After a bit of a hiatus I'm back again. And to note, in this series there is a combination of real and imaginary place names. No, Archadia does not refer to Arcadia of Greece. And setting the evil clan of dragon riders (oh who could they be?! wink wink) in Poland so early on, for me, has created some timing troubles. But, just imagine a world where the UK is flipped on its side, where scotland is still in the far north and Dover in the southeast. Instead of Calais being beside it, its the Southern Isles. Past the southern Isles is Poland, past that is the Archadian empire… Or you could suspend your disbelief completely and just go with it! Thanks! Reviews and favorites would be cool!
The trees of the forest were still and the ground cool with oncoming fall. The hottest summer sun had long passed. Beneath the dense pines, two figures moved, one padding forward with heavy boots while the other drifted silently beside. As he looked about he noticed the black gleaming eyes of animals falling on his back. But when he stared at the creatures their little frames stiffened. Then they bounded off, scuttling far into their dens or leaping in fright over fallen trunks and moss towards ground nests. The spirit furrowed his black brows as he watched. In a monotone voice he asked his stalking companion, "How much longer are you planning to walk?" Merida ignored it. The unruly sedge grasses and high rush covering the spaces between the mossy grounds held her attention. Strange lichens brushed her fingers when she settled her hands against the trunks of trees, and scaly and beach fern eluded her vision forward. There were no paths in these parts. It was as though the hidden landscape was separate from the rest of the earth. No human had breathed between these pines for many, many years.
As Merida tried thwacking the ferns down with her foot, Jack scowled and followed at a hover. Then, falling to his feet, he tiptoed forward and poked the small of Merida's back with his staff. With a killing look Merida whipped towards him, so Jack snickered. "You should rest," he tried as she continued to walk. In anger Merida bashed her foot through the middle of another low tree branch and broke it with a snap that sent birds flying. As her feet pounded over its cracked spine Jack winced and fluttered towards her, tapping her shoulders but dodging when his companion tried to hit him. While she continued to walk Jack's eyes narrowed.
"Don't you want to find out who can help us defeat your family's murderer?" tried the spirit, and Merida's neck tensed as it straightened. In slow rotation the curls of fire turned, and the blue teal embers within rested against Jack's ice blue irises. With a smirk Jack pointed to the sky. Then he twisted his wrist in a circle and counted the four poles. As Merida watched, her brows drew together in confusion. But soon Jack gave a sigh and settled against the bark of a tree, indicating southeast. "On the border of Archadia there is a very powerful witch," murmured the young spirit, and his eyes twinkled. "Have you ever met a witch before?" asked Jack. Merida shook her head so Jack chuckled. "This one does marvelous things. She can make you live forever; she can predict your future and guess your past. I've also heard she time warps."
"That is impossible," spat Merida in return. While trying to ignore Jack she stumbled forward, aware of the ever-deepening forest that rose about her. Instead of pines these trees were deciduous, their leaves already changing. The smell of the bogs was gone. Instead, the scent of a strange sea wafted from far beyond the hills. Jack smiled. "Well she can do it." As he spoke Merida examined his gaze while narrowing her own. She remembered her last interaction with her mother, and her mistrust of the crone at Bogwood Inn. But Jack's eyes were clear of trickery, and shone brilliant shallow blue. With a shrug Merida acquiesced. So grinning, Jack whizzed high into the sky and perched atop one of the few evergreens in the area, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked on the landscape surrounding. He was a brown and white spec on the clouds from where Merida stood. But soon he flitted back to her side with a small plunk, and pointed northwest. "If I can entice the north wind to take us over the bay, we could reach Corona in five weeks."
"Five weeks?" spat Merida, and the winter spirit blinked at her in befuddlement. "Should we not move south?" Merida asked. In reply Jack held his belly and laughed. Then he shook his head. "Only the north wind listens to me. The rest of the spirit world likes to pretend I don't exist."
As soon as the words 'spirit world' fell from Jack's lips, Merida's head cocked to the side. "Spirit world..." she murmured. Then, pressing her hands to her hips, she asked what it was like. In reply Jack sighed and settled down on a nearby tree stump overladen with moss. As he thought he hunched his knees around his shoulders and curled his toes around the sweet smelling flowerless plants beneath. The spirit bit his lip. This was difficult to explain. But with twinkling eyes he gripped his hands around his knees and started.
