Calytrix's Journey

Part IV: Flowers and Men

I walked through the forest without stopping for hours. Although I loved the color green it annoyed me now. Everything looked the same. Green grass, green trees, green bushes, green weed, green moss, an endless green. I used my tracking magic a few times but there were no signs of people anywhere. I started to worry if I could ever get out. Maybe this was a secret endless forest at the end of the world that nobody visited except for me and that crazy princess.

I read in a book that spots with more moss indicated that human civilization was close. I followed paths with more moss but that didn't lead me anywhere. I tried all of getting out of wilderness tricks I knew, but they didn't help. If only I could use teleportation like Akios I would have no trouble, but that was highly advanced magic. It'll probably take me decades to learn it.

A forest glade I came across made me very happy. Small lilac flowers were in full bloom covering the entire clearing like a soft carpet. I finally reached a small, fresh change of scenery. I sat among the flowers to take a break. I was tired from all the walking and mentally exhausted from all the intense events that happened. It was very comfortable to sit down and after a while, I relaxed completely. I lay down and gazed at the clear blue sky with no clouds.

The flowers smelled wonderful. They made me forget the unpleasant smell of that dark magic. A moment of peace like this wasn't bad. I wanted to genuinely enjoy the moment so I rolled among the grass a few times. It reminded me of my childhood. I felt free. The dress I wore was already damaged at the ends from my forest adventures so I didn't have to be careful in it anymore.

"Princess, how much longer do you plan on lying down on the grass?" A man's voice called out to me.

I immediately sat up and looked at the man. He was completely dressed in a freshly polished, full-body amour with a helmet on. The silver armor shone beautifully in the sun. It had a red cape attached to its left shoulder. 

The man's face wasn't visible because his visor blocked the view. 

"I'm not a princess!" I covered my head with my hands.

Hearing someone say the word princess gave me a headache. I had the worst possible encounter just a few hours ago.

"I'm a witch. My name is Calytrix," I introduced myself.

"Pleased to meet you, Calytrix. I'm a humble knight in the service of a great future prince," the knight said.

I stood up and noticed that my left hand showed the contract sign clearly. The camouflage magic didn't work. Maybe Akios put a too weak spell and the magic faded. Hiding the magical circle now that it was in plain sight served no purpose. I'll just ask for directions and be on my way. I won't get in any kind of deeper conversation.

"I got lost so I was resting here. Could you point me the way to the nearest merchant road?" I asked.

"I'm headed that way. Let me escort you," the knight offered.

I followed the knight through the forest for a very short time. The road was very close by from the glade.

There were two other knights in full armor waiting at the forest entrance. I immediately knew they were of lower rank because the metal of their armor had rust spots and was overall of lower quality.

"Thank you for showing me the way. May the spirits be in your favor," I expressed my gratitude.

I was ready to leave but the two guards showed an interest in me and stopped me.

"Is that the princess?" asked one of the knights.

"No," I denied emphasizing a no with my hands.