Genre (s): Dark Fantasy/Horror

Written When? Freshmen Year of College

Prologue

Do you believe in ghosts? Well, whether you do or not, I am here today to share a tale from long ago.... a medieval fairytale. Who is the girl? Who is the boy? Why are they important? Well, to start off, let me tell you a little bit about Renial Kingdom.

Renial Kingdom has always been a cheerful, yet mysterious place. Its history dates back to at least 3,000 years. 3,000 years ago, the first inhabitants to ever step onto Renial's soil were the Cryptics. They had the power to communicate with the dead. Now, you may not believe in ghosts, but let me tell you, if you want to find something spooky, go to Renial Kingdom.

Not long after the Cryptics settled and built the first towns of the kingdom, their chief, Elmkim Tu Sawdi, learned they were not alone. Spirits of all kinds inhabited the kingdom from top to bottom. They came from the Spirit Realm, a huge realm that resided just above Renial. Spirits from the Spirit Realm were friendly. They watched over the land day after day, month after month, year after year.

However, good is never alone. We all know this. There is always evil lurking in the shadows. In this case, the evil were the spirits from the Exon Realm.

Just alone, the name means "Exiled from the good". With the help of a legendary staff Elmkim Tu Sawdi built when he learned of the evil spirits, the GB Staff, spirits from the Exon Realm stayed in the Exon Realm. They did not cross over to the Spirit Realm, or the Realm of Good. Legends say if a spirit from the Exon Realm crossed over to the Spirit Realm, then they had the power to turn all spirits in Renial Kingdom evil and use them to their advantage. Such a thing seemed impossible, since the GB Staff always stayed in its particular spot–the closest place to the Spirit Realm, Renial Castle.

Also built by the Cryptics, the castle held a mysterious power that connected the staff and realm. As long as it stayed in the highest tower of the castle, spirits from the Exon Realm never invaded the Spirit Realm. Unfortunately, all that changed one ghastly winter night in Renial Kingdom, when a descendant of the Cryptics tried to take the staff from its resting place. What happened afterward was something he never expected. His actions put the kingdom in grave danger. Because of him, it now headed for its downfall... for its trip to the Doom Dimension.

Now that I've got all that out of the way and have given you a breakdown of Renial Kingdom, you're probably wondering who I am. My nickname is Ricky Tick Rick, but my name is Rick. I am not a knight in shining armor. However, I wish I were. This is the Middle Ages, after all. Actually, I'm just a blacksmith. Great. Hooray. Not really. I am nothing special: not a knight, a wizard, or even a baker. I am a blacksmith, the greatest job in the universe. I'm the one who has to polish the swords and horseshoes and sell them off to rude customers (not every customer is rude).

If you're looking for someone special, then I should tell you about Anecka. If I had to describe her beauty with a celestial object, it had to be the Sun. No, even more. An entire galaxy. She and I were friends for as long as I could remember. Unlike me, Anecka wielded an amazing gift.

Nowadays in Renial Kingdom, not many people can speak to spirits and see them. There are only a few. Anecka was one of those few, but unusually, she was not a descendent of the Cryptics. Descendants were the ones who maintained a strong connection between life and the afterlife. That was what made Anecka so talented.

It's not just that. Anecka was not your typical medieval, young woman. She was a warrior, a fighter, and a believer. She was nothing like me. Anecka was special. I was just ordinary. My story is mostly about her. I guess you could call me the sidekick, even though I am the one sharing the story. Trust me, I don't belong here. Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. I am not a Renilian. I am just an orphan boy who winded up on the steps of the blacksmith shop seventeen years ago.... a boy who was in love with a woman but was too shy to say it to her face.

However, my adventure changed everything I knew, with not only Anecka, but also myself, and I can't wait to share it with everybody tonight. So, strap yourselves in. It's going to be a wild ride.

***

To start off, let me tell you something strange that happened to me three months prior. There I was, doing the typical: polishing swords and hanging them from the wall like decorations.

I then heard a voice. It sounded like a little girl. She asked me to walk out to the backyard.

I grabbed my cloak, since the day was cold and snowy, and followed the girl's directions. On my way out, I looked for her, but I didn't see anything. The shop was empty. So, where did that voice come from? I never answered that question. I do not remember anything else after I heard her and stepped into the backyard. When I woke up, I was lying in a thirty-foot snowbank miles from the town. My neck was sore, and my arm was broken and bleeding. What on Earth happened to me? That question wasn't answered until later, and let me go ahead and say, I was surprised when I found out what happened.

It took me a good day and a half to hike back to Fountain Town, the town where the blacksmith shop was. Keep in mind that it was freezing and I had a broken arm. Oh goodness, just that alone was an adventure. When eventually, I made it home, I reunited with the man who raised me, Old Man Richard, and he got the doctor.

Doc said my arm was broken in four different places, and he did not want me to use it for a good four to five months. The conclusion we came to was that I slipped when I was putting up the swords and hit my head, because there was a bump on it. In my confused state, I left the shop, as well as the town. On my little "hike", I fell down a snowbank and broke my arm. When I woke up, there I was. In the middle of nowhere.

