Part VII: One Step Closer to the Finale

Welcome back to another Writing Prompt Wednesday! Part VII is officially here and we are one step closer to the finale of this edition. Writing Prompt Wednesday is always a fun challenge for me as a “pantser”. I never know what is going to happen, in fact, most weeks I sit down to write without any idea where the short story is going. As we get closer to the end though, things are beginning to take shape with the finale taking place within the next two to three weeks.

If you’re just now joining us, welcome! You can find the first part of this Writing Prompt Wednesday here: https://www.bluedandelionpress.com/writingpromptwednesdayherewegoagain/

When we left our heroes, they had just discovered a relative of Rohan’s, one he thought had been dead for years. Rohan and Faelynn enlist Aesop’s assistance in their quest to overthrow the king of Agradell and free Rohan’s sister and the people of Agradell. But, as they slept that night, a fire raged through the forest’s trees, burning the Herrowood Forest’s safety.

With the forest burning around them, what will Rohan, Faelynn, and Aesop do?

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The trees screamed, their branches alight with flames, their bark burning, their leaves turning to ash. Faelynn woke to the blaze that seemed to eat the forest, devouring it in quick succession. She shrieked, scrambling from her bedroll, and cast her eyes frantically around the small clearing. Aesop had disappeared shortly after dinner, returning to his home in the trees while Rohan made himself comfortable against the giant trunk of an ancient tree. Faelynn screamed their names, glancing around the clearing as panic welled inside of her. Neither of the two elvish males was anywhere to be seen.

“Rohan!” she cried, tears streaking from her eyes and she coughed, the smoke-choked her and she stumbled away from the clearing. She prayed the forest edge facing Agradell was nearby, somewhere she could reach before she died a horrible death. The smoke invaded her lungs and she fell to her knees, coughing hard. She crawled across the moss-covered ground, wincing when her hand came into contact with falling embers that rained from above.

Her lungs cried out for oxygen and she waivered, unable to get closer to the ground, unable to draw a clear breath. Her fingers met the rough fingers of a male who yanked her to her feet and propelled her onward.

“Go!”

She recognized that roar; Rohan shoved her toward the forest’s edge. Another set of hands grasped her forearms and pulled her along, forcing her legs to work double time to escape the forest. Faelynn closed her eyes against the tears burning in her eyes and let the two elvish males push and pull her until they broke through the edge of the burning forest and fell to the ground in the clearing of the meadow between Herrowood Forest and the kingdom of Agradell.

It took Faelynn several long minutes before she could fill her lungs with clean air, and she lay in the soft grasses, pulling in big gulps of air. Rohan sat up, draping his long arms over his knees, and stared at the blazing forest. Aesop kneeled before them, tears streaming down his face.

“Why?” Aesop screamed, beating at the earth with his fists.

Rohan hung his head, “Because we found you. In Herrowood, we’re a threat.”

Aesop whipped his head toward his cousin, his gaze equally questioning and accusatory.

“I’ve already mourned my people, my home,” Rohan shrugged and turned away from the murderous look his cousin gave him.

“Some prince you are,” he hissed, diving for Rohan.

Rohan stood gracefully, stepping out of Aesop’s path. His cousin sprawled in the dirt and grass, breathing hard while Rohan helped Faelynn to her feet.

“I haven’t claimed that title in hundreds of years. If you want to be angry with someone, be angry with King Akar. He has burned our home and murdered our people. He holds your princess captive,” Rohan pointed his finger in the direction of the shining silver palace beyond them.

King Akar would do anything to keep Jonelle under his thumb, and by extension, Rohan. They were powerful elves in their own right, unique weapons to wield as he saw fit. If he found out Aesop still breathed, he would pursue the male with a relentlessness that wouldn’t rest until Aesop drew his final breath.

“He likely does not even know you live,” Rohan said, his eyes roaming over Faelynn, checking for burns or scrapes on her skin. She shook her head lightly, letting him know she was fine, though she shook like a leaf.

“Aesop,” Rohan’s voice fell, as he walked to crouch by his cousin, who still lay face down in the dirt, “help us. Fight with us.”

The smell of smoke drifted through the air, filling the meadow with the noxious smell and setting Faelynn’s stomach on edge as they waited for Aesop to recover his voice.

He made his way to his knees and took Rohan’s offered hand. Together they stood and glanced once more at their burning homeland. Then, with shoulders ridged with barely contained fury, they turned. The three strode through the meadow toward the distant kingdom of Agradell. If the weather held, it would take less than a day to reach the city gates.

“How are we getting into the city?” Faelynn asked, her voice scratchy from the smoke she’d inhaled.

Rohan gathered his thoughts before answering her. He’d spent hundreds of years within the castle walls, exploring when he could and taking notes of exits and weaknesses. Though he’d been tasked with castle security at one time, he ensured he kept a few of the more subtle vulnerabilities secret, just in case. They could sneak into the castle through the underground baths. There happened to be minimal security and no windows. If they were going to sneak into the castle, that would be the safest way.

He wished he could get a message to Jonelle to meet them there, but time was short and he was sure he’d been blacklisted in the kingdom, labeled a traitor. He wondered offhandedly what price his head on a platter would fetch. As a centuries-old weapon of the kingdom, what was his demise worth to the king?

Rohan no longer cared. He’d long ago resigned himself to a bloody ending. If he could get Jonelle out and exact revenge for Faelynn’s people, he would consider his mission accomplished and die with honor.

“Stop thinking what you’re thinking,” Faelynn shoved against his shoulder as they walked. Neither of them glanced at each other, keeping their eyes focused solely on Aesop’s back and the kingdom before them.

He didn’t respond to her, just lifted an eyebrow, wondering what she thought he was thinking.

“I know the self-sacrifice routine, Rohan. You forget where we met. Do you think my people pushed me to stand before the army of Agradell? Do you think they didn’t beg me to escape with them through the portal?”

In truth, Rohan hadn’t given much thought to how he’d met Faelynn, accepting it to be a matter of destiny.

As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, the shining silver castle of Agradell stood before them in all of its splendor. Rohan frowned at the walls, imagining the large bricks covered in thick blood, dark and dried, red and fresh. The long history of Agradell was bloody and horrid. His resolve to see the castle razed to the ground solidified.

Despite the air of exhaustion that hung over the group, none of them asked to stop, offered to wait, suggested a pause. Together, they descended the hillside into Agradell, and the air chilled around them. Faelynn shivered. The eerie sense of descending into the underworld filled her and she found herself gripping Rohan’s hand.

He smiled at her grimly, “To freedom.”

She felt her lips quivering as she responded, “To justice.

Aesop growled, “To vengeance.

And the shadow of the Agradell castle swallowed them.

I’d say sometime in the next week or two, things are going to really heat up for our heroes! What do you think should happen next? Do you think Rohan, Faelynn, and Aesop will exact their vengeance and free the people of Agradell, including Jonelle from the king’s influence? Or will this end bloody for all of them?

Check back next week to see what happens next, and as always, Happy Reading!