Disdain and pity littered King Faroth’s feelings for the forest. His procession walked by him as horses never liked entering. This concerned Faroth but not enough to prevent him from reaching his goal. Immortality.

Two soldiers at the rear each carried a deer detailed by light yellow lines over its brown fur. Natives to the Eternal Forest. Faroth salivated at the venison meal planned once the trip ended, once his taste buds were that of a young man again. 

An elf lurched forward, bound by the wrists. He fell at the sudden boot of the man pushing him forward. “That’ll teach you. Bloody elf,” the guard said.

Faroth let the guards have fun with their prisoner. It would be good for the elves to realize who their true king was. They had found the elf at the entrance to the great forest. The perfect guide, according to Faroth, even if that guide was an unwilling one.

The grove they had been walking in narrowed until the procession marched single file, with Faroth at the front. He darted his eyes at the sudden danger he might be in. What higher man should lead his own procession? He grimaced at the thought and spat to the side, hitting a wall of vines and foliage.

The forest hummed around them. A sweet buzz like that of honey and the bees that make it. Then it began to thump like a stampede of beasts on the hunt for a fresh kill. It grew violent and louder the closer they came to the center. Faroth's ears were pounding at the Forest's screams. Feint clanging of swords and screams of men, facing the horrors of the wild when threatened emanated behind him, but he didn't look. His hands were clasped around his ears as he winced, but he kept going.

Vines scratched at his clothes and tugged at his skin as if they wanted him, to drag him down with the men he left behind in search for immortality. Blood sallied from his ears. All hope for them were gone and so Faroth abandoned them as well to the horrid sounds that took them. Once it left his ears, the vibrations moved to his body. The thumping turned into bashing and bashing into thrashing, all while Faroth sprinted to the center of the forest. 

The narrow path became human sized, but Faroth burst from the hole into a large opening. At least, he couldn't tell until he opened his eyes. But once he did, he could attest that what he saw truly was an open grove more beautiful than the last. His ears bled but the crystal stream and grass, green as mother nature herself erased all his memory of pain and loss of hearing.

At the center stood a throne ten feet in the air and an even larger green woman sat upon it. Her beauty struck Faroth harder than the grove itself. She beckoned him forward, as if her beauty wouldn't have done that alone. She spoke but no words entered his ear. The voice quaked through him like a tremor.

“Welcome to my domain. My name is Deannu.”

Deannu motioned her hand. A stream of flowing leaves entered his ears. A floodgate of sound roared through him. He could hear the brook and the wind flowing in the grass. More importantly, the woman's voice as smooth as silk made the best presence, much better than the voice that rocked his inner being.

"You. King of man. You seem to be lost."

Faroth regained his attention. "No, Ma'am of the forest. I have come to regain my splendor. Youth was lost on me long ago, but I have heard that you can restore it."

"So, you broke into my domain?"

"No. The young elf helped us." Faroth turned to look for the man with the sack cover but there was no one who followed, only the striped deer laid dead upon the grass. "I apologize. It seems he was killed alongside my men. This forest is a death trap unlike any other."

"Only to those who dare threaten it. My children are always safe in my grove unlike your men."

"Apologies, ma'am. I have done this- this great journey to see and appease you in hopes that you would fulfill your purpose of existence."

"And what would that be, King of man?"

"To help me! To allow me my rightful honor of immortality."

The woman smirked and stood up from her chair. She towered over Faroth like a giant oak tree. "You come in search of my boons, of immortality. I saw your heart the moment you stepped into my realm, King of man. You spit on me, you disrespect me with your disdain, and you kill my children and torture others." She pointed towards the deer.

The man in the sack cover knelt next to the deer who was now standing and breathing. They stared at Faroth, never breaking their empty gaze, like plants waiting for sunlight.

"Ma'am, I am the King of all realms, including your own. Now by the gods if you don't help me, I will have your entire forest cut down and salted!" Faroth frothed at the mouth.

"Ah and so we see your true form. You are no King of man. You are the King of worms. Making all other beings do what you want and give nothing in return. Your fate was decided the moment you attacked my people, King."

Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around Faroth's arms and legs. He struggled but the grips only grew tighter. He thrashed and beat his body in hopes to break free. He screamed until a vine cascaded over his mouth, muffling any semblance of panic. Then he began to sink. In mere seconds his knees were buried, then his belly, then chest. Each one made it closer to impossible to escape. Deannu returned to her chair. The elf and deer joined her side. They watched him beg and plead but without words. Only his bloodshot eyes gave any cluse to what he felt. Those were soon gone as well. Faroth's head entered the earth, and his death was swift.

Like the nature of all things. They live and they die. Some fortunate, others not as much. Some become food, some kings, and others realize their true place upon death, like Faroth. That much is certain. The king of worms was finally returned to his true kingdom, reunited with his loyal subjects.

Dominic Tramontana is a published writer, video game developer, musician, and poet. He loves to learn and is constantly writing to both improve and entertain. He is currently working on a novel, short fiction everyday, and new video games.