“Ugh, are we there yet, Rue?”
“Quit whining. It’s not too far now.”
Arlarue and Saith rocked back and forth with the steady gait of their steed, the younger sibling sitting in the frontmost position on the saddle, his sister behind him. She would periodically scan the vicinity as a precautionary measure; however, she ultimately felt safety within the Firefly Woods. It was mid-morning, the sun was peeking through the canopy of trees overhead, and the forest was alive with wildlife. Every now and then a deer would bound through the brush, crossing the old dirt path before the traveling pair. Other times they would simply watch from a distance, ears perked up in alert before lowering their heads back down to the plentiful and nutritious grass the woods had to offer.
“Do you think Cookie gets tired?” Saith asked, leaning forward and patting the white and brown spotted mare they rode on. The mare’s ears flicked in response to the boy’s pats, a little knicker escaping her lips as she marched on.
Arlarue shook her head with a small “mm-mm” of disagreement, her braided ponytail swaying behind her. “I don’t think so. Maybe after a long day she would be, but she is much bigger than you and I, and she has much more stamina than we do,” she explained, gently pulling the reins to the left as the path before them went. “She was bred for long distances, as were her parents and her parents’ parents. They are the reason we can go so far in one day.”
Saith ran his hand over the horse’s long brown mane in admiration. “Do you think she could make it all the way to the Capital?” he asked curiously, looking over his shoulder at Arlarue. She took a deep breath and pondered for a moment. “I’m sure she could. It would take a few days, like Mother said about Father’s journey back home,” she answered. She smirked mischievously and looked down at her little brother. “The real question, though, is would you be able to make it all the way to the Capital?”
“Of course I would! Someday, I’m gonna go to all the places in the kingdom!” he exclaimed with a confident nod. Arlarue raised her brows. “Oh, is that so, my brother? I’m not so sure, given all the whining you’ve done this trip,” she teased playfully with a little snort. He turned his torso to face her, looking up at her with brows furrowed in disapproval, an obvious frown upon his face. He then parted his lips as if to say something when Arlarue noticed a break in the trees around the bend of the path. “Ooh, look! The trading post isn’t far now!” she beamed, giving the horse’s sides a squeeze with the heels of her boots. The mare picked up speed from a walk to a swift trot as they neared the opening to the main road, the rays of warm sunlight shining through like a beacon to the travelers.
At once they exited the confines of the woods, the sunlight kissing their skin. They made their way up the subtle incline to the hitching post outside the building, and Arlarue promptly hopped off the back of their steed. “Saith, come here, wrap your arms around my neck,” she directed the boy, who did as she said as she hoisted him off the horse’s back. He nearly hopped out of her arms and bounded up to the double doors of the trading post, eager as ever to go inside.
“Come on, Rue! Hurry!” he exclaimed, pushing open the heavy wooden doors, the “open” sign hanging from them knocking against them as he did so.
“Go on in, I’ll be there in a minute!” she called back to him, adjusting the strap of her crossbody bag and dusting her trousers off. She tied the reins to the hitching post and reached into her bag, pulling out a small baggie of sugar cubes. Cookie’s ears immediately perked up as Arlarue pulled a couple out and held them in her palm for the mare. “A little treat for taking us so far,” she smiled as the mare snatched the sugar cubes up. She gave her a little pat on the neck before heading up the stairs, made naturally with the roots from a nearby tree, to the entrance of the post.
The opening of the door caused a small bell to chime as she walked in, gathering the attention of the merchant from behind the counter. “Welcome in,” the thick-bearded man greeted her, “You’re with the boy I assume?”
Arlarue nodded her head in acknowledgement. “I am. We come from Wispwater to the north,” she explained, spotting her brother, who was already perusing the small selection of books. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. Was the other merchant’s duty contract up?” she asked curiously, making her way up to the counter. The human nodded. “Yes, his contract ended just about a moon or so back. He’s gone back to the Capital, I believe. So it’ll be me tending the post for the next half year,” he explained, gazing around the interior of the building. Arlarue pursed her lips and nodded in response. “They’ve got you a nice bed in the back or somethin’?” she asked, further engaging the conversation. “Yes, the owner’s made sure to stock the back with plenty of food and drink, soap and bathing water, and the bed’s real comfy too– else I wouldn’t’ve taken the job,” he chuckled heartily. Arlarue smiled and held out her hand. “I’m Arlarue, Rue for short.”
