Chapter 3

Sara

I’d never thought I would be back in the elves’ enchanted forest again, but life had a way to throw you onto the most unlikely paths. Was I chasing shadows by coming here? I don’t know. Doubt had danced with me for such a long time that I could no longer separate my own thoughts from its whispers. Once again, as so many times before, despair ruled my movements.

I glanced at the elf girl walking ahead of me. Foolish beings, that’s what they were. They cared nothing for the world outside their sheltered paradise. They were just like all the other tribes, never interested in anything else than themselves. What had I got for sacrificing myself for the Truth? What had been my price for trying to end the Queen’s rule? Dust and distaste. Only a few tribes had joined my cause over the years, but we were nothing against the growing army of the Queen. I wondered if the elves would see the Truth this time.

The girl glanced at me as she walked, her gaze laced with concern. She wanted to heal what was left of my wounds, I knew, but her songs had already gone too deep. You couldn’t hide anything once the elves sang their songs to you, and she’d seen much when she did. Too much, but I had been too wounded to have any other choice. I could only salvage what I could now and hope that those visions of weakness she’d seen wouldn’t affect what I’d come to ask for. I pulled my eyes from her in an attempt to distance myself and turned to watch my surroundings.

The vegetation was thick, and we followed a narrow path leading deep into the heart of the forest. It was as I remembered it. The last time I was here, many years ago, I’d thought I’d seen the sign of the legend etched in the trees. It was the most unlikely thing to be true, but if my years among the Peace Bringers had taught me anything, it was not to trust every story they’d told me. After all, the legend could hold the key to overthrowing the Queen.

I could still see the signs. The same magic intertwined with the very trees and shrubs we passed, and I knew that if you looked deeply, it would be difficult to separate the elves from their home. Were those the echoes of the legend? Or were they simply imaginary phantoms I leaned on to not lose my mind?

Back then, when I was still a Peace Bringer, it had been nothing more than odd, but as time went by, and I became an outcast and my desperation for my cause rose, I came to see them differently.

I didn’t have many other tribes to compare with; the ancestral magic had been lost over time, and few still remembered theirs. But from the ones I’d seen, nothing came close to what the elves displayed. It wasn’t just their healing magic but how it had spanned far beyond that. The protection by the forest was just another sign of it, but I knew they could call on rain and ask the forest to grow where it was needed.

Of course, no one would have claimed that the elves had any stronger abilities than knocking a beetle off its path nowadays, but if the legend was true, they had once held power far beyond our comprehension. What if it was still there, just hidden? Or maybe the elder still knew about it but kept it concealed from the rest? I had thought about it a lot the last months, but it wasn’t until the recent turn of events drew me to the brink of extinction that I thought to make good of my musings.

“We’re almost there.”

The girl’s voice brought me out of my thoughts. She watched me with childlike eyes, waiting for me to appraise her. We were standing at the edge of the village. From my last visit, I remembered that the trees soon would grow thinner, and a small square surrounded by huts would take their place. It was almost dawn; the village would be awake. I nodded to her, answering as the Unicorn she wanted me to be.

“Very well, my child.”

She smiled, a fool's smile who had seen none of the world’s horrors, but I thought I saw something else in those green eyes before she turned and continued down the forest path. Apprehension…? I didn’t have time to think it through because she continued down the path and led me through a clearing. On the other side of the trees, I could make out the shaded figures of elves walking to and fro, setting about their daily chores. The girl kept her gaze straight this time, her eyes fixed on the path ahead, but an uneasy feeling spread in me. Had I made the wrong choice coming here?

The visit was ill-planned; my narrow escape from the Queen hadn’t allowed me any time to think it through, and once again, I was dependent on good fortune to make it. It had a bad legacy in my life, a fickle foe seldom on my side, but options weren’t abundant right now, and I clung to what I could. Still, I didn’t like what I saw in her eyes.

The girl led me into the square, and for a moment, my thoughts were pushed aside. As we entered, the elves stopped and bowed at the sight of me. I was pleased to see that my stature as a Peace Bring still remained even among the villagers. They must know, of course, that I was an outcast; even the cocooned elves must get the news but once a Peace Bringer, always one in the eyes of the tribes. That boded well, at least, and I, for one, wouldn’t question if such a title was bestowed upon me willingly. I certainly wouldn’t try to instruct them on the true nature of the Unicorns, either. It was a lost cause, I knew. The Peace Bringers still held the role of selfless mediators, storytellers, and keepers of harmony among the tribes, and nothing I said would change that. At least it could give me the upper hand in this. I bowed in return and continued walking, and the girl led me to a small hut, where she turned to me.

