What Is Done

Chapter 24 - The Forest of Colrath

The elves had woken up Kitto with all their yelling. He stayed upstairs for what felt like forever before coming down. He came down with breakfast and let them eat. Sellion prepared to go into the woods and slay what he'd seen the previous night. Laverne ate then stayed in the house, doing his own thing. After breakfast, Essaerae helped Kitto with the laundry of their day clothes like she'd promised. Kitto had offered them clothes that hospital patients would wear so they could do all their laundry at once.

Kitto wore a bucket hat and dirt smelling overalls. Essaerae hung Laverne's white robes over the laundry line. Kitto pinned Sellion's clothes to the line by the sleeves and pant legs to keep them there. He handed a few pins to Essaerae so she could do the same to Laverne's. It took Essaerae a long time to wash her wool dress. It took a specific cleaning method too.

"I can do that if you'd like me to," Kitto apprised, noticing Essaerae crouching next to the bucket and washboard.

"No, no. I'm good." She pulled the dress up by the shoulder cloth, showing it off to Kitto. "It's made of wool. It needs to be washed specially and I like doing that myself."

Kitto accepted her decision and didn't press matters further. Essaerae hung the dress up like Kitto had done with Sellion's shirts, by the sleeves. Kitto and Essaerae exchanged a warm glance when they finished pinning clothes to the clothes line.

Meanwhile, Sellion prepared to set off into the woods. His borrowed, white clothes would make him stand out to whatever was in there but Kitto and Essaerae had taken his other clothing to the laundry. It wasn't ideal, but he, being Sellion, would make it work.

Laverne returned to his closed-off area of the large room after using a chamber pot. He had taken notice of Sellion sharpening his spear. "What are you doing?"

Sellion kept his explanation simple for the High King's feeble mind. "I'm going into that woodland to get rid of a threat." Sellion didn't turn to meet Laverne's judgmental gaze.

"Uh...huh..." Laverne watched him, blankly. "Do not die," he had said to Sellion before continuing on his journey back to his bed. That would be a bad thing. 

Instead of going back to sleep, he sat there, contemplating something no one else knew. No one could ever guess what Laverne was thinking. 

Sellion had gone outside, Kitto and Essaerae could see him from where they stood. Kitto didn't know what he was going to do until it was likely too late.

"You're such a moron!" Essaerae called out to Sellion, watching him get closer to the woods. Sellion had set aside her opinion.

Kitto had watched him with uncertainty out of the corners of his eyes. He had laid pretend not to notice. As Sellion got closer to the edge of the forest, Kitto shouted, "Don't go in there, boy!" Sellion had brushed aside his remark as he did with most people's.

Sellion had disappeared behind the underbrush and low tree branches. 

All Kitto could think of was how he'd hoped Sellion could return alive. Poor boy. Not many who venture into the Forest of Colrath come back out. Kitto followed Essaerae back inside after doing laundry.

Essaerae had spoken loud and clear, "I need to go back into Cherrytown."

King Laverne emerged from his curtained off bed area once more. He stayed silent.

"Why?" Kitto asked, questioningly. He tilted his head as if he were a child wondering the true nature of adults. Or maybe he did it to get a better look at her. He was certainly very tall.

Essaerae smiled weakly. "A while back I ripped the blanket that goes along with my bedroll. So I'd like to get a new one before we continue onward and I'm left sleeping in the blistering cold of night."