For as long as Vivianne could remember, her parents did not get along with her grandfather. Her parents had always kept him away from her, but one time he came into her room. She was only six back then. She remembered him standing over her bed when she was sick again, putting his large hand on her forehead with a sad smile on his bearded face. She remembered him giving her a piece of parchment with some scribbles on it. He'd given her a short message along with the parchment, and had then disappeared, never to be seen again.

She still remembered his message clearly.

"Take good care of this. It may one day save your life. But do not show your parents, for they would never believe it."

***

It was a treasure map. Twelve years later, she saw one in a book and finally understood it.

Viv took it out of the small wooden box she'd stored it in. She hadn't looked at this thing in years, but it was so clear now. A map. Viv peered at the parchment for a long time, but she could not decipher what the different shapes meant. For about two seconds she considered asking her father, but remembering her grandfather's message, she brushed the thought aside quickly.

Her parents didn't like made-up stories. They didn't like stories that they could not confirm with facts. They were business people. They did not take chances with fiction. So when their daughter had fallen ill, they had only let proper doctors see her. No charlatans or other swindlers. Only people who relied on science. Proper medicine was the only thing that could save their daughter. Other things might only harm her more.

But even proper medicine had done nothing for her. She'd fallen more and more ill every passing week until the doctor had diagnosed her with the most horrible illness known in all of Aeberon: Tardamors. Her parents had kept her inside for as long as she could remember because of this. She would watch through the window how other children played. Only her best friend, Ruby, would come to her house and play with her through the window. Despite the glass between them, their friendship never faded.

And then, just yesterday, that same doctor had told her that she only had a few more months to live. Tardamors was slowly killing her. She could feel it. Sudden bolts of pain would shoot through her muscles, or she would pass out all of a sudden, or she would simply be unable to get out of bed. Her illness had no cure. All she could do was wait until it all ended.

Viv stared at the map in her hands, feeling tears burn behind her eyes. It didn't save me, granddad, she thought. It never got a chance to save me.

But perhaps it wasn't yet too late. The thought made her sit up straight. What if what her grandfather had told her was true? What if this map really could save her? More than ever, she wondered where it led. But the wavy lines on the parchment made no sense to her. How was she supposed to follow a map she couldn't read?

Ruby. Perhaps she was just the person Viv needed. Ruby was adventurous. She was seeing the world; all of Aeberon and beyond. She would leave for days on end, sometimes even weeks, and then came back with the most wonderful stories. Would she know how to read a map?

***

It was three days later when the expected knock on her window finally came. Viv was sitting at her desk, looking over the map for the hundredth time, when three soft knocks on her window broke her out of her thoughts. She jumped up and rushed over, immediately pushing the window open. "Red!"

Ruby smiled, though Viv didn't miss the worry in her eyes. "Woah, calm down," she laughed. "Are you sure you shouldn't close that window? Keep the diseases out? You never know what I bring back with me, what with all the weird places I go."

Viv couldn't help but laugh out loud. She probably sounded like an idiot, but it didn't matter. Not anymore. "I'm so happy to see you, Red. It's been too long. How were your travels? Tell me, where have you been?"

"You first," said Ruby. "I can tell there's something on your mind. What is it?"

"It's..." Viv hesitated for a moment. But if she was going to do this, now was just as good a time as any. "Okay, I have something to show you. Have you ever read a treasure map?"

"I've read normal maps. Treasure maps aren't so different. Why?"

"I have one."

Ruby's jaw dropped. "You have a treasure map?"

"Ssh!" Viv glanced over her shoulder to and listened carefully for her parents' voices. It didn't seem like they'd heard anything. "My granddad gave it to me years ago, I just never knew what it was. Will you please just close your mouth and come have a look?"

Ruby snapped her mouth shut. She approached the window Viv held open for her and climbed through. "Is this it?"

"Do you know how to read it?"

"Yeah, of course I do!" said Ruby. "Look, these long lines are roads, the triangles are mountains, and those little drawings here are trees. So if you --"

"Hang on," Viv interrupted her friend. "The squiggly shapes are trees? You must be joking."

Ruby grinned. "I'm not. They're trees. Oversimplified drawings of trees. Map makers aren't artists. They use shapes as simple as possible to represent things. That bunch of trees all together there represents a forest. In fact, if you'll let me speak this time, it represents this forest, right out here."

Viv followed Ruby's gaze through the window. Her eyes widened. "This is our forest? So this," she pointed to a spot next to the crudely drawn trees, "is right here?"

"Well..." Ruby pointed along the edge of the treeline. "This is right here. Which means that the red X, the location of the treasure, isn't actually that far away. It's near the mountains, past the forest. About... half a day's ride?"

