The Endless Forest

Twenty-five days remain…

"How are you feeling now?" Yarnel asked, floating next to a sapphire dragon. His focus was solely on the beating crystal. Lorenzen and him were back in their 'home,' a massive cave carved out to house the dragon.

"I feel…" Lorenzen stood, noting how painless it was. "...better."

"Good! I knew this would work." The smaller dragon lowered himself to the ground, next to another crystal. This was the one Felix had turned into a mana well.

"Are you sure this was worth it though? I could've still fought–"

He whipped around to face Lorenzen. "Nonsense! You were, once again, at death's door. And I know what you are thinking, but you still have a promise to keep. Remember?"

The sapphire-colored dragon narrowed his eyes. "I do. But my time is approaching. There is no reason to waste more time and energy on me."

"Hah! Waste? Lorenzen, this mana well is infinite. It's output might not be…ideal, but it certainly isn't being wasted." With the flick of a taloned hand, the crystal vanished and ended the ritual being cast.

The larger dragon stared down at him before letting out a sigh. "If you say so… Anyway, what other plans do you have for it? I ask, because I might know one good use."

Yarnel considered the question. "I do have a few good ideas… But, if you are thinking of using it for the barrier, then no."

"Why not? We know what that bastard is after. He wants to destroy–"

He threw up a hand, stopping the other dragon. "I am well aware, thank you. I already have a plan for that."

Lorenzen blinked. "You…do? Why haven't you told me– Or Ithea for that matter?"

"Because I just thought of it. Though, to be fair, I wasn't much concerned anyway… The barrier was never meant to be permanent. It was a temporary solution, and one that has its flaws. There's a reason why we still have incursions, after all."

"I always thought it was meant to be permanent…"

Waving a dismissive hand, Yarnel turned away from the dragon and floated over to a relatively, to Lorenzen, small table. In a blink of the eye, several large, rolled up parchments appeared on it.

"Everyone assumed it would be permanent because it worked so well. But I've always cautioned that it could be defeated. And it has, multiple times," he reiterated. "Fea and I only had so much time to design and build it. The plan was to eventually replace it, but then… Well, her health declined and I needed her mana."

Lorenzen shrank in an instant, taking on his dwarven form. He approached and peered down at the scrolls. "But Felix now has her powers, her soul even. Surely we can do something with that instead?"

"We could," Yarnel admitted, picking up one of the scrolls. "Sadly time is now against us, and I don't have enough to implement the changes. But, like I said, I came up with a rather ingenious plan. One that doesn't require massive changes."

"What is it, then?"

The small dragon gave him a toothy smile and handed him the scroll. "I want you to…"

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning came early for Felix, yet he did not complain. In fact, he awoke with a satisfied smile. Despite everything that transpired yesterday, he found himself well rested and ready to take on the day…

Suddenly, another body stirred and Felix soon found himself wrapped up in Eri's arms. She unconsciously pulled him closer, softly breathing into his chest. The sight immediately changed his mind about getting up and he decided to rest for a little while longer.

Closing his eyes, Felix attempted to drift back off–

Loud banging rang out from his door. "Felix?! Your Majesty?! Are you two up?!"

Eri was startled awake and Felix frowned, frustrated that this perfect moment was ruined. The two slowly separated, even as the banging continued.

"Please! You need to wake up!"

"What?! What is it?!" he shouted. Meanwhile, Eri rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"I don't know, but I'm pissed at whoever that is…" He threw off the covers as the voice responded to him.

"Oralyn wishes to see you, urgently!"

That can't be good… "Okay! And stop banging on the damn door! We're up!"

The door fell silent. "Sorry!"

He rolled his eyes and slid out of bed before picking up a pile of clothes on the ground. Sifting through it, he tossed Eri's over to her and she soon disappeared into the bathroom. Meanwhile, he simply threw on his pants and made his way to the door, flinging it open.

"Okay, what in the Hells is going on?" he asked, realizing it was one of Eri's guards on the other side. He gave them a death glare.

"I-I don't know… Oralyn only said to go and fetch you– She, uh…didn't say why– Only that it was urgent!"

