The Forgotten Queen

The Shadow Forest

Sara hummed a melody, dancing down the hallway with a grin. She greeted people along the way and skipped, spun, and giggled.

Sara stopped at the doors, rocking on her heels, then knocked rhythm against the door. Her lips parted to say something, but Isla opened the doors wide with a warm smile. "Good morning," Isla said.

Sara's widened grin dropped to a frown. Isla's smile fell, and her eyebrows furrowed into confusion. "You ruined the magic," Sara said, stomping her foot and pouting her lips.

"Uh... Do you want me to return?" Isla asked in confusion.

"Yes," Sara nods her head, then tilts her head.

Isla slowly walked back in, closing the doors, and Sara took a breath with her eyes closed. Sara sighed, opened her eyes, and hummed her song again.

She stepped forward, ready to knock on the doors again. However, Aiden walked in behind Sara with a confused look. "What are you doing?" he asked, causing Sara to jolt.

"AIDEN!" Sara snapped a glare at him.

He chuckled, walking past Sara and knocking on Isla's door. "We don't have time for your cheerful play," he said.

"But you know it gives us good luck. I am the good luck when I am gleefully in the morning."

She crossed her arms and stomped the ground again. Aiden shook his head, laughing at Sara's childish behavior, and her tiny frame was not helping her argument.

"If you are the lucky charm, there is no need for the whole routine."

She huffed, glaring at him.

"Should I come out!?" Isla's voice beam through the doors.

"YES!"

"NO!"

Both Aiden and Sara said in sync, snapping their gaze into each other's eyes. Sara warned Aiden to back off, and Aiden lifted an eyebrow, asking if it was a challenge.

"So, is that a 'yes' or a 'no'?" Isla asked.

"What is the meaning of this?" Edward asked, approaching the two in confusion.

"Aiden doesn't want me to do my luck charm routine," Sara whined.

"We have a schedule," Aiden said, shrugging his shoulders.

Edward remained silent, staring at the two before walking past them. He knocked on the doors. "Okay, I am officially confused!" Isla said.

"Your Grace, it is I, Edward," he said.

"Come in!"

Edward entered Isla's chamber, seeing an excited and confusing Isla. "Good morning," Edward said with a warm smile.

Sara groaned in frustration, dragging herself into the room and Aiden strolling in. Isla Glanced over Edward's shoulder, confused about Aiden and Sara. She lowered her gaze back to Edward. "Breakfast would be served--"

"There's no need for that. I had to call in earlier," Isla said gleefully. "Let's go!"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders and turning her heels to grab her bag. Aiden rushed in, taking the bag from Isla, and gazed into her eyes. "You need to be careful with yourself," he said.

"I can take care of myself," Isla said, rolling her eyes and trying to take her bag from Aiden.

Aiden stepped back, preventing her from taking her bag, and she stared back into his eyes. Aiden lifted a questioning eyebrow. Isla wanted to say something, but Edward stepped in.

"How about we head to the teleportation station? We should start moving as we have a week's travel ahead of us," he said, smiling at Isla before sending Aiden a warning gaze.

Aiden ignored Edward's gaze and shrugged his shoulder with the bag strap on that shoulder. Sara sighed loudly, shaking her head to forget her foul mood, then ran to Isla's side. She hugged Isla's arm and smiled warmly at Isla, then stepped forward.

"Don't worry about our journey being boring. I have planned plenty of entertaining tails and games for the road," Sara said as Isla and she left the room.

Edward turned on his heels. "Remember, you have no place in Her Grace's life. You're just her personal guard," Edward said over his shoulder.

Aiden smirked, walking past Edward, and he made sure to bump shoulders with Edward. He stopped in his tracks and smirked over his shoulder. "I'm her 'personal guard.' Any matters concerning her are my concern. So, let's hope there are no issues between us during this trip," he said before following behind the ladies.

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Who does he think he is?" Edward and Aiden asked themselves.

Isla and Sara's giggles echoed in the hallway. Aiden followed closely behind them, and Edward was a few steps behind Aiden.

"Oh, Duke Jared?" Isla said with a warm smile. She was surprised to see him early this morning.

Duke Jared smiled back and bowed at her in respect. "I hoped to see you off in your travels," he said as he stood straight.

"How kind of you..."

"But honestly, I wanted to gift you with a belated gift. But also, a travel gift..." Duke Jared said, turning to his servant, who handed him a velvet-covered box. "Please accept this gift."

Isla gaped, stared at Sara, then back at Duke Jared with a smile as she stepped forward. The box was big, which concerned Isla about what could be inside it.

Was it a coat or cloak for travel?

She asked herself.

"Thank you, Duke Jared," Isla said as she took the box. She awkwardly removed the lib of the box.

A gasp left her lips, and her eyes widened in surprise. Then glanced up at Duke Jared. His smile widened, then he nodded to the gift. "I hope it would come in handy," he said.

"Of course! I do appreciate your thoughtful gift!"

Isla turned to Sara, asking for her hand. Sara stepped forward, taking the box off Isla as Isla reached for the item. Isla lifts her hand, revealing the polished sword.

A long slim sword, its silver blade shined under the morning light. The grip was carved with vines swirling towards a rose in the pommel.

