Chapter VII

Enchanted Forest

GUINEVERE

Thinking they were far enough from the giant coven, they rested somewhere in a part of the woods, created a bonfire and ate the berries Gwen had taken with her through her journey. She took out some of the blankets from their bag, instead of taking out two, there was only one inside the bag. Lorraine was shivering a bit, covering her shoulders.

     Gwen tossed her the maroon blanket and hit her face. Lorraine wasn't pleased about it. "Rude."

"You're welcome," Gwen proceeded on sharpening her sword with a rock. She had used her cape to warm herself up. When Lorraine had covered herself, she huffed, "Thank you."

     The raven-haired looked up at the princess. She seemed a bit distressed and traumatized regarding of the previous situation they were in. Guinevere was slightly traumatized too, she hasn't seen that much giants before the one in the tournament. It was different for Lorraine though, she was friends with a giant. Perhaps she was more shocked about the fact she had a near death experience.

     "You doing alright, princess?"

     "Uh...yeah," she smiled at her, and stared back at the fire.

     "You hungry?" Guinevere stood up to give her the bag of rations she brought with her, it had 2 bottles of water, uncooked sausages, bread, and berries (she had a separate bag of apples for Clockwise, who was eating them at the moment).

     "Yeah. Thank you, again." The blonde watched her get back down to her seat, "Are you not going to eat?"

     "Oh, no. I've had enough berries, that's all for tonight."

     Lorraine had taken out a roll of Spanish bread, "Is that like one of you diet routines to have like a body of a fighter? I remember one of our palace guards told me knights shouldn't eat too much, they follow a certain diet routine."

     "That's true, indeed. Not for me though, first of all, I'm not really a knight. So I still play by my own rules. You're one to talk, don't princesses have those routines as well?"

     "Well the difference between you and I, Guinevere, is that despite being an actual princess, I still play by my own rules," she said, taking a huge bite of her bread roll. Guinevere laughed at the princess's enthusiasm.

     After swallowing her food, she looked back at her knight, "Say, Guinevere's quite an unusual name. Who named you that?"

     "My mother. She's obsessed  with anything related to royalty and queens and such. I was named after King Arthur's wife, Guinevere. I have a brother named Arthur."

     "Really? Is it just you and Arthur?"

     "We're six actually. Arthur's the eldest, then came Harold the first. Harold was a former king of England; Solomon, named after King Solomon most famous for his wisdom; then there's Charlemagne, whom we call Charles, Charles the Great was a Roman Emperor."

     "You have four brothers?"

     "And a sister, Elizabeth, named after–"

     "Queen Elizabeth I of England?"

     "Yep!"

     "How come you get to be named after kings and queens while me and my brother and sister only have names starting with 'L'. I'm not complaining, by the way,". she defended herself.

      Gwen paused to search for words, "For what it's worth, people all over the world in the next generations will be naming their children after you," Guinevere gave Lorraine an assuring smile. Gwen was really sure of that, Elli had told her she'd name her first daughter after the princess of Bondoc

     "Seriously now, Gwen. My prince charming...what's he like? Is he blonde?"

     She rolled her eyes, "No."

     "Dark haired?"

     "Can we not talk about your prince charming? Besides, you don't want me to spoil anything, don't you?"

     "I, as the princess of your hometown, Bondoc, demand you to tell me more about my future prince charming. Can I sit beside you?"

     Gwen realized it was a rhetorical question (after all) when the princess had taken a seat beside her. She sighed, "Do you want me to be completely honest, or, just a little honest?"

     "I want pure honesty, of course. Start with his name."

     "Well then, his name is prince Benedict Anorok-"

     "-is a poisonous bunch-backed toad," Clockwise cut off, stopping in the middle of his eating. Gwen shot him a look. She doesn't care if his statement was so purely accurate, she needed to make the princess like the prince anyway. Or else, all of this is good for nothing.

     "What do you mean?"

     "Oh he's being silly. He's not quite fond of the prince-"

     "Look who's talking-" Gwen shot him a look again, this time, he shut his mouth. "Well why not?" Lorraine looked at the horse.

