A very watery gruel and stale bread were very welcome to all who attended the ‘celebration feast’. Being a ‘commoner’, Evelda sat towards the back of the hall and near the drafty main doors. At the front of the hall was the main long table, with Lord Bryne, his wife, and his children. Lord Bryne himself was underweight and haggard from illness. His once golden mane was lank and white. His wife, who was much younger than he was, also looked as malnourished as the rest of them. She had a forlorn look on her face, as she twisted her brown braid in her hands over her front.
Poor woman. Evelda sympathised with her. Like so many other women in Douma, Lady Bryne had suffered from a miscarriage recently. In fact, it had been her third consecutive miscarriage. Lack of medicine, lack of food, lack of health in general…not exactly the ideal conditions to conceive a child and carry one to term.
The Lord at least had two children. One boy, who was sat beside his mother. Blonde like his father and his pallor was as ill as his father’s as well. It was common knowledge that he’d been taken to his bed more than once from illness. Every time it had taken longer for him to recover…
The second child was a girl, the eldest, and a secret friend of Evelda’s. Talita Bryne was by far the most beautiful young woman to have graced Douma. Her golden hair was angelic, her green eyes bright and captivating, and her every movement and smile as graceful as you’d expect the heir to a mighty kingdom to have.
Too bad she was born to Douma. Had their situation not been so dire, she would have married for advantage into a noble family of a neighbouring town. To improve relations and broker a trade agreement. Alas, she was unwed and wasted on Douma. Soon though, she’d have to marry someone below her station, just to keep the family line going. Her brother was the heir…but it didn’t look like he’d make it to ‘breeding age’.
“My friends.” Lord Bryne raised his goblet and wore a brave face. “Today we gather to celebrate and honour the upcoming union between Anor Wilberg and Valdis Haagen.” He turned and toasted his drink in their direction. They sat as guests of honour beside Talita, which was a saving grace really. Valdis was openly ignoring her future husband, and talking to Talita instead. “Let us share in their happiness, and ask the Gods to bless their union. To Anor and Valdis!”
“To Anor and Valdis!” Everyone chorused back and drank their water. In times past there would have been dancing girls, music, and song lingering in the air, and laughter from every table. but not anymore. Douma’s spirit had been broken. They ate their food and drank their water like the downtrodden people they were… merriment hadn’t been to Douma in many years.
Once the ‘celebration’ was over, Evelda was one of the first to leave. She hid around the corner of the doorway and waited. The night air stung at her cheeks, and she had to rub her baggy white sleeves for comfort as she continued to wait. Finally, Valdis and Talita emerged from the hall. The rest of the Bryne family followed behind them, and Evelda knew she wouldn’t have long to speak to them.
“Your father’s speech was lovely.” Evelda shared an embrace with Talita, who beamed with joy and almost made you feel like you were warm simply for being near her.
“Thank
you. We all hope Valdis will have a happy and bountiful marriage.”
“Screw that.” Valdis sneered. “Thank you for all your good wishes, but I highly
doubt that ogre knows the first thing about making a woman happy.”
“As prickly as ever, Valdis.” Evelda chuckled and hugged her as well. “I’m not down to work tomorrow. Shall we meet up?”
“Sure. I’ll need the distraction.” Valdis tried to shove her wild brown hair behind her ears, but it only worked for all of 30 seconds.
“If we tell mother that you and I have gone for a turn around the village, I’m sure I’ll be able to come as well.” Talita aimed at Valdis and then gave Evelda another hug. “Now hurry home. You have quite the walk before you can be warm, and it’s going to snow again tonight. I can feel it in the chill in the air.”
Ha…warm…my house will be barely warmer than the street. Half my roof is missing for a start… Not wanting to worry her friends, Evelda just nodded.
“Tomorrow then. Noon?”
“Noon it is.” Talita hooked the arm of her cream dress with Valdis and steered them both towards her family. “Good night!”
“You too.” Evelda turned and held her arms against the night wind. It was going to get even colder, she’d wager. Better put all my clothes on top of my furs tonight. I can’t afford to get ill.
Evelda was looping daisies to make a chain for one of the little girls from the village. The poor dear was just sat there staring into space. No one or nothing to play with.
“Here. Now you can pretend to be a princess.”
“Thank you Evelda!” With the ‘tiara’ upon her head, the little girl ran off giggling. It made the red head smile, and stare after her retreating little form.
Her stomach growled again, but she ignored it. It would be hours yet before she’d get any food.
“Evelda!” She pulled away from her train of thought when she heard her name being screamed down the street. “Evelda!”
“Valdis?” Evelda ran to meet her friend and took her hands in hers. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Sigurd!” Valdis was panting like crazy, her ebony locks windswept from the run. “He’s fallen to his bed again with a fever! And this time he shakes too!”
“Oh no…Talita’s poor brother. Is she with him now?” They hurried together back towards the village.
“Yes. Sana has everyone collecting water from the well and soaking rags to try to cool him.” Evelda almost fell forward when Valdis grabbed her bicep and jerked her to a stop. “Listen. Sana said that what she would give him, she doesn’t have.” Evelda blinked at her friend in confusion. Why had they stopped?
It was then she turned her head to lock her hazel eyes onto where they had stopped. The main gates to the village. The doors had been burned and destroyed every time the villagers had tried to erect new ones, so now they didn’t bother. Stood before the open entrance you could stare into the dark abyss of the forest. “She described a flower with lilac petals and a yellow centre. I saw you with one of those once.”