"The first time I visited was an accident," whispered the boy, glancing about in discomfort. The forest had grown very still. Yet it listened well. "I was emptying the chamber pot," this was accompanied by a wrinkled nose and extended tongue, "and in the forest ahead I noticed a soft light. So naturally I followed it."
"Where did it lead you?" gasped Merida. Jack scowled in response and continued with gesticulation, "There was a whole crowd of lights, all in single file, bobbing through the forest and gathering around the pond in the middle. As quiet as I could I snuck up on them," Jack began whispering, hopping from the tree stump and tiptoeing towards a grand beech with stunning purple leaves. His twinkling eyes reflected the spots of sun that shone between its boughs, shimmering gold on his pale white face. "Then," the spirit went on, "A door opened in the middle of the smallest tree trunk and a fat man squeezed out. One by one the lights bowed to him and walked past. But just as he was about to close the door he sneezed."
"And what?" replied Merida when Jack fell silent. The spirit responded with excitement, "while he was sneezing, I ran inside!"
"That is ridiculous!" spat Merida in reply, but Jack shook his head and told her with fervency that it was the truth. "I saw countless wonders. But the best part of all was this staff." As he spoke, Jack held his shepherd's crook before him. "When I went inside the tree, I was blinded by gold light. It was the little orbs; they were turning into people with wings and massive dresses that swung around them like the outside of bells."
If they weren't wearing dresses, they were wearing long silver coats with tresses of ribbon and lace spiraling around their legs, which were bare as his but didn't have any toenails. Some of the people wore antlers which they hung baubles and metal leaves upon, and others had stuck feathers between the braids of their hair, so that they looked like great birds. And they were all dancing to what Jack called the sweetest music he had ever heard. "It sounded like spring, only the spring was hidden by snow. It was like the sound of the flowers waking up beneath the frost, after winter."
The party had been chanting. First they stomped their feet upon the shimmering dirt beneath them. Then, with hands raised they called out to the heart of the small tree, which was much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. Out from its heart, which was blood green with veins of silver and water, shook thousands of tiny blue wisps, which fell like snowflakes onto the ground. Once they had disappeared the ground glowed. And then the cheering began.
"Everyone danced like they had fire inside the soles of their feet," Jack whispered. The wind whipped around him like a falling feather, its sway counting the beat of his voice. "And I couldn't help it. When a drunken fairy went by me I stole his antlers and tied them over the top of my ears. Then I began dancing, too. I took another one's long white jacket and danced with all of the ladies- I didn't have the chance to sit down because they loved me so much." Another snort rose from Merida's mouth, but Jack ignored it. "And I played with their children. I pretended I was a deer. There was a dinner, then, but it didn't fill me up very much. And after that, everyone looked up towards a little wooden platform beneath the tree's heart. A man stepped out."
"And he had your staff?" interrupted Merida. Jack nodded. "He was a magician. Whenever he swung the staff around, ice shards traveled out of it and nipped the ends of the guests' noses. Everyone was laughing. For his finale he swung the staff around so that he formed himself a little staircase that ended beneath the tree heart. When he blew the heart a kiss of frost, it transformed into a massive white deer. Then, the deer kicked its heels and flew right over the audience and out the front door of the tree. Everything was dark. Everyone clapped. And then it was over."
As Jack reminisced he grew quiet. The wind was still as well, but as it brought sharp cold against Merida's cheeks she furrowed her brows. "You never told me how you came upon the staff yourself."
"I returned a lot," sighed Jack. "I had the antlers so it was easy. I'd just tell the fat man a joke and make him sneeze. Then I'd rush in. One night, after the frost show was finished, I snuck back to the performer's rooms and found the frost magician sleeping. While he wasn't watching I took his staff from him and kept it for myself."
In horror Merida put her hand over her heart. "You stole his livelihood?" Jack only scowled. "He was old with a long white beard. He was on his way out anyway. It was practically my birthright!"
"What do you mean birthright?" gasped Merida in return. "Is it your birthright to be a thief?"
