THE~MOON~SAGA : of ZARNOTH

Granat dismayed drew towards her,
with Apfel at her side melancholy.
Ignas rose up understanding
that serene had beguiled the beast.
The morning had waxed dim and hazy,
the shadows still wept in the wood;
The morning flowers bloomed, bright and lovely,
with the red hues given by spilled blood.

Serene gazed at Ignas then at the rest,
automatically after every moment of despair she had,
she would reach for the one thing that gave her a sense of hope.
Her family necklace and she did just that,
he hand dug into her pocket,
but it came out empty and shaking.
She gave a little gasp of surprise,
but hid it with a cough, she had no time now to worry about it.

Alum looked grim and he felt it too,
he glanced at Apfel and wondered
if this was what she felt when she wanted death.
He felt like all the life of him was sucked away
and he suddenly hated being the hunter standing there.
His gaze lingered over to Apfel's hand
to see if she had taken off the ring yet
to hide from Granat's watchful eyes.

Serene looked up at the morning sky,
the terror of the night felt like a distant memory.
"We should go now, while we still have time."
She said already walking ahead,
for the first time she realized how cruel the world could be.
She glanced at Ignas and suddenly was aware
that she was still holding on to his sword.
"Here, I believe this is yours."
She said giving it back.

Ignas thanked Serene for his sword
and for reserving him while he'd slept.
Apfel tore her eyes from this scene
to glance towards Alum at her left.
She became aware of her hand and the ring
and so hid her hands behind her back.
Before Granat could see it and question her,
and their pure love be tainted black.

Ignas spake:
"I must return to my family,
I must find them before they weep;
If they think that I'm dead and buried,
they'll be unable to get good sleep
tonight when our travels resume
when our hearts lie in faith's trusted keep".

"Thank you for you assistance,
for this troll is great".
quoth Granat.

"You are very welcome, maiden"
was what Ignas told Granat,
then he turned to Serene and said;
"Be careful, it is your blood he wants",
and to Alum he said,
"You must be an efficient hunter, man.
Especially in the midst of such frailty".

"Frailty? Frailty where, Zarnothian?"
Granat thus demanded in response.
"my fore-sense tells me many a thing,
and many a time it was true.
And as of now I sense in you dimness
in wit and in judgement too".

To this Ignas drew his sword high
and pointed the blade towards Granat.
Granat made not a single move
she was brave as stone against wave.
Granat walked around Ignas' weapon,
and continued to walk away from the troll.

"What is this?" came the high voice of Apfel,
and a distress crossed her wan face.

"mind it not" said Granat coolly.
Then Ignas broke away from them surely.

Serene felt a chill go up her spine
when she heard his words,
again her hand instinctively dug into her pocket,
but then she remembered her necklace was no there.
"Maybe I lost it while I was being chased." She thought,
she looked at her wound and fingered her chain.
She could have healed it with her darkness,
but it was day where light was and
she could have lost control at any time.

Alum sighed softly with relief,
he drifted over slowly to Apfel
while Granat's back was turned to them
and squeezed her hand before following
Granat away from there to continue their journey.

Serene glanced back at Ignas
and waved a goodbye and
said good luck on him for his journey
before following Granat and Alum
besides Apfel and then she remembered.
"Apfel, do you not remember your gift for Granat?
It may lie unharmed now waiting for you to find it again."

"O', I have forgotten, thank you" said Apfel,
and she turned back and very quickly
sought their former spot and took
the bundle covered by large leaves
but did not yet show Granat.
She smiled at Serene after egaining
her place by her side and Alum's.

All the while Granatseemed to be in deep thought
and watched the company wearily and tiredly.
And she longed for Milenia, her parents
and longed for the times when her heart
was the cradle of all joy and blind trust.
Absent mindedly she began to sharpen her spear
and to tie bits of grass and tweed 'round it.
She walked a little behind the others
walking very slow to reserve her energy.

The animals began to come out
blue lizards licked their eyes in the sun.
Peculiar, brightly plumed birds began to chat
in the heights of the canopy trees.
The sunlight seemed to struggle through the dense mist
that had befallen Zarnoth a long time ago.
a greenish glow settled over all.

Apfel linked arms with Alum
and sighed deeply, allowing her eyes to close
as they walked through the forest
through its mystical trees, shrubs and bushes
beneath clusters of radiant fruits and birds
and swinging nimfs and daylight-sprites.
And the unicorn, almost forgotten
came trotting behind them
and whinnied for their attention.
Apfel was startled before staring in wonder:
"There are none of these in Milenia.
I have only heard of them in stories".

Alum looked at Apfel with joy in his heart,
and said to her "It came in the middle of the night
while yonder beauty slept soundly."
He led her to it and patted the unicorn.
"I dare not think that it would mind giving
such a fare maiden a ride for a while at least.
He said and lifted her up to sit on it.

Serene looked at Granat and said
"You seemed troubled, dare you voice out your thoughts?"
She fingered her chain then a question came to her mind,
"I ask of you dear Granat, have you seen
my necklace? I have lost my dearest treasure.
Please have you seen a it?'
She asked waiting for an answer.

Infatuated Apfel accepted the ride,
whilst Granat glanced curiously.
The unicon seemed happy to allow
the maiden to ride comfortably.