"Fine, but this better be important. You ruined a good moment for me."

The guard was taken aback at the insinuation and tried to apologize. Felix didn't care, however, and promptly slammed the door shut. Eri stepped back out from the bathroom, now fully dressed.

"What did he say?" she questioned as he began dressing the rest of himself.

"Only thing he said was that Oralyn wanted to see us. Apparently, she did not say why."

Eri gave him a curious look before shrugging. "Well, finish getting dressed and we'll go see what she wants…"

Instead, though, he paused and gave her a concerned look. "Perhaps… Perhaps you should go back to bed. I think I can handle this."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If you are concerned for my health, then don't be. I feel perfectly fine."

"Fine?" He looked her up and down, his mind peering into hers. "Are you sure?"

She strode past him confidently, heading straight for the door. She stopped only long enough to glance back at him. "I am. Now get dressed and I will meet you downstairs."

She opened the door and stepped out…

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

A few minutes later, Felix and Eri found themselves being escorted over to the tent where he had met the Chiefs. The sun was barely up and already the entire clearing was alive. Yet, Felix felt that something was off.

Elves, dwarves, gnomes, and even a few kobolds, quickly greeted them as they passed by. The weather was perfect and there was a light, cool breeze that kept the last remnants of summer at bay. And that's when it hit him.

The entire clearing was in a good mood. Everyone, even the grumpy architect that they met at the front of the tent, had a warm smile.

"Morning!" Gillador called out, as he exited and held open the tent flap for them.

"Good…morning," Felix responded, finding it strange at just how cheery the old man looked.

What the Hells was that? Eri asked through their bond. It seemed even she was finding this strange.

I…don't know. But, that is the first time I've seen him with such a bright smile. It sent a shiver down his spine. Thankfully, the tent, or at least the individual inside the tent, seemed to be immune to whatever spell was taking effect…

They came to a stop in front of the very same table Felix had threatened the Chiefs at. And, standing on the far side was Oralyn with furrowed brows and a frown.

"Apologies if the guards woke the two of you, Your Majesty, Champion."

The use of his 'title' caught him by surprise, but he simply gave a nod. Eri, though, took the opportunity to speak.

"It is fine. I know you wouldn't have called on us, unless it was important. But, now that we're here, what has happened?"

Oralyn collapsed into a chair, half-heartedly gesturing for them to take a seat. Eri and Felix each shared a concerned look but quickly sat down.

"That bad?" he asked, halfway between joking and being serious.

"Depends on how you look at it," she responded. It was only now he realized the heavy bags under her eyes.

Has she been up all night? "Okay? So, what happened?"

"The Chiefs," she hissed.

Now it was Felix's turn to frown. "What did they do this time?"

She shook her head at his question. "Really, it's not what they did but rather what you did." She stopped, but once she saw his confused expression, she continued. "That meeting yesterday? Yeah, it lit a fire under them…"

"And… And that's bad?"

"Not exactly– And I don't blame you. I believe what you did was needed, however… Now, they are going around whipping up everyone into a frenzy."

She let out a sigh. "I'm sure you've noticed the mood around here, that was their doing. Everyone is fired up and volunteering for tasks that need to be done. Gillador just left after spending thirty minutes proposing changes that he wanted me to bring up to you…"

"Oh–"

"I have been up since well before dawn, with everyone bringing me plans, propositions, and ideas. And that's just the ones coming to me. I had a brief walk around before I sent for you, and many are simply doing things on their own– Without approval."

Felix and Eri blinked. "And that's bad, how?" he pushed, not seeing the problem.

"Because! I cannot control any of this! No one is sticking with their groups! There's a reason why we created them in the first place!" She slammed the table.

Silence.

"Look," Oralyn said after several seconds. "If that were all, I could probably get everyone back under control. However…" She looked specifically at Felix. "With the marriage and coronation so soon, I am at my limit."

His eyes widened. "I see, you are asking me to help."

Eri decided to interject. "I can as–"

Oralyn interrupted her. "No. And it has nothing to do with your stress. I received word that your dress will be ready this morning. You'll probably be there all day so that they can get it perfect."