"What," blubbered Jack in confusion. When he saw Merida's expression of disgust he tucked out his bottom lip and returned to the moss laden tree stump, shielding his face from her so that she would not see his eyes. Still, she noticed his toes, curling around the moss and digging it from the trunk's edges. "I only wanted to have some fun," he murmured, lost in his own thoughts. With a sigh of despair he curled his head between his shoulders and gripped the staff tightly between his fingers. Behind him Merida scoffed and began moving, peeling off into the forest ahead. As she left she muttered words of aversion so that Jack flipped his head up and turned to meet her eyes. With wide-open mouth he asked her what she had said. Merida responded that she had not said anything. But Jack could not be placated. As the boy stood up on the mossy trunk his eyes burned.
"You wouldn't understand!" cried the spirit. "You have everything!"
"I have nothing, you swindler!" roared Merida in return. As she prepared an arrow to shoot at him, the spirit growled and stuck its tongue out. Then, in a fit of anger it curled into its knees and shot up to the clouds, spiraling around before dipping and flinging across the canopy of the forest. As Merida watched him she spat at him, only to receive her own saliva in the eye when gravity took it back down to greet her. Amidst curses she wiped it away. Then she sat down near Jack's tree stump and curled her arms around her shins, thinking. The sun was now high in the sky. She was in a place unfamiliar to herself. The birch and pine of the DunBroch forests were thin here, replaced by beech, ash, and strange linden. As Merida breathed in the scent of the last's honey she calmed her boiling blood and gave leave to gentler thoughts. Thoughts that would aid her.
"Well, Merida," the girl sighed to herself in despondence. "You've gone and scared off your only companion. And now you are lost in a strange wood. You could have at least asked him which direction to start off in."
In reply to herself, the girl gasped and jumped up, curling her fingers into her palms as she stalked forward on the path she had been treading. "I do not need him!" she spat to herself. "I have the superior skill. Now which way do we go? Talk, Merida!"
There was no reply. So with a sigh Merida slipped her arrow back in her quiver and slung her bow across her shoulders. Then she began to walk, thinking of what Jack had told her before.
"On the border of Archadia there is a very powerful witch."
With a huff Merida remembered the geography lessons her mother had forced her into when she was younger. DunBroch lay within the borders of the Ben Vair Mountain range, which extended west until it petered into the Barbaric Archipelago. On the southeast end of the Ben Vair was the Southern Isles, and east of these lied the kingdom of Corona, its island city reachable by a long bridge from the mainland. South of this inlet was the Archadian Empire.
Biting her lip, Merida hunted around for a long straight stick and rammed it vertically into the bare patch of dirt lying near Jack's mossy tree stump. Perpendicular to the tip of its shadow she placed a smooth stone. Then she left it. For fifteen minutes the lonely princess wandered past the trees surrounding, listening for running water. When she came across a little stream, she sat at its edge and stared within its gushing body for signs of fish. The shimmering silver tail of one caught her attention too late. When the next came, her bow was ready. There was not even a shiver in the surrounding water as the arrow sailed into the body of the bream, nor was there movement when Merida plucked her catch from its current. With the writhing fish tucked under her arm she returned to the sight of the stone and stick and examined where its shadow had moved. The first shadow tip mark was to the right of the second. The sun set in the west. So west was on Merida's left, while east was to her right. Meaning south was ahead of her, and north was behind. So far, she had been taking the right direction.
After examining the sun one last time, Merida set up a small covered fire to cook her fish. Once the outside was crisp she used her sharpest arrowhead to cut the bream's meat. When she was finished eating, she buried the carcass with the fire's ashes and took the remaining wood to the stream she had fished in earlier. There the seared branches were left to disappear with the water's current. One last look back told Merida she was ready to leave.
For five hours she walked before resting. By this time the Great Wain shone brilliantly against the night sky, its crooked handle rising then dipping behind its wagon like form. The largest two lights that hung on the end of the wain pointed directly to the North Star. With the way Merida was standing, north was behind her and south was ahead, with east on her left and west to her right. She continued southeast with feckless determination. The sun rose and set on another day, and the smell of the sea grew so strong that Merida's vision hazed as she took in the salt air. Though exhausted she ran through the thinning line of trees until the crashing of waves reverberated off of her eardrums. Her heart skipped along with her boots. Before long they had cleared the remaining birches and low-lying ferns to flee across grass knotted with nettles and purple moss. The winds that gushed up from the Southern Isles whipped her hair around her head like a fiery halo, until with gritted teeth she tucked the tresses into the back of her dress. With her clear vision she could see the edge of oncoming cliffs, which dipped and drew into a long brown beach. Far beyond the sea lay the yellow haze of land- the first of the Southern Isles. The distance between each was a ten-hour swim and there were around four hundred, some much larger than others. Only eighty of them were inhabited.
