Yvette’s heart pounded and she hoped that, regardless of how it felt, it would at least be quick. She felt the hand around her begin to loosen its grip.

Three loud thunks filled the air and the creature paused, holding her just on the edge, dangling over the slurry, only barely holding her now. She reached out, gripping the hand and trying to strengthen her precarious position. “W-what?” she asked.

An explosion went off behind the troll, filling her vision with burning light and sending the monster flying forward. Its hand released her, tossing her over the pit. A sickening glorp sound filled the air when the troll fell into the muck.

Yvette, unfortunately, didn’t fly nearly far enough. She spun lightly through the air, landing on her stomach in the dirt. She didn’t clear the pit entirely, her right leg catching the surface and dipping below the slurry.

She let out a scream and pulled her leg free, though the pain was incredible. Her leg felt as if it was on fire, whatever that gunk was sticking to her leg and seeming to burn away the skin and bone beneath. “No no no no no!” she screamed. “C-cleanse, cleanse!”

“Here, use this. Get that stuff off her leg,” a voice yelled, though she couldn’t identify it.

A moment later her vision cleared enough from the bright light to see Gervas over her. He held a waterskin in his right hand and spilled a strange green liquid over her leg, the muck dripping off with ease. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” he said, his voice barely audible over the ringing in her ears. “Yvette, I’m here. It’s going to be okay.”

“It hurts it hurts it hurts!” she screamed, shaking her head. However, those thoughts almost evaporated when he reached under her robe and gripped the edge of her breeches and then tugged them off, along with her boots and stockings. Once the leg was fully bare, he poured more of the green liquid across it, washing away the last of the slurry.

“Yvette? Are you okay? Does it hurt?” he asked softly, staring down at her.

Yvette couldn’t speak, her face completely scarlet. The burning had stopped, though. She glanced down and despite the pain she had felt, her leg was completely fine. A little red and burnt, but nowhere near as bad as it had felt. She’d expected the bone and muscle to be visible, but there was almost no sign of any real damage. “N-no. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she whispered. Even the burning was little more than light echoes.

“Good,” he said, not letting her go. Which was probably for the best, as the only reason she was able to currently stay sitting up was because he was holding her in position. She was eternally thankful that she always wore her journeyman’s robe over her tunic and breeches, as well as her undergarments beneath them. While he had to move the robe so the part that had gotten in the slurry didn’t touch her skin, the rest covered the majority of her body. Still, she couldn’t help feeling embarrassed that he had had to do that.

“Sorry you ummm… had to...” she whispered, unable to say the words.

“Shhhh, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“You’re both REALLY not!” a voice called out, the same voice from before. “MOVE IT!”

Yvette blinked in confusion, moments before a thick, stony hand reached out from the sludge. Gervas awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and dragged her away as quickly as he could, before picking her up in his arms and carrying her away from the rising creature.

She finally got a good sight of the owner of the voice. She was one of the most beautiful women that Yvette had ever seen, in much the same way the dryad had been. Her eyes glimmered like gold, her hair pure white like snow. In her hands she held a strange bow that glimmered like silver and had gems embedded throughout it. It didn’t seem to have a string, but when she pulled back where the string should have been, one of light seemed to appear. Once it was fully pulled back, a single arrow that seemed to be made of the same light as the string appeared as well. She released it at the troll climbing from the muck.

The arrow embedded deep in the creature, moments before erupting in an explosion of fire, filling the air with smoke.

A moment later, the troll came charging out of the smoke and straight at the woman, both arms raised high. A small hole in its hide had been torn away from the explosion, revealing thick, red ooze that slowly leaked from the wounds. Once the troll came closer, the woman tapped her feet and disappeared, reappearing on the opposite side of the pool.

Yvette’s eyes widened. “D-did you see that? That was a short range teleportation spell! How did she do that without an incantation?” she asked. She then let out a gasp, staring up at Gervas. “She’s one of the fay. That’s not normal magic,” she whispered. “Are you seeing--” She was cut off when he carried her behind a tree and pulled her tight, hiding them both behind it. He glared down at her.

“Fight now, talking about fay after. If I leave you here, will you be okay?” he asked her.

“W-what? You’re leaving? But--”

“But there’s still one more of those things and it looks like it’s going to take more than a dip in that pool to stop it. I need to help her. Will you be able to keep hiding?”