Old Man Richard always made the joke that I had one too many brandies that night after work and fell down the stairs. I then had to remind him that I was seventeen years old and not into alcohol yet.

Whatever the case, it took a little while for me to figure out what really happened during those strange few days in early January. In the end, what I learned was that it was all my fault.

Three months later

April in Renial Kingdom is much different from January. It's beyond compare. When it's not drenched in rain, sleet, or snow, everything special about it reveals itself to the world: its gorgeous mountaintops, sparkling rivers, plains, and forests. Usually, April and May are the most beautiful months of the year. During them, colorful flowers and green grass fill every corner of the kingdom. For it being so beautiful, it's hard to believe there are so many spirits living amongst the humans.

My story officially begins in Fountain Town, where I breathed and worked. Fountain Town was a well-known village in Renial Kingdom. I say village because that was how small it was. It had cobblestone streets, a fresh market, library, dress emporium, bakery, potion store, curio shop, etc. Sure, the blacksmith shop resided in Fountain Town, but I didn't add it in with the list because it was located on the outskirts and across a small bridge.

In the heart of the village was a magnificent fountain that housed a statue of Elmkim Tu Sawdi. Do you remember Elmkim Tu Sawdi? Chief of the Cryptic tribe? Sure you do. I noticed that everybody who passed through the town found the fountain fascinating. I'll admit that I was part of that same bandwagon.

Aside from all the knick knacks that made Fountain Town Fountain Town, sharp mountaintops surrounded it. Every mountain had snow on it, but that was only because Renial Kingdom never got too warm.

Where I lived, the blacksmith shop... It looked more like a miniature mill than a shop. That was because it originally was one. The mill had five different buildings with pointed, red tips, as well as a barn that was near the last building. Hey, Old Man Richard and I had to get our eggs from somewhere. We never used all five buildings for the shop; only one. I never really explored the remaining four buildings.

It was a Friday during the third week of April. The morning was beautiful, with blue skies, cumulus clouds, and a light breeze. I left the shop to go fetch some eggs from the chicken coop.

Oh, before I go any further, I should probably tell you what I looked like when I was young and immature. Honestly, I think I was quite handsome. My hair was short and brown, my eyes blue, my skin tan, and two strands of my hair hung in front of my ears. My typical blacksmith outfit usually consisted of a white shirt with rolled up sleeves, a brown vest, blue pants, and brown shoes that had pointy tips, similar to elf shoes.

I moved fast that morning, because I had somewhere else to be before I started work that day, which I'll get to in a second. I followed a dirt road that ran in front of the mill's old buildings that took me to the barn and chicken coop. I set my wooden bucket down next to my ankle and gathered a few eggs.

The chickens squawked and circled me while I worked.

Even the rooster called, "Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

I almost threw my shoe at it. I hated that rooster. Sorry, hate is a strong word. I disliked that rooster a lot; let's just say that. Of course, who likes roosters, anyway?

Once I gathered all the eggs I could, I told myself, "That's one thing down and only about a billion to go." I slung the bucket's handle over my elbow and started to back out of the coop, but I hit my head on the ceiling in the process. "Ow," I mumbled, but I went on my merry way, as if nothing happened.

My feet took me over to the main building where Old Man Richard and I worked, and I set the bucket down on the staircase. Turning on my heel, I hurried over to a small stable where a tacked horse was tied up and munching on some hay. His name was Baze. He was always my favorite horse to ride into town. I rode him to a certain place where I was headed that day.

Baze was a beautiful horse. He stood about seventeen hands and was brown all over. He had four, black socks and a white mark ran down his nose. I always called the stable he was in the Fast Stable. Riders could quickly ride to it, feed their horses, and untack. It also was a good place to keep horses when we had visitors.

Coming within reach of Baze, I rubbed his nose and asked, "Are you ready, boy?" Slowly and carefully, I untied his reins and gave them a small tug. We exited the Fast Stable and stopped for a moment. While we stood there, I tightened Baze's girth so the saddle wouldn't slip when I rode him. While I worked, I checked the area, to make sure the coast was clear. It looked like it was.

Nevertheless, before I could stick my foot in the stirrup and hoist myself up on Baze's back, I suddenly heard, "Rick!" from out of nowhere.

The voice was enough to cause me to leap out of my skin like a scared little kitten, and I quickly pushed Baze back into the stable. "Old Man Richard!" I yelled when I peered over my shoulder.

Sure enough, it was Old Man Richard. He literally appeared from out of nowhere.

I gulped when I saw him marching towards me like an angry grandmother and quickly stuck my hand into some hay, to make it look like I was looking for something.

I guess I should tell you, for three months after sustaining my injury, Old Man Richard was very overprotective. At that point, my arm was still healing. He took that very seriously. Of course, I guess he was technically my dad.

Old Man Richard was a dirty, old man who had a short, gray and brown beard and beady eyes. He usually wore torn, leather pants, boots, a white shirt, and a leather apron.

"Um, you see," I stuttered when he made it to the stable, "Baze here just lost a carrot, and I'm trying to find it."

