Dark Wood: Legends of the Guardians

by Unknown

  Reign sat, watching her sort through cases while she spoke. “In two days, you’ve killed one, and watched two die in a very close, personal experience. You were quite nearly killed yourself.”

  Aryaunna’d begun a stack of cases which consisted of swords, another of bows-she hadn’t found the arrows, and one of daggers. Stopping, case in hand she stared at him with the beginnings of a scowl. “I have no need nor want to be coddled.”

  “Good. Then I shall continue on.” She set the case down on top of the bow stack. “There will come a time when days such as these will be missed for their ease. I understand your conflict. It is much like the conflict I feel for you.”

  She stopped before lifting the lid of another case. “It is both my privilege and curse to prepare you in every way that I am able for the life you’re to lead. Others will call you Emissary. What you mean to my kind is something much greater.” He stood, and began to walk closer to her. “I am to love you, and yet each time I send you from this mountain, I send you to a life of pain and death.”

  Upon reaching her, he sat once more so that his body would be lower to the ground, closer to her height. “It is a conflict I will never understand, nor quell within me. Yet I am powerless to change what shall forever be.”

  “You could always come with me.” She smiled as she flipped the lid of the crate back, feeling satisfied to finally find one filled with arrows. She made a note to grab a bow and a full quiver before leaving. She’d never shot one, but wanted to learn.

  “If only it were so easy.”

  She stopped before lifting the case. “Reign…” she turned to look at him, leaning back against one of the stacks. “What happened to your wings?” Feeling almost guilty for asking, she looked down away from him. Instinctively his large shoulders rolled back, tucking his wings back behind him. “Please?” she asked quietly.

  He looked down, not in shame but in thought. “Not here. Not this room of war. Walk with me to the cove.” Righting herself to follow, he stopped her with a nod of his head to the case of arrows. “Best bring them with you.” Surprise washed over her face. “I don’t have to read your thoughts to read your eyes.”

  Amused, she turned and lifted one of the stacked quivers and retrieved a bow before returning to his side. Not saying a word, she held her arm out for him to take the lead.

  His body turned slowly, careful not to knock over cases or Aryaunna as he maneuvered around. “It was a long time ago,” he started. Hanging the bow back behind her by a long thick strap, she hung the quiver with it as she walked alongside him.

  Turning his head to look at her, the Dragon heaved a deep sigh while they walked. “What’s wrong?” Aryaunna’s brow furrowed as she looked into his large blue eyes. He was magnificent for his beauty and size both. What seemed more incredible to her was how much emotion could show in his face, even in his eyes. Just then they showed worry, anguish, concern.

  “I don’t know how you’re going to react to my story,” he confessed, looking away.

  “Only one way to find out.”

  A reasonable answer, he thought. “It was a century ago.”

  Aryaunna found herself wondering what the world had been like so many years ago. Were things very different? Was it peaceful? Harder? “How old are you?”

  He seemed thoughtful, letting out a long ‘hmm’ as he recollected the years. “I came into this life many centuries ago. Before Dia had turned opaque. My breath helped create her.” Aryaunna was in awe, marveling at the idea. A soft chuckle rumbled from his scaled lips to see her reaction.

  “Will you tell me what it was like sometime? What the world was like before my time?”

  “I would tell you all of my stories if you cared to listen.”

  “I would love it so.” A happy smile washed over her. It was a rare sight indeed. Though Reign had not known her long, he somehow knew this.

  As the way grew steep, Aryaunna held an arm against his neck to steady herself. His scales were smooth and hard under her touch, like warm glass or heated river stones. “A century ago the wars were beginning. A being called man had come to strength, though he was the first intelligent creature to exist without magic. Man was jealous and had grown angry that they could not possess such power as others such as the Dragon, Faye, and undalings-the magical creatures of this world which have no voice. Sita is an undaling, relative to the unicorn actually. Though unicorn dwell an ocean beyond this land.”

