HOME | DD

Description

The evening carried on. Some townsfolk had returned to their homes, so the commotion of the room had died down a little. The fire in the center of the room continued to burn and provide warmth for those who sat around it.

Donovan sat at that fire with Athias, Emily - who still held her position on his lap, and Arianna sitting across from Donovan. Emily had pestered him the whole time, trying to get as many answers from him as possible to satisfy her innocent wonder. Between her inquiries, he stared into the fire. The terrors of the past couple of days were further away every second that passed, and he felt it. Watching the fire kept his mind at ease, but he could not resist the occasional glance up from the fire to quickly gaze at the beautiful redhead across from him.

It seemed almost impossible to him that a woman could look so perfect. Try as he might, he could not keep his eyes off of her for long before they needed to return for their next fix. He didn’t allow them to full-on stare at her though for fear that she would discover his fascination; the embarrassment would be too much.

But there was something else happening round the other side of the fire that Donovan found perplexing. He wasn’t sure at first, but between the flickering of the fire and out the corner of his eye, he confirmed his suspicion: she was sneaking gazes back at him. Their eyes never met, but he was sure of it. She was doing to him what he was doing to her. He obviously knew why he was staring at her, but what could be causing her to do the same? He didn’t want to jump to conclusions just yet, even though his curiosity was high. As much as his mind allowed him, he stared into the fire.

“Your world is has no giant monsters at all?” Emily asked excitedly. She had carried most of the conversations throughout the night with a head full of curiosity.

“None” replied Donovan. “Just a lot of us humans.”

“Woah” she said. “I’d love to go there! I could go anywhere I wanted to.”

Athias rubbed Emily’s head for that last comment. “Yes, and ye’d be makin’ a real big mess everywhere you went.”

Emily looked up with Athias’ hand still on top of her head and only returned a shake of her head coupled with a low “mm mmm!”

Athias looked down at her with a smirk, and then returned his hand back to the arm of his chair.

“Why do ya want to go explorin’ so bad little miss? Nothin out there but big, really big, scary monsters waiting for a little snack like you to come along.”

“I just really want to go and see new things, and meet new people” she responded.

“Oh yeah, I know how much ye like new faces! Ya haven’t stopped interrogatin’ our new lad here since ye hopped up on my lap! But don’t go thinkin’ too much about the big world outside our little town, because big’s one of the only things you’ll find out there. Keep your thoughts on Ralstown dear; it’s safe here.”

“Right you are Athias.”

The four souls around the fire turned to see Selvin approaching.

“Arianna, how are you?” he asked with a smile.

“Doing well Selvin” she responded just as warmly.

“Have everything you need?”

“Oh yes. I have plenty of supplies to last for a while” she said reassuringly.

“Excellent.” Selvin turned toward Donovan. “You may have heard already, but Arianna is our town healer. By now, she’s probably fixed us all up a handful of times. Don’t know what we’d do without her.”

Pleased by the comment, Arianna smiled and gazed back at the fire. Donovan took the opportunity to sneak a look at her, as he had done since they sat down.

“But yes little Emily” Selvin said while taking his own seat by the fire. “You won’t find a safer place than here. You know why?”

Emily’s eyes perked up, and she let out a small gasp before she began to speak. “You’re going to tell the story!”

“I am.”

Donovan’s focus was more on Selvin now. What was he about to say?

Selvin leant towards Donovan. “This story’s more for you actually, since you haven’t heard it before.”

“Oh, ye just like tellin’ it t-every new person ye meet, Selvin.” Athias’ words were getting more slurred, probably not because of how late it was getting.

Selvin continued and began to tell his story.

“Yes, I’ll tell you of a man by the name of Rals Ulrich: a good man, a hero and the reason we’re all around and safe and sound today. Rals was a traveler; he came up from the south. Originally, he was a high-ranking member of society in Negav, but chose to leave his home in search of something more. He had no reason to fear the great forests of Felarya and the creatures that resided therein. His magical prowess was legendary; no creature, big or small, could challenge him.

“He settled down near the ruins of Ur-Sagol, living peacefully and quietly. Rals was an expert in all sorts of magics, but one of his favorites was alchemy, and Felarya is a land brimming with a multitude of magical plants and minerals. Tolmeshal Forest was a perfect place for him to sharpen his skills and continue his studies. The dangers of the forest threatened him daily, but it was no issue for him. The man was practically invulnerable.

“One day while out foraging for more supplies, he heard faint screams coming from the west. Any normal individual would go running in the other direction, but Rals Ulrich was anything but a normal person, so off he ran towards the danger. He came across a town tucked into a cliff side, though to call it a town would be generous. At the time, there were no buildings, only large tents that were mostly concealed behind trees. The settlement didn’t even have a name. There were very few people there, and all of them were terrified. One of the forests most notorious and feared predators had come looking for a snack: a giant naga!”

Emily was sitting back against Athias’ chest; her eyes fixed on Selvin and what he was saying. The first time she had heard this story, she was too frightened by what was being said. She was more used to it now, though the thought of a giant naga was still a thing from nightmares.