“Valdis!” Evelda hissed and snapped her head around them in alarm. “I showed you that in confidence. You know damn well where I got that from.”
“Yes, I know.”
“And you have been on my case ever since about going into the forest. For one, it’s forbidden!” Evelda grabbed her friend’s shoulders and shook her. “If anyone found out I went into the forest for mushrooms to eat every now and then, they’d hang me for sure. For risking bringing the wrath of Skygget back with me.” Valdis had tears shimmering in her icy blue eyes, and Evelda knew her friend had already gone over these facts herself before confronting her. “If you’re about to ask what I think-”
“The flower you showed me in that mushroom basket of yours? You said you picked it out there.” Valdis nudged her head to the open gate. “When you went hunting for mushrooms because you were starving. That flower is exactly what Sana described. It would calm his shakes and soothe the fire in his blood.”
“Then tell Lord Bryne that the flower is in the forest.” Evelda felt her heart hammering in her chest. Not just for her own safety, but with worry for her friend’s brother. He must be in a sorry state for Valdis to look so moved to tears.
“If I did that, he’d ask me how I know that.” Valdis quipped like she was an idiot. That was more like her.
“Then why are we having this conversation exactly?”
“Because even if I say I heard a rumour about that flower being in the forest, and Lord Bryne sent men out into the forest, that would not only be a sure way to get the Demon lord’s attention, but they wouldn’t know where to look. You are one person. One person who has snuck into the forest countless times before without being noticed. You, who knows where to find that flower. You could save his life Evelda.”
“Damn.” She was right. so much could go wrong if the remaining manpower of Douma ventured out blindly into the unknown of the forest. “Damn it Valdis.”
“Well? Are you going to go get it? Or gawk at me some more?”
“I normally go at night.” Evelda cursed again under her breath and ran a hand nervously back through her long coppery hair. “I’ve never gone in broad daylight before.”
“Surely there is less danger in the daylight? Fewer shadows for creatures to hide in?”
“Yeah. Remind me of the damn creatures Valdis. All the reasons I could die doing this.” The redhead groaned.
“No one else knows where to find those lilac flowers. You could grab them, and give them to me. I’ll pretend to find them in a parcel by the front door of the Bryne house. I’ll take them to Sana, and she’ll turn them into the medicine Sigurd needs.” For a moment they just stared at each other. They both knew Evelda had to go. She was little Sigurd’s best hope. Fear held her feet still and her lips shut. “Oh for goodness sake! Time is of the essence here! Get going already.” Valdis pushed her towards the open gateway, and that seemed to will life back into Evelda’s bones. She didn’t turn back. She didn’t run either.
One sure way to get yourself noticed by all the monsters in Skygget forest? Run, pant, shout, and panic. Sigurd might be on borrowed time, but if she got killed in the attempt, he’d die anyway.
So she slowly traversed the distance between trees, pausing to check her surroundings, before moving to the next tree. This is so much easier at night. Less likely to be noticed. Damn, and I’m wearing my bloody blue dress too. If I’d have known I was going to risk my life in the forest, I’d have worn my brown work dress. Muddy or not, at least I’d blend in with the trees…
Evelda lifted her long blue overskirt and white underskirt as she stepped over protruding roots and puddles. This was one of the few dresses that fit her, so she wanted to try and look presentable when socialising with the likes of Valdis and Talita. At no point did she think she’d have to skulk through the trees in this dress. Selfishly, Evelda found herself resenting the fact that she wasn’t sat elegantly on a bench with her friends, chatting over nothing and pretending life wasn’t that hard after all. Then her mind went back to Valdis’s tears and Sigurd’s fate, and she focused again.
The forest looked different during the day. It took her a while to retrace her tracks to the glade where her beloved mushrooms grew. Normally she didn’t have to enter the glade itself, and just reached onto the fringes to pull a hand full of brown mushrooms from the ground. However, the flower didn’t grow there. She only picked it up as one had already been plucked and dropped there. It had been a total accident that she’d grabbed it at all. But this was the last place she saw it, so this is where she came.
“Ok. I can’t see any beasties…” Slowly, as her life did depend on it, Evelda leaned forward from her cover behind the large tree she normally didn’t pass and scanned the glade.
It looked so inviting, really. Wild flowers everywhere, a gorgeous looking lake with a willow tree growing right up through the middle of it. She squinted her hazel eyes and felt her smile grow on her face. Growing like a weed around the large roots of that willow tree were little lilac flowers… Evelda licked her lips and took one tentative step into the glade. She looked around again and still saw no one. No shadows, no monsters, not even a bird sang above her head. Sunlight beamed down on the glade, and she found her courage. Still taking it one step at a time, she lifted her skirts up and entered the glade fully. Every few steps she looked around her and didn’t see anyone or anything around her. Just flowers. It was odd…the parts of the forest she’d been in before were just as winter struck as Douma. And yet the glade was so warm! She couldn’t remember having ever seen so much green everywhere. The sun on her face made her pause and bask for just a moment. Content she was alone and safe, Evelda walked towards the edge of the grassy verge and looked across the lake at the Willow tree. She found herself looking up at the tree in awe. It was huge! How old was it? What was there first? The willow tree, or the lake? Her hazel eyes dropped down to the large roots at the bottom of the tree where it met the water’s surface and nodded. Those are the lilac flowers. I can see the yellow centres as well. “Now how exactly do I get over there?”
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