After what felt like a good twenty minutes I heard the Lady of the Lake leave her pool and begin to put her clothes back on. After she did she started off back into the forest only to stop. The sound of her suddenly stopping made me feel uneasy though.

“I know it’s a bit early but do you want to see your sword?” she asked from the edge of the clearing.

“It’s already done?” I asked with a surprised tone.

“Well, no, but you can see how it looks so far.” she replied.

“Alright then.” I said before climbing out of the pool and throwing my clothes on despite being wet. It wasn’t that comfortable but I didn’t care. I was about to see an unfinished sword magically handcrafted for me. I know what I said about hating magic before but it’s a fucking magic sword that isn’t going to be used to kill me so I want it… at least I hope it isn’t.

“My home is just a ways away. In fact, it’s just through this path.” she said with a smile as I approached her in my damp clothes. She led me through a small pathway and around some thickets before coming into a large clearing with a cottage and a lake in front of it. Connected to the cottage was a forge that was still smoking.

The cottage was old and rustic with a stick and thatch roof covered in clay and large log walls. It had a few windows with wooden covers over them and a wood panel door. The forge next to it was at least two meters tall and four meters deep. Beside the forge was enough wood to last a wood stove several weeks in the dead of winter and in front of it was an anvil. Hammers and metalworking tools lined a table next to the house.

“Here it is!” the Lady of the Lake said as she pulled a hiltless blade from the forge. It was glowing a stunning orange and was longer than I originally imagined.

“Thank you! Could I perhaps watch the process for a bit?” I asked.

“I don’t see why not. However, I would like to do something for this blade that I haven’t done in a long time. I can only really do it since you’re here so may I?” she asked.

“Of course!” I said eagerly. As I did she quickly slid the blade against my hand. I yelled and instantly began whining about my hand in a very dramatic way.

“You said I could. You can only blame yourself.” she said with a slight chuckle.

“I didn’t realize that you were going to cut me with a hot knife!” I exclaimed in pain as I stuck my hand in the lake.

“Well, I think you’ll like the result. The best swords are the ones who are fused with the soul of their wielder. Arthur’s is similar to this so I don’t think you’ll have many problems.” she said as she placed it back in the forge. As soon as she did she threw some more wood into the forge and began fanning it. The fire shot up through the chimney of the forge like a fiery typhoon in response.

“How long will that take?” I asked as my hand completely healed over.

“Well, a normal forge could take days but this one is created to increase airflow and stay insulated so maybe a couple hours for the next process.” she said as she continued to fan the flames.

“How long does it usually take you to forge a sword?” I asked.

“Around a week in your time. In here though it is probably around two months. It’s hard to say though. Time here is strange and it affects everything differently. Take your hair for instance, it was probably short as could be but now it’s down to your shoulders.” she said, pointing out that my hair was much shorter a few days ago.

“Okay.” I said as I watched the forge get hotter and hotter. It was eventually so hot that I had to step away for a bit and remove my outermost layer of clothes. The Lady of the Lake however, wasn’t all that phased by the heat at that point. Eventually though, she started showing signs of being overheated. Sweat poured from her and she slowly began taking off her outermost layers as well. I couldn’t even get close to the forge without feeling like my arm hair was getting singed off while she was standing right next to it.

After a good hour of her fanning the flames she pulled the sword from the forge and placed it on the anvil where she struck it with the hammer several times before placing it back into the forge. She repeated this process over and over for hours before finally stopping setting it in the forge that was starting to cool.

“I need a drink.” she said as she walked out from her forging area and started walking into the lake.

“Ah, that’s nice and cool. Would you mind going inside and getting me the bottle of wine that’s sitting on the table?” she asked as she waded in the lake.

“Sure thing.” I replied before walking into her house and grabbing the bottle of wine. Without much care I brought it out and reached over to hand it to her. She gladly took it and began downing the contents before letting out a relaxed sigh.

“That felt good!” she exclaimed.