Yggdrasil
Chapter 2
Silence gripped the forest. It wisped throughout the trees and tickled the grassy floor. As it softly touched the sky it also gently caressed the three individuals who now kneeled before the massive tree that was located in the clearing of that forest. Their voices were stilled and their heads were bowed. All three were in deep mourning for their late queen. Amid the three, Matthew, felt the most sorrow. He has been especially close to the Queen, and now, as his heart lay heavy with grief, his thoughts went back to his last meeting with his queen.
"Go hide Matthew!" Mercedes commanded, as a flaming Vulcun burst from the flaming foliage. Quickly pointing her Riblam at the flying assailant, and pressing the trigger in one swift fluid motion, Mercedes shot off a red bolt of energy that hit the Vulcun straight on, knocking her out of the sky. Tilting the crossbow down, Mercedes let off another shot that caused the Vulcun to disperse into phozons upon impact.
"But Queen Mercedes..." Matthew started to say in a worried tone.
"Don't worry, Matthew," Mercedes said, in a cheerful tone, "I'll be fine. As long as I have my mother's bow, I won't be defeated." she said with a confident smile. Turning her sight onto two nearby fairies, one being an archer, the other, a spellcaster, she addressed them in an authoritive tone that held no hostile intent.
"You two, look after him." She commanded them gently.
Both of them bowed simultaneously, and as if on cue, replied at the same time. "As you command, Queen Mercedes."
With that being said, Mercedes gave Matthew a smile before flying towards the raging flames that now laid the once beautiful forest into ashes.
"Queen Mercedes!' Matthew shouted at her retreating figure, but by then, she was already gone.
Done with his recollections of the past, Matthew got up off of his knees. However, he had barely took two steps before stumbling. The other two were suddenly alerted by this and rushed to his side.
"Are you alright?" The archer asked.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Matthew said, as he steadied himself.
"We were instructed by Queen Mercedes to look after your safety. She would surely be most displeased if she were to see the state your are in." The spellcaster said.
Clutching his bloody wound, Matthew shook them off.
"'Tis alright. My body is old and weary. I only wish to die near my queen, that is all. I'm sure my body will allow to live until then, no matter how severe the wound. Matthew assured them. Then his demeanor changed ashe addressed his two protectors. "You two are still young, you can leave me and do what it is you both wish to do."
Not even taking a moment of thought before responding, the two fairies both rejected his offer.
"We don't have much time left as well in this world. A fairy cannot exist without phozons. And ever since the Cauldron incident,
the land has been devoid of phozons." The archer said.
"But then why did you not take the phozons from the two goblins you killed?" Matthew questioned.
"We did not see the point in such a action. Why should we live for a few more moments, while our queen is dead, and you, who we were charged with keeping alive slowly dies? It would be disrespectful. It was better to let the land which gave birth to us, to have to phozons instead. We too, wish to die near our queen."
Smiling at the steadfast loyalty of the two last fairies of Erion, Matthew took an unsteady step towards the tree.
"This is all that remains of our beloved queen." Matthew said aloud, his voice containing heavy traces of grief. As his eyes wondered over the magnificant figure of the tree, his eyes spotted Riblam, nestled deep within the tree's roots.
"It Queen Mercedes's bow. Even in death she keeps it close to her."
It was then that Matthew noticed the presences of the individual who was held deep in the tree's embrace.
"Who is this?" Matthew wondered aloud, alerting the presence of the other two as Matthew examined the face of the individual. As they neared the body, they realized the face was of someone they did not know.
"Matthew, shall we get rid of this body?" The archer asked. as she took a step towards the body, ready to forecfully remove it from the tree.
"To believe that a stranger could be so close to the tree of Mercedes." The spellcaster said, as she too took a step towards the body, also ready to remove the immobile male.
"Wait." Matthew said, causing the two to stop abruptly and to turn towards Matthew in question. His face showed him to be deep in thought.
"I don't know who this man is, but he has a familiar presence to him, as if I have met him before. Let us leave his body. Whoever he may be, he must have been important to Queen Mercedes for her to embrace him so tightly, even in her death." Matthew said as he sat down next to the tree, a short distance from the male body.
"My body is tired, I shall take a nap. You two may do what you wish." Matthew said as he rested his head against the tree and closed his eyes.
Despite what may have appeared to be a simple statement of one's fatigue, both of the fairies realized the heavy meaning behind his words. Following Matthew's example the two both walked to different sides of the tree, each picking out an unoccupied spot before resting down against the tree, placing their weapons gently aside on the soft, grassy floor. Slowly, their eyes both closed as as they drifted off to sleep. As the three laid to rest, their thoughts all drifted away from reality.
Now in deep slumber, they began to dream. Within they dreams were the dreams of a better time. A time where they could live a life without strife. Within their dreams was a past without grief, a present of joy, and a future of hope. They all dreamed of the same things. They all dreamed of a time where war did not ravage the lands, and death did not taint the hands of the pure. What they all dreamed of was a land of peace. What they all dreamed of was, Erion.