Helbram was bored. None of his usual activities–flying in the forest, eating delicious berries, talking to his friends–appealed to him. And hanging out with his best friend wasn't an option right now. Harlequin was spending a lot of time with the Fairy King these days, and Helbram didn't want to intrude. Besides, he was by far not as interested as Harlequin in everything that concerned the forest. The forest was great, and it was his home, and he loved it, of course; but he didn't feel the need to unlock each and every one of its secrets.
The secrets he wanted to uncover had to do with another race.
Helbram absent-mindedly flew above a clearing where several fairies were sitting on mushrooms, talking to each other.
"Helbram!" one of them called him. "Will you tell us again the story of how Fairy King Dahlia saved you from the humans?"
The prospect should have been irresistible to him, but for some reason he wasn't in the mood.
"Later," he dodged the request, pretending not to feel the fairies' disappointment.
He flew up, leaving them behind. His thoughts were unusually bleak. The situation was grave indeed if he was tired of being the center of others' attention, of seeing the admiration in their eyes.
He crossed the canopy and arrived in the sky, a blue summer sky. The sun was pleasantly warming his body.
It only slightly improved his mood.
Helbram gazed at the horizon. He hadn't forgotten how close he had been to take a look at the forest's border, before the infamous attack that he had refused to narrate once more.
If he was honest with himself, Helbram would have already gone back to the border if he could have dragged Harlequin along with him. But Harlequin had been busy lately, no one else would be ready to follow him there, and Helbram didn't want to go alone.
He lay down in the air, his head resting on his hand.
Below him, somewhere inside the greenery of the Fairy King's Forest, Harlequin was learning to be a king.
Maybe it was time for Helbram to grow, too.
Anticipation coursed through his body as he pictured himself taking a look at the world beyond the forest. Maybe it was what he needed: new stories to tell the fairies.
Having made his decision, Helbram headed for the forest border.
Comfortably sprawled on his pillow, Harlequin was watching the sky through the leaves.
He was accompanying King Dahlia on a patrol through the forest. Harlequin had never realized how much time the Fairy King spent doing that before. Dahlia went to places that fairies rarely traveled to, in parts of the forest where brambles and thorn bushes left no place to walk and barely any to fly, and the trees were so thick the ground rarely saw the light of day.
But right now, they were in the canopy, enjoying the sun beams of the late afternoon and breathing in the scent of ripe fruits. Dahlia was telling Harlequin about his first days as a king, far before Harlequin had been born, and how everything had been new to him.
The king's voice was lulling him, and Harlequin's eyelids closed on their own volition.
"Harlequin, are you listening to me?"
Harlequin started. There was amusement in the king's voice, so there must be no reason for Harlequin's heart to be beating so fast. It still took him several seconds to remember what he was doing here.
Had he fallen asleep while listening to the king? It was embarrassing.
"Of course, Your Majesty," he said.
It wasn't exactly a lie. He was listening to the king now, wasn't he?
Dahlia watched him, and Harlequin found himself blushing.
"I didn't get much sleep last night," he said, feeling like he had to defend himself somehow.
It had been one of those nights, where he remembered that one day, he would be expected to perform the duties Dahlia did, and self-doubt gnawed at him until he had no choice but to leave the cavity where he lived with Elaine so his sudden panic wouldn't wake her up. He had taken a long flight under the trees before finding sleep in the crook of a branch, and been awoken early in the morning by an owl coming home.
Harlequin stroked absent-mindedly the bruise on his left arm. In his surprise, he hadn't realized what was happening before the owl had thrown him out, causing him to crash unceremoniously against a trunk. The bruise was already fading away, but the humiliation lingered.
"You have to be more aware of your surroundings," Dahlia said.
Harlequin didn't know whether the Fairy King was referring to his most recent nap or to the owl incident, that he must have read in Harlequin's heart. Harlequin had no doubt that King Dahlia was always aware of his surroundings. Even the monkey on his shoulder–his Spirit Spear Darrenheart–seemed to be watching them.
Harlequin had wanted to ask the King about it for a long time, and now was the perfect opportunity to redirect Dahlia's thoughts.
"How does a Spirit Spear work?" he asked.
"That's what I was explaining to you," Dahlia said, quite mischievously if you asked Harlequin.
Harlequin's renewed embarrassment didn't last. He was too excited for that. Even his previous tiredness vanished as he leaned forward, ready to lap up everything the king would say.