Donovan however was far more afraid of what was being narrated. First giant man-eating mermaids, then giant man-eating fairies, now he could add massive snake-women to the list of things that found humans like him tasty.

The story went on.

“Rals came upon the scene as the naga held one of the townspeople in her hand, a young girl barely an adult. Before he could act, the naga consumed the girl. The naga stood satisfied in front of the horrified townspeople, but as she reached for another, her hand was blocked. Rals had put an invisible barrier between the predator and her prey. He had her right where he wanted her; he could have killed that foul creature right where she was, but he was even cleverer than that. He called out to the naga telling her to take him instead. She eyed her new target, searching for anything that would suggest a trap, but there was none. Without a word, she swooped in, wrapped her hand fully around him, and slithered off into the trees.

“The remaining villagers were not about to wait around for the naga to get hungry again. They began packing up all of their belongings as quick as they could. The area was not safe, and they had to leave. But where could they go? Nowhere in the forest was safe from the predators like the one they had seen hours earlier, but they certainly couldn’t stay there any longer. At least, not until their savior wizard suddenly returned from where he was carried away. The townsfolk gathered around to see what should have been impossible. This stranger wizard had escaped the naga, but even more astounding: being carried in his arms was the girl that had been devoured, rescued from a terrible fate by Rals. When asked about what became of the fearsome predator, he simply replied ‘she won’t bother you anymore.’

“The town rejoiced about the wizard’s triumph and the return of the girl. Rals told them all that they were under his protection and that they don’t need to fear the forest as long as they stayed here. Thus, the townsfolk settled back in, never to be preyed upon ever again. A man approached Rals and took the girl out of his arms. With tears in his eyes, his conveyed that he was the girl’s father and the leader of the town. With unending gratitude, he pledged to name the town after their savior.

“And that is the legend of Rals Ulrich and the creation of Ralstown. Since that day, no predator has ever come close to our happy home, and none ever will. His promise holds true today, not even Negav is safer than our hidden sanctuary. And every day, we thank our hero. Thanks to Rals Ulrich!”

Emily clapped her hands. This startled Athias, who had dosed off in the middle of the story; he jolted awake. It seemed that though she had heard it many times before, this story and many others were always a joy for her to hear.

The story had a similar effect on Donovan. Since his first encounter with the giant predators, he believed it all hopeless to ever truly stand against them, barring whatever miracle happened to him. Hearing a tale of a triumph against one of those creatures brought an understanding to him, that humans are not all as powerless, at least not as much as he was. He made a mental note that he should probably look into some of the ways people can defend themselves in this world.

Athias leaned forward and hiccupped before speaking. “Alright little one, I need t-go home.”
He patted Emily on the back, signaling for her to get off his lap. She hopped down obediently.

Arianna rose from her seat. “We should be leaving as well, Emily. You’ve stayed up far past your bedtime.”

“Aww, but I wanted to talk to Donovan more. I want to hear about where he’s from!” she protested.

“You’ll be able to talk to him a little more tomorrow sweetheart.”

Though Donovan had grown fond of Emily even with the numerous questions she had given him throughout the night, he felt the need to share his plans with her and her mother, as their conversation had implied.

“I will be leaving pretty early in the morning Emily. I’m sorry.”

Again, Emily let out a protesting sigh. Arianna was surprisingly also upset at hearing this news.

“Oh, so soon?” Arianna asked.

“Selvin told me about a…portal to the east. It might be able to take me home. I want to leave as soon as I can.”

His message was very clear, but Arianna still retained a concerned look.

“I suppose that makes sense. Your experiences here haven’t been the greatest.” She was clearly pondering something as her eyes drifted downward.

She returned her attention back to Donovan. “Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

He hadn’t actually thought about that. He had been so long away from his own bed and any other pleasant night’s sleeping place.

His silence had given her all she needed to know; she didn’t wait for a response.

“I have an extra bed available in my house. I’d be happy to let you have it.”

The thought of having a real sleeping place, sleeping in the same house as the stunning woman in front of him, many emotions overtook Donovan. As much as his composure would allow him, he replied.

“That-that would be lovely.”

“It’d sure be better than if I gave ye room in mah house lad.” Athias bellowed, certainly overtaken by drink and fatigue. “I don’t really sleep quietly, ‘specially when I’m…ye know.”

The group members were all on their feet and made their first motions towards the door. Getting up from his chair and turning around, Donovan beheld a large painting above the door. It was never in his view throughout the whole night. The painting was of a man in fine clothing seated on a chair. His hair was grayish-brown parted down the middle. His expression gave hints that he was a very accomplished man and his eyes, to give many congratulations to the painter, gave the impression that this was a kindhearted man.

Selvin saw Donovan’s studying of the painting and came up beside him.

“And there he is: Rals Ulrich, man responsible for any of us being here today, including and especially you” Selvin finished in a matter-of-fact sort of tone.

“It isn’t the easiest responsibility to care for this little town, but because of the efforts of that man there, I’m happy to take it up. He’s someone I strive to be like, the perfect role model.”

Donovan nodded his head in agreement. “A man I’m thanking right now.”

