Forest Elves by Rose E. Watson (classic fiction .TXT) 📖

girl resides.”
“ I reside in the forests hunting and trapping. Gathering water isn’t a problem but slaving in a hot kitchen till I collapse isn’t my idea of work. I like hard work, not dainty work why do you think I have blisters on my hands. Training with weapons and learning medical skills is what I enjoy. Not sewing and dancing and making daisy chains.”
Holding up my hands I showed her my blistered red hands.

“ You were always stubborn.”
“ And I’d like to stay that way doing what I like to do.”
“ Alright.”
“ What?”
“ Alright. If you like hard-”
“ I love hard work.”
“ Don’t cut me off. Since you “love” hard work, training, and gathering then you can do those things. I was just testing you to see if you fell into the spell of cooking and house work. But you aren’t like your sisters. You’re like your father, head strong, tough, and not afraid to get dirty. But will bathe.”
Trying to rip this angry mask off I replaced it with a serious one. I gave my mother a stubborn glance then said.
“ This was a test?”
“ Yes, it was.”
“ Please, don’t test me anymore.”
“ I think that could be in order.”
“ Good.”
“ Well, let’s go back and get you something to eat then you can rest.”

I came back with my mother to the house, had some leftover stew, and then washed up for bed. Angry thoughts still brewed in my mind but I was calm now. But, for some reason now I was angry. I’m so angry! My mom always forces me into things that I don’t want to do let alone be told to do. Why can’t I runaway? Why can’t I go on an adventure? Why can’t I escape a frickin kitchen? I need to calm down. I need to relax. Breath, Ebony, breath. I calmed myself down and tried to get through the rest of the night. Finally I got to sleep but I felt so restless I had no idea how I had. The next morning I felt better but something was missing. Getting up I looked around curious to see if something in the room or out my window would help me remember but nothing did. I shrugged away the missing thought, and decided after five minutes of day dreaming to get dressed and eat breakfast. Going down stairs I looked at everyones faces my youngest sister, Arawen, looked like she was about to burst out laughing. My second youngest sister, Hazel, looked expression less but had mischief in her green eyes. And last my oldest sister, Blair, looked as she always did, pretty with a glint of hope and maturity. My mother looked happy (which is a stray odd because I knew how much she missed father) but mostly mysterious which gave me curiosity for about 3 seconds. Then the curiosity ran out. We ate breakfast then all split up for the morning chores and activities we usually did (except for me (I’m always running off to hunt or be alone)).

The whole village seemed strange that morning which was disturbing my troubled mind, so I went into a special grove of trees, (where we get special drinking and cooking water) bringing a large porcelain jug with me to get some water. Wind whispered in the trees that surrounded the sweet smelling pool, the crystal clear water looked so mouth water I had to take a gulp of it. I scooped up the pure water in my drinking horn and drunk till my thirst was quenched. One thing anyone should know is that all the water sources in the forest were of the purest water you could find. After refreshing myself I filled the water jug to the very top and hauled it back to the village. My sisters were done with their chores by the time I filled 7 water jugs. Heading back to get three more jugs of water I noticed everyone was decorating around the village (curiouser and curiouser). Once I finished getting water and was almost in the door to my house, I guess my mother and sister’s couldn’t contain themselves any longer. “ Happy Birthday!” My face was as shocked as my mind. My birthday? My birthday! I forgot my own birthday! That’s what my mind was missing this morning.

Everyone was running around and doing things like a pack of wild dogs getting ready for dinner, my grandfather strode up with his animal carved walking stick. “ Shall we go for a walk in the woods, and talk?”
“ Why not. Sounds like a good idea, since everyone’s so busy.”
So we were headed into the ancient wood. Something seemed special about this day, not just because it was my birthday. But, something in the air made my stomach clench till I thought I would puke, but I tried to keep it together.
“ There’s something I’ve wanted to tell you since you were four years old and already begging your father to take you on hunting trips.”
I smiled at the thought of me tugging on my fathers cloak and begging him to take me and watch him hunt.
“ If you wanted to tell me so long ago, why didn’t you?”
“ Because what I’m going to tell you I had to wait till you were sixteen.”
It must be really important if he had to wait 12 years just to tell me something I have no clue about.
“ Then please continue.”
“ Ever since you were born, you’ve had a special gift. But, it’s been contained since you came back, and it’s to be awakened when you turn sixteen at the rise of the full moon. Which is going to be tonight.”
You’ve got to be kidding me, great I’m an even bigger freak than I am already.
“ Anyway, you will inherit the powers from your grandmother.”
He paused, sorrow looked like they filled his eyes then passed away as if know one could see, but I did. I don’t remember my grandmother much, she died when I was three. But I do remember her chestnut hair with gray highlights flowing down to her hips. Her ears were peaches and cream with raspberry colored spirals on the tips. She always looked like she was Spring come to concur Winter. I remember her holding me when I was born (after the whole incident of course), and when I meet her arms I felt a calmness come over me, I felt at peace. I wish I could feel that way now. But, I didn’t like this awkward silence anymore so I asked him to continue.

