An Unexpected Ally: Writing Prompt Wednesday is All New!

Only 4 more weeks of Writing Prompt Wednesday, assuming we don’t wrap this thing up a little bit early! So that’s exciting. This week is #6 of this edition of Writing Prompt Wednesday, and we left off at a bit of an interesting part at the end of week 5. Rohan and Faelynn come face to face with someone Rohan believed wholeheartedly to be dead. Instead, they discover his healthy cousin living in the remains of the village Rohan grew up in. So, what’s next for these two adventurers?

Check out this week’s Writing Prompt Wednesday, Part VI!

Faelynn’s eyes shifted between the two men as they sat across from each other, the woven vine chairs holding their bulk despite Faelynn’s doubts. The elvish man, Aesop, led them through Herrowood Forest and into the ruins of a once-thriving village. Rohan’s face took on a pallor, his gaze darting around the village, marking each sign of destruction. Aesop threw back a curtain of deathly large leaves and long vines to reveal an obviously well lived-in dwelling.

She accepted a small cup of steaming tea from the man and retreated to stand across from them where they sat, staring. Rohan was taller than Aesop. Aesop had a quiet about him that Rohan lacked completely. Faelynn wondered if that sense of peace became lost during his servitude to the king of Agradell. There were many aspects of his deal with the king that Faelynn wanted to discuss with him another time, perhaps.

Rohan’s voice rasped, “How?”

It was as if his throat would not allow more words beyond that to escape.

Aesop’s sharp features softened, and he set aside his own cup of hot tea. “The day they burned the forest, I was not here,” the man’s throat bobbed. “I, uh, had snuck away to visit a local village girl.”

A tint of red graced both men’s faces; even Faelynn blushed.

“When I returned, everyone was . . . gone.”

Faelynn flinched, gone, a nice way of saying they’d all been slaughtered and left in pieces around the village in the leaves. They’d burned the trees, the very soul of the forest, and Herrowood Forest had been erased from maps and history, becoming nothing more than legend.

“Where have you been all these years? It has been two hundred years.” Aesop’s tone took on a frantic edge. Faelynn tried to imagine what it had been like for the man, to return to his home and find the greenery splattered in crimson and charred with soot.

Rohan gulped, his pale face going sickly green; what he would say? How did one explain to his relatives that he was essentially enslaved to an evil king, forced to do his dirty work across the world?

“I’ve a sister,” he whispered. Shock registered on Aesop’s face, and he nearly jumped from his seat.

Faelynn shifted on her feet, happy for their reunion and yet, anxiety clawed at her, growing stronger by the moment. She wished they could have all the time in the world to catch up on two hundred years of separate and shared misery. But time was not on their side and, if General Maw hadn’t discovered their betrayal, he would soon. They needed to hurry.

Rohan shot a glance in her direction, shaking himself to refocus on their mission. Seeing Aesop had been unexpected, but perhaps his cousin could be an ally.

“We are travelling back to Agradell, to slay the king, and free Jonelle. Will you join us, cousin?”

Faelynn winced. Each time Rohan spoke more than he was comfortable with, it became more obvious that his conversation skills were rusty at best. Coming right out and telling the man, regardless of their relation, that they planned to slay the king had not been the best plan Rohan ever had.

Aesop went still, his silence unnerving as the birds sang overhead. Despite Faelynn’s increasing nervousness, Rohan sat steady and silent, waiting for his cousin to work through his request.

At long last, he spoke, “It would be my great honor to ride with you my prince.”

Faelynn startled, eyes widening, “Prince?”

It was Rohan’s turn to flinch. “Ah, the title of my birth doesn’t necessarily apply anymore, Aesop. There are three of us left.”

Aesop shrugged, uncaring, “Regardless, we shall ride together once more.”

Beneath the giant leaves of the towering trees, the darkness had already descended, casting the forest in shadows and shades. Aesop lit a small fire, the smoke escaping through a hole in the roof of the home, which has been perfectly fitted among the roots of one of the large trees. He set to work roasting a bevy of rabbits he’d captured before Rohan and Faelynn had arrived through the portal. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Aesop seemed eager to continue to speak with his cousin while Rohan had used up his allotment of words for the next seven years during their conversation earlier.

“First light?” Aesop asked, brushing his hands down his tunic, straightening it and rolling his shoulders as he stood straighter.

Rohan nodded, unable or unwilling to form additional words. Aesop smiled, his canines flashing in the firelight, and then he grasped Faelynn’s long fingers and kissed her knuckles before bidding her goodnight.

“Tomorrow morning then,” Faelynn said. Rohan turned toward her. “Tomorrow, we rescue my people, rescue your sister, and release your bonds. Who knows, Rohan, you and Jonelle may even get to return to Herrowood Forest with Aesop in less than a day. What would your people think of that, prince?”

She smirked, watching as he rolled his eyes at the title. Faelynn couldn’t tell if she was surprised that Rohan was a prince of an ancient race or if she was frustrated at his continued secret-keeping.

She opened her mouth to say something more scathing, something that would grate on his nerves but he spoke before she could get a word out.

“Good night, Faelynn.” It was more than a salutation. It was a demand.

She snickered, crawling into the bedroll Aesop had dug up for her after dinner. With her belly full and a little bit of rest, the world was sure to look better in the morning.

The next morning, Herrowood  Forest once again blazed with flames.

While it may not seem like much went on this week, forging alliances with someone like Aesop could tip the scale in Rohan and Faelynn’s favor. With the forest aflame, what will Rohan, Faelynn, and even Aesop do?

Stay tuned and as always, happy reading!