     "Clockwise has his reasons," she held the blonde's clasped hands to make herself turn facing her, covering Clockwise's view. "So," she then clasped hers upon realizing what she was doing, "the prince...uh, how do I even start describing the prince?"

     "You said he has dark hair, what about his eyes?"

     "No, he's brunette, actually. His eyes...well, i don't know, green perhaps?"

     "Does he have facial hair?"

     Facial hair matter?

     "Yes."

     "Freckles? Thick eyebrows?" all men have thick eyebrows...

     "No...I don't know, it's not like I've spent all my time ogling at his every feature."

     "Okay then, is he kind? Generous?"

     "Quite generous, princess!" Clockwise said from behind, "Yes, he is. Quite humorous as well, you know what, princess, you don't have worry about anything. Prince Benedict is a great and heroic prince, I'm sure you'll fall in love him, eventually."

     "I do hope so," Lorraine drifted at the bonfire, "I'm still buggered off about why he had to send someone else to rescue me, instead of himself. Please, don't take this personally, Gwen."

     "Oh no, not at all, who am I to do so."

     Lorraine didn't speak after that, in her eyes were pure disappointment. Hell, Lorraine might've been planning the moment of her rescue her whole life. Meeting her true love for the first time, having her first true love's kiss. Gwen felt bad she had taken advantage of the prince's offer.

     "Princess, please forgive me if I haven't been the slightest bit civil with you before."

     Lorraine looked up at her surprised, "No, I like it that way," their eyes met, and Gwen shiver, "I haven't talked to anyone in a normal conversation in a while."

     Gwen snorted, "What was an un-normal conversation to you like?"

     "Well first of all, I don't have to talk all princess-like every time. I don't have to use words like 'sayeth' or 'thee' or 'thy', when there's words like say, you and your."

     "That's true."

     "Then there's a lot of names I had to memorize, names of dukes and duchesses, whom I'm also not pleased in having a conversation with as well."

     "Well, wait till this reaches the King and Queen, I'll have them know that their daughter-"

     "Don't!"

     "Joking, princess, joking."

     "Hey, no more princess, from now on I am not a princess, I am Lorraine, so you have to call me that, not princess, not your majesty, or your highness; Lorraine. Until we get to Bondoc, at least."

     "No, I have to take you to Anorok, first."

     "Anorok? What do you mean?"

     "I'll take you to prince Benedict, to get married, he'll take you home."

     "What about you?"

     She chuckled, "I'm going home to Bondoc too, of course," Lorraine looked down, "Prince Benedict wasn't my father's choice? I'm marrying him without my father's consent?"

     "He is. The king had entrusted you to him."

     Lorraine sighed, but Gwen couldn't quite point out what she was thinking. Both of them watched the sun disappear behind distant mountains, the sky was of color yellow, orange and purple.

It was Guinevere's favorite scenery of all. She and Clockwise would climb the highest cliff just to see it. They were lucky enough to have found the perfect spot to watch the sunset.

Both of them shifted themselves to lie down on the hard stone floor, but who's to complain about it right now? They were lucky enough to be sleeping on the hard stone floor rather than an itchy grass covered ground with little creatures that might creep up on you. Reptiles and insects alike. Gwen's not very fond with them. At least they were in the open, and their fire was free from burning the trees in the forest.

Soon the colors all faded into the darkness, as the stars slowly sparkled to appear one by one. Once the sun had left, it was the moon shining brightly up above them. It might have stolen her favorite view, but this is still good.

Her eyes started to droop though, which was ironic. Perhaps it wasn't a good view at all. Tomorrow's going to be a —

"Look at the sky."

Her eyes shot open to see the night sky back in her view again. Lorraine was a few feet away from her, her hands were lying on top her slim belly and here blonde locks were gracefully lying around her head. The stars in the sky reflecting in her eyes. She looked like as if she was an angle dropped from the heavens. Gwen wondered how a person could be that lovely, she will never be like that, it would be a miracle to be so.

She did what she has been told and looked up at the sky.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

She didn't speak. She couldn't lie, although she couldn't say the truth either. This time, she didn't feel droopy, instead she was drawn by the night sky in front of her.

