12 The Forest Of The Forgotten (1/2)
Morning arrived and gentle rays of light illuminated the forest area around the campsite with a warm glow, Elise opened her eyes slowly and a sleepy yawn escaped her mouth as she slowly got up. She stretched out her arm to wake up Ashley but was surprised to find no one next to her.
In panic, she stood up and scanned the entire length of the carriage but could not find her daughter. Her marks sensing her troubled mood and began to violently shift across the length of her body. She then heard cheerful laughter from outside the carriage and quickly went to take a look.
”Sister elf throw me higher and higher!” Ashley cheerfully yelled.
The peaceful scene before Elise warmed her heart and her marks began to slowly quiet down. Ashley was playing happily with the dark elf twins Servia and Luxia. Servia was tossing her carefully in the air while Luxia would run around them in a circle singing a song in the elven tongue to set the mood.
” Teria nos jyeans cullear soiy lenase”
” Xeyanse jos kinerhas des naya”
” Parasd ahsaj!”
Her clear voice rang throughout the campsite and the remaining Valkyries watched the trio with happy grins on their faces. No trace of the strong iron women of the north could be seen as no one wanted to scare the little daughter of their lady.
Ashley was not scared of the dark race members among them and while Elise was asleep during the morning, she was cheerfully introducing herself to them. Each Valkyrie fell in love with the obviously nervous girl who was trying to reach out to them.
”Alright we need to set off immediately if we want to reach Arcadia by nightfall!” Elise was reluctant to break up the happy scene, but it would be too dangerous to travel through the forest at night. Most of the magic beasts were nocturnal and the hunting would begin as the sun fell and the shadows crept beneath the trees.
Elise nodded at Floira who quickly turned and began to bark out orders to the rest of the camp. Servia put down Ashley gently and patted her small head before turning towards the tents to help pack up. Ashley ran towards her mom who quickly scooped her up and placed her in her arms, she was flushed red with excitement and began to eagerly explain to Elise how she was now best friends with the scary knight ladies.
Elise smiled at her and said,” So which knight would you like as a personal guard?” She was still undecided on who to choose to protect Ashley, with the constant monster attacks there was a need to have an extra layer of protection for her daughter. Ashley frowned for a moment and glanced at the twins Servia and Luxia but then her eyes focused on Elena who was helping to feed the horses.
”I want sister Elena to be my personal guard!” Ashley declared
Elise saw no problem with her choice, Elena was quite a powerful fighter in her own right and her land- form was indistinguishable from that of a normal human. She nodded and said,” Okay if that's what you want, I'll make sister Elena your personal servant.”
Walking back to the carriage, she failed to notice the small glint of mischief that flashed across Ashley's face.
”This is all I can do to help you sister Elena,” Ashley muttered quietly to herself.
The Valkyries were very efficient, and the campsite was fully packed within fifteen minutes and they immediately set off into the forest. The entrance to the forest was strange, although it was daytime as the light hit the forest canopy, the trees seems to absorb most of the sunlight. The floor was dim with long shadows hanging on the roots of the trees.
There were strange laughing sounds heard occasionally as the group wandered deeper into the woods. The most unnerving aspect was the rotten smell that clung to the vines circling around the trees. Servia and Luxia were more affected by the scent due to their elven heritage and had both tied pieces of cloth around their noses.