Queen Nichole looked at the figure, still holding her hammer firmly.
- "The Guardian? Did you make the banshees disappear?"
- "I did"- the figure replied.
The Queen observed the mysterious figure for a moment: the voice sounded female and it was weak and grim, but she wasn't a banshee. A hood covered her head and her face couldn't be seen properly. Queen Nichole couldn't really make out whether she was human or not, but she had just saved her life so she couldn't be dangerous.
- "Thank you"- said the Queen placing her weapon on her back- "You saved my life".
- "You must leave"- said The Guardian firmly- "This is a dangerous place to be".
The Queen approached her slowly.
- "I'm looking for something. Maybe you can help me".
- "Nothing remains here…Everything was lost a very long time ago"- said The Guardian in a very sad tone.
Queen Nichole remained silent for a moment. That sadness in her voice…could she be human after all?
- "I'm looking for The Eye of Avo. It is an ancient amulet that can make darkness disappear".
The figure raised her head slightly.
- "Why do you seek it?"
- "I am Queen Nichole, the monarch of Albion. A few months ago I defeated the Crawler, a dark creature that threatened both Albion and Aurora. But now the shadows are back and I need the amulet to end this once and for all".
The hooded figure looked down and didn't reply.
- "Do you know where it may be?"- asked the Queen.
The Guardian placed her hand inside her tunic and took out a beautiful white amulet that looked like an eye. Queen Nichole looked at it and gasped in awe as she approached it slowly.
- "I need to take it with me"- said the Queen- "I promise I will bring it back once my task is complete".
The Guardian closed her hand around the amulet tightly.
- "I need it to protect the marsh"- she said- "Without it, the creatures will attack us".
The Queen frowned.
- "Us? Who are you referring to?"
The Guardian looked back and then lowered her head sadly.
- "The marsh is not abandoned. Some of us still live here".
Queen Nichole was very confused. There was no way a human could live in such a place…what kind of creature was this mysterious guardian? And what was she guarding?
- "Are you…human?"- the Queen asked.
- "Yes…"- The Guardian remained silent for a few seconds- "Or at least I used to be…"
- "Are the others human too?"
- "Yes…And I need to protect them. That's my duty".
The Queen was even more confused now. Were they some kind of dark cult?
- "The Wraithmarsh is not a nice place to live. What are you doing here?"
The Guardian looked down and Queen Nichole would have sworn that a tear rolled down her face.
- "They have nowhere to go and I must protect them…I must…"
The Queen didn't really understand what she meant but she felt sorry for her. Could it be they were homeless people?
- "You don't need to live here, we have shelters all around Albion. You can come with me and…"
- "We cannot leave; we belong here"- interrupted The Guardian firmly.
- "You belong here?"- the Queen frowned- "Are you…are you the descendants of the survivors of Oakvale?"
The Guardian just looked down and remained silent.
- "But…you can't stay here! This is a horrible place to live!"- said the Queen- "You should come to Bowerstone or Brightwall…or join the other descendants of Oakvale in Oakfield".
The Guardian raised her head quickly.
- "There were more survivors?"
- "Yes, and they went north to found Oakfield. My father used to tell me that".
The Guardian looked down and started breathing heavily. She then approached the Queen and opened her hand, offering her the amulet.
- "Take it"- she said firmly- "But I want something in exchange".
- "Anything"- replied the Queen.
- "I want you to take everyone with you. I want you to find shelter for them and make sure they are fine".
The Queen nodded.
- "I will; I promise".
The Guardian turned around and followed a little path across the forest. Queen Nichole followed her until they reached a clearing where some rudimentary houses stood. Next to them, there was a big cemetery with tombs marked with rotten wooden planks. Dozens of names could be read carved on them.
The Queen noticed that all of them had a lit candle on them which contrasted with the dark tone of the marsh.
- "These were the victims of Oakvale's destruction"- said The Guardian sadly- "I never let the flames douse; the shadows took their souls but they'll never take their bodies".
Suddenly, a group of people, children among them, left from the houses and looked at the Queen with curiosity. The Guardian walked towards them.
- "My people, it is time to leave the marsh; it is time for you, the descendants of Oakvale, to end your suffering"- she then turned to the Queen- "This is the Queen of Albion. You will go with her out of here to live a better life. Your lives in this cursed place are over".
Everyone looked at her and frowned.
- "And where will we go, my Lady? We have lived here all our lives"- said one of them.
- "I will take you to shelters around Albion. You can stay there for as long as you need to"- replied the Queen.