Yvette nodded. “Y-yes. I’ll be fine. I can help, I--”

“No. You will wait here. You’re already hurt.” He nodded and gently lowered her to the ground against the tree. “I’ll be back soon.”

“Promise?” she asked, the pleading in her tone surprising even her.

“I promise.” He then ran to where they had hidden before and grabbed his spear. Another explosion tore through the air, alerting her to more of the woman’s arrows. Slowly, she peered around the tree to watch the fight.

The woman’s arrows could damage it, it seemed. Fortunately, she seemed to have an unlimited supply of them, each one forming from her magic. The magic was definitely different from the magic she knew, lending more credence to her fay theory.

However, something about the woman’s movements seemed odd. There was something very strange and unearthly about them, they were so smooth and perfect that it seemed more like the woman was gliding rather than running.

But there was also something incredibly human about the woman’s movements. She’d occasionally reach a hand back, as if going for a quiver that wasn’t there, only to stop a moment later and reposition her hand. On top of it, she would occasionally stumble when she tripped over roots or rocks.

The legends she’d heard about fay showed them as being completely unnatural beings that moved through the world with a smoothness no human, even a mage, could ever hope to comprehend. A lot of this woman’s movements were unnatural and strange, but they were sometimes so confused and wavering, as if the woman wasn’t used to them.

She wondered if it was another spell. Perhaps the woman wasn’t a fay at all. But her magic was so different. She wondered if the bow was a magical focus, like her bracer or the staves that some mages used.

She found her eyes drawn to Gervas and once again she found her cheeks turning a little red. His movements were graceful in an entirely different way. He moved around behind the creature, stabbing his spear into its hide, only to pull it back and then duck and weave around the troll’s massive, swinging arms.

His movements were precise and calculated, stepping into range to stab, only to pull back when it turned to face him. At which point more of the archer’s arrows would slam into its back and explode. When it turned to face her, Gervas would plunge his spear in deep, piercing the holes that the arrows had created.

The small wounds that covered the monster only grew larger while the two circled it, moving into and out of its reach. Its movements slowed with each passing moment until, finally, the beast gave one last roar and turned to Gervas, charging him.

He dropped his spear and rolled aside, letting the creature race past him. Yvette’s eyes widened when the creature went careening straight into the pit once more, toppling in with another sickening glorp. It thrashed about, its many wounds beginning to sizzle and bubble when the slurry flowed into them. The woman stood back, shooting arrow after arrow into the thrashing creature until, finally, it stopped moving entirely, its body sinking into the muck.

“Is that it?” Yvette asked, unable to take her eyes off the creature.

“Yes. Yes I think it is,” Gervas said before promptly falling onto the ground. “Are you okay?”

“Mostly,” she called back. Slowly she got to her feet, using the tree to help support her. She felt exhausted and wanted to just collapse, but she managed to slowly make her way to them on shaky legs. Fortunately, while the bottom of her robe that had dipped into the muck occasionally stuck to her leg, it didn’t seem to burn anymore. Once she was by him she collapsed and gave a weak smile. “We did it. See? I told you we could.”

Gervas gave her a glare. “We almost didn’t. If not for...” he trailed off and glanced to the woman. “Actually, I never got your name. Miss…?”

“Vala,” she said with a wide, cocky grin that Yvette couldn’t help but chuckle at how closely it resembled the one Gervas’ made so often. “Chosen of Xequ’tulon.”

Yvette eyed the woman. The woman should have looked exhausted, covered in sweat and dirt. But while Gervas had gotten flushed from the fight, as she likely had, the woman’s skin was perfectly unchanged, without the slightest blemish. She wasn’t even breathing heavy. It was as if her flesh had been painted on, rather than actually being there. The way she had been moving, the magic needed for those arrows should have drained her.

“Why did you help us?” Yvette asked, moving just a little closer to Gervas. She wondered if fay even could sweat.

“What? Are you upset I didn’t leave you to die?” Vala asked. “I saved your lives, didn’t I?” She walked towards them and held her hand out, the bow disappearing in a small shower of glittery light. “Here. Yvette, was it?”

“I… yes. Thank you for--” She put her hand in the other woman’s and felt herself being pulled up and against the other woman. She felt Vala’s left arm wrap over her chest and pin her back against the woman, a blade held in the hand pressed to her throat.

“Yvette!” Gervas said, beginning to rise to his feet.

