The early morning light streamed in from the windows and cast long shadows across the room. A silence and peace had fallen upon the clearing and manor, one that hadn’t been felt in several days.
Outside, elves continued the process of cleaning up and rebuilding. It was slow going, and replacing what was lost would take time.
The kobolds worked to fill in the gaps, bringing them what items they could. Where they got them, no one asked. It was better that way.
Meanwhile, far from the island of the Endless Forest, the effects of the prior night were being felt. Like a slow yet powerful wave, the force slammed into a small fleet…
Upon the shores of the Holy Triumphant, members of the clergy were woken in a panic. Even within the halls of the great capital, the tremors could be felt.
None would know it yet, but the world had changed.
The sun still rose.
The world still turned.
The old wounds pulsed in agony.
But a rift, a change, a divergence had occurred…
Felix opened his eyes and let out a yawn. He had a splitting headache and couldn’t remember much from the previous night. To make matters worse, every muscle screamed at him as he attempted to shift.
Good morning, he heard Zira say with pride in her tone.
Morning, he repeated. What… What happened? Did I do something stupid again?
She flashed him an image of her giving him a draconic smile. No, for once I think you did something worth praising.
That caught him off guard. What do you mean? he asked, attempting to sit up. However, he felt an arm tighten around his waist. It was Eri and she was resting peacefully next to him.
You’ll see soon enough, she teased. Anyway, I believe Aluin will be speaking with you soon. He’s already spoken to me.
He has? About what?
Again, you’ll know soon enough.
He felt she was keeping something important from him, but before he could press her there was a knock at the door.
I’ll be out soon, he said ending their conversation.
At his side, Eri stirred. A moment later, she sat up and clutched at her head. “Gods…”
“And good morning to you too,” he said even as he wanted to agree with her.
Eri opened her mouth, but there was another knock at the door.
With a sigh, Felix quickly checked that they were both dressed before sliding out of his bed. His body was stiff and heavy, it took him several moments before he reached the door and opened it.
“Good–” Aluin started to say, but Felix quickly finished the greeting for him.
“Morning. Come in, Zira already warned me you’d be coming this morning.”
That got him a raised eyebrow from the Sage. “Did you forget we were supposed to speak this morning?”
Felix froze, his memory of the previous day was still hazy and blurry. “Maybe…? Sorry, I have a headache and–”
“It is understandable, especially after what you did.”
Gods, what the hell happened last night? “Hopefully you can fill me in?” he asked nicely.
The Sage nodded and gestured towards the bed. “Go ahead and get comfortable. We have a lot to talk about and a few decisions the two of you need to make.”
Felix threw a questioning glance over to Eri, but she looked just as confused. “Fine, let’s get this over with…”
He let Aluin in before making it back over to the bed. With a grunt, he plopped down onto it and waited for the Sage to begin.
Aluin, meanwhile, pulled out a chair and brought it over near them. Sitting down, he took a deep breath and considered how he wanted to start this conversation.
“I think it might be best if we start with what I have been doing.”
“Right… Let’s start there. You also mentioned that the other sages would be coming here later today,” Felix added.
“Indeed,” Aluin said with a nod. “The other Sages will be here in a few hours. And as for our meeting. I managed to convince them that the threat you saw was real. It helped that Mirezabeth showed them the future as she saw it.”
“So then what happened after that? You were gone for…a while.” Felix questioned.
“Planning to defend from an invasion takes time. Especially when all your pieces are scattered around the island. That is what Ithea was doing, she was spreading the word to the other dragons.”
Aluin pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment and handed it to Felix. “This is a map of the island. I have highlighted two particular areas where they will most likely attempt landing.”
Cautiously, Felix unrolled the map and studied it. It was his first time seeing the true extent of the Endless Forest.
Wow, he thought, finding a dot named, The Dragon Queen’s Manor. Not far from it was another one labeled, Bernel Village. The two places were fairly close to each other, suggesting the size of the rest of the island to be rather huge.
It took the group of elves three days, and that was with the help of Aluin… That thought led to another, however. I wonder where the sanctuary– He shook the distraction from his head, he needed to focus.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Later, for now let’s see what Aluin is talking about… Peering down onto the map, he found two sections of the coast circled. One was the southern edge and it was marked as the most likely. The other was more towards the West.
He looked back up to Aluin. “Why do you think they will land towards the south as opposed to the West? Actually, why do you think those are the two most likely spots?”
“The south has the most flat land, and the west is the rough direction from where they will be coming. As for the rest of the coast line? Most of it is too rocky, but we haven’t entirely ruled them out.”
The Sage let out a sigh. “The problem is we can’t cover the entire coast line. Thankfully, the dragons can scout further out to sea. We should hopefully know well beforehand where they intend to land.”
Felix gave an approving nod but something gnawed at him. “What are the chances they could avoid the dragons?”
“It has been a few hundred years, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have perfected their methods.” The answer was ominous and raised several more questions.
“What do you mean? Do they have some way of avoiding detection?”
“It is possible, but we haven’t been idle either. Yarnel is working on a long abandoned project, one that was close but never finished.”
That’s right, Aluin said that the dragon would be returning either today or tomorrow… “Will he have it ready soon?”
