As They Fall [First Draft] ~ Currently Editing ~

Fifteen

A/N: Hope you all enjoy this chapter :) As always, vote if you liked it and comment your opinions below. Thank you for reading this far x

          The forest was eerily quiet as we entered, the crunch of fallen leaves beneath our feet the only noise piercing the blanket of silence that had fallen. Beneath the thick canopy of trees, evidence that it was midday only appeared in the clusters of dappled sunlight that illuminated the path before us. Despite the dense vegetation and layer of pine needles a small stone pathway could still be seen, weaving between thousands of ancient elms, oaks, maples and poplars that grew for miles in every direction. Despite my unease, both Valiant and Orchid had remained calm as we led them into Hilfdyr Forest, Merek swaying precariously in Valiant's saddle. Elizabeth had remained close to his side as we travelled, making sure he did not fall or take a turn for the worse. His breaths were shallow and laboured but the bleeding had begun to slow. If only we knew where we were going, I thought to myself darkly as we walked. Despite my interactions with various traders, merchants and other travellers, a hidden kingdom had never been mentioned to me. Merek appeared normal to me, even his amber coloured eyes, though rare, were not unheard of.

We had been travelling for over an hour when I began to grow uneasy,scanning our surroundings nervously.

"Does anyone else feel like we're being followed?" I murmured, my voice barely loud enough for Charles and Elizabeth to hear.

"I began to sense it shortly after we entered the forest," replied Charlie, his expression wary as he tightened his grip on Valiant's reigns before increasing his pace. I followed suit and rested my freehand on the pommel of my dagger, my eyes combing through our surroundings in search of any irregularities. I caught a brief flicker of movement to the right of me, and drew my sword, facing the direction it has come from.

"Who's there?" I yelled, my pulse quickening with every second that followed.

"Perhaps it was just a bird," said Elizabeth quietly, after I had received no reply.

"It wasn't a bird!" I snapped, "Someone's here."

"Show yourself!" cried Charlie, his deep voice echoing in the silence. A few moments passed without anyone speaking or moving until a single bird call sounded in the distance.

"See,"said Elizabeth, "it was just a bird. Don't let the forest get to you." 

          I tugged on Orchid's reigns and began to walk once more, but I was still uneasy. As we continued down the path more bird calls sounded. Sometimes they were far off, other times it was as if they were right above us. The path soon made a sharp turn before it continued up a small incline where the canopy begin to thin, allowing much more light to filter through. We reached the top and my eyes widened in amazement as I took in the view before me. Instead of continuing onward in a straight line, the path became winding steps that were carved into the side of a deep valley stretching as far as the eye could see. The valley itself was filled with thousands of trees, ranging in size and species, but in the centre grew the largest oak tree I had ever seen. Narrowing my eyes I realised with a start that there were buildings and walkways nestled in and around the branches. We had found Eularia.

"It's real! Merek was right," exclaimed Elizabeth, her eyes filled with astonishment as she took in the incredible sight. Relief flooded through me as she spoke and I looked up at Valiant's saddle, where Merek's hunched figure was still slipping in and out of consciousness.

"We still need to get him to a healer," said Charlie, eyeing Merek apprehensively. I nodded in agreement and we began our decent into the valley. The stairs were uneven, and became so narrow at some points that it became necessary to travel in single file, but we made it to the bottom without injury. The moment we set foot on the valley floor, a dozen figures emerged from the trees. They approached us in a line, their expressions varying between fear, anger and curiosity. The group was comprised of both men and women, most of which had the same tanned skin as Merek and wore clothes made from furs and even woven grass. Each of them had decorated their hair with beads, feathers and small pieces of bone in different patterns,but their most distinct features were the amber coloured eyes they all shared. These 'elves' appeared to be human, but they gave off an aura that could only be described as otherworldly. As I watched them one of the elvish women, not much taller than myself, stepped forward. Her long blonde hair was braided and woven on one side of her scalp, the sunlight catching on a variety of blue beads and stones that had been woven into the strands. The hair on the other side of her head was loose and cascaded down past her shoulder in golden waves.