Trouble In The Woods

Hector is in the kitchen, preparing some meat and herbs he collected and hunted a few days ago in the woods. He had been collecting herbs to make potions now and then. His late father used to work for the King in the palace as alchemy and often spent his free time there. His late father would regularly take him along on a hunt or to gather herbs in the nearby woods.

Hector would take the opportunity to explore the woods and collect whatever he found interesting. He was always fascinated by the different kinds of plants. Some of the herbs he collected were quite useful and could also be used to make medicines. Sometimes he'd use them to cure illnesses, while others would be used for magical effects.

He's skilled with a bow and arrow when it comes to hunting. He'd cook the meat and season it with herbs to enhance the flavours.

He's currently busy cutting the meat into pieces and arranging them onto a wooden board. He's putting them into a pot and filling it up with water. He takes a knife and cuts the herbs into small pieces. Once the whole board is filled with herbs, he places it into the boiling water, watching the herbs wither and dissolve away, turning the broth golden brown and smelling appetizing.

A knock on the door interrupts him as he prepares to remove the pot from the fire.

He furrows his brows slightly, wondering as to who it is. He's certain he didn't invite anyone else.

He quickly removes the pot from the fire and dries his hands on a piece of cloth as he approaches the front door.

When footsteps approach the door, another knock sounds. Hector frowns and tries to figure out who might be visiting him. He opens the door to reveal an injured young man with dark hair tied in a ponytail. Bruises and a small amount of blood on her face, but nothing substantial.

"Emil? What happened?!" Hector questions worriedly.

The young man winces as he moves his arm. "Ugh," he murmurs groggily. "Hector, there's a monster in the woods."

"What?!" Hector exclaim.

His eyes widen when he hears Emil's response. He immediately grabs his sword and rushes outside.

"Oi! Hector! Where are you going?" Emile yells.

There were others here too. Men, women, and children. All of them seem frightened. They look scared and confused.

"Oleg, take care of Emile," Hector orders him, ignoring Emil. Oleg nods hesitantly as he starts helping Emile.

"It's dangerous, Hector!" Emile yells once more.

Hector ignores him again and rushes toward the forest.

The woods are fairly quiet and peaceful. There are no signs of the monster. Not yet anyway.

He sees a clearing ahead. He slows down a little bit as he reaches the clearing and glances around carefully. A chill goes through him at once when he sees a strange creature standing in the middle of the clearing. It must be the monster Emil mentioned earlier.

The monster appears to be tall and muscular, with silver armour. Its head is adorned with two long horns. Except for two red eyes that stare straight ahead, its skin is pitch black. It appears to be a devil. It's terrifying to witness, and Hector instinctively draws his sword. He's not sure whether he should attack it now or wait for others to arrive.

"Stay calm, Hector." He whispers to himself as he closes his eyes tightly. He tries to think calmly.

After taking a deep breath, he opens his eyes and slowly begins to walk toward the creature. He holds onto his sword tightly as he walks. The closer he gets, the more he feels his heart pounding faster. He can hear it in his ears loudly.

Suddenly, the monster starts running toward him. Hector's eyes widen and he quickly pulls the sword in front of him. He blocks it just as the monster attacks him. The creature's sharp claw cuts across the sword, leaving a deep gash on the side of the sword. The sound of metal hitting metal rings out in the quiet forest.

"Damn!" Hector mutters as he pushes against the monster with his sword.

The monster doesn't even flinch. Instead, it continues running towards him, slashing repeatedly at Hector's sword. It's a brutal attack, but Hector manages to block each blow. After a while, Hector finally manages to push the monster back and ends up getting pushed back several steps. The monster lets out a low growl and raises his claw once more.

"Oh, crap." Hector thinks.

But before the claw can slash across his chest, an arrow flies past his right ear and pierces into the monster's shoulder. With a loud screech, the monster stumbles backward, allowing Hector to run forward to slash at its face. He barely manages to slice a cut across its chest. Blood starts pouring down from it. But the monster still hasn't fallen. It's still staring at Hector furiously, showing no signs of giving in anytime soon.

Just as Hector is starting to worry he might lose to it, another arrow flies toward the monster from behind, striking its other eye. The monster yowls in pain and staggers backward, falling to the ground.

It lets out another angry screech as it lifts its claws to retaliate. Hector quickly dodges as the monster slashes down at him from one side, missing him by mere inches. He quickly turns around, but the monster instantly jumps up and slams its claw down onto his shoulder with enough force to send him flying back.

"Ah!" Hector cries out in shock, stumbling back.

He falls backward onto the grass, clutching his shoulder painfully. He grits his teeth as he stares at the monster.

"Gah!" He grunts in agony. He's trying his best not to scream in pain.

"Protect him!" Someone yells suddenly.

Before he knows what's going on, a fully armoured knight jumps out in front of Hector and knocks the monster back with a heater shield.

