Redemption's Side

"Yeah I know, the stream seems to lead to the forest as well... follow me I think if we follow this we might find some water... or maybe even some food..." said Rush as his stomach growled again. "Okay on into the forest we go !" yelled Rush as he ran into the forest, running a good mile before crashing into a tree, "Ouch..." grumbled Rush as he rubbed his head, when he opened his eyes he saw the outline of a person. Rush's hand instinctively went to his revolver as he cocked and fired a shot at the tree next to outline, hopefully scaring him or her off if it was an enemy.

 

Ezzie jumped when she heard the woman's voice, she didn't see her at first but then realized she was in the tree abve her. Who was this woman? Sshe must be following her she thought. As the woman walked away she didn't know whether to follow her or leave her alone. She stayed there for awhile, debating until she finally galloped to catch up with Avila.

"Who are you?" She had so many questions to ask her. "Why are you in here? Do you live here or something?" Ezzie was extremely confused.

 

"As I told you, my name is Avila. I don't live here in the dark forest, I live beyond the dark forest. Prophecy speaks though of a pure heart who will end the darkness. But she will be aided by the mystical one of the forest. So I'm out looking for her and I found you." Avila told the girl still walking as thick thorny vines appeared ahead.

Avila came to a stop at the wall before looking over at a thick large tree stump resided. She walked up to the stump before turning back around to the girl.

"What about you?"

 

Ezzie never heard of the so called prophecy, she didn't even know there was land beyond the dark forest. The horse stopped when they came to the wall, what was this here for?

"My name is Ezzie Messer," she calmly told her "I live in a village not too far from this forest." Stepping onto the ground and guiding the horse as she moved closer to the woman. "I'm not supossed to be in here, my mother told me about it, but as usual Ii didn't listen." She sighed and sat down on the tree stump.

"Why did you say I couldn't go back to my village?" The horse neighed and kicked some vines out of it's way as he walked over to the stump. "And how do you know your way around here? Do you come here alot?" Ezzie was just so confused all of this information was all new to her.

 

"My mother used to say the same thing that was before I was strong enough." Avila said before pulling on a root as a large opening under the stump opened up to allow one horse and two people to walk through.

"Besides living here, yes I do. I fight the darkness. And why shouldn't you go back to your village. It's because of your heart. Surely you know of the stories of the king and queen, yes? My mother was the last light sorceress of the kings and queens of old. She ran away from the kingdom when the kingdom was taken over and was protected by the people of the forest, the light forest that is not, this poisoned forest."

 

Ezzie and her horse slowly walked through the opening, amazed at how she pulled that root up and opened this place up. "What's wrong with my heart?" She didn't know what that was supossed to mean, it didn't make any sense. She knew of the king and queen but she had never heard stories or anything. The king and queen never came around the village, it was very independent and didn't count on either of them.

"I don't really know anything about the king and queen," Then what she said had sunk in "Wait, your mother was a sorceress?!" She had only heard stories about them and myths, she was very skeptical but I guess that explains alot about Avila. "So do you have like, powers?" She wasn't too sure what to call them.

 

"She was and I do, I'm one of the last, probably now the last light sorceress." She said.

"Your village. You all suffer from hunger and disease. It's always dark and falling apart, the adults whisper and appear worried about every little detail. There's obviously a reason for it. You're too young though, you grew up in that world, after all you were just a baby." Avila stopped and turned back around to look at her and stopped laying her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong with your heart, you have a great heart, just make sure you follow it and let nothing happen to you and it. The elders will explain more to you though." She said as she walked out of the cave the forest was still dark and full of fog but everything wasn't dead now, moss was growing everywhere a good sign they were close to exiting the dark forest.

 

The Queen's army was halfway toward a village (Pure One's village), having their weapons and and group getting ready to raid. A couple of the villagers who were walking on the road already saw the army and was in fear. The villagers ran back to the village to warn everyone of a great force coming their way. Some of the villagers braced themselves, preparing as to why they came.

Back at the castle, the meeting has ended and each person went their own way. "I'm sorry. I will have to meet up with the Inner Circle of the Magus soon." The Lady stood up as she turned her scythe into a fan and had her hands on the Kings chest. "And please. No talking about killing children. Will only bring a bad reputation to you. Death is not a reckless beast with no mind of its own." She put her mouth near the King's ears as she spoke to him:

"Rest."

The Lady left out, heading on toward her room to prepare herself to get ready. "Ah. Darling. Done with your terror?" "Mommy." The queen turned around to see her mother decorated in purple. However, her mother looks ill. "Well, why we walk on toward your room as we speak".

 

Ezzie was amazed as she took all this information in. It seemed as though she was living a very sheltered life in that village, it was time she got out and explored.

"How do you know about my village?" She asked Avila. Maybe she'd been there before but never seen her. She bgean to wonder, were people happier before she was born? They must not have always been that way. "What was it like?" She began to ask "Back when people were happy and not scared all the time?"

