After some calming down, we explained the situation to Hiram. I figured that after doing all we did, it was pointless to keep it secret any longer. Unsurprisingly, Hiram looked very angry when we told him what had happened. However, his anger did not seem to be directed towards any of us in particular. When we finished, Hiram took a moment to calm himself down as well. Then, with a sober expression, he told the three of us to gather up our things and wait behind the cottage.

The three of us waited in awkward silence by the apple trees. I was dead tired now and it was difficult to keep my eyes open. Added onto that was soreness all over my body and the uncomfortable realization of my earlier outburst. I’ve been yelling at children a lot more over here than back home. Flora and Tasha were sitting on the grass a little bit away from me, not trying to look at anyone. I just stared at the ground until Hiram finally came outside, carrying a satchel. He went over to one of the apple trees and picked one out.

“Here, eat it,” he said, tossing the apple over to me. I took a bite, and I must say, it really didn’t quite taste like an apple. It tasted kind of sour, and was probably closer to grapefruit than apple. As the juices flowed down my throat, though, I could feel the soreness leave my body. I took another bite and blinked a few times, feeling much more refreshed. Hiram picked out a couple more apples and tossed them over to Flora and Tasha as well. As we finished eating the apples, Hiram took off the satchel and handed it over to Flora.

“What is this for?” she asked.

“You know what it’s for. Now, onto the next matter. Flora, you say the contract with Gaia was only temporary, but since you were at the guardian tree, you should have made a contract with it as well.”

“My memories are a bit…blurry on that, but I think I might have.”

“Let’s test it out right now. Visualize yourself gathering power inside yourself and then repeat after me. By my contract with the guardian tree, grant me nature’s blessing.” Flora tried putting on a serious expression while she concentrated, and then repeated the words.

“By my contract with the guardian tree, grant me nature’s blessing.” I didn’t notice any visible difference.

“Well? Do you feel any different?” Flora moved her arms around a little bit and clenched a fist.

“Um, I think I feel…a bit more awake.” Hiram let out a soft sigh.

“That’s fine. Just try it again tomorrow, and next time, try to focus on something specific that you want to improve on for your body.” Hiram then turned to me. “Braith, I hope you are feeling better now.”

“Uh, yes, thank you,” I replied with some measure of embarrassment. I felt like I was about to be lectured.

“I want all of you to know that I do not blame you for what you have done tonight. However, not many are as like-minded as I. The Nature Clan’s King will not let this rest and as long as you are in these forests, you will be pursued.”

“I understand that. Tasha and I will try to get out of here as soon as possible.” It also probably wouldn’t be a good idea to head back to the Bronze Territory, either.

“To assist you in our escape, I have provided Flora with the Alchemist’s Satchel. Inside are potion apples, hide armour for you and your daughter, various other traveling supplies, and some coin to cover expenses.”

“Wait, Flora is going to guide us out of the forest? I don’t think that’s really necessary.” Despite everything that happened, besides simply forgiving us, I could hardly believe he wanted to be so helpful..

“Guide you? No, she will be accompanying you. Her actions tonight are no less grievous than yours. The Nature Clan king may not want to kill her as he does you, but he will definitely want to capture her.” Oh, so that’s what this is about. Still, this was not something I was just going to accept.

“Shouldn’t you be the one to get her to safety then?”

“Braith, you don’t seem to understand the seriousness of this issue. The King will send his men, and this will be one of the first places to come to.”

“Why’s that? Why would he know it was Flora that did it all? How would he recognize her?” Hiram sighed.

“The King may not personally recognize her, but I’m sure others would. You mentioned that someone by the name of Dristan was there among the Druids, correct?”

“Yeah, why?”

“He would be one of those people. Regardless, the King should be able to put things together rather quickly. Among all the people who could intrude upon Eden and make a contract with the guardian spirit…well, there wouldn’t be many others he would consider once he has some time to think about it.” His voice was full of certainty, which led me to bring up an old question of mine once more.

“Just who are you really, Hiram?”

“There is no more time to waste,” Hiram continued, ignoring my question. “Flora understands how the Alchemist’s Satchel works and she has her bow and quiver. It is rather abrupt, but please treat her well and escort her safely out of this forest.” Hiram then turned to Flora. “And no matter what may happen to me, do not return. Now, hurry and get going. Stop by the hot spring one last time to bathe before changing. This is especially important as you will be needing to run all night long and I believe you’ve all already pushed yourselves farther than what a single apple can fully deal with. The spring has properties to help a bit more with your exhaustion. Oh, and one last thing; make sure to never eat more than one apple a day.”

“Wait, you can’t be serious about all of this. You’re just going to tell us to run away and take your granddaughter with us? What about you? Why can’t you take her away?” This all just seemed way too drastic. I mean, yeah, we all trespassed on royal grounds and I assaulted a king, but…wait, am I the one who doesn’t get it?

“This is a desperate time for me, Braith. I suppose I knew something like this would probably happen some day, but I didn’t think it would be so soon and that I would have to rely on a strange outlander like you.”

“Well, sorry about that,” I said curtly. “Maybe you ought to rethink your decision, then?”

“But I’ll have to trust my gut this time and leave it to you nonetheless.” Hiram ignored my words and stayed resolute. “I believe and hope that this is something I can leave to you. Braith, I know this all just sounds like I’m barking out orders, but please, can you do me this favour?” Despite everything I’ve done, he’d still ask me to do something like this?