"Spirit Spears are weapons made out of the Sacred Tree himself," Dahlia began.
The monkey didn't look like a weapon, but Harlequin had witnessed firsthand how deceiving this appearance was.
Dahlia stood up. "They can assume different forms, depending on what you want to use them for. You already know Darrenheart's first and second forms. The Guardian form you see here is the second form." He moved his fingers, and the spear that had killed the human intruders appeared in front of Harlequin. "The first form is the Spirit Spear itself. It's used for attacking, as is its fifth form, Increase."
Harlequin gaped as Darrenheart broke into a thousand tiny darts, each one looking more threatening than the other.
"It can also take the shape of an armor. Seven form, Yggdra Plate!"
Harlequin gaped even harder as a shiny blue armor wrapped itself around the king. Dahlia grinned, obviously very happy with this reaction.
"I would show you its fourth form, Sunflower, but it's a bit too destructive for this place."
"Wow," Harlequin eloquently said as Darrenheart turned once more into a monkey and jumped on Dahlia's shoulder.
"I had to figure out all of this by myself," Dahlia said. "I hope to make it easier for you."
Harlequin thought about it. "The previous Fairy King didn't tell you anything?"
Dahlia's smile vanished. "No. One day, Fairy King Gloxinia just vanished. Soon after, I bonded with the Sacred Tree and received Darrenheart, and we knew he wouldn't come back."
Harlequin couldn't miss the sudden sadness emanating from the king, and he regretted his question.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"
"It's quite alright," Dahlia said. "There is no harm in asking questions." He gazed into the distance. "I think it's enough for today. Good night, Harlequin. Try not to disturb any owls."
Harlequin nodded, blushing, and took his leave. As he levitated lazily back to the Sacred Tree, he wondered what his own Spirit Spear would look like at rest. Surely it would be something awe-inspiring, something that would remind the other fairies of the power of a Fairy King. An owl? No, a bear. A huge, powerful bear.
Harlequin smiled to himself. This was maybe the only thing about becoming king that he was excited about.
Helbram's heart beat faster as he approached the border. He stopped a few beatings of wings away to steady himself.
He had been traveling since the day before, eating and sleeping on the way. It was rare for him not to sleep in his favorite tree, but it wasn't unheard of. His friends weren't going to worry.
For the last part of the journey, he had made sure to stay below the canopy, and avoided the place where he and Harlequin had been attacked. As much as he wanted to see the landscape that was waiting for him, he wanted it to be a surprise even more. He was a little late to see the sunrise, but the morning was still new.
From where he stood, he couldn't see anything except the trees. They were especially thick here, as if the forest wanted to discourage intruders.
Slowly, carefully, Helbram moved forward to take a peek at the world behind the trees.
He had never seen such an open horizon. Right after the forest were meadows, and after that cultivated fields. Humans weren't like fairies, they didn't get their food directly from the forest. They had to work for it.
Helbram would have been unable to tell how much time he remained here, his soul drinking the landscape, the sounds and smells of human presence. When he finally felt like he could move again, he started following the border, making sure to stay behind the trees. He wanted to see a human, a real human, going around his daily life. Not a mercenary whose goal was to destroy, but one of those who cultivated these fields.
Helbram made sure to stay behind the trees, where it felt safe, as he slowly made his way towards more meadows and fields.
But he saw no human.
After a while, Helbram noticed small plumes of smoke in the horizon. The human village must be here. It was too far away to be seen from Helbram's place, though. He flew up, his head, then his whole body poking out of the canopy, but the village was hidden behind a hill.
Helbram settled on a bough to take some rest. Despite his amazement and joy at finally seeing this world that had always fascinated him, he had to admit he was disappointed. This moment couldn't be complete without humans in the flesh.
Maybe he would wait here until someone ventured in the fields?
But he didn't know how long that would take, and Harlequin was going to worry if Helbram disappeared for more than a day. Helbram could, of course, go back home, warn him of his intent and come back here. It was the reasonable decision to make.
However…
Another thought was gaining ground in Helbram's mind. What if he ventured out of the forest? Just enough to take a look at a human? Going by the smoke in the distance, the village was close by.
Of course, he couldn't go as a fairy. His people never went out of the forest, humans here weren't used to see them. His gorgeous appearance might be too much for the humans.
He would have to change it.
Before he fully realized it, Helbram had made his decision. He sank back into the forest, to a nearby pond that he had noticed on the way over. Looking at his reflection in the water, he set to work.