"Really?" Viv's eyes lit up. She'd expected a difficult journey, which her health would barely, if at all, allow her to complete. But this didn't sound too complicated. Perhaps even she could handle this. "So you'll help me find it?"

When Ruby hesitated, Viv held her breath. There was one thing she hadn't told her best friend yet, and that was that this request might very well turn out to be her final, dying wish, considering how her illness was developing. She didn't want to tell her. Not yet. Ruby had a tendency to act all tough, but when it came down to it, she was as soft as the marshmallows she'd loved so much as a kid.

Still, if Viv had to play that card to convince her friend to help her with this, she would.

"Fine," said Ruby eventually, making Viv squeal with joy. "Are you sure you're healthy enough, though? We can always do it next time I'm in town."

No, we cannot. Viv swallowed the words and nodded. "I'm healthy enough, I promise. When do we leave?"

"Meet me at the edge of town, tomorrow at dawn."

***

Getting away from her parents was the tricky part. She knew asking them would only lead to a fight, and would result in them locking her up and making sure she would never be able to leave the house again. But she didn't want to worry them too much, either, after all they'd done for her. In the end, she decided to leave a note explaining she was with Ruby, that she'd be back soon, safe and sound, and then she snuck out of her bedroom window.

It was cold for a spring morning. Viv was glad she'd decided to switch out her usual long, flowy dresses for thick trousers and a woolen vest to keep her warm. She soon spotted her friend just past the last cottages of the town, waiting for her with two horses in tow.

Ruby grinned when she spotted Viv. "It's been a while since I've seen you out and about. You do remember how to ride a horse, don't you?"

Viv patted the horse's neck awkwardly. "I'm sure I'll manage."

The forest was dark, as the trees blocked out most of the light that the rising sun offered them. But as long as they took up a slow pace, the horses did not seem to mind.

"We're going to take a bit of a detour through the woods," said Ruby after a few minutes of riding. "Because of all the creatures that live here. We want to avoid the most dangerous ones."

Viv nodded. "Sounds good, Red. Good thing you know this place so well."

"Like the back of my hand," she boasted. "This forest is where I got my first taste of adventure. I used to roam about here every day."

Viv knew this, of course, but Ruby liked telling the story.

The forest was fascinating. Throughout the ride, Ruby changed their direction every now and again, saying things like, "If we go that way, we'll run into a pack of centaurs. They're incredibly aggressive," or "There's a kelpie living somewhere that way. We'd better go around, or it'll try to lure us in. Once it gets you, you won't get out alive." At one point Viv even spotted a hippogriff flying overhead. She'd read about all these creatures and heard about them during Ruby's stories, but she'd never seen them for herself before.

The sun stood high in the sky, when Ruby finally slowed her horse to a walking pace. They'd left the forest behind now, and in front of them stretched massive mountains; the ones Viv had always seen out of her window. They'd looked so small then.

"I haven't been this far very often," said Ruby. "I don't know the way here. Can I see the map again?"

"Sure." Viv halted her horse and rummaged in her backpack, before handing the map over to her friend. "If I understood it right, it should be just next to the mountain, shouldn't it?"

Ruby studied the parchment, tracing her finger along the route. "I think... Hmm..." She thought for a moment longer before concluding, "I think we need to go up the mountain, actually."

"Up?" Viv's eyes widened. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Sorry, I'm afraid not. It doesn't seem to be all the way up, though. If the drawing is right, anyway. You never know with these treasure maps."

Worried, Viv followed her friend's lead and tied her horse to a nearby tree. Up the mountain... Horse riding she could do; it was the horse that would need to put in the most energy. But climbing up a mountain? With her health issues? She'd never done anything like that before.

"Don't worry." Ruby put her hand on Viv's arm. "I'll help you."

Looking into Ruby's eyes, all Viv saw was determination. Where her own resolve was shaken, Ruby still held on to hope. Her friend hadn't given up. And neither would she. "Okay. Let's do it."

Together, they made their way slowly up the side of the mountain. Viv walked in front, do that she could determine the right pace and, she suspected, so that Ruby could keep a close eye on her.

They were barely a few meters up when Viv's heart started racing. She was panting already. She was afraid to look up, as she didn't want to see how much of a walk they still had ahead of them. Instead, she looked at the ground beneath her feet and trudged on. Keep going, she kept telling herself. Just keep walking.

Ruby still looked down at the map every now and then while they walked. It wasn't until they reached a plateau that Viv let herself sink back down to the ground to rest. She sat against a tree and closed her eyes, feeling the pain in her muscles slowly ebb away. Even her lungs hurt from all the huffing and puffing.

