When she opened her eyes, Nessalir found herself surrounded by the green glow of the underground bugs. She was lying once more upon the bed of moss, in the cavern beneath the great tree in the heart of the forest. She sat up, and marveled at the fact that she felt no pain.

  If this is death, she thought, then it is perhaps more pleasant than I'd feared.

  She stood, and braced herself for the disorientation she was certain she'd feel, but it did not come. Experimentally, Nessalir stretched her limbs and flexed her muscles. She was healed—not even her shoulder injury bothered her anymore.

  Nessalir was also naked. Looking about the cavern, she discovered her clothing and her possessions id out upon a stone sb. This sb, she was certain, had not been present during her previous night in this cave. For a moment, she wondered from whence it had come, but soon she dismissed those concerns and dressed herself.

  To her surprise, beneath the leathers and furs, Nessalir also found her sword and ax. The Green Man, it seemed, had retrieved them from the riverbed.

  She saw no sign of the wood's guardian now, though Nessalir did not doubt that he was nearby. Quickly, she dressed herself and, after testing to ensure they remained sharp and sturdy, stowed her weapons at her side.

  So prepared, Nessalir climbed the natural steps leading up out of the cavern and soon emerged into the clearing beneath the great tree. Huunang remained tethered where she had left him, and he looked up from his grazing to snort and walk a few steps to her, pressing his head against her chest.

  "Did you miss me?" she asked her steed, and pat his head as she did so. He whinnied in response, and rubbed himself against her.

  From across the meadow, a voice spake: "You slept for two days while the magic worked its way through you."

  There, among the trees, Nessalir beheld a shape, tall and sturdy, which slowly took the form of a man dressed in armor of gnarled wood. The Green Man strode forth from the forest, and he came to a stop just a few short paces away from her.

  "Thank you," she said. "You recovered me?"

  "You fought for the forest," said the Green Man. "And the Heart Beasts as well."

  Nessalir nodded. "I saw you die, Guardian."

  "You saw a Guardian," the Green Man told her. "You did not see me die."

  Now Nessalir grew annoyed. "I would think I would recognize a man I fought, y with, and fought beside! That big man, Hrolnar, he cut you nearly in two. How is it now that you can walk about as though it never happened? Is it the same magic which restored me, or is there some other trickery afoot?"

  She would have continued, but at that moment the wind changed its direction, and from the Green Man she could smell the distinct scent of tree sap. It was not, as she had expected, sweet berries.

  The Green Man, perhaps seeing the shock on her face, spoke softly, comfortingly. "As I said, you saw a Guardian die. But the forest must have its sentinel, and so I was raised up to protect the woodnds."

  "Then… you are not he?"

  "I am not, mortal."

  The sorrow she felt upon hearing those words, Nessalir could hardly fathom. Why should she so mourn a man whom she had met merely a day before? Surely he was little different from the scores of lovers she had taken and then left in her life, or taken and then lost. And yet she mourned him, deeply, and wondered at it.

  "I see," said Nessalir.

  The Green Man pced his hand on her shoulder. "It is a natural thing, mortal. You have no need for sorrow. He enjoyed his time with you; this I know, for his memories remain. The forest does not forget."

  Nessalir nodded, and said nothing.

  In time, the Green Man removed his hand. He walked away, and returned to the cavern beneath the tree. Nessalir watched him go. When he was gone, she shared a look with Huunang, and then prepared to take her leave.

  Together, she and her steed left the meadow. They made their way through the trees, past boughs both ancient and young, and sooner than Nessalir would have imagined, they were standing on the dirt road once again. Nessalir mounted Huunang, took his reins, and readied herself for the journey ahead.

  As they walked the road, Nessalir became aware of movement on all sides of her. Emerging from the trees were horses, with coats of brilliant white, and spiralling horns growing from their heads.

  The unicorns bowed to her as she passed, lowering their heads and pointing their horns to the ground. They bowed deep, and they bowed with respect. And the final unicorn looked at Nessalir with gratitude, and she saw his bruises and the marks upon his coat, and she recognized and acknowledged him.

  Then the unicorns were gone, hidden once more from the world, and Nessalir the Red rode on her horse Huunang, on her journey through the woods toward Paeliig.

  Thank you for reading Nessalir the Red. I have determined that the current update schedule is not sustainable given everything else I have going on, so this webnovel is going to take a month-long hiatus, and when it returns it will only be updating once a week, on Thursdays. Nessalir the Red will return on June 19th.