First, his wings. Humans, despite being awesome beings, were unluckily born without the ability to grow them.
Second, his pointed ears. He took inspiration from Harlequin's round ones. This he wouldn't tell him–he knew how sensitive his friend was about the ears.
Helbram wondered whether he should change his clothes too, but the only reference he had was the mercenaries' clothing and he didn't think it was appropriate.
When he was satisfied, he levitated back to the border and landed right behind the trees.
Then he took a step forward.
There. He had done it. He was out of the forest.
Helbram took another step forward, then another, then another, grinning all the while.
Harlequin was never going to believe it.
That morning–he could still call it that as long as the sun wasn't at its highest point in the sky, couldn't he?–Harlequin woke up feeling well-rested. He spent the following hours with his sister, Elaine, and didn't start worrying about Helbram until it was time to eat.
He had found juicy plums that Helbram especially liked, and he realized that he hadn't seen his best friend since the day before.
"Did Helbram tell you what he's up to?" he asked his sister.
Elaine shook her head. "Primrose told me that he was in a bad mood yesterday. He even refused to tell them stories. Maybe he wanted to spend some time alone?"
"Helbram? In a bad mood?" Harlequin grimaced. "I don't like this."
"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about," Elaine said. "He's in the Fairy King's Forest. He's safe."
Above their heads, the leaves suddenly stirred. It was probably a gust of wind, too high to be felt on the mushrooms they were sitting on.
Still, and despite his sister's reassuring words, Harlequin decided that he would go look for his friend after his meal.
And even if Helbram did want to be alone, it would only be justice that Harlequin would interfere with it. After all, it had never bothered Helbram the other way around.
Helbram had found a narrow path crossing the fields, one that must lead to the village. It was hotter than he had expected; he hadn't realized how much the forest sheltered them from the heat.
He was wondering whether it was the reason why humans built stone houses to hide in when he saw him.
The human.
His first non-aggressive human.
He was sitting on a bank, mouthing a piece of wood that emitted a gray fume and smelled foul, watching the horizon peacefully. The building behind him–his house, most probably–was a little away from the village, which was perfect. Helbram's heart was beating so fast already, he didn't know if he could have taken more humans at once.
Helbram checked his borrowed appearance. His back, his ears, everything seemed fine. He didn't have a beard, though, contrary to the human. Should he add one? No, it was too late for that. The human had already seen him–was watching him. If Helbram grew a beard now, the human would know something was amiss.
Helbram straightened up and approached the human.
"Hello, fellow human," he said. He had a hard time keeping his voice steady. He felt… intimidated.
The man watched him with amusement. He had wrinkles at the corner of his eyes and around his mouth. Helbram thought it was beautiful, in an exotic kind of way.
"Hello, young man."
Helbram's smile was so wide it tugged on his skin. The fact he could pass for a human was an accomplishment–a very reassuring one at that. Granted, the way the man had called him was hilarious, but Helbram didn't think it was a good idea to let him know how much older Helbram was.
"Do you mind if we're having a conversation?" Helbram said. "For the sole purpose of having a conversation."
The man tilted his head. "Not at all. Company is always welcome."
Thrilled, Helbram sat down next to the human.
"You're fascinating," he told him in all honesty.
The human chuckled. "I am? You're not bad either, young man. Your hair color is very uncommon."
"It is?" Helbram hadn't thought about changing his green hair. Didn't humans have green hair? Maybe he should have borrowed Harlequin's hair color, too. In any case, it was too late for that. "My friends say I'm special too," he decided to answer.
His answer amused the human. Helbram didn't mind; he was so happy that the human was behaving in a friendly way.
"I've never seen you around. Where are you from?" the man asked.
For a split second, Helbram froze. He hadn't thought about inventing a story about himself, but then, he hadn't thought that he would be talking to a human. Talking. Oh, the stories he would have to tell!
He quickly recovered from his surprise. "I'm from another place, this way," he said, vaguely pointing West. "I'm traveling. I'm curious about hum–people. I'm collecting stories. Do you have one?"
Again, the man laughed. "I have dozens of stories. Are you interested in them? People tend to tell me I ramble."
Helbram drew his knees towards him, putting his arms around his legs. He was so excited that it was becoming hard to keep his appearance under control.
"Of course I'm interested."
While Harlequin spent time with his sister in the forest and Helbram had the time of his life talking to a friendly human out of said forest, four soldiers were stocking up in the nearby village. Today was the day where they would finally get their revenge on the forest that had swallowed three of their scouts. If they had been the ones to make decisions, they would have looked for them immediately; but their chief had declared them lost, and intensified their preparation.
