The Sparkbringer

Chapter Six

   Several more days of traveling, talking, and sparring brought us to the city of Bridgefall. Unlike the other two capitals, the city walls were built out of massive wooden logs. They were tied together with thick vines, and the base was filled with thorny bushes. When we arrived, the gates were closed and heavily guarded.
    “State your business here,” one of the guards demanded.
    “I am Elva Frostblade, Queen of Faircrest,” she answered. “And this is Clovis, the Hero sent to us by the Gods. We would like to speak to King Forestshield regarding Vera, the demon Queen plaguing our lands.”
    The guards nodded to each other and opened the gates, letting us pass. Bridgefall looked as though a forest had grown into a city, everything was made of wood and had lush plant growth all over it. The streets were not dirt, but rather grass, and they were lined with colourful flowers.
   Animals roamed freely, woodland life living amongst the people as if they had coexisted alongside one another for generations. What Elva told me was the castle was a giant tree, bigger than anything I had ever seen before. Other than its unnaturally massive size, and the fact that it was mostly hollow to allow it to function as a castle, it was just like any other tree.
    “King Forestshield is an old, wise King, one that should be treated with the utmost respect,” Elva told me as we dismounted our horses. “You will introduce yourself when asked, but otherwise let me speak to him.”
    “Have I not been doing that the whole time anyway?”
    “It’s more important now.”
    I nodded as we walked into the castle, entering a room at the bottom of the trunk of the tree. Opposite the entrance was a throne made of vines, a man I assumed to be the King sitting on top of it. On either side of the throne were two guards, just like the ones at the gates. We approached the throne, our steps echoing through the room.
    “Queen Elva Frostblade,” the King spoke first, fiddling with the staff in his hands. “I thought I might see you here. Who is it that you have brought with you? Speak, young man.”
    “I am Clovis, the Hero sent by the Gods to rid this land of evil,” I spoke clearly.
    “Clovis,” the King repeated back to me. “Elva has likely informed you of my name, but I shall introduce myself anyway. I am King Jasper Forestshield, the longest reigning King in Annora. You may both simply call me Jasper. These are trying times, and Faircrest has always been kind to Bridgefall. We should be as friends.”
    “Thank you, Jasper,” Elva dipped her head slightly. “Now, to the reason we are here to speak with you today. We are searching for Vera, the evil demon Queen causing chaos and terror to Annora.”
    “Yes, I thought that may be why,” Jasper glanced to the ground. “Northriver was attacked just yesterday. We received word from a messenger bird in very poor condition. The town was flattened, only a handful of citizens survived the attack.”
    “My condolences,” she also glanced downward. “We assume she is running around Annora and destroying our towns in an attempt to wear us out, but we will not lose hope. We have the drive in us to keep going until she is defeated. If possible, we would like to stay the night in Bridgefall and continue our search for her in the morning.”
    “Of course, Elva,” Jasper gestured towards the staircase on his left. “Just up those stairs is a pair of rooms you should find to your liking.”
    We thanked the King for his generosity and went up to our rooms. I settled into mine, taking my armour off, scrubbing my sword clean with a bucket of water provided, and sitting on the edge of the bed with my spellbook. I couldn’t practice magic here, but I could at least read up on some of the advanced spells I hadn’t been able to cast yet. That’s when I heard a knock at the door.
    “Come in,” I called.
    “Can we talk?”
    It was Elva, opening the door just enough that she could slip through and then closing it behind her. She was wearing a blush pink nightgown, her arms folded across her chest as if she felt vulnerable. Her hair was let down, a different sight from the usual high ponytail, and went straight down to the middle of her back.
    “Yeah, um, s-sure we can,” I closed my spellbook and turned my attention to her.
    “Sorry I caught you off guard,” she apologized as she sat on the bed next to me. “I’m just having one of those nights, I suppose. You know the ones.”
    “I think I do,” I nodded. “Are you alright?”
    “I don’t know,” she shrugged, glancing to the floor and then back to me. “I’m worried, Clovis. Vera is powerful, and though we’re going strong so far, she is eventually going to wear us down. We never know where she’s going to go next, she could keep destroying towns until there’s nothing left to save.”
    I could see the emotion growing on her face as she repositioned herself to sit cross-legged on the bed rather than on the edge. I did the same as I tried to find the words to say.
    “I believe in us,” I reassured her. “My skill grows every day, a lot is thanks to your training, and you’re already a strong fighter. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling we’ll face her soon, and when we do, we’ll be more ready than ever.”
    “You think so?” Elva’s face hinted at a smile.
    “I do,” I smiled at her.
    The hint became a reality, her face lighting up into a smile I don’t think I’d ever seen from her. She then did something I would have never expected. She moved in for a hug, and I had no idea how to react. As her arms closed around me, I froze up, unsure of what to do. Eventually, I hesitantly hugged her back, my stiff muscles slowly relaxing.
    “Thank you, Clovis,” Elva was still smiling as she moved away from the hug. “You’ve eased many of my worries.”
    “I’m glad,” I smiled back.
    “You know, after this is all over,” she began slowly. “You should come back to Faircrest with me, I could use a right hand knight. After all, your combat skills are becoming exceptional, and I enjoy talking with you.”
    I quickly began to realize that soon I would be leaving this world and returning home, a thought that hadn’t crossed my mind since I first arrived in Faircrest. The thought of leaving here and going back to my old life stung a little, but the thought of having to disappoint Elva stung even more.
    “Oh, well, I’d love to,” I spoke the truth. “But after we defeat Vera, I have to go back home.”
    “You never did tell me where that was,” she chuckled. “Perhaps you should make a new home in Faircrest.”
    “No, Elva, it’s a little more complicated than that…”
    “So tell me what the problem is,” she laughed, likely under the impression I was pulling her leg a little.
    “I’m not from here, from Annora,” I sighed, not entirely sure if she would believe me.
    “Is there a foreign land we don’t know about?” she asked eagerly.
    “No, it’s more like…” I paused, trying to find the words to explain the situation. “I’m from another world. It’s called Earth, and it’s far bigger than Annora, with so many more places and people. Lerus, the King of Gods brought me here, he said I was destined to travel here and save Annora from a great evil, that being Vera.”
    Elva said nothing, just stared in disbelief.
    “In my world, there are technologies that can accomplish great things, though there is no magic. It was difficult adjusting to Annora, but I did it as quickly as I could. That’s why I didn’t know how to ride a horse, and why my swordsmanship was sub-par, and why magic was so intriguing to me.”
    Her face had gone from disbelief to a strange mixture of sadness and confusion.
    “You don’t have to believe me, you probably don’t, but I’m telling you the truth, and that’s why I ca-”
    “I believe you,” she interrupted. “I just can’t accept that it is the truth.”
    “Elva I’m sorry, I-”
    “You’re just going to leave after everything’s over?” She stood up and raised her voice. “You’re just going to go and never come back?”
    “I don’t have a choice,” I stood as well and looked at the floor.
“Fine,” she took a deep breath to calm herself and walked towards the door. “Thank you for telling me. I have time to lose my attachment to you.”
I looked away and closed my eyes as she left, sighing as the door closed.
“That went well,” I muttered sarcastically.
   I climbed into bed for the night, laying awake for what felt like hours. I felt guilty, as if I had done something wrong, and I was losing sleep because of it. I shouldn’t be, it’s not something within my control.
   I finally fell asleep.