Hector watches the knight as he swings his sword fiercely at the creature. He lands multiple blows on its chest and legs, causing it to fall backward. But it does not give up.

Soon, the knight begins attacking it again, this time using a magic attack. The sword glows red crimson as he wields it in a battle-worthy manner. Red flower petal fragments appear around him as if they are dancing with him gracefully. He spins his weapon gracefully and strikes the monster's heart with incredible power. The monster roars and falls to the ground, defeated.

With the monster defeated and lying on the ground of the clearing, the knight rushes over to Hector and kneels beside him, assessing his injury.

"Is it deep?" He asks.

"I don't know," Hector answers quietly with a groan. "But it hurts like hell."

The knight quickly wraps the end of the fabric bandages that came with their supplies around his shoulder to stop the bleeding.

"We need to get you to the healer. I'll carry you," he tells him.

"H-Huh? W-Well… Thank you," Hector mumbles.

The knight picks him up bridal style and carries him in a protective stance, as if he was carrying a bride instead of a wounded warrior.

They hurry toward the village. Hector stays silent until the knight stops in front of his house. The knight helps him inside and lays him gently on top of a bed.

"What happened? Are you alright?" A short elderly woman with a gentle voice asks in concern. The knight briefly explains what happened to her as she cleans the wound.

"I'm sorry, this is the best I can do for you. You have lost a lot of blood," she says after she finishes cleaning his wounds and bandaging his injury.

None of the villagers are capable of using healing magic. Ironna and Silvana are the only people who can use healing magic but neither is present at the moment.

The knight thanks her before making his way out of the cottage and then rushes back outside to meet with the other knights.

The old woman sits beside Hector as she looks at his injured shoulder. She gently touches it with her fingers. Her face grows sad and apologetic. "You were very lucky, young man," she tells him.

"Yeah well… I've had worse," he replies, grimacing in pain.

"How's Emile?" He asks curiously.

She smiles sadly at him. "He took quite a beating, but he'll be fine. We'll keep him overnight so he can rest properly," she informs him.

"That's good," he sighs in relief.

"The villagers are alarmed when the monster appears out of nowhere. We'd never had a monster appear near this village before the war." She states.

After she leaves, Hector sits on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the fire. The knight is standing guard outside, so he can relax in his sleep if he wants to. However, he decides to remain vigilant and continue to sit there patiently.

Soon after, he heard a noise coming from outside. It sounds as if footsteps are approaching. Hector gets on his feet slowly and makes his way toward the door.

As the footsteps approaches the door, a voice calls out to him. "Hector!"

Hearing the familiar voice, he immediately relaxes. It's his wife, Silvana. She rushes into the room and hugs him tightly, almost suffocating him in the process.

"Silvana... I'm fine. Calm down," he says softly, patting her back as she continues to hug him.

When she finally releases him, she wipes away some tears from her eyes and looks over at his arm. Then she gasps softly in horror. "Hector! What happened to your arm?!" She exclaims, grabbing his arm tightly as she examines his wounds.

"I... It's nothing, really..." Hector replies, nervously glancing around.

Silvana shakes her head at him and puts a hand on his cheek. "Don't lie to me," she says softly.

Hector averts his gaze to look at the floor. "I... uh... I may have gotten attacked by a monster…" He mutters.

His wife frowns. "The knight informed me that there was an attack in the woods, and you were among those who fought the monster. But I had no idea you were hurt this badly!" She said as she inspects his wound again.

As she removes the bandages from his shoulders, revealing the wound, her touch is warm and comforting. When she places her hands on his wound and begins to cast healing magic on it, he closes his eyes. He feels warmth spreading through his whole body. His shoulder stops hurting as he feels the pain slowly disappearing.

"This should be able to stop the bleeding now." She says after she finishes.

Hector opens his eyes and looks down at his shoulder. He notices that most of his wounds have already healed.

"Thanks." He murmurs.

The two of them stay in silence for a few minutes before Silvana speaks up again.

"I specifically told you not to go into the woods today." She says sternly, glaring at him.

Hector shifts uncomfortably under her intense stare. "Sorry." He mutters.

"You're such a reckless idiot, you know?" Silvana huffs as she pinches his cheek.

Hector winces slightly at the sharp pinch, but he still chuckles in amusement.

"But... I'm glad you're alright," Silvana adds softly.

She is about to say something when she hears Hector's stomach growl. Then, embarrassed, he scratches his head.

"We should get you something to eat."

Hector nods.

"I made meat stew earlier before I went into the woods. Would you like some?" Hector offers.

"I would love some."

Silvana assists Hector in getting out of bed and walking into the kitchen with him. In the kitchen, he takes up the pot of meat stew he made earlier and reheats it over a fire. As the smell fills the air, the pot begins to bubble and steam. He takes a bowl, fills it with meat stew, and then tops it with two slices of bread.

