Sir Reginald III's Point of View

Today I'd saved a princess from a dragon and won over the hearts of a nation. As I walked down these cobblestone roads, people cheered and threw flowers in my path. I stood up straighter as my armor gleamed in the sunlight, but I knew deep down that this wasn't my destiny.

This wasn't the kingdom I had sworn to serve and the king waving at me from high above was not my king.

I'd hoped he might be worthy, but he was young and untested. His life had thankfully been easy-going so far, without the trials and tribulations it took to turn a man into a king.

So I bowed as I left the city, happy to have helped, but ready to move on with my quest. My knights were waiting for me just a few paces outside, their eyes full of questions. When I shook my head, they collectively sighed.

We'd been scouring the land for a man worthy of being our king, a man we could dedicate our lives to, ever since our last king had fallen in battle. He had to be just as brave as we were, with honor that would never falter, and hold the well-being of all in his heart. Such a man was not so easy to find though, and we were getting tired of looking.

"Let's head out," I said, clapping one of my companions on the shoulder. "We will find him, so keep your spirits up."

Bob and Mikey saluted me, determination etched in their faces. I had to stay hopeful, lest all would fail.

But right then, a tremor ran through the ground and then another with the force of a thousand men marching to battle. The horses neighed, rearing up as they tried to flee. I crouched down, never having felt such a thing, as if the earth itself was shaking.

"Stay calm," I commanded, "we'll ride out this wave and check on the city after."

The sky peeled away from itself, as if it was a piece of paper being turned, before a shining light reached down to touch us. I knew I should get my men to safety, but the light was so soothing that I couldn't help but stare at it. As the light bathed us in an otherworldly glow, I squeezed my eyes shut so they would not burn.

When I opened them again, we were no longer outside. I blinked, glancing around us with unease. All 25 of us were here, but the grass beneath our boots had been replaced with wooden planks and at my feet was a book with golden light bursting out of it. The words on the page spoke of a knight who'd just rescued a princess, which felt eerily familiar.

Was that...my story?

A raging storm hurled itself at the walls of the building we were in, making me flinch away from the book as its glow dimmed. A loud crack crashed through the air as the ceiling was peeled away by the storm. Big fat raindrops fell from the sky, aiming for us like cannonballs.

I led the men toward a large tree for cover in case the whole building came tumbling down, but on closer inspection, it was no mere tree. It was made of wood, but perfectly squared off and without bark. I tilted my head back to gaze up at what looked like a table looming over us. A table so large it must have been built for giants, because we barely stood tall enough to touch the first decorative swirl at the base.

"By the gods," I whispered, "have we been transported to the land of giants?"

Mikey took a deep breath. "Sir, what dark magic would do that?"

I hadn't the faintest clue, but if we really were in a new land, we'd need to be careful.

"Let's explore, but take care. We are but mere insects compared to giants and I will not allow a single one of us to be squashed."

They nodded, pressing their hands to their chests in agreement. Then we began our march through this oversized land, taking in the massive bookshelves and the plush rug with fabric that came up to our shoulders. In the middle of that mess, we came across a sleeping beast. Its snores vibrated through my armor as the horror of what stood before us sank in.

It was a massive dog with not one head, nor two, but three. As its six eyes began to open, gazing blearily at us, I motioned for the men to freeze. The beast yawned, opening its gaping maw wide enough to swallow all of us in one gulp.

I had stared down death many times, but not even a dragon came close to this monster's size.

The beast stood up, tongues lolling out of its mouth as it noticed us. Oh no, we were not a tasty meal. We were Knights of the Silver Crown! We were known throughout the realm as the most skilled fighters, as men with honor and compassion. We protected anyone who needed our protection and served our king with pride.

We would not meet our end being a dog's lunch. Not even a monstrous hound such as this.

"Run through its legs!" I shouted, diving underneath the massive creature's belly. "It might be large, but we are agile. Run to the bookshelves, men, and climb like your lives depend on it."

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So we did, pushing our way through the shaggy rug as we dodged the beast's massive paws. Once we reached the bookshelves, we climbed, gaining enough height to be out of the monster's reach. For even though it was mighty, these shelves were taller by far.

A trickle of fear went down my spine at that thought. If the shelves were even taller, then this dog might actually be more of a puppy to the ones who lived here. I did not want to meet such people, not at all.

My arms burned as we climbed from shelf to shelf, climbing over books like stairs, hauling myself onto the next shelf. Eventually, we reached the top and a whole new world opened up to us.

Bookshelves were lined up in rows as far as the eye could see and between them, monsters roamed. Dragons the size of birds soared through the air, swooping and diving around a giant forest golem who's head practically brushed the ceiling. Shadows swirled, snapping at the dragons as if they were alive and the sound of a woman singing was a faint backdrop to the chaos.