“No, sit down or I slit her throat open,” Vala warned, her tone turning harsh. The soft, casual tone from a moment ago completely gone. “Now then. I have a few questions, Yvette. First and foremost. What is a fallen mage doing in these parts?”

“I--”

“Before you speak, just remember. You’re wearing a journeyman’s robes, but that’s clearly a master’s bracer on your arm. Anyone could identify that. So choose your words carefully.” The arm tightened against her and she felt the right arm moving down, slowly unbinding the bracer and sliding it off her arm. Worse, she could feel the blade pushing a little tighter on her throat.

“I was traveling,” Yvette whispered. “Trying to get through these woods. We’re heading towards the ocean, we need to meet with a, with a dragon turtle. This seemed fastest and-- a-ahhh!” The knife moved, just a little, causing a small, tiny cut in her throat.

“Yvette!” Gervas yelled, moving to rise again.

“Sit down or I cut her open now!” Vala yelled, digging the blade in deeper. She could feel a little blood trickle down the blade. Gervas slowly did as he was told, lowering himself back down, though she could see how desperately he wanted to run at them. “Good. Now, the truth, mage.”

“It is the truth, I swear,” Yvette whispered. She felt her bracer come off and let out a soft whimper. “I need it for a spell. That’s all! I need the scale of a dragon turtle!” Fortunately, with the bracer off the blade was slowly loosened and the woman’s other arm wrapped around her stomach.

“And what kind of spell is it?” Vala asked.

“It’s a… you… you wouldn’t understand.”

“Mass destruction? Mind manipulation? Go on, mage, tell me. What part of it involved a dryad?”

Yvette gave a soft whimper, tears in her eyes. “I-I… I want to alter my true form,” she whispered. “That’s what the spell does. It requires those scales and a few other reagents, I’m still translating the spell, I don’t know everything about it. But it’s to turn me into a girl. That’s all, I swear. I didn’t have any intention of doing anything to the dryad. Us meeting her was just a coincidence. I just wanted to help.”

“To turn you into a… what?” Yvette’s cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red when she felt the woman’s other hand reach up and grope her chest for a moment. “You’re not a… oh. Oh. OH!” The knife was pulled mercifully off of her skin, though not fully pulled away, still hovering over her neck. “How do I know you’re not lying?”

“I can prove it,” Yvette whispered. “Gervas, my bag. It has my book. It has what I’ve managed to find out so far. I can show you.”

Vala was silent for a long moment, before nodding. “Okay. If you show me this book, I’ll believe you.”

“T-there. Gervas, can you grab it?”

“It’s with Chestnut,” he said, his eyes locked on Vala. As much as they needed the book right now, Yvette had a suspicion he wouldn’t leave willingly.

Yvette gulped. “Do you mind if he goes and gets it? He--”

“Chosen of Xequ’tulon!” a voice rang out, making Vala jump and the blade come dangerously close to the mage’s throat. The three of them turned their eyes to the treeline, where a tree was moving closer to them. Yvette blinked a few times and she realized it was the dryad.

“Sunny?” Yvette asked.

“Why are you attacking them, Chosen of Xequ’tulon? I can feel that the corruption of my grove has been...” She trailed off when her eyes roamed over the pit, her lips contorting into a grimace of disgust, her leaves shuddering across her body. “Broken. You came to aid them, did you not?”

“You didn’t mention one of them was a fallen mage,” Vala said softly. “She’s dangerous. If I had known I would have let the trolls eat them.”

“They have done nothing to me or my lands but aid them. Fallen or not is no longer your concern. You abandoned such things when you took on this mantle, did you not?”

Vala stared at the dryad for a long moment before, slowly, her hand fell away, pulling the knife with it. “My apologies, Yvette. Sun Through The Golden Leaves is right.”

Yvette moved away from the woman slowly, though once she was fully clear Gervas rushed forward and pulled her away, putting himself between her and Vala. “Are you okay?” he asked, holding her tight.

“Y-yes. I’m fine. I’m okay,” she whispered, letting out a soft sigh of relief. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.”

“You say that a lot, but this time it really kind of is. I am a fallen mage, after all.” She closed her eyes and felt the exhaustion flowing over her again. She nearly collapsed, but he quickly pulled her in tighter, holding her against his chest.

