The following day, I found myself up some time before the sun. The excitement of a new adventure and learning more about the Torro, from the person herself was too much. I could not sleep knowing that I may solve the mystery of what had happened in this manor one hundred years ago.

Everyone knew the Torro was involved. That a queen from that time was part of the manor’s family before the Le Rod family ceased to exist. A rich and powerful noble house did not disappear so easily without no one knowing what had happened to them.

But, now living in the manor and having met the Torro, even if it was for a few short minutes, has made me more curious about this tale. The Torro knew someone in the family, a woman named Rosabella, maybe even loved her. She was part of a human portrait. Not to mention the fact that she was looking after the garden of a long-gone noble family and standing by what looked to be a grave at the back of the same garden. My guess was that Rosabella had been buried there.

I shook the thoughts away and got out of bed. The sun was starting to peek from the east. I needed to get moving if I wanted to get to the Torro’s home before midday. I quickly got dressed and grabbed the bag I packed the night before.

Opening my bag, I reached for the small bag the old man had given me and closed the bag. Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I hurried downstairs and made my way to the kitchen. Grabbing some bread I left on the table, I used the door connecting the kitchen to the garden to go outside. Making my way through to the garden, I picked a bunch of blue roses as I went pass.

I finally came to a stop in front of the cherry tree. It was no longer blooming and the blue roses had completely withered. I knelt down and placed the freshly picked roses onto to the ground.

I stood up and said, “Rosabella, or whoever you are, please watch over the manor for me while I’m gone.” And with that, I walked towards the very door the Torro had left from two months.

***

It had been two hours since I left the manor, and I had still not come across anything magical. I guess the stories were wrong when they said that every inch of this place was covered with monsters and magical creature of the seven realms.

The forest was pretty normal for a place that was meant to link the human realm to other realms, especially the Fae realm. However, one thing that stop me from forgetting the danger of this forest was the fact that it was quieter than normal.

The door led to a path through the forest like the map had said. The path had obviously not been used often and was beat up, with plants starting to grow over it. The map had said to stay to the path, making me feel a bit like that little girl who was travelling through a forest to  visit her grandmother. I heard the tale when I was younger. I wondered if the Torro was part of that story. She had been part of most tales of magic and adventure in the human realm.

As I turned right with the path, I found myself looking towards the most beautiful paradise I’d even seen. The clearing was a scene of peace and tranquillity. A huge waterfall flowed into a crystal, clear river filled with various fish and other aquatic animals. On opposite side of river from where I was standing, was a field of roses of every colour imageable. Red, yellow, blue, black, white, pink, and so on.

For a moment I forgot that I was still in a monster ridden forest. Looking back at my side of the river, I saw a small cottage at the edge of the clearing. It was made of stone and was surrounded by a small wooden fence. The back of the cottage had a small garden which looked to be a herb garden.

Looking down at the map, I realised that the cottage in front of me was my final stop. It was the home of the Torro. Looking at the small cottage, I felt a pang of disappointment. For all her greatest, I did not expect her to live in a place like this. Maybe a palace or fortress or even a mansion, but never a place as small and simple as this cottage.

Swallowing the disappointment like bitter medicine, I walked forward, toward the front door. I lifted my hand and knocked on the door twice. The noise echoed loudly as I knocked.

I dropped my hand and cried out loudly, “Hello, anyone home. It’s me, Cal. The person you spoke to four months ago in the…”

The door slammed opened and a hand covered my mouth before I could finish my sentence. Looking up, I found myself staring at a very angry woman. No, a very angry Fae. The Torro.

She was dressed in a short white tunic and long black pants. Black boots cover her feet and daggers hung from a belt on her waist. “Are you crazy? You’re going to attract unwanted monsters to my home. I don’t have the time or energy to deal with them right now.”

She looked at me properly for the first time and narrowed her eyes. She removed her hand from my mouth and pointed at the locket I was wearing around my neck. “Where did you get that from?” she hissed at me.

“Um… I got it from an old man selling magical items in the village.” Remembering the bracelet he gave me, I pulled it out of my bag and handed it to her. “He also gave me this to give to you and tell you it was from an old friend.”

She took the bracelet from me and huffed, “Of course he would. He’s always up to something. Damn old…” She muttered, placing the bracelet in the pocket of her pants, before continuing. “Thank you, now please leave. You’ve done what you needed to do.”

She grabbed the door to close it, but I held out my arm out, stopping her from closing the door. I could not miss this chance to talk to her properly for the second time. This may be my last chance to really find out happened to the Le Rod family. “Wait please. I haven’t finished. My real reason for coming here is to ask you of something. I want to know happened to the Le Rod family.”

She went still for a second before she hissed, “I don’t have time to tell some human boy tales.”

“The name’s Cal.” I mumbled.

“Well Cal.” she spat, “I’m leaving the human realm tomorrow so I don’t have time for you. Go back home.” She started to close the door again.

“Then let me come with you.” The words tumbled out my mouth before I could think.

“What.”

“People are always coming to you, wanting to listen to you tell tales of your adventures, right?” She nodded. “Well, what if I came with you as you travel. You can tell me your stories as we travel and I can write them down and spread them in the human world.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you do that? To become famous and make money off my stories by changing them and making them your own.”

“No, I want to listen to you about your tales of adventure. You’re a legend, someone who’s lived through the greatest tales.”  I looked away sheepishly and murmured, “I also may want to know who Rosabella is and how she’s connected to the Le Rod family.”

Suddenly, she grabbed me by the collar of my tunic and hissed, “Who told you that name?”

“No one.” I cough. “I found a portrait with you in it. There was another woman in it and I guessed that she must have been part of the Le Rod family. The plate on the portrait had the names Rosabella and Fer on it. There were other portraits with her and the Le Rod family. I’m guessing your name is Fer.”

She dropped me and turned away. “You’re right. Fer was my name.”

“Was?”

“It’s been a long time since someone has called me that name.” She looked back at me sighing. “You really want to know what happened in the manor.”

I nodded.

“Fine, you can come with me and I will tell you. However, if you die it will be your fault. I will not take responsibility for you. Write the stories down and spread them far and wide, I do not want to ever retell any of the stories I tell you. You understand?”

Again, I nodded my head and said, “Yes, I understand. The name is Cal by the way.” I held out my hand.

“I know.” she said walking inside the cottage ignoring the hand I offered. “You told me when we first met. Anyway, just call me Fer. I hate the name Torro.”