“You’re insane.” I looked over to Flora and Tasha. Really, I could think of at least a few more ways to argue against him, but I was feeling very guilty about the matter and I knew Tasha would never let me refuse. “But, I’ll do it. I won’t be taking any future complaints, though.”

“Thank you, Braith. Now, you really must be going now.” I got up off the ground and so did Tasha. Flora needed Tasha to pull her up, as she was still quite shaken.

“Grandpa…I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have kept it a secret, after all.” Hiram put his hands on her shoulders.

“Do not worry about it,” he said simply.

“I love you, Grandpa. I- I don’t want to run away. I’ll miss you. W-when can I come back?” she said, tears starting to flow once more. Hiram hugged her.

“I love you, too, but you can’t come back. At least not anytime soon. You must be strong, Flora. You must be patient. Never be hasty, and always continue to grow and learn.”

“...I will.” Suddenly, Hiram pulled back.

“The three of you, go now!” We nodded and immediately dashed off from the small hill. We stopped by the hot springs briefly as Hiram instructed and then ran north all throughout the night. Heading straight to the east would have been the fastest way out of the forest, but that’s also where most of the forts and patrols were concentrated around. Instead, it seemed safer to head north for quite some time before trying to leave the forest.

We traveled in relative silence both for reasons of stealth and to conserve energy. There were several times when it seemed like Flora was about to keel over and there were even a couple times where my head and muscles would ache with intense pain. The only one who seemed to be fine running nonstop for hours was Tasha. When dawn finally broke, we took our first break. It was a short break, though. Everyone seemed rather depressed, knowing full well why we all had to run away and the future problems that came with it. It was easier having a body approaching its limits, with lungs screaming for air, heart about to burst, and legs turning to stone, than to have to discuss everything that went wrong last night. As well as I could avoid talking about it, though, I could not help but sporadically wonder what was going to happen to Hiram and why he had to stay behind.

*****

Immediately after Braith and the others left, Hiram went to stand in front of the cottage. He only needed to wait a few minutes before the visitors arrived. Six Druids strode the way past the fence and over to the vegetable garden in front of the cottage. Hiram took a few steps forward and glanced over them, shining a lantern over them.

“Hmmm, it doesn’t look like Dristan is here,” Hiram remarked.

“The Captain is busy attending to other matters,” one of the Druids responded.

“I see. Well, what brings you all here to my humble abode?” Hiram asked calmly and politely.

“Where is the girl?”

“The girl?” Hiram asked after a moment of hesitation, feigning ignorance.

“Your granddaughter, Flora Tree.”

“Oh, she’s fast asleep, as you might expect from a young girl at this late hour.”

“Well, wake her up and bring her out here, then.”

“I see no need to thoughtlessly disrupt a child’s sleep. What could be so urgent that it cannot wait until morning?”

“Bring her out here right now!” a different Druid demanded. Hiram shot him a look that actually made him recoil slightly.

“No.” There was a moment of silence after voicing his refusal.

“You think you can just refuse?” the first Druid asked. “We are here by order of the King of the Nature Clan.”

“Well, whether or not that’s true, I don’t see what that has to do with me or my granddaughter.” Everyone present could feel the tension in the air rise.

“You will bring her out right now!” the second Druid shouted out, having quickly recovered from his second of fear.

“My apologies, but I simply cannot comply. Please return in the morning, when it is a more sensible hour.”

“You old man! You think you can act like this after stepping away from the Nature Clan?!” the second Druid cried out.

“Enough,” began the first Druid, “I think it’s rather plain to see that the girl isn’t actually here anymore. Well, it’s not as if you can protect her, not after what she’s done. Now, tell us where she is and who those other two were as well.”

“Other two? I have no idea what you are talking about. You are the first visitors I’ve had in months.” The first Druid let out a sigh of exasperation.

“Clearly, words alone will not do.” He turned back to face the other four Druids that had not spoken yet. “You four, go ahead and begin the search. If you coordinate your magic together, you might be able to trace them.” He turned to face the second Druid now. “You and I will deal with the old man.” The other four Druids made ready to leave, but walls of dirt and stone rose up behind the Druids, blocking their path.

“I do not think your plan properly took me into consideration,” Hiram spoke casually as he took another few steps closer. A few of the Druids whispered to each other in a panic.

“Did you see him make a move?”

“No, I didn’t. How did he do that so quickly?”

“Quiet!” commanded the first Druid. He then let out a single cough. “You should go a bit easier on using magic, Sir Hiram. You aren’t as young as you once were and it’s been, oh, how long since you last renewed your contract with the guardian tree?” Hiram took another step closer, and one of the Druids stepped back instinctively.

“If you mean to insult me, I think you could at least drop the ‘Sir’. Seems pointless to focus on that title when I’ve never cared for such things nor even ever accepted it.”

“You treat your desertion so casually. I cannot understand why the King hasn’t ordered your imprisonment earlier.”

“Well, you’re all probably too young to understand why.”

“And you are too old to think you can take on six Druids at once.” The rest of the Druids pumped themselves up confidently at the declaration. “Druids, let’s put this old man to sleep before he gets any more senile.” The six attacked.