The path that Casey had showed them was indeed a treacherous one. The ground beneath them was steep, its rolling, uneven hills and slopes made it hard for the group to walk, and the gnarled, snake-like tree roots that littered the path didn't help either. Visibility was low, as the thick canopies obscured all light. Aurelio had summoned a few fireballs from his tome, but the darkness of the forest swallowed them up as well. It was a grueling, unforgiving path, and after what felt like an eternity of walking, the group reaches a small fork in the road.
"Which way do we go?" Callista asks.
"I dunno." Aurelio reigns in his fireballs in an attempt to get a better view of the map. "There's no mention of a fork anywhere on this road."
"We're not lost, are we?"
"Far from it, I've followed this map to a tee."
"It's black as pitch out here, how can you tell which road we're following?" Maude sighs.
"Trust me Maude, I know what I'm doing." Aurelio says. "My sense of direction is very keen."
"You have no idea where we are, do you?"
Aurelio looks around and murmurs to himself. "We'll take the left bend."
"We can't just pick a path blindly." Maude exclaims. "If we trust your 'sense of direction,' we'll be out here forever!"
"It's not blind, there's some light down the left bend." Aurelio says. "Lights normally indicate a building. It may not be Arqferi, but we'll find someone who could show us some directions. There has to be someone to light a torch after all."
"And if that person is a hostile?"
"Then we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
And so the group continued down the left path.
After another long while of walking, it was beginning to grow harder to persevere. Everyone in the group was growing fatigued and it became harder and harder to trudge on.
"There's," Aurelio says, his breath bated. "Our source of light."
Though a bit hard to see at first, there was a large outline cast in the shadows of the trees. It was a large wooden building, not too grand in appearance and yet it carried an air of power sophistication. Aurelio heads towards the door but stops. He breathes in and smiles a bit. Ever since he had received Meru's light, he felt attuned to the earth.
"There's a spike in mana here." He says. "A lot of spells have been cast on these grounds over the years..."
Aurelio walks forward and musters the last bit of his energy to knock on the door. There was no response. Aurelio waits a moment and then knocks again and the door opens. He's greeted by a tall, thin man with bright emerald green eyes. His dark brown hair was a curly, unruly mess and his scraggly beard was no better. The man looks at Aurelio and smiles.
"Good afternoon." He says. "How can I help you all?"
"We're on our way to the royal capital." Aurelio says. "But we've been walking for so long. Pardon my asking, but would it be alright if we stay here for a moment, to catch our breaths?"
"Certainly." The man says. "My home is open to all. Come in, I've got a few seats in the lounge."
The man beckons the group inside and they follow him in. He leads them down a small hall and into a dimly lit lounge. The lounge contained a few well-upholstered chairs and loveseats which the group eagerly placed themselves upon. The room's walls were plastered with portraits of various historical figures, some Aurelio recognized and some he did not. There were hundreds of bookshelves lining the lounge, and each shelf was stacked with volumes of glistening tomes.
"That armor." The man says, looking over at Ian. "You all are from Arqferi, correct? What are you doing all the way out here?"
"Yes, my masters and I hail from the royal capital. I am Ian, commander of the royal army and liege to Prince Aurelio and Princess Callista." Ian says calmly. Even without any wind in his lungs or strength in his body, Ian did his best to keep up his cool and polite demeanor. "Thank you for allowing us to use your home as a respite."
"It's no problem at all." The man smiles. "But my, I wasn't expecting to have royalty here anytime soon. I take it you two are the prince and princess?"
Aurelio and Callista nod.
"My, it's quite uncanny how much you two resemble your father."
"You know our father?" Aurelio asks.
"Your mother and father both." The man says. "For a brief time we worked together, way back when. Excellent warriors they were. And sharp too, your father is quite a smart man, and judging from that tome you carry I'd say he passed some of his wit onto you."
"Thank you sir, but, um, just who are you exactly?"
"Oh! I never introduced myself! How careless of me!" The man exclaims. "My name is Wynne. I am a sage who walks under the light of Meru."
"You're Wynne?" Aurelio beams. "I've read tons of your books! You're quite talented, I've learned several things about magic from your volumes."
"How flattering." Wynne smiles. "And what an honor it is to be in the presence of such esteemed Arqferians. Heh, hopefully you all can forgive me for being a sub-par host. Where are my manners? Can I get you all anything? There's not much here, but I'm happy to share what I have."
YOU ARE READING
Fire Emblem: Children of Light
幻想Twenty years after Mortabe's defeat at the hands of Arturo, the continent of Sanasa has lived in peaceful splendor. Harvests have been bountiful and new kingdoms have arisen from the ruins of the past. Things had returned to how they once were, and...
