The Dark Forest

 When they landed, the air had changed.

There was no dust to be tasted here. Instead, the air was heavy with the scent of foliage and greenery. Paltar inhaled deeply. Above them, he could see the sky barely peeking through the tall trees around them. This forest was ancient – if it was a forest at all. Somehow, it felt artificial – with the way the flowers were sprouting everywhere, their blossoms in full bloom. It was an explosion of color and fragrance.

He should feel safe here. And yet…

“We have to be careful,” Nanna whispered.

“Yes,” he whispered back.

Something was wrong here. He felt small, insignificant among the tall trees, even taller than the oak under which they had rested before. Paltar shuddered. After all they had been through, what challenge would the wizard give them now?

He couldn’t answer that. Nanna couldn’t either. And so they went on, walking through the forest without a clear path.

“This place seems to be abandoned by humans,” Nanna muttered.

“Or rather, as if there had never been people here,” he agreed.

Reod was behind it all. There was no other explanation.

Paltar pricked his ears and listened to the sounds around him. The forest was alive, that was for sure. The leaves rustled in the light breeze, and in the distance he could hear the creaking and cracking of wood. Birds sang their songs above them, melodies he had never heard before. And in the grass around them, small things – mice, or maybe lizards – scuttled out of their way. And in the undergrowth beyond his sight... who knew what lingered there?

“So, let’s get out of here,” he finally said.

“Agreed.”
Nanna stayed close, and a small laugh escaped him.

“Hey!” She glared at him.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness,” he replied. “It’s just… you can be quite cute.”

“Don’t say it like that,” she grumbled. “I’m worried! For you! You almost died!”

“Oh.”

She was right. This wasn’t just a fun little adventure for them. He tried not to think about it, but on that bridge, it was more luck than skill that he survived. He sighed.

“I’ll be careful,” he said.

“You better be,” she grumbled back. “After all, you have a promise to keep.”

“That’s true.”
He laughed again, and the sound echoed through the trees. Still, even though he had just been reminded of his near-death experience, he felt lighter. With Nanna at his side, what could he not accomplish?

That gave him an idea.

“Hey, what are you going to do once your curse is lifted?”

He folded his arms behind his head. At his knees, Nanna made a choking sound.

“I… don’t know,” she admitted.

The grass rustled around his knees as they kept on walking. There was still no exit in sight.

“Wrong. You will make me your royal tailor,” he corrected her.

“Right!” She fluttered up. “I won’t break my promise!”

He shook his head.

“I would never doubt that,” he replied. “So, you’re going back to the castle, then?”

“Of course.” Nanna shook her head. “I have no choice.”

He looked at her. “What do you mean, no choice?”

She avoided his gaze.

“They’ll miss me...” She let out a sigh. “And I can’t ignore my duties to the kingdom.”

“Huh? You duties?”

It was in this moment that he realized that he had no idea how the royal family worked.

“Can’t you just live your life, all princess-like?”

Even from his own mouth, the words sounded naive.

“Of course not!” She spat out the words. “I have responsibilities. Even if I am not the first born, I...”

She stopped, and smoothed her dress with her beak.

“You will be my royal tailor, no matter what.” Despite her words, her voice was harsh. “That is my promise.”

Once again, Paltar sensed there was more to this than she was saying, but how could he broach the subject?

“They’re waiting for you, huh?” he finally said.

“I hope so,” she whispered. “Maybe… they’ve lost faith in me.”

“Well, they better not! Don’t they know you’re the smartest, bravest, and rudest princess in the land?
“Hey!” She playfully nicked his lower leg.

“Ouch!”

But he laughed, and her mood seemed to improve as well. Still, as they walked, he thought about her words. Her duty… the fate of the kingdom… of course, it couldn’t all be easy. But why was her voice so full of regret?

“Hey… can you...” He coughed. “I mean, can you fly up into the trees to see how we can leave this place?”

“Good idea.”

Nanna took a long look at him before she spread her wings.

“I can do this.”

She only whispered the words, but Paltar could hear them perfectly. He tilted his head back and watched Nanna take flight. She was truly elegant, even in this form. He couldn’t help but admire her. For a moment, her silhouette was all he could see, but soon she disappeared in the treetops. He sighed.

The forest was still noisy around him. He could hear the animals rustling… and something else.

Paltar turned around.

It had been ages since he had heard that sound, but… was someone out here crying?

No, it couldn’t be. Why would anyone else be here? Especially if it was a child. And that high-pitched noise sounded like one.

“Hey...” he called out, carefully.

He didn’t know what kind of magical beasts could be lurking in these woods. It might be a predator trying to lure him away from Nanna.

The wailing continued.

Paltar didn’t move. The wind blew, and suddenly, he shivered.

‘What should I do?’, he thought. ‘Follow the voice? Or...’

“Nothing.”

Nanna landed next to him, and he almost fell to the ground.

“Paltar? What’s wrong? Hey, are you okay?”

She waddled into his field of vision before he could catch his breath.

“I’m fine, thanks,” he gasped. “You just scared me.”

“I thought so.” She tilted her head. “Anyway, that’s why you should stop daydreaming! I said I couldn’t see an exit. Up there, the forest seems to go on forever. I couldn’t even reach the top.”

She shrugged helplessly.

“So, what should we do next?”

Paltar straightened up. In the distance, he could still hear the child crying.

“Can you hear that?” he asked Nanna.

She was silent for a moment, listening intently.

“Do you think… a child…?”

He nodded.

“But it could be a trap.”

Now it was Nanna who nodded in agreement.

“But… I think we should at least check it out,” he finally added.

After all, they were real people. Husina had been real, too. Who was to say that they were the only ones Reod had sent here for his entertainment?

“We should,” Nanna agreed. “Carefully.”

They continued to make their way through the forest, now following the child’s voice.