It was indeed. Gwen just hadn't paid much attention before. Could there be more than the stars? Are there more beyond what her eyes could reach. It was somehow frustrating, it's like she has to find out now.

TRSH TRSH

"Uh...Gwen," Lorraine called out softly, but she wasn't looking at her, she was looking at the trees and the dark trails of the forest.

"What?" Gwen sat herself up to level Lorraine.

Her blue eyes met her grey ones, "Something's out there."

She stared deeply into the woods, narrowing her eyes like an eagle. Their bonfire was the only one lighting the path. With a blink of an eye, the bushes jerked harshly with a stroke. There's really something out there.

"It's probably nothing...I'll go check it out. Stay here," Gwen had grabbed her bow and arrow and descended towards the dark woods. She passed by a snoring Clockwise, who was in deep sleep to be aware of what is happening.

The bushes jerked again, but it wasn't the same ones she saw that did before. It came from her right, and quickly she followed the bush that last moved. There weren't anything to see at all. But Gwen still advanced to look further. She had to find out what it is, or else it would creep up on them in their sleep instead. However, as she stepped forward once more, a huge bull frog was sitting still by the end of her shoe. Her heart began to palpitate.

She could clearly see its scaly brown skin, its big round eyes and continuously expanding throat–"What is it?"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Gwen yelped so hard she jumped on Lorraine's fragile back. Just as thinking they both will fall over, the expected loud thump never came. Opening her eyes, she was high up from the ground, her ankles were tied together in front of Lorraine's lower belly, and her arms chocking her neck. She was on Lorraine's back and she was standing there like Gwen was a human backpack.

The frog croaked and hopped away in the dark. Hopefully never to be seen again.

"What in the name of Bondoc is tha–someone is trying to sleep here!" Clockwise yelled from afar.

Gwen got down gently from her back, fixing Lorraine's disheveled long wavy hair. "Nothing, it was just a frog."

"Just a frog? After you screamed like a mad person and climbing on my back, which hurt, by the way, and you say it's just a frog?" she turned around, her eyebrows furrowed and arm twisted on the back while rubbing it.

"I'm sorry," the albino said, fixing the wrinkled green gown of the princess. "You have got to change. How can you carry this around?"

"I should change? You're barely wearing anything," Lorraine pointed out of what she was wearing. A low-necked, long-sleeved undergarment with a waist gard and a pair of breeches and boots. The part just right above her breasts were bare, the only thing that was covering it somehow, was the moon necklace.

"I wouldn't be wearing these if it wasn't for you. You made me change into a gown."

"I'll give you that."

"I just meant you could be wearing light-weighted clothes instead, like I do."

"Hey!"

Their heads shot back to Clockwise, but a smaller figure caught their attention more. It was already running towards them, carrying all their rations with its teeth. Clockwise had chased the small monkey and dove to catch it, but he failed painfully.

"Hey!" Gwen ran towards it, her hands were ready to catch it. Unexpectedly, the monkey stopped just as she was about to grab it, so instead of doing so, she tripped and rolled on the ground. She wasn't quite sure if she was just dizzy or she heard the monkey laugh.

It was running again, Lorraine didn't catch it as well. "Come on, it went this way!"

"No, Lorraine!" she yelled, stretching her arm out. She turned to Clockwise, "We have to chase her," as she got back to her feet, she took a single wood from the bonfire and ran to find Lorraine and the monkey.

Clockwise was behind her, and it was only a matter of time before he had gotten beside her, "Hop on, then."

So she did, despite Clockwise being slower than usual and the heat from the torch she was holding, she could still feel the gush of wind hitting the bare skin on her chest, making her shiver. The woods were dark, and the only supporting light they have was the torch and the beams of moonlight through the tall trees.

"You see them?" Gwen asked.

"No!"

"Put me down. I'll find them faster on ground."

She raised the torch high up while walking through the bushes. She caught a glimpse of Lorraine's green dress not very far. Gwen immediately chased her, Clockwise long forgotten from behind, he'll be able to catch up.

They've been running for ages, they won't even remember the way back to the cliff. They should have left it alone though, they could find food here in the woods in the morning.

