The Other side of the Forest - Chapter 19

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The Other Side of the Forest

by:
Elsbeth


Morgan Rynders believed the worlds found in his books were much more interesting than the one he lived in. Unfortunately ancient powers couldn't care less dragging Morgan into a quite a different adventure whether he is interested or not.

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Chapter 19
As I lay on my back staring up at the trees, I reflected on how I actually fell into this mess. A month or so ago, I was a well-adjusted teenage boy from a somewhat dysfunctional family. So maybe I wasn’t so well-adjusted but I really was a boy. Well, at least I thought I was a boy. Next thing you know I am a long lost fairy princess conversing with Witches, fighting Dark Fae, throwing around magic like it was normal, making friends with Weres and told that I have a fiancé. Disturbing enough to find oneself betrothed to a guy as a former guy my new body continued to react to him in a unfamiliar and not so unpleasant way. Pushing away any thoughts of marriage and other things, I actually managed sit up despite my body screaming at me not to move. A little less uncomfortable I sat there staring off towards the clearing.

In the center of a clearing stood a sapling; all that remained of the epic battle between the Green Man and the most terrifying creature I have ever come across. As a Sidhe, I am immune to most of the fear generated by the more terrifying members of the Fae race. While entering this clearing on the way to free Abigail my mind went blank. A creature from legend stood across from me. Dressed in many periods of armor, a Lobster tail helmet from the English Civil War, a Cuirass from the Napoleonic wars, Roman Legionnaire greaves and other bits from the past; its appearance was like some ancient god of war. Its pike was not even from the Middle Ages but an amalgamation of some sort of nasty looking Egyptian weapon.

I stood in shock for only the briefest of moments but it was enough for the Redcap to reach my side. With contemptuous ease, it backhanded me into the dirt. Moments later, the beast reached down with its large hands and threw me into the center of the clearing. Grabbing me again, it shook my body as if I was some sort of rag doll. Hopelessness washed over me, I was terrified for myself and those who depended on me. In desperation I rained blows down upon its head and chest, which the Redcap ignored tossing me once again across the clearing. Realizing that the Redcap was playing with me anger replaced hopelessness. It didn’t even bother to pick up its weapon. Fury filled me, something primeval. That beast would wish it still held me. I waved my hand reaching into the earth, grass and vines shot up grabbing his legs, arms and neck. No longer able to move it roared, I roared back. Tearing up large chunks of ground the beast started to march forward but before it could reach me, the forest exploded with small flying Fae. Bria and her sisters had arrived en masse

I yelled at them to stay away, it was my fight but on they came. Slashing, cutting with their sharp knives but for each wound inflicted the Redcap crushed a handful of them. Crying in anger and frustration the world became a blur. In ancient times, warriors would pray to my mother as if she was a goddess. Those especially blessed would fill themselves with her rage for battle. Next thing I knew I was high in the air looking down at a very angry Redcap. I could understand why. Somehow, I managed to find my weapon and plunge the blade through the gap in his armor between his neck and shoulder.

“Die already you bastard.” I screamed. The Redcap’s original intent I believe had been to capture me but I had probably gone a little too far. Holding me up with his good arm he threw me in the air then punched me in the chest. If not for Liam’s enchanted armor, I would have died right there. Cartwheeling into the woods, I had a little déjá  vu moment. Unable to move I watched as the Redcap removed my sword and snapped it over his knee. Blinded by pain I tried to call to the forest to come to my aid but I just couldn’t focus. Suddenly a wall of green walked passed me and into the clearing.

The Green Man, guardian of the forest looked down and gave me an understanding smile before it turned its attention to the ancient Redcap. The beast bellowed a challenge and the Green Man answered charging forward swinging his massive trunk like fist into the face of the Redcap. The Redcap stumbled back wiped its mouth then grinned. The Guardian stepped forward and hit him again. This time the Redcap retaliated and like two behemoths, the pair began to pound one another. After a dozen blows, the Redcap seemed to have enough catching the arm of the Green Man flipping him over his hip and onto the ground.

