Fabain Hillock

Intense sighs reverberated within the dimly lit room. Beads of sweat glistened on the sun-kissed forehead, thrashing across the soft cotton pillow as the dying rays of the almost extinguished candle graced its owner.

"Wake up!!! Listen to my voice!! You are experiencing a dream!! Open your eyes, Mellisentttt!!!" exclaimed the person with firmness in his deep voice while violently jerking the shoulders of a young maiden.

"Aahhh!!!!"..... Deep amber eyes, veiled under the curtains of long dark lashes, opened with a start, rendering the owner confused for a while as she took account of her surroundings.

"Are you alright, my child?" asked the man as he began to wipe the sweat off her forehead with a piece of cloth while he pushed a few strands of her hair, sticking on her temples behind her ears.

"Yes, father, now that you are here, I am fine," said Mellisent with a laboured breath.

Her father aided her to sit on the bed with a pillow supporting her back and poured her a glass of water from the jug resting on a side table.

Mellisent's defined features shimmered under the influence of the weak candlelight. The girl who was once like a tiny bud now graciously blossomed into a charming demoiselle.

Mellisent was now a young lady with an average height, an hourglass figure that could rival even sirens, a neck like a swan, a diamond-shaped face with high cheekbones, defined brows and a high bridged nose.

She was bestowed with heart-shaped fuller lips as red and plump as rose petals, lightly bronzed skin smooth as satin, large almond-shaped eyes with thick lashes and amber irises, and long straight hair akin to midnight hue. She was, indeed, indeed a sight to behold.

"What did you dream about my daughter?" asked Demitri with kitted brows as some wrinkles graced his face along with a few strands of white hair among his auburn one, indicating that now he was way past his youth.

Hearkening her father's question, Mellisent, who was gulping the water, slightly flinched as her face turned ashen.

"IT WAS THE SAME FATHER!! The one that has been haunting me ever since I turned thirteen. THAT SAME ABYSS OF FIRE!!! It felt as if....as if.... it was enticing me to become one with it. I could vividly feel the fire blazing the blood running inside my veins," she said while shivering, fear evident in her large eyes.

"You, know father, what the strange phh...phh..enomenon was? Earlier, I have always been terrified by it, but now..I...I loved the very feeling of..... being doused by it. Th.. is s..st..rrange!!! Strange!!! I don't know what I should do, father!!!! I'm scared!!" continued Mellisent as she stuttered while clasping her father's forearms as her eyes welled with tears.

Witnessing the vulnerable state his daughter was in, at once, Demitri engulfed her in his strong arms. He whispered consoling words in her ears while gently patting her back.

It took a while for Mellisent's shivers to subside, and after confirming her calm demeanour, he once again attempted to converse with her.

"It was just a dream, Melli, do not feel terrorised by it; I'm here with you; it cannot do anything to you. Did you forget what I have consistently told you? Dreams are just but the projection of our thoughts and imagination; as long as you do not let them take control over you, they will eventually cease to haunt you. Do you understand my daughter?" asked Demitri in an attempt to ease her.

"Hmm.. you're right, father; I will no longer ponder over things that have no significance in my life; I know you will always be my side; I have nothing to be afraid of," said Mellisent as she nodded her head while reciprocating her father's hug and wiping her tears with the back of her palms.

His daughter's words momentarily made Demitri's heart sink before he masked his expression with a small smile.

"Now that my daughter has understood her father's words so well, I would like to remind my precious child about the anticipated meeting she had this early dawn with her cherished person," Demitri said with a teasing tone while tenderly caressing the back of her head.

Her father's words instantly rang a bell inside her head. She promptly pulled herself away from her father's embrace with her mouth agape and eyes wide as saucers.

"I'm so ..so stupid!!! How in the world did I forget about it?!! Father, let's make haste, or we will be late!!" squeaked Mellisent as she scrambled over her bed.

Mellisent pointed her finger out of the bedroom window and hurriedly turned to her father.

"Look!!! Soon it will be dawn. Let us get ourselves ready and immediately leave for the woods."

"Well... I had prepped myself with all the necessities before I came to wake you up from your deep slumber," said Demitri, nominally raising his eyebrow.

