Eirene ( Fantasy series book 1)

Chapter Fifteen - Into the Forest

Chapter Fifteen – Into the Forest

"I am the Guardian of light and darkness," Alex's words kept ringing in my head.

I would really have thought he was the guardian of love and healing.

But as I continue to observe him, I began to see that under his calm and quiet self, there were qualities of confidence, power and authority. Despite his softness, he was firm and decisive. He was also a thinker and listener who spent his time listening more than he speaks.

When he announced to the others at the dinner table that he had spoken to me, they sat in silence while nodding their understanding of his statement. No further questions were asked but I could see a small smile on their lips. It was as if they were expecting something like that to happen.

On Friday morning, exactly one week before the Grand Ball, Alex sent word for me to get ready as he was going to take me to the Forest of Ptos. Anna and Kristine were so excited for me.

"It's really a beautiful place, you'll see!" Kristine gushed out in excitement and they sent me on my way to the stables.

The Forest of Ptos was about two hours ride on horseback.  Even though I had learnt to ride, I was just a beginner and it would probably take me double the time to reach the forest. To save time, Alex took me on his horse.

Ever since he told me he was the guardian of light and darkness, I began to look at him from a different light. It was respect yet distanced. I seemed to be aware of my every action in his presence. Unlike the formality between a royal prince and a commoner which was thrown apart when we became friends, his newly announced status caused me to be more respectful of him unconsciously.

He mounted me on the horse in front him unlike Camus whom placed me at his back. The closeness of our bodies made me awkward and I immediately stiffened up.

Sensing my stiffness, he cupped my shoulders to relax them. "I'm sorry. I know it's a little uncomfortable sitting in this manner but I will be going faster than you usually ride so it would be safer to have you in front."

"It's okay," I mumbled.

He took my hands to hold onto the mane while he took up the reins. With a little nudge using his feet, we took off.

We were indeed riding very fast. In less than thirty minutes, I could feel my thighs aching and my bottoms hurt. Usually it would take me two hours of slow riding before I developed these symptoms. There was no conversation between us throughout the whole ride though I could feel his breath on my neck.

Finally, I could see the Forest of Ptos in the distance. The large scale of the forest was impressive. The trees were tightly knitted close together causing it to look like a huge thick green moss carpet. We stopped at the entrance to the forest where there was a small little hut.

As Alex helped me down the horse, I lost the strength of my legs and fell straight into his arms! Instinctively, he grabbed me tight to stable my footings.

"Are you alright?" His face full of concern.

I smiled and tore myself from his arms.

"I just lost my legs awhile back," I grinned sheepishly.

We left the horse with the caretaker Jacques and headed into the forest.

Jacques was the caretaker who looked after the forest. To any normal person, he was just a normal caretaker. But reality, Jacques was blessed with the magical eyes and he could see the magical folks. His responsibility was to keep out any strays especially the Warts.

Alex and I went hand in hand into the forest. His long fingers intertwined with mine and held me closely beside him.

Walking through the forest took a little skill as you had to tread through the overgrown and huge buttress roots. The air was cool and occasionally rays of sunlight would shine through the thick layer of canopy. 

Alex brought me to the famous sacred lake. It was a small green lake. It was in a shade of green that I had never seen before. He let go of my hand and dipped by of his hands in the water. He instructed me to do the same.

"Do you trust me?" He looked deep into my eyes, searching for an answer.

With a whisper, I answered him with a "Yes".

And without warning, he pushed me into the lake!