The Ivywood was truly a treasure unto itself.
Sat between Aquina and Trierport, our most ancient forest was a beacon to my kingdom's dauntless pride, its hallowed oaks as tall as any which resided in the Wovencoille. Or so it was in my cherished memories.
When last I came, sunlight streamed through the canopy like stars peeking through my curtains.
Now, its appearance was as unknown to me as my hair without its lustre.
Gnarled roots streaked across mounds. Twisted branches stooped over streams. Withering vines and poisonous thorns nested upon bark. There was no distinguishing between the shadows. Darkness pervaded this woodland, even as the fading light sought desperately to pierce through its unyielding canopy.
I was appalled!
The Ivywood was home to a major trade artery, cutting through the heart of our kingdom!
Why, I could practically see the cowardly merchants turning tail and fleeing, rather than confronting whatever horrors now made this ancient forest their home!
Holding Starlight Grace aloft, I directed my sword's dazzling glare between the treeline.
All I saw in return was a fog dense enough to be tasted.
An unnatural weight hung upon my shoulders, stifling all sounds but the fluttering of bats scarpering into the dark foliage, the muted steps of my noble steed, and the sudden crack of a lightning bolt, its flash barely piercing a white miasma so thick that even Starlight Grace could barely seep through.
Brwooom!
As timid illumination streaked through the bowels of the forest, I bore witness to formless silhouettes watching beneath the branches.
Their shapes twisted angrily ... shadows bending before the intrusion of light, before a healing darkness once again shrouded their figures–but not their eyes.
I stared into the abyss.
And the abyss stared back.
Pinpricks of red dotted the blackness like bloodthirsty stars. The more I gazed, the more numerous they grew. And I rather doubted if they were all bats.
Even so, the eyes in the darkness were not the only things to jostle for my attention.
Because here in the darkened Ivywood, more than strewn twigs and fallen leaves were left for Apple to plod across.
Belongings. Possessions. Clothes.
A trail of personal items lay scattered across the uneven ground.
An upturned basket bleeding with wilted flowers. A child's shoe, discarded in a puddle. And a doll burst at the seams.
A story of escape, its conclusion made clear by the torn remains of a dress, and the trail of flattened grass leading into the depths of the woods.
It was a grim sight, unworthy of the eyes of a princess.
And nor was I alone in that assessment.
Beside me, a rare look of seriousness flashed across the face of my loyal future handmaiden. Her brows knitted as she studied the flattened trail.
“7/10,” she said with a nod.
“Excuse me?”
“7/10. Pretty good. Worth a visit. But I've seen better haunted woods.”
I quietly groaned.
As if the threat of fleeing merchants wasn't enough, now our most verdant forest was in danger of becoming a … a tourist destination!
“The Ivywood isn't supposed to be a haunted woods! It's a beautiful stretch of nature, famed for its berries and its golden autumns!”
“Well, it's going to be famed for its spooky aesthetics and free entry now. In fact, I've changed my mind. I'll give it a 7.5/10 because of that.”
I pursed my lips.
“The Ivywood is not a haunted attraction. And if it were, then it would be a 6/10.”
“What? Is that it?”
“A generous 6/10. Anything higher is outrageous.”
“Hey! Cost is a legitimate consideration, and you can't beat free.”
I glanced at an unattended cart nearby. Its wares were untouched, as though both horse and rider had suddenly vanished, and whatever had caused it cared little for the goods they'd carried.
Ominous, yes. But also slightly overdone.
“The lack of cost has no bearing on the quality of the experience.”
“Tough critic, huh?”
“Please, Coppelia. I'm far harsher than a critic.”
“True. I might raise my score to 8/10 to compensate.”
“Please don't. 7.5/10 is a score that exceeds charity and touches insult. Note the lack of any overt signs of conflict, despite evidence of failed flight. While acknowledgement needs to be given for the props and atmosphere, I will not let it detract from the omission of a much needed bloody trail.”
Coppelia casually hopped over a pebble. She gave a full pirouette upon landing, then pointed ahead with a wide smile.
