Zenora

Shady person’s point of view:

Where is she! I heard that she was about to leave in two days, so she still should be here! Argh, I hate that bitch! All talkative to her dog all day and to that overgrown cow she calls Rhyding or something.

In frustration, I threw some medicinal flasks against the wall.

The day she was born I noticed her powers. I could feel them residing in that small body of hers. I was planning to take those powers when she got a bit older, but faith had it that those stupid, wretched Orcs had to assassinate the Queen! The King’s royal guard had taken her somewhere, but I didn’t know where. All these years I tried to locate her, but I never found a single clue and just assumed her to be dead. But, several months ago I heard the general and his men talk to that Elven mage that they would go through the portal in the south, to protect the Princess. They would come back here again when she turned twenty-one.

I had arranged for someone to travel to the Orc’s lands to find a translator and he told one of them a lame story about a hunter that is planning to kill their Chieftain. As stupid and aggressive as they are, they riled up some more Orcs and wanted to attack and capture the hunter immediately. That plan failed as almost all of the men including her, had returned to the castle. So, now I have to come up with a new plan.

Emily’s point of view:

I woke up from a strange feeling on my nose, I tried to rub it away but the feeling just returned. I opened my eyes and saw a big fluffy face with two big brown eyes and whiskers on her nuzzle. On her head were two big long ears and in between a fluffy patch of silver fur.

“Hi there little bunny, good morning to you too.” I said giddily while she washed her front paws and jumped away.

Then I remembered that I had fallen asleep on Brock’s lap. Where is he? I turned around and saw the lake that was still glowing, good, it wasn’t a dream after all. But around the lake were all these new plants and animals hopping around and drinking from the waters. I saw a lot of frogs, bunnies and a fox or two. I even saw a pair of really big deer, they were both light brown but the bigger one had several red coloured stripes on its back. It must have been one of the rare to find creatures that stood out from the rest of them. Like Archeops had told me when we were flying to the mountains. I kept watching the beautiful, happy sight for a few moments before I got up to find Brock.

I heard a ruckus of squeaking and yelling from Nightwing and Brock when I got closer. I saw Nightwing trying to get away from Brock but he had him tied to the root of a tree. Where was Nightwing looking at? Oh, I see… and I giggled.

“Nightwing, don’t be ridiculous! Let me brush your fur, you crazy cat!” Brock said to him and Nightwing got irritated by the ‘cat’ part and pushed Brock to the ground with his hips and sat on him with his big butt. Brock screamed in agony and I was laughing out loud now. I even heard some Elves laugh as well.

“Nighty, get your cute butt off from Brock please.” I asked him gently and he did.

“Sure, you listen to her, spoiled brat.” Brock said while standing up. He didn’t know what was going on at all and told Nightwing that he wouldn’t ride him again if he continued to act this way. Of course, those were meaningless threats and Nightwing knew, so he just shrugged and looked the other way.

“Good morning love, I wanted to brush this obnoxious cat here because you were still asleep. But the brat won’t let me!” He yelled looking at him and I laughed.

“I know you like her. You might want to get a good brush through, so you can impress her with your black fur.” I whispered to Nightwing and he looked at me with his head tilted to one side, thinking of what to do next. He then picked up the brush from the ground with his beak and gave it to Brock. Brock took the brush from him and then Nightwing turned around and sat on his butt, turning his head and squeaking softly to him. As he was saying to Brock, ‘okay, you can brush me now’.

“What the hell did you say to him?” Brock said to me and I just giggled. “He just needed a woman for a moment.” I said while walking further.

I wanted to find Cirilya to talk to her about yesterday and some other questions I had. As if she could still read my mind, I saw her appear from the left. She was stepping down from the mushrooms on the side of one of the trees. She looked so different than yesterday, so beautiful and strong. A light green fitted dress was now over her slender body, complementing her new green hair. The dress had white lilies sewn onto it and on the train of the dress were those white lilies as well. The lilies looked very natural as if they were real. But when she stepped down into the grass and walked over to me, I saw something strange. Where she had walked, tiny flowers appeared out of nowhere! The train of the dress covered them at first but then sprouted out of the grass from underneath it as she kept walking. She giggled when she was close to me. I still looked behind her, looking at the small flowers.

“It happened yesterday after I got the druid’s powers, cute, aren’t they?” She laughed looking at me. I could only nod and close my mouth again.

We took a walk through the forest and we talked about several subjects, like how much I love Brock and how strange it would be if I ever got a child who could be a mage. Then she talked about why she saved my mother and how she knew that she was destined to have me.

It turns out that Cirilya had a vision of my mother being pregnant and she heard a voice telling her to save her. She guessed that it was the voice of the Goddess. Of course, she knew what consequences it had, using the waters. But her father, being angry as he was, didn’t let her explain what she had seen and heard in her vision. So, he banished her from the forest for thirty years.

“So, your father didn’t sentence you to death?” I asked her.

“No, that was just a story for your mother, to keep your father satisfied and not have him to ask more questions. As the waters and the healing song are sacred to us.” Cirilya said.

“But how do you speak English, where did you learn that?” I asked her now.

“I’m over six-hundred years old Emily, I have guided several humans over the centuries and it was easier to learn it instead of constantly reading their minds and puzzling together what they were trying to say. My dad however doesn’t like that, he is just a bit stubborn and sticks to reading minds.” She said with a smile on her face.

Wow, I was amazed to hear that she was so old already! She looked beautiful though, with not one single ageing symptom to see. She explained to me that when the waters stopped glowing, they didn’t immediately start dying but just stopped being immortal. The ageing process of their bodies continued a bit faster now, but for Elves, this process is still much slower than any other creature, so that’s why I haven’t seen any elderly-looking people. Though they have been without the glowing waters for over twenty years, no sights of being old were seen.

We walked back after an hour as Brock and I had to leave for the castle again. Cirilya is staying with her father and tribe in the forest as they have a lot of talking to do and a lot of research, as being a druid is new to her father as well. Of course, I can come by anytime I want, but I want to take some time with Brock first before doing anything else.

Bastet was being courted by Nightwing when I came over and Brock didn’t even notice. I laughed at him and he frowned. “What is so funny, love?” He asked me. “Nothing.” I said with a smile and I walked over to Bastet. I greeted her and she nudged me with her big head. I had my mother’s bow strapped to the saddle and then I put on my red leather gear.

Cirilya came toward me and gave me a big hug, before turning to Bastet. She whispered something in her ear and I frowned at her. “You will see soon, in a few weeks I think.” Cirilya said to me, but she wouldn’t elaborate on it any further.

Brock and I got on our Gryphons, after saying our goodbyes, and went off towards the castle.