I lay screaming at the Guardian to stand up while trying to heal him through the earth but I was beyond my limit. Spitting up blood I lay my head down waiting for the end to come. Smiling evilly the Redcap walked up to his weapon and picked it up. Spinning it around before the Green Man could react the Redcap thrust it directly into the chest of the downed giant. He pushed the blade deeper twisting it as he did without losing that malicious smile. The Guardian thrashed around in terrible pain as the creature who inflicted it just laughed at its misery. The downed giant stopped and started to laugh as well. The Redcap paused and for a brief second looked concerned; then the Guardian exploded. Thick green shoots burst from his chest impaling themselves into the body of the Redcap. The ancient armor offered no protection as more and more green shoots burrowed directly into his body. Struggling wildly the beast tried to break away but the Guardian reached over and pulled him into a final embrace. Understanding dawned on me. The Green Man was sacrificing himself to stop the beast. Howling in pain new growth burst out the back of the Redcap then it stopped struggling. The process continued as the two merged with one another, the body of the Redcap now used as sustenance for a new incarnation of the Green Man. I closed my eyes; I had had enough.

When I opened my eyes again I found Rá³isá­n and her daughter Emily running towards me. I was confused at their presence but for some reason I fond it interesting how the pair could run so fast in long skirts. Besides thinking I should give it a try I was really impressed that Emily did all with a rowan spear in her hand. Did I really think that? Oh my head hurt.

“Your Highness.” They both look terribly frightened probably by the way I look. At least I wasn’t alone anymore. Bria and her Pixie companions had guarded me while I slept. Though Bria wasn’t guarding anything, she was currently still sleeping on my lap along with a lot of other little girls. We all had had a long rough day.

“Oh, Hi.” I smiled. I must have sounded a bit drunk feeling light headed and for some reason a bit giddy. Rá³isá­n knelt by my side scattering the Pixies who complained but she told them to be quiet as she started to feel about my body. I could feel her soft touch as Rá³isá­n started to heal me, something I had been slowly doing myself.

“Was that a…?” Emily asked studying the creature beneath the strange little sapling in the center of the clearing. She prodded the Redcap’s discarded weapon with the point of her spear.

“It was, be sure not to get near that weapon. We’ll have to deal with it later.” While being healed I told the story of the Green Man’s bravery. I decided that there would always be someone guarding his resting place and when he appeared again, I would be there to thank him personally.

“Why were you alone?” Another short conversation explained some of the day’s events including her husband’s wounding.

“Your husband is well.” I suddenly felt a lot better though it still hurt a bit to breathe. I tried to stand. “He was wounded but I sent him back to the edge of the park. I also dealt with the one who hurt him.”

She smiled at that but frowned when I began to move. “You should be going back as well.”

“Sorry Rá³isá­n, I still have things to do.” With that, I made it to my feet with bit of help from Emily. For the first time I noticed I was also surrounded by the Dr. Shango and his family who kept an eye on the woods. “What happened?”

The doctor’s sister approached. “My Lady, they ran away. We had not been fighting them long when they disappeared. We don’t know why.”

Dr. Shango nodded. “It seemed like it was planned.”

“Maybe it was, the Unseelie are not beyond stabbing one another in the back in the middle of a fight.” I tapped my lip thinking. Fresh troops should put an end to this. I was also especially worried about my cousin. Dr. Shango offered their help. There was still fighting going on back towards the park’s entrance and I needed them to help both Masanori Shisaa and Richard Kincade. The entire group thought that would be an excellent thing to do. Cats coming to the rescue for a bunch of dogs seemed appropriate. I had to laugh. Poor Richard Kincade as leader of the Council his main job must be trying to keep both Cat and Dog Weres from killing one another on a regular basis. I didn’t envy his position.