"Here," he says as he brings the bowl over to Silvana.

She takes the bowl from him and begins spooning the broth into her mouth. Hector watches her as she eats the meat stew. She's smiling as she enjoys the food. Even after everything that has happened today, he finds himself smiling fondly as he sees her enjoying herself.

"As usual, your cooking is excellent." She compliments with a smile.

"Well, I did try to prepare a bit more than usual this time," he admits bashfully.

Silvana giggles as she takes another sip of the delicious hot broth.

Then he and Silvana are both startled by a knock on the front door. When they turn around, they see Ironna standing in the doorway, exhausted and worried.

"Hector? I heard about what happened." She exclaims. "Are you okay? Didn't that monster hurt you? Where is it?" She goes on.

Hector quickly dismisses her worries, "I'm fine now, Silvana heal my wound. Come here." He motions her to sit beside him.

Ironna hesitates for a second.

"If you say so…" She goes on as she let out a sigh.

She walks up to him and takes a seat next to him. Then, Hector presents her with a bowl of hot meat stew. They talk about what happened while eating together, and Silvana listens in on their conversation.

"So the monster is gone?" Ironna asks hopefully.

"Yep. The knight took care of it." He responds cheerfully.

She lets out a sigh of relief. "This war is becoming too much for us," she says.

"With all of these monsters popping up everywhere and never-ending battles. The villagers are beginning to lose hope. And our adversaries are only getting stronger. The king's patience is running out. And he's sending soldiers from all over the kingdom to fight the witches, reducing the size of the kingdom's army." She complains, shaking her head in frustration.

Silvana looks at her. "Must be hard for you, Ironna," she says sympathetically.

Ironna shakes her head, the king should listen to his council. If he doesn't listen to them, they won't obey him. There are too many uncertainties in our world," she replies seriously.

The three of them sit quietly for a few moments as they finish their meal. They spend the remaining time exchanging stories and reminiscing about happier times when life seemed simpler. They feel relaxed being together and enjoying each other's company. It helps to ease the tension they feel whenever they think about the ongoing war.

When the sun begins to set, Ironna excuses herself to go to her room and rest. She assures them that she will be fine and that she will return to the capital early in the morning to assist with preparations for the upcoming war campaign.

Silvana turns to face Hector as Ironna walks away. "I think we should get ready for bed as well. You should get some rest because a lot happened today." She tells him.

Hector nods and walks with her to her bedroom. Silvana undressed and changed into her nightgown once inside. She then climbs into bed and looks at Hector. "Please come here." She motions for him to come closer. He gets into bed and lies on his side beside her.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you and angry at you, Hector." She says.

"You could've died." She takes a breather and lets out a quiet sigh.

"What am I supposed to do when I worry about you like this? You're my husband. I love you, and I want you to be safe." Her voice trails off.

Hector hoped to avoid this conversation because she might be upset with him for going into the woods after she told him not to. However, given how she feels about it, he appears to be unable to avoid it any longer.

"I'm sorry," he mutters.

He waits for her response but she remains silent. He thinks that perhaps she isn't even going to say anything, so he goes ahead and speaks.

"I really shouldn't have done this, Silvana. I didn't mean to do it. I was just trying to keep the villagers safe."

After a long pause, she finally speaks up. "I know that, Hector. And I understand why you acted the way you did. But please, promise me that you won't ever do anything like that again."

He gives her a small nod in agreement and answers. "I promise."

She releases a deep breath before she continues. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Tears began filling her eyes as she looks into his.

"S-Silvana?"

Her tears continue flowing down her cheeks as she tries to control her emotions.

"Shh… shhhh… please…" He whispers, reaching out to wipe away her tears with his thumbs.

"I'm scared of losing you." She tells him, her voice breaking.

His heart breaks slightly hearing her words. Seeing her like this, makes him regret ever coming out into the woods.

"Please don't leave me..." She utters while crying.

Hector pulls her into his embrace, stroking her hair gently as he tries to calm her down. Eventually, her crying subsides to sniffles. She eventually pulls away from his embrace and looks up at him with a tear-stained face. He wipes the remaining wetness away with his thumb before cupping her face tenderly between his hands.

"I love you." He whispers.

She leans forward and kisses him passionately. When she pulls away, she rests her forehead against his.

"I love you too." She breathes, her lips still close to his.

She tenderly rubs the spot on his shoulder where the monster wounded him.

"Does it still hurt?"

Hector shakes his head slowly. "No, thanks to your healing magic."

She nods and leans forward to peck his lips lightly. A warm feeling floods through Hector's body, and he wraps his arms around her tightly.

"Can we stay like this for a while longer?" Silvana asks sweetly.

Hector lets out a soft chuckle and places his forehead against hers.

"If that's what you want."

And so, they remain like this until both of them fall asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.