Chapter 45: Ch 44 “Blue Surprise”

"Across Edor but especially in the countryside, there is an ancient tradition of finding rare flowers and then giving them to your love interest as a symbol of affection, courage and love. Women who were gifted with such a gift braid the flower into their hair until the flower withers away. Often, after the flower withers away the man grants the woman a hairpin in the shape of the given flower as he proposes to her. But unfortunately, this antique tradition was abandoned after the death of Brad the Hero alongside Alicia, often referred to as the Flowers of Hope.

Extract from "Common Life Of Common People"

  

 

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  The setting sun shone a beautiful red light at the two undead as they climbed the solitary mountain. Iris stopped as soon she climbed above the canopies of the red leaf trees.

To her north, she could make out the faraway silhouettes of snow-peaked mountains, to the east and south, the crimson forest spanned the entirety of her vision with no end in sight.

She let out a small sigh before turning her attention back onto the undead mage quickly and tirelessly navigating her way towards the peak.

 

"Come on Iris, we have to reach the top!" Kia said turning to the elf, her excited giggling being carried by the wind. Her long raven black hair fluttered in the wind sweeping over the bare mountainside. In Iris's humble opinion Kia looked quite majestically as she climbed the rocky slope.

 

  Elf obeyed the overly excited girl, trying her best to catch up to the nimble undead. The tall undead quickly caught up to the giggling girl patting her on the shoulder.

 

"Hey!" Kia shouted as the elf overcame her, flashing pearly white teeth at her as she sped past.

 

"Come on Kia, we have to reach the top!" Iris replied, waving her hand at her companion. She eventually stopped close to the top, looking over the ledge searching for the girl. "Hey!" She shouted at the quickly approaching girl below her.

 

*Sniff*

 

Kia came crashing into Iris with teary eyes. Elf stumbled slightly as the teary girl hugged her waist. "What happened?" She asked, gently running her fingers through girl's long hair.

 

*Sniff* "I thought you left me."

 

"Silly, why would I do that?" Iris answered in a puzzled voice, trying to calm down the distraught girl.

 

"I..." Kia paused for a long moment. "...don't know." An embarrassed expression formed on her face as she realised what she said.

 

"Adorable." Elf could not stop herself from commenting on the adorable face Kia had made.

 

"I was really worried." The shorter undead lamented in the taller undead's arms.

 

"You still want to climb to the top?" Iris wiped Kia's face with her hand as she tried to change the subject.

 

"Yes." The girl answered, a smile gradually returning to her face.

 

  The two resumed their journey, slowly walking towards the peak.

When they eventually reached the peak, the wind suddenly picked up and violently slammed into them.

 

"Hehe!" Kia abruptly giggled loudly, spreading her arms as the wind hit her.

 

"Enjoying yourself?" Elf asked turning her head away from the strong wind, not bothered by how unnecessary this deviation was Kia's laughs were enough of a reward for her.

 

"-" Kia opened her mouth, her eyes told Iris how shocked she was.

 

"Helpless~" Risen walked up to the shocked girl who still tried to speak and turned her mouth away from the wind. 

 

"I like it here." The undead mage said as if nothing has happened. Her eyes widened as she stared at something behind Iris. "Pretty."

 

"Thanks." Elf furrowed her in an imitation of a frown as Kia walked passed her.

 

The girl crouched beside a bundle of blue flowers growing on the mountain top. She gently took one of the flowers in a shape of a three-pointed star and inspected it with a curious gaze.

 

"Bluepeaks heard they only grow high in the mountains and are a symbol of courage or something like that." Iris leaned over Kia.

 

"Courage?"

 

"Yea, people risk their lives to acquire just one of these to prove their courage." Iris lectured the puzzled girl.

 

"But it was easy to get here." Girl retorted the last beams of the light illuminating side of her face.

 

"The last I heard, reaching a mountain peak was supposed to be tiring."

You are reading story Necropolis at novel35.com

 

Kia's eyes quickly glance between Iris and the blue flower before she suddenly stood up and gave it to the leaning elf.

 

"Oh! T-thank you." Iris wiped her eyes and hesitantly took the gift offered to her in the twilight of the newborn night, the heavy wind dying down as she spoke.

 

"Something happened?" Kia tilted her head in bewilderment as she stared at the elf who was on the verge of tears. "Did I do something bad?"

 

"No, no I just really appreciate your gift." Iris treasured her first gift in her hands carefully handling it. "C-could you braid it into my hair, please?" Her face flushed heavily as she stuttered while asking the innocent girl.