He didn't fall for that. If there is something you should know about me, it's that I'm a terrible liar. Old Man Richard had no problems reminding me that morning. "Oh, Rick, you should know you are terrible at lying."

I felt my face turn a bright shade of red, and I puffed out my cheeks. However, I continued to dig in the hay.

"Admit it, boy," Old Man Richard continued, as he twirled some of his beard around his finger. "You're heading out to see Anecka again, aren't you?"

He spoke the truth. Every day, I usually tried to find an excuse to see her. It had been a little while since we last got together. For the past few months, Anecka went on a vacation with her family to Pepper Kingdom, Renial Kingdom's next-door neighbor. Since we lived in medieval times, trips via horseback or by carriage usually took a while. I had to see her that day. She and I were like two peas in a pod.

Gulping again, I faced Old Man Richard and replied, "Um, maybe. "Oh, how much I wanted to sneak away and see Anecka again, but it was going to be difficult with Old Man Richard standing there.

"How many times have I told you, kid?" he asked me. "You can't ride in your condition."

"Oh, Old Man Richard, please?" I begged. "I have not seen Anecka in forever. Besides, my arm feels a lot better." That was when I realized I had not used it since I went out there.

Of course, Old Man Richard saw that, too. "Oh, really? Well then, how come you're not using it right now?"

Snap, he got me. I tried to prove to the old man my arm was better, but the second I moved it, a wave of pain engulfed it, and I quickly grabbed it.

Old Man Richard must have seen the disappointment in my eyes because he chuckled and asked me, "Why don't we do this, kid?" Continuing to twirl his beard around his finger, he sauntered into the stable and picked up a carrot from a barrel.

I watched as he fed it to Baze and gave his nose a quick pat.

Coming within reach of me, Old Man Richard smiled and explained, "I'll let you take the day off to see your little friend, only if you don't horseback ride and use your own two feet. Yer arm may be broke, but your legs ain't. Do we have a deal?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Old Man Richard never gave me the day off, injured or not! The only thing I found myself saying was, "Seriously?"

"Do we have a deal?" Old Man Richard again asked, offering me his hand.

"Deal!" I excitedly spoke, and I gave it a strong shake. I also supposed it's a bit difficult to do blacksmith work with a broken arm, so maybe that was another reason why Old Man Richard let me have my freedom?

As I left the stable, he stopped me when I was in the doorway. "Oh, and one more thing, Rick. There's supposed to be a festival in town tonight that you may want to take your pretty, little friend to."

"Festival? What festival?"

"If I was you, I would ask around while you leave. The festival is said to pay a tribute to the Cryptic tribe."

"Cryptic tribe?" but Old Man Richard said nothing more. I let him pass me, and he headed back in the direction of the shop, leaving me all alone with Baze.

Yay! I had the whole day to do whatever I wanted! That probably was one of the best moments of my life. For once, I actually felt like I belonged, but unfortunately, that quickly changed when I headed into town.

Before stepping onto the dirt road, I grabbed my sword and stuck it in my scabbard, which I wore on my left hip. I never leave the shop without my sword, just in case someone ambushed me. Not that I had to worry about that. Renial Kingdom was usually safe.

I could not leave without Old Man Richard stopping me and making me put my healing arm back in the sling the doctor gave me. What did I tell you? He did not want me to use it. The last thing I did before I started down the path was say goodbye to Baze. I told him not to worry about me and that I would be back that night. Then finally, I was on my way into town.

While I walked, I thought about the festival Old Man Richard mentioned and wondered what exactly it had to do with the Cryptic tribe. To be honest, I find those people fascinating. I mean, they can talk with spirits! That is like the coolest thing ever! I wish I could talk to them like Anecka. She was so lucky.

With so many different thoughts swarming around inside my brain, I almost forget where I was going. I passed a well and stepped onto the bridge that separated the blacksmith shop from the rest of Fountain Town. Below me, the creek swayed gently in the breeze and sparkled in the sunshine. It was so wonderful, I had to stop and look at it.

Something about nature always intrigued me. Just standing in it felt right. If there was somewhere I belonged out there, it was in a forest surrounded by trees, creeks, and animals. I always dreamed about a place like that: a little cottage nestled deep in the forest, my true home. Until I found that perfect place, though, I just had to deal with the bridge, but that wasn't all bad. The way the water spiders skidded across the surface of the creek mesmerized me, and I watched them for a good while. Then, it happened. I heard her.

The same little girl who told me to walk out to the backyard three months ago... She was back. "Aren't they beautiful?" she asked.

I leaped out of my skin when I heard her. Quickly reaching for my sword, I pulled it out of its scabbard and held it in front of me. "Who's there?" With it in hand, I searched the area, but sure enough, it was empty. Not again. Who was that little girl? Why did she never show herself? My eyes landed on the bridge's railing, and that was when I heard her again.

It sounded like the girl sat on the railing directly in front of me. "I died here," she explained in a sad voice. "It was such a tragic death."

"You died here?" I nervously asked the invisible girl in front of me, even though I was really just talking to air. It's official. All those years working as a blacksmith had slowly made me crazy.