“ Do you have Goliath?”
I pulled out my sword from its sheath, it shone in the sunset.
“ I see you’ve been keeping it polished and clean.”
“ I would never leave a sword like Goliath dirty and rusty.”
“ I’m glad to here your so responsible of such a glorious blade. Goliath, is yours now be responsible of him and remember he is more than just a sword.”
I nodded a reply.
“ Alright now what I’m about to tell you is very important, promise to never tell anyone!”
Again, I nodded.
“ I might not live because I’m telling you this but for the sake of our village I will pass it on to you.”
He looked around cautiously making sure no one was eavesdropping or spying on us. Lowering his voice a little more than a whisper he began to tell me this:” There is a dark sorcerer who lives in the brimstone mountains of Ragnarock. He sends down dragons and beasts of large scales to concur the woods, to kill, and make human, elf, animal, and every other kind of thing that’s living a slave. No one has lived to tell the tale of the dark sorcerer, or even to learn his name. But, there are many other things of secret.”

Pausing for a bit (after telling me more) to make sure no hint of confusion was on my face, then he went on,” There is many things I would love to tell you of but I fear I’ve told you to much.” He looked around again, then I thought I heard a small shrieking noise. My grandfather’s face got stiff he pulled up his walking stick and said,” By the light of the almost risen moon alight my humbly carved stick to use as something of mighty strength. The force around my grandfather blew me backward into a rock, I went head first and then everything went black. I woke up to my grandfather standing calmly, eyes closed on the sod of the forest with a giant blade in hand, it looked so magnificent with the animal carving alined on the front and back and an elven name was length wise between the two sets of animals “ Eine`” was her name. Suddenly my grandfather shot his eyes open to see a shadow beast, I shrunk to the ground trying not to breath and trying to blend in. He then shouted,” Eine`, raise your head and strike which lurks about in the shadows!” The sword became a lit my grandfather flew up into the sky and looked on the forest below, coming down like a dragon diving for it’s prey he scathed the shadow beast. It shrieked and then made a ringing noise that made my ear drums ring as well, I struggled on the ground and so did my grandfather. Then it stopped the shadow beast trod over to my grandfather I could see it bend down to the ground facing my grandfathers painfully closed eyes couldn’t sense his enemy. To my horror the beast then stabbed it’s tail into my grandfathers back, his eyes shot open and slowly began to turn white, black stained blood flowed from his eyes. He stood up came over near me and spoke,” Remember-remember....” He fell to his knees then began to disappear I grabbed his hand but he was already gone. I’m dreaming, I have to be dreaming. I’m just loosing my mind, I’m seeing things because it’s sunset. I’ll prove to myself that he’s still there. I’ll just walk back and find him writing in his cabin with a kettle on for tea.

Stubbornly convinced I walked back calmly to our village and to my grandfathers house. It was empty I went to his study and found nothing but papers and scrolls, I looked in the kitchen no kettle boiling over the fire. No one was there. My spine started to shiver and I whipped my half braided long hair around. I ran into his study and found the map my grandfather told me about. Hearing my grandfathers previous words in my head I recorded them. Now Ebony this is what you’re to do. Go to my cabin and into my study, I have a collection of maps and notebooks filled with the things you’ll need to know. Go to my library and find a book that says Ridgebrook Dragons, it has a a key inside that unlocks a chest underneath a loose floor board beneath my writing table in the chest you’ll find valuable items that will help you on your quest. By studying the stars and talking to a few friends I know I’ve heard that the dark sorcerer is going to destroy the grounds that we live and make every living thing here a slave. Please this quest can only be handed off to you because you have the power to accomplish this. Also there might be something that you might find but I can’t udder a word. I accepted half thinking it was false half