Wood fever

"Blast it!" Auria cursed as she ran down the flight of stairs from her room. It's been three days since her coming of age, and the news of the princes' arrival and her marriage had already spread throughout Threanas. The only good thing that came out of it was his father's frequent trips to the other kingdoms as the latter made arrangements for her marriage. Auria's father being away for three days already, Auria managed to spend more time roaming the capital as Alea. Thanks to Silvia and Thenan's help, her absence was seldom noticed by Grenwald who was asked by his father to stay and make sure that she attends to her duties, which now involve interacting with the five princes every morning.

Auria entered the throne room, sweating and still in her night gown. She didn't care anymore what she looks like, what matters to her right now was to just get through with the excruciating task before her. Perhaps, the princes would be off put by her manners and decide not to marry her anymore, she thought.

"Princess! Where's Silvia? Why are you dressed like that? Your majesty would not be pleased when he hears of this," exclaimed Grenwald upon seeing her. Auria raised her hand to stop her father's right-hand man from speaking. She knows that Grenwald would dare not disrespect her infront of the princes and risked being punished by her father.

"I came here on my own accord. Silvia is still attending to her duties as chambermaid. Shall we get this over with? I have neither washed myself yet nor eaten a crumb," said Auria sternly. She saw her father's advisor trembled a bit from the tone of her voice. Sometimes she is thankful that she inherited her father's tone when in an irritable mood.

"Haha! Now what a scene that was, princess Auria. You certainly startled us here with your voice!" Frecia clapped his hands as he approached Auria. Auria groaned. It had become Frecia's habit for the last three days of making the biggest fuss of whatever small detail she does every morning. Not wanting to be suffocated with the prince's overly flirtatious gestures and the smell of pines that emanate from Brenn Loria's prince, she went straight to her throne and sat. And here we go she thought as the princes walked towards her.

One, two, three, four. Four princes. Once more, the prince of Crusdea, Elyse is nowhere to be found within the castle. So far, Auria had only seen the elusive prince once ever since her coming of age. She wasn't even able to talk with him as the other four would flock to her like pigeons battling for breadcrumbs.

"Have you heard about the mysterious sickness spreading throughout town?" asked Frecia while munching on an apple he obviously picked from one of the apple trees around the castle.

"Wood fever, that's what they call it. There are a handful of the villagers afflicted with it and just the other day, five have already died. Nasty illness, its symptoms are quick to appear and so is the death it causes," said Lophen, smirking, seemingly amused with the thought of an illness spreading right before the very doorsteps of the castle. Unlike Frecia whose happiness was like that of an ordinary person's, Lophen always gets entertained by things that a normal person wouldn't find amusing, like the tale of a knight who got his finger cut off during a battle. Auria clearly remembered the boisterous laughter of the thief prince upon hearing the story from one of the castle guards.

"Ah, so that would explain why I saw you prowling the streets of Noir yesterday while I was flying. You were trying to familiarize yourself with your surroundings, like a thief trying to survey the place he is about to loot," uttered Asche, showing his sharp rows of teeth to Lophen as he did so. Arrogant and full of himself, Asche considers anyone not of dragon blood to be lower than him. The prince would always transform and fly around Noir the whole morning, terrorizing some villagers while doing so. Asche justifies it by saying that dragons need to flex their wings everyday lest their majestic wings go to waste.

"This…wood fever. Perhaps the cure to it can be found in its source." Althas appeared to be in deep thought once more. The wizard prince can be frequently seen roaming the castle grounds while reading enormous books he had borrowed from the castle library. While she found Althas the most tolerable among the four, the prince scares her for she had seen how terrifying the sorcerer is when angry. He almost struck down a knight yesterday when he heard the poor fellow boasting how the blade is more superior to magic. Upon hearing the utterances of the knight, Althas simply muttered a short spell and a bolt of lightning struck the man squarely on his chest. It was a good thing that the spell only knocked the knight out. However, Auria saw the seething anger present in Althas' eyes.

"Enough of this gloomy talk. All of you just put me off my mood this morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to get dressed properly, have something to eat, and attend to my duties in peace," said Auria smugly, hoping that her manners will make the princes dislike her. Without waiting for their response, the princess stood up and walked towards the doors of the throne room. She breathed a sigh of relief upon stepping out. Knowing that the princes would also be leaving anytime soon, Auria quickly ran back to her quarters and changed clothes to prepare for her duties, not as the princess of Threanas, but as the squire Alea.

