I was standing in the hallway now, waiting for someone to "collect me." I wanted that someone to answer the million and a half questions I had.Where am I? Where is the boy I came to find? Who "saved" me?I found myself wondering yet again if I was currently with an enemy or a friend. They had given me a comfortable bed and clothes and an amazing bath, but what if they were just preparing me for sacrifice or something? Were they going to start fattening me up to eat me next? If I see anyone coming my way with cooking string and a big red apple, I’m running the other way."My Lady?" I look to my left where two different women in the same dressings as the ones before appeared, one holding a wooden box about the size of a book with a shiny gold latch keeping it shut. "Come with us. It's time to begin." I hesitate for a moment. Time to begin...what? Time to throw me into a burning ring of fire to appease your god? "My Lady?" The woman not holding the box has stepped closer now and is hold
I glance behind me when we step into the trees and am surprised to see the whole group standing back, watching me and the woman with the box proceed deeper into the trees. The other lady that was walking with me stayed behind, smiling with the rest of the group and waving me on."Where are we going?" I ask after a quiet few seconds of walking down the trail that winds through the trees. More silence. I walk for a few more steps, and then put my foot down.I stop, turning to stare at the remaining woman. She's peering up at me nervously through her lashes."Where are you taking me?""Please, my Lady, no one is going to hurt you." She begs, bowing her head deeply and staring at the ground. I furrowed my brow. I felt like a bully, even though my request wasn't really all that unreasonable.I sigh, and turn back around, continuing with my march towards death.A million thoughts were going through my head, but none matched the scene that was in front of me when we finally reached the end o
The boy in his eyes certainly looks like a younger version of the man in front of me. Same white blonde hair, shorter for sure. Not as much furrow in his brow. But definitely the same person. I feel his hand on my lower back as my knees start to grow weak. I can't break his gaze, even to swat off his hand as I normally would when a man touched me without the greenlight. I'm completely locked onto him, unable and unwilling to look away.I can see him as a young child, sitting in a tree, watching the sunset on the horizon while he chews on a bushel of mint leaves. I can see him as a teenager, getting scolded by an older man with a red beard. I can feel the shame and embarrassment flowing through my chest as the man's mouth moves, but I can't quite tell what he's saying."What is this?" I choke, still staring into what I assume are his memories. Him learning to fight with a sword, him having his first kiss with a small framed blonde girl, him learning to read and write."Only two people
"I told you, I'm Erik." I roll my eyes at his somewhat flippant response to my question of who he was."Who are you to me? You're acting like I'm supposed to know you." I sass. I bite my tongue at the satisfied look he shoots me. "What was that before? How were we seeing each other's memories?"He rolls his head to look down at me and smirks a little. "I can answer all your questions, but I don't know if you'll believe me. You don't seem to trust me very much." That reminds me of something very abruptly."Why should I? I haven't forgotten, you've got that boy locked up." I glare at him as I lean forward a little and point an accusing finger towards him, scoffing enterally and falling back at the chuckle that comes from his lips. How patronizing."I let him go, six hours ago." My brows shoot up. "You were out for a while. Twelve whole hours. It seems you are not accustomed to using magic, because you also fainted when coming through the portal in the pond.""Why would I be accustomed t
"Why can't I feel this pull you talk about?" I actually feel a little guilty when he physically flinches at my words. "I mean I still feel very attracted to you... I mean not very attracted." I cross my arms across my chest and look away from where Erik is watching me ramble with a curious look on his face. "I just meant, why haven't I felt this... longing for you my entire life like you say you've felt for me? And if I was fated to be with you, why was I dreaming about that other boy?""Maybe it has something to do with you living in the human world, why you couldn't feel our connection, that is. As to why you were visiting that bear of a man, I have no idea. He was already four or five when you two crossed paths, so there's no way he could be your fated, even if I hadn't been there. Luckily for you." He sneers a little."You don't seem to like him." I say, crossing my legs and watching him. He was very expressive, and it was easy to tell how he was feeling. Why did I care what each