 

"Your village is not the only one, all the villages are that way, even the creatures of the forest, well the creatures who haven't fallen to the darkness. The communities of fairies, elves, and more on the light side of the forest are even facing the same thing of the slowly growing and advancing darkness." Avila said as she stopped.

"Ezzie I need you now to make a decision." Avila turned and faced her. "Before we continue you must be ready to learn, grow, and prepare to fight, you must be ready to accept a prophecy, a hidden truth about yourself, no matter how impossible it may seem. Or you can go back to living a secret life in fear and imprisoned. Your decision?" Avila turned and faced her looking at her.

 

Ezzie took her words in, what was this all about? She surely couldn't turn back now after learning all of this. She needed to know her past, she needed to figure out who she was and what was actualy going on in the world. But was she ready to give up her old life? Was she ready to leave her mother? She never really cared about her anymore and the villagers definitely didn't llike her. But for some reason she was afraid, afraid to give it all up and afraid of change. But she knew she needed to, her mother would survive without her and it's not like the village would be much different. The only one she really had left was her horse.

She thought about all of this for a few minutes then finally let out a small sigh "I'm ready," she smiled "Under one condition, I get to bring my horse?" She laughed a little at this, but inside she was anxious and had a million things racing through her mind.

 

Avila let out a small laugh.

"Of course. Take her back and get her settled in." Avila looked up as strange people appeared.

"Avila your father wishes to speak to you." One of the people said.

"Tell him I have more things to attend to." Avila said turning back around.

"Your majesty." Another person spoke out. Avila waved her hand in the air.

"If my father truly needed to speak to me he'd be here."

"I know precisely what you're about to do, don't, it's not time yet." Avila paused and turned back around facing the wise, tall, strong looking man who appeared.

"Father, of course." Avila said following him leaving Ezzie and the other people there.

"So you're the pure one?" One of them spoke out. "Don't look like much."

"Hush. The elders said it was her and Avila knows it's her. Come dear let's get you settled in." Another person said.

 

Ezzie looked around at all the people there, they all looked so much different from the villagers she was used to. It seemed as though everyone here already knew the prophecy and knew about her. She was a bit anxious, she didn't like being around all of these strangers looking at her and talking about her. She should have been used to it since that's what everyone did in her village, but somehow this was different. She frantically looked around at everyone and grabbed onto her horse tightly. Someone told her to get settled in so she decided to follow them.

 

"Relax..." A person said as they walked. "You're safe. Not only will you be protected living in a village of warriors, the warriors and defenders of the light forest, but you're staying in a village of defending warrior elves." The person, an elf told her smiling.


Avila followed her father as they came to a spot Avila knew all too familiar, the place her mother was burned and honored after her death.

"I thought it be best I'd remind you about your mother." Avila's father informed her. Avila looked around the space before looking at her father. "Your mother has done so much preparing for all of this, don't allow it to fall apart, not this far. The pure one has power locked in her only a sorcerer or sorceress of light can unlock. The only one left of the light is the mystical one of the forest, a title your mother gave you as a child." Her father told her. Avila nodded her head.

"What do you want me to do. I go out there into the forest and not only do I hear the cries and screams of the creatures suffering in the dark forest and worried creatures here in the light forest, plus-"

"Avila." Her father looked at her sternly. Avila nodded her head.

"Of course." Avila said turning back around to head back to the village.


The elves led Ezzie to the village and many elves and other creatures and beings looked up at her smiling, looking honored, looking grateful. An older woman elf ran up to Ezzie.

"Pure one, please a gift from my family and my children killed by the darkness." The woman gave her a gem amulet of some sort created from material found in the forest.

"This way, pure one." An elf led Ezzie to a fairly large tree with a building within it.

"You will be residing with the chief and the mystical one." The elves said leading her to a room she'd be living in.

 

As the elf led Ezzie she looked around seeing all the beauty of this place. It had so much light and so much hope, it wasn't something she was used to. The elf had told her about all the warriors which made her feel even better knowing she would be safe here. As they walked people smiled at her, it made her feel good and welcomed. She also wasn't used to this, back in her village no one smiled especially not when they saw her they would give her a stern fearful look and walk away.

A woman had come up to her and given her an amulet. She looked at it and it sparkled back at her, it was beautiful. She had never seen something like this back in her village, nobody wore things like that.

"I'm so sorry about your family," she told the woman as she put a hand on her shoulder. She continued to follow the elf up to the tree and was led into a very spacious room, it was almost as big as her whole cottage back home.

 

"Well excuse me, I'm just a little trigger happy right now..." said Rush as he holstered his Revolver. "Lets continue down this path." he said as he took off in the same direction before noticing that the water appeared to get dirtier as he ran along that path. "Well... waters dirty and I'm still thirsty..." said Shuya before dodging an arrow from an Elven Warrior.

 

"I won't wait to find out !" yelled Rush as he quickdrew one of his pistols and returned fire only managing to graze the warriors cheek as he appeared to make a distress call to the other elves. "Fuck..." Rush muttered under breath as he hid behind a tree cursing to himself while doing so.