No child was in front of me, but I still heard her. "Oh yes. It was the 8th century. There I was, a little, seven-year-old girl who thought she could walk on the bridge's railing. My foot slipped, and I fell into the creek. My head hit a rock, and when I woke up, I was dead. There was my mother, crying into her hands."

"Who are you? Where are you?"

"My name is Annabelle, and I'm right in front of you."

"I don't see anything." What on Earth was going on? I had no idea. All I knew was that I was talking to myself. It must have been my instincts that told me to walk out to the backyard a few months ago, not a real little girl.

After a few more moments, I concluded I had been a blacksmith for too long and finished crossing the bridge. However, that would not be the last time I would hear from little Annabelle.

I think it took about ten more minutes, but I finally made it to Fountain Town's main village. I just called it Downtown.

Sure enough, what Old Man Richard told me earlier was true. Town Square was busy. Villagers worked on setting up tents and hanging decorations from Cryptic Fountain, the fountain that had Elmkim Tu Sawdi as the statue.

Not far from it stood two men. They worked on their own little tent. Those men were familiar. I saw them a lot when I passed through town to go see Anecka.

Curious about what was going on, I headed towards them.

One of the men, Azoth, glanced at his friend and said, "I'll tell ya, Cyrus, tonight is going to be a night of enchantment. We will pay our respects to Elmkim Tu Sawdi and thank all the spirits who watch over us."

Nodding, Cyrus worked on sewing a hole in the tent and said, "Hopefully that troll has moved from Meadow Bridge. I've heard we're going to have a lot of villagers tonight, and I don't want them to be held back."

"What is with that troll?" Azoth asked, leaning up against a wooden gate. "For the past three months, I've heard him yelling, 'Here! Here! Here!' every night, but I have no idea what he's talking about."

"I don't know what to tell you, Azoth. Trolls are mysterious creatures."

They didn't see me standing there. To grab their attention, I cleared my throat and gave them a quick wave. "Hello!"

Just at the sound of my voice, Azoth and Cyrus stopped what they were doing and glanced at me.

Their faces brightened, and Cyrus yelled, "Hey! If it isn't Mr. Ricky Tick Rick! How the devil are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Fine?" Cyrus's eyes moved from my face and down to my injured arm. "Your arm is in a sling! What the heck did you do–drink one too many brandies and roll down the stairs?"

"No, sir." I shook my head and grabbed my arm. "To be honest, I have no idea how this happened. One minute, I'm at the blacksmith shop like usual, and the next, I'm in a snow-covered meadow with a broken arm. But this isn't about me. I came to ask you guys, is there really a festival tonight?"

Azoth instantly turned jittery, and he hopped up and down with excitement. "There sure is, kid! What, are you thinking about bringing that Anecka with you?"

"Um, maybe. I'm heading out right now to see her."

"Well, you do that," Cyrus said with a silly smile. "We'll make the night extra romantic for you two."

"Romantic? What are you talking about? Anecka and I are just friends."

Right when I said that, Cyrus burst out laughing. "Oh, you're hilarious, kid!" He pushed my shoulder. "That's what they always say. Next thing the young people know, they are walking hand in hand down the church aisle. I can definitely see that happening with you and Anecka one day."

I felt my cheeks flushing. Anecka and I were just friends. Nothing more. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen," I growled. "I'm running late. I'll see you later." With that, I turned on my heel and marched down the cobblestone street, but I stopped briefly when I noticed Cyrus and Azoth whispering to one another behind me. Uh oh. Stranger danger! Stranger danger! What were they saying? Did I really look that bad that day?

***

Because Old Man Richard told me not to ride a horse that day, the walk to Anecka's house took longer than usual. It's especially difficult when you have to hike up multiple hills with only one arm. Anecka lived about an hour away from the town, and that's by horseback. Not only did I have to climb hills, but also walk across plains and briefly through the forest. Anecka's house was backed up to the Mesmerizing River.

By the time I made it, I was exhausted, but there it was–the little wooden cottage. A cottage like that was what I hoped to find one day. As I crept closer to it, I felt both excited and nervous. Excited because after three months, Anecka and I would reunite with each other, but nervous because her mother hated me. Why? To this day, I still don't have an answer. Now, her father was a different story. At least I didn't have to worry about any siblings because Anecka's younger sister usually stayed with her grandparents in Pepper Kingdom. That was why they went there.

My hands shook. I was so nervous. Eventually, I found my cool and trotted up the steps of the cottage. Strands of flowers decorated the doorway and roof. Still nervous, I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my good hand. I gave the door a few whacks.

While I waited for somebody to answer, I took a step back and rubbed down my vest. I thought about what I was going to say to Anecka and practiced my greeting: "'Hi, Anecka, it's Rick. You remember me, right?' No, no, that's too cheesy. What about this? 'Anecka! How's it going, girl? It's Ricky Tick Rick!' Oh, that is so much worse."

I never got the chance to practice the greeting one last time because the door opened, and my first instinct was to stand up straight and yell at whoever answered it, "Anecka! Hi!"

