I awoke the next morning to the sound of a bird whistling in a tree nearby.
It was a robin and it looked like it was sitting in a nest full of eggs.
It looked at me with its beady eyes and took off in the direction of the
sun. "Probably getting its breakfast."
"Actually, breakfast sounds like a really good idea." I said aloud and looked over at Luein, who was still sound asleep. I decided not to wake him up yet and got up off the ground. I took a deep breath, and the cool air felt sharp and cold in my throat. I walked over the fire pit we had been using the night before and got a small fire going quickly. The warmth spread instantly and it felt really good against my face. I started to get breakfast ready and heated up some water. I took a few potatoes out of my food supply and started to peel them, but I heard some rustling on the ground and the sound of someone grunting. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Luein waking up. He sat up and looked at me, still half asleep. He rubbed his eyes, got up off the ground and stretched.
"I'm going for a dip." He said, and went off to a nearby stream.
"Alright. I should be done by the time you get back." I said as he skipped off. About fifteen minutes later, breakfast was ready, and I heard Luein whistling as he came down a path towards me from taking his bath. He sat down on the ground next to me and we ate our breakfast, talking happily about how close we were to getting off the mountain and into the village. He told me how much I would like his village, and how nice all the people there were. The only thing I really wanted to see was the shrine, but I didn't share this with Luein. He had already shown me great courtesy in taking me over the mountain in the first place, and I didn't want to sound ungrateful or that I was using him.
After breakfast, we packed up and were ready to go within a few minutes. We took one last look at the top of the mountain above us, and made our way down again. The scenery was much the same, and there were many more trees as we made our decent. The air was getting warmer, and I could feel myself starting to sweat a little. I think Luein noticed this too, because he took off the cloak he had been wearing after he got back from his swim in the stream. We slowed our pace and tried to cool down a little bit, but it didn't do much. The closest we got to getting any cooler was when we stopped by a creek to wash up. It felt really good at the time, but after we continued walking, the effect of it started to fade away and we were back to our original state.
Luein was right about an easier walk down, because it wasn't so steep, but the amount of trees was horrendous. The trees blacked out the sun until it almost looked dark. It was more important now to watch the ground, so any sort of talking was out of the question. All of our energy had been toward watching out for snake holes and tree branches. With the silence, I was able to think to myself without interruption. I needed some time to think about what had happened recently anyway. My main thought was about this shrine. I didn't know why, but something about it really interested me. I had the strangest feeling it had something to do with my adventure, but I wasn't sure what. "Daeloneil also said that at the end of this trial, there would be a path to follow. I wonder what kind of path he meant by that?" I said to myself, and had a hundred more questions spreading through my head like wild fire. But I wasn't able to answer any of them, because within a matter of seconds, I had stumbled out into a clearing, and what I saw in front of me made my heart stop and I stopped breathing.
Right in front of me stood the most beautiful building I had ever seen. Luein stopped next to me, and looked amazed as well. There was a strange gold glow issuing from it and it almost looked like it was floating off of the ground. There were no windows that I could see, but the light seemed to be coming from within, almost through the walls. There were strange markings on the outside and the opening had a ramp of tattered looking stairs that led inside. There was no door, but a small opening. I couldn't see inside because the glow had blocked out and noticeable objects. The building was circular, and it looked like it had been made out of some sort of yellow stone. The glow coming from inside made the yellow of the walls look golden and it sparkled like diamonds. I tore my eyes away from it for a second to see Luein, and his facial expression was just as I felt. Then a thought came to me. "Wait.aren't we close to the bottom of the mountain? Wouldn't Luein know about this place?"
"L.Luein. D-don't you know about this building? I mean, don't you live around here?" I said to him with a shaky voice. But he didn't say anything. He just hung his mouth open and kept staring at the building. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook him a little bit. He blinked and shook his head as if trying to shake off a feeling he didn't like.
"I don't know what happened to it. What is going on?" He said to no one in particular.
"Luein! What are you talking about? What do you know about this place? What's going on?"
"Jennifer, this.this is the shrine." He said, and looked at me with big eyes. "Except.there's something not right. It used to be just an old stone building and there was no glow coming from it. I hope there's nothing wrong! This has been here longer than my great-great-great- Grandmother! The village would go absolutely nuts if anything happened to it!" And with that Luein grabbed my hand and ran inside dragging me behind him.
