Forest of Blood: Chapter 1
The two knights turned into the small clearing and came to a stop. In front of them was the remains of a tree - the trunk was moss and vine covered. Actually, only the heart wood remained, but near the ground it was clear the tree was quite large when it was living. In front of the stump were three flowers with blooms of bright golden yellow around a flower blooming a deep royal blue.
Cromar looked at the scene in confusion. Hadn't Jedrik just told him for the last hour that only red flowers bloomed in this forest. But here was a direct contradiction, wasn't it? He turned to Jedrik but was cut off before he could utter a word. "The final stand was made here. King Ewan of Alegard, the leader of the Alliance against the Evil One and three of his most trusted generals. They fell at the base of this tree."
Cromar tilted his head and looked to Jedrik, "How long ago was this? I remember hearing of a great battle when I was but a boy, but it was always talked of as more of a myth?"
Jedrik shrugged, "It has been almost three hundred years I believe. Perhaps a little more. And it was quite real. Need you more proof than what you see here?"
"But.." Cromar objected, "If it has been that long, wouldn't the heartwood have decayed and rotted away by now? Oh...."
The elder knight smiled, the lad was catching on. "Were this a normal tree, perhaps. Those who know what the significance of this particular tree was have long since died, but it is believed to have held great power. King Ewan knew that this site would be the key to defeating the Evil One once and for all. In the final battle, the King and his generals perished but were able to vanquish the Evil One. The magic in the heartwood of the tree is what allows the King's flower and those of his generals to bloom in their battle colors."