The boys, their faces etched with confusion and frustration, took in Halvar's words. Brandon, still yearning for the enchantment of the forest and the promise of magic, pressed on. "Why, Halvar, why could we not just stay a bit longer? We could have asked them more about what they wanted from us. We could have seen more of the magic of their forest and everything."
Halvar, his face reflecting the weight of responsibility, sighed before responding. "Yes, Brandon, we could have. But do you know what that means? The more you ask about something, the more you become interested in it, the easier it is to drag you around by it."
"Is that so wrong, Halvar? Why can't we just have done it? What is so wrong with learning some magic and going on an adventure?" Brandon questioned, his desire for the magical unknown evident in his eyes.
"Because it is never that simple, Brandon!" Halvar explained with a tinge of frustration. "If they are willing to teach us even a little bit of their magic, then whatever they are sending us to find out must either be incredibly important to them or incredibly dangerous to them. And seeing how they said that whatever this thing is can change the weather, I would say that it is dangerous, Brandon."
"But we are strong, aren't we, Halvar? I mean, my dad is strong, and so is Jon's and Edric's and most of the village" Brandon insisted, his optimism undeterred.
"Yeah, my dad is built like a bear; he can take on anything," Jon chimed in confidently.
Halvar smiled at the innocence of their perspectives. "That is adorably sweet of you boys, but we are talking about something much stronger than anything our small village can handle."
"Then we gather the other villages, and they can help us, can't they?" Brandon curiously suggested.
"It's not so easy to gather all those people, Brandon; they would need someone incredible to lead them," Halvar explained, his tone carrying a hint of resignation. "Boys, go home and talk to your family. They deserve to know and understand what has happened. Only your family can help you with this. I am just a hunter, helping the village in the way that I can. Now scram, I need some peace and quiet."
With Halvar walking away, the energy of the group dissipates into the air, and the worked-up state that had built up dissipated. With the boys so disheartened, they all decided to end their adventure then and meet up later.
As Brandon parted ways with Halvar and his friends, a brooding air surrounded him like a cloud. He trudged along the snowy path homeward, his steps heavy with the weight of disappointment. The once-vibrant winter landscape seemed muted to him, the crisp air offering no solace to his sullen mood. With each step, he kicked at the powdery snow, like a child having a silent tantrum, a physical expression of the frustration echoing within. The noon sunlight cast long shadows of his discontent as he continued on, enveloped in the quiet melancholy of his thoughts.
And as he gets closer to home, the weight of what he is actually doing is starting to set in as the adrenaline starts to go down. The worry of what the family is going to do and think. As he approached the door, he barged straight in, deciding to get on with it rather than wait around.
Upon stepping inside, the warmth of the hearth enveloped him, always ready and happy to greet him.
His mother, Alarra, looked up from her preparations in the kitchen as Brandon entered. "Brandon, there you are. Lunch is ready. You're later than usual," she said, her eyes looking up at him. "What is wrong, Bran?" She asks with the care and concern only a parent can show.
"Hey, Bran, where've you been?" asked Torrhen, his tone a mixture of curiosity and parental concern. "You know we worry when you're out too long. Lunch is getting cold."
Caught between the expectation of a normal family meal and the weight of the forest's secrets, Brandon decided to just tell them as it is what happened.
As the family gathered around the table for lunch, Brandon took a deep breath and decided it was time to share the peculiar events that had unfolded in the heart of the forest.
"Listen, I've got something important to tell you all," Brandon began, glancing at each family member in turn. "Yesterday, when I went into the forest with Edric and Jon, we met the Children of the Forest, we went to meet them again today except they told us they want our help."
Torrhen raised an eyebrow, exchanging a puzzled glance with Alarra, while Alys's eyes widened in excitement. "Really, Brandon? Children of the Forest, the ones who fought our ancestors for years, want our help, that incredibly reclusive people?" Torrhen asked, his scepticism evident.
"Yeah, Dad, really. They're worried about something happening beyond the woods, something affecting nature and magic, which they have found and are growing concerned about," Brandon explained, choosing his words carefully.
Alys chimed in, her eyes sparkling with wonder, "So it's true then; they feel the spirits in everything then, cool."
"More importantly, they have a deep connection with the forest and its magic. And today, Elder Oak, the eldest of the Children, asked Edric, Jon, Halvar, and I to go beyond our lands and find out what's causing this disturbance in nature," Brandon continued.
Torrhen's expression turned serious, his concern growing. "Beyond our lands? Brandon, that's a risky venture. What could be so important that they're sending children on such a quest?"
Alarra said in more concern. "They want to send my baby boy out into the wilds, all on his lonesome, not on my watch." She said as she brings Brandon into a hug, holding him close to her.
Brandon sighed, "They said something about the weather being wrong, colder and harsher than it should be. They believe it's tied to something threatening the balance of nature. And from what they said, it is less about sending children and more of a case that children can quickly learn from them. And I won't be alone; I know Jon and Edric will join me."
"They said that the weather is wrong? Does that also means it is going to get worse." Torrhen asked.
"They said it is the reason that this winter is longer, colder, and harsher, so I would assume so dad." Brandon explained.
Alarra placed a comforting hand on Brandon's head, giving him head scratches. "Oh, Brandon, how your adventures always get you into trouble. I can feel you growing up already. Oh, what are we going to do with you, Bran?"
"Um, love me anyway?" he coyly asked. "Wait, you don't care about the adventure but that I am growing up?"
"Obviously, Brandon, we have known you your entire life, and we have always known that you were an adventurous boy. The day you learned to crawl was the day that our worries began. Boy, you could scamper around. But we loved you for it. We would want you no other way, so no, this adventure does not surprise us. We just want you to be our Brandon. If that means that you want to go on that adventure, then so be it," she said while wrapping Brandon in a tight hug. While doing so, all the stress and anxiety lifted from Brandon like a wind sweeping away sands.
"She speaks the truth, now less talking whilst food is not being consumed," Torrhen said, in his typical nonchalant way.
And so, while they all sat down, Brandon recounted his encounter with the Children of the Forest, their plea for help, and the mysterious task they wished the village children to undertake.
Alarra's eyes fixed in concern. "Are you sure about this, Bran?"
Brandon nodded. "I want to help. I don't want to see you guys get hurt, or Granny Olga, or Tobias, or anyone from the village. Halvar said he won't go on the adventure because he has the power to help people now, but I don't have that. But if I do this, I can have the power to help them. See, easy solution to our problems."
Torrhen sighed. "Only you, Bran, would make something so dangerous seem so simple and easy. At least your heart is in the right place. Just promise us you'll be careful and come back to us in one piece, and always know that at any point you can come back to us."
"You've been very quiet, Alys. What do you think, honey?" Alarra asked.
"It's very you, Brandon," she said, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "Without my baby Brother, it won't be quite the same without you here."
"I won't disappear straight away. Well, I don't think so anyway. I mean, they said that I need to learn some of their magic. I assume that it's not quick."
"Oh, good, because I need someone to help me in the barn," she exclaimed, suddenly her tears disappearing, grinning at Brandon. "Kidding, Brandon. I'm happy you'll stay for longer. Our room can't live without you in it. The same with home."
"Thanks," Brandon said after a few moments while trying to squint his eyes and rubbing under his nose to cover his happy tears that started to form around his eyes.
"Nothing wrong with happy tears, Brandon," Alys said.
"It's not tears, that's embarrassing," Brandon said, quick to dissuade any such nonsense.
"Uh-huh," she responded back.
And with the crackling of the fire and full bellies, a hearty family continued on.