Don't Stray Too Much in Azrya Woodlands
MGL Emvie
He travels across the lands, discovers the mythical sands, and bathe on distant seas. Lancelot composed poems of his adventures and hope that may one of his journey's songs reached the ears of his beloved Odette, the princess of the Swan Castle who captured his heart. His love was like a curse that brought pain in his chest. The moment he heard that Princess Odette received a proposal, an arrow of rust and poison seemed to struck his heart. And so Lancelot decided to trek all the steep obstacles in this world, and embark on a voyage that no storm could hold. And so he wished that in the end of this journey, he will become a true knight and a sword that is worthy to take the hands of the Princess of Swan Lake.
In one of his adventures, Lancelot came into the mythical land that no books of history has mentioned before. It was the strange forest of the Azrya Woodlands, where mystical creatures strive and live. At first he met a friendly creature by the name Gloo, who urged him to leave the forest as soon as possible. Gloo said that the forest will control his mind to loose his way out. The trees are the apex predator in Azrya Woodlands, and it will poison his brain. But Lancelot, seeking for adventure, sneaked inside the forbidden forest and get passed through the elven border.
"The harder the adventure and the stranger the journey, the better the story." he said while slipping his little notebook on his ****** pocket. Lancelot is a poet who wrote songs on his journeys so notebooks are normal for him to carry.
"What business does a human have here in Izirea?" an elvish archer called from atop of a titan arm of a tree.
She was the military general and the priestess in the Lunar Temple of the elves, Miya. A tall charming elves with high-arching hairstyle, pulling the arrow from his bowstring, was surprised to met Lancelot on her patrol.
Lancelot turned his head and unsheathed his sword in an instant and point it towards the voice. When he realized it was a pretty elf, he smirked and returned his sword from whence it belong.
"I am a travelling poet and a knight. I wish no harm in Izirea especially towards the ever beautiful Miya. I've heard of your beauty and it's my first time seeing it at hand."
"You've crossed international borders. Flattery cannot excuse you from the penalty of your violation. Prepare yourself!"
As soon as Miya made a move, Lancelot dashed through the bushes to escape. His steps were as flashy and as quick as a lightning, as if he wished to be followed. That is half truth and half lie. Who would dislike being followed by a beauty like Miya? But who would want to be captured and tortured by the elves?
Truth be told, Lancelot was drawn on Miya's charm so what he said was not just a flattery but his true feelings. He wondered if Miya would turn into a human, could her loveliness match the elegance and beauty of the Princess of Swan Lake? Earlier before Odette changed his world and point of view, Lancelot was a seeker of aesthetic and the fairness of lady's faces. None from the histories of his exploits in the taverns and lady hunting did the beauty of Odette fallen in second. And now he meet Miya, the most beautiful elf that he had ever seen.
All this time, Lancelot was the magnet of ladies but now it seemed that his radiance and sublime handsomeness was otshined. "I might fall in love to Miya if I've taken a little bit more time." he said.
Lancelot escaped in haste and hurry until he reached a crystal clear falls. The falls was pure and clean. You could even see the floor of the stream. The image is just bending from the splashes of the waterfall.
Sweat steamed on Lancelot's skin. He dampened a pieace of cloth and rub it on his neck. He buried his face on the water and drank a mouthful to quench his parched throat. The sweet and juicy aftertaste burst in Lancelot's tongue. Amazed and filled with wonder, he gazed at the stream. Where in Azrya Woodlands does this water come from?
The stream gave no answer but a blurred reflection of himself. He waited until the disturbed water and the waves dwindled to see his own reflection but then a familiar voice echoed from his back.
"Who are you?" the voice said.
Lancelot's hands crawled silently towards the hilt of his sword while staying stiff frozen.
"Ah-aah..! Your neck will bleed when you as much touch a bit of that sword." the voice warned. The pointy edge of his blade pierced a millimeter deep on Lancelot's neck.
Lancelot's eyebrows furrowed, confused. The voice was familiar. It sounded like he knew it for a long time, and that voice made his heart throb.
Adrenaline made his ears red. The flow of his sweat that he succeed in clogging with the help of the fruity stream, gushed out from his spores and again it dripped on his chins. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I am the one asking question! Turn your head, slowly."
Lancelot felt no opening and escape move to unpin the sword of the person. If Lancelot moves in a suspicious manner, he would risk the veins and arteries of his neck.