We were not in Aurelion anymore, but this was not the land of giants either. We were somewhere else entirely. Somewhere full of danger.

My heart pounded as I slowly spun in a circle, taking it all in. When my gaze fell on an enormous tree in the middle of the room, I paused. The forlorn beauty of that tree filled my heart with sadness, but also triggered a sense of familiarity. It was like I'd known this tree my entire life, even though this was my first time laying eyes on it. My feet started moving on their own, pulling me toward it like a moth to a flame as my men did the same.

If this was some mage's trick, we might be doomed, but it didn't feel malicious. It felt warm and comforting, like being welcomed by an old friend.

I began to run across the tops of the shelves, leaping across the gaps between them as if fear was a thing I didn't experience anymore. I had to get to that tree, had to touch its bark, feel its magic. I'd never felt such a strong pull before, not since my late king passed.

This was the feeling of duty, weaving through my body and giving it purpose even though I had yet to know what that purpose was.

What was more, I could tell that everyone else here felt the same. From monstrous puppy to shadowy demon, all the inhabitants of this gigantic library were making their way to the tree, as if they'd felt the pull just like I had.

Curse these tiny legs of ours, for we were moving far too slow as we quickly fell behind. We just couldn't keep up with giants, not as we were now. As I was catching my breath, the golem accidentally bumped into the bookshelf we stood on, rocking it just enough for me to careen over the side.

My blood thumped in my ears as the air whooshed around me, fear returning to my body like a sudden weight as a scream caught in my throat.

"Commander!" Mikey shouted as he reached out to no avail, because I was already three shelves down.

But another noticed his screams: the giant forest golem lumbering by. It reached out its hand just in time for me to plop onto it, pillowed by the mossy vines its body was made of. I lay back, gazing at the dark storm raging above us through the holes in the ceiling, letting out a ridiculous laugh.

A forest golem had saved me. How preposterous. Well then, I should make good use of this golden opportunity.

"Sir Golem, might I trouble you for a ride?" I asked, standing up to give him a shaky bow. "My comrades and I are trying to get to that big tree over yonder, but I fear our legs are too short to get very far."

The golem's eyes glowed as it leaned closer to me, tilting its ear toward me like it was trying to hear me better.

"I said, would you mind giving us a ride?" I asked, shouting it louder for the big tree monster to understand.

"Ohhhh, a ride!" it exclaimed, almost knocking me down as it nodded excitedly. "Yes! Hop on."

Then it braced its shoulder against the bookshelf, allowing all of my men to climb aboard like it was a giant vessel made for travel.

"We thought you were a goner," Mikey said, "I'm glad you're safe."

"It was all this gentle giant's doing. Isn't that right, my friend?" I grinned, determined not to show my fear in front of them. That had been far too close a call for my liking. "Thank you! Now onward, to the great tree!"

The golem took one large step, eating up the distance between us and the tree with just a few strides. I held on for dear life, trying to direct it like one would a horse since it kept getting distracted by shiny things like lamps and dragons. This golem was rather silly if I did say so myself, but that made it all the more enjoyable of a ride.

When we got to the great tree, the golem froze, staring at the tree before setting us down carefully. Its branches were bare and the floor was covered in fallen leaves, as if it was winter and this tree was about to hibernate. The sound of the storm crashed around us, sending a shiver down my spine.

I was not the kind of man to sit and quiver in my boots, but this felt like something deeper. Something rooted in my very core, but I didn't think I was the one who felt this fear. No, it felt like it was the tree's fear. I could feel its emotions through some kind of bond, as if we were connected. Deep down, I knew that the tree was the one who'd brought me here.

It was afraid and needed somebody to protect it. To take care of it. To love it.

I felt the rightness of all of that, somehow knowing that this tree had been alone for a very long time. That it wanted companionship more than anything else. My instincts kicked in as I raced toward it, motioning for my men to follow.

A woman in a beautiful purple dress sang softly as she stepped forward, joined by a man with dark horns and snapping shadows. The dragons roosted in the tree's branches as the golem sidled up next to it, taller than the highest part of the withered tree. Then came the monstrous puppy dog who we'd just barely escaped from.

I'd have run again, but everyone seemed to feel the same pull as I had as we surrounded the tree, all looking around with a bit of confusion at what we were doing here.

"You are not alone," I told the great tree.

The others echoed my words, reassuring the tree from every angle that we were here for it. That we were united.

As I put my palm against the tree's bark, its memories surged through me. Memories of patrons filling its stacks, then disappearing one by one, followed by a great span of time all alone. Finally, the wild magic storm hit and terror surged through it.

So it summoned us, waking us from our books for the one thing it needed most: friends.

And I was more than happy to be one of this great book tree's friends. It was just another part of our quest after all. And maybe, just maybe, we'd even find our new king in this strange land.