Of all the forests James had seen, the Aqualeaf Forest was definitely his favorite, though he hadn’t seen many. The forest was spacious and rich with trees with blue leaves and dark blue bark. The thick branches with abundances of leaves on each blocked out the sun, allowing its own light sources to illuminate the magical woodland, which included fireflies of shiny, blue light, and pixies, golden and flickering their bright auras and sprinkling thin, golden, bright flakes as they flew around, both lighting the forest. Bushes, leaves green with berries of blue, were scattered about.

If only I could just live here instead of Rosepost, James longingly thought, treading through the forest, following the paved dirt path and taking in all the beauty.

He felt a mass calm feeling as he gazed upon the trees, feeling the soft, tall, green grass brush up against his legs as he walked. The wind beat against his skin like a soft blanket, comforting and peaceful.

Rabbits, varying in color, ran around while deers feasted on the berries of the bushes.

Placed on the side of the path, James came across a stone statue of a woman on a pedestal, covering her chest and pelvis with her long hair. It was mossy, had splotches of dirt on it, and covered in green vines.

I wonder who made this, James wonderedt, curious of the statue’s age.

He stepped closer, scraped a couple of the vines of the pedestal with the sharp end of his sword and revealed words, carved deep into it.

TARA: MOTHER OF ALL

Perhaps it’s from an old religion.

Looking down, James could see a spot on the pedestal of the statue was missing. The missing chunk sizzled and smoked, molten lava dripping off it and onto the floor. He bent down and picked up a piece of white silk, burnt so badly the color almost looked black.

This isn’t normal, James thought, feeling the smooth silk on his fingers. It felt too rich to be from a peasant, and it definitely felt too rich to be out in the forest. It must be from the princess.

Before he could examine it any longer, the faint sound of heavy footsteps startled him, clanking as they hit the ground. He jumped up and hid behind the statue, hoping he wouldn’t be heard by whatever was making the menacing sound. The footsteps grew closer as he peeked around, viewing what was coming.

A black horse, covered from head to hoof in black, rocky armor with streaks of molten lava treaded down the path, mounted by a man wearing similar armor to the horse, skin pale and eyes sharp, holding the reins as they both filled the area with heat and skin-crawling evil. His helmet stretched across his face, only allowing his nose and his eyes to be visible, as frightening as they were.

James carefully watched as the animals fled at the sight of them, hiding amongst bushes. His heart pounded as his fear of being seen increased. He moved back behind the statue, holding his breath and covering his mouth, eyes stretched.

Suddenly, the sound of the horse’s heavy footsteps stopped, along with James’ heart. The sound of the reins dangling and the menacing man jumping off the horns sent chills down James’ spine.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Curious, yet terrified, James slowly stuck his head back out from behind the statue, peaking to see where the man stood.

He nearly screamed as the man, in his bulky armor, stood there with his hand on his sheathed sword, his eyes white.

James jerked back, hoping he had not been seen. His heart pounded, a hammer hitting everything but the head of the nail, as he quickly grew hot. He could hear the man’s deep, congested breaths, as though he was sniffing out an unusual smell. With every sniff, James shook more.

Cautiously peeking, James gazed upon him, still standing in the same position, his hand on his sword and staring directly at James. Can he not see me?

James moved further out from behind the statue of the goddess, staring face to face with the man. Looking at his breastplate, James saw a symbol of a snake entangled in a five pointed star. He must be from the Dark Kingdom, concluded James.

He soon realized the man was indeed blind.

Carefully and slowly, he scooted past the man and his horse, holding his breath. The man sniffed and fished faster as James nearly skimmed him with his arm.

Once past the man, James finally began to breathe again, relieved that he’d made it, or so he thought. The unmistakable sound of the man sword being yanked from its sheath sent James into shock. He stood there, shivering and shaking, staring at the path winding deep into the rest of the magical forest.

As he slowly turned his head around, sure of his fate, he saw the man wasn’t even behind him. Instead of aiming his sword directly at James' neck, ready to strike, he was pointing his sword as the goddess statue, fishing aimlessly for anything unusual, still sniffing around like a dog.

James let out a sigh of relief. Though, he began to feel bad for him. Glancing down at his palm as he watched him, slowly backing away, he noticed he was still holding the piece of burnt silk and his sword.

Right, he remembered, the princess.

Turning back around to face the path ahead, he began to slip away from the area, cautious of the man. The further he got, the more the calm, enchanting breeze replaced the sudden heat. For what seemed like days he walked, hoping with each step that the Dark Kingdom would be just around the corner. Eventually, he arrived.

The Dark Kingdom lived up to its name. Dark gray clouds covered the sky of the entire kingdom, blocking the sun. The grass was scorched and crunched as the bottom of James’ feet met with it. Moats of lava, geysers shooting up fire, and black, leafless trees that looked deprived of all life filled the land, causing light and heat far beyond normality. No water, no animals, and definitely no plant life thrived in the kingdom.

The houses were cone shaped, staked with long branches from the scorched trees and covered with burnt, white sheets, partially open to allow passage in and out. Some were bigger than others, some consisting of what seemed like butchers, poking and stabbing at a carcass of a deer that must have wandered in from the Aqualeaf Forest, some consisting of men and women spinning molten lava to make clothes and armor, the same as the ones they wore and similar to the armor of the blind man in the forest. A large wooden dome stood tall in the center of the Dark Kingdom, taller than the cone houses.

The eyes of the residents were white, like the man from the forest. Many of what seemed like duplicates of the blind man patrolled around the kingdom, dressed the same, too many to count.

There is no way I’m going to survive this, James thought, gazing upon the fiery landscape, his mouth trembling and his forehead scrunched as he fidgeted uncomfortably, overheating and sweating.

He gripped his sword and dropped the scorched silk. The princess is somewhere in here. Looking back at the forest behind him, he longed to return to his farm, to feel the breeze on his skin, to feel at peace again. He knew it wouldn’t happen unless he completed his task appointed to him by King Rosepost. Dead or not, might as well just get it over with.