"I didn't wish to die just yet. Stay calm, I will turn around." he said.
"Alright. Your hands up on the sky!"
Lancelot held his hands up and turned his head as slow as how slow a snail turned it's shell.
When Lancelot's eyes laid on the person's face, his feet jerked in surprise. His hips pushed him like a spring, shoving him to the stream, where his back landed on the water with "plop".
"H-How could it be? Y-Y-You looked like just me!" he said.
"No, no! 'You' looked like just me."
"Surely your name is different." said Lancelot.
"I go by the name Lancelot, the romantic knight of Castle Gorge."
"That is my name as well." Lancelot said.
"Come, get out of the water and dry your clothes. It's going to be dark soon. I've found a cave near this falls. I don't want to see my other self in this pitiful and graceless situation." said the second Lancelot.
In a cave several few steps near the falls, Lancelot and his doppelganger sought shelter for when the moon rises to the skies, the ferocious denizens of the night, that lurked in the depths of Azrya Woodlands, resurface to hunt preys. Preys, that run out of luck, straying under the moonlight. Lancelot and the other Lancelot knew of this danger and the risk to find the way in the nearest tavern was far too great. Besides, the elven villages regard humans as nuisances.
Having arranged pieces of woods and sticks, Lancelot built a campfire, where they sit in between. He also raised several twigs where he strapped his wet clothes and boots. But the other Lancelot kept a gaze that was piercing his bones.
Lancelot was on look out in the bushes. Wild beast might leap in any moment from the thick forest. He needed to set-up traps that would alarm them when the emergency came, especially that he could feel the red-eyed beasts lurking under the shadows. Or, it could be a monster from the Abyss that's stalking them as preys.
Nevertheless, the other Lancelot was like a shining moon in a starry sky. The other Lancelot was distracting his concentration. That sparkle of flame that reflects from the other Lancelot's eyes was pulling Lancelot's attention.
Lancelot couldn't endure it any longer, so he called "What?"
"Forgive me. I have never seen such an awesome and beautiful body before." the other Lancelot said.
"I am you!" "Though, I'd like to tell you that you posses such a charming eyes."
"These eyes enthralled hundreds of woman, you know? Five chased me down so I fell from a cliff. When I came into, I looked around until I saw you in that waterfalls. Are you really me?"
"How about a quiz?"
Lancelot and other Lancelot decided to throw questions to each other. They wished to reveal and to learn the truth of this mysterious encounter.
However, when Lancelot blurted "So whose the most attractive persone that you have met?", the other Lancelot fell in deep silence.
At first, Lancelot's eyes and cheeks shrinked. His eyebrows crumpled. Why did the other Lancelot fell silence all of a sudden? He gazed at the other Lancelot fr his foot to his head, until their eyes met.
Just as when the embers of the twigs on their campfire *****led, an idea flashed in his mind like a lightning strike. He learned the cause of that sudden silence.
Even though the night is falling, the temperature rose up. Sweat oozed on Lancelot's pores and again dripped in his chin. That cold sweat painted a shining color on his neck and chest so he grabbed a piece of cloth to wipe it off from his body.
Lancelot realized the violent throbbing of his heart. That sensation was the same feeling when he first met the other Lancelot. He was breathing heavily until the other Lancelot spoke up.
"Are you really me? But why do I feel this---?"
"---I know. I also feel it. It's the similar feeling when I had met Odette, the fairest girl of all. However, I know. I know that this emotion is greater than that. How could I learn that this sensation is possible to--" Lancelot said but the other Lancelot cut while he's talking.
"All my life, my eyes had laid on thousands of gorgeous woman. I have hunted and search them so I could fool around until I found the Princess of the Swan Lake. I thought the search was over. How could I believe that I will meet the personification of beauty and loveliness today?"
"I fear that this feeling is a result of my tiredness but I am amazed that my charm could hypnotized myself. People describe this feeling as 'love'. Don't you agree?" Lancelot said.
The other Lancelot nodded and said, "It's definitely love."
Even Lancelot is surprised that he fell in love to his own self. Such a thing couldn't be possible. But the moment he laid eyes to the other Lancelot, there was a chemical reaction in his chest that kept igniting and bursting. And when he talked with the other Lancelot, he realized that this feeling was excitement and happiness. The happiness of finding the loveliest person on the land and the excitement of having him by his side.