  As Aryaunna listened to his resonating voice, she looked over the vast cavern as it opened up before her. Luciola lit the caves and reflected off the water of the grotto. “Many Dragons were taking to the skies for sanctuary, making the heavens their home. They became the Guardians. Dragons were hunted for the first time in our existence.

  “Man had learned that some of our power could be obtained through different parts of our body, scales, bones, claws. Since the existence of man they had been obsessed with obtaining magic for themselves. Those who could not possess it sought to destroy it.”

  Reaching the grotto, Aryaunna stopped by the water’s edge. Cupping her hand, she drank from the pure water. Reign continued his story as he fished for their dinner, “When a Dragon is killed they are reborn of magic, while their spirits join the Guardians above.

  “My kin had lived in this region for ages upon ages, long before my time. Even before time was counted. Kenan was little more than mud and rock, and the great stone Church that is now was not even a thought in the minds of men.” He stopped as he caught a large fish, and ate. He slurped the great arapaima down his throat whole.

  “Faye and man had created new generations of descended. This is where your bloodline comes from, just as many others do, such as the Pagans and Druids. There was a man in a young village, not yet named for Kenan.”

  Catching another fish, this one he roasted with his breath aflame for Aryaunna. Using one of her newfound blades, she ate as he continued. “He’d taken the lives of many Faye and Undalings for their gifts, and perverted the magic into something dark and unnatural. For everything he gained, his hunger for more grew ever deeper. It mutated him.

  “He’d amassed a following, promising young warriors more power. A promise he only kept at his whim, mind you. It was with this band of men that he came to Dia. Armed with a montage of stolen power, he murdered my kin one by one.” Having forgotten her task of eating, Aryaunna sat entranced in the sorrow that was his tale.

  “To this day I don’t know why he didn’t kill me. In taking my wings, he took my freedom. The spell that he used destroyed my wings. They withered away until nothing but bone remained, and I was left like this…” His chest broadened as he reared back. Arching his neck back, his wings expanded to their full length. Devastating beauty. They looked so fragile, slim, though his bone was stronger than any steel.

  Standing, she walked closer to him. Her hand reached out and touched the remnants of his wing gently. “Is it painful?” she asked in a mere whisper. Her eyes watered, though she blinked the sadness away.

  “Not physically,” he assured her. Wrapping his wings out around her, he cast a bone cage around her. They flexed in ways that didn’t seem physically possible. But he was Dragon. What to a Dragon is an impossibility? “This is why I stay at Dia. A Dragon who cannot fly is a Dragon at great risk. I am the last of my kind, but there is still a great deal left for me in this world.”

  Her heart ached for the tragedy of his story. She knew the pain of loss well. Laying her head against his chest, her arms hugged against his torso as if she were trying to hug a great tree. “Why did you worry about telling me?” she asked after a moment of thought. His story was sad. She cared for her friend, and so his pain was hers. Something was missing though.

  Looking up to him she felt like a small child as he looked down upon her. “Because the man who killed my brethren, and left me stricken, is the same man you call Magistrate.”

  Closing her eyes, Aryaunna rest her forehead against his chest. “You’ve given me new sight, R
eign.” His chin nudged her head, asking her silently to explain. “No matter how different we all are, our pain makes us one in the same.” Her short time with the Drow had brought her to question how she would bridge the gap between the many different people affected by the darkness the Church had spread.

  She’d seen the Pagans, Druids, Drow, and people of Kenan all as individual nations she had to treat as such. It was wrong though. No matter how many different villages, and how many different races, they were not separate. They were one in the same.

  Gently, his chin nudged against her hair, nestling against her. A lifetime of pain had burdened his heart, yet now there was more. There was hope.

  “Ary!” Elizabeth yelled. Lifting the hems of her skirts she ran towards Sita who kept at a steady pace. “Where have you been, you’ve been gone for three days!” Then suddenly Elizabeth truly saw her sister. “Ary… wow,” she breathed. “If it wasn’t for Sita I hadn’t of even known it was you.” Elizabeth brought her hand around Sita’s neck, stroking her affectionately as she stared up at her sister.

