Hello, I do hope that you enjoyed that last very long chapter. It was my gift to you for no reason other than I'm back on my meds and I'm able to write that much in a single night. Plus, I actually did want all of that to happen in that chapter, it wasn't just a random decision, it was the same scene from multiple perspectives. I know it was slightly dark as it actually got to describing her turning people into trees, and like I said at the end of the last chapter, she is a grey character because on the one hand she is a hero to the victims that she saves but on the other to the abusers and anyone that knew them she is kind of the devil. She only does what she thinks is right and she has her means of deterring what is right, which will get explained in upcoming chapters. Also, I still need your opinions on if you want this to be romance or friendship as I can't decide and am on the fence. So if you could just give me your opinions on that it would be very helpful. Well, thats enough of a delay so onto the story!
I don't own RotG
Jack watched as evening fell over the tops of the trees and fell into a peaceful state that was only interrupted when Assalli suddenly stood and began to walk off without a word, almost like she was in a trance. The children all stopped their playing and began to follow her with hushed whispers of excitement. Jack stayed where he was just staring the the retreating forms until the same little girl that had talked with him walked up and held her hand out to him, "Come on." She said with a smile. Jack sighed and stood following the girl as she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the woods after everyone else.
After a few twists and turns through the thick forest Jack once again found himself standing in front of the Witch's Tree, only this time he was surrounded by the other inhabitants of the forest. He watched as Assalli walked to the tree and placed her hand on it only this time no blinding light erupted. Instead the trees branches seems to shift and grow longer as the leafy umbrella opened wider to reveal an almost stair like effect created by the branches that led high to the top of the tree, every five feet or so the branches broke off into an almost floor like pattern that as Jack watched began to be covered by thick vines whose leaves grew to immense numbers to create a soft covering. Slowly Assalli pulled her hand away and as she did the children began running past her with laughter as they raced to claim a vine covered branch. Jack slowly walked up with the child still clutching his hand with a look of amazement on his face.
Assalli looked down to the girl and the girl giggled, causing Jack to look down at her, "What?" He asked confused.
The girl looked up him, "She said that men were always way to easily amazed." The girl responded and Jack looked back to Assalli with a lopsided grim as she looked to the treetop with an innocent expression, before glancing at him with a smile. She shook her head at him as she herself climbed the tree and took her place in one of the highest branches where she sat against the trunk of the tree and allowed on of her legs to fall to the side and swing back and forth in the air as she brought the other closer to her chest.
Jack looked back to the little girl, "What is your name?" he asked.
"Katey." she replied with a smile.
"Can I ask you something, Katey?" The girl nodded and he continued, "Why was she so quick to trust me and yet so quick to not to with those guys in the forest?" He asked and Katey sighed.
"You don't get it, do you?" At Jack's confused expression she turned to the tree and gently touched the trunk, "This tree is very magical, and because of that it has granted her the power to read others hearts. That is why she always places her hand on peoples chests before she turns them. She is reading their hearts, not everyone has a heart as black as others, and she can tell that. She knows when someone is just making a stupid mistake and in those instances she doesn't turn them, she simply scares them out of the action." Katey explained and Jack nodded in understanding, "She read your heart and knew that you had no bad intentions with discovering his place, so she spared you." She said, "She likes you. So do I." She concluded before climbing the tree herself with a laugh at Jack's smile, he watched as she settled on a branch about ten feet in the air and snuggled into the vines as the leaves grew around her creating a blanket.
Jack watched with a smile on his face as the children all slowly drifted off to sleep before turning and preparing to sit at the base of the tree before a rock hit his head. He ignored it at first but then another hit him, he glared up at the spot where Katey was before turning back and sitting down. He reseted his head against the trunk and let his eyes drift close as his breathing started to even out. He felt a tapping at his shoulder and his left eye opened to look in the direction, but he saw nothing so he closed his eye again. Then there was another tap at his other shoulder, causing both his eyes to fly open and his head to shoot to the side as he looked around the trunk, only to feel a jab at his back. He whirled around to try and find the culprit but there was no one there.
By now the quiet restrained laughter of the kids in the tree reached his ears and he looked up into the branches at the needy eyes staring at him with amusement. He laughed and shook his head before he heard the laughter heighten and he turned to see what they were laughing at, but yet again he saw nothing. Suddenly though he felt his legs being knocked out from under him and when he opened his eyes from the ground he say a root looming above him, seeming to almost shake with laughter. Thats when another caught hit his ears, on that he had heard only once before that day. He looked up the the top of the tree and saw none other than Assalli with her hand on the tree and laughter spilling from her throat as the other children erupted in laughter with her.
Jack felt himself quietly laughing as his head shook and he carefully pulled himself up from the ground, a mischievous smile taking over his face as an idea popped into his head. As he stood he slowly stretch his arm into the air, the one holding his staff and shot a ball of snow directly to where Assalli was laughing in blissful unawareness. Jack smiled as the children all turned to look at the ball of snow with shock and they all erupted into laughter when it made contact and knocked the poor girl out of the to the ground with laughter as Assalli stood from the snow and looked at him with a smirk. His laughter died as she raised her hand pointing to the tree and flicked her wrist towards him. He looked up just in time to see a branch swing down and in the next moment he had a face full of leaves. As the branch lifted and left him sputtering and spitting leaves out of his mouth he looked up to see Assalli bent over with laughter and half the children almost falling out of tree as they clutched their sides.
Jack stood and smiled at her as she glanced at him, "You are a worthy opponent." He said with a bow and one of the children shouted from the branches her response.
"You aren't!" and when Jack looked back to the girl she had her face buried in her hands as she shook with her laughter. "But you are a creative one!" The boy once again shouted from the tree, "She looks forward to dueling you again, but for now it is time to sleep." He said as the laughter of the children slowly died and Assalli looked to Jack with a soft expression and nudged her head to the tree. "Join us, its more comfortable." The boy concluded and Jack nodded his head and followed Assalli to the higher branches and took the one across from her.
His eyes closed as eh listened to the quiet breathing of the children sleeping below him, but they opened slowly when he heard rustling coming to his side. He turned to look at the branch next to him and found that Assalli was no longer sitting on it, his eyes trailed up at the notice of leaves falling from above him. Cautiously he followed after, trying his best to not make any noise. When he reached the thinest of the branches at the top he glances up to see the girl Standing on a branch that would not be able to hold her weigh there she not a spirit, her hand wrapped around the thin branch it stuck out of as she looked toward the edge of the forrest.
Jack watch silently as the wind blew her brown hair softly across her form and watched as the winds blew the unsteady branches she perched on ever so slightly, but none of it seemed to bother her. She just stood in the wind staring at the horizon with he back turned to the boy, seeming unaware of his presence. He heard her breath deeply and as she exhaled a sudden rush of wind first from the tree and Jack watched as all around them the trees seemed to close up, as if they themselves were sleeping. He watched as far below where they were the flowers all closed and the forest fell silent, all the animals having gone to sleep. But suddenly the forest grew with a new sound, that of the night life, the crickets started chirping and the forest glowed with the soft light of a thousand fireflies. It honestly took his breath away as he looked around the forest in all its beauty before he looked back to the girl to find her staring right at him with her head tilted to right and curious unreadable expression on her face.
Okay, so there is the new chapter, I hope you like it. And I made it a little light hearted because the last chapter was very dark and needed a happier follow up. I will not do that overtime though, the further this story gets the darker it gets and the less lighthearted chapters it will have. Please tell me what you thought and until next time.
The Freak is out of here! :)