One more day until war. One more day until death. One more day until pain. One more day until... sore feet. At least the horses will be okay. So far, all of the guards are ready, and the villagers that are going are still saying their goodbyes and getting their weapons sharpened. It's not uncommon to see a villager in chain mail and a helmet atop their head, nor is it uncommon to see a sword belted on young boy's hips. It was my turn to help Andrew with everything, so I had to get up pretty early.
I was hidden in the shadows of the blacksmith's smithy--hehe, that's fun to say--, my dark clothing making me almost invisible. There are a lot of places to hide in a smithy, especially if it's dark because there are no candles lit. The only light there was from the forge. Andrew spoke to the blacksmith while the blacksmith's apprentice hit the hammer continuously on a piece of glowing red metal. I don't even think they saw me come in.
The apprentice sent sparks into the air as he stroke the metal. The sparks gave off a soft glow, barely lighting the spot I was in.
"By tomorrow, I believe, we should 'ave erround two hundred arrow heads completed. The other three blacksmiths should 'ave the same." Informed the blacksmith.
Andrew nodded. "That's fantastic! And what of the swords?"
"We 'ave enough iron to forge five today. Remember, swords take awhile longer."
"Ah, yes," he nodded, "I recall being informed of this. How is the hammer situation?"
This kind of went on for a while. I zoned out, as I always do when I'm bored, and eyed everything around me. The apprentice raised the hammer over his head and, I noticed, turned the head in mid-air. The hammer hit the metal at an awkward angle, flinging the burning metal at Andrew.
"Gah!" Andrew hissed as the metal sizzled on his skin.
Quickly, I went thirty seconds into the past and stood up from my crouching position, then walked out of the shadow. The apprentice didn't notice--he was too busy to care. I interrupted Andrew by tapping him on his shoulder.
"What is it?" Andrew questioned.
"Could you stand over here?" I pointed at the spot ten feet away from where he was, moving aside myself.
"Uh, sure?" He stood where I was pointing, giving me a confused look. The hammer slammed against the metal at an odd angle, flinging the burning hunk of iron at Andrew's old spot. The metal bounced off the floor, sending embers across the places it slammed into. Andrew and the smith gaped, while the apprentice flushed.
Andrew patted my head. "Thrända, friend." He murmured.
I nodded, going back to my spot in the shadows.
"I am so sorry!" The apprentice apologized frantically. "I must've misjudged where the hammer would land its blow, and--"
"It's alright," King Andrew smiled, "no harm done."
"Oh, most gracious Highness!" The apprentice sighed and bowed. "Thank you for your humble, merciful understanding!"
I smiled. It was kind of funny to see Andrew trying to take care of this. The blacksmith insisted on giving the apprentice a punishment, but Andrew refused. Especially because the war was so close. When we left, the blacksmith and his apprentice stared in awe, watching me in the shadows, and watching the King stride proudly out of the smithy.
"That must be one of 'is new friends some people are tellin' us about." Whispered the blacksmith to his apprentice.
The reply was a nod.
"You all are always saving my life," said Andrew, "all the time! I don't know how I can repay you, or the sorcerer."
"We're just doing our job," I replied, hiding in a corner.
"Well, you're all doing your job fantastically."
"Oh, Your Highness!" An old woman hobbled over to us, holding a basket in one hand, and holding her scarf in place with the other.
"Yes?" King Andrew asked, turning his attention to her.
"I am one of the herbalists who will assist you." She dropped a low curtsy. "I came to tell you that we are out of an ingredient needed to make an antidote for poison. We would find it ourselves, but we are much too busy with everything. Do ya think you or one of yer servants could get it for us?"
Andrew glanced at me for an answer. I just shrugged, which must have been hard to see, but he caught it. He looked back at the old lady. "Of course. We'd be happy to help!"
"Thrända, Your Highness." She curtsyed again.
"What is the ingredient, and where will we find it?"
