Chapter3
by Wolfic
A/N: To be completely truthful, this file has been on my hard drive for sometime. I never uploaded it because no matter how much I edited it, it just never felt right. However, I have now decided to upload it anyways, and will made edits however necessary due to the responses I receive. I look forward to any criticisms.
It was a quiet picture: a painting, a drawing, a sketch.
An ordinary moment in nature.
Beautiful, yet simplistic, a creation crafted not by mortal hands.
In such a picture were trees, tall and robust, with trunks solid and firm, while tiny green leaves lined their branches, like family of tiny mischievous Lilipats, clinging on out of joy and merriment.
The many animals present among the greenery accented the painting with life. Birds, blue feathered and light, perched on the branches of large looming trees, while squirrels, sporting coats of chestnut hues, clustered around near the bases.
And in a single moment, simple in itself, that splendid painting was destroyed.
A gloved hand burst onto the painting, clearing low branches out of the way as a young man emerged from the greenery.
And with the quiet gesture, the magic bled away and the picture was muddled.
The birds quickly took to flight, as the squirrels rapidly sought sanctuary in the tree branches.
A melancholic silence drifted from the trees and laid low among the soft strands of grass.
This intruder was tall and strong, with a body clad in black armor. His face angelic, framed by hair as white as the blazing core of the hottest flame and his eyes were red, majestic, and bled with surprised nostalgia.
And with his other hand, softly holding slender, pale fingers, led a young women of breathtaking beauty onto the scenery next to him.
This women was a startling appearance. There was a fragile, breathtaking beauty with her presence, and yet, curiously, her eyes beheld a steely flame among those calming blue depths.
"Do you know your way, Oswald?" Her voice was light, like merry birds drifting among the clouds in delight.
"Fret not, Gwendolyn. I certainly know my way. It is just that…." The crimson in his eyes swirled and mixed into a troubled frustration.
"What is it?" Gwendolyn drew nearer, closer to her husband.
"…..it's not the same anymore." Letting go of his wife's soft grasp, he took a tentative step forward. Standing still Oswald traced his red gaze over the trees, the grass, the sky, and the very forest itself.
"It is strange, Gwendolyn." He remarked, confusion tingling through his words. "The surroundings are certainly the same." He raised one arm at the scene before him. "The same trees, the same grass. Right here is the same spot where I would train with the blade for many troubling hours under the eyes of Melvin."
He turned, his eyes fixated upon his wife. "But it is not the same."
"I wanted to show it to you." He spoke quietly. "I wanted to show you my home, my family. Certainly, they were not the most caring of people. I can still recall their hateful remarks, the fear and disgust reflected in their many eyes. But they were family none the less. They accepted me when I was left at their gates. I knew that there was a great possibility that they did not survive Armageddon. But I thought that even so, I thought that there would be at least some sign of their presence here. But even the houses and the palace are gone. The bridge and the gardens are most likely gone as well."
The slender arms gently slipped around and held him closely. Light fingers trailed against his chest as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Did you know, Gwendolyn? That when the fairies were happy they would dance? And when they danced they flew, with the sparkle of life in their wings and the happy merriment of their laughter trailing behind?"
Gwendolyn held him tighter.
"Did you know the palace was surrounded by flowers? Flowers that radiated with the joy of the forest itself?"
"They were beautiful, Oswald." Letting go, Gwendolyn turned her husband around so they were face to face. "Would it be better for you if we left?
He shook his head gently. "There is still one last place I would like to see."
And with their arms around one another they ventured deeper into the forest. Past all the emptiness and unsettling bareness that troubled Oswald, they walked on.
Till they reached a clearing with a tree so splendid and grand it snatched their breaths from them.
"This tree…." Gwendolyn began. "Was there ever a tree so grand in all of Erion?" And then she saw Ingway. "Oswald, there is a man tied to this tree. Oswald….?"
Oswald was silent. His wide eyes regarded the tree in its entirety.
And then he started to laugh.
A quiet and smooth laugh befitting of a stoic man of his nature bubbled and trickled from his lips.
"Oswald?" Worry was apparent in her eyes.
'I apologize for worrying you Gwendolyn. If possible I'd like some time alone here."
Gwendolyn gave him a look of quiet understanding before leaving the clearing.
Oswald stood closer to the tree.
"She's finally done it. That childish little brat of a princess has finally done it."
Getting down on one knee he bowed his head before the tree.
"Hello Mercedes. Finally you are queen."