“I’ll bring the elders.”

“Thank you, my child.”

She turned to leave, and those green eyes once again held…dread? I don’t know; it was gone in a moment, and she was making her way back over the square. Had she had a premonition? Had the forest whispered truths I wasn’t aware of? The elves carried the dreams of the forest close to their hearts, and I knew she wouldn’t reveal it even if I asked, but her eyes unnerved me. Did she know something I didn’t?

I watched the square to take my mind off my unease, trying to tell myself there was nothing I could do about it. The village looked like I remembered it, and it must have looked the same for generations. Would I be able to pull them away from their harvest and basket weaving? I didn’t know if the elves had passed down the legend among themselves. I couldn’t imagine such ancient knowledge would be entrusted to the commoners, but the elders, they should know. The Unicorns knew about it, of course, and it was referred to as a flaw in the narrative. It wasn’t surprising; anything that questioned their upheld role in history had to be refuted, but even so, I couldn’t deny that the legend was odd. That the naive elves would have stood up against the darkest force this world had ever seen was simply unthinkable. What powers did they have that could fend off anything larger than a butterfly?

But the tale spoke about how they had once possessed magic as the world had never seen. A magic powerful enough to take down the Evil that once ruled the World. The Unicorns disregarded it, naturally. The tradition, which they handed down with every tale they’d told for generations, was that they were the ones who had defeated the Evil. Without the Unicorns, there would be no world as we knew it. I wasn’t sure any longer what to believe, but my options were running out, and I was groping for straws.

The girl returned, followed by two elders, and I straightened up, forcing away the pain still lingering in my leg. They stopped before me and, just like the other villagers, bowed before asking,

“What brings you to us, Peace Bringer?”

“I’ve come to offer counsel. Please, gather the village.”

“Of course.”

They lowered their heads and left, and the girl cast one last look at me before following them. As I watched them leave, knowing the moment when the tide could turn once and for all was drawing closer, I felt doubt creeping in. Had I done the right thing, coming here? Or was it a fool’s errand? Derailed musings woven into a plausible path?

It had been different those first years after my banishment, after I’d seen through the lies of my fellow Unicorns and thought it would be a simple matter of convincing the tribes to join me in ending the Queen’s rule. Oh, I had been wrong, so wrong. Their tales ran deep, repeated over generations, and nothing could convince the tribes that the Queen was anything other than a needed force to keep the balance of the world in check. They’d grown passive over the years, keeping to themselves and letting the world be. Maybe I’d been foolish, thinking I could overrun such a long line of deception.

The girl beckoned for me from the other side of the square, and I left my place by the hut. She led me to a small clearing, a circle drawn in the sandy ground. The villagers had gathered around, and they fell silent as they saw me. I watched them, feeling the moment of truth drawing closer, and cleared my throat. I’d thought I would stumble on my words, but the role of Peace Bringer was deeply instilled in me, and they flowed effortlessly.

“Elves. You live peacefully in this forest. It has protected you well, and you live in harmony with its inhabitants. But you know the rule outside your paradise. The Queen is conquering more and more land, and soon, she will be too powerful to resist. There is still time to end this, but I need your help. Your magic can turn the tide. Please, I ask you to consider joining forces with me.”

There was silence for a moment before someone asked,

“What magic do you speak of? We can only heal the living.”

Someone else agreed, and I saw several elves nodding their heads. When I looked back on that moment later, I could see that hope hadn’t abandoned me yet. In the end, I didn't believe the commoners knew about it, and I still awaited the verdict of the elders. They stood huddled, whispering to each other, and despite my history of failed efforts, I didn’t see it coming. I waited until they broke apart and turned to me. Their gazes were confused at first, but even then, I still stood waiting until the silence stretched out, and the realisation dawned on me. They didn’t know what I was talking about. They didn’t know about the legend. I turned to stare into the circle, the world swaying. Were they feigning it? An attempt to resign their responsibilities? No, the elves were too innocent to even conceive of the idea of lying. Did that mean that the legend wasn’t true after all? Or had the memories been lost with time until none remained to be passed down? A woman from the group of elders stepped forward.

“Sara, we appreciate your advice, but we do not have what you seek. You know the magic we possess, and it’s meant for healing. We do not know of any other.”

“But you need to resist; the Queen is taking more and more land.”

I felt the chance slipping from me; I wouldn’t be able to pull them from their harvest and basket weaving. The woman continued,

“The forest will protect us; we have no need to meddle in the affairs of others.”