Serene toyed with her chain,
her thoughts were bored and uninteresting
as the rest of the world that stood around her now.
Alum looked ahead wondering
how longer would they go on?

Alum called wind to his aid
and bid it to blow them and save them
from the heat of the morning son.
Serene felt bored more than ever
"Will there be a village where
we may rest along the way?"
She asked Apfel.

"My sister and I had been searching
for a city that lies beyond Uhl.
If we were just to cross that said river
we could get there soon enough"
quoth apfel.
Granat nodded silently in agreement.
She glanced at the unicorn
on which her sister rode
and marveled at its beautiful horn.

"It is best when we travel in the night
out of the eyes of any enemies.
But if we can make it to the shore of Uhl
by sunset, then we should be blessed"
Granat spake, shielding her amber eyes from the sun.

Serene looked at what lay ahead and said
"I hope that we will be blessed enough
to not meet any beasts or thieves
who plan to slow us in our journey."
Alum nodded quietly hoping that they be that blessed.
He kept close to the unicorn and Apfel
ever so often glancing at them.

Soon they came to a clearing
which led to a labirynthine path;
This path wound its way towards the shore
of the sea Uhl away from Zarnoth.
The sun struggled through the clouds gathering
forboding of a celestial wrath:
Perhaps a storm would be breweing,
an approaching celestial wrath.

]Oh man. Haven't been able to write due to crazy school work]

(Yeah me too, exams here.)

Alum patted the unicorn then turned to the sky,
he felt a mixed feeling from the approaching storm.
It would provide a cover from other wandering souls,
but a storm was almost never welcomed warmly.
He gazed at Serene , then at Apfel and finally at Granat.
He sighed wishing he was still a young'un
sleeping in a warm bed with no worries,
but those memories were long gone
and faded into almost impossible dreams.

Serene closed her eyes and let her instinct guide her,
she fingered her small chain around her neck.
It was strange she thought to herself
that such a simple thing could hold
all that power and darkness inside her at bay.
She felt the familiar temptation to tear it away from her,
and let the power fill her before the chain
would appear again and contain her again.

She so wished she was a free spirit unbound again,
no boundries at all, no more walls to hold her back.
How did she become bound in the first place?
She could not remember and tried to
delving into old memories that were faded and forgotten.
She saw hazy images that made no sense at all.
Then she saw something a bit clearer,
something important to her .

She saw herself as an unbound spirit
being lured and trapped by another.
His face looked familiar and she struggled to remember where,
then suddenly darkness hit her and she crumpled to the ground.

(If Ignas ever coming back?If yes can I make him the one who bound her in an old life long ago? If no I'll make another character)

((that'd be a perfect idea! You can take over Ignas if you want, unless you want me to write for him))

Granat haulted in her walking,
then went to aid the fallen Serene.
Apfel made a light sound of shock
but was calmed just as suddenly.

"What is the matter, ancient spirit?"
Granat asked, staring into Seren'es eyes.
"Shall I get you water, a healing herb?".

The unicorn snorted and tossed its head
as Apfel had bid it to stop.
The clouds in the heaven sbegan to grow shadowy
and close to one another
forming an impenetrable mass;
sunlight struggled to no avail through it.

"Is it sickness from the air?
Some plague of the soul?
Some strange unseen creature--
another spirit perhaps?"
Came Apfel's unstrung voice.
She glanced at Alum, garnet eyes worried.

((If you want to you can, I'm okay doing it if you want))

Serene gasped and shuddered,
but her eyes remained firmly shut
as she relieved memories of the past.
She was in her mind once again an ancient being filled with old power.
Alum glanced at her and said nothing
he motioned for Granat and Apfel not to speak as well.

Serene, no that was not her name then,
the ancient spirit stood ready and fearless
before the man, but her eyes betrayed her
they still showed her fear no matter what colour they were.
She closed them and called her power,
the darkness filled her and changed her slowly
horns and black bat-like wing sprouted into view.

Her eyes misted over and were a shade of souless grey,
her fangs were revealed as she smiled
her claws ready to strike at any movement
from the young tall hunter that challenged her.
She felt that sense of madness slip over her
and she suddenly knew this fight would be different.

The hunter spoke quickly and raised a simple chain
in his hand all the while focusing on her.
Then she heard her own name, her spirit name.
She would have screamed if she was normal,
but she had that power and the madness that came with it.
She laughed as she felt the power slip from her
and she was bound.

Alum gently shook Serene and she awoke,
she was still shaking and could not speak.
Alum gently said in an old brotherly voice
"What did you see?" Serene could not grasp
these words and mumbled over and over.
"He bound me, it was he." Alum lifted her up
and placed her on the unicorn.
"Let her rest and when her senses return,
she will tell us what past she saw."

Alum looked into Apfel's eyes
and tried to reassure her all was well.
He then turned and continued to walk.

The travelers continued
Grew wary though as they knew
That a storm would come a-riding
on the winds that churned above.
A rain began to descend
And no treetops could ever defend
the group from the waters
that fell into the grove.

Alum turned to Apfel
"Is water not your element?
May you please at the most
shield us from the storms fury so we may continue dry."

Serene was still mumbling on
never seeming to care at all
about what happened around or to her.