Fight for Malfador

Chapter 16

"Help yourself to nuts and berries, my dear, I'll be back in a few moments." Clahelwyn told the young girl, who sat wearily at the table. She had not slept well that night, the sounds of the surrounding forest had kept waking her from her sleep, and the hard wooden bench which served as her bed was uncomfortable. She was grateful though, very grateful for the elderly woman's hospitality, and smiled as she left the small house.

She grabbed a handful of berries and studied them carefully. They were like none she had ever seen before, and their shining skins of red, pink and orange appeared very appealing to her. One at a time, she tossed the berries into her mouth, her eyes widening with the burst of tastes that circled through her mouth. It was only then that she realized how hungry she really was, and, making sure to leave plenty nuts and berries for Clahelwyn, she grabbed a few more and ate.

She sat there, dreamily pondering what had brought her to this world, when there was a sudden knock on the front door. She jump, turning her head towards the well crafted wooden plank that covered the entrance, and hesitated before she got up, opening the door just enough to see who the knocker was. To her surprise, she found the King standing before her, and next to him was Drusten. The King gave her a cheery smile as she opened the door further.

"Good morning, my dear," he said with his deep and soft voice. "We have come to tell you the decision we made last night. Is Clahelwyn here?" The two entered the small house.

"I'm afraid she just left, but she should be back soon.." Maria said shyly. Although she liked the King, his blue all knowing eyes were rather intimidating. "Please do sit down." She indicated to the chairs at the table. The King waited for all three of them to be sitting before he started talking.

"With the lords and elders, we have decided that it would be best to train you up as we train our warriors. Whether you are the lost princess or not, you shall be staying for a while, and will need to learn about our ways." He said this last sentence rather painfully, and Maria saw that he still mourned for his lost family. "Young Drusten here has offered to look after you. He will teach you fighting skills along with our traditions and culture. The whole village is aware of your presence and the people, but do not seem surprised if some seem rather...uncourteous. They have gone through a lot, and don't take too well to strangers."

This news excited Maria. Although the thought of fighting scared her, she had always longed to know how to use a sword, or a bow, or even just her bare hands. She had always yearned to live differently, to have adventures...

"Wait," she said, suddenly, "...I'm sorry, but, who exactly, am I supposed to fight against once my training is done?" She asked. Surely this was not all for nothing.

There was a long silence where the King studied Maria's face deeply and Drusten stared at a blank spot on the wooden table. Meanwhile, Maria grew anxious.

The silence was broken when Calhelwyn burst suddenly through the door, carrying a large bowl of water. "My, my, the birds are singing like I have never heard before! You must have brought happiness with you to..." She cut off suddenly when she realized who was sat at her table. Placing the bowl carefully on the ground, she bowed low to the King, smiling brightly. Maria suddenly thought how disrespectful she must appear for not doing the same.

"Your Majesty! What brings you hear today, if I may ask?" She picked the large bowl up again, and placed it on the table next to Maria.

"We are here to discuss Maria's future with us." He explained, smiling at the dear old woman. "It has been decided that Maria shall train with our warriors, and also learn about our way of living. She shall be staying with you for an undefined amount of time, if all is well with you?" 

Calhelwym's face broke into an even bigger smile and nodded. "Why of course, it would be my pleasure. My children have long grown up and left my home, it would be a pleasure to have yet another daughter."

Maria smiled at the kind old lady, but still awaited an answer from the King. But all he did was smile and say:

"Well, Drusten, why don't you show Maria around the village. Then start her on the training. The quicker she learns to fight, the better."

The young elf nodded, and, leaving his chair, made his way towards the door, indicating to Maria that she should do the same with a smile. She jumped up from her seat and followed him out the door, bidding her host good bye.

It was a warm day, though the sun was hidden by the tall trees of the vast forest. Kids were playing here and there, and many stopped to stare at the young stranger known as "Maria". The two walked in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say to each other. Finally Drusten broke the silence.

"I apologize for all the staring, it is not everyday that we get a new visitor in the village. I must warn you that some may not trust you yet, but give them time." He smiled warmly. Maria nodded.

"I understand, after everything that happened to you,I would also be wary of strangers." She replied.

Drusten gave a small hesitant laugh. "I see Calhelwym has told you about the Battle of Malfador." Maria  replied with a small nod, worried that bringing up the obviously painful subject may have been a bad idea.

"Did she also tell you of the prophecy?" He asked, stopping in his tracks and looking down at the young girl by his side. She looked up to meet his questioning gaze, and knew straight away what this was all about. Her eyes widened with realization.

"She told me about the young princess Eria, and the prophecy that she would return one day to reclaim Malfador. More specifically, that she was to return soon. And-...people think that I may be her. I may be the lost princess. And that is why I am to be trained as a warrior! I am to go to war with the enemy and try and claim your kingdom back! I have no experience in fighting whatsoever, and you all expect me to go to war against some kind of...of monsters that don't even exist in my world!" These last sentences came out in rush. All her longings for adventure had now left her, she felt nothing but fear now. She clenched her stomach, and cupped her hand over her mouth. Drusten took her by the shoulders gently and sat her down on a tree stump while she caught her breath, placing her head between her knees.

Once she had calmed down again, and sat back up and looked apologetically at her new friend.

"I'm sorry, it's just a lot to tale in. One moment you're in a grotty orphanage with no friends, the next moment you're in another world being told that you might be a princess...it's so unreal I don't dare to even believe it."

Drusten smiled and sat down next to her. "Tell me about your world." He asked quietly. Maria took a deep breath.

"There isn't much to tell...It's not as beautiful as this one. I live on the outskirts of a big city called London, in a country called England." She laughed at the confused look Drusten gave her.

"Wait, so you come from a city called....London. And that city is within the land of..."

"...England. That's right." Her smile faded suddenly. "We're on the edge of war back there. A nasty man from another country called Germany has been causing trouble. Some people say it might be worse than the last one." She looked at her feet, remembering the posters she had seen around the neighbourhood, and the gas masks her and the other children had been given. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Drusten was smiling sympathetically at her.

"War is a hard thing to deal with. I remember the day Malfador fell. I was barley six years old...but the screams, the cries, the blood...it's still haunting my mind."

They sat in silence while the wind blew leaves and blossom around, spinning in the never ending weight of loss.