Chapter 16

Sara

I watched the empty river bank. There was no sign of the elf girl. Had the current taken them after all? The river was growing calmer this far down the stream, and I had hoped to have encountered her or the Whip by now, but the river banks had been empty. I stared at the calm flow of the river. What if she… I shook my head. It had occurred to me that I might not find the elf again, and she’d chosen her fate the moment she plunged the Whip into the roaring waters. But no, there was no use letting my thoughts wander down that path.

I left the stream and clambered up the bank to stand underneath the trees on the other side of the path. Even so, if my misgiving turned true, had I had a part in it? Had my desperation to awaken her magic led to this? I shook my head. No, the blame lay on the vision of the elves’ forest, and its need to let the girl accompanying me on my journey. It should never have let her come.

I stared out over the river bed on the other side of the path. Regardless, it would be me who would inform the elves of their lost member. Would the news change their perception of me? Would they consider me having a part in her fall?

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rustle, and I spun around. The scrubs further down the path stirred, and I raised my fire in preparation. Moments later, a girl stepped out from the woods. She glanced around anxiously. Her face was smeared with mud, and her clothes stained with dirt, but I could see she was not a farmer’s girl. What had brought her this far into the wilderness? I held still, preparing to charge when her squad would follow, but no one emerged from the bushes. I lowered my fire. What was a girl doing in the forest by herself? I did not have time to ponder the question because, at that moment, the girl turned, and her eyes fell on me.

She froze, peering at me cautiously, and then widened her eyes in surprise.

“You…”

She raised a hand to point at me.

“You are a Unicorn…?”

I gathered myself. Foe or not, my reputation as a Peace Bringer did not allow me to cast aside my manners. I straightened out.

“I am, my child.”

She stumbled forward, then halted and lowered her hand. Her eyes narrowed, and after a moment, she broke into a startled smile.

“You are… Sara?”

“I am.”

My name preceded me. After all, a solitary Unicorn in the woods did not lead to many other conclusions. She rushed over and halted before me, her eyes pleading. It was a gaze I had seen countless times as a Peace Bringer when all hopes were laid on our shoulders in times of distress. Even so, her presence was unexpected, and for a moment, I stood speechless. But my many years among the Unicorns had brought upon an instinct that wasn’t easily discarded, and so I felt the words emerging without my doing,

“How can I help you, my child?”

“I want to go home.”

She peered at me. Did that mean she was a farmer’s girl, after all? I looked at her, and only then did I notice the barely visible heraldry sown onto her chest. It was the Queen’s wolf, but the girl was too young to be in her army. That must mean…

“I've run from the Queen’s Champion camp”, she sniffled.

So she was a farmer’s girl, brought to become a Champion. Those camps were not unfamiliar to me, although I had yet to see one with my own eyes. The closest one lay many days' travel from here; she must have travelled far.

“What’s your name?”

“Kim.”

“Where do you belong?”

“The valley beyond the mountain.”

They were known to me as well. I had visited them in the past, when the girl would have been too young to remember me. I opened my mouth to speak when she suddenly began to cry.

“I don’t know how to find my way home.”

She threw herself around my leg, sobbing, and I flinched. The girl did not know the etiquette of Peace Bringers, but even so, my good name rested on my actions, and I would not bring embarrassment upon her. I carefully extracted myself from her hold.

“Will you walk with me?”

She sniffled and nodded, and I began to wander along the river bank. Was this another path that life threw me on? Her cause was not mine, and I would not be able to aid her, but my stature as a Unicorn did not allow me to deny her plea. I glanced at her. She would do nothing but slow me down, just like the elf.

“Are you fighting the Queen?”, she asked suddenly.

“I am, my child.”

“She’s evil…”

“She is.”

The girl stopped and gazed at me, as if suddenly realising something.

“I… can help you. I can fight with you until I’ve returned to my father and mother.”

The girl did not know what she was asking, and I did not wish her help.

“You are young”, I said.

“I know how to fight, I’ve learned it in the Champion’s camp.”

“I see, my child. But your Father and Mother must miss you dearly.”

She looked down.

“I think so…”

“You must return to them.”

She nodded silently, and I hoped my words had deterred her intentions of joining my cause. We continued in silence. I didn’t know what to do with her sudden appearance. Her tribe did not lie on my path, yet I could not abandon her. The girl suddenly stumbled and I halted. There would be no more travel today.

“We need to rest. Do you know how to gather food?”

She nodded.

“We will eat, and we will rest.”

I walked into the forest next to the river bank and found a clearing far away from the track. The girl disappeared into the woods, and I went to stand underneath a tree. And so life had thrown me onto yet another path. I could not see how it would be to my gain, but there was no option available to me to deter it. I stared at the river between the branches and moments later, the girl came out of the woods, her hands piled high with berries. She sat down by my hooves and I tried not to flinch at her presence. She was young, I told myself, and did not know the manners of Unicorns. But her proximity to me disturbed me and once the last of the berries had been eaten, I was relieved to say,

“Gather branches to lay in a pile. My fire will keep you warm.”

She stood up without a word and did as she was instructed. When a worthwhile pile had gathered, I lit it with my fire and lay down next to it. There was still light left of the day, but I could not force the girl to continue. I could see no other option than letting her come with me. She… The girl curled up against me and I looked at her small body lying next to me. I could not move without disturbing her, and she would not look lightly on a Peace Bringer denying their aid. I forced myself to lie still and soon, she was snoring next to me.