I felt a rush of something go by my face as I stepped inside with Luein. I turned around and saw my self facing a glowing golden wall. I reached out to touch it but someone poked me in the side and started to whisper in my ear.
"Jennifer.I think you should turn around," said Luein's familiar voice. I did as I was told and slowly turned around to face whatever was in front of me. A girl stood in the center of the golden mist and next to her a sort of stone stand. She didn't look solid and I could see through her easily. On the stand was a velvet looking sort of cloth bag. I moved my eyes toward the girl. As soon as they reached her face, I knew instantly who she was. I made a little gasp of surprise. Standing in front of me was no other then Nerwen Sirfalas herself.
She smiled and took the bag in to her hands and took a step forward to me.
"I have been waiting for you to come, Jennifer. And now that you are finally here, I can explain everything." She said in a misty voice. I just stared at her, dumbstruck at what I was seeing. I looked at Luien. He lifted a shaky finger and pointed at her, his lips trembling.
"You're. You're Nerwen!! The Elvin princess! Here! In our shrine!" He said, and took a step backward.
"Luien, it's alright. Let me take care of this." I whispered into his ear, although I really didn't know how exactly what I was going to do.
"Jennifer? You...you knew about this? And you didn't say anything to me?" He said, his eyes widening.
"I'll explain everything later, so just stay still for a second." I told him, and put a hand on his shoulder. Then I turned back around to face Nerwen. She just stood there, smiling at me with her sparkling eyes fixed on mine. Then she stepped forward to me and held out the velvet bag she was holding.
"Jennifer, this is for you. Inside this bag you will find a token for completing your first trial. It is extremely important that you do not lose it. I can only give you one, so take great care in keeping it safe." She said calmly, and put the bag into my hands. It was dark brown, with a piece of rope threaded through the top to keep it closed. "You will get one of these each time you complete a trial, each a different color to represent the region in which you were in." She said, and I nodded in with understanding. "I know that Daeloneil told you there would be something to point you ahead on your path once you climbed over the mountain." Nerwen continued, keeping her voice at a low hum. "I will point you in the direction of your next task. To continue your journey and to find your treasure, you must seek out a miracle to revitalize the hope in ones heart. By doing so, the many souls of despair will be reborn." She finished, and smiled.
"A miracle? I have to find a miracle? How am I supposed to do that?" I asked her, really confused.
"That, I am afraid I cannot tell you," she said. "You must find that out on your own. But I can say this: What it was that you lost, you will most certainly find if you look in the right places." And before I had a chance to say anything, she slowly faded away in the mist, her eyes still fixed on mine, her smile still brandishing the thoughts of confusion in my head.
Slowly, all of the golden glow that surrounded us faded away also until everything was back to the way it was before Nerwen was there. I clenched the bag in my hands, feeling something pointy inside. Slowly, I opened it to see what was inside. It held a diamond cut stone, and it shined a brilliant brown. I looked over at Luein, now remembering him for the first time since Nerwen had appeared. He was looking at me with his mouth hanging open, with absolute bewilderment on his face. I opened my mouth to say something, but instantly his face turned into a frown and he looked away.
"You know, you could have trusted me. I wouldn't have done anything to jeopardize your chances of finding your "treasure." Why did you lie to me?" He asked with a stern tone, and looked at me with anger in his eyes.
"Listen, Luein, just...Just before I met you, I was attacked." I said to him, hoping he would turn around and listen to my plea. He did, and his frown disappeared a little. Then I continued with my story.
"I had something stolen that was very important to me." I continued, and tears started forming in my eyes. "I didn't know what to do. I thought they were going to kill me, and I tried to protect myself, but they took it anyway. And.and.when I met you, I didn't know who you were at all. I had no idea if you were with him, or if you were just a traveler. And what I came here to actually do, to help all of those people.You don't know how terrible it would be if I couldn't finish it! All of them! They are all counting on me! Do you have any idea what it's been like knowing all of that?" I told him, now realizing that he had every right to be mad, and it was my mistake taking him for granted. "Before I started, someone told me not to trust anyone." I continued, tying to make him understand. "And after that incident, I decided to believe that. Please listen to me Luein. I am very sorry." I finished, now my eyes red and swollen from crying. He looked at me, and was frowning again. Except this time, he wasn't angry. He looked like he understood, and walked over to me.
"I-I didn't know. I had no idea." He said, and put his arms around me in a comforting hug. I didn't say anything back, but just stood there in his arms crying softly. After a minute or so, he pulled away.