“Rá³isá­n can you and Emily follow them and aid those that are in need. Send back any of the wounded or those too tired to fight.” Thankfully, the greater part of those entering the Fae Realm was Weres otherwise a lot of people would have died.

“No, your Highness.” Emily smiled. “I’m going with you.”

“What, I’m going alone.” It’s not that I didn’t know I needed the help but the problem was I wasn’t totally sure I was coming back.

“You need help.” She shrugged while leaning on her spear. “Plus you look like crap.”

I laughed. “I feel like crap.”

We both smiled at one another. I turned to her mother. “Emily and I are going this way.” Rá³isá­n gave a curtsey. “Luck to you both.” I looked around Oshun St. Hill and others had joined me as well. I smiled, Ok, point taken, I wasn’t going alone. “Let’s end this.”

We moved through the woods, quickly and quietly. The St. Hills black jaguar forms moved like shadows. A number of small groups of Troll-kin we passed didn’t see anything. The woods began to give way to more rocky terrain. We were close.

Seemingly anticlimactic we spotted the mound off in the distance. The lack of enemies didn’t bother me in the least. After the ass kicking I received from the Redcap, even after being healed I felt like toast. As my little group approached, I became concerned as Abigail knelt in front of a stone table surrounded by three Fae including Sile. Something was wrong with her but I couldn’t tell what. Oshun St. Hill and the others surrounded the barrow as Emily and I approached.

Eá²ghan stood to the front of the mound, the Draugr was not too difficult to spot like some sort of goodness-attracting black hole. “Princess, I see that you were able to get past Ashur.”

I assumed that was the name of the Redcap but I had little patience for banter. “I’m not here for pleasantries, sorcerer. I am here for Abigail and of course to stop you.”

“I see, so you have no desire to help us I take.”

“Don’t be a fool, Eá²ghan, you know I do not. Free Abigail and I’ll even give you a head start out of here. You know it’s over.”

The sorcerer nodded sadly. “Yes, you have been a worthy foe.”

“Enough Eá²ghan, free Abigail.”

Sile shook her head, something was wrong. The Sorcerer turned. “Yes Sile, please release the young girl.”

Sile did no such thing. The Vampire moved, her long claws coming out slashing the nearest Dark Fae. Emile moved just as quickly throwing her spear and catching the second Fae in the throat. Abigail took a confused look back at Sile who then grabbed her by the waist and grappled her to the ground. I didn’t really understand what was going on but I trusted my instincts. Reaching into a glamour-hidden part of my armor, I pulled out the Automatic Pistol, aimed and fired.

Draugr are an ancient evil, almost impossible to control and virtually unstoppable. Only great heroes had ever defeated these creatures pushing them back into their graves. Frank Marvin was such a hero. Leaping into France in June of 1944 as part of the 101st Airborne Division, he received his first Purple Heart outside a small town called Carentan. His second while moving through the Dutch countryside and a third along with a Silver Star while defending a Belgium town called Bastogne. Dan Summers explained to me that Walter Marvin had been a poor excuse for a human being but worshiped his grandfather. What was left of Walter inside the Draugr understood I wielded the weapon of his hero.

The first bullet took him high in the chest; I shifted my aim. I don’t know if Eá²ghan was more surprised by Sile turning on him or being shot. “You shot me!” He screamed.

“Welcome to the 21st century, asshole.” I fired again aiming for center mass as Dan taught me. Moving forward I continued to fire. The most ancient of magic, this sympathetic magic disrupted the sorcerer’s control on the Draugr. The fourth round brought the creature to its knees. As I approached the sorcerer, he looked up at me, his eyes burning with hatred. That fire only went out when I put a bullet between his eyes. The Draugr collapsed pulling itself into the ground and then it was gone.

“Morgan!” Sile yelled as Abigail finally got away from the Scottish Vampire. I recognized the hatred in Abigail’s eyes and it almost broke me. Dropping the pistol, I knocked away the dagger in her hand and grabbed her face. While she screamed at me I looked deep into Abigail’s hate-filled eyes, where was my beautiful girlfriend?