Auria hurriedly took a swig of the potion Edrana gave her. The familiar warm feeling immediately enveloped her body as she changed her appearance. Silvia stood by the door of her room, making sure that no one catches upon them.

"Silvia, you know what to do. I promise to focus on my duties as a princess after this day," Auria said as she held Silvia's hand while smiling.

"Of course, Thenan and I will take care of everything. Do not worry my princess, and just enjoy your day," Silvia responded who also cannot helped but smile upon seeing the happiness in the eyes of her friend. Auria was grateful to have a friend like Silvia and a mentor like Thenan by her side. The two, while reluctant at first, have now started to support her in her activities as Alea. The couple worked together to ensure that no one notices her absence. Just thinking about them, she can't help but blushed at the thought of just how perfect they were for each other.

"Edrana! Edrana! I just learned how to use a bow and arrow!" shouted Alea, rushing inside the apothecary only to find the kind old lady dressed in a hood and carrying a basket full of all sorts of bottles.

"Where are you going?" Alea asked as she noticed the grim expression on Edrana's face.

"I was about to visit Lyrus…he's been…sick." replied the apothecary, the old woman's expression turning into a worried one. Could it be? Alea swallowed a bit before asking the dreaded question.

"Is it…wood fever?" Alea inquired as she felt beads of sweat forming around her face.

"Yes." Edrana softly answered. But how? They were just talking and learning to use the bow and arrow yesterday Alea thought. And why Lyrus? She knew a lot of people who are more deserving for such punishment.

The two wasted no time going to Lyrus' hut by the edge of Nieblahim. While Auria had frequently passed the forest during their family's trips when she was a child, the forest appears to be somewhat different than what she can remember. It reeked of decay and death. It was as if the very air surrounding the forest was made of poison. Arriving inside her friend's hut, Alea cannot help but let a small gasp at the sight of Lyrus. The peasant was shivering madly, his skin pale, and black lines similar to that of the roots of a tree are all over his body.

"It happened so soon. He was just about to leave the apothecary and return to his hut for dinner when he suddenly collapsed and turned into what you now see before your very eyes," said Edrana as she started to mix some of the bottles she brought. Alea could only stare in shock as she remembered Lophen's words of how quickly the illness kills.

"Can you cure him? Is there anything I can do?" Alea inquired. Lyrus was her first friend from outside the castle. She doesn't know if she can take it if anything bad happens to him.

"There is a way, but it is dangerous…Our…hope may lie with…the Woodland Beast," answered Edrana as she make Lyrus drink the concoction she made.

"The Woodland Beast? What of it?" Alea asked. The Woodland Beast is a creature that lives at the heart of the forest and is said to be the guardian of Nieblahim. While the Woodland Beast is a benevolent being, it is very protective of Nieblahim and would kill those who dare defile its home.

"If the rumors are true that the illness started from the forest. The Woodland Beast will then definitely have the cure. The mushrooms growing on its back and which gives it such vitality is nourished by the very essence of Nieblahim. If the very essence of the forest was tainted with the vile illness, the mushrooms would purify the essence to ensure that the Woodland Beast, its host does not die. Perhaps with a piece of those mushrooms, I might be able to concoct a cure for the Wood Fever," said Edrana contemplatively and who for the first time appeared to be unsure. Alea did not waste her time. After saying a short goodbye to Edrana and preparing her sword and armor, she left for the forest.

It was just around noon when Alea entered the forest, but the large ancient trees made it appear like it was dusk already. Walking towards the heart of the forest, Alea can't help but notice just how "dead" Nieblahim looks. Decaying leaves were scattered all over the ground while the large oak and birch trees which she fondly remembers to sport a deep brown hue had now taken a blackened appearance, it was as if most of trees were struck with lightning. A putrid smell seemed to emanate from everywhere, and sinister looking plants, none of which she had ever seen before sprout from the base of the trees. It was as if the whole forest itself has the Wood Fever.

Journeying further, Alea reached one of the wide clearings located deep within Nieblahim. These clearings often served as a resting ground for travelers. A huge pile of rocks appears to be at the very middle of the said clearing. Approaching closer, Alea noticed what seems to be tufts of fur sticking from various spaces between the rocks in addition to the pale bulbous mushrooms sprouting from the top of the pile. To Alea's surprised, the pile of rocks was…breathing.

