The sun was high in the sky, casting captivatingrays of light upon the grass that swayed in the wind. A young, beautiful woman sat outside, lying against a cherry blossom tree, her waist-long blonde hair caught in the bark of the tree. She sat reading a book as the winds whistled in the distance. To the side of her was a large wooden cabin, and stepping out of it was an elderly man named Father Hatheway. This man was a practitioner of water magic and the healing arts. He was also quite skilled, the young lady might add.
The pair was currently on their way to the capital of the empire, known as Cryon, called Vun. The population of the capital was quite immense, with a staggering two hundred and fifty-thousand people. It was a diverse population, comprised of people of elven descent, orcs, humans, dwarves, druids, beastfolk, and many other species. To those who lived outside of it, it was a place full of mysteries and a secret world, of which the pair of people were trying to uncover. It also had one of the most booming Red-Light districts in the world, known as the Globe of Love.
"Hey, Father, what exactly are we looking for in Vun?" Anemone asked curiously, as all she had known up to this point was that an object was needed by those close to the world tree.
"A seedling." Father responded, "Every one thousand years, the World Tree begins to go into a state of dormancy, in which it intakes less nutrients. For that reason, the elves require a seedling from a species of tree that has a naturally long life span."
"Why does it have to be a tree with a long life span? Doesn't the World Tree produce its own seeds? And why do they even need i-"
"Slow down, young one. Not so many questions at once."
Father reached out, grasping Anemone's hand, pulling her up to her feet. Anemone winced as her hair was caught in the bark of the tree.
"The World Tree is not a species. It is an object, a place of worship. The soil the elves reside on is very nutrient-dense, allowing almost any species of life to live there. For that reason, they just ask for a tree with a long life span, this is for the worst case scenario in which the World Tree starts to decay and wither during the state of dormancy. And if that happens, the new seed will be planted, deified, and worshiped like its predecessor."
Anemone let go of Father's hand, straightened up her red dress, dusting off the dirt to reveal deep crimson roses.
"Why can't they just produce their own trees with a long life span? It would be better, and why would they deify just any tree?"
Father looked up to gauge the time left in the day, then grabbed his golden ring with a green topaz engraved on the top.
"You remind me of a certain creature, a hydra, but instead of heads, it's questions. For every question I answer, you ask two more."
"Hydras don't exist, I'm not stupid!" Anemone retorted.
"We still have a day's ride to Vun. Get up, and get ready. Go grab your things, I will untie the horse and draw the carriage."
As Father Hatheway went to draw the carriage, Anemone entered the shabby wooden cabin. Stepping inside, the floor croaked beneath her like a frog, gently caving into her weight. She walked toward the wooden table, which sat in the center of the room, picking up a small leather pouch that contained a small wooden wand made of maple. At the tip was a white topaz embedded as the wood arched around it like a cage to secure it.
Beside the small pouch were two rings, one of which was a family heirloom, gold with the word "Live" engraved into it. The other was a small golden ring, which was supposed to enhance her fire magic, but Anemone had yet to use fire magic since she was nine, when a tragedy struck.
Anemone eventually stepped back outside, the warm breeze hitting her face like a comforting embrace. She walked towards a small fenced area, setting her bag down on the dirt and looking towards some targets that stood there.
'I might as well practice while I wait on Father."
"Wind Arrow." She shouted, sticking forward her wand made of maple.
A loud whistle began to cut through the sound that the breeze made. The air surrounding the tip of her wand began to fold in on itself, spinning with an incredible velocity that rapidly accelerated. Whoosh! A barely visible tail of wind trailed behind the Wind Arrow. Then suddenly, the target was pierced, a clean hole, no splintering, no debris, the wood that previously filled the hole was completely obliterated.
'Two seconds from start to finish, that is way too long. I need to be better, that could be the difference between life and death, maybe Father would have tips.'
"Hurry up!" A voice suddenly rattled her brain, filling her previous thoughts of worry with excitement.
'Impatient old man, but at least he is finally done, and we can make our way to the city.'
Anemone put her leather pouch over her shoulder, with her wand inside, then began to make her way to Father Hatheway. As she did, a beautiful stallion captivated her; it had the purest white skin, a blonde coat covering its spine, and a white tail that slowly transitioned to grey at the end. Anemone looked at the gigantic hooves that stomped into the ground and began to think.
'Those seem bigger than my head… scary. I mean, I do have a small head though.'
She then looked at the large, covered wagon, which had a white cloth covering the top, and it had a seat on the front for handling the horse, though it only had enough room for one. And as she did, she didn't see Father sitting, ready to go.
"You said you were ready!" Anemone said angrily, knowing she could have practiced more.
"No, I said to hurry up. I know you get lost sometimes. Now, please start loading the carriage."
He seemed to be in a bad mood based on the first few words, but Anemone knew he was still the kind old man she knew him to be. She then went back and saw a few oak crates with metal banding securing them in place. There were crates for apples, grapes, white bread, dried herbs, ranging from cheap ones like garlic to a small amount of ginger. Then, two white sealed crates, whose contents Anemone didn't know off the top of her head.
Luckily, the names of the insides were written on top. One was milk, the other was dried meats. The two also had two clay vessels, which they were carrying around. It was extremely rare, precious, and valuable Moonwine, gifted ot them by the elves. It was a pale blue shimmering drink that seemed to sparkle like the stars that filled the night sky. Anemone suddenly remembered the one thing that she knew she must locate: their rights to set up a shop. After all, it was illegal to set up a random shop.
'We don't even know who has the seedling, or where it is. We will get the information by selling stuff. Or at least, I think that is what Father said.'
"Hey, Father, are you ready? Or are you still readying the horse?" Anemone asked him, looking to him through a small open area that sat at the front of the carriage, connecting the storage area to the seat for the handler.
"Yes, I am ready."
"Then let's go!" Anemone exclaimed.
Father slowly got up, entering the seat for the handler. Anemone pulled up the wooden tailgate to ensure no cargo would slip off. She then took her own seat in the back, sitting against the wooden wall that stood between them, the opening just above her head.
"How long is the journey, Father?"
"One day, we have about four hours of daylight left, so be on the lookout starting three hours from now, it would be the perfect time for predators or thieves to attack. After all, we are traveling west, where the sun will fall directly in front of our eyes."
"Why does that matter?"
"I won't be able to see well with the sun shining into my eyes."
"What about camp? Is there another cottage somewhere? Or maybe somewhere to stay with HEAT?"
"Don't worry about that, we will set up camp just off a path later, and we will then make our own fire for warmth. Now take a nap, you will have to stay up for at least four hours while I sleep. So rest while you can, though it may be bumpy."
"Why me? Why do I have to have lookout duty first?" Anemone began to pout against the wood. At the same time, Father whipped the horse, and the carriage began to move.
"Do you want to controlt he horse? No? Didn't think so."
"Okay, you mean old man."
Anemone decided to lie down flat on the carriage, grabbing the single sleeping bag they had and then rolling it up for a makeshift pillow, pushing it against the floor, knowing if she let go, it might unravel.
"Thank you.. For being you." Anemone said, knowing that over time, calling him mean may get to him.
"Sleep well, young one." He said in a calm, gentle, almost parental voice.
***
The immense rattling of the crates caused Anemone to wake up. The carriage was shaking as it hit pits and rocks on the path that Father was following. And as Anemone woke up, she peered out the back of the carriage, gazing into the night sky that was filled with colorful, but dim stars that painted the ground in a soft light.
'I wish life were always this peaceful…' she thought
"Oh, look! The Big Dipper!" Anemone yelled while pointing her finger, then suddenly. Whack!
A hand smacked Anemone's forehead.
"Be quiet, unless you want to draw the attention of the surrounding wildlife."
"Owww!" That hurt! …meanie," She said, her voice quiet.
Anemone rubbed her forehead where she had been hit, the skin beginning to turn red and heat up. She then sat up, leaning over the wood that separated the two of them, peering over Father's shoulder and looking up ahead; She saw a beautiful, bustling city filled with flickering lights. It was captivating; some buildings were as tall as a mountain, and the city was filled with people. And one section seemed to have a vast amount of red and pink lights.
"So prettyyyy…" Anemone muttered. "Are we still a full day away, Father?"
"Yes, young one. It will take at least another six hours, and I would rather not travel at night unless we have a skilled adventurer, so I would like to make camp soon."