However, it wasn't Anecka I was looking at. It was her mother. She had short, red hair, green eyes, and was dressed in a dress with an apron. Do you want to take a guess of what was the first thing she said to me that day? And this was after not seeing her for four months: "Oh, Rick. It's you." She didn't even invite me in for tea and cookies.

Trying to not be rude, I rubbed the side of my neck and said, "Um, sorry to be a disappointment. Hi, Mrs. Willow. I-Is A-Anecka home? How was your trip to Pepper Kingdom? Comfortable? Rough?"

The rudeness didn't stop there. The next thing Mrs. Willow asked me was, "Why do you care?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just curious. Is it okay if I come in for a few minutes?"

She just rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever." She stepped off to the side and let me in.

The inside of the cottage was just as cute as the outside. A small staircase off to the left led up to the beds, but the first story had a fireplace, some chairs, shelves, and a small kitchen. There was a painting on the wall of Anecka and her family members just above the fire pit.

I curiously examined the area when I walked in.

Mrs. Willow sauntered into the living room and picked up a book made from parchment that rested in a chair.

I rubbed my palm on the smooth surface of a table and stopped over a sundial resting on the surface of it. "Mrs. Willow?" I asked, and I pointed at the clock. "Is this a sundial?"

"Sure," she answered without even looking at me, and she plopped down in her chair. Seriously, did the rudeness ever end?

I hovered over the sundial and watched while the woman unrolled her book. She pretended to read. While she did, she took a sip from a teacup. Now, did she offer me some tea? No. She just gulped down her refreshment right in front of me. Seriously, I walked there from Fountain Town. I was thirsty. Well, it looked like I was going to have to fetch some water from the well.

Even though the woman was getting on my nerves, I kept my cool and tried to speak to her. "So, how is Anecka? Did she have fun on your trip? You know, there's going to be a festival in town tonight honoring Elmkim Tu Sawdi and the Cryptic tribe. I was wondering if I could take Anecka with me?"

Mrs. Willow did not answer me.

By that point, I lost my cool. While I didn't yell, I did speak in a stern voice. "Look, I'm trying to carry on a conversation, and I feel like you're ignoring me. I asked a very simple question. May I take Anecka to the festival tonight?"

"Oh, buzz off and go back to the swords, you silly boy," Mrs. Willow snapped at me. She shut her book. Not even five minutes into the cottage, she kicked me out. She stood up from her chair and bumped my chest with her book, backing me up towards the front door. "You're not my daughter's true love."

I stopped myself from falling off the front steps outside and peered into Mrs. Willow's eyes.

"You're nothing but a blacksmith!" she snapped, and she slammed the door in my face.

"I am not," I spoke on the other side. "I also do laundry and the dishes."

"I don't care!" I heard Mrs. Willow yell. "Trust me, boy, when my daughter finds out what you are, she will come running back."

Okay, that statement left me a little confused. What did Mrs. Willow mean by, "What you are"? What sort of cheap trick was that?

Well, that didn't go exactly as planned. Sure, Mrs. Willow was usually rude to me, but she always let me sit down and have some tea while I waited for Anecka. That day, she seemed to be in an extra bad mood. Now I had to go fetch something to drink myself.

Turning on my heel, I trotted down the front steps and headed to the back of the house. The well was the only place where I could get fresh water. One can imagine that was not going to be easy for me. It didn't take me long to reach the well. What took up most of the time was trying to pull the bucket out.

My good hand grabbed the rope, and I pulled it down. The pulley tried to help me, but it did not get far. No matter how hard I tried, I could not pull the bucket out of the well. At one point, I made a risky move. I leaned my body over the well's edge and pulled as hard as I could on the rope, but my hand slipped, and I slid onto the ground. I fell onto the ring of stones that surrounded the well's bottom.

Out of breath and sweating, I pressed my back up against them, as well as the well's wall, and dropped my good hand to my side. I'll tell ya, broken arms stink. All I wanted was a drink of water. It did not have to be so complicated. If Mrs. Willow just offered me something to drink, the situation would have been avoided, but no, no, no.

Just when I thought everything was lost, someone or something helped me. Above me, the pulley for the well moved on its own.

Shivers ran up my spine when I saw that. Still on the ground, I stared at the unusual phenomenon.

The pulley continued to move. After a short wait, the well's bucket appeared and set itself down on its edge.

I froze with fear. There was no way I was going to get up.

What happened next was that a cold wind brushed by my head, and something picked up a cup that rested next to the well. It took it over to the bucket and dipped the cup in the water. A few drops splashed onto my sweaty face. Finally, something set the bucket down on the ground. Before I knew it, the water cup floated in front of me.

Hand shaking, I stared right through the being and gently took it. "Tha-Thank you," was all I said, but what was I thanking?

"No problem," a male voice spoke right in front of me where the cup used to be. "I don't want you to die of thirst. Trust me, it is not a fun time. I'll tell you, Sire, the Dark Ages weren't the best."

Sire? Did that spirit literally just call me "Sire"? He did! But why? I was not a king or prince. I was a blacksmith.

"Drink up," continued the male voice. "I think your friend is going to be here soon."

