A harsh silence filled the central chamber of the dungeon. Bella shifted uncomfortably as Eladregn glared at the central console. Nathaniel’s head hung low as the recent events bared down on him, and his fist tapped against the cold metal.
“How is Oden?” Nathaniel’s hoarse voice broke the silence.
“He’s doing well.” Bella tried smiling. “Elias and Gheldrielle saw to him quickly, but he’ll have some light bruising.”
“Then he shouldn’t have gone upstairs.” Eladregn sneered. A loud slap forced Nathaniel to turn towards them. Eladregn stared at Bella in shock as he held his cheek.
“How dare you say such a thing.” Her firm tone made Eladregn flinch. “Oden took our people into his home, fed them, and treated them with the utmost respect. All without a single complaint.”
“He is-”
“Don’t you dare say that he is a human!” Bella’s shriek echoed off the walls. “He’s taken great care of us, and to disregard it makes us no better than the humans that abused us.” Her steely gazed softened. “Aren’t we better than them, Eladregn?”
Eladregn glanced away. “It’s not that simple, my lady.” His shoulders sagged in defeat. “The hatred between our peoples run deep, and it’ll take more than a handful of good deeds to heal it.” He took a deep breath and gave her a small smile. “But you are right, we shouldn’t take any kindness for granted, even if it is a human’s.”
“It still doesn't change the fact that I’ll need to punish Unaellion.” Nathaniel sighed, scratching his head. “That means I’ll need your support Eladregn.”
“Do you plan on enslaving him?”
“No, once his punishment is over, he’ll be free to go his own way.”
“Very well. What shall his punishment be?”
Nathaniel leaned against the console in thought. “How did you punish criminals in the grove?”
“That won’t help.” Eladregn chuckled dryly.
Bella glared at the other elf. “We didn’t have any form of punishment. If an issue arose, then it was taken to Nyana. Whatever verdict she came to we accepted. If any disagreed, then they’d leave.”
“However, young Nu’alan isn’t capable of making decisions yet.” Eladregn’s chuckle was cut short by Bella.
Nathaniel sat there in thought, until a smile came to his lips. “That’s actually a good idea.”
“What is?” Bella asked.
“Working towards a single goal is a good way to build bonds.” Nathaniel smiled, pushing off the console. “I need you two to get a list of everything the villagers want to grow in the garden.”
“What does that have to do with their punishment?”
“Because Barrett and Unaellion are going to become gardeners.” Nathaniel said heading towards his workshop. “And Bella, let Barin know about the garden as well.”
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Barrett stared at the plain grey walls of his small room. His bed consisted of a thin mattress on a metal bench with no pillow. On the far side of the room was the chamber pot that magically removed waste, and a strange contraption that created water from nowhere. Everything about the room felt off, and he longed for his old home. The door opened, and one of those many armed golems flew into the room.
“Stay back!” Barrett snapped, but the monster grabbed his foot and snapped a metal band around his right leg.
[Prisoner condition applied. Class is locked while wearing Prison Bangle. The User’s level has been reset to level one. As long as the Prison Bangle is still equipped, User is unable to accumulate levels, but is still able to level up skills.]
“Master Nathaniel has decided your punishment. Please follow the robot?” That strange, disembodied voice echoed through his room. “Also, don’t run. That anklet confines you to the dungeon’s domain. Should you try to step outside it, you’ll received a nasty shock.”
“What if I don’t want to?” Barrett yelped in pain as a lightning bolt shocked him.
“Does that answer your question? Now, come.”
Barrett grumbled as he followed the flying golem. They walked through the stark halls and stopped in front of another door. The golem flew inside. It came back out with a dark elf in tow. The same dark elf that he had attacked. A snarl twisted Barrett’s lips, but it turned into a smile when he noticed the band around the dark elf’s legs.
“Does something amuse you, human?”
“Enough, you two are to follow the Maintenance Bot.” That voice interrupted.
The dark elf simply turned away. His long stride forced Barrett to jog to keep up. The sunlight felt wonderful after being locked in that room for the past few days. The harsh lights dungeon lights hurt his eyes, and the air felt stale. Even the winter colors felt more vibrant than the metal walls of his cells. However, his enjoyment was soon interrupted when he spotted the bane of his existence.
“Good you’re here.” Nathaniel smiled at them, and Barrett fought the urge to punch him. Next to the Inventor was the elf leader and his father.
They stood in the grove where Nathaniel had planted the dryad seed, but it didn’t look the same. Wooden stakes poked up from the ground with string connecting them. One of the giant golems sat down a bundle of bricks and cobblestone, and another sat down tools.