As Merida glanced upon the first of them in earnest, her foot hit a jutting grey stone that sent her tumbling until she was able to regain her balance. When she did, she snarled and hoisted her dress around her waist. Then she ran again, this time with all of the strength she possessed. The beach was so close that she could taste the sand against her lips. A peal of laughter escaped her throat as she charged over the side of a small cliff, bracing herself as her boots slid down the rocky decline towards tough beach grass and sand. Once her feet had cleared this, she curled her fingers around her boots and threw them off, flying in bare feet across hot white shore until she flung herself at the spray of the sea. As her toes curled into its creamy waves she sighed with relish and lifted her head towards the sky.
It was another hot day. She had not noticed until now the dryness of her throat, the flush that hung across her forehead and cheeks, nor the sweat that clung to her back and hair. But now it was unbearable. With a groan Merida slipped her quiver from her waist and removed her bow from behind her back so that she could escape her thick teal cotehardie. Then, placing her weaponry and her dress side by side, she found a suitable enclave tucked between the two largest cliff rocks on the beach and huddled inside. Located five minutes away was a small estuary. As Merida hopped across the cliff rocks surrounding she noticed the flicking fins of dogfish. There were no rays visible, but Merida continued watching.
When she reached the estuary's edge Merida curled her toes over the side of its bordering cliff and readied the bow and arrow she had brought along. With another peek around the vicinity she gathered that there were no people for two miles. The South Port must have been further ahead. Then she tied her undergarments around her waist and knelt so that she would not snag cloth against the harsh lichen and barnacles lining her path. The glimmer of baby salmon slipping into the sea made Merida's eyes twinkle, and when a large flounder curled towards the river mouth she shot it. With deft hands Merida picked the fish from the water before the current or sharks could get to it. Once she had removed her arrow from its right eye she carried it back to her camp and picked around the grass nearby for some twigs to begin a fire with. The dry seaweed lining the shore was helpful. The sun beamed down at her from its highest throne. So half the day was done. Soon, after Merida finished eating she would sleep in the cave in the wall of stone in her right eye's peripheral vision. Then she would decide how to best cross the Southern Isles.
Merida hummed as she ate dinner. Her eyelids had begun drooping she was so exhausted. Yet somehow she found the will in herself to dismantle her fire once she was finished with it and gather her things towards the cave, stumbling like a drunkard as she walked. Once inside, an audible sigh escaped her lips as she collapsed to the floor. Within minutes she was asleep. In her dreams the sun rose and fell on another day, and shadows crossed over the sky like long massive flies. They dipped and spun. Then there were lightning blue fireworks and the sound of thunder. Merida shuddered in her sleep and pressed her bow and quiver closer to her chest. Then, in the wee hours before dawn she stirred and sat up to look outside.
In the still of the night there was a great splashing. A strange sound like the flipping of long, leather pages in a deep cavern rumbled throughout the beach so that Merida shot up with bow in hand. Outside of her cave, what looked like a sleek black fish sailed through the air towards the beach, crashing into the sand and inciting a yelp from what Merida assumed to be its passenger. Gulping, the girl stood and curled her skirts in her fingers so that they would not make a sound. Then, in her bare feet she crept towards the mouth of the cave and peered out from inside. All was dark until the light from a small lantern began to glow. Someone was starting a fire near the estuary, in the same spot Merida had used the day before. Though her throat constricted with fear, Merida's will pressed her into her boots and out of the cave. Then she sprinted towards the massive uncovered fire that glowed from the inside of the estuary's stone barrier.
Someone was speaking to a great beast. The outline of its wings reflected in the firelight it stood before, which played against the face of one of the estuary walls. It was moving. First the beast ducked its head with a splash into the waves. Then it rose and flung whatever it had caught into the air to catch in its open mouth. When the unfortunate prey flung up Merida saw that it was a dogfish and gulped. A loud snap rung through the air as the winged beast ate it. More speaking followed. Then there was uncomfortable laughter. Amidst the cacophony Merida dashed towards the edge of the estuary cliff and peeked into its valley. To save herself from detection she cupped her hands over her mouth and bit her palm to keep from gasping.