  “Ary, looks like your visit with Reign has been an eventful one,” Allos commented as he came up behind Elizabeth. Surprising her, Elizabeth flushed upon seeing him unexpectedly.

  Aryaunna caught the warmth that spread through her sister’s cheeks and fought back the tug of her lips. “Indeed. In more ways than one.” Rounding her right leg over the horse’s back, she jumped to her feet with growing ease. She was getting used to it finally.

  “Elizabeth,” Aryaunna greeted her sister with a hug. Though she was pleased to see her sister, Elizabeth was stiff as she returned the hug. Of course she wasn’t used to hugging someone with a bow and quiver slung over their back. It was awkward. “I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” Aryaunna looked from her sister to Allos.

  “No apology is needed,” Allos reassured.

  “Sister, will you please see that Sita gets cared for. She’s had a long few days as well, and I must speak to Allos.” Her eyes cant to Allos from her sister. This conversation would not be on a relaxed air of friendship.

  “Of course.” Elizabeth looked anxious. Seeing her sister dressed in such a way wasn’t the only thing that bothered her. There was something in Aryaunna’s eyes. She was changing so rapidly, and all that Elizabeth could do was sit by and watch it happen. “Come, Sita. I know where they keep the molasses in the kitchen now, and I’ve stowed a jar just for you.” As if understanding perfectly, Sita’s head bobbed as she kept in step with Elizabeth.

  “She doesn’t seem to like the change,” Aryaunna remarked after Elizabeth was out of hearing difference.

  “Change frightens a lot of people. You’re her little sister, and life is calling you to arms. You’re embarking on a journey beyond her control. Not to mention the dress and weapons are just a bit daunting.” His brow arched as he looked over her black attire and the impressive array of weapons. Gaze settling on the bow he smirked. “Do you even know how to use that?”

  “Of course not. Which is why you’re going to teach me.” He chuckled to her smug smile as they began walking. “How is the Owl Maiden? I regret leaving before I could see that she was well.”

  Allos was paying careful attention to Aryaunna’s stride as they walked. “She’s well. Anxious to see you. We were both more concerned about you, but quite obviously that was unnecessary.”

  “I told you it wasn’t serious. Just a nick of the blade was all.” Aryaunna smiled to a group of children playing in the fresh blanket of snow covering the ground. They squealed and laughed as they played together. “Has she said anything?” Aryaunna glanced at Allos with bated breath.

  “No. Nothing about the prophecies. She’s insisted on waiting for you, though she seems very content with the people here, and they her.”

  “Good.” It was the last thing they said as they walked into the shaman’s home. As an elder and the Drow’s primary healer, Mayla’s home was not only her home, but her place of work and a place of sanctuary for many that had no home to claim. “Mayla,” Aryaunna held a slight smile though she was genuinely pleased to see her.

  “Hello, my dear.”

  Korena was lazy to look up from her work, thoroughly occupied with her duties of mixing herbs. When she saw Aryaunna she dropped everything though, leaving the mortar and pestle where it lay. “You’re back!” she exclaimed excitedly as she ran to Aryaunna. Though twice Aryaunna’s age in mortal years, she was certainly youthful in her nature. Latching herself to Aryaunna tightly she hugged her close, unbothered for the bulk of weaponry that distanced them now.

  Aryaunna hugged her tight. “Of course I’m back. Can’t stay away from home for long now, can I?” Korena smiled to hear her say it, though seemed to realize at the same time that she’d surprised Mayla and Allos both by her excitement. Stepping hastily back she smiled and looked completely relieved to see that Aryaunna had returned.

  “I like it,” she said decisively. Her head tilted as she looked Aryaunna over closely. “It suits you. And they fit much better.” Aryaunna needed no explanation while the others took a moment to understand that Korena meant the new clothes.

  “Aye, I like them, too.” The two smiled at one another as if they were sharing in a secret.

  “Aryaunna, the maiden sleeps, but she should wake soon,” Mayla advised as she came up behind her.