“Abigail!” I started to cry, she was gone. “Abigail please!” Then I found her, hidden away in the deepest part of her mind. It was just an ember, nothing more but that ember was enough. To my surprise, I found that last bit of Abigail protected by Sile magic. She had so earned the right for Sanctuary. I brought my mouth forward kissing the struggling Abigail and breathed a little of myself into her. That ember roared to life, a fierce flame a conflagration burning away the darkness. Abigail began to return the kiss. She leaned back and looked at me. “Morgan!”

I started to laugh, tears of relief running down my face. “Morgan!” She screamed again and grabbed me in a huge hug.

“Ouch, be careful.”

“Are you hurt?” She looked at me concerned.

“Yes everyplace.”

She hugged me again. “Ouch, not so hard.”

Abigail frowned. “Where aren’t you hurt?”

I smiled and pointed to my elbow. She kissed it.

“And here.” Grinning I pointed my forehead. Abigail gave me one of her special smiles then kissed my forehead. Everything was once again right with the world.

Authors Notes: A special thanks to djkauf for a little elvish editing. Thanks to all for reading! Take Care - Elsbeth

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Comments

awesome

great story

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna

Nice Raiders of the Lost Ark

Nice Raiders of the Lost Ark tribute at the end, there. :) Good story!

I winced in sympathy throughout this battle

I would not have liked to meet his Redcap at the airport.

Well, now that the Green Man is temporarily indisposed, what does that mean for the protection of the town in general and the forest in particular? There are still complications as to Abigail might have to share Morgan though.

I wonder what kind of metal was used for that gun as I do not believe it should be cold iron.

Kim

Questions, my Kingdom for a Question

Elsbeth's picture

Hi

Good questions, which I guess I'll have to answer some of them in Chapter 20 :D Your right I still have a bit of housecleaning left to do.

As for the pistol, even cold iron would really just annoy a Draugr. What the weapon symbolized made it so deadly. To Walter Marvin his grandfather was in fact a hero so the Draugr believed that the weapon could kill him.

Thanks for reading.

-Elsbeth

Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.

Broken Irish is better than clever English.

Interesting...

The wonders of psychology :)

But blimey, what a battle! You definitely wouldn't want to meet many redcaps in a lifetime - preferably none!

Nice to see Sile turning up trumps at the end - both in the turning on Eòghan and the protecting of Abigail's soul. Now we've just got to find out how the Alex versus Countess Sianna fight's going, since she was largely responsible for what happened to Abigail in the aftermath of her kidnapping, and (if not for Sile's intervention) would already have destroyed her.


As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!

So it's like the Draugr is

So it's like the Draugr is virtually immortal and only things he believes to be deadly are actually deadly to it?

Thank you for writing this captivating story, I can't wait for the next chapter.

Well the Draugr might be gone

Must have required a lot of magical resources to create one else they would be everywhere.

But it also implies that Eoghan might be back for revenge some day as he was merely 'riding' the Draugr. He might be too depleted to be a threat for a while, hopefully.

Kim

cold iron

you should be able to put a iron core in a jacketed bullet. if your fighting fae it would be worth a try.
great chapter, thanks

Interesting

Imagine what would happen if Abigail could not be saved, if she had to be killed or restrained for life.
A certain unseelie countess would have a very angry foe.
As things happened, though, the guardian was destroyed like she wanted and the mediator is not so angry as to look for revenge forever.

Greenman

Elsbeth's picture

Your correct the death of the Greenman is going to have some far reaching ramifications. Morgan is going to be a busy girl. :-D

Thanks

Elsbeth

Is fearr Gaeilge briste, ná Béarla clíste.

Broken Irish is better than clever English.

other side of the forest part 19

Anyone who thinks the countess isn't in for a whole world of hurt from morgan doesn't know her very well

hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna