Frosted Ranger: Time's Illusion

Chapter 6: Final Preparations

Melina snaps wide awake and sits up on the table looking around confused. Still in her armor, her eyes wide and hair slightly wet, perhaps from the snow that melted in time.

She looks around the strange room and feels the pain building up in her stomach. Making her shut her eyes tight in pain. She tried to call out, but her dry throat prevents much voice from being projected outwards.

Rounding the corner in his armor, Kywin sees her awake and just looks at her with curious eyes. Melina stares back as well, but unlike Kywin, she's ready to fight back.

"You won't win this fight, girl." Kywin strolls into his kitchen nearby and gets water into a mug for Melina.

Melina keeps her eyes on him, making sure he does nothing to water, not moving off the table, but swings her feet around to rest on the bench. Her stomach urges in pain again and she holds a hand to her armor to try and clutch the pain into her hands.

Kywin walks the water over to her, seeing her in pain, he just shakes his head. He hands over the water and Melina quickly takes it and chugs it to dose the dryness of her throat.

Lowering the cup with a sigh of relief, she looks at Kywin once more and decides why not here what he has to say.

"I am Melina." She steps down onto her feet, but stilling the weakness in her body. "I'm going to the Bronze Fortress. I just needed to pass through."

"You needed more than that. Have you looked at yourself recently?" Kywin takes the cup back and goes to refill it.

Melina knows she's been ignoring her self needs of food and water. But her impatience was besting her at every step of the way.

"What I think." Kywin looks to a basket of food near his supply of water. "Is that you need someone to slow you down and make sure you take care of yourself."

Melina rolls her eyes. "I had someone already. I ignored them heavily." Melina feels a tear suddenly fall down her cheek. She wipes it away quickly. "He doesn't want me going to the fortress."

"So you left without him. Thought you could do this on your own, but then you neglected to even care for yourself." Kywin gives a small laugh as he places food together on a plate. Some stale bread, an apple, couple almonds and a carrot.

Melina sits in silence as Kywin pretty much figured her out by now. He hands her the plate, she takes it and starts eating into the stale bread first. "Melina. I would like to join you."

Hearing his question, Melina swallows the bread without taking another bite afterwards. "Why? You know where i'm going. It's one of the nine hells on Aylon."

"As it may be, I have grown lonely here in Undreldin. Maybe I need a little adventure of my own." Kywin grabs his own bow off the counter. "I'm a good shot."

"I'm better." She grabs the almonds. Thinks it over in silence while Kywin isn't waiting. He starts packing his things and his arrows. "Fine. It's bad to hunt alone. You can join me, but you can't sleep next to me."

With that, they finish packing. Melina grabs her bow and arrows. The short sword from Dayton's collection and onwards in their southward path to reach the Bronze Fortress.

Escaping the snowy tundra and into the jungles of neighboring kingdoms. The fallen kingdom of Xirilus and the kingdom of Venamir.

Melina and Kywin ride on for a few more days. Taking breaks and resting in the open wild. Warmed by only campfires in the late months of the year.

Melina on this night sits by the fire alone. Kywin was well asleep, but Melina was waiting for him to fall asleep.

She pulls out her journal and ink set and turns her back towards the fire illuminating around the area.

Tavriel 6th, the mission is coming to an end soon. Tomorrow morning I enter into the fortress alone. Kywin won't see me in the morning as I plan to move on from this camp after I finish writing here.

Kywin has been essential to keeping me sane and healthy as I prepare to face my mother. I only wish that I can save her from herself. I hope she isn't too far gone.

I honestly hardly know what to write anymore in here. It's all been about stopping or saving my mother lately. Maybe when this is all over new stories will fill these blank pages.

Becoming scout and making my father prouder. Having met him once was all I needed, but i'll take every moment afterwards as a blessing.

One day, I plan to finish what he started all those years ago and start the order of paladins he intended to create.

If I die tomorrow and my mother, Melissa Seipora, The Dark Queen, ends up taking my life...

I only wanted my mother back more than anything in this world. My father may be my inspiration of who to strive to be, but it is my mother that raised me and allowed me to know who my father was.

Dayton, if you found this journal, I know it sounds like i'm saying goodbye, but I want to apologize and let you know that I

Melina reaches back into the ink set to continue writing with tears coming down her face as it seems she's writing her goodbyes and sorries.

She pulls the quill out of the vial to see no new ink on it to keep writing. The vial of ink has run dry and Melina. She takes a deep breath to control her sudden urge of anger taking over her sadness.

"Dayton already knows.." she closes her journal and looks to Kywin resting peacefully by the fire.

Melina grabs her things together and supplies her horse. Grabs the bucket of water and doses the embers light flickers to blank out the light in the darkness.

Melina flips the hood of her armor on and her vision snaps back into focus once more allowing her to see in darkness.

Melina mounts her horse and on her way she goes. By morning, she'll reach the gates and she'll be facing her mission once and for all.