Յյ 𝔇𝔞𝔶𝔰 𝔬𝔣 ℌ𝔞𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔫 [𝔄 𝔗𝔚𝔖𝔗 𝔉𝔞𝔫𝔣𝔦𝔠]

𝟐𝟐 | 𝐒𝐞𝐛𝐞𝐤 𝐙𝐢𝐠𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐭

ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʰᵃⁿᵗᵒᵐ ʷᵉᵇ

𝔖𝔬𝔫𝔤: 𝔈𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔈𝔡𝔢𝔫 - ℨ𝔢𝔩𝔩𝔞 𝔇𝔞𝔶

Warnings: hallucinations, implied loss

♥♠♣♦ ——　☠　—— ♥♠♣♦

The forest of nightmares. A place full of monsters, where few dared to venture. Trees that grew so close together that, if riding, only one could pass through at a time. If walking, two would walk shoulder to shoulder, though it would be a tight squeeze, and this would be highly impractical if one were trying to keep to the tactics of stealth.

Two riders surged across the countryside, their horses galloping across the terrain. Cloaks of darkness obscured their features, the ends whipping in the wind behind them. A familiar sigil had been embroidered in dark green thread on the backs of the cloaks. The sigil of the prince of Briar Valley, who would be crowned king in a few short years. The sigil was only given to those the prince trusted with his life and the most arduous of tasks. Both riders were honoured to bear the mark of their prince, and even more, honoured that they had been given the task that they were currently working on completing.

Y/N pulled on the reins of her horse, pulling the beast to a stop on the edge of the forest. She turned it to the side and stared into the dark depths of the wood, her eyes set in a glare, her heart pounding in her ears.

She heard a neigh, accompanied by the sound of thundering footsteps, and turned to see her dear boyfriend riding towards her, slowing his horse's pace to a trot as he approached the girl. When he finally reached her, he reached out and took her hand in his, pressing a kiss to the back of it, hoping to warm her hands even through the gauntlet that was shielding her skin.

"This is where they said the entrance was," Y/N asked, turning back to face the forest. She pulled out a small scroll from her saddle bag and unrolled the parchment, her eyes flickering over the elegant black scrawl of their fearless general.

She and Sebek had been sent out with orders to scout out the edge of the forest closest to the village on the north. Apparently, the villagers had been complaining about an increase of monsters that emerged from the forest in the wee hours of the night, particularly on the stormy fall nights when clouds blocked out the light of the moon, allowing the monsters to move under the cover of darkness.

Sebek turned to the village behind him. Small houses with thatched roofs, simple villagers that mulled about, trying to ignore the biting worry that clung to them like a parasite. None of them seemed to understand the danger that lurked on the edge of the forest.

"They should leave," Sebek whispered to Y/N. His eyes picked out a small child that was sitting by the entrance to his house, playing with some small wooden toys that his father had probably made for him. Sebek's heart ached as he thought back to his own childhood. He had once had toys like that, hand-crafted by his father. But he had lived closer to the castle. He hadn't had to worry about a monster creeping from the edge of the woods, scooping him up, and running back into the forest, never to be seen again.

"I agree," Y/N said. "But I can also understand why they would want to stay here. This is their home, and as the general's best, the responsibility falls to us to ensure that the kingdoms' citizens are safe, no matter where they are."

She reached to her side and drew her blade. A long obsidian blade. The sharpest in the kingdom. A weapon of the guard. It had been her father's long before it had been hers, and as he lay on his death bed, he bequeathed it to his eldest child. Y/N. Her brother had been bitter about not receiving the fabled weapon, but knew that it would serve Y/N better than it would ever serve him. She ran her hand along the edge, smirking at Sebek, before returning it to its sheath. Hopefully, she wouldn't need it today.