They hadn't discussed his orders. He wasn't only their chief, he was also a mage. Such people were taken seriously.
As they prepared to go back to their camp, their bags filled with all the bread and meat the villagers had been willing to spare–the soldiers had very strict instructions not to threaten them or steal from them–they met a couple taking a walk on the village square. The man was young, barely more than a teenager. He was holding the arm of a very old lady. She must have been a beauty in her prime; even now, her face radiated peace.
Not that the soldiers noticed that. They did, however, saw a potential recruit in the muscular young man.
The most experienced soldier stopped next to them. "Hey, lad. Do you want to earn some money and join us? Your grandmother can wait."
The young man stopped and watched them in the eye. His bright grin had something unsettling.
"She's not my grandmother," he said. "She's my wife."
"Oh?"
The rich laughs of the soldiers made the young man's grin vanish. "Are you disrespecting us?"
"Meliodas," the elderly woman whispered, patting her husband's arm with her frail hand.
"Of course not," the veteran answered, although he didn't mean a word of it.
People in the prime of life could be annoying to deal with. Even if he had no doubt that he would win a brawl against the boy, given how seasoned he was, he didn't want to start it. Their comrades were waiting for them at the camp.
The named Meliodas seemed to be content with that.
"And what do you need me for?" he asked.
The soldier pointed West. "We're going inside the forest." He started whispering. "There is a treasure inside. If you come with us, you'll become richer than in your wildest dreams. You'll be able to give your… wife… everything she wants."
"I already have everything I want," the old woman said softly.
The soldier ignored her. He knew the greed inside young men's hearts. They were so easy to manipulate.
"Thank you for your offer, but I've already found my treasure," Meliodas said. "And if I were you, I wouldn't go inside that forest. It's not for humans."
The soldier shrugged. "We don't care. We'll burn it if we have to."
It was Meliodas' turn to shrug. "Don't tell I didn't warn you."
Without another word, he turned his back to them. The veteran was tempted to shake him to teach him some manners, but a gut feeling prevented him to.
He hadn't survived this long by not listening to his gut feelings.
"His loss," he told the others. "Let's go. Tonight, we will be richer than this idiot can begin to imagine."
"A camp? Where?"
Helbram had been hanging on the human's every word, not daring to interrupt him while he talked about his childhood and his work and his family, all things new and wonderful, until the man had mentioned the camp.
With his head, the human pointed North. "It's not that far away from the village. They've been here since spring. They buy us supplies from time to time, but else we aren't seeing much of them." The man fixed his gaze on the horizon. "I've known mercenaries that made far worse neighbors."
Helbram would have asked for more details about that new story if not for the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Do you know why they are here?"
The man's face became somber.
"Don't you know about the nearby forest? Legend says it's enchanted, and hides a treasure more valuable than gold. I don't know if that's true. I know, however, that human beings aren't welcome here. Nobody who entered it has ever come back." He shrugged. "Not that us villagers ever do. We tried to tell the soldiers, but they wouldn't listen."
Helbram's heart sank deeper in his chest. "So you think they're here for the forest?"
The man nodded. "What else? We're not rich by their standards. They're not interested in us."
Helbram was about to ask another question when he noticed clouds of smoke in the distance. "What's that?"
"Soldiers on the move," the old man whispered. "It looks like they're done waiting."
Helbram stood up. His heart was beating fast in his chest. He had to go home and warn the others. Fairy King Dahlia would know what to do.
He bowed to the old man. "Thank you. It has been a pleasure to meet you. I have to go now, but I won't forget about you."
"It has been a pleasure for me too," the human answered.
Helbram started walking away. Almost immediately, he heard the man call him.
"Don't go this way, young man. You'll meet the soldiers. I know I said they were decent neighbors, but they're still not recommendable people. Those who take the lives of others for a living can't be trusted."
Helbram remembered his first encounter with humans, and shivered at the thought.
"I'll avoid them," he said.
Before the man could add anything else, Helbram started running. It still felt way too slow. He would be faster in his true form, and time was of the essence.
Without a second thought, Helbram turned back into himself and spread his wings.
Alone on his bank, an elderly man was watching his discussion partner take flight, jaw dropped.
"When I'll tell my wife that I talked to a fairy," he said, stroking his chin. "And a very polite one at that."