The night is becoming colder but their smiles are getting warmer. There was a silence in the cave, a slight breeze from the forest, and the deafening noise of the crickets, which harmoniously play with *****les of the flames of their campfire. The moon was out shooting beams to the distant canopies, and the stars were as bright as their eyes. But bright as they may be, the curse of the night that brings the spell of sleepiness, made them droopy.
Earlier before the day went dark, Lancelot prepared leaves to serve as his bed. He arranged one for himself and one for the other Lancelot. When the spell of sleepiness was cast, he laid his side on to his improvised bed and stared at the other Lancelot until he falls asleep.
He regretted that he was going to sleep. He was about to loose sight on to Lancelot so he wished to the gods of dreams that his other self will appear.
******
The trees cast straight shadows, and the dews rode the fresh breeze that damped on Lancelot's cheeks. The reflection of the sunrise flickers on his eyelids. And the mighty sun that peeked behind the faraway mountains pulled the coldness on Lancelot's skin. The warmth of the sun rays massaged her body, and the chirping of the birds woke him up.
The sky was clear and blue, and the scattered cotton clouds raced against each other. The happy trees danced with the blades of grasses in the tune of the hummingbirds, and the bees had come to court all the flowers and buds in the forest. The Azrya Woodlands is a terrifying territory at night but a majestic garden at day.
Lancelot grabbed his clothes. It was thick and dry but it was cold as ice. The campfire was still smoldering, but the fins of a fish is even hotter than the charcoals left on that campfire. Lancelot rubbed his elbows and wished the sun rays to intensify. But the breeze kept his hair standing straight.
He looked around to find more clothes to cover himself. But when his sight turned at the opposite wall of the cave, he found the other Lancelot missing. His bed was left untouched and he seemed to have left earlier.
"Where have you gone? Oh, loveliest face, where did you run?" he cried. He thought that the day opened a perfect morning but his delight soon fell, crashing down when he realized that his new found jewel was missing.
Lancelot snatched his sword and rushed out from the mouth of the cave. He sprinted east and many times, his toes almost break. He then reached the falls where they first met, and there he found the other Lancelot catching fish.
"Breakfast is almost ready!" the other Lancelot exclaimed.
"Great! I am starving, let me join you!"
"Aren't you cold?"
"The warmth of your smile is enough to disperse the frigid air around."
Lancelot leapt to the stream and joined the other Lancelot. The two of them grabbed a pointed stick and thrust it on unsuspecting fishes that come along. But if you observed them from a distance, you'll noticed that their hearts is filled with spirits. They played and splashed water against each other and you may wonder how they could catch fish?
And you are not mistaken! They only catch three fishes and these fishes were as small as a baby's fists.
"That was fun!" Lancelot exclaimed.
"We've only caught three fishes. I think that it was not a good idea." the other Lancelot said.
"Idea? What?"
"About you, joining in."
Lancelot laughed heartily.
"That's okay! I'll give you two and I'll take one " Lancelot said.
"If you eat that little, I doubt you'll going to live to see tomorrow."
"Have you forgotten? We are in the bountiful forest and rich land of Azrya Woodlands! A little walk past from that groves, thousands of berries and hundreds of fruits in different colors will welcome you." Lancelot said. He took the fishes and skewered them on a stick.
The other Lancelot grabbed sticks and pieces of woods to prepare a fire.
"Venomous snakes and wild beasts are also eager to welcome you there." the other Lancelot said.
Lancelot smirked and snapped his fingers. He glanced at the lovely face of the other Lancelot and swiped back his wet hair. He held his hair with his palm and said, "I aspired to be a knight, but I'll prove that I am also the best hunter. I will let you taste the juicy venison that this forest has to offer. Besides---" but the other Lancelot also spoke.
"---The harder the adventure and the stranger the journey, the better the story." they both said.
"You know me too well."
"Well, yes, since I am you."
Lancelot hanged his upper clothes and then he sharpened his sword. He took bites on his fish and eat it in a meticulous and graceful fashion. He left the fishbones perfectly intact, eating only the meat of the fish. It's natural for someone born from a noble family, but that discipline didn't need to be applied if you dine in the forest.
Nevertheless, when his clothes had gone dry, the morning almost ended.
"Time fly without me noticing." he said.
"You will forage on that forest, you say?"
"Perfect. I am ready!"
Lancelot wore his light armor and clothes. He grabbed his sword and turned to the grove a few walk past the stream. He took the logs that clogged the stream as foothold, and then called the other Lancelot, "Want to join me?"