“What do you plan to do with us?” The dark elf replied coldly as he looked around.
“You two are being put to work.” Nathaniel smiled. “Eladregn, Barin, please elaborate.”
Both men eyed each other, until Barin cleared his throat. “Seeing as how your people will be tending to the garden, would you do the honors, master Eladregn.” His voice came out sharp as he fought back a sneer.
“Thank you, master Barin.” Eladregn replied with a fake smile. “This grove in which houses Lady Nu’alan is to be transformed into a garden. You two will be working to prepare it, so that we elves can grow and cultivate the land around her.”
“You’re going to exploit the lady?” Unaellion snapped.
“We are not!” Eladregn replied firmly. “It is no different as to how we tended to Lady Nyana, but we are amongst humans now. Therefore, we must show them the majesty of the dryads.” His words softened as he stared at the mound in the center. “If this garden helps the humans to embrace her, then maybe it’ll protect her from the suffering the same fate as her mother.” Unaellion stopped glaring. “We will tend to this garden as we tended to our grove.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Barrett snarled.
“Quit being a fool.” Barin sighed. “The plants that grow around dryads have magical properties. They’re used in all manners of elixirs and potions. With the elves alchemist and Elias, we won’t need to rely on Rumand for materials. Instead, they’ll need to rely on us.”
“However, we will benefit directly from our labors, not the humans.” Eladregn pointed out.
“Regardless, it means more coin is coming into the village.” Barin replied. “Which means everyone benefits, even if it is indirectly.”
“True.” Both men’s sour expressions softened.
“Your punishment is that you two shall work on this garden until it is completed.” Nathaniel’s pleased smile made Barrett sick. “That includes everything from tilling the earth to laying down the stone walkways. Once it is complete, then you’ll both be free to go about your lives.”
Barrett and Unaellion glared at each other. “You want us to work together?” Barrett laughed but stopped when his father started growling.
“Together, alone, that’s up to you.” Nathaniel handed them each a hoe. “All that matters is that the garden is completed.” He walked over to one of the large golems and pounded on its chest. “And don’t fight you two, or this guy will have to step in.” Its red eye glowed menacingly at them. “We’ll leave you to it, and if you have any questions, Seneschal is free to answer them.”
“Son.” Barin pulled his son close. “Swallow your pride and work with the elf. Your mother is worried sick, and she won’t stop until you are home.”
“But-”
“Stop, you’re making it harder for yourself.” They turned to see Unaellion and Eladregn huddled together. “They may be arrogant jackasses but making yourself suffer simply to get even is foolish. Besides, he has someone he wants to return to as well.”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
“I’ll… try.”
Barin nodded as he stepped away, and Barrett watched as his father, the elf, and Nathaniel headed back into town.
“I have no desire to work with you human.” Unaellion’s cold voice mixed well with the winter chill. “Leave me be, and we’ll get through this without incident.” He headed to the other end of the garden.
“Ass.” Barrett spat and headed towards one of the marked off plots. One of the flying golems hovered over the spot. “What’s this supposed to be?”
“This will be a flower bed.” The same voice from the other robot sounded. “You’ll need to clear out the area, build the brick perimeter, and then fill in with soil.” Barrett nodded as he looked around. There had to be dozens of these large plots spaced around.
“What are we supposed to do about the space between them?”
“You’ll be laying down stone paths there. Also, do you see the red thread?” Barrett nodded as he plucked the red string. “You’ll need to dig a trench there.”
“Why?”
“The master is going to install an irrigation system. That way, it’ll be easier for watering the garden.”
“But the red lines run through everything, including the paths!”
“I recommend leveling out the ground first. It’ll make everything else easier.”
Barrett growled and swung his hoe hard. The blade bit into the earth, and he pulled it back to expose the fresh dirt underneath. The golem simply watched as he worked.
The sun slowly flew through the sky as he worked. After a few hours, he finally finished clearing out two of the plots and he sat down on the accumulated dirt, taking a deep drink from his waterskin. As Barrett sat there resting, he simply stared at the elf as he continued working.
Sweat drenched Unaellion’s shirt as he furiously drove his hoe into the ground. He quickly wiped the sweat from his head and took a deep drink before getting back to work. Barrett’s lips twitched into a smirk seeing that Unaellion was still working on his second plot.
“Shouldn’t you be working?” He turned to see Sierra and an elf woman approach.
“I’m taking a break.” Barrett sneered at her. “Why are you here?”
“Bringing you lunch.” She held out a basket. The elf woman jogged to the other side.
“I thought you hated me?” Barrett snapped.
