I have seen lots of people attribute the awe and respect of the Great Forest solely to the Oracle's powers of prediction as well as its magical strength. However, such people are, in general, those who do not live close to this large territory and are unaware of the races that inhabit that place.

Firstly, because the irrational beasts that inhabit those lands have the strength and bloodlust to take down anyone without military or martial arts training.

Besides, the legends and songs about the rational races of the forest are true. They do not have large villages or cities, and are always in a constantly struggle for power and territories – with the exception of families with the right to live in the Glade. Because of that, they are always improving their knowledge about battle and magical skills.

That is why those who live on lands near the Great Forest do not fear the Oracle, as the so-called mother nymph does not move away from the Glade. They fear the fauns, dryads, nymphs, wild elves, lupines, fairies and so many other races with knowledge and powers unknown to civilized nations.

So, my advice is: If you can, stay away from the Great Forest.

My Walks – Volume III: Complementary Notes – Baehaf von Aendelle

*

The sound of rain can be heard on the inside of a cave hidden among large rocks in the territory of the uninhabited lands.

It is also possible to hear the sound of flames crackling, coming from a fire fed by misshapen pieces of hastily picked twigs and bushes.

Around the fire are a dryad and a human. A messenger and a traveler.

This is not the first rain they have had to go through while sheltering in that cave. Ohana, awake and staring at the cave entrance, had seen four acid rains in six days. It was in the intervals between each one that the dryad gathered wood to feed the fire, fought the leopard that attacked the cave and whose flesh is roasted over the flames, and found the herbs with which she routinely feeds the human. It was during this period that she ventured to find leaves and herbs to bandage the wound on her traveling companion's head.

A companion who struggled to stay awake long enough to watch an acid rain in its entirety. In fact, Dan spent most of his time unconscious, with intense fevers and nights of endless pain. The blow to his head, added to the wounds he suffered when the stone worm threw him away, made him delirious when he was asleep and caused him to moan in pain when he was awake.

The first few days were so bad that Ohana got used to the idea that, maybe, she would need to travel alone. After all, she had seen others wither and die after a similar injury. She was prepared to deal with his death.

-I will not die. – He mutters, as he wakes up and accepts the meat and herb stew given to him by the dryad. – You’ll see. I won’t die.

Ohana hesitates to answer, as on previous occasions he was talking to himself or arguing with a hallucination in the midst of pain.

This time, however, his eyes lift from the stew to look at her and the dryad nods in agreement.

-You were unlucky, that's all. – She says. – You hit your head in a way that is slow to heal, but the worst is already over.

He goes back to staring at his stew and she interprets this as agreement.

The rain continues to fall. The fire crackles, consuming the twigs.

-I'll survive... – He mutters, putting the pot with the stew beside his body and trying to stand up. – I have to. If I die, it will be in another place... It will be in that place...

The dryad watches as the traveler fumbles and drops down, leaning against the wall, blinking his eyes in confusion.

Dan sighs and crawls over to the stew. He turns his body, partially hiding himself from the dryad's eyes. Ohana said nothing as he wiped the tears of despair from his own eyes.

*

King Njalmar is in a room with three other individuals: Nafaester, Rinlia and Arthur. The latter was surprised by his reduced level of nervousness compared to the last time he had a conversation with the king.

This time, despite the turmoil inside him, his hands did not shake.

His mind, however, was even more attentive than their first encounter. With all his mental capacity he tried to read the environment and avoid any problems with the person who had the power to guarantee his safety.

-We meet again, Arthur. I must say I was surprised to learn who you were.

-Do you know...? – After Nafaester's sentence, the boy turns to Rinlia. However, it is Njalmar who answers the question he had not asked.

-I allowed her to be informed about your identity. – The king seems completely at ease, standing next to the only window in the room of the tower. Among them, only Nafaester is sitting in a luxurious armchair, drinking tea served on a coffee table. Rinlia and Arthur are side by side, standing and facing the king, although two sofas are free and positioned around the table. – She needs to be aware of my plans so we can work together. Rinlia, I believe you informed him about the alliance between Fiandel and Nafaester?

-Yes, my king.

Arthur nods positively at the elf's side, confirming the information. Last night, Rinlia had informed him about the alliance between Njalmar and Nafaester, as well as the war that would result from such alliance. The previous conversation gave him enough time for the surprise to dissipate before the meeting.

-This information was not passed on out of the goodness of my heart. – Njalmar continues. – Arthur, I have great expectations for your participation in the conflict that will happen. I believe you understand that your performance will be a decisive factor in your future relationship with Fiandel and, if all goes well, with the Great Forest?

-Yes.

-And yet, we need to talk. – The king speaks calmly, but gradually his tone carries more authority and each word seems to be enunciated more firmly. – After all, I never asked if you wanted to participate in the war.

The boy's gaze expresses his confusion.

-I... I don't believe I understand.

-Sit down, you two. Drink your tea before it gets cold. – The king takes a seat on the sofa facing them. Arthur and Rinlia obey. – Arthur, I have allowed you to live in my kingdom until now, in large part, thanks to Rinlia's reports. She seems to believe in your strength and, like Yvanna, my future daughter-in-law, she has accepted you as a companion in battle.

-I'm grateful for the recognition.

-However, the war that will take place in the Great Forest will not be a conflict in which you became involved against your will. After all, you are still not my subject, my soldier or my companion in battle. You are just the acquaintance of my friends. Say, Arthur: Have you ever been on a battlefield?

-No sir.

