Trinity

Disclaimer: I own everything, I think, but that might possible change if I use Sleeping Beauty references.

Summary: I believe we all know by now.

A/ N - Okay. Horrible, sucky week this week was to me, so if it reflects in my writing, which I hope it doesn't, my apologies.

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Anna

The first thing I saw was the water.

There was a beautiful body of water right off of the land, and there were a few ships in it. It was turquoise, and I could already almost guarantee that it was warm.

After the initial shock of finding an invisible wall, and then going through it, and finding that, I was very glad. For all that we knew, it could have been a well-concealed prison.

Yet it was not. For we had found a land like nowhere else I had ever seen. There was a lovely village near us, and trees as far as the eyes could see. It was so different in that I could see that there were ladies wearing trousers in that little village, which never would have happened in our own town of Dairn. My eyes followed a small beaten path that seemed to lead to the village, mirroring the path we had just taken here.

Victoria blew out her breath, still not saying anything. She smiled, just slightly, and I could see her eyes wandering over the landscape before us.

Melinda shook her head. "I thought the marketplace was an adventure in and of itself." She smiled, and slowly turned around. I did the same.

It was as though there was still a barrier there, one that would not let us pass through again, as though we had been here all along.

Victoria slid down the invisible wall. She looked up, and asked, "Is this a dream?"

Melinda and I both shook our heads, slowly. "Why would we be here?" I added.

We slowly looked around at our new surroundings, and I could smell the salt in the air. I smiled. "We're very close to the sea," I said, pointing to the blue depths. I had never seen the ocean, and, to me, in that one moment where nearly everything I saw was so new, it could not have been any larger or bluer.

Victoria began to sprint toward the village, amazing after we had just been running for so long. "Come on! I want to see where we are," she said, going back to us and tugging at our arms until we complied in a nice saunter down the small hill we were on. Rich farmland surrounded us, and it reminded me of the crops grown around the manor at home, only these were somehow...different. The corn was orange. Corn is not meant to be orange, I thought to myself, and Melinda pointed this out after I thought it.

Victoria looked around, and laughed out loud. "It's as though someone chose to paint everything different here!" She spun in a circle, taking in the surroundings. There were green wild flowers blending in with the lush green grass of the meadows tucked in between the crops. It was certainly not a place I had ever seen. Has this place not been recorded in our maps? How could it have been so easily missed. We had run into it, quite literally. How could no other person before us have found it? Had they? I stopped in my pace, because a scary thought suddenly rose to my mind:

Could we go back?

Perhaps that was why no person had "found" it. Maybe they couldn't go through the wall again.

"Do you suppose...Could we go back through the wall?" I said this quietly, and Victoria spun her head to look at me, surprised.

"I hadn't thought of that," she said. She looked back thoughtfully, and Melinda did as well.

Melinda spoke first. "Let's go on to the village. Maybe they can answer our questions..." She began to wander on. Victoria and I shrugged and then made quick paces to catch up with her.

We could see the village better now, and there were many houses, each with a tidy little green lawn and a small sidewalk that went along the dirt road that ran its winding path around and through the village. It looked so familiar to the ones from where we came that I nearly thought it was home. There were no familiar faces. A few surprised ones we found, however, a few minutes later, when we reached what appeared to be a group of people waiting to greet us.

A small lady came forward first. "Greetings," she said, and smiled slightly. Good, they were nice people here. She hesitated, then said, "Did you come through the barrier?"

Melinda nodded her head, and said, "Yes, we did."

The lady spoke again. "A few of the citizens saw you, and we wanted to make sure that it was indeed true. There was, of course, the fact that you three are unfamiliar to any of the citizens as well! Islin is a small village, and I am Remember Maynardand. I am one of the village's representatives, and know about it's goings-on. If you don't mind my asking, who are you?" She was pleasant. She just had that air about herself.

Victoria smiled and said, "I am Victoria, this is Anna, and that is Melinda." Melinda looked as though she wished to add her title, but refrained from it.

Remember smiled. "Ah, what lovely names! I have never heard them before. What is the name of the land from which you come?"

I spoke. "We come from the land of Wentell."

Remember furrowed her eyebrows, which made her face crumple from it's dewy appearance. "I have never heard of it, but you see, there is a reason I question you so. There is a prophesy, and it involves three from the Outside."

Melinda asked in a small voice, "If you don't mind, could you tell us the name of this land?"

Remember looked a bit confused. "You have never heard of Everett, then? I thought it was known to the Outside, but I suppose, it's been a long time, and time moves faster there..."

"Everett, I like that name," Victoria said.

"The Evergreens, there are many of them, that was the inspiration of our country's name." Remember seemed to be lost in thought.

One of the others standing behind her said, "There is a prophesy about three from the Outside. Come, you should see it..." The small group moved toward one of the homes, and we followed them.

Once through the door, it was clear it was not a home, and we were not being invited in for tea. There was what appeared to be a small museum in one of the two large rooms, and the other contained what looked like a small courthouse.

Remember turned to us. "This is our town hall," she explained, and ushered us to one of the cabinets in the museums. After leading us there, she opened one of the glass doors, and took out a very old looking piece of paper. Remember pulled a pair of glasses from her pocket, and the crowd gathered around us.

Remember recited, "The Three shall Defeat the Evil of Everett, and the Three shall come from the Outside. After the Defeat, the Barrier will be Destroyed, and the Three shall return Everett to Peace." She took off the reading glasses and looked at us.

I squeaked, "You think that we are the Three?"

She nodded, and said, "Come, you have much to learn and not enough time to know it in. Where did I put the key...Ah, here it is." Remember, I could see, was a bit absentminded. It just made her kinder, however.

She locked the doors to the cabinet, and as we followed her out of the room, Melinda mused, "We shall have to defeat evil, and return peace. Why don't I learn useful things in my lessons? Not how to make tea, but how to bring evil to its knees. Oh, what are we to do?"

Victoria told her, reassuringly, "We shall learn all that we need to. Don't panic just yet. It's only begun. Besides, how hard can it be to defeat evil?"

I raised an eyebrow at her, and we followed Remember out of the door, and back into Islin.

------------------------------------------------------------------- A/N - So, quite a bit of plot movement there! Also, I'd just like to say—

SORRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY. SORRYSORRYSORRY.

I think that expresses my deep apologies to my loyal readers and reviewers. This next chapter will come out much more quickly, I promise. Okay? Okay. Cookies to you all, and I hope you review! -dreamer303