The Wind Whispered: Fort Frostbane

After that, we talked about the plan.

We would ride on horseback until a certain point, then continue on foot. The commander would bring a certain number of soldiers from the fort, and our eight guards would join them.

The meeting ended.

When we left, I sighed.

— That was the scariest summary I’ve ever heard.

Arthur replied:

— Welcome to my world, hero.

The commander then led us to the central platform.

— DEAR SOLDIERS! — her voice echoed like a joyful thunderclap.

Everyone stopped and formed lines.

— The summoning of the Seven Heroes was a success!

The fort erupted in celebration.

— AND ONE OF THEM IS HERE!

More shouting.

She looked at me with a mischievous smile.

— Hero Arven, come up here.

I climbed up, trembling. My hands were sweating.

Then someone shouted:

— TAKE OFF THE HOOD, HERO!

Others repeated:

— SHOW US YOUR FACE! — WE WANT TO SEE THE HERO!

I froze.

I looked at Caelia.

She made a gesture: “You can take it off.”

I swallowed hard.

Slowly… very slowly… I pulled back the hood.

The moment my face appeared…

Total silence.

Then:

— A-A DARK ELF?! — WEAPONS! — IT’S A MONSTER! — IT’S AN IMPOSTOR!

Dozens of spears and swords were raised against me.

Brianna immediately stepped in front of me, trembling but firm.

And then—

Caelia’s voice cut through the air:

— Soldiers… lower your weapons.

It was calm.

Polite.

No one obeyed.

Then…

Caelia changed.

Her aura exploded like an icy storm. A cold blue energy spread out, and the temperature plummeted. The soldiers choked. The air grew heavy.

— I said… LOWER. YOUR. WEAPONS.

The ground trembled.

The weapons fell like metallic rain.

— M-my apologies, commander! — several shouted. — I-it won’t happen again!

The aura suddenly disappeared.

And the sunny smile returned.

— Perfect! Now everything is fine!

She turned toward the fort.

— Arven is one of the Seven Heroes. My guest. Anyone who raises a weapon against him… deals with me.

No one dared to respond.

She looked at me sweetly.

— There. Everything’s fine now. We will depart tomorrow at dawn. The Forest of Fear is two hours from here. We’ll ride to the entrance and then continue on foot. Rest well, my dear Arven.

— Right… — I replied, still trying to recover my soul.

She winked.

— Ah, and remember… if anyone bothers you, tell me.

And she walked away with Arthur.

I turned to Brianna.

— …I’m scared — I confessed.

But she wasn’t listening.

She was murmuring quietly, her expression tight:

— My dear Arven? Who does she think she is? What kind of familiarity is that? It should be Hero Arven…

I laughed, and she noticed.

She jumped a little, blushing.

— O-of course I heard! What did you say, Hero Arven?

— Nothing important. Let’s go.

— O-okay! As you wish, Hero Arven!

I looked at her, smiling.

— Brianna… we’ve traveled a long way. We spent a lot of time together. You can just call me Arven.

She froze.

Her face turned red all the way to her ears.

She hugged her staff like she wanted to hide behind it.

— O-okay… a-as… as you wish, He— I mean… Arven…

I smiled.

After Caelia and Arthur went to deal with things around the fort, Brianna and I ended up… kind of wandering around the place.

— W-we could… take a walk? — Brianna suggested, holding her staff against her chest.

I agreed. Honestly, standing still thinking about the mission the next day sounded like a terrible idea.

So we started a small improvised tour around Fort Frostbane.

The place was much bigger than it looked from the outside.

We first passed by the training yard. Several soldiers were still practicing even though the sun was already setting. Swords clashed, shields creaked, and the dirt ground was marked by hundreds of footprints.

Some of them stopped training when we passed.

Others continued.

But all of them looked.

All of them.

Some curious.

Others… clearly suspicious.

One of them even growled quietly as I walked by.

I pretended I didn’t hear.

Brianna tightened her grip on her staff.

— I-idiots… — she murmured.

We kept walking.

Then we passed by the fort’s kitchen.

The smell of hot food was strong inside. Huge pots were over the fire, and cooks ran back and forth preparing dinner for dozens of soldiers.

One of them looked at me for a second… then went back to cutting vegetables as if nothing had happened.

That was already progress.

Brianna stopped, staring at a tray of freshly baked bread.

— C-can we take one?

— I think so — I replied.

We grabbed two and quickly left before someone decided to complain.

While eating, we headed to the walls.

From up there we could see the horizon.

A cold wind passed over the stones of the wall.

Brianna stayed silent.

So did I.

— Tomorrow… — she murmured.

— Yeah — I replied.

Neither of us finished the sentence.

After that, we continued walking around the fort a little more.

But even while we explored the place…

…I could feel the looks.

Always the looks.

Some soldiers whispered when I passed.

Others just stared.

As if they were waiting for me to do something.

As if they were waiting for me to prove I was a monster.

I said nothing.

I just kept walking.

Eventually we returned to the quarters where we would stay that night.

Brianna looked tired.

— W-well… I think I’ll try to sleep… — she said, already yawning.