"Thank you for the invitation but I feel like my body is going to tumble any moment soon. I think I will lay my back on this bed of grasses and watch the birds fly by. When you return, you will see me in this same stream."
"Your face blooms like the prettiest flowers on the gardens of Castle Gorge. The amazing shape of your nose and cheeks are sharp as if god came down to mold that amazing sculpture of an art. I doubt that you are tired. But that's what you get from not sleeping enough."
"I don't need to memorize that. I know that all too well. We could spend all the days discussing the exquisite form of yourself but I believe that you need to go forage food or you will feel heavy just as like I am experiencing."
"Alright then, stay put and relax. Wait for my return, I will brought some snacks." he shouted.
Lancelot dived on the bushes of the groves. He häçked and slashed his sword, and cleared his way to the depths of the grove.
Behind an enormous oak tree, where vines served as it's blanket and where bushes and creepers were like it's children, grabbing it's foot, a familiar red-eyed demon sprang out.
"Is that you, Gloo?" Lancelot exclaimed.
"You realized?"
"Of course!"
"But you didn't..."
"What do you mean?"
"I've been observing since you came into this forest. You just realized now? That I am here?" Gloo said.
"I see. Since you warned me not to enter the forest? I didn't knew that you were following me."
"I am concerned. You didn't heed my warnings."
"Concerned?" Lancelot laughed silently. "Your atrocious figure do not match your thoughts. If I heed your warning, I wouldn't meet the most beautiful person in the world."
"Meet? Where?" Gloo was confused.
"I meet him on the stream. If you've been following me, then you'll learned that."
"I've been following you. And I didn't see you meeting anyone. But, I knew that you were talking like there is some other person with you. I knew that you've gone crazy."
"No, I've meet someone."
"Let me guess. You started acting strange when you gaze at your reflection on that mysterious waterfalls. That sweet and tasty waterfalls is magical and the elves believed that the waters on that falls is a god's urine."
"Urine? That's ridiculous!"
"You just took a bath on that stream just recently. I know that you've come to forage food. Here grabb this---" Gloo fell to the ground with a 'plop' sound. And then several different creatures that looked like himself appeared. Each of them carried apples, mangoes, wild berries, and wild peaches.
"Oh yes, I'll take this. You are a good guy-- or gal? Anyway, the person I'm talking to you about is waiting for me in the stream. Come, I'll introduce you."
Lancelot returned to the stream but the other Lancelot was nowhere to be found.
"Didn't I tell you?" Gloo said.
"He didn't sleep last night so he was resting here."
"None sleep on that cave last night but you."
Lancelot thought that Gloo might be telling the truth. "But we've talked about each other in that cave."
"You've talked? What did you learned about this person?"
Lancelot realized that they didn't talk about anything new except about themselves, which he already knew. Was he really talking to himself the entire time? Besides, the other bed in that cave was left untouched as if none has been there.
"But I feel differently."
"Of course you will feel differently since you burned the tree that gave strange effects when burned. I wonder the degree of hallucinations it gave you with that much wood that you've burned. And I surmised, this stream has the same effect too."
"Is there such a tree in Azrya Woodlands?"
"I told you that danger awaits you in this forest but you still sneaked in anyway. Leave as soon as possible."
Lancelot nodded and as he sadly gazed at the fire where he roasted his fish earlier. "I will leave." he said.
"Come. This is the way out." Gloo said.
Lancelot followed the mysterious creature. He couldn't believe that everything that had happened was all a dream made inside his mind. His feeling was only because of hallucinations. He took a look at the fire for the last time but he noticed a different truth.
The two fish that he left for the other Lancelot was gone. The fishbones were left perfectly intact! Barbarians or beasts won't eat that fish in a fashion like that!
"That wasn't a mere hallucination. He must be real! It was nice to meet another me from another world." Lancelot said to himself.
Author's Note: "Thanks for reading! Let me write much more interesting and beautiful stories. Tell me your opinions, constructive criticism, and thoughts about this story. Comment which parts are funny, boring, and interesting. Finally, give me idea if this story became relatable in your life experience. Enjoy!"
To my PHC readers, I love that you react in the story that I thought so hard to write. But please, I wish for you to comment your thoughts other than "thanks." Your comment, positive or negative, will be welcomed and it will inspire me to write more and improve even better. Long live the readers! Let's train our minds and imagination!