"It's a sky blue toad stool, with a black stem, and it's in the forest, about a mile's-way."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and do be careful! The stem is very dangerous! If you touch it with your bare skin, it will burn you! Here, use these gloves." She opened her basket and pulled out a pair of leather gloves, which looked somewhat old. "You too, deary." She motioned to me. Reluctantly, I stepped out of the dark, feeling the warmth from the sun on my skin. "There you go... Now, off with ya! We 'ave much to do, and so little time to do it! Go! Shoo! And take this basket with ya!"
* * *
"So, why do some of you have very thick accents, while the rest don't?" I asked, waddling next to Andrew as we got deeper into the forest.
"Some of us speak a lot of Zandarian, which requires the accent, so they get used to speaking that way. Others don't as much, but they're always going to have an accent due to being taught how to speak that way." Andrew knelt and picked one of the mushrooms, then put it in the basket.
"Makes sense... I think."
"It does."
"Okay."
I picked a mushroom and inspected it, watching it glimmer in the light. This would be so much easier with the nose of a dragon. I hadn't used my power in a while, and I was really eager to use it again. Maybe I could... nah, that's dumb.
"Now it's my turn to ask a question," Andrew took the mushroom from me, "how come you know so little of this place, and don't have an accent?"
"I come from somewhere else."
"But there's nothing except Zandaria. Whatever do you mean?"
"I meant a different part of Zandaria. A very secret, isolated part."
"Hmm... I suppose that could be possible."
I knew he thought I was uneducated. Everyone was uneducated here. Except for merchants and royalty, they need to use those counting skills of theirs. Honestly, I didn't care. Many people don't think I'm all too smart, because of the way I act around people, but really, I was probably smarter than them. I started writing books in middle school, for God's sake, while everyone else was running around after a ball or something! That's probably why I was never picked for games in school, I was a book-art-outcast-worm when I was in elementary. I still am, I've just advanced into it more. Embraced it, if you will. And what did he mean by 'There's only Zandaria'? I'll just ask Jericho later.
Andrew picked another mushroom. They were well hidden, but they were crawling everywhere. Like an Easter egg hunt, but with mushrooms. There was a rustling noise in the bushes, and we both froze. Then, faster than the eyes could see, a wolf-sized creature with two ugly, horned heads leapt out of the bush and spat at Andrew. The spit sizzled on the King's skin, as if it were boiling.
"Ack!" Andrew reached for his dagger, but the creature was on top if him, making him unable to grasp the hilt of his weapon.
"Andrew!" I shouted, springing into action. Snatching my bow off my back and fitting it with an arrow, I aimed at the beast's hide and shot.
"RAAAAHHGGGgggggg!!!" The creature roared and turned, steaming spit frothing at both of its mouths. I cringed, hating the feeling of hurting something, even though it tried to hurt everyone else. The creature had brown, matted fur, and had three eyes on either side of its head. Tiny wings sat on its muscular shoulders, but they would be very useless for flying. It had horns on both heads, and forked tongues hung out of their mouths in a grotesque, menacing way. It had a lions tail, a deep chest, and four, strong legs with sharp talons attached to each large toe. The arrow made the creature bleed.
"No!" I commanded.
The creature's left head hissed.
"You are not going to just jump out of a bush and attack someone!" I fitted another arrow, then fired at the creature's right leg.
"GGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHGGAGGAahaghagahagaggagaga!" It charged at me, both heads spitting poison from their fangs. The creature was surprisingly slow, almost hesitant; you'd think two heads are better than one. Maybe they're both talking to each other, and trying to figure out their next move. I dodged and fit another arrow. Andrew sat up and reached for his dagger, trying to stand. The creature skidded and turned, trying to thrust itself at me again. It still hesitated, as if thinking to itself.
"Evelyn, watch out!" Andrew leapt to his feet, a blister forming where his new burn was.
