Gifted

Chapter Three

The forest had grown thick and dense by the early hours of the afternoon, which seemed to have tip toed in on silent slippers. The light came in flickers from the now risen sun, as it fought hard to shine through the cover of trees. The forest was broken by its piercing beams, holding no might against it. Even with the sun shining the air was still crisp and cold, but Merida barely felt it.

Her eyes were swollen and dry from all the tears she had shed. The guilt and grief clung to her, forcing her into a heavy fog of depression that held no escape. Tiredness worked hard to consume her but she fought it. Every time she closed her eyes, the images of her family and friends being slaughtered and Landon lying dead, with his glassy eyes staring up at the night sky, haunted her and awoke her. She had no way of knowing if anyone except herself had survived the onslaught.

A loud crack split the peace of the woods, causing several birds above her to take flight suddenly and jerked Merida from her reverie steeped in misery. Heart hammering, she glanced back to see several of the attackers a few yards behind, in hot pursuit, on horses of their own and bows in their hands. Sensing the danger, Clarisse started to canter through the woods once more, leaping over fallen tree trunks and dodging trees.

The men managed to keep them in sight. It wasn't long before arrows started to fly, whistling passed Merida's ears. She caught sight of the fallen debris of leaves and twigs that littered the ground and felt the breeze that blew through her hair, and wished that whatever magic her father and Dorian thought was within her, could help now. One of the arrows found its mark and lodged in her shoulder blade, making her cry out in pain when it exploded.

More men pulled up alongside her, pointing their arrows at her, when something strange happened. She didn't know if it was her imagination or the pain that was clouding her vision, but she could have sworn that the men were suddenly being pulled down, or thrown across the forest by an unseen force. They yelped and screamed before running for their lives leaving silence in their wake.

Merida pulled Clarisse to a halt and glanced around. She saw nothing, the only movement was the rustle of the leaves in the breeze overhead.. Still, Merida could feel invisible eyes weighing heavy on her. Her instincts told her she was safe, that who or whatever it was, didn't mean her any harm or they would have made themselves known already.

Her eyes roved once more over the trees, as she remembered the stories she had been told of Oakenshield forest as a child. Ones that suggested that Oakenshield was enchanted, the home of many mystical creatures. Creatures that grew darker in nature further north, toward the Dark Kingdom of Nocturnia, where it was said terrible dark forces resided and Oakenshield borders ended. Now she knew it must be true.

Turning her back on the clearing, they rode on delving deeper into the forest. Merida had no idea where they were, the forest was vast and endless, holding a primordial and rich aura around her. Above her the cloak of majestic red and gold leaves was resplendent, creating a even stronger mystical effect that seemed to calm her. All felt peaceful once again, the only sounds were the birds singing in the trees mingle with the trickle of a distant stream. The only other living things she saw were rabbits hopping across the path home, or the deer's that watched her passing, from behind trees.

The weariness suddenly grew too much, drawing her to an exhausted halt. She dropped stiffly to the ground and guided Clarisse off the path, but not too far as to get lost, and into a clearing that seemed comfortable enough to sleep in and made camp. Among etiquette, hunting and sword fighting; her father had also taught her many skills that Knights needed while on a journey or quest, such as lighting a fire and setting up a sleep area properly and how to cook over the fire, not that she had anything to cook until she set up some traps.