The merchant shook her hand firmly with a nod. “Frederic.”
Arlarue retracted her hand and gestured to her little brother. “That’s Saith, my younger brother,” she explained. “We haven’t been here for a few moons and he’d been begging for a new read. As you can see, he’s already helped himself to the collection,” Arlarue chuckled with a slight shake of her head. The merchant huffed playfully, “We got an influx of new books when my contract began, so, luckily for him, there’s a whole lot to choose from.”
Arlarue nodded in acknowledgement before heading toward Saith, nose-deep in a thick tome which was surely heavy to the child. It appeared worn, its spine well broken in, some of the pages rough around the edges. “Whatcha got?” she questioned, bending over at the waist to read the script on the page. “It’s about folklore and ancient tales of Solstariel!” he beamed, looking up for a moment before returning his gaze to the pages. Arlarue briskly flicked her eyes over the page curiously before delicately taking the book from his hands. Saith let out a short huff of disapproval as she did so. “Let me see…” she trailed off as she flipped through the chapters, her eyes flicking over the contents briskly. She peeked down at Saith with a raised brow. “Can you even read half of this?” she asked with a smirk. He furrowed his brows disapprovingly and pouted his lip, “...Yeah…”
Arlarue snorted and plopped the heavy book back into his hands, “Yeah, uh-huh. So, is that the one you want? Or do you want to look-”
“I want this one!” he interrupted her enthusiastically, shaking the book as much as his little arms would allow. She raised her brows in surprise. “You sure? I only brought enough for one, so you’re absolutely sure it is the one you want?” she asked, eyeballing him. He once again nodded firmly. Arlarue smiled and gestured toward the front counter with a tilt of her head, “Alright, go on, then.” With a “yippee!” of joy, Saith bounded up to the merchant in the blink of an eye, hoisting the book up onto the sturdy wooden counter.
The merchant opened the hard front cover of the book, reading the label inside and then jotting something, presumably the product number, down on a slip of parchment. “‘S that all for ya this afternoon?” he inquired, to which Arlarue replied with an affirmative yes. “Two silvers, please,” he then stated, Arlarue already rummaging through her bag as he spoke. She picked out her only two silver coins and placed them on the counter, sliding them over to the man. He picked them up with a nod before reaching underneath the table, assumingly storing them away.
“Thanks for your business! I hope to see you two again, and safe travels,” he said with a grin. “Thank you much!” she answered as she placed her hand on Saith’s shoulder. “Come on, bud. We’ve got a ways to go back home.”
The siblings stepped back out into the warm sunlight once more. Arlarue breathed in deeply through her nose, sniffing once or twice, then looking to the northern skies over the forest. Heavy grey clouds loomed in the distance. “It looks like the village is gettin’ some rain tonight, Saith. We should get on back.”
Her brother had already made his way down to their loyal steed, who lowered her head to greet him. Arlarue caught up to him at once, taking the novel from his hands and storing it safely in the leather saddlebag. “Do you need to use the restroom? The outhouse is right over there near the sunberry bushes,” she stated as she readjusted the straps on the underside of the saddle. Saith ran off once again toward the outhouse, as energetic as ever, with a “Yup! Be right back!”
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Arlarue finished her tweaking of the saddle straps and did a quick examination of Cookie, assessing her for any potential insect bites or knicks from branches she may have grazed. After a satisfactory assessment, the horse lowered her head to greet the young woman, who smiled warmly and gave the creature a soft pat on the snout. “You’ve been a good girl today, Cookie,” she praised her, the mare knickering gently in response.