As I climb out of the bed, I can see the actual room we were in was quite large. It had tall walls made of the same salt material I had seen before, with a large entryway covered by more curtains. I could see a giant white and gold wardrobe with a matching platform beside it, with tall mirrors acting as the border for said platform. I assume that's where Erik admires himself from all angles.My eyes shoot back to him as he holds the curtain open for me, and I swear I see him smirking again."What's so funny?" I ask as leads me down a hallway. There are more high places with holes with glowing light coming from within here, and giant vases filled with fresh flowers lining the edges of the hallway. I resist the urge to gasp at the huge twinkling chandelier dangling from the ceiling. "How is that lite?" I ask after he ignores my first question. There's not a lightbulb, and the floating orb of pale-yellow light doesn't look like a flame either.I jump when his voice whispers in my ear fro
I shrug a little at Erik's question about if I'd come here for that other boy, picking up one of the orbs from my plate. I pop it in my mouth and am so happy I trusted him enough to try it. It popped like a grape, with a firm skin and a juicy middle, but it tasted like... cotton candy? Like cotton candy but fresher, not quite as artificially sweet. It filled my mouth and made my tongue water for more once it was gone."Why?" I examine his face as he asks me to explain myself. It looks pinched, uncomfortable. He seemed genuinely upset that I hadn't been pining after him all these years. But it honestly wasn't like a, "got rejected by a girl so I broke into her therapist's office and stole her session notes to post on social media." It was more like I had hurt his feelings. LIke he was... sad. Why does that make me feel guilty? It's not my fault I felt nothing for him. I'm quiet for a moment while I eat another orb. "I wanted to know who he was at first, and then it was about saving hi
I start towards the edge of the gathered crowd, my heart in my throat. I had been told not to leave, and I was so much smaller than all these people. If they wanted to pick me up and put me in time out for disobeying them, they very well could. Even the women stood at no shorter than five nine. I felt like a child.Nonetheless, I was nosey, so I pushed my insecurities down as far as they would go."Excuse me." I say with as much confidence as I can muster once I reach the group. The woman closest to me, probably five eleven, with short black hair and sharp brows, glares down at me. At first. We meet eyes however, and she sort of goes, "oh!" and quickly moves aside, slapping the arms of the people around her, who all pretty much have the same reaction.Interesting.I begin tiptoeing forward, at first glancing wearily at the tall wall of people on either side of me, but eventually moving my eyes towards where the group was originally looking. I gasp and stop for a moment at the sight.T
"You saw, yes?" I nod, walking closer to the men. "Would you like to try?" I flick my eyes up to him quickly then, laughing a little. "I'm serious." He certainly looks it. I squat down in front of the balancing men without answering him, looking at the streams of light connecting their fingers to the earth below them. This man's light was green colored, this one was light blue."It goes with the elements they can control." Erik has squatted down with me. "Tye here," he pokes the man with the blue light coming from his finger, "can manipulate ice. He channels it from the core of the world, and therefore, levitates." I tilt my head a little at the floating man. "Want to try?" He asks again."I can't do that." I point to the men. Erik laughs."Don't be silly. I don't want you to do that." He stands, and I follow suit. "Men." Erik booms. Their eyes open, and they listen, still floating. "If any of you drop my goddess, you will be fed to the boars for dinner." he grins then, crossing his a
As we come close to the main building, I can hear voices and yelling. Thudding, and oofing."They're training." Chepi tells me as we round the corner into the empty grassy area in front of the huge building.The first thing that catches my attention, is a group of twenty or so Alva paired off, sparring against each other. Reni is walking in-between the pairs, making comments too quiet for me to hear, correcting foot placement and suggesting moves as she does. They're in the front of building, out in the open. Looking between them, I can see a large entry way leading into another training area."Erik is in there." I look away from where I'd been trying to see into the building, and meet eyes with Reni, who is looking at me now and pointing behind her. I nod a little, giving her an awkward thumbs up. She tilts her head to the side a little, and then returns to telling her men how to better beat each other up. Chepi and I make our way around the men, finally slipping into the building.
