Felix collapsed to the ground, exhausted and racked with pain. For three days and three nights, he had been running without pause. On the horizon behind him, a pillar of smoke wafted up into the heavens, letting the world know that the city of Troy had been razed. On that fateful night, the armies of Greece had broken through their mighty walls and set the city ablaze. The persistent flames were now the closest thing to life behind the blood-splattered ramparts. While his body was as dry as sand from thirst and blood loss, the half-dead wanderer couldn't help but cry in misery and agony. It was only last season that his family celebrated his twenty-fifth birthday. He had long since reached the league of manhood, was unable to protect his parents or his siblings when the Greeks stormed the city.
Felix remembered waking up to the sound of his front door being smashed in as the soldiers broke into the city. His father and brother were killed without mercy and he was stabbed in the side, a near fatal blow. He remembered falling to the floor, unable to stand or move as blood poured from his wound. Like savages, the soldiers took turns violating his sisters and mother in front of him, before killing them all and leaving him for dead.
With the fires of the burning buildings illuminating the dark night and smoke tearing at his throat, Felix staggered out of his home and fled the city, running past the horrors of the soldiers slaughtering his fellow Trojans. He was supposed to be a soldier of Troy, a valiant warrior that ignored all injuries and fought to the death for his city and its citizens. Not once had Felix thought to put on his armor or even lift up a sword. Not once did he think to go into battle to fight for Troy and all the people within its crumbling walls. He just ran, ran like a coward. He didn't even know why he had ran, as his heart and soul had lost the will to live.
Ignoring his burning thirst, the blood oozing from his side, and the rough ground tearing his feet like broken glass, Felix ran beneath the searing heat of the sun during the day and the pearled scythe-like moon at night, unaware of his surroundings and lacking the knowledge of why he was running at all. Now he was here, sprawled out on the ground of a forest and unable to take another step, with his only relief coming from the cool night air and soil beneath him leaching away the intense heat smoldering within his shredded body. He was more tired and in more pain than ever in his life, but all he desired was the relief of death. His family was dead and his home was destroyed, what was the point of living? Now Felix only hoped the ferryman Charon would pity his poor soul and bring him across the river Styx without payment.
As Felix prayed to the gods for a quick death, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. They were so soft on the forest floor that he wasn't sure if it was a person or an animal. All Felix knew was that he was not alone.
"Please don't help me. Please, just leave me here to die," he murmured with his voice raspy.
The stranger crouched down and placed their hand on his cheek, and from just that small touch, he knew it was a woman. She had the softest skin he had ever felt and the tender care that seemed to radiate from her palm and fingers eased his pain and calmed his shaking muscles in ways nothing else could. The woman leaned forward and her long soft hair brushed against his skin, making him shiver. As her face approached his, Felix wished he had the strength to open his eyes and see her face before his death.
"It is not time for you to leave this world. You still have a life to live," she whispered, speaking with the most beautiful voice that had ever blessed his ears.
She wrapped her arms around Felix and rolled him over with his head on her lap. He strained to open his eyes, just to get the slightest glimpse of her. All he saw was a green and blue glow and the silhouette of her long hair, but he also caught the scent of her breath, and the sweet fruity aroma smelled more tantalizing than the masterpiece of an apothecary. She pressed her fingers against his lips and poured water into his mouth from her cupped palm, quenching his stinging thirst. Cold as the sea in winter, the liquid crystal cooled his travel-worn body and calmed the fires of agony within him.
She brushed her soft hands against his face as his mind fell into warm darkness. "Sleep, sweet soul. Let your mind and body rest and heal so that you may continue to enjoy the bliss of life."
Felix's eyes opened and he gave a soft sigh. His whole body felt like it was bathing in warm wine, and while he was so exhausted that he couldn't move, he did feel more rested than before he fell asleep. He looked around, having only the strength to move his eyes. He was lying at the base of a tree on a bed of moss, as soft as a pillow and covered in a sheet of some mysterious material that was as smooth and flexible as water, but did not feel like it was made of animal skin or a natural fabric. It looked like it was made of woven straw, but it was softer than braided wool. He was covered with a blanket of the same material, and while it was quite thin, it held in more warmth than a thick quilt. Up above, the branches of the tree were bent down towards the ground and interlaced, forming a tightly knit canopy of wood and leaves, thorough enough to keep even the most persistent rain from leaking through. The canopy was so extensive that it formed two walls with the tree trunk as the third, creating a small egg-shaped bedchamber, almost like an animal den.
It was still night, but the forest seemed different from any forest Felix had ever seen before. Every tree and leaf appeared to have the faintest of auras, while the stars and moon glowed brighter than ever before. The air was filled with fireflies, further illuminating the forest and moving around the lush fruit that hung from every tree. About twenty paces away was a babbling brook, giving off the soothing sound of water on rock. Every spot of exposed ground was laden with short lush grass and thousands of flowers, all with different sizes, hues, and characteristics, but all equal in beauty. Rustling around in the trees were countless squirrels and birds, all more energetic and full of life than young children.
The former soldier wasn't so much exhausted now as he was peacefully tired, and every ounce of pain that had tormented him before was now gone. While the night air was cool, it was in no way chilly and uncomfortable. The mattress of moss he was lying on was warm and soft, and with the blanket over him, it felt like he was wrapped up in his own bed.
Felix's eyes widened as a figure of light came into view, walking through the shallow brook towards him. The figure approached and the light became dimmer and more focused, letting their features be distinguished. It was the woman from before, the woman who had saved him, and she was far more beautiful than he would have dared dream. Her skin was a light greenish-turquoise shade, while her long hair was of a much deeper and more bluish hue. Her eyes glowed like the stars that were sprinkled across the sky above and the smile upon her soft lips was more beautiful than a sunrise in Troy. She had the face of a goddess, with features that were illuminated seemingly by the light of the divine. She was wearing a dress of the same fabric as the sheet he was laying on, but it was covering her just enough so that Felix could see the tribal-style tattoos on her body.
She stepped out of the creek and walked towards him, with the plants glowing around her with each step of her bare feet. Perched on her shoulders were several tiny birds, all chirping, and rings of squirrels and field mice could be seen running laps around her feet, all desperate for her attention. As she approached, all the animals moved away from her and she fixed her gem-like eyes on Felix. Hypnotized by her beauty, the young wanderer held his breath as she crouched down beside him with a tender smile. She placed her soft hand on his cheek and he couldn't help but shiver from her touch.
"You are safe, weary traveler. I am Serenity, the forest nymph, and this is my paradise. Rest and recover without worry or fear."
Felix's eyes widened as the words were spoken by her angelic voice. Was it possible? A real nymph in the flesh? Everyone knew the legends, the myth of the nymphs and their genesis. The Olympians had a long history of intermingling with mortals and bearing many children, meeting someone with an Olympian parent was unusual, but not rare. But from time to time, a child would be born with special powers, inherited from their divine parent.
