From the way Alis was skipping across the vibrant green lawn, her hand in mine, you would’ve thought that we were on a date in a park. Maybe even rushing to reach an ice-cream van.

The reality was far different.

Yes, the early summer sun was pleasant and comfortable. And yes, there were no real clouds in the sky. It was what else not present that changed things. There were no other people here we could see. No children laughing and shouting with joy. No dogs barking. No other couples strolling hand in hand. No parents happy to watch their kids as they relaxed and talked amongst themselves. No teenagers crowding in groups, or maybe even splitting off in twos if they were brave enough.

And instead of jeans and tees, we were wearing multiple layers of armour. I was feeling hot because of that. But we needed the armour because surrounding this small patch of vibrant green was an entire island full of wild, untamed grass and plants, surrounded by the sea, surrounded by the most dangerous places on this planet.

That alone should be enough to cause most folks to be at least wary.

Not for Alis, though. Instead, she was eagerly dragging me towards the entrance of a dungeon. Her freckled, youthful face was as bright and cheerful as could be found in any park back from Earth.

I know I had heard some stories of dungeons from her, but between them and the stories I had heard about dungeons back on Earth, I was not as eager to rush into one with such ease.

And yes, I know she cared about the adventurous stories told about the Isles of Dunkeltal more than anything else, other than me. And for someone who had sworn themselves to Aggard, that was troubling.

Not that Aggard minded. In fact, she was more than happy with Alis and her attitude.

By the time I had enough will to free myself from Alis, and enough thought of how to stop her, we had reached the entrance to the dungeon.

Part of the vibrant grass-covered hill had been cut back, replaced by a tightly packed, and carefully constructed, dry stone wall made with pale stones. The stones here were covered with lichen and moss. Some small tuffs of grass and other plants grew out of the cracks in the stone wall. On the floor, where the continuation of the domed hill should’ve been, there was a flagstone floor. Like the dry stone wall, between the cracks of the stones, there were tufts of grass and other weeds.

In the midst of the stone wall, there was a simple archway which stood out in various ways. For a start, unlike the careful construction of the dry stone wall, the archway was simply and crudely made using a large lintel stone and two equally large upright stones. The lintel and upright stones were also far darker, almost appearing black.

If the construction of the archway had not made things clear. The dry stone wall had been forced to fit to these irregular uprights and lintel by using various fragments of stones. These irregularities forced the careful construction of the dry stone wall to break apart slightly where the two met.

Despite the fact it was light out here, and the sun seemed to shine into the dungeon entrance, even if it was at an angle, a veil of darkness hanging just beyond the entrance to the dungeon proper.

I formed my mana axes. The now-familiar sensation of mana echoed within me.

Alis drew her sword.

With her sword in her hand, Alis’ attitude changed. Where she had been bouncing and eager to rush forth, she now had an intense focus and watchfulness. I wasn’t sure if I picked up the same attitude as her, or if it came naturally to me, too. But for whatever reason, I grew hyper alert too.

The sounds of the grass and trees rustling in the faint breeze.

A faint edge of salt in the air.

Alis walked towards the crude archway, she reached out with her hand, touching the darkness, then disappeared.

My hands clenched hard on the solid handles of the axes. She had been there just a moment ago and now had gone. I needed to be with her. With my heart thundering in my chest, I rushed into the blackness.

As it engulfed me, the moist air of the isle snapped to a cold, dry air.

The dust in the air made it hard to breathe until I got accustomed to it.

Alis was here safe and well, standing still, gazing intently at our surroundings.

Tension fled from my shoulders. My thundering heart returned to normal.

She turned to face me, her pretty freckled face shining brightly with joy.

‘I’ve made it,’ she said. ‘I’m here. I’m finally here.’

I walked over to her, dispelling my axes, and wrapped my arms around her. She nestled up tight against me. Despite being in the middle of a dungeon, I wanted to be even closer to her. To get rid of the annoying armour which was holding us apart. To feel her warmth and her heart beating.

‘I had a sister, you know,’ she whispered. ‘A younger sister who loved life, even if circumstances were less than desirable for us.’

In the past, she had told me some stories about how hard her life had been. But until now, she had mentioned nothing about a sister. Her pretty eyes were full of tears, but they weren’t sad tears.

They were joyful ones.

‘She just loved the stories bards told about the Isles of Dunkeltal. Together, we would often sneak out just to hear bards in the nearby taverns. That frozen night, we snuck back to our nest through the snowy backstreets, sneaking through what I thought was a blizzard raged. Huddled close, me sheltering her from the blizzard as best I could, she told me she wished she could see the Isles just once before she died.

‘It was a strange wish, one which I knew would never come true. You see, she was a weak girl and would fall ill easily. It was really no surprise that in the morning she didn’t wake up. But what surprised me was her face. It was not sad, or struggling, it was still bright and happy from the night before.

‘It took me almost two seasons before I had the courage to step into that run down temple of Aggard. The Tale of Dunkeltal we heard that night was about the Knight Champion.’ She looked up at me, her pretty eyes gleaming, tracks of joyful tears ran down her freckled cheeks. ‘He saved her life, I am sure of it. Yet, more than anything, I am glad to Aggard for giving me this chance to be here in the Isles of Dunkeltal. To be here with you, so that when I next meet with my sister I can tell her my Tales of Dunkeltal, all of which will feature you, by Beloved. For a loving family, a loving husband, and tales of adventure were our shared dreams.

‘Dreams we shared night by night, giving us strength to live one more day.’

I brushed the tears from one of her freckled cheeks and kissed her.

Before anything else could pass, a deep roar reverberated throughout the dungeon.