(6)

“What were you thinking father?” said Alaric looking at his father in utter disbelief. He had always believed his father to be a man of discipline, too disciplined perhaps, it was hard for him to imagine him as anything else, especially one so reckless.

“I wasn’t thinking,” Saurus replied, staring into the base of his wine cup which now ran dry. He poured himself another. The rain outside grew more fiercely as if the sky gods were listening and issuing their response. Another intermediate flash erupted to illuminate the pavilion; a rumble of thunder shortly followed. A storm was approaching.

“So, off your father sped,” Hadwin continued and Alaric noticed his cheeks were becoming flushed, from excitement or from ale, he could not tell. “I took up my own war cry and sallied the remaining men to fight on. Ohhhhh, I’ve never fought half so good as I did that day Saurus, I can tell you.”

Saurus gave a curt smile, believing it. Hadwin began to laugh.

“When Shaarg saw you riding to meet him, he took tail and ran. Off he ran for the treeline he did, it was his retreat that wavered the rest of them.”

Alaric narrowed his brow. “But you still gave chase?”

“Of course, he did. Your father set out to do a job and I do not think any God or man could have stopped him that day. Off he sped into the treeline, returning sometime after the battle was long won, with the head of that goblin king.” Hadwin’s eyes suddenly gave a twinkle and Alaric considered whether he was about to cry. “When he returned holding up the head of that goblin king you should have heard the roars, High Magus.”

Alaric sat back, already imagining the scene in his head. But Alaric was already putting together other pieces. He looked up at his father and noticed his eyes were upon him, anticipating him.

“Tree Nymphs,” Alaric stated as if answering his father’s eyes. Hadwin’s face contorted in confusion but Saurus only linked his fingers together.

“Tree Nimps?” Hadwin asked bemused.

“Those arrows you plucked earlier Hadwin,” Alaric said, “From the spider, they were fletched by Tree Nymphs.” Saurus held his son’s eyes. Hadwin looked from father to son complexed.

“I’ve never heard of these Tree Nymphs,” Hadwin announced credulously.

“Not surprising,” said Alaric. “Some scholars contemplate whether they even still exist. The creature records state they’re more tree than elf and have the unmatched ability to move unseen within their own forests.”

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Hadwin raised an unconvinced eyebrow.

“Magic does exist here,” Alaric said. Saurus smirked. “Old magic like you said. You found the Tree Nymphs the day of the battle, or rather, they found you when you chased that goblin king.” Saurus remained silent, ignoring even the precarious looks from Hadwin.

“They must have saved you for you to be indebted to them. Why else would you abstain from eating meat?”

Hadwin looked at Saurus, who still held his son's gaze, then looked at Alaric. When neither man spoke Hadwin let out a low rumbling growl to compete with the thunder outside, a sudden flash of light erupted outside with a crack.

“Saurus, what is all th—” Hadwin began but Saurus cut him off with a hand. He had not told a living soul this tale but knew one day he likely would, his son was more than capable of unraveling such secrets.

“My horse took a spear,” Saurus began, taking another sip of watered wine. “The goblin king didn’t retreat far, rather it just wanted a more advantageous fight. The dense forest hindered my mount and camouflaged my foe. I didn’t see the spear coming until it was too late. I was flung from my horse and collided with the trunk of a tree. The impact was enough to break an arm and dislocate a shoulder.” Saurus shook his head irritably.

“I was so young and a fool” He continued. “Cha’warg was no typical goblin. He was smart and cunning, a worthy leader deserving the title of King. The fight was fixed from the start. Before I knew what had happened Cha’warg stood over my broken body, spear in hand ready to deliver the final blow.”

Hadwin watched in disbelief as his Lord Commander told the story and to Alaric: it seemed his father had completely shattered the conception in Hadwin’s mind of what happened in that forest. No doubt, Hadwin believed his Lord Commander fought tooth and nail to bring the goblin to his knees. Raising his weapon high to deliver the final blow after saying some righteous words. Reality hit Hadwin hard and Saurus took another swallow of wine.

“It seemed the Tree nymphs didn’t have much love for the goblins soiling their forest,” Saurus said. “An arrow pierced the throat of Cha’warg, clean, precise. Only then did they reveal themselves to me. They were part of the trees that surrounded me and always had been. They looked like children, with branches for arms and narrow trunks for legs.”

“They saved ye?” asked Hadwin, his mouth ajar. Prior to this conversation, he had not even known Tree Nymph existed.

Saurus smiled hazily. “Yes. They also gave me something for my wounds.”

“But you looked untouched,” denied Hadwin. “When I saw you appear from the forest, you barely looked to have a scrape on you? What could heal such wounds?”

“A Nymph Bean.” Input Alaric. “Like the one you got earlier. They still watch over you.”

Saurus nodded, Hadwin darted looks between the two of them again; a common practice of the night, while Alaric still placed all the pieces together in his head, finally Hadwin said:

“So, a bunch of tree elves saved you, gave you magic bean, and what? Told you to stop eating meat?”

“Nymphs also prefer to keep their existence hidden,” Saurus added. “I ask this tale remains within this pavilion.”

There was a period of silence only broken by the lightning outside.

“And the meat?” Hadwin furthered.

“Tree Nymph’s regard the unnecessary suffering of innocent creatures as paramount to their belief,” Alaric answered. “Butchering and consuming the flesh of prey animals simply for taste when there are other ways to sate one’s hunger is considered…unnatural in their culture.”

Hadwin looked down at his own roasted hare with new eyes, then stubbornly waved the consideration aside.

“So what? You gave these Tree Nymphs your…word you wouldn’t eat meat again?”

“Absolutely.”