Charter: Road to the Mines

The girl ran towards the bags, but it was too late, a cloud of Acorn Fairies lifted her bags into the air and flew off into the forest: -Leave them alone! We'll get more food! -shouted the dark elf.

– While we distract them and escape to the nearest fields!

Lan spun in the air and hit the ground, causing a huge release of energy that stunned the creatures, showing the boys the way to run, and while the fairies were confused, they got out of the grove in a free as the wind field:

– We'll be better off here. – Lan sighed with relief.

– What is the difference between a field and a forest? – Stan asked, gasping for breath.

– Because the Acorn Fairies live in forests and can't stand places without trees.

– Well, they should! – Dolan shouted into the forest.

For the first time in her life, Athena was able to see the bright, star-studded night sky, remembering the moments when she and her mother had looked at the same sky as children, but her memories were interrupted by Lan: – We can rest at last.

– What do we do next? The fairies have stolen our meat packs. – Lying down and looking at the stars, Athena asked.

– Tomorrow morning I'll teach you how to hunt and you'll have meat. – Lan replied.

– But I don't know how to hunt. – Dolan whispered as he tried to fall asleep, but Lanh heard him.

– Then you'll come with me tomorrow.

– No! -Dolan groaned, the company all laughed at him, and so all of them, tired from the battle, fell asleep under the starry night sky. In the morning, Lan took Dolan out hunting as she had said she would, she also woke up Francie to teach her how to use the sickles she had been given, Athena and Stan stayed behind to watch:

-Why did you wake me up? – Francie groaned.

– Because I saw you use your gun clumsily last night. – What's wrong?

– What's wrong with it? – Francie looked down at her sickles in confusion. – What's wrong?

– Take them like this and hold them here. Then they won't fall to the ground. – Lan showed the girl how to hold the blades so that even the user wouldn't scratch themselves.

– Wow, that's handy!

– And now you see these fat little birds that can't fly, learn to hunt them by stealth. –When Francie saw the birds in the distance, their shape and color made them look like red onions.

–What a strange native chicken. -What a strange local chicken. –While Francie learned to hunt, Lan and Dolan were left alone to watch her and talk to each other.

– Remember you asked me on the way to the Prince's grave if I was scared?

– Of course...

– The same question for you, funny man, what are you afraid of?

– I'm afraid... – Dolan's eyes suddenly turned cold and he thought back.

FIVE YEARS AGO : Dolan's family

Dolan is a genuinely funny and inquisitive boy at thirteen, but let's go back to when he was eight, on that first unremarkable autumn holiday, when his smile hid the terrible song of his childhood from the Clune family, whose alarm clock was already ringing loudly.

– Hey, little man! Turn off that alarm clock! – It was the boy's older brother, Jack Clune, they slept in the same room but in separate beds, today was the first day of autumn holidays and Jack wanted to get a good night's sleep without hearing that noise. When the alarm clock rang, his little brother didn't hear it, he was busy reading a funny comic book.

– I know you're awake! – Jack pulled a shoe from under the bed and threw it at Dolan.

– Ow! You're hurting me!

– Then turn off the alarm clock!

– But it's your alarm clock, I had nothing to do with it!

– You haven't screamed since this morning! – Mother burst into the room sharply.

– Jack threw his shoe at me!

– Why did you do that, what if I had thrown it at you... and switched off your alarm clock at last!

– Rat and goblin! – Jack switched off the alarm clock and pushed his little brother.

– Ouch! – Dolan didn't like this attitude, as soon as a second son came into the family he started to bully the younger one.

– Tak, you're grounded, you stay in the house and don't go out until the end of the autumn holidays!

– Mum! – Jack was really upset.

– I've said it all, and if I ever see you like that again, you'll be without a phone for a year! – She left the room, closing the door to the boys' bedroom behind her.

– This is all your fault.

– But you started it first.

The brothers bickered until morning, when their mother and father called them to dinner. They washed their hands and sat down at the family table, where everything was deliciously cooked, from the roast chicken to the wonderful salads that their mother had worked so hard to prepare.

– Claudia, you're doing great today! – The head of the family complimented his wife with a smile on his face.

– Thank you Georg, learn from your father, children.

– In honor of your vacation, your mother and I decided to take you to the zoo to see the animals, I'm free from work today. – Suddenly, the father pleased his sons, or rather one of them.

–Yay! The zoo, we haven't been there for ages! –Dolan was very excited..

– Ew, filthy animals. – Jack, on the negative side.

– What are you talking about? We'll all eat now and go and see the cute penguins and gorillas.– Dad replied.

– Okay. – The family ate, dressed warmly and together with little Dolan went to see the cute animals. When he entered the zoo he was even more excited and was certainly happy, he took his mum's hand to look at the penguins and took his dad's hand to look at the gorillas.

– Honey, I'm going to go with daddy to get you a snack, and you go see the polar bears with your big brother. – The parents left and Dolan stayed with Jack to watch the animals.

– Do you like polar bears, Jack? – But the older brother was silent.

– Are you all right? – Jack gave him a cold look and came closer.

– Hey Jack, why are you looking at me like that... and what are you doing?! – He coldly picked up his younger brother and walked him over to the open white cage where the polar bears sat.

– Jack, this isn't funny anymore... No! – He threw the boy into the polar bear cage.

After this incident a year passed, Dolan's brother was sent to the army and the boy was left with a trauma for the rest of his life, he closed himself off from everyone and wouldn't even go outside, in a closed room he was better, suddenly the boy heard his mother coming out of the shop, he decided to go out and see her.

– Hello, my boy, happy birthday! – It was the nineteenth of June and Dolan was nine years old.

– What is this?

– I don't know, I found it in the shop, I thought you'd like it. – It was a fantasy board game and he got into it and forgot about his injury.

NOW

– Hey, Dolan, what are you afraid of? – Lan asked the boy.

– I'm not afraid of anything. – she said, subtly scratching the red spot on her arm and, of course, lying about her fears.

– I didn't think so when we fought the Acorn Fairies. – The dark elf was right.

– I was preparing for a surprise attack. – Dolan said, proudly puffing out his chest.

– Of course. – She laughed.

As they talked, Lan noticed something unusual in Francie's aura. She was so focused on the hunt that she didn't notice anything around her. But Lanh saw Francie step into the stream and a red mist appeared around her. This red substance enveloped the girl and merged with her body, making her invisible to the human eye as she merged with nature. Francie hunted birds that were very cunning and agile. Some sensed the movement of death and skilfully avoided the sickles. But Francie was tenacious and kept on chasing them. And so she finally succeeded in slaughtering them. The fat birds fell clumsily to the ground and Francie ran up to them and cut off their heads. Lan watched and was proud of how well the will of the dark elfes resonated with this girl. She knew that Francie was up to the task.

– I knew she could do it! – Lan told the boys when Francie returned from the hunt. They clapped and congratulated her on her success. Then they roasted the chickens and gathered more than they had stolen. Now they had enough food to get to the Morsel Mines. They packed all the meat into their new knapsacks, which Lanh had made from the feathers of birds and the grass that grew nearby. Then they set off for their destination. The journey was long and hard, but they had been warned and prepared for it. They knew that there would be many dangers and challenges ahead, but they also knew that together they could overcome any difficulties.

– Now we can go to the Morsals Mines in peace.