Ikia, being the doll that she was went into the little cavern to retrieve the egg for Leo. Still, he felt himself immersed in his doubts. He wasn't some immortal god that could withstand all that stood in his path. He would be the first to admit he was afraid of this new thing he was about to become. It was well known that dragons were dangerous but all the more when linked to the mind of a rider. That being said, Leo couldn't promise himself that he wouldn't be a monster to humanity or to the elves. He just knew it wouldn't be 'him'. He was bound to change into something far more powerful than those of kings, queens, or any other man or woman of authority. To have that jurisdiction made him fear....well...everything he could be capable of.
It's almost the same as having the power of the Creator....
Whoever that was, he doubted he'd ever find out till his dying day.
He stood up when Ikia came up beside him with the deep sapphire egg under her arm.
"You absolutely trust me with this?," he inquired.
"Of course," the fairy replied cheerful as ever.
Leo reached his hands out for the egg and took it as delicately as he could.
"There you are Master Leo. If you ever find yourself in trouble call upon me. There are ways to call on fairies. You just need to know the proper magic."
Leo stepped forward from the oaken door and more than noticed it when the frigid air of the outside slammed into him like the fist of a troll. He turned around almost eager to go back into the summer air of the fairies. Ikia stood there, her wings glowing in the darkness. He bowed and in doing so, he could have sworn he'd seen the fairy blush. It was never hard for him to get acquainted with the females in such a way that it was effortless to get a rise out of them. That being said, although she stood there with a cherry face, he didnt intend to do it. He simply bowed out of mere respect. He had been friends with her all his childhood. He was always inthralled by her beauty from the very start. But it was the bond between them that he treasured beyond everything else. Leo was that way with all of his friends. Jasper was like a brother to him. Though he was human, their friendship would go beyond race and differences. Leo had a strict nature about him. He intended to keep it that way.
He set out on a brisk walk in the direction toward Juniper. He turned back to wave good bye to Ikia, but she had already vanished.He turned back around and headed out to the edge of the forest using his quick legs to run through the trees. Each drop of the foot made a resounding crunch in the icy blanket on the leaves that adorned the forest floor. He could see the tiny twinkling lights of the township as he reached the top of a particular ridge. He stood there for a moment, wrapping his cloak about himself to block out Winter's cold prying fingers.
The moon was a milky crescent in the sky. The stars twinkled coldly though if one were to watch them long enough, it was said that they would be capable of feeling their fire. Leo leapt from the stone and continued his sprint toward the edge of town.
By the time he got there all the residents were asleep in their beds, their fires billowing the fragrant smoke from the chimneys. He slowed to a stop at the coral fencing behind the main barn. He spotted two coyotes on the prowl as they turned their eyes to him. They all stared for several moments before the wild dogs pranced off into the woods, stopping only to leap the fence. Leo stepped into the street. He loosened his cloak a bit as he walked slowly down the main street. There was only one shop open and that belonged to Halafrid.Halafrid was a big burly man who had taught Leo in chemistry and astronomy. Despite his big bearish appearance, the man was a genius in so many things. Leo often wondered why he never left Juniper to go to a city to be a Professor.
Instead, the man stayed and became a blacksmith. Leo often went to him for advice. So he walked toward his shop which was clearly active after hours.
The shop was a large gray bricked cabin converted from an old barn. Leo stepped up to the big dark stained pine door and knocked on the part he remembered was thinnest.
The sound of hammering metal stopped from inside and a shuffle of big heavy boots walked toward the door. The door swung open and in the door way stood a bear of almost six feet in height and full of muscle. The man puffed upon a thick cigar as he leered down at Leo.
"Boy oh boy," he boomed in his big jolly voice that always tended to warm Leo's heart.
"What can i do for you Saphire? Get inside. You ought to be cold in this ferocious onslaught of winter's grip. Why dont you warm up with some tea, eh?"
"Thank you sir."
"Ah quit with the sir. When you gonna quit with the sir. You've known me long enough man. Show me some frecken respect my boy."
Leo chuckled at Halafrid. He knew the man was joking. He watched Halafrid as he hung a tea kettle in the mantle of raging fire to boil some hot water for Leo's tea. The big man sat down in his huge leather chair nearby the flames and folded his thick hands together.
"So...what happened out there? You know, with the monster hunt?"
" Well it was successful...but we found a dead one in there. He had succumb to the Minotaur."
Halafrid sighed deeply. "Aye. Your boys carried him through town this evening. Awful sad sight. I hope his soul is in peace with the Creator."
Leo nodded slowly as he folded his hands tightly together.
Halafrid began to speak of the plans the town had already been speaking of on how they would bury the boy. Then it struck Leo that he didn't know the youth's name. When he asked, Halafrid simply shrugged. It tore Leo up inside that the young man was unknown.
"He may have been sheltered, son. It may have been one of the young that either escaped from home with hopes of being an adventurer, or the type that desided it was time to go on to the next life."