Isla loved how simple and elegant the sword was. Her fingers neared the blade's sharp edge, but Duke Jared held her hand. "It may look delicate, but it is sharp," he said.

Duke Jared stepped back, letting go of Isla's hand. Isla looked back at her sword with a smile. This was the first sword she had ever had. She glanced over at Edward. "Edward, look!" she said.

"Wonderful," Edward said.

"I advise you not to get it dirty..." Sara said, catching Isla's attention. "I don't want to lose my fingers while polishing."

"Don't worry, I can do it," Isla charmed.

Sara and Isla spoke amongst themselves as Duke Jared, and Edward stared at each other in great tension. In the middle of Edward and Duke Jared's fire, Aiden felt awkward until Duke Jared glanced at him.

"I will not keep you long. May the gods protect you in your journey," Duke Jared nodded his head at Aiden and Edward and bowed to Isla.

"Thank you once for more, Duke Jared," Isla nods as he walks away.

Edward approached Isla and talked about the sword as they walked ahead. Sara narrowed her eyes at Edward and Isla's back with a pout as Aiden stood beside her. "Hmm... This is going to be an interesting trip," Sara said.

"How so?" Aiden asked.

Sara gave Aiden a side gaze and tossed the empty box before punching Aiden's arm. Aiden flinched away from Sara and frowned his brows in puzzlement. "What was that for?" he asked.

"That's for this morning, and now we never know how jinxed we are!"

Sara huffed, flipped her hair, and stormed away. Still confused, Aiden rubbed his arm, then followed behind Sara.

Once everyone had gathered in the magic circle, Edward chanted a teleportation spell. A flash of light beamed around them, teleporting them from the Temple Palace to the East countryside.

Isla and Sara groaned in discomfort, trying to steady their dizzy vision. Aiden continuously blinks his eyes as Edward approaches a man waiting with horses.

The horse groomer bowed to Edward and said praises to Edward and Isla. Edward thanked him while the groomer handed the horses over.

Once the groomer left, Edward turned to the youngsters only to find Isla holding Sara's hair as she puked while Isla laid her head on Sara's back. Aiden's tensed body lay on the ground.

"Is the sky spinning, or is it the ground?" Aiden asked.

"Stop talking," Sara said, groaning in bitterness.

It was clear that they had never done long-distance teleportation. Edward glanced at the horse beside him, then rubbed the horse underneath the jaw. "Looks like we will be here for a while," Edward said to the horse.

"Why am I sick?" Isla said, groaning and closing her eyes.

"Long-distance... Stuff and magic..." Sara mumbled.

Isla nodded her head and hummed. "I understand... I think," she muttered.

They all groaned and moaned while Edward watched in silence.

After everyone returned to their usual selves, Edward introduced them to their horses. He reminded them about their mission and their travel plans.

"The shadow forest is dangerous, but we need to get through it. There would be monsters, bandits, and worst of all... we may run into Veritas or Amun troops." Edward said.

"Any questions?"

Aiden and Isla remained emotionless, and Sara leaned back and furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you going to ignore the monsters and bandits?" Sara asked.

"Let's move!" Edward said, ignoring Sara's question.

They ordered their horses to move forward, passing the shield and traveling towards the eerie dense forests.

As the group entered the forest, a dark figure watched from afar. The person moved back into the forest darkness. They dushed through the woods, hiding in the shadows.

"There's a group heading through the forest. They came from Aurora," the person said, landing before a person.

The leader grinned devilishly and revealed his rotten teeth. "They must be heading to the Black Mist, and they may have passes for the shield..." he said, rubbing his hands together. "We can sell them for a high price."

He stood up, turned to his gang, and nodded his head. "Let's go hunting!"

The gang roared in cheer, lifting their weapons.

Meanwhile, the team traveled down the grimy path. Edward led the way, with Aiden guarding the back and Isla and Sara in the middle. Sara glanced around the forest, feeling uncertain and having chills rolling down her spine.

"Who do you think we'll encounter first; monsters or bandits?" Sara asked nervously.

"There's no need to worry about that," Isla said.

"I bet you it's going to be bandits," Aiden said with a grin, gazing around the forest.

"How sure are you about that?" Sara asked, snapping a glare over her shoulder. He smirked at her, then shrugged. "I heard there's a coven of black magic users living in these woods. What if we bump into them?"

"What are you talking about? It sounds more like a rumor," Isla shook her head.

"It can't be a rumor!"

"Because it is not..." Edward voiced in. They stared at Edward's back. He did not turn his gaze to them, keeping it up ahead. "They caused Guardian Reed's death."

Isla's smile dropped, feeling awkward and worried about Edward as he was there during that time.

"They call themselves Black Raven coven. They believe in using black magic, and they managed to find a spell to steal a Guardian's power. However, Guardian Reed was not ready, and they failed to gain Guardian's power causing a stir for us." Edward continued.

The Black Raven coven was why the kingdom did not have a Guardian for a hundred years. The magis and holy priests had to repair the rip in the connection.

"We had hunted the coven, but not sure if they still exist as they made no moves." Edward glanced over his shoulder and stared at Isla with reassurance. "But don't worry, I will protect you."

"So, we have bandits, monsters, and a black magic coven to worry about?" Sara asked.

"This sounds like a fun trip," Aiden said.