“What about a mysterious figure, their foreboding frame illuminated in the middle of a foggy path to a flash of lightning?”
I looked ahead.
Only a white mist greeted me. I rolled my eyes and waited.
Bwoooom!
Yet again, shadows receded behind coils of roots and dense shrubs.
My surroundings exposed, I witnessed the cloaked silhouette appearing before us, its face hooded and back hunched.
The figure raised a skeletal hand.
And then–
Darkness descended once again.
“... That has to be worth at least another point, right?” said Coppelia, her eyes sparkling.
Hmmmmmmm.
An ominous being in the woods. Well-timed lighting. And … why, yes, that was indeed a strange gurgling sound in the background.
“6.5,” I declared.
My final score was a passing one.
It was practically a masterpiece rating by common critics. And that was the extent of the appreciation I would offer. The rest?
Why, that would be my utter distaste as I regarded the travesty around me!
It was terrible! Everywhere I looked, the decaying of my kingdom was reflected in the wilted leaves jostling to an unseen hand, the black dewdrops seeping down every tree, and the wintry chill mocking the warmth of springtime!
The cloaked culprit, I knew, was just ahead. And I cared less about asking questions than I did about indiscriminately meting out punishment.
“It's as I suspected … there is nothing natural about this.”
Indeed, our forests were as steadfast as our mountains. Even if the worst came to pass and the flames of ruin and democracy engulfed my noble kingdom, I would never expect the Ivywood to fall as low as this.
Coppelia nodded in agreement.
“That's right! This is unacceptable! … Only you and your [Ball Of Doom] have the right to mess up your forests!”
I turned to her at once, my mouth agape.
“T-That wasn't me! I … I thought we agreed never to mention that?!”
“Ahaha~ sorry, my bad. Please don't point your lumber axe at me.”
“Lumber axe?! Did you just refer to my delicate sword, its blade as refined as flowing water, as a tool for chopping down trees?!”
Coppelia blinked at me, thinking very hard about her next words.
“Yes.”
My lips quivered with indignation.
Why, if Coppelia hadn't seen me inadvertently blow down a forest through no fault of my own, I would be reprimanding her by having her ice a thousand cupcakes by sprinkling on sugar one grain at a time!
… Something which would require her being allowed entry into the Royal Villa's kitchens.
Suddenly, an altogether different image of the end of the world came to me.
One involving no ingredients remaining in our cellars and stores to even bake a chocolate profiterole.
I shook my head to dispel the terrible thoughts.
“Ugh, very well. Simply refrain from referring to any incidents which any prying ears may easily misunderstand if you can. Especially regarding felled forests near my home. I believe that, well, technically, my family may be liable for damages incurred ...”
“Eh? How come your family, and not you?”
“Coppelia.”
“Okie~”
Coppelia gave me a lazy smile.
I nodded, then swept my lumber–no, wait, my sword, towards the darkness once more!
“Stranger,” I called out, as Starlight Grace battled against the magical fog. “It is unfit to lurk in the shadows. Reveal yourself, or have your tepid schemes broken by my will. The choice is yours.”
Silence answered me.
Not even the leaves rustled. Yet within that stifling darkness, an aura of clear malignancy washed over me.
I tugged on Apple's reins. He began his slow trot, his pace unencumbered by the fog or the darkness. A spark of pride lit up in me, knowing that even the fastest destriers would have paused at the face of such unknowns.
“We proceed,” I said. “Clearly, something foul lurks in this ancient forest. Prepare yourself. I believe a confrontation to be inevitable.”
Coppelia held her hands behind her back, her impression of an innocent maiden compromised by the mischievous smile she wore.
“You think whatever's here will try to stop us from leaving?”
“Leaving?” I raised my hand to my lips and smiled. “Ohohoho … why, that would be unnecessary. After all, I have no intention of leaving. This forest is a symbol of my kingdom's proud history, its roots in this land as deep as my heritage. No matter how deep the darkness which resides here, I will cast it into the daylight.”
Coppelia clapped her hands together and beamed.
“Oooh … you sound so cool whenever you say things like that!”
