19 Too Softy for A Knight

"Did you do that?", Vesta asked Haelan who's looking like ready to drop to her trembling knees. "Which of you did that", she continously asked as she shifted glanced between Haelan and Ottis. Then, she noticed Lord Harlan smiling at Haelan who seemed to be certain that the immense power was from Haelan. "Oh", she gasped.

Jac and Atrius welcomed Haelan who's in clear disdain, as they grab on Ottis whom she dragged out of the forest. "You couldn't have", Jac uttered not expecting Haelan to tag Ottis along after she got abandoned back in the rivers. Tired from Ottis' dead weight, Haelan could just tap Jac on the shoulder.

"The dead scared you that much?", Stellan asked Haelan. And for the first time, Haelan forgot to lay low, as she lifted her face and met Stellan's gaze with her wide brimming eyes.

'Dead?', Haelan thought as she look back in the forest with her eyes filling up with the saddest tears. And so she have thought, yes, her mother is surprisingly and unbelievably deceased. Her mouth twitched as her face painted red. Then she wiped her tears with her hands in one whip. Alesso held Stellan's shoulder to stop badgering the tired and emotional warrior. Stellan backed up reading sadness written all over Haelan's face.

"No… he did that", Haelan lied to Vesta as she refer to Ottis. "The dead don't bother me", Haelan answered Stellan as she walk past the Paladins.

"Then you should rest up. Looks to me there's more of those tears where they came from", Stellan said as he and the Paladins gave them some space.

Bottles of drinks were offered to the participants. Two more tests remain for the last eight members. After each and every one regained their strenghts, Lord Callaghan imposed the second to the last test.

"Let's continue", Lord Callaghan said as he position in front of the resting lads. "This is your fourth test. Brandenburg is surrounded with different creatures from high up, to the ground, in the waters and even under. Your task is to get us one, we will wait for two hours.", he said.

"Whether it has three heads, four paws, and a pair wings, as long as it is from the grounds of Brandenburg, we will be at ease", Harlan added as they signaled for the test to commence.

Ottis tried to approach Haelan to give his thanks, but Stellan and Alesso absent-mindedly obstructed his way. Instead of continuing his aim, he just stepped back, and walked away. Then, all the participants eventually scattered in different directions, leaving Haelan distraught. She sat there still, feeling lost and confused, thinking how she could go on facing the painful truth.

"Is everything all right?", Lord Harlan asked the lost lad.

Haelan stared into nothing with her teary eyes. Having no desire to do anything at all, she thought of her mother whom she just knew past on.

Lord Harlan sat beside Haelan. He waved at the Paladin warriors to stay back, for privacy is what the participant would require. "You didn't know?", Lord Harlan suddenly asked that woke Haelan up to her senses.

"Oh, my Lord. I apologize. Have they all gone?", Haelan looked around and found no more participants.Then, she turned her head down and eyes low, Haelan nodded sideways as she respond to the concerned Lord. "I didn't know, Lord Harlan", she said with a deep sigh.

"Then, the more reason why you should find fortitude to finish the test. Courage in pain isn't always pleasantly encouraging. But still, it's something. You're here for a certain cause, am I correct?", Lord Harlan said as he rest his palm on Haelan's shoulder. "Finish what you started, and find out what happened", he encouraged as he stood up.

Haelan took one deep breath as she circle her thumbs together. 'He's right', she thought. She needed to know what happened to Beatrice. And so she stood on her feet, and made her way to the paths lighted by the crescent moon. Passing by the hovering Paladins, she kept her head low. "Best of luck, tiny", Vesta said on Alesso's bet.

"Too softy for a knight", Vesta watched Haelan walk up ahead.

"Jac cried like a baby, though", Alesso replied.

"Maybe they are made for archers", Stellan said as she shook hands with Vesta.

Down by the hill of thin tall trees, Haelan called the fireflies to light up the way. She used a lot of her healing light on Oizys, so as much as possible, she had to give her powers a little rest. That was the first time she used her entire body to project her powers, healing Oizys' and her mimics' pain in their hearts.

Checking on the crest once again, it's still not working. As she continue on, Haelan was accompanied with nothing but crickets and croaking frogs. Moments later, the sound turned to silence, as Haelan sense the presence of creatures closing by, growling and taunting frighteningly. She hid behind the trees, with her heart that have started racing. "Can I catch one without magic?", she worriedly asked. The shrieks go low, and sometimes high, yet not one approach at a certain gap. Wondering how to catch a creature at night, she tried to recall her father's hunting style.

Haelan set up a booby trap to hem in any creature that could be captured in a snap. She tied some vines over a tree branch, and laid a vine net covered with dried leaves on the ground. She watched closely and waited until any creature get caught in her trap. An hour have past, she still have nothing in her grasp.

With a dead one-eyed ogre and four-legged serpent, Jacomus and Ottis were already back from hunting. A little later, Atrius caught a dying selkie, still weakly singing with its magical harp. The Lords and the Paladins received the participants' bounty. Then, they stood still to wait for one more participant they hoped would come in a few more minutes.

While waiting behind a tree Haelan heard something was caught in her trap. Purring, hissing and bleating, all at the same time. She pulled the vine rope with all her might, as she caught the heavy creature using her device. She tied the rope on the other tree, round and round very tightly. Then she checked the creature that she have caught. To her surprise, Haelan gaped at the winged animal.

"A chimera?! I didn't know they exist!", Haelan stood in wonder as she stare at the mythical creature. The fire-breathing beast with heads of a goat and lion, and a tail ending with a head of a snake was majestically trying to flap its wings in the vine cage.

Then, the smart creature bit off the vines and fell on the ground. Haelan stood on guard, looking at the vicious one. She watched the beast struggle to be on position… stumbling and tripping on its four small forepaw.

"It's still young", Haelan said as she carefully close the proximity with the juvenile beast. When she looked closely, it had wounds on its feet. "There, there. Let me help you, my fire-breathing friend. But, please, Don't burn me", she said as she come near. The chimera stared at Haelan, as its eyes glimmered. It refused and growled at first, startling Helena who's more scared. Then it lowered down it's three heads, sat down for Haelan to touch her.

Haelan held it's wounds and healed them with caution. The beast may be small and sweet, but unpredictable. As soon as the chimera was all healed, it stood up and flapped its large wings. In a blink of an eye, it flew away, leaving Haelan dumbfounded.

"Thank you!", Haelan sarcastically said. Afterwards, she remembered the test. "Hey wait!!", she ran after the flying beast, whom she could no longer chase. Haelan sat down on the ground feeling her defeat. "I guess I'm done", she said as she purse her lips.

"Has it been two hours..", she sadly uttered. Then, she felt like someone was looking at her from behind. When she turned around, she saw three sets of heads, the chimera was back nodding its heads. "He.. hey there nice chimera", she frightfully said.