  “This late?” Aryaunna questioned with some surprise.

  Allos tried not to grin as he explained, “She’s an Owl Maiden. Owls prefer the night, you know.”

  Aryaunna just shook her head, feeling dull that she needed it spelled out for her. “Of course. Well then, I’ll return at nightfall. There’s plenty for me to do in the meantime.”

  “Actually, I’d like to have a look at your leg. Allos mentioned you’d been hurt.” Mayla had practically cornered her.

  “Reign took care of it actually. I’m perfectly fine.” To prove it she leaned down and slapped the area of her leg that had been injured. There was barely even a scar after Reign had healed it. The pain was completely gone. “See?”

  Mayla looked disbelieving and surprised all at the same time. Allos backed Aryaunna’s defense, “She walks without favoring it, Mayla. Believe me, as much as it bled if she weren’t healed, we’d know.” Aryaunna gave a nod of agreement.

  “Very well then. As long as you’re all right,” she said with an accepting smile. “Be back at dusk. She’ll be glad to know you’ve returned, as are all of us.”

  Aryaunna made swift her departure with Allos behind her. “Have I missed anything in my absence?”

  “We’ve been careful to keep everyone in the Hollow. After what took place at the Church we didn’t want to risk our people outside of the shield.” It was easy to forget the magic barrier that hid the Hollow from outsiders. Aryaunna spared a thought to wonder what they’d done with Derric when they’d found him-If they’d somehow limited his sight or not, expecting him not to survive the night. “Some grow restless, but word will spread that you’ve returned. It will ease their worries, I think.”

  “Hmm,” she pondered. “Let’s ease their spirits completely and give them something to occupy them.”

  Allos looked properly intrigued. A young woman walking along one of the shoveled paths called to Aryaunna and waved excitedly. Aryaunna called back to her in greeting. “They certainly love you,” Allos remarked with a satisfied smile. “Well? What are you thinking?”

  “A celebration. It’s winter, people are tired of the cold, of spending more times indoors than they like. Stress has been high, clearly. We’ve saved the Owl Maiden. She’s lost her companions. We can hold a celebration to honor their lives. Has she spoken of them, mentioned who they were?”

  “That’s an excellent idea. There’s a few people here who usually care for such things. I’ll let them know. I’m certain they’ll be anxious to get things underway. And all she’s said of them was that they were kind people who took her in. I cannot be certain, but I don’t think she knew them well.”
People lie. It was a fact. It was possible she knew them better, but Allos didn’t believe she had a reason to hide a relationship with the two that had died. “She did say they were married, but had no children that she knew of.”

  “It’s a sad day when one is grateful for such a thing,” Aryaunna commented under her breath.

  “Indeed it is.” His hand touched to her arm briefly to bring her to a stop as he turned away. “Neva!” he called to a woman carrying a load of tinder in a large basket. Walking away to help her, Aryaunna stood in wait as they spoke.

  Gaze drifting over the Hollow she took in the small village with some wonder. Snow floated through the air slowly, as if it couldn’t decide if it were to fall or not. There were people about, preparing for their evenings. Many waved, and all gave her a smile, glad to see her return as Mayla and Allos had implied.

  She spoke to Veyn in passing, who seemed pleased to tell her the saddle he was making for Sita was nearly complete. He also said she looked different, but made no other comment to it, negative or otherwise.

  Though her attire had changed, Aryaunna felt different as well. Every day she felt as if the girl she’d been just a time before was becoming more of a stranger. However odd it was, she was glad for it.

  Allos returned looking pleased. Neva had agreed that a celebration was just what everyone needed, and assured him that she’d keep them in the loop about the progress and timeframe. Aryaunna told Allos all about the supplies showing up at Dia as he took her to the wood to use the bow for the first time. Her lesson went as expected.

  It was much like Aryaunna’s first time holding a sword. She was a bumbling mess, got hurt a few times, and looked a fool. Within the hour she was hitting targets, if not dead center yet. “You’re a natural,” he said with no surprise.