"A natural effect of my sparkling charisma."
I flicked my hair back, pleased at the appropriate response. But not as pleased as when I sorted this ungainly atmosphere.
Indeed, my concern was with rescuing my kingdom! All of it!
I could not wilfully abandon the Ivywood as though it were a weeping peasant along the road! So long as our merchants and tax collectors were dissuaded from its use, I would bring the full weight of my boot down on whatever horror was twisting it for its own purposes!
Raising Starlight Grace, I guided Apple's steps onwards.
He distinguished himself with the dauntlessness of a rolling boulder. Ignoring the things which slithered away at our coming, he trotted onwards until the start of a wooden fence earned my curiosity.
Seeing a trail splitting off from the path, I turned my sword towards a small hill.
Bwoooom!
A flash of lightning split the fog, revealing an unimpressive cottage of moss and decaying logs, strewn together from whatever branches had fallen to the ground. A chimney was its most imposing feature. A tuft of stone blaring out a puff of white smoke, identical to the fog which enveloped us.
And before it, a cloaked figure stood, its unseen eyes gazing towards us before being veiled in darkness once more.
A truly terrifying visage.
Why, this was a shack not even the fishermen upon Reitzlake's waterfront would use! Of all the crimes to have occurred in this beautiful forest, to be beckoned towards such an unfitting hovel was the worst of them all!
“Come, Coppelia! We will do away with whatever miscreant has sought to befoul our fair kingdom and lead me from my busy schedule!”
“Does that mean I can kick down a door?”
“Don't be silly. There's protocol to follow … we'll knock first, and then you may kick down a door.”
“Yay~ I love shady, haunted places!”
I tugged Apple to a halt, then accepted Coppelia's hand as she helped me dismount.
That's right! Whether it was a decrepit castle or a suspicious cabin in the woods, nowhere was exempt from official inspections! And I cared not what manner of thing or creature resided inside!
After all, if it lived here, then it needed to pay taxes.
And unlike the haunted darkness which surrounded us, the horror which my displeasure instilled was no measly 6.5/10.
The Ivywood was truly a treasure unto itself.
Sat between Aquina and Trierport, our most ancient forest was a beacon to my kingdom's dauntless pride, its hallowed oaks as tall as any which resided in the Wovencoille. Or so it was in my cherished memories.
When last I came, sunlight streamed through the canopy like stars peeking through my curtains.
Now, its appearance was as unknown to me as my hair without its lustre.
Gnarled roots streaked across mounds. Twisted branches stooped over streams. Withering vines and poisonous thorns nested upon bark. There was no distinguishing between the shadows. Darkness pervaded this woodland, even as the fading light sought desperately to pierce through its unyielding canopy.
I was appalled!
The Ivywood was home to a major trade artery, cutting through the heart of our kingdom!
Why, I could practically see the cowardly merchants turning tail and fleeing, rather than confronting whatever horrors now made this ancient forest their home!
Holding Starlight Grace aloft, I directed my sword's dazzling glare between the treeline.
All I saw in return was a fog dense enough to be tasted.
An unnatural weight hung upon my shoulders, stifling all sounds but the fluttering of bats scarpering into the dark foliage, the muted steps of my noble steed, and the sudden crack of a lightning bolt, its flash barely piercing a white miasma so thick that even Starlight Grace could barely seep through.
Brwooom!
As timid illumination streaked through the bowels of the forest, I bore witness to formless silhouettes watching beneath the branches.
Their shapes twisted angrily ... shadows bending before the intrusion of light, before a healing darkness once again shrouded their figures–but not their eyes.
I stared into the abyss.
And the abyss stared back.
Pinpricks of red dotted the blackness like bloodthirsty stars. The more I gazed, the more numerous they grew. And I rather doubted if they were all bats.
Even so, the eyes in the darkness were not the only things to jostle for my attention.
Because here in the darkened Ivywood, more than strewn twigs and fallen leaves were left for Apple to plod across.
Belongings. Possessions. Clothes.
A trail of personal items lay scattered across the uneven ground.
