More than a colleague?

Chapter 19

This was the moment everyone had been looking forward to all day. Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey stood outside their respected entrances to the Blue Forest. Anxiously waiting to hear the starting sound and for the gates to open.

The Evers surrounded Professor Dovey, some encouraging her success and others not. Tedros and a band of his smug friends stood around Dovey, ensuring she couldn't run for it.  Anemone stepped forward giving Tedros a quick glare before handing Dovey a red handkerchief "As you know, only drop this if you are in serious trouble or want to leave. That would mean sacrificing your relationship though."

"Thanks but I'm not going to need this" Dovey confidently replied.

"Take it just in case"Anemone insisted as she handed the handkerchief over. Dovey reluctantly took it and tucked it into her dress. Dovey stepped towards the large woodland door. She didn't realize how nerve-wracking taking part in a trial by tale was. Yet, she was still confident and believed it would work out for the best. BANG! The Blue Forest's doors opened. Dovey walked in and turned to look at her students and teachers behind her as the door closed. Locking her in there.

The forest was a lot darker and creepier than it was in the daytime, where it was something of beauty. Dovey walked cautiously through the forest. Every step made the forest seem darker than before. She had a constant gut feeling of being watched. She decided to spread some light in the forest and called upon the animals. The fireflies became lit and made the forest seeable and much more pleasant to the eye.  Now that she could see, she decided to call out to "Leonora!" "Lenora!" She heard nothing in response but kept walking and calling further into the forest. After fifteen minutes of wandering through the forest, she encountered no danger.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Dovey heard a distant scream. It was Leonora. Dovey picked up her dress and ran toward the sound of the scream as fast as she could. 

"Leonora! Lesso!" She shouted, with an extreme sense of worry. What if Leonora was hurt, or worse?

Dovey stopped running at a lake, after ten minutes. Leonora was nowhere to be found. Dovey knelt before the running water and scooped up some water, which she drank to soothe her sore throat from all the shouting and calling she had been doing. After quenching her thirst, she knelt there for a while, catching her breath. It was surprisingly quiet at this spot and the water seemed to be very clear. She could see everything that was in it due to the moon's light. She watched tentatively as a small, bright, goldfish appeared and seemed to want to show her something. Dovey obediently followed knowing that animals help Good and that it couldn't hurt her. The further she followed the fish the colder it got, causing Dovey to shiver. The water turned into thick ice almost instantly. Yet, she still followed the fish for a mile or so. Dovey was mesmerized by it. The fish stopped randomly and disappeared. "Where'd you go?" Dovey wondered. That's when she looked at the ice better and saw the outline of a face on the ice. The face was completely blue and frozen. 

Dovey was intrigued and stepped onto the ice, curious to know who it was. As she walked closer she could see something red, surrounding the face. It was hair. Dovey gasped as realized who it was "Leonora!" She screamed as tears started to endlessly fall down her face. "NO! No, You can't be gone!" Dovey started punching the ice, in hope that it would break and that she could hold Leonora one last time. She had no such luck. She leaned over Lesso's frozen body. Dovey wished her entire life would end there and that she could be reunited with Leonora somewhere else. 

As she looked at Lesso's frozen body, Lesso's blue hand reached up and pulled Dovey under the water with her. Dovey pushed and shoved as she tried to get out of Lesso's grasp and get above the ice to breathe. Dovey's breath was running out quickly and the opening in the ice was swiftly closing over. In Dovey's last few moments of breath, she tried to break her way free but the ice didn't budge. As Dovey's body slowly fell to the lake floor, Leonora's frozen body was nowhere to be seen...