Hello, Child. I sigh in happiness as I finally lay on the roots of my Alder almost an hour later. Chepi had brought her stool and her knitting again and was focused on it.But the conversation I wanted to have with my Alder was extra private today.I have something I want to ask you. I think, feeling a little silly.A secret from this woman you claim to trust. I nod against its roots. Ask away, child.Do you know anything about the Gud species? I turn away from Chepi and curl into a ball, closing my eyes and listening to the tree's words in my head.The Gud species is, as you suspect, descended from the original God, Forradd, who had great powers. He could change forms, manipulate the earth, and even time itself. Now Forradd was desperately in love with Sanju, the original goddess.I laugh a little. It kind of seemed like everyone's problems could be chalked up to loving someone.Pay attention. Sanju was originally a normal Alva, which is why she's depicted as having pointed ears, and
I sit up quickly, inhaling air into my lungs and looking around wildly.I was back in Erik's bed. But it was morning now, sun was streaming in through the window. I could hear wind chimes outside and smell bread baking somewhere. It felt early, but I remember it had been dark in my dream. I had lost a few hours.I rub my eyes, thinking about last night.That was the first time I had traveled through a dream since I came here. And this time no one could see me. The last time I was very much visible and interacted with people and talked. This time it was like I wasn't even there.The Gud species.I needed to find a way to find out about them. They seemed to be important. Honestly, the word kind of sounded like "God," and I wondered if they were the male version of the Gudinna species. Erik had said it was a line of women that descended from the original goddess, so with that in mind, was there a line of men that came from the original god? Was there an original god? I had way too many q
Soft footsteps approach my sleeping form in the window. My head leaned against the frame, the book I had made it halfway through open on my lap. The sun had set hours ago, the moon was but a hunk in the sky now, but still shone brightly on my sleeping figure."Sweet flower..." Erik approaches me, gently wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger when he does.He takes the book, closes it, and sets it on the ground beside the window. He scoops me up gently in his arms and carries me to his bed, where he brushes aside the curtain and crawls in with me in his arms.He sets me down like I'm made of glass and brushes my hair away from my face."Sleep well, my goddess." My heart tugs as he leaves, instead of curling up with me like I wanted him to.Where was he going?I could feel myself following him out of his room, but my body remained in his bed.I was dreaming, I knew that now. This wasn't like before, though. I drifted all through his house and outside, where he turned right and
"It's just over the hill now!" Reni calls from the front of the group of Alva. We had left early that morning, after I evidently fell asleep quite well, and had been walking for several hours now. It had taken a little longer than originally said, but it was still just after midday when Reni announced we were growing close.I slow and watch the other Alva disappearing over the hill, Erik last. I could tell he was anxious to get back to his land, but he was still lingering behind everyone else for my sake. I stood at the top once I reached it for a moment, taking it all in.I hadn't had a good vantage point of the land so far, Vacket, as Erik called it. From up here though, I could see it all.I could see Erik's house to the left, surrounded by tons of trees and mostly separated from the other buildings. Maybe a half mile down from his large estate was what I think was the medical wing. It sat atop a hill, and I could see a grove of weeping willows not far from it. I remember when I f
"Are you tired?" I look away from Reni and the other chatting Alva and to Erik, who is looking me up and down like he's checking for injuries.I shrug. "I guess." He ushers me towards the platform and behind the half wall, and sure enough, there is a large nest of clothes and animal pelts.He kneels down then on one knee and pats his bent one with his hand. "Give me your foot." I comply, watching him curiously as he starts removing my shoe. I can hear his men laughing a few feet away, but I can only focus on his gentle fingers untying the soft leather strings. "The other." He says once he's slid it off and set it aside. This foot is the one that still bears his anklet, and I saw him notice right away. "You still wear it." He says as he unties my shoe. I nod, even though he isn't looking at me. "Has anyone told you of its meaning?" He looks up at me, pulling my shoe off as he does. I shake my head, feigning ignorance. No one did tell me its meaning, I just happened to overhear it. He s
I eye the moving water that shimmers in the moonlight. I looked up. It was only half sized, but still shone quite brightly. It also seemed... closer in this world than in my old one. If that was even possible.I creep down to the water's edge. I didn't plan on taking my clothes off all the way. I don't have a towel, or soap, or a change of clothes. But I do sit on the shore and take my shoes off to soak my feet in the water. My feet hurt; I'd done more walking today through rough terrain than I'd ever done before. I sigh and close my eyes in relief at being freed from the tiny shoes I'd been given by Larkin.The water is cool when I finally wade into it, and the rocks stab into my feet. I look at my toes in the water.What a wild ride this has been.I missed my mom, and my home, but I was starting to get comfortable with Erik and the other Alva, which scared me a little. Was I really thinking about staying here? My mom said I wasn't allowed back, but did she mean that? If I showed up
"We'll stop here for the night."We'd been walking for hours, past even when the sun went down. Erik had kept suggesting we stop while glancing over at me, and Reni kept insisting we could make it home in just a few hours if we kept going. They went back and forth like that for a while, until Erik saw me stumble over a tree branch and decided I was simply too tired to continue, and we would be making camp for the night. I wasn't not tired, but I didn't want to slow everyone else down even more than I already was. Erik had said they'd gotten here in six hours on their own, but with me, we were already touching the ten-hour mark.Appparently I was quite slow.We'd found a half-crumbled building, the roof was gone, but the remaining walls stood twenty feet high. It would protect us from wild animals while we slept, Reni said with a firm nod as she examined the area."I'll make you a bed up here." Erik tells me. There's a raised platform that looks like it was once a kitchen, with half of