"I am skill-"
"Not you, you have barely slept within the past day. I won't let you stay up another four extra hours, let alone six, and even then, I need sleep as well. So let us make camp. I will rest first, then you."
The carriage soon came to a halt, just off the path. The two then departed from it, trailing off into the surrounding forest. Fireflies began to light up in rhythmic patterns, and leaves crunched beneath them as they found one open area. It was a circular area which was flat, and the ground was warm to the touch.
"Go grab some wood and begin to build a fire between all the trees."
Father soon made a small marking in the middle where he wanted the fire built, watching as Anemone went off to retrieve some wood.
Anemone began to look in the surrounding forest, mesmerized by the hoots of the owls, the singing of the crickets, and the flickering of the fireflies. Anemone then looked around, finding branches, sticks, and logs that could potentially be used for firewood.
'Dry wood, without holes. Or at least I think that is what I was taught.'
Anemoen soon began to pull logs to the camp, then grabbed a trusty, but rusty axe from the carriage, and began to split the logs, then chopped down some dead trees for the final work. It was tiring, but very rewarding to her. Knowing the heat that they would have tonight would come from her very own hard work, not some other people, not foresters, but her own work.
Soon enough, an hour passed by, and Father was sitting up against a tree, nodding off, but resisting the urge to sleep until the fire was lit. Anemone had gathered enough firewood and began to stack it in a crisscross pattern, making it go to her knee.
'Now to light it,' Anemone thought.
"Father, how should I light this?"
"Use your fire magic, or rub two sticks together."
"I can just rub two sticks together? That sounds easy enough."
Anemone grabbed one straight stick and then held another piece of lumber between her knees, dirtying her shins in the dirt, and began to rapidly spin the stick, creating a small pit groove. Smoke began to billow from the contact point, filling her nose, but her arms began to tire, and her speed decreased, and soon enough, the smoke stopped, making her lose hope.
'Okay, Anemone, one time. You only have to use fire magic one time. You got this. I think…'
Father walked towards Anemone, who was kneeling on the ground.
"I can use hydromancy to put out the fire if anything goes wrong. I am here. Don't worry about losing control."
"You're right… Thank you." Anemone muttered
"Spark of fire."
Suddenly, a small ember shot from her finger, connecting with the wood, growing rapidly. A large flame completely engulfed the stack of wood, igniting it with blazing heat that radiated, lighting up the surroundings and heating up Anemone and Father within mere moments. Smoke began to rise into the air as the fire settled, becoming a consistent flame.
"Good job, young one, I'm so proud of you."
'Good job, darling, I am so proud of you, my youngest daughter.' A soft voice echoed in her mind.
Suddenly, a trauma-inducing image of a beautiful woman with peach skin filled Anemone's eyes. A woman stood with eyes as blue as the captivating sea. To her side flowed long, angelic, white hair that stopped at her waist. Then flames swallowed her whole, and high-pitched, whaling screams began to ring in Anemone's. As the screams grew, so did the flames; a searing heat began to radiate from Anemone's young skin.
'Mom…' tears began to flow down Anemone's face as she stared into the fire, her eyes turning red, and self-loathing bubbling inside her heart.
"Anemone! Snap out of it!" Firm hands grasped Anemone's shoulders, shaking her out of her daymare, "Wake up! Everything is okay!"
The voice carried a sense of urgency, shaking Anemone awake. The strong, yet gentle hands continued to shake her. Soon enough, Anemone snapped out of it, her eyes refocusing on the man in front of her, who seemed kinder than ever.
Anemone's tears continued to flow as the man wrapped his warm arms around the small Anemone, holding her close like a father would hold their daughter.
"I'm okay now," Anemone sniffled. "You can rest now. I will keep a lookout."
Anemone released Father, sitting back onto the soft dirt that caved into her weight.
"Wake me if you need me, alright? I am here, young one, no matter what happens."
"Thank you, Father."
Father then sat in front of a tree, setting up a simple sleeping bag, which was just wool blankets sewn together with wool filling the empty space.
"Goodnight, Father." She said as Father sat in the sleeping bag, closing his eyes.
"Goodnight, young one."
Anemone stared up at the captivating stars. At the same time, she watched their surroundings, ensuring their safety.
'This will be a long four hours.' She thought, sighing softly.