Still confused, I gulped down my cup of water. Oh, it tasted so good. The next adventure was trying to stand back up. I never realized how tall the well was. My good hand grabbed the edge, and I started to push myself to my feet. Halfway up, I again slipped and started to fall.

Before I hit the ground, cold air rushed by me, and it engulfed my arm. I heard the same male voice. "Hey, hey. You okay?"

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I just walked a long way to get here, so I'm pretty tired." Yep, I was definitely crazy.

The cold air continued to grip my arm. Something kept me standing upright, as I made my way over to a stone bench. When I reached it, the cold air left and hovered next to me.

I did not know if it was watching me or not, but I pulled off one of my shoes and let my sore foot air out. While I did so, I turned my head away from where the cold air was most noticeable and asked whatever helped me, "Who are you?"

"Cornelius. I usually watch over the cottage when Anecka is out on a ride. She should be back soon, but be careful. She may be practicing her target shooting. So, I'm curious. What exactly did you do to your arm? It wasn't like that in the fall, right?"

"I don't know what happened, okay? Spirit or whatever you are, can you leave me alone while I wait for Anecka?"

"As you wish, Sire, but remember that I warned you she may be practicing her target shooting."

Sure enough, right after he said that, an arrow appeared from out of nowhere and flew by my head. It smashed into a haystack. The second it did, the huge figure of a horse appeared in front of me and galloped in the direction of the haystack the arrow hit.

It caught me so off guard that I fell off the bench into the grass. The cold air sitting next to me took off, but I didn't know where he went.

From where I rested, I prepared to shout, "Watch where you're going!" but I stopped myself when I recognized the figure sitting on the horse's back. It was Anecka. Just at the sight of her, I felt myself blushing. Why did she have to be so beautiful? Was it just me, or had she grown even more beautiful those past four months?

Anecka was my age, seventeen, but she looked more like a warrior than your typical medieval, young woman. She had long, red hair, stunning, green eyes, and pale tan skin. She also sported a few freckles on her nose. Honestly, it looked like she could have been a descendent of the Cryptics, but she wasn't. It did leave me wondering how she could see and talk to spirits, though. Her outfit was made out of animal skin, as well as her boots, and she wore gray, fuzzy gauntlets around her forearms. Wrapped around her waist was a tan skirt, which hung over her pants. The skirt was red and blue trimmed. She also wore a few pairs of beaded necklaces around her neck, as well as a cloth around her neck.

She didn't see me lying on the ground. She just zoomed by the haystack her arrow landed in and pulled it out. Both a bow and a quiver of arrows rested on her back. Galloping forward, she hurried out of the forest and into the wide-open spaces of Renial Kingdom. Anecka rode up and down hills and practiced her archery on all the haystacks she could find. She got a bullseye every single time.

Since I did not have a horse, I was stuck with chasing her on the ground. While I ran, I tried to grab her attention, "Anecka! Anecka!" but she did not hear me. She was too busy practicing. I crawled up hills, but I cringed when my injured arm touched them. Why did it feel a lot worse than it did back in Fountain Town all of a sudden? It took me at least ten minutes to crawl up the hill. When I made it, I said, "Finally!" and tried to catch my breaths.

However, I had no time to rest because before I knew it, I heard the hoof beats of Anecka's horse. She rushed back towards her house, with me right in her path.

What I did next was very stupid of me, but I had to follow my instincts. They told me to pull my arm out of the sling and dive into another haystack.

Anecka shot another arrow, but luckily, it missed my head and stabbed the hay next to me.

Pushing it aside, I stuck my head out from the top of the haystack and shook hay off my hair. The next time I yelled, my voice was desperate. "Anecka!" Again, she didn't hear me. The stress of me not being able to grab her attention wasn't the only thing killing me; it was also my arm. I refused to move it while I continued to chase after my friend.

The next place she galloped to was a mining track. The track went up and down hills and led to a cave at the edge of the forest. Resting on the track was a mining cart, which waited patiently for a few miners to take it to go mining. The same thing happened when I eventually reached it.

Anecka was already coming back. That time, my instincts told me to dive into the mining cart. If things couldn't get any worse, the cart started to move. Gasping, I tried to crawl out, but when I dove in, my foot got stuck in the cart's corner. I tried to pull it out, but it was difficult. My arm hurt like crazy. "ANECKA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Oh, so now she heard me! Anecka popped up higher on her horse, and she stopped him at the top of another hill. When she turned around, she finally saw me. "Rick!"

"Yes, it's Rick!" I shouted back.

"Rick!" Anecka yelled again. She kicked her horse's sides and galloped back down the hill, leaping onto the path.

Hold on. Something felt off. The cart was picking up speed. I finally freed my foot, but by then, it was too late. There it was. A steep hill was directly in front of me. Yelling, I grabbed the cart's edge and let it swallow me whole.

Before long, the cart tipped and zoomed down the hill. Wind blasted in my face, and my hair flew in every direction.

Nonetheless, Anecka stayed beside me the whole time. She slid down the hill with me.

Her horse plopped down on his backside and used his front hooves to steady himself.

We all reached the bottom of the hill at the same time.