I loosed the arrow, missing its target. Dang it! I growled, watching the creature charge as I fumbled with fitting another arrow. Before I could get hit, King Andrew jumped in front of me, blocking the creature's way. They collided with each other, flying to the ground. It was kind of like that scene in 'The Princess Bride', where they were going through the Fire Swamps and a Rodent Of Unusual Size attacked the... guy I can't remember the name of right now.
A sickening snap made me groan in annoyance, watching Andrew's neck snap and his eyes roll in the back of his head. I walked to the spot Andrew and I were before any of this happened, ignoring the creature eating Andrew, and jumped to a few minutes in the past, before the creature attacked. Maybe I can use my power right now... "Hey, King Andrew?"
"Miss Evelyn, you know you can just call me Andrew. No King needed."
"Okay. I just wanted to tell you I'm going this way," I pointed to my right, "so that I can find some more."
"Alright. Be careful with them." He knelt and picked up a mushroom by the stalk, or stem, or whatever it's called.
I dashed to the right of the woods, then looked at Jericho. "What was that creature?"
"A hupplegraph. Nasty things." He replied. "You should probably do what you're going to do quick; he'll come back in a few seconds."
So, I did what he said, then turned and made my way to where Andrew was. The bushes rustled, and Andrew froze, the hupplegraph leaping out of the bushes. I crashed into him in midair, making Andrew curse and jump back. The hupplegraph slid on the dirt painfully, I looming over it. He scrambled to his feet and glared at my talons, expecting me to be a smaller creature that would be eye-level to him. I growled deeply as his two heads looked up in surprise.
Andrew was watching the situation with awe, then called my name without taking his eyes off me, trying to get the human version of me over to the dragon version of me. The hupplegraph took in his predicament with a critical eye, watching my every move with all twelve of his narrow eyeballs. One mouth opened its jaws and hissed, venom oozing out of its fangs.
That was the only warning I had before it jumped and attempted to bite my wing. Angered, I bashed him with my tail and sent flames out of my mouth, setting the ugly beast's back ablaze. He squealed and jumped off of me, rolling to put out the flames that ate his fur. Seeing his exposed belly, I took the advantage and stabbed at his abdomen. With a few last minute twitches, it went limp.
Satisfied, I looked at Andrew, who stared back with a pale face. Before he could say anything, I took off faster than a speeding bullet. When I returned, I was in human form, acting as if nothing happened.
"Evelyn! Where were you?!" Andrew exclaimed, but not angrily. In fact, he sounded rather excited. "A dragon just came and saved my life!"
I gasped, acting innocent. "Really?! Is it already gone?! Where is it?!"
"It left, but look!" He pointed to the dead hupplegraph, who was lying in a puddle of his own spit, blood, and venom.
"Whoa! The dragon killed it?!"
"Séy!" He nodded vigorously, speaking in his native tongue. "It just came out of nowhere and ended the hupplegraph's life in the blink of an eye!"
"Wow! I wish I could have seen it! I love dragons!"
"I was calling you, but you didn't show up!"
"I didn't hear."
"How far in the woods were you?"
"I don't know, far?"
Andrew seemed suspicious, but didn't say anything. We finished picking the mushrooms and headed back to the village, locating the old herbalist and handing her her things.
"Thrända, King Andrew! I trust you 'ad no trouble?" She said as she gathered her basket and took a peek at its contents.
"None at all, ma'am. Thank you." He beamed at her.
I didn't bother saying anything; there was no need to trouble an elder. The woman thanked us one last time, gave us some tea for our troubles, and went on her way. I smelled the tea, searching for the strange scent of poison or drug like Jericho taught me, then took a sip, not detecting anything out of the ordinary. Once I took a sip, Andrew did too, seeing it was okay.
* * *
Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day we would start to march all the way to the dark forest War'decla lived in, not knowing what he would have in store for us. He could have an army, as far as we know. And who were his new friends? Were they magical, too? And are there anymore people who were with War'decla that we don't know of?
I guess we'll just find out.
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