An upturned basket bleeding with wilted flowers. A child's shoe, discarded in a puddle. And a doll burst at the seams.
A story of escape, its conclusion made clear by the torn remains of a dress, and the trail of flattened grass leading into the depths of the woods.
It was a grim sight, unworthy of the eyes of a princess.
And nor was I alone in that assessment.
Beside me, a rare look of seriousness flashed across the face of my loyal future handmaiden. Her brows knitted as she studied the flattened trail.
“7/10,” she said with a nod.
“Excuse me?”
“7/10. Pretty good. Worth a visit. But I've seen better haunted woods.”
I quietly groaned.
As if the threat of fleeing merchants wasn't enough, now our most verdant forest was in danger of becoming a … a tourist destination!
“The Ivywood isn't supposed to be a haunted woods! It's a beautiful stretch of nature, famed for its berries and its golden autumns!”
“Well, it's going to be famed for its spooky aesthetics and free entry now. In fact, I've changed my mind. I'll give it a 7.5/10 because of that.”
I pursed my lips.
“The Ivywood is not a haunted attraction. And if it were, then it would be a 6/10.”
“What? Is that it?”
“A generous 6/10. Anything higher is outrageous.”
“Hey! Cost is a legitimate consideration, and you can't beat free.”
I glanced at an unattended cart nearby. Its wares were untouched, as though both horse and rider had suddenly vanished, and whatever had caused it cared little for the goods they'd carried.
Ominous, yes. But also slightly overdone.
“The lack of cost has no bearing on the quality of the experience.”
“Tough critic, huh?”
“Please, Coppelia. I'm far harsher than a critic.”
“True. I might raise my score to 8/10 to compensate.”
“Please don't. 7.5/10 is a score that exceeds charity and touches insult. Note the lack of any overt signs of conflict, despite evidence of failed flight. While acknowledgement needs to be given for the props and atmosphere, I will not let it detract from the omission of a much needed bloody trail.”
Coppelia casually hopped over a pebble. She gave a full pirouette upon landing, then pointed ahead with a wide smile.
“What about a mysterious figure, their foreboding frame illuminated in the middle of a foggy path to a flash of lightning?”
I looked ahead.
Only a white mist greeted me. I rolled my eyes and waited.
Bwoooom!
Yet again, shadows receded behind coils of roots and dense shrubs.
My surroundings exposed, I witnessed the cloaked silhouette appearing before us, its face hooded and back hunched.
The figure raised a skeletal hand.
And then–
Darkness descended once again.
“... That has to be worth at least another point, right?” said Coppelia, her eyes sparkling.
Hmmmmmmm.
An ominous being in the woods. Well-timed lighting. And … why, yes, that was indeed a strange gurgling sound in the background.
“6.5,” I declared.
My final score was a passing one.
It was practically a masterpiece rating by common critics. And that was the extent of the appreciation I would offer. The rest?
Why, that would be my utter distaste as I regarded the travesty around me!
It was terrible! Everywhere I looked, the decaying of my kingdom was reflected in the wilted leaves jostling to an unseen hand, the black dewdrops seeping down every tree, and the wintry chill mocking the warmth of springtime!
The cloaked culprit, I knew, was just ahead. And I cared less about asking questions than I did about indiscriminately meting out punishment.
“It's as I suspected … there is nothing natural about this.”
Indeed, our forests were as steadfast as our mountains. Even if the worst came to pass and the flames of ruin and democracy engulfed my noble kingdom, I would never expect the Ivywood to fall as low as this.
Coppelia nodded in agreement.
“That's right! This is unacceptable! … Only you and your [Ball Of Doom] have the right to mess up your forests!”
I turned to her at once, my mouth agape.
“T-That wasn't me! I … I thought we agreed never to mention that?!”
“Ahaha~ sorry, my bad. Please don't point your lumber axe at me.”
“Lumber axe?! Did you just refer to my delicate sword, its blade as refined as flowing water, as a tool for chopping down trees?!”
Coppelia blinked at me, thinking very hard about her next words.
“Yes.”
My lips quivered with indignation.