“It’s not your fault you’re fallen,” he said in a soothing, gentle tone. “If they’d just let you be yourself, you wouldn’t have to do any of this. You’d still be one of their mages.”

“I know,” she whispered, closing her eyes and letting him hold her, burying her head against his shoulder. He felt so warm and safe when he held her like this, his was so soothing after all they had been through. “I’m still sorry.”

“Stop saying your sorry unless you do something wrong.”

“Right, sorry. Err, for being sorry. Sorry.”

He shook his head and gently pat her on the back. “Let me see your neck. Is it bad?”

“No, it’s just a little cut,” Yvette whispered. “I can barely feel it, really.” She closed her eyes and gave a gentle content sigh. It didn’t hurt very much, but she couldn’t ignore the warm glow that his care and worry made her feel.

Yvette heard a clearing throat and realized that she was still being watched by Vala and Sunny. Vala pulled back a step, her cheeks a light red, the first change of coloration Yvette had seen them take. “So you two are lovers, then? At least that--”

“We’re not lovers!” Yvette said quickly, her cheeks going so red it went down her neck. “He’s just my guardian.”

“Oh. Of course, not lovers,” Vala said, shaking her head. “Are you two wed, then?”

“I am her guardian, nothing more than that,” Gervas said, his voice turning harsh. Slowly, he guided Yvette back to the ground, letting her sit to recover. “Though it’s none of your concern what we are. I think our task here is done. The trolls are gone, the grove can be restored, correct?” he asked, glancing to Sunny.

“It will take time, but yes,” the dryad said, looking between the two of them curiously, before glancing to Vala.

The woman sighed before shaking her head. “You don’t need to say it. Please, allow me to escort you through these woods and back to civilization.”

“You just held a knife to Yvette’s throat, I don’t want you anywhere near us.”

“She’s a fallen mage, most will do a lot worse. Speaking of, girl!” she snapped.

Yvette flushed, moving just a little behind Gervas. “Yes?”

“Either change your robe, your bracer or both. Cover your hand, too. Anyone with any experience with mages can tell that a journeyman shouldn’t have a master bracer. Or just wear something not so obvious,” she said before shaking her head. “I’d imagined anyone who had half a mind to learn magic would be able to figure out something so obvious.”

Yvette nodded. “I was going to cover it when we got to town, and change my clothes,” she lied. She hadn’t really thought much about it, she’d just been so excited to know she’d finally be able to be herself, the idea of hiding her garments hadn’t crossed her mind. Covering the mark had, but she hadn’t expected to need to do it in the forest.

Vala started walking away from them, heading the way they had originally come.

“What? Where are you going?” Gervas asked.

“Lets go get your horses so we can get you out of these woods. The trails I know will get you out of here a lot faster, especially if you’re mounted. Consider it thank you for helping me with the trolls.”

“I told you we’re not going anywhere with you,” Gervas said.

“You don’t really have a choice,” she said with a shrug and a dismissive wave of her hand. “Either way, I’m getting your horses so we can get you out of here. This’ll be easier if you come with me.”

“They won’t come for you,” Gervas snapped, his hand moving towards his sword. “They’ll only heed--”

“Your commands, correct? Mageborne, I could tell. Don’t worry.” Vala held out her right hand and her skin began to shift and darken, her body growing taller while her garments began to alter themselves around her form. Within a few moments, she was a perfect copy of Gervas, even her armor matching his chainmail.

“You can use transfiguration?” Yvette yelled, her eyes wide. She felt a rush of excitement flood her. Transfiguration was such a rarely used style of magic, even if it was her specialty. The woman’s magic seemed so strange and foreign to her already, but she hadn’t seen any reagents on the woman to allow such an alteration.

“No. I’m a changeling, Yvette. It’s not like your magic,” Vala said, her voice now sounding perfectly like Gervas’.

Her guardian stared at his duplicate, his hand reaching for his sword.

“Please,” Sunny said, her voice calm and making him stop. “The chosen may seem rough, but I assure you she means no harm. She will do as she says, I give my word.”

Gervas stared at the changeling for a long moment before giving a soft sigh. His hand slowly moved away from his sword before he glanced back to Yvette. “Stay here.”

“What?” she asked.

“Stay here until I get back,” he repeated.

“But I--”

“Am exhausted from your magic use, aren’t you? Do you think you’re in any state to cross that river? Or to guide Chestnut across it?”