Sierra sighed, setting the basket down. “I don’t hate you, but your attitude is making it hard not to.” She sat down next to him and adjusted her skirt. Her eyes glanced around. “Now eat. You’ll need to keep up your strength.”
Barrett pulled the basket close and rummaged inside. He scarfed down the small sandwiches and washed it down with his water. It tasted good, but the pain in his chest made it hard to enjoy it.
“Why couldn’t it be me?” He whispered, “We’ve known each other since we were little, but instead you choose an outsider.”
“That’s the problem Barrett.” Sierra replied sadly. “After growing up together, all I can see you as is a brother.” Barrett huffed, tossing the basket aside. “Quit being an ass.” She scooped up the basket and glared at him. “If you wanted me to treat you differently, then maybe you should act it. Right now, all I see is a child throwing a fit.” Her glare softened slightly. “Please take care of yourself. You’re still family to me.”
Barrett watched her leave. The pain in his chest intensified with each step, and he bowed his head to hide the tears.
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Unaellion surrendered to the steady pace of his work. It was mesmerizing watching the rectangular blade tear through the dirt. His muscles burned from the hours of work, but he couldn’t stop. The work before him demanded he keep going.
“Unaellion.” He wiped the sweat from his brow as he turned to Gheldrielle. “I brought you lunch.”
“I’m not eating food prepared by humans.”
“I made it.” Gheldrielle snarled at him.
“Why didn’t you say so?” Unaellion drove the hoe into the ground before taking the basket. He tore through the food, enjoying the light taste of the sandwiches.
“What were you thinking?” Gheldrielle’s sharp features tightened in anger. “Why did you attack… Oden?”
“You’re using his name now?”
Gheldrielle stepped forward, poking his chest. “Don’t change the subject. You put us in a precarious position. What if he kicked us out?”
“He was with my sister!”
“He was taking care of her!” Gheldrielle replied in disgust. “You should be grateful that Oden is still being gracious, and that’s what your sister said, not I.”
Unaellion snarled and tore his tool from the ground. “I don’t need you lecturing me. If there is nothing else, then leave.” The sad look she gave him stoked his anger more.
“Work with the human,” she whispered, “Keilliane wants you back, and I fear the stress will hinder her recovery.”
“Eladregn said the same thing.”
She perked up. “Then heed him.” She gave him a smug smirk. “The two of you have barely made any progress.”
“Begone!” Gheldrielle’s light chuckled struck his nerves and returned his focus to the dirt to keep himself from watching her leave.
There was a duplicate sound of his hoe striking the dirt, and he turned to see the human working as well. His tool broke the soil with ease. Clearly, he was used to this work, unlike Unaellion. With a low growl, Unaellion drove his hoe harder into the ground. He wasn’t going to let a human overshadow him.
Hours passed, and Unaellion muscles screamed in pain as he continued to swing his tool. His body was at war with itself as the work made him burn inside, only for the chilled touch of winter to freeze the sweat from his body. With a groan, he stopped, and he watched as one of the many-armed golems cart off the accumulated soil. Despite working nearly the entire day, he was barely a quarter of the way done with his fourth plot. The human was working on his fifth.
The pale golden light of the fading sun washed over the grove. The human said that this would be a garden, a place of beauty. He couldn’t see it. All he saw was torn earth and cold stone. The natural beauty of the grove gone. Replaced by the humans need to destroy everything.
His eyes fell on the place where Lady Nu’alan was planted. Her roots shifted underneath the dirt. Unaellion could feel a change occurring throughout the land, but he wasn’t sure if it was from her, or from the dungeon.
“That’s time everyone!” One of the flying golems flew around. “Return to your rooms. Your dinner is waiting. We advise you take a warm shower before bed to avoid being stiff tomorrow.”
“I want to work a little longer.” Unaellion called out.
“We advise against it.” The golem replied, “You have a approximately thirty-seven minutes left of light. With your speed of work, you’d barely make a dent.” Unaellion growled as the human laughed at him. “You are no better.” The human shut his mouth and stormed off.
“Why can’t we have a plough at least?” The human snapped.
“I shall inquire about getting you a plough.”
Unaellion wasn’t paying attention as he followed them back to the dungeon. His body ached with each step, and he sighed with relief when they stepped out of the cold. When he walked into his room, he found a tray with a loaf of bread and a few slices of meat and cheese next to the bed, but he was too tired to eat. He headed to the small chamber tucked into the corner, and warm water poured over his body. He allowed himself to slide to the floor.