MGL Emvie
He travels across the lands, discovers the mythical sands, and bathe on distant seas. Lancelot composed poems of his adventures and hope that may one of his journey's songs reached the ears of his beloved Odette, the princess of the Swan Castle who captured his heart. His love was like a curse that brought pain in his chest. The moment he heard that Princess Odette received a proposal, an arrow of rust and poison seemed to struck his heart. And so Lancelot decided to trek all the steep obstacles in this world, and embark on a voyage that no storm could hold. And so he wished that in the end of this journey, he will become a true knight and a sword that is worthy to take the hands of the Princess of Swan Lake.
In one of his adventures, Lancelot came into the mythical land that no books of history has mentioned before. It was the strange forest of the Azrya Woodlands, where mystical creatures strive and live. At first he met a friendly creature by the name Gloo, who urged him to leave the forest as soon as possible. Gloo said that the forest will control his mind to loose his way out. The trees are the apex predator in Azrya Woodlands, and it will poison his brain. But Lancelot, seeking for adventure, sneaked inside the forbidden forest and get passed through the elven border.
"The harder the adventure and the stranger the journey, the better the story." he said while slipping his little notebook on his ****** pocket. Lancelot is a poet who wrote songs on his journeys so notebooks are normal for him to carry.
"What business does a human have here in Izirea?" an elvish archer called from atop of a titan arm of a tree.
She was the military general and the priestess in the Lunar Temple of the elves, Miya. A tall charming elves with high-arching hairstyle, pulling the arrow from his bowstring, was surprised to met Lancelot on her patrol.
Lancelot turned his head and unsheathed his sword in an instant and point it towards the voice. When he realized it was a pretty elf, he smirked and returned his sword from whence it belong.
"I am a travelling poet and a knight. I wish no harm in Izirea especially towards the ever beautiful Miya. I've heard of your beauty and it's my first time seeing it at hand."
"You've crossed international borders. Flattery cannot excuse you from the penalty of your violation. Prepare yourself!"
As soon as Miya made a move, Lancelot dashed through the bushes to escape. His steps were as flashy and as quick as a lightning, as if he wished to be followed. That is half truth and half lie. Who would dislike being followed by a beauty like Miya? But who would want to be captured and tortured by the elves?
Truth be told, Lancelot was drawn on Miya's charm so what he said was not just a flattery but his true feelings. He wondered if Miya would turn into a human, could her loveliness match the elegance and beauty of the Princess of Swan Lake? Earlier before Odette changed his world and point of view, Lancelot was a seeker of aesthetic and the fairness of lady's faces. None from the histories of his exploits in the taverns and lady hunting did the beauty of Odette fallen in second. And now he meet Miya, the most beautiful elf that he had ever seen.
All this time, Lancelot was the magnet of ladies but now it seemed that his radiance and sublime handsomeness was otshined. "I might fall in love to Miya if I've taken a little bit more time." he said.
Lancelot escaped in haste and hurry until he reached a crystal clear falls. The falls was pure and clean. You could even see the floor of the stream. The image is just bending from the splashes of the waterfall.
Sweat steamed on Lancelot's skin. He dampened a pieace of cloth and rub it on his neck. He buried his face on the water and drank a mouthful to quench his parched throat. The sweet and juicy aftertaste burst in Lancelot's tongue. Amazed and filled with wonder, he gazed at the stream. Where in Azrya Woodlands does this water come from?
The stream gave no answer but a blurred reflection of himself. He waited until the disturbed water and the waves dwindled to see his own reflection but then a familiar voice echoed from his back.
"Who are you?" the voice said.
Lancelot's hands crawled silently towards the hilt of his sword while staying stiff frozen.
"Ah-aah..! Your neck will bleed when you as much touch a bit of that sword." the voice warned. The pointy edge of his blade pierced a millimeter deep on Lancelot's neck.
Lancelot's eyebrows furrowed, confused. The voice was familiar. It sounded like he knew it for a long time, and that voice made his heart throb.
Adrenaline made his ears red. The flow of his sweat that he succeed in clogging with the help of the fruity stream, gushed out from his spores and again it dripped on his chins. "Who are you?" he asked.
"I am the one asking question! Turn your head, slowly."
Lancelot felt no opening and escape move to unpin the sword of the person. If Lancelot moves in a suspicious manner, he would risk the veins and arteries of his neck.