The people looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They had been born there, in the Wraithmarsh, generation after generation since their ancestors settled there after they survived the catastrophe of Oakvale. They all hated the marsh and its sadness, but this was the only place they knew and leaving it scared them.
- "Out there, a wonderful world awaits you, far from the darkness, far from the sadness, far from here…Go with her, get a better life for your children"- said The Guardian.
- "I promise you'll be alright"- said the Queen firmly.
An old man approached The Guardian slowly.
- "But can we…just leave? What about...them?"- he said with a terrified face.
- "I will take care of it. Now, go"- The Guardian replied.
Everyone got their few possessions and got ready to leave. They had started making their way out of the forest, following the Queen, when an old woman turned around and saw The Guardian standing still in the middle of the settlement.
- "Wait!"- she shouted- "Our Lady Guardian is not coming with us!"
The group stopped walking and looked at her.
- "We are not leaving without her! She has always protected us!"
The Guardian looked up and Queen Nichole could distinguish the outline of a delicate face, but her hood was still covering most of it.
- "I'll be with you soon. Just go ahead"- she said, trying to sound firm.
The group turned around slowly and went on walking, but the Queen still looked at the hooded woman, not believing her words. She asked the group to wait for her further down the path and approached her quickly.
- "You are not coming, are you?"
The Guardian looked away and walked towards the tombs.
- "It's too late for me…I have been here for far too long".
- "It's never too late. You can still have a new life out of here"- replied the Queen.
The Guardian turned her head and the Queen saw the outline of a sad smile.
- "I'll be fine…Just take them with you".
The Guardian kneeled before the tombs while the Queen looked at her, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, a young woman from the group approached them.
- "We are scared…We fear the banshees will come for us"- she said.
The Queen had promised The Guardian that she would take her people out of the Wraithmarsh and she had to keep her promise. She would have liked to convince her to come with them, but she seemed determined to remain here and she couldn't leave the group alone in the path much longer, the banshees or some other creatures might try to hurt them.
She sighed deeply and smiled to the young woman.
- "Don't worry, we are leaving already".
The Queen looked back at The Guardian while she led the group out of the Wraithmarsh until the fog hid her image.
The Guardian caressed the tomb that lied right before her and got up. She went down a narrow path until she reached the flooded village, where she stopped for a moment. As she looked around Oakvale, her eyes filled with tears.
- "Now it will be over…Now I will join them".
The Guardian went on walking across the village until she reached a dense forest full of black trees. She moved away some dead vegetation and she went down a path until she found herself in front of two ancient wooden doors which had a slot on them. She placed her hand on it carefully and the doors unlocked.
The Guardian entered the temple and made her way towards its heart, where three shadows stood in front of three skeleton thrones.
- "The people have left"- said the shadow in the middle with a grim voice- "Why did you allow that to happen?"
- "You lied to me"- said The Guardian furiously- "You told me there were no other survivors; you told me they wouldn't survive crossing the marsh, not even with my amulet!"
- "We didn't lie to you"- the shadow replied calmly- "No one else who was in the area survived. And they can cross the marsh now only because we allow it".
- "Then why didn't you allow it before? Why did you condemn all these people all these years to live on death itself?"
- "We already told you. We needed someone to take care of our land…and they needed a place to call home. It was a fair trade".
The Guardian, still with tears on her eyes, approached the edge of the stone platform that lied right above the abyss that separated her from the Shadow Judges and kneeled.
- "Take me, take my soul. Let me join my people at last".
The shadows remained silent for a moment.
- "That night, so many years ago, we did lie to you about something"- continued the shadow- "When you came here asking us who had done it, who had destroyed Oakvale and condemned its inhabitants, we told you that the man was dead. But he wasn't dead…he isn't dead".
The Guardian felt a strong pressure on her chest as she raised her head and looked at the Shadow Judges with wide-open eyes.
- "He is…alive?"- she asked with a trembling voice.
- "He is. He still honors our deal".
The Guardian looked down and started breathing heavily.
- "Before we reap your soul, wouldn't you like to ask him why he did it? Why he allowed this horrible tragedy to happen? Why he killed everyone you ever loved?"- said the shadow with an almost mocking tone.
- "Where is he?"- asked The Guardian as firmly as she was able.
- "That is for you to find out"- the shadow replied- "You may go now…Come back once your task is done and your curiosity…fulfilled".
The Guardian got up and left the temple. The words of the shadow still resonated on her mind: he was alive, the man who had destroyed her village, the man who had killed her family and friends, the man who had taken everything from her…
- "I will find him".