The Dragon Knight; The Awakening of the Legend

The Awakening of the Legend (Chapter 32)

After another minute of walking, the trees spaced out and gradually created a clearing; but not the usual small clearing where I usually ended up. This was a big open space, almost like a field but far up in the air. In the middle of the clearing was a tree. One single tree. It was clearly hold, and it even seemed to radiate magic. That was the feeling I was getting from it. Some branches were leafless and reached up to the sky. Others were decorated with beautiful leaves of different sizes and colors. Weaved through the branches were garlands of flowers. They reached from the high branches down to the path and passed it to the ground.

There was only one path that led to the tree. Just like all the others it seemed made out of branches and roots. The railing on the side, to keep anybody from falling, was beautifully curved and I could make out a pattern of flowers and birds within it. Even more beautiful that the railing though, were the arches that were separated but six feet or something like that. They looked like they had been sculpted like the end of a sunflower’s petal. And each and single one of them carried a lantern in the middle of the arch.

It was amazing. Just when I thought I must have seen about all the pretty things Álfar had to offer it proved me wrong.

I followed Robin over the bridge and I could feel the edges of the big flat stones cutting through the sole of my boots but it wasn’t uncomfortable. When I looked over the railing, all the way to the ground, and it was a long way down. Robin had to pull me along just so that I wouldn’t just stay there looking, probably for the rest of the day.

The door of the tree was big and I don’t think that I would have been able to open it but Robin just walked over there and opened a little door that I hadn’t seen yet. What was it with elves and hidden doors? On the other side of the door was a long corridor with several doors.

“Where do those doors lead to?” I asked as soon as it was clear we didn’t enter one of the first doors.

“Different rooms. I don’t really know. I do know that the one at the end if to Varteni’s temple. We can stop there later on if you want but right now we need to go through here.” Robin opened a door that looked just like all the others but since he ought to know where to go I followed him.

On the other side of the doors were stairs. They went up really high and Robin had to stop several times to give me the time to rest. I wondered just exactly how high we were going and that question was answered once we reached the last step and there was another door.  While Robin knocked, I tried to catch my breath and looked the window that was the first one I had seen in this tree. All I saw were the tops of the other tree. Looking down I only saw branches, and nothing else.

“Please tell me we didn’t just climb all the way to the top.” I asked Robin but he simply smiled. Okay, so we were at the top of the tree. I was not coming here every day. “Is he home?”

“I was simply waiting for you before going in.” He pushed the door opened and let me go in first. I sort of wanted to let him go first because I didn’t know what was waiting for us inside.

It was one big open room which was filled with a lot of different things. I was sure there they were all in their designated place but to me it looked like one big mess. Books, old and big with yellowing pages, and bottles and flasks filled with multicolored liquids and fires and stars. There was a caldron, out of which came a beautiful but thick golden smoke, was hanging above the fire. Plants were everywhere in the room, small flowers, large bushes, even tree-like plants growing out of the window.

It reminded me a bit of the mess in Vadmin’s tower.

“You would be surprised how much Mages resemble each other if you compared each of their work areas, Princess.” Someone said right next to me making me jump away from the voice. “But I am surprised to see that he left your mind wide open.”