"I didn't wish to die just yet. Stay calm, I will turn around." he said.
"Alright. Your hands up on the sky!"
Lancelot held his hands up and turned his head as slow as how slow a snail turned it's shell.
When Lancelot's eyes laid on the person's face, his feet jerked in surprise. His hips pushed him like a spring, shoving him to the stream, where his back landed on the water with "plop".
"H-How could it be? Y-Y-You looked like just me!" he said.
"No, no! 'You' looked like just me."
"Surely your name is different." said Lancelot.
"I go by the name Lancelot, the romantic knight of Castle Gorge."
"That is my name as well." Lancelot said.
"Come, get out of the water and dry your clothes. It's going to be dark soon. I've found a cave near this falls. I don't want to see my other self in this pitiful and graceless situation." said the second Lancelot.
In a cave several few steps near the falls, Lancelot and his doppelganger sought shelter for when the moon rises to the skies, the ferocious denizens of the night, that lurked in the depths of Azrya Woodlands, resurface to hunt preys. Preys, that run out of luck, straying under the moonlight. Lancelot and the other Lancelot knew of this danger and the risk to find the way in the nearest tavern was far too great. Besides, the elven villages regard humans as nuisances.
Having arranged pieces of woods and sticks, Lancelot built a campfire, where they sit in between. He also raised several twigs where he strapped his wet clothes and boots. But the other Lancelot kept a gaze that was piercing his bones.
Lancelot was on look out in the bushes. Wild beast might leap in any moment from the thick forest. He needed to set-up traps that would alarm them when the emergency came, especially that he could feel the red-eyed beasts lurking under the shadows. Or, it could be a monster from the Abyss that's stalking them as preys.
Nevertheless, the other Lancelot was like a shining moon in a starry sky. The other Lancelot was distracting his concentration. That sparkle of flame that reflects from the other Lancelot's eyes was pulling Lancelot's attention.
Lancelot couldn't endure it any longer, so he called "What?"
"Forgive me. I have never seen such an awesome and beautiful body before." the other Lancelot said.
"I am you!" "Though, I'd like to tell you that you posses such a charming eyes."
"These eyes enthralled hundreds of woman, you know? Five chased me down so I fell from a cliff. When I came into, I looked around until I saw you in that waterfalls. Are you really me?"
"How about a quiz?"
Lancelot and other Lancelot decided to throw questions to each other. They wished to reveal and to learn the truth of this mysterious encounter.
However, when Lancelot blurted "So whose the most attractive persone that you have met?", the other Lancelot fell in deep silence.
At first, Lancelot's eyes and cheeks shrinked. His eyebrows crumpled. Why did the other Lancelot fell silence all of a sudden? He gazed at the other Lancelot fr his foot to his head, until their eyes met.
Just as when the embers of the twigs on their campfire *****led, an idea flashed in his mind like a lightning strike. He learned the cause of that sudden silence.
Even though the night is falling, the temperature rose up. Sweat oozed on Lancelot's pores and again dripped in his chin. That cold sweat painted a shining color on his neck and chest so he grabbed a piece of cloth to wipe it off from his body.
Lancelot realized the violent throbbing of his heart. That sensation was the same feeling when he first met the other Lancelot. He was breathing heavily until the other Lancelot spoke up.
"Are you really me? But why do I feel this---?"
"---I know. I also feel it. It's the similar feeling when I had met Odette, the fairest girl of all. However, I know. I know that this emotion is greater than that. How could I learn that this sensation is possible to--" Lancelot said but the other Lancelot cut while he's talking.
"All my life, my eyes had laid on thousands of gorgeous woman. I have hunted and search them so I could fool around until I found the Princess of the Swan Lake. I thought the search was over. How could I believe that I will meet the personification of beauty and loveliness today?"
"I fear that this feeling is a result of my tiredness but I am amazed that my charm could hypnotized myself. People describe this feeling as 'love'. Don't you agree?" Lancelot said.
The other Lancelot nodded and said, "It's definitely love."
Even Lancelot is surprised that he fell in love to his own self. Such a thing couldn't be possible. But the moment he laid eyes to the other Lancelot, there was a chemical reaction in his chest that kept igniting and bursting. And when he talked with the other Lancelot, he realized that this feeling was excitement and happiness. The happiness of finding the loveliest person on the land and the excitement of having him by his side.