 

  Kia tilted her head slightly before nodding. She sat the elf in front of a mirror which appeared beside her. She started to unbraid her previous handiwork after combing Iris's hair she allowed half of it to fall loosely on the elf's shoulders while braiding another half into a circlet going around Iris's head.

The seated elf smiled indecently in the half-light as her mind was still processing what happened but as she blankly stared into the air in front of her a movement caught her attention. Her eyes focused on the spot where she thought she saw something. To her east orange lights started to suddenly light up with some of them moving. The lights resembled four small squares with a horizontal cross dividing them. "Humans?" She absentmindedly said.

 

"Where?" Kia asked, stopping her work.

 

"You see these lights there?" Elf pointed at the small gathering of lights.

 

"Oh," The standing undead resumed her work. "We heading there?"

 

"We could," Risen shrugged her shoulders. "Unless you don't want to."

 

Kia didn't answer immediately rather she worked on the elf's long jet-black hair which she handled for as long as possible with the secret blessing of the elf in question. "We could." She eventually gave her answer after she was done.

 

"Thank you very much," Iris inspected herself in the magical mirror, gently touching her hair. The scene must have looked bizarre to anyone who could see it, two girls on a mountain top with one braiding the hair of the other in the total darkness of the night. Iris thought. "Before we go you are not sleepy? You usually are at this time." 

 

"No." The petite mage started to put things into her inventory as she confidently answered.

 

  The two carefully descended down the mountainside before Iris led them through the dark forest to the human settlement she saw before. 

Elf estimated they were halfway to their destination and wanted to ask Kia about some things. Turning around she found the girl pinching the hem of her jacket as she walked with her eyes closed.

 

"Sleep?" The tall undead lifted the sleepwalking girl before waiting for her answer. The girl's legs wrapped themselves around elf's waist, her arms did similar around the elven neck. Kia snuggled into Iris's chest, purring with satisfaction. "My little kitten?" Elf commented on Kia's cat-like behaviour receiving a soft purr in return. "Meowyicu or Nyayicu? Elf smiled as she resumed walking. A low dangerous purr sounded beside her ear. "True Sleepyicu fits you better."

 

  Iris continued to head towards the human village, covering Sleepyicu with her oversized cloak which had blood stains on its sleeve. She will clean it in the morning and ask where precisely she was. She knew it had to be somewhere north but she had no idea where in the north. 

The leaves rustled softly above her head as the sound of rushing water reached her ears. "That narrows things down." She whispered to herself.

 

  After marching through the forest Iris noticed that she suddenly walked on a narrow forest path. The orange light suddenly hit her eyes as it shone from between the trees.

 

"Who's walking!?" A man's voice shouted.

 

Elf walked out of the forest before answering. "Adventurers." 

 

"Ashen Skies! Is she alright?" An old man followed by another human quickly ran towards the undead hoplite, slightly irritating Iris as she clutched Kia.

 

"Yea she is alright, just needs somewhere to rest for the night."

 

"Ehh... we don't have a tavern but Lamia can house you traveller for a night, I'm sure." The human quickly replied before leading Iris inside the village. "Run to Lamia to tell we have travellers waiting for a place to rest." He said to his companion.

 

Iris was led to the other side of the village towards a relatively large wooden house standing alone between the trees. A woman stood inside the doorframe with a small lantern in her hand. She silently stepped back allowing the elf to walk in. The woman's blue dress was very worn out, with the once beautiful sapphire blue fading. She closed the door behind Iris and started to talk to the guard outside.

 

"Hello, I am Lamia." The woman whispered as she entered her house.

 

"Greetings Lamia." Elf courteously nodded her head. 

 

  Lamia motioned to the elf to follow her. The woman's house was filled with strange things hanging from the ceiling. Elf managed to glimpse a huge iron cauldron through an open door.

 

"You can sleep here." Lamia said pointing at a set of hay beds, Iris noticing a series of symbols tattooed on Lamia's neck.

 

"Thank you." The undead waited until the village woman left before taking her boots off with a couple of swift motions. She slowly lowered herself onto one of the beds, careful not to wake the slumbering girl snuggled on her arm. 

 

Iris slowly moved her long slim arm and rested it on Kia's delicate body which curled itself into a small ball, snuggled against her body. Elf's senses darted between her precious Mistress and the surroundings as she began her watchful vigil over Kia.