"Ah." Eri's expression was a mixture of excitement and dejection. "I do look forward to seeing it…"

"As do I," Felix added.

"Indeed…" Oralyn muttered before shaking her head. "Oh, speaking… When are Kyrith and Zira going to be flying out? They were going to be there for the coronation, right?"

Felix froze. Right, they can't fit through the portal…

Luckily, his wife-to-be responded confidently. "I've already spoken to Master Aluin, he said he could use a teleportation spell to get them out there."

"And what about returning back to the clearing?" Oralyn asked. "Will they teleport the dragons back?"

Eri shook her head. "No, we'll be flying back." She glanced over to Felix and gave him a predatory look. "I learned that the human elite often have something called honeymoons after a wedding. I think we shall have one ourselves."

Felix gave her a surprised look, their conversation from last night completely forgotten about. Meanwhile, Oralyn pinched the bridge of her nose.

"And…just how long will you two– four be gone?"

"Three or four days, five max," she answered casually. "Really, it will depend on if we find any scenic spots to stop and…rest."

"Honestly? I don't hate the idea. It will give everyone some additional time to recuperate."

Felix raised an eyebrow at that. "Recuperate?"

Oralyn gave him a nod. "Yes, recuperate. I suspect there will be parties for the next few days afterwards."

He held back a laugh. "You don't seem thrilled at the idea… But, if I'm being honest. After seeing everything you've gone through, I think you can take a bit of rest yourself. Yes, there is still urgency in training up the militia and getting the dormitory finished, but I think you've already done more than enough to earn a few months of rest."

For the first time today, Oralyn seemed to straighten up. She did not smile, but the return of her normal stoic look was enough to know.

"And once everything is said and done, perhaps I will take that rest. Until then, though, I will continue doing my job."

No rest for the wicked, huh? "Do as you please, but know I have no words to express how appreciative I am of you."

Eri nodded approvingly. "You have been a Godsend. And I will see to it that you are properly rewarded."

"Thank you, Your Majesty… But, I am not doing this for myself. Or even just for you. I'm doing this because I believe we elves deserve something more."

"Of course, but your efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Felix, Kyrith, Zira– All of us know how hard you work."

An idea came to Felix. I might know how to reward her sooner rather than later, he whispered over the bond.

Eri perked up as he explained what he wanted to do. Go for it. I think she might try and refuse, but she is definitely deserving… Although, I suppose it's not really up to any of us if your idea will work.

It's still worth a try. And I don't know, I think it will… I have a gut feeling about this.

Then do it.

With Eri's approval, Felix leaned forward and gave Oralyn a grin. "I actually have an idea for a proper reward, if you'll hear me out."

Oralyn pondered it for several, long moments. However, Felix made it clear with his expression that there was only one answer. She let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, what do you have in mind?"

He decided to tease her a bit. "Have you ever thought about a companion? A friend who will always be there with you?"

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What? I hope you aren't wanting to set me up with an arranged marriage."

Felix was stunned. "Uh… No? That's not what I meant either– A partner, you know…" He gestured for her to respond.

For a moment, she visibly relaxed. "I don't know what you're trying–" She cut herself off as realization dawned on her. "Wait, partner? As in…" she trailed off, clearly not believing he would do that.

But he slowly nodded. "Yes, Oralyn, I do mean that."

"But… I thought–"

"Exceptions can be made, and this is one of them. You are definitely deserving of it– Well, a try at it."

He watched her closely as she considered his proposal. Her mask made it hard, but he could just barely make out a growing sense of curiosity behind her eyes. However, there was something else there, a dark cloud of fear and doubt.

"I… I don't think that would be a good idea. I am not the sort of person who–"

Eri cut her off. "Oralyn, I've worked with you enough to know you are a good person. It's true, you can be…difficult, but so can I! So can Felix! You have the right attitude, the right motivations, the right… Heart."

Felix decided to add, "Or, as Zira puts it, you are safe." He stood up and walked around the table until he got next to her. "So tell me…" He held out a hand for her.

"Do you want to hatch a dragon egg?"