Anecka urged her horse forward again. Before I knew it, my friend galloped right beside me, and we were headed for an even steeper hill.

Just at the sight of it, the horse's eyes widened.

Anecka turned her head, so she could look at me, and yelled, "Do you trust me?"

"What?" I frightfully asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes!" I shouted with a quick nod.

"Then hold your breath!" With those words, Anecka leaped off her horse's back and grabbed me.

We crashed into one final haystack and let the cart finish the ride for us. The haystack only slowed us down. Anecka and I fell out of it and rolled down a hill. I protected my injured arm the entire way down.

As if things weren't awful already, we were headed straight for a cliff. An enormous waterfall, known as The Deadly Falls, ran off the edge of it. Right above it was a rushing river. Tons of mountains surrounded the area, so that was where most of the runoff came from. At the foot of the waterfall was another small town called Hiluki Village.

Anecka and I got lucky. We did not crash into the rushing river. Instead, we came to a screeching halt at the edge of the cliff. The two of us landed on our backs and stared at the sky for a little bit. We slowly turned our heads and looked at each other.

Soon after we did, Anecka's horse reached us, and he hovered over us like a few vultures stalking their dying prey. The side of his mouth twitched, and then he neighed into the atmosphere. It sounded like he was laughing.

Anecka and I stayed quiet for a little longer and continued to stare at one another.

Only a minute later, Anecka's own mouth started to twitch.

Mine did, too. Oh, it's coming, it's coming! And it's here.

Anecka and I laughed like hyenas. Well, that was an interesting hello. We laughed so hard, I temporarily forgot how much my arm hurt.

Anecka and I turned onto our sides.

Between laughs, Anecka said, "Rick!"

"Anecka!" I yelled back. With that, we forced ourselves to sitting positions and threw ourselves into each other's arms. "I've missed you!" I laughed.

"I've missed you, too!"

And that, my friends, was how I reunited with my childhood friend that day.

***

Anecka and I laughed for a few more minutes, but then we collected ourselves.

Pushing ourselves to our feet, Anecka took her horse’s reins and rubbed his nose. “Good boy, Equinox.”

Equinox looked proud of himself. Standing tall, he gently pushed Anecka’s arm with his nose.

“So, how are you, Rick?” she wanted to know.

“Much better, now that you’re here.”

“Uh oh. Did Mother get on your case again?”

“Yes! Anecka, is anything bothering her? She was extra grumpy today.”

“Hm, I can’t think of anything that’s been bothering her lately. Why don’t I escort you back to my house, and the two of you can start over?” Anecka mounted Equinox again and placed her feet back in the stirrups. “Where’s Baze?”

“Oh,” I spoke in a soft voice. “You see, Anecka, I don’t exactly have a horse today.”

“What? Are you meaning to tell me you walked to my house?”

“Unfortunately, yes. It’s a long story.”

“We can talk about it when we get home.” Anecka offered me her hand. “Take my hand and climb aboard.”

“Thank you.” I gave Anecka my left hand, and she pulled me aboard behind her.

Chuckling, she peered back at me. “You might want to hang on. We like to go fast.”

“Fast?” but the second I asked that, Anecka urged Equinox into a gallop.

The huge, black horse took off at a full sprint.

Yelping, I quickly wrapped my arm around my friend’s waist. Behind us, The Deadly Falls and Hiluki Village grew smaller, until they disappeared altogether.

One more fact about Renial Kingdom you should all probably know is that weather there changes extremely fast. Halfway back to Anecka’s house, huge, black storm clouds rolled in. Before we knew it, we were soaking wet. The rain fell like pelts. Luckily, we found a run-down old cottage where we took shelter.

Anecka stopped Equinox in front of the cottage, and the two of us quickly dismounted.

I waited until Anecka tied him up to head inside the cottage. At least there was a small stable nearby. Of course, we weren’t going to leave the horse in the pouring rain. Anecka and I weren’t those kinds of people. Once we made sure Equinox had hay and water and was all settled for the storm, Anecka and I went into the cottage.

Unlike Anecka’s house, that cottage was disgusting. Cobwebs covered it from floor to ceiling, and it smelled moldy.

Anecka and I worked with it, though. We had to take shelter somewhere. If that was the best we had, then so be it. While we waited for the storm to pass, I sat down in an old, wooden, creaky chair, and Anecka went through a few scrolls. There was a pile of them in the corner of the building.

I jumped when a huge flash of lightning and rumble of thunder shook the sky. “Do you think it will be over soon?” I asked my friend.

“Hopefully,” Anecka spoke, as she continued to dig around in the pile of scrolls.

I studied the storm for a little longer, and then I looked over to her. “What are you finding over there?” I jumped when a few drops of rainwater bounced off my hair, but I calmed down when I reached Anecka.

“Oh, Rick, it’s incredible!” she spoke in an excited voice, and she unrolled one scroll. “It gets me curious about who lived here. Most of these scrolls are all invitations to balls at the castle.”

I chuckled and, in a sarcastic tone, said, “Well, there’s the understatement of the Thirteenth Century. Could I see one of those scrolls, Anecka?”