"It's alright. C'mon lets go." He said, and put his arm around my shoulder and we walked out of the shrine into the sunlight.
Once we got outside, we both sat down on the ground. I still had the stone in my hands and I kept turning it around in my fingers, feeling its smoothness and thinking about what had just happened.
"You know Jennifer, if you need any help, any help at all on this adventure of yours, I will be more than happy to accompany you." I didn't say anything back. It would be nice to have a partner, but what if something happened to him? I would be responsible if he got hurt or killed.
"That's really nice of you, Luein, but I'm afraid it might get really dangerous. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." I said to him.
"I don't care if something happens to me," he answered. "You defiantly need some help. You can't do it all alone. Please let me come with you."
"I don't know. Let me think about it." I said and stood up. My legs felt like jelly, and my head was swimming in a pool of water. There was so much to think about. My mind felt like it was going to explode. Luein looked like he noticed this and quickly got up after me.
"You know what, I think you need some rest." He said, and put an arm around my shoulder. "You can think about all of this later. Let me take you back to my village, and you can get a proper nights' sleep before jumping into this mess." I felt too tired to protest, and so we walked to his village, and I tried to keep my mind off of everything.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Actually, breakfast sounds like a really good idea." I said aloud and looked over at Luein, who was still sound asleep. I decided not to wake him up yet and got up off the ground. I took a deep breath, and the cool air felt sharp and cold in my throat. I walked over the fire pit we had been using the night before and got a small fire going quickly. The warmth spread instantly and it felt really good against my face. I started to get breakfast ready and heated up some water. I took a few potatoes out of my food supply and started to peel them, but I heard some rustling on the ground and the sound of someone grunting. I turned my head over my shoulder and saw Luein waking up. He sat up and looked at me, still half asleep. He rubbed his eyes, got up off the ground and stretched.
"I'm going for a dip." He said, and went off to a nearby stream.
"Alright. I should be done by the time you get back." I said as he skipped off. About fifteen minutes later, breakfast was ready, and I heard Luein whistling as he came down a path towards me from taking his bath. He sat down on the ground next to me and we ate our breakfast, talking happily about how close we were to getting off the mountain and into the village. He told me how much I would like his village, and how nice all the people there were. The only thing I really wanted to see was the shrine, but I didn't share this with Luein. He had already shown me great courtesy in taking me over the mountain in the first place, and I didn't want to sound ungrateful or that I was using him.
After breakfast, we packed up and were ready to go within a few minutes. We took one last look at the top of the mountain above us, and made our way down again. The scenery was much the same, and there were many more trees as we made our decent. The air was getting warmer, and I could feel myself starting to sweat a little. I think Luein noticed this too, because he took off the cloak he had been wearing after he got back from his swim in the stream. We slowed our pace and tried to cool down a little bit, but it didn't do much. The closest we got to getting any cooler was when we stopped by a creek to wash up. It felt really good at the time, but after we continued walking, the effect of it started to fade away and we were back to our original state.
Luein was right about an easier walk down, because it wasn't so steep, but the amount of trees was horrendous. The trees blacked out the sun until it almost looked dark. It was more important now to watch the ground, so any sort of talking was out of the question. All of our energy had been toward watching out for snake holes and tree branches. With the silence, I was able to think to myself without interruption. I needed some time to think about what had happened recently anyway. My main thought was about this shrine. I didn't know why, but something about it really interested me. I had the strangest feeling it had something to do with my adventure, but I wasn't sure what. "Daeloneil also said that at the end of this trial, there would be a path to follow. I wonder what kind of path he meant by that?" I said to myself, and had a hundred more questions spreading through my head like wild fire. But I wasn't able to answer any of them, because within a matter of seconds, I had stumbled out into a clearing, and what I saw in front of me made my heart stop and I stopped breathing.
Right in front of me stood the most beautiful building I had ever seen. Luein stopped next to me, and looked amazed as well. There was a strange gold glow issuing from it and it almost looked like it was floating off of the ground. There were no windows that I could see, but the light seemed to be coming from within, almost through the walls. There were strange markings on the outside and the opening had a ramp of tattered looking stairs that led inside. There was no door, but a small opening. I couldn't see inside because the glow had blocked out and noticeable objects. The building was circular, and it looked like it had been made out of some sort of yellow stone. The glow coming from inside made the yellow of the walls look golden and it sparkled like diamonds. I tore my eyes away from it for a second to see Luein, and his facial expression was just as I felt. Then a thought came to me. "Wait.aren't we close to the bottom of the mountain? Wouldn't Luein know about this place?"