He then again continued as he stood up from the bed, "You now change your attire and arrange your swords while in the meantime, I will wait for you outside the house."

Mellisent did not have to be told twice before she cursorily proceeded to arrange her vestments and weaponry while Demitri drifted towards the door.

As her father left her bedroom, Mellisent cleaned her face with a wet cloth and went behind the wooden divider, where she began to pull the strings of her chemise.

Mellisent changed into tight leather pants with a white shirt which she fastened with a waist belt.

Mellisent secured her long hair in a single braid and tightened the laces of her long boots. She clamped her two swords on either side of her hips with the sword belt.

In the end, Mellisent draped a cloak and pulled the hood above her head as she made her way out of their abode.

Mellisent sauntered towards her father, who tarried ahead of their dwelling, dressed in a similar manner as her, with his bastard sword wedged at the side of his waist. Sensing his daughter's proximity, Demitri began to depart for the timberlands.

***************

The sun just graced the lands with its benevolence when the two silhouettes were seen perambulating across the meadows in the direction of dense woods.

The flora of the forestlands was equipped with a variety of towering trees comprising dense foliage, while fauna was entailed with small herbivores.

The scraping of the dried leaves against their footsteps echoed into the forest's silence as they made their way towards its end, near the high mountain range.

By the time they arrived near their destination, rays of the morn had begun to peek through the thick greenery, illumining their path.

Shhhhh!!!!!

Abruptly Mellisent ceased in her movements and held the arm of her father as she put her forefinger in front of her lips, motioning for him to stop as well and to keep his silence.

Dimitri roamed his eyes around their vicinity to confirm any unprecedented threat but was unable to discover any due to the thicket of the timbers.

All of a sudden, Mellisent's ears perked up, and her senses heightened as she detected a minor fluctuation in the stillness of the breeze and...

Shooooshhh!!!!

A halberd abruptly flew in their direction with impeccable velocity.

But before it could hit its target, Mellisent swiftly pivoted on her heels and clasped it with her firm fingers as it stopped at a hair's breadth before slashing her face.

"Your means of examining my agility are getting old, uncle!!!" hallooed Mellisent as she turned at her sides to spot the intruder.

Studd!!

Someone carelessly jumped from among the thick branches and began to trace his steps in their direction.

"My! My My! Our little Melli has surely been able to hone her senses over time!!" exclaimed the person with his deep raspy voice, his height reaching till Demitri's waist as he came to stand in front of their line of sight.

A lovely smile bloomed on Mellisent's lips as she sighted the man she revered the most after her father and began moving in his direction.

"Uncle Fabain!!!!" whooped Mellisent as she crouched down on her knees and hugged the man with her eyes twinkling in delight.

A wide grin made its way onto the face of the man, half of which was encapsulated by his bushy beard.

"Did you miss me that much our dear Melli?" asked the man as he patted her back, lightly chuckling while shaking his head.

"Do you need to ask that question to me, uncle? Of course, I couldn't wait to meet again," said Mellisent as she pulled away and gazed at him with her glimmering orbs.

"Ah! I have brought a small present for you," said the man while wiggling his brows.

"What present, uncle?" asked Mellisent with a slight tilt of her head.

"Well, see for yourself," said the man as he turned around and at once, bushes behind him began to rumble as three redheads poked from between them.

"Drusilla! Darius! Dexter!" squealed Mellisent as she precipitously scooted to greet them while the three said people came out from among the shrubs with wide grins apparent on their faces.

**********

Meanwhile, Demitri lightly coughed to gain the attention of the most awaited acquaintance as he came to stand near him.

Sensing his presence, the man began to speak without turning in his direction, "Your daughter has grown up to become one lovely lady and surely a seasoned warrior as well; my friend, your chest must be puffing up with pride, isn't it?"

"Well, that's undoubtedly true," said Demitri as he, for a moment, dazed while looking at his daughter.

"How have you been all this while 'Demitri Argyris'....., my old friend?" asked the man with relish as he arched his head to glance at him.

At once, Demitri came out of his reverie after hearing the man's question. He straightened his posture, put his right hand across his chest and offered a deep bow to the man as a gesture of respect.

"Greetings to the king of dwarves, Your Highness 'Fabain Hillock'; I am faring well, what about you?" ....