Arthur and the Invisibles 5: Legend of the Forest

Chapter 19: Her name was Iris

Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, allowing, or rather trying to force, the negative thoughts out of his mind as he leant on the black, metal railing. The view was spectacular. The last time Arthur has stood here, the Minimoy village had been in ruin due to a very large shovel, leaving its ceiling of soft dirt completely obliterated and a ginormous crater in the village square. Now, he saw the view as it should be: with the Minimoy village perfectly intact, and hundreds of Minimoys going about their daily business as though there wasn't an all powerful shadow creature out to destroy every single one of them. And even now, there were reminders of him in the village. The ground around the stone that lay in the centre of the village that would usually hold the Sword of Power was burnt black from where Moulder had first emerged. Arthur sighed. There was always something that ruined this view.

But this time, it wasn't just Moulder that ruined the view. It was the painful reminder that the last time he had stood here, Selenia had been beside him. Since the moment he laid eyes on the portrait of her drawn by his grandfather, he had felt a connection to her, one that had only gotten stronger over time. When he thought about her, whether he was a few feet away from her or several thousand miles, he felt warm, happy, and most of all, he felt well and truly in love. But now, when he thought about her...all he could think about was the fact that she seemingly didn't trust him. 

They had gone through more in the last thirty moons than any couple should in a lifetime. She had bestowed her entire kingdom on his shoulders when she thought there was the smallest chance of her failing in her mission. He had put himself through the most unbearable pain through the use of the vines in order to ensure that she was safe. The two of them had proven time and time again how far they were willing to go for one another, and Arthur had trusted and cared for Selenia more than anyone else in his entire life. And he had believed since the moment they first kissed that Selenia trusted him enough to tell him anything. 

But now...he wasn't so sure.

He wasn't sure what he felt, whether it was pain, or betrayal, or anger. Or if he didn't feel anything at all. 

But he certainly felt confused, and he didn't know what to do. 

He stood from the balcony railing and made his way back round to the front of Selenia's house, taking a moment to look up at the beautiful flowers that adorned its roof, and how much it reminded him of her beauty. He sighed again and walked back down the path, towards the village square where the others were hanging out. He didn't think Selenia would be there, but he thought that maybe the others would know where she'd gone.

Because he desperately needed to talk with her. 

Gardenia stared at him intensely. He looked back at her hopefully.

"Tell me again." She asked. Dylan nodded.

"Okay...why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side!" He exclaimed. Gardenia rubbed her chin thoughtfully. 

"So you're saying that this is the ultimate joke?"

"Yeah, this one is as classic as you can get." Dylan replied.

"And it's funny because one is expecting there to be an unexpected and humorous twist, but the answer is incredibly literal and that in itself is unexpected and humorous?" Gardenia asked. Dylan seemed to consider these words, then slowly nodded.

"Yeah, that's pretty much exactly right." He confirmed. Gardenia paused, mulling the joke over in her head with all the information at hand. And then...a smile slowly spread over her lips, and a small breath of air escaped her mouth, which, if Dylan wasn't mistaken, identified as a small chuckle.