Weirdly, the monkey wouldn't go up on the trees, which was very suspicious.

As soon as she finally reached Lorraine, she was unexpectedly just standing there staring at nothing in particular.

"You got the rations?" Gwen asked, sweaty and panting. Only Lorraine was staring at something particular. Before them was a small blue flame floating a several feet away from them...the Will O' the Wisps. Her granny had used to tell her and her siblings the stories about them.

"How did you–"

"Sh." Lorraine slowly pointed her finger towards a few more trailing behind the first wisp. "Come on, the monkey went that way," she whispered.

The wisps disappeared one by one as they got closer. Gwen never knew the will o' the wisps were true, she thought it was just one of her granny's made up stories. They were smaller than she expected, and had imagined them differently. They looked like little flame people that floats.

"Who knew the wisps were true?" Gwen said.

"Oh, they're true," Lorraine said, "I may have not been out of the palace before, but I read books...lots of books."

The wisps trailed through a hole in a stone wall. It was three feet high from the ground and it looked dark further in, its sides were covered with algae and mushrooms. Gwen thought it wouldn't be worth it to catch the monkey. They could find new food in the woods. At least now their only problem was how they can go back to the cliff.

"Forget it, it could have hidden far away–"

"No, the wisps led us here-we have to catch that monkey."

Suddenly, Lorraine had gotten down to her knees, crawling towards the hole and peeking through it. "Get up! What are you doing?"

"There's light at the end of the hole!"

"Hey, move aside and let me see." Lorraine moved aside, setting her back straight as she watched Gwen examine the inside. There was another wisp at the end, urging them to come forward. At the end of the hole, was a curtain of leaves, and beams of orangey light emerges from beyond. It was flickering, as if there were people walking behind.

Before getting in, she looked around the walls of the hole. More algae and more mushrooms of all kinds were surrounding the surface, it was dark, so Gwen couldn't see if there were any kind of reptile in the midst. Using her torch, she was able to see it more clearly, thankfully, there weren't any sign of frog or lizard.

She took a deep breath. "I'll go in, you and Clockwise wait here, until I come back out. If I couldn't find the monkey, there's nothing I can do about it."

"No, I'll go with you."

"I say no, you stay here. I'll be back in 5," then in she go, with the torch in her right hand, and the left hand supporting her to advance forward. The grass were wet with moist, and she swore her breeches were soaked by now.

As she got nearer, the light behind the leaves were fighting the light of her torch, so she blew it off. She shove the leaves away and skimmed her surroundings, only to find huge barrels of what smelled like wine to block her view. Pushing the barrels away, she heard chattering getting louder and louder.

She was in a party. She was behind a buffet table with all varieties of food. There was a roasted pig at the center, one side of different kinds of fruits from pineapple to bananas, another side of...some kind of rats. Beside her were the cooking utensils; huge spatulas and pans.

It wasn't just a party. It was a festival of sort. A festival of...Ogres?

Huge green ogres–wait, is that an elf? Are those dwarves? And...winged-people?

What on earth is this pla–

"An intruder!" Gwen was startled by the abrupt voice of the female ogre on her right. She was wearing an apron and a hair net.

The male ogres were looming over her now, all were holding different sorts of weapon. "Hey! Heyyyy!" Gwen raised both her hands up.

"I'm not looking for any trouble–See? I'm just gonna go, and you guys forget that I was even here, okay—"

"—ARGHHHHHH!" An ogre ran towards her, holding a huge axe. With her reflexes and adrenaline rush, she grabbed the nearest thing she sees: a huge cover of a pan, and used it as a shield, which got chipped by the edge as the axe hit the surface.

"No, no, no, no, no, stop! Ah!"

The ogre swung his axe again, but Gwen ducked right in time, and crawled underneath the buffet table. Swords started impaling the cloth that was covering the table, fortunately the swords failed to impale her. As she got out of the table, another kind of axe was waiting for her, aiming for her head, which she dodged by hiding underneath again. She then got out from a different side.

"Wait! No! I'm not an intruder I just—"

"OGRES ATTACK!" the ogres started running towards her again, there was no pan to help her this time.