Blades of Grass

A Memory

I sprinted towards the fawn, desperately trying to help. As I reached it, I realized I knew nothing about healing. My first thought was to get a healer from the castle. However, a rustling in the trees distracted me, and before I could react, an arrow pierced my shoulder, sending a jolt of pain through me.

A shadowy figure appeared and inspected the fawn. She pulled a small bag from her cloak and sprinkled a mysterious powder onto the fawn. After removing the arrow from my shoulder, the fawn quickly recovered and fled into the woods. The figure leaped into the trees and vanished.

I forced myself to stand despite the pain and made my way to the castle, where Sr. Reginald awaited me. His eyes widened when he saw my condition.

"Alvin, what in the gods' names happened!?" he exclaimed.

"I'll explain later. For now, let's get this arrow out."

We hurried into the castle and straight to the healer, where my father was waiting.

"For the gods' sake, what did you do to end up like this?" he demanded.

"Um... I was training with the bow after our shield drills, and... I accidentally shot an arrow into the air."

"We aren't fools, Alvin. Tell us what really happened, now!"

"It was an accident, I swear," I insisted.

"ALVIN!!" My father's roar chilled me to the core.

"U-u-umm..." I stuttered.

My father examined the arrow still lodged in my shoulder. "Ah, just as I suspected... Reginald," he said.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Confirm my suspicions."

Sr. Reginald scrutinized the arrowhead. "This is an elven arrow, your majesty."

"Just as I thought... Ready a squad of knights. You're to hunt this elf down immediately."

"As you command, my king."

Sr. Reginald rushed out, assembling his soldiers.

"Wait, Father," I pleaded. "It wasn't her fault. I accidentally shot a fawn. If anyone should be punished, it's me."

"And why would I punish you for hitting a fawn!? That elf attacked you, and she must be held accountable."

King Henry's gaze bore into me, his anger palpable. I realized I had no choice but to stop this myself. I stormed out of the room.

I raced outside, hoping to find the elf before Sr. Reginald and his team did. But soon, I was at a loss. Where could I even start looking?

'Begin with the training grounds. That's where you saw her,' Qura suggested.

I dashed there, where I found the bow lying on the grass.

"There's the bow. I'll take it with me, just in case."

I ventured deeper into the forest, guided by Qura's voice.

'The elf is waiting for you, over there! To the right!'

I veered right and saw a silhouette moving between the trees. I changed direction and pursued it. After some time, a black blur fell from above, slamming me to the ground. As my vision cleared, I saw a familiar elf with a knife poised at my throat.

"Aesar!?"

The elf jumped back, startled, then refocused on me. "How do you know my name?" she demanded.

"I've seen you before."

Aesar seemed confused by my calm demeanor. "I don't know you."

She took a defensive stance. "Why are you chasing me?"

"Forget that for now. My father has sent a search party to hunt you down. You need to flee before it's too late—"

An arrow whistled past my head and embedded itself in the ground. With a swift motion, Aesar lifted me and leaped to a nearby tree. The arrow exploded violently, showering us with debris.

"Stand up. We're running," she ordered.

I barely had time to react. Another arrow stuck to the tree. I jumped down and began running.

"Why is your father's army using explosive arrows against us?" Aesar asked, darting through the trees.

"I'm not sure... They might not have seen me with you," I replied, struggling to keep up. "But I've never seen these kinds of arrows used by our army before."

Arrows rained down from above. Aesar's speed kept her safe, but I wasn't as fortunate. One arrow grazed my arm, causing me to cry out in pain. Aesar gestured for me to follow her into a large tree I hadn't noticed before. Despite my doubts, I followed her, and as she phased through the tree, I hesitated until she reached out and pulled me inside.

We were engulfed in darkness. The sounds of hooves passing above brought a sigh of relief. I turned to see Aesar's face close to mine. It was clear now: this was the same elf from my dreams.

"Thanks for saving me," I said awkwardly.

"Who are you?" Aesar asked.

"I'm Prince Alvin, son of King Henry."

"Why do you know my name?" she asked sharply.

"I saw you in a premonition. That's how I know."

"Lies. You must have spies tracking me."

"What? That's nonsense. I had a wizard put me into a state of hypnosis, where I lived a realistic vision of the future..."

I rambled on about my experience until Aesar interrupted. "Well, I guess that fits with my story."

She turned and began walking. "Wait! What about the arrow you shot me with?"

"Oh, right. You shot a fawn, so I had to retaliate."

"It was an accident. I didn't mean to hit it."

"I don't care," Aesar said dismissively. "Just follow me."

We walked down a passage until we reached a brightly lit room, revealing a small hideout.

"This is one of our elf hideouts. There are several scattered throughout the kingdom. We'll rest here for a while. They're unlikely to find us."

"Oh... Can you explain everything a bit more?"

"Explain what?" Aesar asked, unimpressed.

"Why you brought me here and all that."

"Just as you had a premonition, so did I. My dream told me to follow a certain path, so I did. And here we are..." She pulled out the same mysterious powder from earlier and applied it to my shoulder. The pain subsided and the bleeding stopped.

"Thank you. But you just followed your elder's dream? What now?"

"I'll take you to my village. The elder will examine you."

"Wait, why me? How can I trust you?"

"Just as you trusted me in your dream."

"I suppose so."

"Then sit down while I pack some more supplies."

I settled down, and Aesar gathered more arrows, food, and water. Noticing the bow on my back, she handed me a set of plain arrows.

"Thanks, but why these?" I asked.

"These are elven arrows," she said, indicating the ones in her quiver. "They're high-quality and not easy to use properly. I don't want you wasting them."

"Fair point. I'm not that skilled with a bow anyway."

"I'll teach you later."

"Really?"

"You'll be useless otherwise."

"True."

Aesar stepped outside.

I sighed, "Just like in that dream. I'm sure she'll warm up soon enough."