But the Sage shook his head no. “He’s gathering it and bringing it here.”
“I see… Speaking of Yarnel, he believes that another human is here on the island. Has anything been done for that?”
“Ithea is on it. That’s what she is working on now, her and one other… Lorenzen.”
“Another dragon?” he asked, taking a wild guess.
“Yes, and he’s about the only other person on this island that can stand up to Ithea. Well, besides me, of course,” Aluin added with a smile.
That’s surprising… “Well, it sounds like that situation is in good hands.”
“Yes, those two should be able to handle anything.”
As they talked, Eri eventually came to sit next to Felix. She was looking more alert now and decided to throw her voice into the conversation.
“What of the other Sages? Why are they coming here?” she asked.
Aluin turned his attention to her. “They are bringing help. After what Yarnel told us, they vowed to bring any aid they could. But that’s not the end of it, the dwarves in particular are bringing in some of their militia to help train and build an army.”
An…army? It took a moment for the words to sink in and, when they did, it sent a shiver down Felix’s back. But it was Eri who had the most disturbed look as she quickly winced and looked away.
“So more deaths then?” he heard her mutter.
Apparently, so too did Aluin. “Unfortunately, that might be the case…”
They all fell silent at those words, neither Felix nor Eri truly wanted to contest the Sage. So they sat and thought about the future to come–
Future… The word came to Felix’s mind, stirring a vague memory. Something about the future– The image of a tree entered his mind, one that towered over the rest of the forest.
“What… What happened last night?” he finally asked, as more bits and pieces from the prior night started to come to him.
The dour mood in the room suddenly shifted to one of curiosity and amusement.
“You don’t remember?” Eri said almost incredulously.
“No… Not really. I mean, it’s all hazy, really. I tried asking Zira but she was being cryptic.” Felix turned his attention to the Sage. “Did I do something stupid?”
Aluin chuckled. “Far from it, I’m afraid.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I only meant that this wasn’t your usual bout of stupidity.” the Sage joked before becoming quite serious. “Felix, last night, you pulled off something great. In fact, one would put it up there with the other known great spells of the world.”
He was taken aback by that. “W-what?”
“I mean it.” Aluin pointed towards the window. “Go look for yourself.”
Hesitantly, Felix stood up and made his way over to the window. “What am I–” His voice caught within his throat as he gazed up and past the hatchery. There, standing almost in the direct center of the clearing, was a colossal tree.
“I-I did…that?” he asked, not believing what he was seeing.
“Yes, Felix. You did that.” The Sage’s words came from right behind him. “Impressive, isn't it?”
“I…” He couldn’t find the words to describe what he was seeing.
“In fairness, Eri helped you power the spell. But it was you who caste it.”
“What did I do– I mean, what does it do?”
“I have no idea, and even Mirezabeth isn’t sure. All we know is that it has something to do with the future.”
The future… He felt a hand grasp his own. Eri had come to stand next to him.
Like a dam bursting, his memories of the night came flooding back to him. Felix let out a gasp and nearly collapsed.
“Felix! Are you okay?!” Eri shouted as she held him up.
He put a hand to his head and winced. “Yeah… I remember now.”
“Huh?”
Lowering his hand, he gazed back out to the tree. “I remember.” He turned around and faced the Sage.
“You said I did that, but you are wrong. It wasn’t just me, or Eri… It was everyone.”
Aluin gave him a questioning look before looking past him and to the window.
Felix continued, “I felt their emotions, their memories, their wants and desires. Everything, and from everyone. That is what cast the spell.”
He moved away from the two elves and went to the nightstand next to his bed. Opening it, he pulled out the long forgotten journal.
“I don’t know what the spell does, but it was a vow to the world. A promise for a future, a new and better future.”
Holding up the journal, he looked towards Eri. “I promised that I would tell you my past. But before I do, let me just say this; That was part of the old, we are in the new. They are no longer connected.”
She gave him a solemn nod. “I understand.”
Smiling, he set the journal on the bed. “Then, tonight, I will tell you my past.”
Silence filled the air as his attention went back to the Sage. “Now, is there anything else we need to discuss?”
Blinking, Aluin suddenly came alive. “There is one more thing– Actually, it's two but they are connected.”
Felix and Eri both gave each other a look before he addressed the Sage again. “What is it?”
For a brief moment, Aluin looked uncomfortable.
“Have the two of you considered when you will get married?”
Felix could only stare in surprise, thankfully Eri was able to respond.
“I have, but why do you ask?” she questioned, notably sounding offended.
The Sage sighed. “Normally, I stay well out of people’s personal lives and their choices. However, the two of you will need to marry before your coronation–”
“Coronation?” Felix blurted out without realizing he had done so.
“Yes, Eri might be the de facto queen now but it wouldn’t be official until she is crowned. The tribes, notably their Chiefs, wouldn’t accept her rule until then. But, before that can happen, the two of you need to marry. Otherwise, it could look bad to the rest of the elves.”
Aluin took a deep breath and continued before either Felix or Eri could respond. “That’s not all, however…” Another pause, and again Aluin looked uncomfortable.
“You will need an heir.”