-There is nothing like it in the entire world. Think about the wild beasts you faced on the way here, or your one-on-one confrontation with Nafaester. – He gestures to her and she waves. – The chaos of one and the intensity of the other confrontation. Imagine that, but simultaneously and on a much larger scale. Now imagine that as you battle several fights like that, at one time or another you’ll see the severed head or torn body of an acquaintance. You'll see your friends hurt and you won't be able to stop that from happening. You’ll feel your life by a thread and you will have to move on. – The king closes his fist on his leg. – And no matter how strong you believe you are, eventually your magic will run out, your strength will dissipate, and even your breath will be taken away. Can you imagine that? Can you understand the terror of living such a moment?

Silence. Nafaester drinks her tea and is the only one to make it. The others face each other in silence.

Arthur feels his own breathing quicken. He sees, in Njalmar's eyes, not a threat, but the depth of knowledge and experience.

That is what makes him think. That is what makes him answer honestly.

-No, Your Majesty. I couldn't understand it because I never lived it.

- And you think you're capable of risking your life on something like that? Something you can’t even understand? Even after my words? Or will you be taken by wisdom and flee from my kingdom? Will you spare yourself the terror? And spare me the risk of welcoming you into the ranks of my army?

Arthur does not answer right away. Instead, he chooses his words slowly, not taking his eyes off the warrior.

-I could not understand the war, because I have lived in this world for a short time and, where I come from, our trials are different. However, in the short time I've lived here, I've known despair. I met it when I arrived alone, in the middle of the sea and the storm, and I thought I would die. I met it again when I was taken prisoner and had to fight wild beasts, trained soldiers, and I saw my body on the verge of death. I met it again when I thought I was going to die on the back of a giant monster in a lake. And when I was the target by enraged spiders, stone monsters and powerful magic.

“And, with despair, there was the pain. There was fear. They are always beside me. Even here, talking to the king of a country I did not know existed a few months ago, in a world I was so recently born into. I feel the pressure of a life that demands payment in blood and magic.”

-Are you willing to pay such price? – The king does not mock the boy's words. Upon realizing the seriousness of the interlocutor, Njalmar does not show, but feels anxiety in his heart. – Even if the blood is not yours? Even if you have to pay by aiming your magic at those who gave you safe passage to reach my kingdom? Or have you forgotten that it was the Oracle's favor that started your days of peace? That allowed you to reach me?

Arthur looks at Rinlia but doesn't find the answer in her emotionless face. Though she yearned for his answer, the elf was determined not to influence him.

Arthur needs a moment to remember the information he was eagerly looking for. He has to look at his hands to see, in the calluses, the memory of the conversation he had a long time ago.

-The Oracle did grant me passage, but not as a favor. Just as she granted me passage in the name of Fate, she would have stopped me if she believed I should not follow this path. – He goes back to facing Njalmar. – It was the Oracle who said that her desire was for me to follow the path given by Fate. And here I am. Whether it's Chaos or Fate, I don't know, but it is the same force that took me through the Forest and brought me to Fiandel. So, I don't have a debt to pay. I can just follow the path laid down by life.

-That means you will be fighting among my soldiers? Will you shed the blood of innocents and bring victory to Fiandel? Because that's what war is all about, Arthur. Don’t fool yourself. You’ll have to kill soldiers that, like you, believe they have no other choice and who, otherwise, would choose to live in peace.

-I was told that this is the price to pay for my protection. Protection from everyone who may persecute me. – Arthur's feel his chest tighten as he admits what he is willing to do. – I… I will pay the price you demand.

Only then does the king turn to Rinlia and nod.

The elf gets up and picks up a sword near the window. It is a sword with a golden handle, which, until then, Arthur had not even noticed. She returns and, kneeling with her palms up, she offers the weapon to the king.

Njalmar takes the sword and stands up. Nafaester sets down her cup and go next to the king.

-Stand up, Arthur. Come to me.

He obeys.

-Kneel. – The king orders.

Arthur kneels down.

-Do you swear to protect the kingdom of Fiandel in the war against the Great Forest? Do you swear to protect the soldiers who will fight for my kingdom and defend the flag of this great nation?

-I swear.

-Do you pledge your loyalty to me? Will you fight for me and carry out my orders, protecting my wishes with your life?

-I do. I will.

The king rests the flat side of the sword on the boy's left shoulder.

-With the power vested in me as King of Fiandel, I, Njalmar, promise that, as long as I live, you will be welcomed into my kingdoms. You will be a citizen and have the same rights as all my subjects. – He rests the sword on Arthur's right shoulder. – As long as you honor your promise, I make my word a debt and declare: No one will touch a hair on your head or dishonor your name while you live among us and obey our laws.

The king rests the sword on the Traveler's head.

The Destroyer of the World.

The Herald of the Prophecy of the End.

-I declare you a Royal Knight of Fiandel. You will be incorporated into Commander Rinlia's forces and you will protect our Kingdom. Let the Entities guide your way.

-Long live King Njalmar. – Rinlia says, picking up the sword that the king offers her. – Long live Fiandel.

-Stand up, my son. – The king orders. – And welcome to Fiandel.

*

-Why are you helping me? – Dan asks as he rests his hand on Ohana's shoulder. With the other hand, he holds a cane, made from a stout tree branch, carved in a hurry. – It would be faster and safer to leave me behind now that I've become a burden.

-You're not a burden. Besides, you would do the same for me.

-You don't know that. – He smiles, though frustration is noticeable with each misplaced step towards the outside of the cave. In that smile resides the essence of joviality that he imprinted on his own lips when he was healthy.

-You already did. – She replies. – When the stone worms attacked, I knew you were in a safe place. You could have chosen to leave me behind, but you didn't.

He avoids her eyes. The dryad gives a half smile before completing:

-Besides, I accepted you as my traveling companion. I'll make sure we both reach our destination before leaving you behind.

*

*