After a few moments, Arlarue heard the running footsteps of her brother coming toward her. “Are you ready now? We wouldn’t want to get rained on, yeah?” she asked, looking over her shoulder to him. As she turned toward him, he raised a handful of freshly picked sunberries up to her with a bright smile of accomplishment on his face. “A snack for the road!” he cheered enthusiastically. Arlarue’s eyes lit up as she reached down and took a few in her hand. “Oh, why thank you! Look at you, little gatherer,” she smiled as she popped the tart berries into her mouth. Still chewing the juicy fruit, she opened up a small pocket on her bag and leaned her hip toward Saith, gesturing for him to place the berries within. “I sure hope you cleansed your hands with the sagesoap in there.”
The boy popped a few sunberries into his mouth before clasping the pocket shut. He reached his arms up to his sister, who picked him up and hoisted him onto the saddle with a grunt. “You’re getting heavy!” she exclaimed as he settled into his spot, hands grasping the horn of the saddle. She quickly patted herself down, ensuring she had everything she came with, and making her way to the hitching post to untie the reins. She pulled the worn leather reins over the horse’s head, handing them to Saith as she slipped her boot into the stirrups and hoisted herself up.
“Alright, off we go,” she breathed, giving the mare’s sides a squeeze, and at once the two were off into the Firefly Woods again, headed back up north to their home.
———————————————
The sun rose and set, the clouds came and went, and each day passed without event. Arlarue found herself preoccupied in that time with the village’s plantlife, ensuring the flower beds by the schoolhouse were blooming, watching new vegetables sprouting from the rich soil in the garden. Really, she was kicking around killing time until her father returned. He was her fishing buddy, often accompanying her out onto the lake for hours at a time. He had been a fisherman his whole life, and he was quite a skilled one at that. Arlarue learned her craft from her father, though she was positive she’d never be able to best him no matter how much she tried. He had been on his journey to the Capital for close to two weeks now. She was eager for his arrival back to Wispwater.
It was the evening of a cool Fifthday when the village had its annual coming-of-autumn celebration. The air over the village was cooling down, the leaves of autumn trees within the woods turning brilliant shades of yellow and orange, the Lake of Rebirth now becoming a bit too chilly to swim in. All the townsfolk had gathered near the shore of the lake. The children ran around the forestline gathering sticks and leaves to add to the large bonfire that had been ignited. Some of the adults sat round the campfire, roasting fishes on sticks over the flames, and some sat near the lake. There were tables of roasted vegetables, sweet fruit, and cooked fish, freshly-caught, lined up next to one another. The dancing flames of the bonfire lit up the village, casting eerie shadows into the forest’s depths.
Arlarue paced the treeline with a group of the village’s children, helping them pick up twigs for the fire. Once she had gathered a good bundle of sticks, she surveyed the children briefly before heading toward the bonfire to add her contribution to it.
“Rue! Wait!” a voice called out from behind her. Of course it was none other than Saith, who was running toward her with his own bundle of sticks and leaves. He was panting as he caught up to her, matching her pace as they walked on. Arlarue eyed the amount of twigs he carried. “What is that, your fifth contribution?” she asked, to which he promptly replied, “I think it’s my sixth!”
The two peas in a pod eventually stood before the bonfire, adding their fuel to the flames. Arlarue placed her hand delicately on his head, ruffling up his curly brunette locks. “Why don’t you take a breather for now? You’ve done quite enough tonight,” she suggested, gazing down at him. He pouted his lip and returned her gaze, “Please just let me get one more bundle! I promise it’ll be the last one!”
His sweet, puppy-like eyes were just too difficult to say no to. Arlarue sighed in defeat and gave his head a little nudge. “Last one. Hurry back, it’s getting a bit too dark now,” she said lowly, giving in. The boy ran off back toward the treeline, his silhouette nearly disappearing into the darkness. Arlarue felt her gut churn ever so slightly again.
She returned to the circle of villagers sitting around the bonfire, finding her mother amongst the lot of them. Her mother sat on a log bench, her green eyes averting from the bonfire to meet her daughter’s, and she smiled warmly with a welcoming gesture of her hand. Arlarue took a seat on the log next to her, leaning her head against her mother’s shoulder.