And that was it; my cause was lost. It had all been for nought, and soon, the Queen would have conquered the land, and there would be nothing left.

“Please, stay the night with us. You are welcome here, and the forest will protect you”, the woman concluded.

I only nodded, my mind refusing to bring any words forward. Maybe the elders gave a signal it was over because the elves dispersed and returned to their chores, and the girl beckoned for me to follow her. She didn’t meet my eyes, but I barely noticed it as we walked over the square. My attempt had failed before it had even started. The elves wouldn’t be of any help. I knew I should analyse what had happened, understand where it had gone wrong, but despair swamped my thoughts and fogged my mind.

The girl brought me back to the hut, filled a bucket with water for me, and told me she would bring something to eat. I managed to thank her and then turned to stare at the forest. This could have turned the tide on my uprising, but it seemed it would only be another failed attempt to add to the tally. I didn’t know what to do now. The Queen’s whip would be after me the moment I left this forest, and I knew I had to come up with a plan, but the image of the elves’ puzzled looks wouldn’t leave me be. The thoughts twisted around me, clouding my mind in a haze. The darkness wasn’t unfamiliar to me, ;t had traced my footsteps lofor nger than I could remember. When had it started?, I wondered. Was the first seed sown when I was banished from my tribe of Unicorns? Or had it begun when the first glimmering dust of my uprising had settled, and I realised that the Truth I had seen wasn’t easily understood by the other tribes? Maybe it hadn’t been an exact moment, but a gradual slip into the pit of qualm, and once I realised it, it was too late. Sometimes, I wondered what would happen if I let it all go, if I let my uprising go to dust and let the tribes fend for themselves. I would lie if I said I wasn’t tempted to. My life would be easier if I did.

I spent the next hours staring into the woods, the words of the elders playing in my mind. The girl returned and left a bale of hay for me, and the villagers continued their daily chores until the sun was low in the sky. As the last of them returned to their huts for the night and the square fell silent, I sighed. In the end, I knew I was bound to this self-inflicted cause. It ruled my actions, and I went where it demanded me to. This visit had all been for nothing, but I had to make a plan, or life would throw the plan at me. I forced the images in my mind away, turned to watch the empty square, and began to look through my options.

I knew the land better than the Queen’s Whip, but she would have the Tracker with her. He wouldn’t stop until he’d hunted me down, so I had to rely on shelter in the few strongholds of tribes that still opposed the Queen. As so many times before, the North and the Nomads would be my safest option. I sighed. It would be a long journey, but again, I didn’t have the benefit of options.

I woke the next day to the children playing in the square. Sleep had eluded me until the early hours of the morning, but there was nothing else than to move on. The Queen’s whip would be waiting for me the moment I stepped out from the forest, and I needed all the head start I could get. I left my place by the hut and set out to find the elders. The village wasn’t large, and soon, I saw them gathered outside a hut. I walked up to them and bowed.

“I thank you for your hospitality.”

“You are always welcome here, Peace Bringer.”

There wasn’t anything else to say, and I turned to leave when the girl came running.

“Wait! Are you going?”

I stopped and turned to her.

“I am, my child.”

“I’ll come with you.”

My surprise must have shown on my face, and I think I stared at her for far too long before I gathered my senses. Why would she come with me? I remembered her gaze of apprehension yesterday. Was this what she’d seen? As if hearing my thoughts, she said,

“The forest told me to.”

I stared at her, trying to comprehend her words. It was meddling in my affairs. To what end? Did it have a plan I hadn’t seen yet? I wanted to ask, but of course, she would never betray the secrets of the forest, and its dreams were law among them. It was futile to resist, and so I said,

“I thank you, my child. Your magical abilities to heal will be greatly appreciated. Please gather your things.”

It was a lie, of course. She would slow me down and be in the way, but once again, life threw me onto yet another unexpected path. The elders walked up to her without a word and, one by one, took her in their arms to say farewell. They wouldn’t question her visions, and so I watched them, trying to disentangle my confused thoughts. I wasn’t sure if this unexpected twist of fate was to my advantage. Did she have a role to play that was yet to be revealed? Or was this the last effort on a futile journey that would soon end with the Queen’s Whip? The last of the elders took her in his arms and said,

“Please come back and take this with you to always remember your land.”

He placed something in her hand; I couldn’t see what. The girl looked at it, then back up at him and threw herself around his neck. As she let go, she wiped a tear from her cheek and turned to me with a sad smile.

“I’m ready.”

I nodded, bowed once again to the elders and turned and began to walk.