Forwards: Story of a Game

There has been a legend that if you are able to revisit your honeymoon land, you are able to be with your spouse. Shatan Aragorn knew that and he felt his reunion with his wife would be close from where he was. He and Boromir and Kni entered the woods of the Anaconda Valley, but had to stop right after crossing its borders.

'So many stops on the way, so many obstacles. And it is unbelievable that we truely have to fetch that ring. I hope it is there. But my heart tells me we should not worry,' said Boromir sitting on the ground.

They stopped because the night fell on this territory at the hour of noon, and Aragorn became very concerned.

Kni lit the bonfire and gathered his friends around it.

'Soon we will get the ring, and the best place to go is Rivendell. I am sure that many of our friends are already there, I know actually of some who definitely are there now. And many more will come. I think you will find your wife there surely, Aragorn,' he said.

'Yes, all your elves are certainly there already. And they will want to take care of the ring, I am sure. I don't know yet what will come out of it all. But I learnt that my children are very safe at an owl school¹⁹ in Wonderland, and that my wife is now travelling alone with her Tatarian soldiers, and that they will reach Rivendell eventually,' said Aragorn.

'The garrison in Alamo grows. Many soldiers have journeyed to France to join Patrick's army. But we have to establish the main stronghold elsewhere. So we mustn't linger in Rivendell, but go back here to this land and perhaps turn our steps to Luisiana. I am very sure that it is the best spot to organize the main garrison,' said Boromir.

They sat at the bonfire for a long time, drinking and gossiping, until the real hour of midnight fell upon them. Then Aragorn remembered something.

'Aren't we in the vicinity of the game source? There should be a passage into the Plateau²⁰ from here,' he said.

'Since we were kidnapped out of it, I have not given it much thought, there were too many worries,' muttered Boromir.

'Well, it's been some time since we left it, but we will have to go back to it. You know, the Woods is a safe dimension, but Plateau gives us a lot of possibilities,' said Aragorn.

'You know the future, we all have seen it, we will return there, and soon, I believe,' said Kni.

'It would do us good if we could find a safe passage back there and then ensure everybody gets there. Inside there, Alamo would be much stronger. And the gates to the Woods could be made more secure everywhere,' said Aragorn. 'Anyway, it is a good moment to take advantage of its existence. The stone circles²¹ should be located in many places in this area. I'll look around.'

He got up and entered the vast black shadow that was casted by the row of trees at the border of the forest, where they were huddling.

'I won't be long,' he said to his friends, and marched into the black thickness of the wood.

Lights shone in front of his eyes, and they were blue pearly lights of the will-o-wisps²². They pointed clearly a safe path for his feet. He walked deeper into the forest, and heard a shimmering of a stream. On its bank a small will-o-wisp was making marks in the air, bobbing up and down in the soft breeze. It winked at him when he moved closer and bursted into a white bright light. His eyes could thus measure the whole space before him. An opening to a glade was very near, and he marched straight on, making large steps, crossed the stream and entered the glade, still lightened with the will-o-wisp's lantern shine.

A stone circle was laid in the centre of the tiny stripe of grassland, which was surrounded by heavy large trees from all its sides. He walked closer to it. Inside a circle, a cross mark was visible through its orange glimmer. He stroke a match and threw it onto the cross. It erupted into flares of red fire. The stones of the circle shone with warm blue light and from the centre of the fire a large crystal ball emerged, also glittering with bluish gleam.

Plateau was a dimension built as a game, and it was the main natural field which represented all games. It offered a safe place for everybody to live since the enfreedonment, but upon the invasion of the new evil army everybody were dragged out of it by the machinery of the barbarians. Aragorn missed it every day, and was glad that they managed to defend themselves so far well enough for their roads to be still open into their old home dimension. He grabbed the crystal ball courageously extending his hands into the fire, for he knew already that it would not burn him or any other godly creature, and he hugged the ball to his chest. With it, he turned his steps back to his friends, while the fire quickly died out after him, covering the glade back into the dark misty shadow.

'I have found one of the game sources,' he exclaimed towards Kni and Boromir. They looked up.

'Well, that's one good thing, and I'm glad that the stone circles still work. Or was there anything changed?,' asked Kni.

'No, nothing new, and I am sure that we will be able to re-establish ourselves back inside Plateau,' said Aragorn. 'The crystal should know how to help us.'

He placed his open palm onto the smooth blue surface of the ball. It shone in its insides with snowy white light. Snowflakes²³ appeared around their heads and they breathed in the delightful winter air which gathered around them.

The crystal ball was already filled to the brims with white glittering radiance.

Aragorn stroke its glossy surface. 'We would like to know about the address of a ring we need to find,' he said.

The light inside the crystal ball whirled around. They looked as it revealed a picture of a golden pond from its center.

Aragorn sighed.

'Well, surely we will find the ring therefore. I will go there once the day comes back.'

'We should take the crystal with us. It will be good to observe if any damages are being done to the Plateau dimension and its gates. The crystal will inform us about it,' said Kni.

'Yes, and once in Rivendell, I am sure everybody will want to enter the Plateau again. Unless the barbarians truely decided to live there. But no, they retook our houses and remain still inside Muse²⁴. They find it most profitable, that dimension. I feel it would be best to leave Muse for always. Leave it to them, you know. It will strangle them itself with its nature in a small time,' said Boromir.

'Surely the gates to the Woods in the area of the Witch Union will be even more secure if we return to Plateau and seal the entrances from there,' added Kni.

They soon decided to go to sleep, and they slept for longer than they wanted. Aragorn woke up the first, though, and resigned from trying to wake up his friends. After all, they had agreed that only he will walk for the ring directly, as he was the creator of the Anaconda Valley and the land and its inhabitants not only trusted him, but knew him, and so, alone he would make it the fastest to the ring's address.

His path was long and windy, and he had to walk through thorny bushes quite a few times, but they did move gracefully of his way upon his sight. He reached the golden pond and was already tired.

'Are you there?', he whispered in the direction of the pond's watery surface.

'I am here already. But what is your want?', he heard a tiny voice from below his feet.

He explained what he came there for, and the ring showed himself to his eyes. It was a seemingly modest thing, but surprised the sight at the second glance with its intricacy of colours and ornaments. He took it on his finger and journeyed fast towards his two friends.

'At last!', exclaimed Boromir. 'You were gone for almost half a day.'

'But I have the ring, and it is unharmed. We can now go to Rivendell. One of the mirror teleports is to the north of here,' said Aragorn.

They all packed their things hurryingly, not wanting to waste more time, all eager to visit Rivendell as fast as possible.

'I wonder what news awaits us in Rivendell. I know many already are living there. I hope they have some plans for what is ahead of us,' said Kni, as they were walking through the rosy meadows in the direction of the mirror gate.

'Surely there have been many newcomers there recently. I hope to see my wife there too,' said Aragorn.

They continued their journey until the end of the next day, when they reached the gate that ported them straight inside the borders of the elven kingdom of the woods. The land was more beautiful than they expected and they found that relieving, as surely it was a sign of the well-being of its inhabitants. A deep melody came from the underground and continued restlessly, accompanying their steps while they were making their way into Rivendell.