The Unlikely Hero

Chapter 20. First Knight

I must say the day did not go as planned. No. Not at all. Unless getting lost in the Ugundi Mountains, being attacked by rabid wyverns (twice, as a matter of fact), finding massive doors of molten gold shut close, locked, absolutely unmovable, untouchable and indestructible, and then getting chased by the same wyverns again could be considered the perfect relaxation plan. Not by my standards. I was tired, hungry, dirty, hurt and bloody furious. How hard can it be to open those doors? I spent half of the day looking for them. Thanks' to my dragon speed I had to scout the mountains only twice before I spotted the place. And then, the stupid doors had the gall not to open for me! Ugh.

I shook my head as I stalked across the corridor towards the kitchen, my stomach making itself known with rumbling noises. A whole day wasted. I threw my most powerful fire spells at those doors and I failed to make even a small dent. Hell, by this point I'd be happy with a chipped piece of it. But noooo... those doors just have to be impenetrable.

I grumbled under my breath as I finally entered the sought after premises and grabbed the nearest edible piece of food I could reach. I bit into the green apple viciously and munched on it in silence, my thoughts focused once again. I needed a new plan. Obviously, it is impossible for me to penetrate those doors with my own power. But... perhaps, someone, ahem-Ralph-ahem, could make something for me. Just a little something that could blast a hole through all that gold. Yep. Now that sounds like a much better plan. I quickly grabbed hold of a bowl with freshly baked rolls and put it down on the table. A glass of milk followed and I happily munched on wondering back to the doors I found. My Dreamwalking was right for once. The doors were pure gold. I could only imagine what was hidden behind them. I hoped for gems. Lots of precious stones... Mmmm.

Finishing up my light dinner quickly as my enthusiasm won me over I almost skipped to the rooms where Ralph resided. Apparently, he used to be a guest here often, at least, before the thing with the youth potion and he had his own quarters. Well, more like a lab. I headed there without further ado but to my surprise the lab was locked. Strange. Ralph was always there in the evenings and he would be most elated to see me. Truly, his manners sometimes scared the shit out of me. I was not used to such behavior and I felt strangely... mothered? Oh well.

I turned around and tapped my chin with my fingers. Where could Ralph be, then? I wandered down the stairs to the main living room. Maybe he was there with Soran? Sometimes the two would stay up late talking. I suppose they were still friends even though they bickered a lot and Soran usually grumbled over past experiences. I shook my head and strode to the living room confidently. The doors were slightly ajar and though I could not hear any conversation I felt the slightly sweet fragrance of black tea wafting out of the room. It was Ralph's favorite kind of tea and I had to admit I fell for it too. There was something alluring in the bittersweet taste of it and that golden brown color. I was still musing about my newly found preferences for black tea when I entered the room. The last rays of the sun were coming from the window painting everything in red colors and strange shadows. Ralph was sitting in one of the armchairs near the fireplace and the fire was crackling merrily which, strangely enough, did not fit the evening mood. I waved my hand at Ralph and he seemed to notice my entrance right away. The greeting smile, however, died on his lips as soon as he set his eyes on me and I winced as I suddenly realized that in my hurry to find Ralph I had forgotten to wash up and heal the numerous cuts I received while fighting the wyverns. Oh, just great. I steeled myself for another mothering rant from Ralph, however, strangely enough his eyes trailed away somewhere to the right of me. For a moment there, I thought I saw trepidation in those wonderful green orbs.

"Aleta, what the hell happened to you?!"

Strangely enough, the shout did not come from Ralph but the voice sounded eerily familiar and I spun around in confusion to come face to face with one very angry and very worried warrior.