Fairy Tale Part Nine

Fairy Tale Part Nine

He stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, so he simply did nothing. Aloric took a seat on a nearby tree stump and looked around. Towering trees almost blocked any view of a soft hue of blue above him, the casual song of birds floated in the air as he sat.

He waited for Kyra to return only thinking of how stupid he had been, yet she did not surface. The day sifted into night and soon moonlight attempted to break through the surrounding of trees as Aloric soon tried to rest.

Dreams slowly entered his consciousness, but were shattered like glass as a soft creak hit his ears. Instinctively reaching for a sword that wasn%u2019t there, Aloric leapt to his feet in a stance which showed he was ready for a foe. His eyes darted around him as he tried to find the source of the sound.

%u201CYou%u2019re not going to attack me are you?%u201D a voice, soft, fragile, and wise asked.

A small woman with hands as wrinkled as her hair was unkempt looked at him with equally small eyes. Her clothing covered her from head to foot. The simple cloak seemed to be a part of her body. It was hard to tell where the fabric ended and her body began.

She sat upon a tall wagon headed by a young stallion which seemed eager to prove he could travel for days without rest and was anxious to carry on. The woman%u2019s short stature reminded him more of a mouse than a human being, her voice didn%u2019t exactly aid the image either.

%u201CWho%u2026 are you?%u201D Aloric managed to ask, half expecting a squeak in return.

The woman shifted her weight for a moment, the wagon creaked again as she moved. Her words came to him slowly and carefully thought out.

%u201CI come to you for one reason Son of the King. I warn you to keep yourself far from the Lady of the Scar. She is the Bringer of The Dark,%u201D she told him, her eyes unblinking, unsettling to Aloric.

%u201CI don%u2019t know what you mean, I am a commoner. I am no prince! Look at me, my clothes aren%u2019t very royal,%u201D he said with almost a laugh,%u201D lady with the scar? The only lady I%u2019ve been with has no scars about her.%u201D

The old woman laughed heavily which seemed more work for her than it was worth.

%u201CYou know this for sure young Lord? She is not all she seems. Surely you have seen her True Form? Think to before you came to this wood,%u201D she said her eyes still unmoving, unblinking, completely focused on Aloric.

The warrior glared at her. %u2018Who the hell is this woman?%u2019 he thought to himself while he watched her eerie gaze,%u2019 to call me a lord and accuse Kyra of anything. But%u2026true form?%u2019 He thought for a moment, the events of how he had actually come here were gone from him. All he could recall was that Kyra and he had escaped from the Black King, but how had the two of them scaled the mountain to get away from him?

His eyes widened, his mouth was soon agape in astonishment.

%u201CSo%u2026the dragon%u2026I did not dream it%u2026Kyra, she%u2026%u201D Aloric blurted out, half excited half confused. How had he forgotten something like this?

%u201CAh-ha!%u201D the woman laughed in her labored fashion,%u201D the Lord sees the Truth of the Beast! I again tell you Son of the King, stay well away from her, the Lady with the Scar will only bring death to you, and destruction to something more%u2026%u201D

Aloric glanced away from the elderly woman as the horse snorted in annoyance at the delay of the ride.

%u201CBut,%u201D he began,%u201D she doesn%u2019t have a scar.%u201D

%u201CI ask you once more, Lord. Are you so sure?%u201D The elderly woman asked, a grin portraying half rotted teeth which only heightened the image of a mouse. A mouse with dirty fangs.

%u201CI leave you now, Son of the King. Remember my words, for the Lady approaches soon. Leave her, or sentence yourself and more to the End,%u201D she called, signaling to the horse that their departure was soon.

The wagon creaked again as its aged wheels moved into motion, the horse and its driver heading on their way. The trees seemed to swallow them while they traveled down the road, the mouse had been taken by nature.

Aloric stood still once more, unsure of what to do, but for a far greater number of reasons. Son of the King? He sighed, knowing his questions would not be answered tonight and laid down in order to sleep.

No creaks of an old wagon wheel came, but his dreams were filled with the slash of a dragon%u2019s claw, the roar of a mighty beast, the drip of his own blood, and the fall of a crown.