The night is becoming colder but their smiles are getting warmer. There was a silence in the cave, a slight breeze from the forest, and the deafening noise of the crickets, which harmoniously play with *****les of the flames of their campfire. The moon was out shooting beams to the distant canopies, and the stars were as bright as their eyes. But bright as they may be, the curse of the night that brings the spell of sleepiness, made them droopy.
Earlier before the day went dark, Lancelot prepared leaves to serve as his bed. He arranged one for himself and one for the other Lancelot. When the spell of sleepiness was cast, he laid his side on to his improvised bed and stared at the other Lancelot until he falls asleep.
He regretted that he was going to sleep. He was about to loose sight on to Lancelot so he wished to the gods of dreams that his other self will appear.
******
The trees cast straight shadows, and the dews rode the fresh breeze that damped on Lancelot's cheeks. The reflection of the sunrise flickers on his eyelids. And the mighty sun that peeked behind the faraway mountains pulled the coldness on Lancelot's skin. The warmth of the sun rays massaged her body, and the chirping of the birds woke him up.
The sky was clear and blue, and the scattered cotton clouds raced against each other. The happy trees danced with the blades of grasses in the tune of the hummingbirds, and the bees had come to court all the flowers and buds in the forest. The Azrya Woodlands is a terrifying territory at night but a majestic garden at day.
Lancelot grabbed his clothes. It was thick and dry but it was cold as ice. The campfire was still smoldering, but the fins of a fish is even hotter than the charcoals left on that campfire. Lancelot rubbed his elbows and wished the sun rays to intensify. But the breeze kept his hair standing straight.
He looked around to find more clothes to cover himself. But when his sight turned at the opposite wall of the cave, he found the other Lancelot missing. His bed was left untouched and he seemed to have left earlier.
"Where have you gone? Oh, loveliest face, where did you run?" he cried. He thought that the day opened a perfect morning but his delight soon fell, crashing down when he realized that his new found jewel was missing.
Lancelot snatched his sword and rushed out from the mouth of the cave. He sprinted east and many times, his toes almost break. He then reached the falls where they first met, and there he found the other Lancelot catching fish.
"Breakfast is almost ready!" the other Lancelot exclaimed.
"Great! I am starving, let me join you!"
"Aren't you cold?"
"The warmth of your smile is enough to disperse the frigid air around."
Lancelot leapt to the stream and joined the other Lancelot. The two of them grabbed a pointed stick and thrust it on unsuspecting fishes that come along. But if you observed them from a distance, you'll noticed that their hearts is filled with spirits. They played and splashed water against each other and you may wonder how they could catch fish?
And you are not mistaken! They only catch three fishes and these fishes were as small as a baby's fists.
"That was fun!" Lancelot exclaimed.
"We've only caught three fishes. I think that it was not a good idea." the other Lancelot said.
"Idea? What?"
"About you, joining in."
Lancelot laughed heartily.
"That's okay! I'll give you two and I'll take one " Lancelot said.
"If you eat that little, I doubt you'll going to live to see tomorrow."
"Have you forgotten? We are in the bountiful forest and rich land of Azrya Woodlands! A little walk past from that groves, thousands of berries and hundreds of fruits in different colors will welcome you." Lancelot said. He took the fishes and skewered them on a stick.
The other Lancelot grabbed sticks and pieces of woods to prepare a fire.
"Venomous snakes and wild beasts are also eager to welcome you there." the other Lancelot said.
Lancelot smirked and snapped his fingers. He glanced at the lovely face of the other Lancelot and swiped back his wet hair. He held his hair with his palm and said, "I aspired to be a knight, but I'll prove that I am also the best hunter. I will let you taste the juicy venison that this forest has to offer. Besides---" but the other Lancelot also spoke.
"---The harder the adventure and the stranger the journey, the better the story." they both said.
"You know me too well."
"Well, yes, since I am you."
Lancelot hanged his upper clothes and then he sharpened his sword. He took bites on his fish and eat it in a meticulous and graceful fashion. He left the fishbones perfectly intact, eating only the meat of the fish. It's natural for someone born from a noble family, but that discipline didn't need to be applied if you dine in the forest.
Nevertheless, when his clothes had gone dry, the morning almost ended.
"Time fly without me noticing." he said.
"You will forage on that forest, you say?"
"Perfect. I am ready!"
Lancelot wore his light armor and clothes. He grabbed his sword and turned to the grove a few walk past the stream. He took the logs that clogged the stream as foothold, and then called the other Lancelot, "Want to join me?"