Disgust washed over him. He couldn’t keep up with the human, and now he needed to work harder simply to keep up. At this rate, the human would be finished before him. He was roused from his thoughts when the water stopped, and he rose to his shaky feet. He didn’t even remember eating when he fell to the bed, and as the world went dark.
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The next day, they found a strange device waiting for them. Multiple blades were mounted to the wide wooden frame along with three large wheels. A single bar ran along the back that was easily big enough for two.
“What is this?” Barrett shouted.
“The master agreed to your use of a plough.” The dungeon assistant said happily from the flying golem. “It took the robots all night to make, so be grateful.”
“Where’s the drebin or horse?” Barrett pulled at his hair. “How are we supposed to move this thing?”
“By working together of course.” Barrett and Unaellion glanced at each other.
“No!”
“Absolutely not.”
“That’s your choice.” Seneschal said as another golem set the plough to the side. “However, based on your progress, it’ll be well into spring by the time you two finish.” The hint of a chuckle made them glare at the assistant. “With the plough, we calculate you two finishing this project by winter's end.” The two glared at each other before returning to their own plots.
The hours flew by again that day, and despite the biting cold, they were drenched in sweat. Unaellion struggled to keep up with Barrett, but he continued to push forward. Seeing the elf pick up the pace made Barrett work faster as well, yet despite their pace, both had yet to finish a handful of the plots.
“You’re not using the plough?” Barrett glared as Nathaniel approached with his monsters. They each carried a covered basket. “Shame since you were asking for one yesterday.”
“It doesn’t do us any good without a drebin to pull it.” Barrett snapped back.
“Why are you here?” Unaellion growled from the other side.
“We’re here to plant seeds around Nu’alan.” Bella stated.
“Yep, we’re going to make the land pretty!” Hope beamed at them as she waved her tools around. The group passed them as they headed towards the central mound.
The somber silence of their hard labor was now broken by the cheerful sounds of their captor. The shrill laughter and joyous chuckles grated Barrett’s nerves, and he had no choice but to take his frustration out on the ground. Unaellion looked to be suffering as well over on his side too.
“Why don’t you leave?” Barrett shouted, unable to withstand their happiness.
“Because it’s important that I see this through.” Nathaniel replied. He drove his thumb into the ground, and a root sprung from the dirt, wrapping around his wrist. He patted the root as he continued his work. “Originally, I wanted everyone to participate. That way everyone would feel a sense of accomplishment when the garden was completed, but you two put a wrench in that plan.”
“You expected the humans and elves to work together?” Unaellion scoffed.
“They already are.” Nathaniel gestured towards the main road.
“We should be using the garden to grow extra food!” Barrett recognized his father’s harsh voice.
“Don’t you have farms to grow food?” The incredulous tone of Eladregn’s voice soon followed. “What would be the point of growing extra food? We should focus on herbs and flowers. That way our healers won’t run out of reagents for their potions.”
“But we could sell the extra food on the market and then buy the materials we need to make the potions.”
“According to your healer, Gheldrielle’s potions would sell for a much higher price than the few bundles of produce the garden would grow. Why not do that instead?”
Unaellion chuckled as he watched the leaders bicker. “You call that working together?”
“I do actually.” Nathaniel said with a calm smile. “They may be arguing but notice how they’re not insulting each other. It’s important to be able to speak ones mind when working together.”
“I concede that the potions sell more.” Barin said, tapping his foot in annoyance. “But we shouldn’t use all the land solely for flowers. What if we have a bad season and can’t produce enough food?”
“Our rangers can hunt for more food.” Eladregn replied curtly. “But I can agree that there is more than enough space. Perhaps we can grow berry bushes and plant a few trees for beehives.”
“Berries and honey.” Barin smirked with a chuckle. “Don’t tell me you fairies only eat sweets.”
“No, but they make an excellent snack.” Eladregn sneered. “But I wouldn’t expect you to understand with your stale palette.”
“So much for not insulting each other.” Nathaniel sighed. “However, they’re talking to each other, and that’s what’s important.”
“It’s not simply them either.” Bella chuckled, giving Unaellion a warm smile. “Ever since that day Oden tended to Keilliane, she’s been coming out of her room to spend time with the others. Elias has been sharing his alchemical resources with Gheldrielle as well. It’s small steps that can lead to big changes.”
“That may be so, but I can’t agree with it.” Unaellion sighed deeply. “However, it’s good to hear that Keilliane is healing.”
“What about you Barrett?” Nathaniel turned to the youth. “Are you going to stay here and get left behind again, or will you set your pride aside and work with us?”
“Why would I want to work with a bunch of fairies?”
Nathaniel shook his head. “That’s a shame.” He whispered under his breath. “It truly is.”