章節 43: The elders plan

For roughly the next three months, life continued the same. Spring came and the snow melted while the two trained. Leo was now taking on the whole warrior group at once for training, and Iris was an invisible killer in the forest. Since they seemed to be doing well in their physical training, it was decided that it was time for the educational stuff. But there was something that needed to be done first though, the wedding. The last full moon just passed and there was now less than a week until the wedding left. Leo however had another worry, just a few days prior, elder grandma and Natalie disappeared with Iris.

Leo was walking around nervously. He was feeling nervous about the wedding to start with, but Iris taking off scared him. His biggest fear was her deciding she didn't want to be with him. There was no chance of that happening, but with the anxiety he was feeling he considered it. He had another worry, as promised the village women jumped him and interrogated him about earth weddings. He thought they wanted to incorporate traditions from both worlds. As all these thoughts raced through his head, he suddenly felt a slap on his back.

"You shouldn't look so worried right before your wedding. I know you're nervous, but you need to relax a little or Iris might start getting second thoughts!" Jack said as an attempt to perk Leo up. It didn't work. Realizing his words had an opposite effect from what he intended, Jack pulled out what he brought for Leo to begin with.

"Hey, some of us are getting a drink before the big event. As the groom, you're pretty much obligated to join us. No negotiations." Leo could only look helpless at jacks forced invitation. He figured it was their idea of a bachelor party. Leo realized there was one good thing about being in this world, he wouldn't wake up the next morning married to a stripper or something.

"Alright, but I haven't drank more than a cup or two. You guys will probably spend the night partying after I pass out or something." Laughing at Leo's words while remembering his first night at the village, Jack led him to the party that the hunters and warriors prepared for him. None of them realizing that his werewolf abilities allowed him to drink them all under the table, while he never even so much as caught a buzz.

***

Elder grandma led both Natalie and Iris to a place she had kept secret for over a thousand years, Asdarge. She had to slow down for the two of them, so it took almost two days to reach the place at their fastest speed. She led them through the ancient city until they reached the place where she placed her husbands headstone. Before either woman could ask, she informed them,

"This is the spot chose to remember my husband at. I could never find his body after the attack, so I could only place this where I thought it would appropriate. I wanted you to come see it, before you get married. I would come here every year after I started raising you Iris, and tell him about you. Foolish of me, I know. But it helped me hold onto his memory, and even if he can't hear me I wanted to tell him about the child we couldn't have ourselves." Iris looked at the monument in wonder. She never heard elder grandma talk so much about her past, besides the night Leo confirmed he was a champion. However there was something that bugged her about the monument.

"How come it doesn't say his name?" She asked in simple curiosity. Elder grandma sighed at her question, and replied,

"I don't want to risk vandals if anyone should ever find this place. I don't doubt that his name was slandered after dying. Should my plan work, then perhaps a proper monument might be raised someday. Though if that happens, it depends on Leo." Not explaining her words, elder grandma walked off towards the remains of the castle. Natalie and Iris looked at each other in surprise, before quickly following her. Before Iris could ask what she meant, elder grandma started talking again.

"I didn't just bring you here to see the stone, I also wanted to give you your wedding presents. I managed to keep some things safe when we were attacked, but I don't have any use for them now. As such I locked them away in the castle; for what, I don't know. But now that the two of you are heading out to fight champions, it only seems fitting that I pass whatever's left on to you."

They both continued following her in silence, as elder grandma led them up into the ruins. They traveled many flights of stairs and down many hallways. As they walked Iris couldn't help but admire the castle. She had never been out of the village besides the forest. As such she had never seen such amazing architecture in person, even if it was just a ruin. Finally elder grandma stopped and after some fiddling on a patch of wall, it opened up and showed a room on the the other side.

"This is where I hid the things I want to give to you. Most are magically enchanted, and even after all these years they might still work." Elder grandma started going through a chest in the room and examining each item, as if to recall its use before setting them down to the side. As she continued, Iris recalled what she said outside about something depending on Leo. She turned to elder grandma and asked,

"What did you mean before about things depending on Leo?" Elder grandma stopped what she was doing, and turned to look at Iris. She slowly stood and looked the young woman in the eye.

"After I tell you, you can't talk to Leo about it until after the wedding. I plan to tell him myself." Iris realized that she was serious and gave her word that she wouldn't tell Leo whatever she was planning. Elder grandma nodded and smiled, before revealing her plan.

"I plan on making Leo a king."