Alea cautiously inched toward the curious sight before her. Is this perhaps the source of the wood fever? However, before Alea can completely come close to the structure, the earth beneath her feet rumbled and the pile of rocks stood up. It was no pile of rocks; it was the Woodland Beast.

The beast towered over Alea with its large black bull-like horns that seemed to be made of vines of sort. The stones constitute the body of the creature, with dark brown fur sticking from numerous places. The large hooves of the beast made the ground shake as it tried to steady itself. It was as if the beast is dizzy. The Woodland Beast has a head shaped like that of a bear while its eyes resemble that of a frog's. Its giant fur tail slowly swung back and forth from its behind, apprehensive of Alea's presence.

Glancing at the back of the beast, Alea saw the mushrooms she was looking for. Not knowing whether the beast will understand her or not, Alea took a bow and slowly talked to it, revealing her intentions. The beast merely answered with a small snort as it proceeded to scratch its body. The stones covering the creature's body were cracked, with thin black tendrils slithering and moving about the spaces. Alea slowly moved towards the beast's back to get a piece of the mushrooms growing on it as the creature was busy scratching itself. However, a sudden gust of wind blew and with it a foul smell which made Alea nauseous.

With a loud bellow, the Woodland beast turned around and swiped at Alea who managed to dodge just in time. However, before she can recover and steady herself, the creature charged at her. She quickly ran towards the safety of the trees but to no avail as the Woodland beast simply knocked them over like a small plant. The beast roared more loudly as it continued to attack Alea. For her part, all Alea can do was to dodge the behemoth.

Seeing a large oak tree before her, Alea decided to take a gamble, dodging at the last minute as the Woodland beast made a full head on charge. The beast was no match for the large tree as it fell on its side upon crashing its head. Seeing her chance, Alea made a dash towards the mushrooms and successfully managed to pick a couple. Looking back at the beast, Alea can't help but pity it as it seemed to utter cries of pain while scratching its stone head, a big crack clearly seen on it.

Alea cautiously peered over the beast's head and saw a thick clump of the black tendrils slithering about, forming what appeared to be its horns at first glance. The black mass seemed to cause discomfort to the beast. Should she help the creature? Deciding against her better judgment, Alea cutoff the large mass of tendrils on the Woodland beast's head. Howling in pain, the creature tried to get up and once more attack Alea to which Alea simply showed it the tendrils she cut. Understanding what she had done, the beast stopped and simply went back to lie on its side, still bellowing in pain as it did so.

Remembering what her mother used to do whenever she has a wound, Alea put her hand on the Woodland beast's head and rubbed the spot where the black tendrils are while humming the song her mother sang to her when she was little. Within a few minutes of doing so, the beast fell asleep, allowing Alea to leave the forest in peace. It was already dusk when she returned to Lyrus' hut. On the other hand, Edrana's face glowed with happiness upon seeing Alea well and moreover when she saw that the princess managed to get some mushrooms.

"It attacked you without any provocation, you say? That's…odd. The Woodland beast is a docile and benevolent creature. It would not attack those who does not seek to defile the forest," said Edrana as she gave Lyrus the potion she brewed using the mushrooms. Remembering the black tendrils sprouting all over the creature's body, Alea showed some of the ones she cut to the old woman.

"This is…what's defiling the forest." Edrana studied the black tendrils with a stern expression. Putting the tendrils in her basket, the old woman warned Alea to stay clear of the forest for the next few months. She also made Alea drink the same mixture she gave to Lyrus for precaution. Looking at Lyrus, Alea felt relieved to see that her friend's appearance had returned to normal.

"He just needs a good night's sleep and he'll be better by tomorrow. Thank you for the mushrooms. This should be enough for me to make a large batch of potion to cure the Wood Fever. You did not only save Lyrus but the people of Noir as well," said Edrana, the kind and warm expression of the apothecary returning once more.

It was already dark when Alea left Lyrus' hut with Edrana staying to look after her friend. Walking back towards the castle, Alea felt her body ache in so many places. She must have been covered by bruises underneath her linen armor. Still, Alea can't help but smile, recalling the little adventure she had within the forest of Nieblahim, the words of gratitude by Edrana, and the thought of Lyrus getting better. She had never felt this way before, she had never felt so alive. Her lavish life in the castle is nothing compared to her life in Noir, her life as Alea.