Still, Ruby stared at the parchment. "There's something weird about these drawings," she muttered, turning the parchment slowly around in her hands. "There's something off, but I can't put my f--"

All of a sudden her face paled. "Oh no..."

Viv sat up, concern written across her face. "What is it, Red?"

"These drawings, they aren't trees at all!" Ruby exclaimed. "When you hold the map sideways, they look more like... dragons."

"What?"

Viv had barely processed what her friend was saying, when a roar tore through the air. The sun was blocked out by three enormous, monstrous dragons. Bright red scales and pointy spines charged right at them.

"RUN!"

Viv didn't need the encouragement. She scrambled to her feet and sprinted after Ruby as fast as her legs would carry her.

The plateau was larger than Viv had realised, considering she hadn't had a chance to properly look around. Much of it was covered in trees, just like the rest of the mountainside they'd walked so far. Only further up did the trees thin. They sprinted between the cover of the foliage, but the dragons did not let up. Viv could hear them roaring and their wings flapping like thunder behind them.

They had barely crossed half the plateau when she felt herself slow down. Her legs buckled. Her chest stung. The muscles all over her body felt like they were on fire.

"Viv!" Ruby screamed ahead of her. "Keep running!"

"I can't..." She gasped for air. "I can't..."

Ruby turned. With a panicked look over Viv's shoulder, she grabbed her friend by the arm, placed her own around Viv's back and carried her forward. They ran as fast as they could, but Viv knew she wouldn't last much longer. Her body was giving up on her.

"There!" Ruby shouted all of a sudden.

With renewed energy she lifted Viv higher up and all but dragged her forward. Then, all of a sudden, a cave doomed up between the trees. But they had barely taken two steps when Viv's knees buckled and she fell to the ground.

"Viv!" Ruby screamed. "Run! Get to that cave, now!"

Viv didn't hesitate. She gathered all her remaining strength and got to her feet, before stumbling past Ruby and towards the cave as fast as she could. When she reached the entrance, she chanced a look over her shoulder, only to see Ruby diving between the trees, waving at the dragons like a lunatic. What is she doing?

"Red!" Viv was ready to turn around and go back for her, but at that moment, Ruby reappeared, sprinting straight at her at top speed. One of the dragons was right behind her. It opened its massive jaws to show sharp teeth as long as Ruby's entire arm. "RED!"

And just as the biggest, fastest dragon snapped its jaws shut, Ruby dove past Viv into the cave. It slammed into the edge, sending a shockwave through the ground and a rain of rock flying by the entrance of the cave.

Ruby grabbed Viv's hand and pulled her backwards, until they both stood with their back against the rock surface. The dragon roared furiously, but it stayed outside. As if the cave was off-limits for it. Perhaps the entrance was too small for it to fit through.

As the adrenaline quickly wore off, Viv's legs gave out. She sank down against the rock wall. Her breathing was ragged, and her eyelids much too heavy.

"Viv?" Ruby kneeled beside her and placed her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "Viv, look at me. It's going to be alright. We're safe... for now, anyway. I'll find a way out. Viv, please, look at me."

"It almost... got you," Viv gasped between heaves. "You should... not have... done that."

"I saved you," said Ruby. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Viv looked up at the girl she'd called her best friend since childhood. Her eyes were wide with worry, as her fiery hair fell over her shoulders. Even shaken and terrified, she was still the most beautiful person Viv had ever laid eyes on. She'd always thought that was simply because she didn't get to see too many people, but perhaps Ruby truly was the most beautiful girl in the world. The thought made her chuckle, despite being unable to get any more words out.

That seemed to calm Ruby. Her shoulders relaxed and she lowered herself beside Viv, giving Viv a good view of the rest of the cave. What she saw made her heart stop all over again.

For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating. On the other side of the cave lay a nest. Big enough to be a dragon's, but with a different creature entirely sitting atop it. It was a bird. A pure white bird with the neck of a swan but otherwise looking more like an enormous dove. Viv recognised it from the pictures in one of the books Ruby had once given her; one of the ones she had to hide from her parents because they didn't believe in it. The creature was beautiful. And it looked straight at her.

"Viv?"

Viv looked up at her dear friend, who sat with her head in her hands. She tried to speak, but her mouth refused to form the words. All that came out was a whispered, "Bird..." At wits end, she tried to lift her arm to point, but her muscles had given up. She could feel the fog in her brain taking over. She could feel her eyelids growing heavier still. The pain in her chest had long faded to the background, but only because a heavy haze overwhelmed it. "Bird..." she whispered again. "Bird..." But the darkness took over.