It was a dragon. A black one with the sleek body of a water snake and the backward curled ears of a rabbit. A ridge of spines curled from its massive flat forehead all the way to its two-winged tail. Completely hairless, the beast possessed the pelvic fins of a shark and the oily legs of a salamander. Under its lizard like skin glared the long curled bones extending from its shoulder blades. The worst was its eyes, huge as the palm of Merida's hand, its irises the most unnatural green Merida had ever seen. Its slit pupils darted from one side of the estuary to the other as it hunted. In its powerful jaws it picked up another dogfish and crunched its middle until blood spurted from the tiny shark's mouth.
"Gross, pal," snorted a nasal voice from behind the monster. As Merida glanced towards it her jaw dropped. The dragon's keeper was a tiny, skinny lad. His mop of auburn hair hung over his eyebrows so that he looked as if he were in a constant state of shock. In the dim light Merida could not make out the color of his eyes, but she suspected that they were muddy green. His clothing was that of the Barbaric Archipelago, boots that looked as if their leather had been ripped from the back of a yak and tied with string around the foot, a matted vest to match, vomit green linen for a tunic. Merida could see the gleam of a dull knife tucked into the sash he wore about his waist. The boy stumbled forward without quite knowing what he was doing, causing the dragon to snarl at him and extend its wings. It seemed to grow larger as the spines of its back lengthened and its chest puffed with air. But the boy stalked towards the monster with strange affection.
"Hey, buddy, it's only for a week tops. Then we're sure to part ways." The dragon did not respond. It was busy sniffing. As Merida took note she froze. It smelled her.
Merida's head buzzed with thoughts of what she would do next. With her bow and arrow she could kill the lad. Then she would have to deal with the dragon. As she thought about it her eyes widened again. A dragon flew. A dragon could fly her to Archadia. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized her luck. Merida had to have that dragon. Which meant that she would have to take the boy alive. By night or by day? As the familiar growl from deep within the dragon's throat surged forth again, and as the auburn haired boy turned in the direction of its glare, Merida took action.
Leaping from the overhanging cliff, Merida tumbled down its decline and righted herself just in time to pin the confused lad against the opposite rock wall. As the boy stood blubbering, Merida swung her quiver and arrows behind her back and slipped his dull knife from the sash of his waist. Then, curling the boy's hands behind his back with her left hand, Merida used her right to shift his knife beneath his chin. As she commanded the boy to turn backward, his dragon's pupils dilated as adrenaline pumped through its veins. Again the sound of tumbling leather pages in a cavern rumbled throughout the estuary. But Merida would not be swayed. With her meanest glare she stared at the dragon, whispering in its keeper's ear through a throaty snarl.
"Who owns this sea cat?" she hissed, making the lad in front of her snort. "Sea cat? Are you serious?" When Merida tucked the knife a little closer to his neck the lad turned weepy. "This is a night fury! A night fury!" blubbered the boy, pointing to his dragon with quivering palm. "He could blow a lightning ball at you in the blink of an eye!"
"Then why does he not?" spat Merida in return, stepping closer to the dragon. Its pebble scales gleamed like onyx under the moonlight.
"Because he is a gentleman! Are you a gentleman, Toothless?" In reply the dragon's eyes crossed and he began to gag, until the gnarled lower half of his last dogfish slid from his throat onto the sand in front of the boy with a gooey smack. For a moment Merida and the boy looked down at the shark without words. Then, raising his head and shrugging, the boy mumbled, "He has his own definition." In return Merida swung him to the ground and pinned him down with her foot, making the lad yelp in pain.
"Now listen up!" Merida spat to the wind and anything else that would listen. "I am Princess Merida of Clan DunBroch. I seek the Archadian Empire, and request your dragon's wings to take me there," as she spoke, a wooziness washed over Merida and she held her stomach, making her captive blink up at her in confusion. "I request..." started Merida again. Then with a sigh she mumbled, "a nap," and slumped to the ground in a dreamless sleep.