— Good idea — I replied.

She went in first.

I stayed a few seconds looking at the ceiling of the fort… listening to the wind passing through the towers.

Tomorrow we would enter the Forest of Fear.

And something told me that night would be the last peaceful night for a long time.

Then I went in too.

And tried to sleep.

Tried.

But my mind clearly had other plans...

Night had completely taken over Fort Frostbane.

The dark sky hung above the walls like an endless ocean, scattered with cold stars. The wind blew constantly between the towers, carrying the smell of iron, stone, and ash.

I couldn’t sleep.

I turned from one side to the other on the simple bed a few more times, staring at the wooden ceiling while my thoughts spun endlessly.

Tomorrow.

The Forest of Fear.

The dark elves.

My own people… or something close to that.

I slowly let out a breath.

It wasn’t working.

I got up.

I put on my cloak, pulled the hood over my head out of habit, and left the room trying not to make noise.

Or at least… trying.

The fort was still awake, even at that hour. Some guards patrolled the walls, their armor reflecting the torchlight. Others spoke quietly near a campfire, stopping their conversation when they saw me pass.

The looks.

Always the looks.

Some curious.

Others suspicious.

Others… clearly hostile.

I heard one of them murmur as I passed.

— He walks like a predator…

Another answered in a low voice:

— Don’t take your eyes off him.

I kept walking, pretending not to hear.

I just needed some air.

I climbed a stone staircase that led to one of the highest parts of the wall.

And that’s when I saw her.

Caelia was there.

Alone.

Standing, looking into the darkness beyond the fort.

She didn’t turn her head.

Didn’t move.

But she spoke.

— Hero Arven… can’t sleep?

My heart gave a small jump.

— H-how… how did you know it was me?

She answered calmly, still looking forward.

— Unlike the elves of the Forest of Fear, who can be extremely silent… you are very noisy. Your breathing is loud. Your footsteps are heavy.

I blinked a few times.

— Ah… I see — I said, a little embarrassed. — So… I’m not a complete dark elf, right?

She slowly turned her head and looked at me carefully.

— That’s not quite it.

She crossed her arms.

— Actually, seeing that you’re not silent at all… I can confirm one of my theories.

I frowned.

— And what theory would that be?

— The elves of the Forest of Fear are extremely silent — she explained. — They move without sound.

She took a small step toward me.

— But you don’t.

She analyzed me from head to toe.

— Yet you are a dark elf like them. So… what does that mean?

I opened my mouth.

But I had no answer.

— I… don’t know.

She smiled slightly.

— It means their extreme silence is not a species ability.

She raised a finger, like a teacher giving a lecture.

— It’s training.

She continued:

— I’m sure you never lived in the forest the way they do. You never had to survive the way they survive. Your body was never shaped by that environment.

She looked directly at me.

— You’re not silent… because you didn’t live the way they live.

I thought for a moment.

— Ah… I see.

I nodded.

— That’s a good theory.

Her smile appeared instantly.

— Thank you!

She seemed genuinely happy.

— I love making theories about the Forest of Fear. I have several.

She turned again toward the darkness of the forest.

— I would be happy to tell you some of them.

I smiled.

— Ah… okay. I’d love to hear them.

She stayed silent for a moment.

Then she asked:

— I want to know something… can you see well in the dark?

I tilted my head.

— I read that in a book in the palace. That elves can see in the dark.

I shook my head.

— But I can’t. For me, darkness is still just… darkness.

She froze.

Her eyes focused on me.

Then she started murmuring to herself.

— But why…?

She brought a hand to her chin.

— Could it be some kind of ability they aren’t born with… but trained… learned over time…?

She started slowly pacing back and forth.

— Or maybe it’s the environment… progressive adaptation… continuous exposure to the forest’s darkness…

She kept talking to herself, completely immersed in her own reasoning.

I just stood there watching.

She suddenly stopped.

Her eyes were shining.

— Fascinating…

She started walking in circles around me, analyzing me like I was a living experiment.

— You have all the physical characteristics of a dark elf…

She tilted her head.

— But you don’t demonstrate the same abilities…

She smiled.

— That is quite intriguing.

She stopped right in front of me.

Very close.

Too close.

— You have no idea how interesting you are, Arven.

I blinked a few times.

— Do I…?

She nodded immediately, confirming with enthusiasm.

— Very.

Her eyes shone intensely.

Then she looked again toward the darkness outside the fort, at the horizon.

— I truly can’t wait to take you to the Forest of Fear.

She said that with an almost childlike excitement.

As if she were talking about a fun excursion.

Not about the most dangerous forest on the continent.

The cold wind blew across the walls.

I looked at the darkness together with Caelia.

Then I looked at her.

Caelia seemed genuinely excited.

Excited.

Almost happy.

To take me to a place where almost everyone who enters dies.

I swallowed hard.

Maybe I should feel relieved to have such a confident commander leading the mission.

But at that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

Maybe she was a little too excited for someone who was about to take me to the most dangerous place I would ever set foot in.

And, for some reason…

that didn’t reassure me at all.