"Thank you for the invitation but I feel like my body is going to tumble any moment soon. I think I will lay my back on this bed of grasses and watch the birds fly by. When you return, you will see me in this same stream."
"Your face blooms like the prettiest flowers on the gardens of Castle Gorge. The amazing shape of your nose and cheeks are sharp as if god came down to mold that amazing sculpture of an art. I doubt that you are tired. But that's what you get from not sleeping enough."
"I don't need to memorize that. I know that all too well. We could spend all the days discussing the exquisite form of yourself but I believe that you need to go forage food or you will feel heavy just as like I am experiencing."
"Alright then, stay put and relax. Wait for my return, I will brought some snacks." he shouted.
Lancelot dived on the bushes of the groves. He häçked and slashed his sword, and cleared his way to the depths of the grove.
Behind an enormous oak tree, where vines served as it's blanket and where bushes and creepers were like it's children, grabbing it's foot, a familiar red-eyed demon sprang out.
"Is that you, Gloo?" Lancelot exclaimed.
"You realized?"
"Of course!"
"But you didn't..."
"What do you mean?"
"I've been observing since you came into this forest. You just realized now? That I am here?" Gloo said.
"I see. Since you warned me not to enter the forest? I didn't knew that you were following me."
"I am concerned. You didn't heed my warnings."
"Concerned?" Lancelot laughed silently. "Your atrocious figure do not match your thoughts. If I heed your warning, I wouldn't meet the most beautiful person in the world."
"Meet? Where?" Gloo was confused.
"I meet him on the stream. If you've been following me, then you'll learned that."
"I've been following you. And I didn't see you meeting anyone. But, I knew that you were talking like there is some other person with you. I knew that you've gone crazy."
"No, I've meet someone."
"Let me guess. You started acting strange when you gaze at your reflection on that mysterious waterfalls. That sweet and tasty waterfalls is magical and the elves believed that the waters on that falls is a god's urine."
"Urine? That's ridiculous!"
"You just took a bath on that stream just recently. I know that you've come to forage food. Here grabb this---" Gloo fell to the ground with a 'plop' sound. And then several different creatures that looked like himself appeared. Each of them carried apples, mangoes, wild berries, and wild peaches.
"Oh yes, I'll take this. You are a good guy-- or gal? Anyway, the person I'm talking to you about is waiting for me in the stream. Come, I'll introduce you."
Lancelot returned to the stream but the other Lancelot was nowhere to be found.
"Didn't I tell you?" Gloo said.
"He didn't sleep last night so he was resting here."
"None sleep on that cave last night but you."
Lancelot thought that Gloo might be telling the truth. "But we've talked about each other in that cave."
"You've talked? What did you learned about this person?"
Lancelot realized that they didn't talk about anything new except about themselves, which he already knew. Was he really talking to himself the entire time? Besides, the other bed in that cave was left untouched as if none has been there.
"But I feel differently."
"Of course you will feel differently since you burned the tree that gave strange effects when burned. I wonder the degree of hallucinations it gave you with that much wood that you've burned. And I surmised, this stream has the same effect too."
"Is there such a tree in Azrya Woodlands?"
"I told you that danger awaits you in this forest but you still sneaked in anyway. Leave as soon as possible."
Lancelot nodded and as he sadly gazed at the fire where he roasted his fish earlier. "I will leave." he said.
"Come. This is the way out." Gloo said.
Lancelot followed the mysterious creature. He couldn't believe that everything that had happened was all a dream made inside his mind. His feeling was only because of hallucinations. He took a look at the fire for the last time but he noticed a different truth.
The two fish that he left for the other Lancelot was gone. The fishbones were left perfectly intact! Barbarians or beasts won't eat that fish in a fashion like that!
"That wasn't a mere hallucination. He must be real! It was nice to meet another me from another world." Lancelot said to himself.
Author's Note: "Thanks for reading! Let me write much more interesting and beautiful stories. Tell me your opinions, constructive criticism, and thoughts about this story. Comment which parts are funny, boring, and interesting. Finally, give me idea if this story became relatable in your life experience. Enjoy!"
To my PHC readers, I love that you react in the story that I thought so hard to write. But please, I wish for you to comment your thoughts other than "thanks." Your comment, positive or negative, will be welcomed and it will inspire me to write more and improve even better. Long live the readers! Let's train our minds and imagination!