“Do you think Father’s doing well?” she asked softly, blinking sleepily. Her mother placed her hand on Arlarue’s knee, giving her a reassuring pat. “I’m sure he is. He is a well-seasoned man. His delay from the city was nothing but a hiccup,” she replied, her voice soothing and easy on the ears.
The bonfire popped and crackled as Arlarue took in a deep breath, the scent of burning wood and crisp, cool air filling her lungs. “I think I may turn in for the night. The festivities have worn me right out,” she breathed, lifting her head from its resting spot on her mother’s shoulder. “Saith is gathering his millionth set of sticks for the bonfire. I told him it’d be his last one.”
Her mother gave her a nod, rubbing her back lovingly. “I’ll round him up shortly. Go get some rest, my dear.”
Just as Arlarue began to stand, a long, piercing whistle came from near the treeline. Her ears perked at the sound, eyes slightly widened as she focused on a dark, large silhouette emerging from the woods, barely illuminated by a dangling lantern. The eyes of every villager were fixated on the forest, the chatter going quiet, as the sound of a set of hooves echoed into the village. Another whistle, lower in pitch, came again as the light of the fire revealed a horse-drawn cart, steered by none other than her father.
Her brown eyes lit up like fireworks as she shot up from the bench. “Father!” she cried out with joy, grabbing the lengths of her dress as she ran toward him. The children cheered and flooded toward the cart, the adults returned whistles of joy back to him as he made his way back into town. A large-statured horse pulled the traveling cart, once departing fairly empty now filled to the brim with various goods and supplies.
Arlarue’s long blonde hair blew with the breeze as she ran, making her way to the cart’s side and slowing to a walk, matching its pace. “How was the journey, Father? You’re back so late!” she exclaimed, looking up at him. The village children began throwing their flurry of questions and statements at the man, as curious as ever they were. “It went smoothly! Other than the holdup in the city, that is,” he answered, his voice deep and gravelly. He looked down to the grounds on either side of his cart, exclaiming toward the children, “Aye, watch yourselves! It’s not my fault if the lot of ya’s get in the way!”
He steered the cart up to one of the village’s large sheds and hopped out of the driver’s seat onto solid ground. Arlarue’s mother bounded up to her husband, an ecstatic smile on her tan-skinned face, and he brought her in by the waist, planting a kiss on her lips. She gazed up at him lovingly, her brows furrowing. “You shouldn’t whistle in the woods at night. You know it supposedly brings bad luck,” she scorned. He rolled his eyes lightheartedly. “There is nothin’ here but good fortune,” he replied teasingly as he gestured toward the backend of the cart, proudly displaying the stacks of crates within.
“You made good business in the city by the looks of it!” she beamed. He nodded, making his way toward the back, greeting the eager children swarming around him as he went. “The trip was plentiful. I did, however, have to find another shepherd to trade with for wool. The old man just never showed,” he explained with a shrug, lowering the tailgate of the cart. “I planned on returning tomorrow afternoon, but ended up truckin’ on through, hence why I’m back so late in the eve.”
He began hoisting crates from the cart with huffs of exertion, a few other men of the village joining him in his efforts. “We just need to get the cold stuff into the ice boxes, the rest can be covered till mornin’.”
Arlarue’s mother turned toward the treeline where the kids once were and called out. “Saith! Come greet your father!” she hollered, her voice echoing into the trees. She and Arlarue surveyed for movement in the forest, they listened for that familiar voice calling back, but there was nothing. It was then that Arlarue realized the nighttime critters had gone quiet and the fireflies had stopped blinking. The only movement of the woods was the wind through the treetops, swaying the silhouettes of them to and fro. There it was again, that unnerving, gut-churning feeling deep within her. Every hair on her body stood on end, she and her mother gazing fearfully into the dark forest.
Her father had stopped moving the crates, looking between Arlarue and his wife with a puzzled look before looking back toward the forest. Even the children went quiet now.
“Saith!” her mother called out once more, her voice a bit more strained. Her eyes glossed over with tears, her breath starting to tremble.
But there was nothing to be heard except the eerie whistling of the wind through the trees, and eventually even the wind went still, leaving nothing but an uncanny silence.