Why, if Coppelia hadn't seen me inadvertently blow down a forest through no fault of my own, I would be reprimanding her by having her ice a thousand cupcakes by sprinkling on sugar one grain at a time!
… Something which would require her being allowed entry into the Royal Villa's kitchens.
Suddenly, an altogether different image of the end of the world came to me.
One involving no ingredients remaining in our cellars and stores to even bake a chocolate profiterole.
I shook my head to dispel the terrible thoughts.
“Ugh, very well. Simply refrain from referring to any incidents which any prying ears may easily misunderstand if you can. Especially regarding felled forests near my home. I believe that, well, technically, my family may be liable for damages incurred ...”
“Eh? How come your family, and not you?”
“Coppelia.”
“Okie~”
Coppelia gave me a lazy smile.
I nodded, then swept my lumber–no, wait, my sword, towards the darkness once more!
“Stranger,” I called out, as Starlight Grace battled against the magical fog. “It is unfit to lurk in the shadows. Reveal yourself, or have your tepid schemes broken by my will. The choice is yours.”
Silence answered me.
Not even the leaves rustled. Yet within that stifling darkness, an aura of clear malignancy washed over me.
I tugged on Apple's reins. He began his slow trot, his pace unencumbered by the fog or the darkness. A spark of pride lit up in me, knowing that even the fastest destriers would have paused at the face of such unknowns.
“We proceed,” I said. “Clearly, something foul lurks in this ancient forest. Prepare yourself. I believe a confrontation to be inevitable.”
Coppelia held her hands behind her back, her impression of an innocent maiden compromised by the mischievous smile she wore.
“You think whatever's here will try to stop us from leaving?”
“Leaving?” I raised my hand to my lips and smiled. “Ohohoho … why, that would be unnecessary. After all, I have no intention of leaving. This forest is a symbol of my kingdom's proud history, its roots in this land as deep as my heritage. No matter how deep the darkness which resides here, I will cast it into the daylight.”
Coppelia clapped her hands together and beamed.
“Oooh … you sound so cool whenever you say things like that!”
"A natural effect of my sparkling charisma."
I flicked my hair back, pleased at the appropriate response. But not as pleased as when I sorted this ungainly atmosphere.
Indeed, my concern was with rescuing my kingdom! All of it!
I could not wilfully abandon the Ivywood as though it were a weeping peasant along the road! So long as our merchants and tax collectors were dissuaded from its use, I would bring the full weight of my boot down on whatever horror was twisting it for its own purposes!
Raising Starlight Grace, I guided Apple's steps onwards.
He distinguished himself with the dauntlessness of a rolling boulder. Ignoring the things which slithered away at our coming, he trotted onwards until the start of a wooden fence earned my curiosity.
Seeing a trail splitting off from the path, I turned my sword towards a small hill.
Bwoooom!
A flash of lightning split the fog, revealing an unimpressive cottage of moss and decaying logs, strewn together from whatever branches had fallen to the ground. A chimney was its most imposing feature. A tuft of stone blaring out a puff of white smoke, identical to the fog which enveloped us.
And before it, a cloaked figure stood, its unseen eyes gazing towards us before being veiled in darkness once more.
A truly terrifying visage.
Why, this was a shack not even the fishermen upon Reitzlake's waterfront would use! Of all the crimes to have occurred in this beautiful forest, to be beckoned towards such an unfitting hovel was the worst of them all!
“Come, Coppelia! We will do away with whatever miscreant has sought to befoul our fair kingdom and lead me from my busy schedule!”
“Does that mean I can kick down a door?”
“Don't be silly. There's protocol to follow … we'll knock first, and then you may kick down a door.”
“Yay~ I love shady, haunted places!”
I tugged Apple to a halt, then accepted Coppelia's hand as she helped me dismount.
That's right! Whether it was a decrepit castle or a suspicious cabin in the woods, nowhere was exempt from official inspections! And I cared not what manner of thing or creature resided inside!
After all, if it lived here, then it needed to pay taxes.
And unlike the haunted darkness which surrounded us, the horror which my displeasure instilled was no measly 6.5/10.
