Days 139-146 (117th-124th)

Day 139 (117th):
Kendar woke us up before the bells, reminding us of the physician arriving to inspect "Mara". We got dressed and met Mary not far from the front doors. At the bells, the doors were opened. The Baaloc and an elderly man were just walking up the main steps. The Baaloc seemed agitated that the other was going so slowly. Without stopping, he demanded a place for this process to take place. Kendar and Mary escorted him while we seven went to the side of the physician. He was panting and wheezing a bit. At the door, we had him pause to catch his breath. Alice told us mentally that the Baaloc had nearly drug this poor fellow out of bed and insulted him the entire distance from his house to the palace. The man was a good and honest person, that I could see. He was only doing this out of fear and for what little pay he was getting. The Baaloc returned and yelled at him to hurry up. We helped him to the room that had been chosen. Inside, the physician, again apparently, told the Baaloc his exam would not conclusively prove her virginity. He could only tell if she has had sex recently, within the past few days. The Baaloc waved as to dismiss the words and ordered the examination to proceed. Mary and the physician went into a smaller room. The Baaloc stood in his arrogant pose. He glared at Kendar. He tried to flirt with us! Still convinced we were "Mara's" handmaidens, he told us how we would benefit from her marriage to Cornwall. After a few minutes, Mary and the physician walked out. He informed the Baaloc that "Mara" had no signs of sexual activity, at least in the past few days or since her last moon time as some blood was still present inside her. The Baaloc produced a scroll and writing tool and ordered that the physician write, testifying to that fact. Tersely, he did just that and handed it back. Satisfied, the Baaloc rolled it up and bid us all farewell. He reminded "Mara" that her exam would be repeated outside of Baaloc Prime. With a flip of his cloak, he left. We invited the physician to join us for breakfast, but he declined. Sarah asked if his stomach ailment was the reason he declined. He was taken aback for a moment, them smiled.
"I wondered why seven lovely ladies offered to aid an old man. My life is truly filled now. I have spoken with the Seven Sisters of the Swords. Yes, dear child, my stomach is why I refused. My food must be specially prepared with an herb I doubt the Royal kitchens can boast. It also takes many hours of soaking to get it palatable. Thank you for the offer, nonetheless."
"Can I heal it for you? It wouldn't be any trouble," Sarah offered, boldly for her.
Again, he smiled, "No, my dear, it is a small thing and would not enhance nor lengthen my life. I thank you, but I shall take my leave now."
We all walked with him to the front doors. It was painful to watch him walk away. We all wanted to rush after him and heal all his physical, mental, and emotional wounds. Kendar closed the doors to block our view of him which snapped us out of our obsessive gaze. Silently, we followed him and Mary back to our room. Servants were informed we would be having breakfast there. We still could not believe that the Baaloc had seen us all twice now, me three times, and still thought we were only handmaidens. By the time food arrived, we had shaken off our mood and were chatting freely. Mary ate a bit, then left to "join the party" of the very public procession that would be leaving shortly. Kendar left shortly after her to gather our party for our journey. We continued to eat plus gather our personal items for the trip. By the time the dishes were gathered, we were ready and Kendar had returned. We followed him to the stables, got our horses saddled, and were ready when we heard the muffled cheers of the city watching the parade. While it would have been nice to see it, we needed to be on our way. The Royal Family, Mara, Marrissa, Mamar, and Mattis saw us off as we left with Tymara and her troop through a concealed exit tunnel that kept us away from the main gates and road and pointed us toward the forest. Once outside the walls, we proceeded at a fast trot. Even though the elves had no horses, they kept pace with us easily. We entered the forest near the palace just after mid-day. Only the trees kept us from seeing the towers receding behind us. We had to slow because of the unevenness of the trail, the winding course it took, and the need to be on alert for the inhabitants of the forest. Anna and the elves provided entertainment by telling us the history of parts of the forest. I could sense many eyes watching us. Most left once curiosity was satisfied. Others, mainly elves, watched to insure we were doing what we said we would. Tymara and the troop relayed what they had learned about the Baalocs to those watching. I could feel their anger and see pockets of red shining in the trees. A few hours later, we received a message that any Baaloc entering Brimgrove would be turned away at best, killed at worst. Other minds, not elf, dragon, or anything I had felt before told us the "demon-clad" or "demon-skins" would never enter the shadow of Brimgrove without facing some sort of resistance. A cool wave swept through the forest. The look on the elves' faces told me that this was something amazing and special. We didn't really stop until dark. We paused a few times for water and to rest the horses. We kept our fire small so as to not frighten the night creatures too much. The human soldiers took a while to get comfortable enough to sleep. The elves form of rest wasn't really sleep as humans know it. Of course, the swords don't sleep at all. I fell asleep rather quickly.

Day 140(118th):
When we awoke, our camp was fuller than it had been the previous night. We had been joined by a couple of dryads who's trees we had slept under, a small squad of centaurs, and a herd of unicorns. While the dryads and centaurs were sociable, the unicorns were so clinging and needy as to be uncomfortable. They hung around us and followed us every step. The presence of the soldiers eventually caused them to leave. I could still feel them hanging around just at the edge of my perception. The centaurs and dryads bid us good travels as we continued easterly through the forest. It was a good thing the elves were in the lead and the men were guiding the horses. I found myself drifting mentally. It was like walking through a crowded city. Snatches of conversations, songs, tales, and other things flitted through my mind. I found myself getting caught up in these things, whole sections of time flew by as I was absorbed in them. Before I knew it, food was being pushed into my hands and Callie was nearly screaming at me. I apologized and let them all in on the reason for my distraction. They were amazed at everything I was hearing. Anna had gotten through the histories we had passed through. Alice, as well as the rest, had to actually see it to receive anything. Tymara confirmed I was reaching several miles to villages we were skirting. Kendar suggested pulling my senses back to avoid this overload of emotions and perceptions I was getting. I agreed and limited my sensing to ourselves and a bit around us. The unicorns were still there.

Days 141-146 (119th-124th):
For nearly a week, we traveled under the cool canopy of the forest. The human soldiers became more at ease in this place but were still alert for dangers. A few had turned back to Raval as they could no longer be in "this accursed forest". Many mornings, I awoke being cuddled by a least one unicorn. As the Faerie Queen had said, other wild animals followed us and visited us. Kendar befriended a young stray pup. He took off the pendant and the pup still came to him.Wounds upon the puppy testified to a hard life. Kendar kept him in the saddle. Feeling him out, we found the pup referred to himself as "Runt", but Kendar renamed him. Asking the elves, he came up with Larz, a figure out of their history known for surviving many hardships. Other animals that followed us were a small family of deer. Our soldiers and the one wizard who stayed did not harm any of them. The male of this group was a magnificent buck. So regal did he appear, we called him King. A full-grown doe was always near him and earned the title of Queen. One morning, Lisa awoke to find a large snake curled up next to her. Afraid at first, she eased away from it. We looked at it and found it to not be poisonous. It climbed Lisa and settled upon her shoulders like a large rope. Tymara said some elves gain animal friends this way. He identified himself as Bough, as in part of a tree. Lisa called him Bo.