***

Ruby leaned over her friend, shaking her shoulders, trying to keep her awake. The only response she got was a quiet whisper, barely louder than the wind.

"Viv, please, wake up! Come on, don't do this to me. I promised I'd keep you safe. Don't make me break that promise."

Her heart stopped when her best friend's eyes finally fully closed, along with a final whisper. "Bird..."

She'd caught it this time. Bird. But why was her final word bird? Confused, Ruby looked around, until something white caught the corner of her eye. A shriek escaped her when she finally spotted the creature. Pristine white, barely a quarter the size of those dragons but still almost as tall as herself. In a reflex, Ruby threw herself in front of Viv. She would protect her, if it was the last thing she did.

But the bird only cocked its head at her.

Bird. Ruby's eyes widened. Wasn't that what Viv had whispered before she passed out? She meant this bird! But... Why? Was it safe? Did she simply want to see it once before she finally lost the struggle against her illness?

The bird did not seem aggressive. All it did was stare at them. So Ruby snaked her arms under Viv's legs and back, and carried her over to the creature. She lay her down beside the nest, just far enough away to do something if the bird decided to attack after all.

"Look, Viv," she said softly, stroking her best friend's blonde hair out of her face. "The bird. He's right here. He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Was this it? Would she lose Viv forever, only because she decided to allow her a little adventure in her life? Only because she'd allowed her the one thing she'd always craved, but had forever been denied?

"I'm sorry, Viv." Her voice broke when she spoke again. "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to show you that the world could be a beautiful place, too."

Viv never responded.

A soft caw came from the bird, but Ruby barely noticed it move through the tears clouding her eyes. All she could see through the haze was a white shape, bending forward. Angry that the creature would get too close to her friend, Ruby wiped her eyes with one arm and raised the other to swat the bird away --

But she froze halfway through the movement.

The bird held its beak over Viv's heart, bobbing up and down like a drunk parrot. Its bright white feathers lit up, illuminating the entire cave. Ruby heard the dragons roar once more outside, but she was too busy staring to pay it any mind.

Viv moved. At first it was just her arm, twitching as if she had an itch. Then it was a groan, making Ruby gasp with hope.

"Viv?" she called again.

The bird's glow faded, just as Viv opened her eyes. She blinked furiously a few times, as if to chase the sleep from her eyes, before they landed on Ruby. "Red," she whispered. "What happened? Where are we?"

"The cave." Ruby felt herself tear up again, but this time it was accompanied by a wide smile. "We're still in the cave. The bird... It did something."

She gestured towards the creature, and Viv followed her gaze. Her eyes lit up. "You saved me, didn't you?" she asked the bird. "You took away the illness?"

The bird cawed quietly in response, bowing its head.

"It took away the Tardamors?" said Ruby, astonished. She'd never heard of such a thing.

"I think so." Viv nodded, her eyes still on the bird. "This is a caladrius. I've read about them. They're supposed to be mythical, but this creature fits the description perfectly. It's supposed to have healing powers. I remember, because it was one of very few things rumoured to be able to make me better -- if it existed. I never believed it did, because my parents didn't either. But given that I just woke up from what I thought was going to be my last faint, I'm assuming he's the one that saved me. Unless you have secrets powers you've never told me about?"

Ruby laughed out loud at the cheeky grin her best friend shot her. "I can assure you, I do not. But you're right, the bird did something. It glowed, lit up the entire cave. Wait... What's it doing now?"

The two friends watched as the creature stood up to its full length and stepped out of its nest. With one last caw, it flapped its wings and flew out of the cave. From where they sat, the girls could just spot the dragons fly in a circle around it, before they all vanished into the distance.

With a frown, Viv said, "Do you think the dragons are its guards? It seems they were trying to protect it."

Ruby was lost for words. For a few moments, they both simply stared out of the cave together. Ruby took her friend's hand and squeezed it. "Don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

"I won't." Viv smiled, interlacing their fingers. "I'm alright now. I'm alright forever. I feel so much better; better than I ever have. My head doesn't feel heavy, my lungs aren't burning, my muscles don't hurt. I feel like I could climb another mountain."

Ruby grinned. "I'm never going near mountains again."

"Fair enough," Viv chuckled. "Perhaps I can go on an adventure with you, now that I'm all better? I mean, if you don't mind me getting in your way, of course."

Ruby's heart picked up. Viv coming with her on her travels? Nothing sounded more appealing to her. She jumped to her feet and held out her hand for her best friend. "You'd better keep up then."

Viv smiled and let Ruby help her up. Hand in hand, they walked out of the cave together, into the radiant sunlight. 

Round 4.1

Prompt: Write an action/adventure story based on one of the pictures from the list. My choice: 

Word count: 3991