Crown Sword

Chapter 5

I opened my eyes to see the canopy of the forest above me. Had I fallen or something? I was lying on the ground face up and my body hurt like I fell from a great height.  I shuddered and got up.

There, lying on the ground was the sword, the ruby now a dull red sheen. Before, I remembered that it was glowing and almost directing light at me like it was a lazor. The sun wasn't shining now, so it was barely visible on the floor. In fact, as I looked around me, I saw that there was barely any light left in the sky. I hadn't been in the forest that long. I had discovered the sword midafternoon. Maybe I passed out?

I picked up the sword and started the trek out of the forest. There was a chill in the air I felt through my jacket. I ducked my head and pulled my hood on. I had the strangest feeling I was being watched. The sky became so dark.

As I looked around to find my way,  I saw a pair of yellow eyes glaring at me through the dark. I picked up my pace and kept going. Many pairs of eyes peered at me as I continued my way along. Maybe the rumors were true after all. There were eyes up in the trees and down on the ground, they were different shapes, sizes and colors. My imagination was clearly running wild.

I heard it then, through the pounding of my heart. That sound so different, yet so familiar. It was the same sound I heard when I was all alone. It was the sound I heard when I was very angry. It was a sound that I felt.

Then, a small flitting light buzzed over to me. At first I thought it was a firefly and I reached out to it. I noticed something different about it. Fireflies didn't have tiny human bodies and dainty pixie wings. They didn't glow a soft blue color. I gasped, snatching my hand back. I thought I was losing my shit when-

"Your Majesty," the faerie bowed low before me.

All of a sudden the forest lit up with the glow of at least a thousand faeries. Through their multicolored luminescence I could see that the forest was full of creatures. Creatures I never expected to ever see, as in they were all made up to me. There were trolls, unicorns, centaurs, goblins, gryphons, and so many more. There were also animals I knew of, or animals that were real to me. Animals like birds, wolves, deer, bears, and so many others. And they were all looking at me.

Me.

"Your Majesty," they said collectively. Following the blue faerie's lead, the animals all bowed before me. The ruby of the sword was now glowing brightly. I was frozen in place. I blinked quickly. The animals straightened and looked up at me. There was a long stretch of time as the world seemed to stand still as it seemed I didn't know what to do next.

I was running again. I don't know how, but my legs started to move before I even thought about it. The animals moved aside creating a pathway and bowing their heads as I did. The sword was clenched in my hand as I ran. I kept it held out before me so that I wouldn't slice myself running.

I felt the animals move with me as I escaped. They were chasing after me, and for some reason I was able to comprehend the sounds they made. They closed in on me, surrounding me as we ran, up in the trees and down one the ground around me.

"Why do you run from us?"

"What have we done?"

"Where have you been?"

Since when did animals talk? If I didn't get out of this forest fast enough, I was going to go insane. I flew past the trees in the forest, my hands growing sweaty

"Please your Majesty!"

"Help us! Free us!"

"The King, he's taken over. You must stop him!"