AstriaS 3710 Share Posted March 4 The Melody in the Wood ♪♪♪ High in the sky sat the fair spring morning's sun as the young herbalist passed through the wood. The light peered through the branches above and naught reached one's ears save for the chittering birds and rustling of the wind through the leaves. Aran-în-Eryn, it seemed, was at peace in this portion at the least. Indeed much of the great forest had become tainted by sorcery and blood, but not so there. In that place the forest's quiet was yet preserved, and so it was there that the herbalist – a girl known as Gwenniel – had found her path to lead. And much to her delight was her journey not only undisturbed but bountiful besides. By midday already she felt nigh overburdened with her pack full of roots and greens, from wild garlic and burdock to even a few medicinals. As good a haul as any she had seen, she thought, but a tiring morning's work, and so she wandered without aim seeking only a place where she might sit for a time and rest. Through brush and bramble she came, and down the forested hills until at last she stood upon a shallow rise of a ridge. Far ahead and below, she saw through the boughs a humble few cottages, and the rising ivory spires of the city on the horizon afar. Then it was that Gwenniel, as she paused to take in her surroundings, heard a gentle bubbling of water; she had, by fortune, stumbled upon a grove of sorts, nestled above a whispering spring. Perhaps twenty-odd yards off, the young woman approached in caution, for it seemed a beautiful place, but disconcertingly so. Blossoms floated carelessly on the wind, and the air smelled sweet, and the forest seemed to flourish, all centered around a single tree: white of bark, red of leaf, surrounded by dancing motes of light, and more fair than any tree that stood in its periphery. A Heart Tree as the one in the city, she thought at first, or perhaps something similar. She was uncertain for it was quite different despite its similarity, though she dared not ponder it overmuch. After all, she knew well the superstitions of her folk; to tarry overlong in such a place may attract the mischief of the pixies and their kin that live hidden in the greenery, and so tarry she would not. Superstition or not, it was a chance best left untaken, thought she, and she then made to leave. Yet, against her judgment, she paused as she gazed at the pond. By all rights she should already have turned from the grove, but her limbs wanted for rest and the water appeared clean enough, at least, to rinse her hands and face. Thus, she chose to linger. Nevertheless, she was superstitious still, and so she called out to the empty wood – somewhat foolishly, she thought after – to ask permission to rest at the pond. And though her call echoed from tree to tree, there emerged no malevolent pixies or any other such being to harass her. Deciding it safe enough, Gwenniel knelt by the water and collected a handful in a cupped palm to splash on her face. Suddenly, as the cool touch of water left her skin, the young woman’s eyes became heavy, and it was then that a chorus of murmurous, dulcet tones sounded through the grove. As misfortune would have it, there was indeed one denizen of the grove that had heard the herbalist’s call: the tree itself. A moment later, consciousness slipped from young Gwenniel, and the ivory roots of the tree began to envelope her body… Spoiler Just a lil narrative post for a new side character. Nothing to see here. Get stickbugged. 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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