Leo knew what he was talking of. It was known that some beings would throw themselves into the arms of death being done on this world.
It was rare and heart breaking but some did it. And later on all they could really ask for was strangers to mourn them.
Leo shook his head. He stood up to remove his cloak. His satchel caught the bear's attention with its unusual bulk. Before Halafrid could say anything, Leo held up a finger.
" I was going to show you something. You remember my friend Ikia, don't you?"
Halafrid nodded with a grunt. "The little fairy."
"Well she gave me something of high value." Leo slid the egg from his satchel and handed it to Halafrid. The man knew instantly what it was because his eyes opened wider than they'd ever opened before.He lifted the egg and showed it to Halafrid, watching it catch the light of the lanterns and the inferno beside the man. The kettle began to whistle loudly as Halafrid took the egg to examine it. He slid his hands over it and felt out the smooth cold skin of the mysterouis gem like egg.. Leo jumped suddenly at the abrupt interruption of his thoughts.
After a brief moment of pure kettle screeching out for someone to tend to it, Halafrid handed the egg back over to him with a grunt. He stood up and walked into the kitchen.
Leo stared at the egg in his hands, his head wandering elsewhere.
Halafrid walked into the room with two mugs of steaming liquid. He sat down with a burly grunt and handed one off to Leo before setting his own down upon a small end table to his right.
"I forget to mention to yeh, Leo, we will be having the ceremonies tomorrow throughout Juniper."
Leo blinked with interest and sat up, his cup of tea in hand.
"Really? For the dead one?," he asked.
"Aye. Supposedly, he isn't from Juniper but from a southern city. Not too good to be runnin' so far from home. Hence his getting killed by that monster."
"I wonder why he was out here?," Leo pondered before taking a cautious sip of his tea.
Halafrid shrugged while taking a deep gulp of his.
"Damned if I knew, Saphire. Seems he wasn't too keen upon lettin' his folks starve out there. Y'know," he pointed to Leo," some of the cities that are under seigin' they be runnin' out of food and drink."Leo nodded.
Though it had been awhile since he received word of any warring in the South, he knew things weren't looking too good for his country. The southern country was taking all it could from Fos'Lorone's sources, including the people.
They were desperately poor thanks to their leadership from Shaiaro 'Kodon. From the stories, he wasn't a kind man....or whatever sort of creature he was.
This youth traveling so far to the north just seemed to pose unanswered questions in Leo's mind. He shook his head to clear the thoughts like smoke from a pipe.
He was tired. The tea only made him drowsier.
Halafrid leaned forward more, sipping his tea before pulling out his tobacco pouch and a long thin pipe.
He packed it with his fattened index and took a pull out of the mouth piece.
He set his pouch onto the arm rest of his chair and stepped over to the fire.
There was a small pile of very thin pine twigs on the mantle.
He plucked one out of it and held it to the flames to light the end of it. He pulled it to his pipe and lit the tobacco to begin smoking it before chucking the twig into the flames.
Leo watched as it caught instantly.
He stood up and set his egg into the satchel on his shoulders before bidding Halafrid Good night.
He stepped outside into the sharp hands of the cold.
No sound came from the night which filled him with a peace.
The wind was dead. But the full moon shed light upon the abys as he walked toward his house.
The cold nibbled his finger tips like a hungry crow.
He tugged on the edges of his cloak to discourage the icy feel from reaching him.
Several minutes of walking the main road of Juniper lead him to the steps of a large wood and stone building.
The paint and stain on the wooden siding was a deep honey color. It would glisten in the sun while the stones at the foundation provided the perfect balance of dullness to the wood.
He opened the front door and stepped into a toasty lobby.
The navy blue walls with the golden vines painted to it gave yet another peculiar balance to the red and gold embroidery of the carpet that covered the floor.
He stripped of his cloak and jacket and hung them on the hooks by the door.
He stretched out before carrying the satchel in his hand starting up the winding staircase to his room.This house was a gem in Juniper.
His father spent years of his lifetime building onto it.
Beatrinek Saphire was his name, and the man carried a dream with him that never seemed to die.
A man who could build a house like this could do anything in Leo's eyes. And with him being a Professor of the Capitol, wealth was nothing new.
But unlike many, the man spent his money on knowledge. Leo could tell anyone that by simply pointing at the shelves of books that covered the walls throughout the library that bordered Leo's room from that of his mother and father's. Despite that, there was still no room for the amount of books and scrolls the man possessed. It was a wonder Leo's father was a genius about a lot of things. The bastard loved to read.
Leo stepped into his bedroom with its endless supplies of finds from the Forest. Weirdly shaped stones, sunbleached wood chunks, dried flowers of species he couldn't name all covered his walls
He added the egg to that collection upon his dresser.
He pushed off his boots and fell forward onto his bed with a relieved sigh.It had been a rough day.
He began to doze and just like that was out in a deep sleep....