“Sure. Here.” Anecka picked up another scroll from the pile and handed it to me.

While I unrolled it, I asked her, “Is there nothing about the Crusades in these?”

“Oh, you heard about that? It’s crazy! The Sixth Crusade just began!”

“I know. There’s just no peace in the world nowadays. There’s nothing we can do about it, though. I don’t think our spirits can stop the Crusades.”

Anecka scoffed and bumped my chest with another scroll. “Well, look at you, Mr. Ricky Tick Rick. When did you get into all this spiritual stuff?”

“I guess you could say about three months again.” Turning on my heel, I left Anecka and set the unrolled scroll down on a table. I returned to my chair and plopped down.

Anecka sat in the chair across from me.

At that moment, something strange happened to me. I felt like I went into the mind of another person. I could no longer hear the storm outside, but I could hear Anecka. It was as if I had fallen under a trance. When I spoke again, I did not sound like my typical blacksmith boy. “Back when I was young, the world was peaceful. The spirits of the Spirit Realm were happy, not stressed.”

“When you were young? What are you talking about?” A question mark appeared above Anecka’s head. “You’re seventeen, Rick.”

“Oh, I wish.”

“Wish? What are you saying?”

“What I’m saying is that when the GB Staff was first placed in the tallest tower of Renial Castle, all spirits lived in peace, and so did the kingdom. As time progressed, the staff grew weak, and the spirits feared that if Elmkim Tu Sawdi did not relocate it, then it would break, and all spirits from the Exon Realm could invade the Spirit Realm. I asked to come back so I could grant their request. Twas, here I am.”

Anecka sounded a bit nervous the next time she spoke to me. “Rick, exactly how many brandies have you had today? You are not Elmkim Tu Sawdi. You are a blacksmith. Elmkim Tu Sawdi died a long time ago.”

Only a short time later, everything returned to normal. I could hear the storm around me and was aware of my surroundings. I placed my hand in my lap and sat up straight in order to look into Anecka’s confused eyes. “Anecka, have you heard? There’s supposed to be a festival tonight in Fountain Town honoring Elmkim Tu Sawdi and the Cryptic tribe. Wou-Would you like to come with me?”

“Rick, what is going on with you?”

“What is what?”

“All that blah, blah you just spoke. You thought you were Elmkim Tu Sawdi. I don’t know what’s going on, kid, but after this storm, you’re going to take a rest at my house. I think all that walking you did wore you out.”

“Anecka,–” I gulped and tried to steady my voice, “I think I should tell you what happened to me three months ago.”

“Happened? What happened?”

Just before I could continue the conversation, a loud sound came from outside. It was not thunder. A shadowy figure appeared in the window during the next lightning flash. Anecka and I heard him grumbling.

Immediately, we started to freak out. “Someone’s coming!” Anecka squealed.

“Quick, hide!” I yelled at her.

Still panicking, we got up from our chairs and started to run in two different directions. However, we ended up crashing into each other’s shoulders.

I cringed when Anecka bumped my injured arm.

She ran by me and dove into the pile of scrolls.

I slid behind a couple crates and barrels one room over and inhaled breaths of air.

The grumbling continued outside, and then the door to the cottage creaked open. “Whose horse is that in the stable?” the stranger growled, as he walked into the room Anecka and I were just in. “Hey. Somebody moved these chairs.”

It literally felt like my heart was about to come bursting out of my mouth. Shivering, I pulled hair out of my face and carefully peeped out from behind the crates and barrels. What I saw standing in the living room literally almost caused my heart to stop.

It was a troll. He was a small troll but still terrifying. He had big hands, a huge nose, pointy ears, and a long, white beard. He was dressed in a white shirt and brown pants.

The troll headed over to a chair and pulled a club out from behind it. He bumped it on his hand and surveyed the living room. “All right, who’s there?”

I quickly pulled my head back behind the crates when I saw him coming in my direction.

“I know you’re there,” he growled. “Come on out. I won’t have any intruders in my house!”

Intruders? Anecka and I were just taking shelter from the storm. I knew the troll was getting closer. I could feel it. When I did, I listened to my instincts. They told me to reveal myself to the troll. With that, I pushed myself to my feet and prepared to come out from behind the crates.

Before I could, something pushed me. Instead of revealing myself to the troll, I flew right towards the wall. What pushed me? Anecka was right; something was definitely off with me today. It must have been my broken arm.

I grabbed it and closed my eyes as I waited for the impact. It never came. What happened next was probably one of the strangest things that happened to me that day, even though there were quite a few. I flew through the wall and appeared on the outside of the cottage. “What the–?” I yelled when I saw myself standing in the pouring rain. “What just happened?” I literally just flew through a wall! How, though?

Before I could reach too far into my thoughts, the same force that pushed me inside acted again. That time, it knocked me back through the wall. There I was, back inside the cottage, with the troll staring at me. The force of energy pushed me up towards the ceiling and dropped me down at his feet. Unfortunately, I hit my injured arm in the process and yelled, “Ow!” reaching for it.

The troll just stared at me. “I-It’s you,” he said after a bit. “You’re here.”