait, you know Arlana?”
“Yes, she has been studying at the Magi’s Guild for a few months now and to be honest, no I wasn’t. I figured something like this would have happened years ago. What I am surprised about is that it’s with Arlana, I didn’t figure you’d be her type.”
Klavis just glared at his brother. At that moment Arlana just happened to walk up to the table. “Kamilis, what a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know you were back in town.”
“I just got back a little while ago. My brother was doing an errand for our father, so I decided to accompany him on the journey to the city. I’d like to be the first to extend my congratulations.”
Frowning in confusion she asked “Congratulations?”
“Yes, Klavis just told me, you’re with child. I know it’s common to have a joining ceremony first but…”
She gasped, turned red and said rather loudly “I’m not with child.” She punched Klavis in the shoulder and stormed off.”
Kamilis looked at Arlana and back to Klavis. “Did I say something wrong”
Kamilis couldn’t stand it any longer and he burst out laughing. It took some time before he could recover. “No, no, you didn’t say a thing wrong, it was perfect. Kam, she’s not pregnant. I was just trying to get her back, and you played your part wonderfully. She made me and the whole bar think I’d gotten her pregnant. Hopefully that will kill any rumors that may have otherwise reached our parents.”
Kamilis smiled as he was eating a piece of bread said, “Can’t believe you got me, but I have one question; did you believe her when she told you?”
Klavis’s smile slackened “I’ll admit it, part of me believed her. Maybe I should settle down.” Kamilis raised a questioning eyebrow as Klavis continued. “Well, just a little bit anyways.” There was a pause in the conversation and for a moment his eyes lost focus as the memory of the forest suddenly resurfaced. It had been on his mind more than usual the last few weeks. It took a while for him to admit it, but it felt different, it didn’t feel like the Greenwood. There was a feeling, just beyond his memory, whenever he thought of the forest beyond the Beacon Trees.
He took a deep breath and refocused his attention back to both his brother and the plate of food. “So, what brought you out of the tower of books and learning? And only after an hour of being back no less?”
Kamilis finished chewing and swallowed a piece of bread before responding “I don’t really know. I was eager to get back and try some of the brewing recipes I had learned.” He looked down at the plate of food. “Ironically, I was brewing a potion that would sustain you for a whole day just as if you had eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner. It didn’t take long, it was rather easy, but the whole time I was distracted. I realized I was hungry but mostly I couldn’t shake off a peculiar feeling of boredom. To be honest that feeling has been growing since we left the forest last.
”Klavis nodded “I’ve been feeling something similar, although bored isn’t the word I’d use. It’s what brought me here rather than my usual haunts. I feel restless, trapped, I just knew that my usual escapism wouldn’t work. I needed some time to think.”
Kamilis scooted his chair closer to Klavis, and leaned in slightly “I’m thinking the legends about the forest are wrong. When we crossed the Beacon Trees, nothing happened. Something surely should have happened. And then there are the birds.”
Klavis looked at him a little confused. “The birds?”
Kamilis nodded “Yes, the birds. They migrate with the seasons right, but how? Nothing from beyond the forest is supposed to be able to travel here, and certainly they shouldn’t be able to come and go every year.”
His brother shrugged. “Maybe birds are special.”
Kamilis leaned back and sighed. “Yes, maybe, but it’s all the animals, deer, wolves, bees…They all have no problem traveling through the imaginary line created by the Beacon Trees. Then there was us. We walked through and nothing happened.”
Klavis took a big drink of his ale, taking the moment to think it over. He put the cup down. “Maybe the Beacon Trees are supposed to be a warning and not the physical representation of the magical ward. You know, some wiggle room in case some little kid that didn’t know any better ran through the Trees. Maybe there is a warning zone.”
Kamilis cracked a smile. “Sometimes I forget you’re smarter than you act. I thought the same thing and I checked the histories before I came down here. I wanted to see the exact wording. The text stated, “And when the Beacon Trees were mature, a barrier was born from their strength, one that elf kind may not leave from and one that that no man, dwarf or other creature, not even a god, may break into. And so, our people were made safe from the enemy”. No, if the history is correct, we should not have been able to walk back through the Beacon Trees.”
“So, what are you saying. The histories are wrong? Was there never a ward? Our ancestors just decided to plant some very large, unusual, albeit, pretty looking trees?”
Kamilis sighed. “I don’t know. It could mean there was never a ward and the story of whatever they were running from is exactly that, a story, and it never existed. The problem is, over the many hundreds of years since our ancestors settled here, there hasn’t been a single case of someone from the Beacon Trees finding us. Not a single one. Either every other sentient creature is dead, so there would be no one to find us, which could be the case, or the ward once worked but has sense lost its power and our home is no longer protected.”
A big grin slowly grew across Klavis’s face. Kamilis looked perplexed “What? I tell you a ward protecting us from certain doom might have vanished and you’re happy about it?
Klavis lightly shook his head no.
“Then what?”
“This means we can go where no one living has ever been, the forest proper.”
Kamilis found himself surprised “Are you serious?” But before Klavis could say anything his brother sighed. “Yes, of course you are.”
“I’m not suggesting we run away from our lives here, just a few nights in the forest. We’d be the first, imagine it! We’d be legends!”
Kamilis nodded “It would let us know for sure if the ward has weakened or worse, disappeared.” He smiled ever so slightly “I guess you could say it is our duty to find out if our home is no longer protected.”
Klavis leaned forward and said excitedly “Exactly.”
Kamilis and Klavis spent the rest of the evening making plans. The half-eaten plate of food forgotten. In a few days they would make history, they were going to be the first of their kind to walk in the forest since their ancestors settled here so many hundreds of years ago.