Her cheeks burned but, slowly, she shook her head. “No.” If Gervas hadn’t helped her to the ground already, she was certain she’d have fallen over by now. “I’ll wait and rest. Just come back soon, okay?”

“I will,” he said before he turned and ran off, after the changeling.

Yvette sighed and, once he was out of sight, fell back completely and collapsed on the ground, panting lightly. “I hate this...” she whispered. “No offense, Sunny. It’s a beautiful grove. I wish I could appreciate it fully.”

“The chosen will not harm you again,” Sunny said before moving towards the pit of red sludge. She held out her right hand and, very slowly, vines began to rise up out of the ground around the edge of the pool, dipping deeply into the sludge. A moment later, more vines sprang up behind the first row and moved over the pool, covering it entirely. “I am sorry that they harmed you at all. They should not have.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to people expecting the worst from me,” Yvette muttered, closing her eyes. She reached up and put her fingers against the cut on her throat. All she wanted was to be a girl, yet all it seemed to do was lead to more and more pain for her. Why couldn’t anyone just accept she was a girl, all she wanted was to be a girl? She didn’t want to cause harm or pain. Yet they just kept assuming the worse fro--

She sat up, her eyes going wide. “Wait. She never called me him. Or a boy. Or anything. She kept calling me her!” she said before turning back to the dryad and staring.

Sunny stood in front of the pool, or at least where the pool had been. Now a small tree, nearly as tall as her, had sprung up. It was covered in beautiful flowers with vines snaking down around its roots, covering the disgusting taint. More flowers and vines were slowly moving through the damaged clearing, wrapping around stumps. The dryad didn’t even seem to notice Yvette while she worked.

“This is incredible,” Yvette whispered. “I didn’t know dryads could work so fast.”

“There is much magic in my grove, now,” Sunny said gently. “Their bodies will be used to bring new life to my home. To undo what they have done. It will not be enough to repair it immediately. But it will accelerate the process.” She moved to the new tree and held out her hands. Budding flowers seemed to lower from it, wrapped in a small necklace by their stems. “For your aid, I grant you this boon.” Sunny walked to Yvette and slowly placed the now fully blossoming necklace around her neck.

Yvette slowly lifted a hand up to touch the flowers. They were soft to the touch, the scent of the necklace gently flowing up. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

Sunny didn’t answer, instead turning back to her tree and continuing the growth process. Yvette reached for her bag, only to realize it was still with the horse. She made a mental note to read more about dryads when she could. For now, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Far too soon her rest was interrupted by Gervas’ voice and she glanced up. He was guiding both horses by their reins, Vala walking behind him with an amused look on her face. Yvette snickered, but quickly decided against commenting. She could see the frustration growing on her guardian’s face. He moved to her side her before releasing the reins and holding his hand out to her. “Come on. Let’s get you onto Chestnut and go.”

“Huh? I thought you didn’t want us riding here, since the--”

“Apparently our new… guide knows a path we can take that will be safe to ride on. Besides, with all that energy you expended, I don’t want you walking until you have a chance to fully rest.”

Yvette nodded and took his hand. She let out a yelp when he pulled her up and then grabbed her by her hips, hauling her up and onto the horse as easily as if she weighed nothing. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, though she only gave him a glare. “Y-you don’t need to do that. I-I can get onto a horse myself.”

“Just rest for a bit, Yvette,” Gervas said before he started to guide both horses back towards the forest. She slowly positioned herself on her mount, sitting as comfortably as she could. “You can walk later.” He then held up two small, glass jars with stoppers in them. “Also. It’s not much, but I stopped by the first troll on the way back. I’m hoping it will help.”

Yvette blinked a few times and stared at them, before her eyes widened, taking them from him. Troll’s blood. She’d completely forgotten about it in all the excitement. Slowly she opened her bag, staring into it for a moment. While the bag itself weighed only a few pounds and was no bigger than a normal satchel, inside it was easily the size of a large room, with her things all neatly stacked and organized. She gingerly placed the glass jars inside a small case amongst other such jars. After a moment, she lifted the dryad’s necklace over her head and put it inside as well, not wanting to risk it being damaged by wearing it. “Thank you,” she said softly, staring at the jars. She couldn’t believe he’d managed to remember.

“Let’s go,” Gervas said before swinging into Redwood’s saddle with ease.

“Of course,” Vala said before moving in front of the pair.

MelodyAvant

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