Selvin grinned and looked back towards the man on the wall.

Donovan continued to study the portrait of Rals. He wanted to remember his face and thank him daily. While taking in every detail, he scanned further down the painting. His eyes stopped near the bottom of the frame, and slowly grew wide at what he saw there. This small detail was so shocking to him that he needed to examine it closer. He slowly walked forward. Selvin witness Donovan’s walk and stood by confused by his movement.

At the bottom of the portrait, Rals’ hands were drawn one crossed over the other, and on the front hand, he wore a unique jeweled ring. Donovan’s closer inspection of this ring confirmed his suspicions: he was currently wearing this same ring on his very own hand!

“Yes, his ring” Selvin came back to Donovan’s side. “Likely his greatest weapon when it came to fighting those monsters he slew.”

Donovan’s focus was split between Selvin’s words and the ring in the painting.

“Sadly, its purpose was lost to history long ago, along with the ring itself. There is no doubt that it was imbued with some extraordinarily powerful magic however.”

Donovan clenched his hand into a fist and cupped his other hand over the ring, slowly as to not make anyone suspicious of the prize he wore.

“No doubt” he whispered back to Selvin.

Selvin gazed back at Donovan, then back to the portrait, then finally made his way towards the door.

He now finally had his answer. The biggest question of his life had now been divulged. This ring was what saved his life that night. In some way, it pulled him out of that giant fairy’s stomach. Donovan’s mind was unable to fully take in how astronomically lucky he was. He found this long-lost ring mere minutes before it was put to use saving his oblivious self. In this world of giant voracious monsters, he held a treasure worth more than all the gold and jewels the rest of his world and this one had combined.

Arianna stood at the door. “Donovan?”

He glanced down at her, then back up. The painting had no more to tell him. He went towards the door still gripping his ring-bearing hand.

With that, they all went off to their separate homes. Selvin and Athias said their good nights outside the door of the tavern. The other three all walked towards one house away from the cliff side near the tree line. The house was simple and small as it usually only housed two people. Emily burst through the door first with Arianna close behind her. Donovan entered last and surveyed the room.

A small table and a few chairs occupied the middle of the room. In the back was a small fireplace with various pots and pans lining the front of it. A few cupboards stood next to the fireplace, creating a modest but capable kitchen setting. To the left as one enters the house was a narrow staircase leading up to the second level and to his right was a doorway connecting to another room.

“Alright Emily, up to your room.”

Predictably, Emily wasn’t thrilled with what Arianna had to say. She stood in front of her, eyes towards the floor pouting slightly.

Arianna knelt down and rubbed Emily’s head. “Now don’t be like that. You’ll be able to see him before he goes tomorrow, but for now you need your sleep.”

“Okay.” Emily softly replied and she made her way to the steps. She stopped on the first one and turned around.

“Good night Mister Donovan!”

Donovan smiled and waved at the girl, temporarily removing his slightly sweaty hand from the ring. Emily then turned and ran up the stairs.

Their interactions between each other had Donovan wondering for a while now, and he finally spoke up about it.

“She isn’t your daughter is she.”

“No. She’s not. We aren’t related by blood.”

She turned toward Donovan and made a motion to speak, probably about her relationship to Emily, but she stopped herself and gave a warm smile instead.

“Your room is this way.” She motioned towards the room adjacent and walked that direction.

Donovan entered the room after her. It was as big as the main room and with many similar functions, though this room obviously had a different purpose. Countertops were covered with multiple apparatuses. Shelves were stocked with multiple plants and other ingredients. Other miscellaneous tools were kept orderly on a small coffee table, and a bed stayed tucked away in the corner. She was the town healer, and this is where she performed her trade. Donovan didn’t mind it one bit though; it was leaps better than the two other places he rested since his arrival.

“I hope this will be okay.” Arianna began.

“It’s quite fine.” Donovan retorted quickly, the appreciation very evident in his voice.

She turned and smiled, her stunning brown eyes meeting his.

“Well. I’ll let you get your rest then. If you need anything, I’ll be up the stairs and across the hall.”

Donovan simply bowed his head a little and got out of the way of the door.

She walked out. “Sleep well” she spoke softly as she went by.

Donovan guiltily watched her as she walked towards the stairs, her long, red hair flowed behind her. There were other features of her that he could have admired from this angle, but he refused to let his eyes partake of those. This woman was kind enough to let him into her own home. With that kindness he kept his mind clean and his eyes disciplined.

He stood there for a little while, still taking in the room. Before long, he finally went over to the bed and sat down on it. The whole house was quiet enough for him to hear his breathing, which sounded more rested than he thought he could be in this land. But the reasons for him to feel at ease were finally starting to outnumber the reasons to be on edge.

He removed his other hand and stared sharply at the ring on this finger. So many things had happened since he put it on, he had altogether forgotten about it. But now he couldn’t take his thoughts off of it, for it was the only reason that he was still alive.

He lay down on the bed and crossed his hands again. While staring up at the ceiling, he smiled and closed his eyes.

“It’s all going to be ok.”