"L.Luein. D-don't you know about this building? I mean, don't you live around here?" I said to him with a shaky voice. But he didn't say anything. He just hung his mouth open and kept staring at the building. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook him a little bit. He blinked and shook his head as if trying to shake off a feeling he didn't like.
"I don't know what happened to it. What is going on?" He said to no one in particular.
"Luein! What are you talking about? What do you know about this place? What's going on?"
"Jennifer, this.this is the shrine." He said, and looked at me with big eyes. "Except.there's something not right. It used to be just an old stone building and there was no glow coming from it. I hope there's nothing wrong! This has been here longer than my great-great-great- Grandmother! The village would go absolutely nuts if anything happened to it!" And with that Luein grabbed my hand and ran inside dragging me behind him.
I felt a rush of something go by my face as I stepped inside with Luein. I turned around and saw my self facing a glowing golden wall. I reached out to touch it but someone poked me in the side and started to whisper in my ear.
"Jennifer.I think you should turn around," said Luein's familiar voice. I did as I was told and slowly turned around to face whatever was in front of me. A girl stood in the center of the golden mist and next to her a sort of stone stand. She didn't look solid and I could see through her easily. On the stand was a velvet looking sort of cloth bag. I moved my eyes toward the girl. As soon as they reached her face, I knew instantly who she was. I made a little gasp of surprise. Standing in front of me was no other then Nerwen Sirfalas herself.
She smiled and took the bag in to her hands and took a step forward to me.
"I have been waiting for you to come, Jennifer. And now that you are finally here, I can explain everything." She said in a misty voice. I just stared at her, dumbstruck at what I was seeing. I looked at Luien. He lifted a shaky finger and pointed at her, his lips trembling.
"You're. You're Nerwen!! The Elvin princess! Here! In our shrine!" He said, and took a step backward.
"Luien, it's alright. Let me take care of this." I whispered into his ear, although I really didn't know how exactly what I was going to do.
"Jennifer? You...you knew about this? And you didn't say anything to me?" He said, his eyes widening.
"I'll explain everything later, so just stay still for a second." I told him, and put a hand on his shoulder. Then I turned back around to face Nerwen. She just stood there, smiling at me with her sparkling eyes fixed on mine. Then she stepped forward to me and held out the velvet bag she was holding.
"Jennifer, this is for you. Inside this bag you will find a token for completing your first trial. It is extremely important that you do not lose it. I can only give you one, so take great care in keeping it safe." She said calmly, and put the bag into my hands. It was dark brown, with a piece of rope threaded through the top to keep it closed. "You will get one of these each time you complete a trial, each a different color to represent the region in which you were in." She said, and I nodded in with understanding. "I know that Daeloneil told you there would be something to point you ahead on your path once you climbed over the mountain." Nerwen continued, keeping her voice at a low hum. "I will point you in the direction of your next task. To continue your journey and to find your treasure, you must seek out a miracle to revitalize the hope in ones heart. By doing so, the many souls of despair will be reborn." She finished, and smiled.
"A miracle? I have to find a miracle? How am I supposed to do that?" I asked her, really confused.
"That, I am afraid I cannot tell you," she said. "You must find that out on your own. But I can say this: What it was that you lost, you will most certainly find if you look in the right places." And before I had a chance to say anything, she slowly faded away in the mist, her eyes still fixed on mine, her smile still brandishing the thoughts of confusion in my head.
Slowly, all of the golden glow that surrounded us faded away also until everything was back to the way it was before Nerwen was there. I clenched the bag in my hands, feeling something pointy inside. Slowly, I opened it to see what was inside. It held a diamond cut stone, and it shined a brilliant brown. I looked over at Luein, now remembering him for the first time since Nerwen had appeared. He was looking at me with his mouth hanging open, with absolute bewilderment on his face. I opened my mouth to say something, but instantly his face turned into a frown and he looked away.
"You know, you could have trusted me. I wouldn't have done anything to jeopardize your chances of finding your "treasure." Why did you lie to me?" He asked with a stern tone, and looked at me with anger in his eyes.
"Listen, Luein, just...Just before I met you, I was attacked." I said to him, hoping he would turn around and listen to my plea. He did, and his frown disappeared a little. Then I continued with my story.
"I had something stolen that was very important to me." I continued, and tears started forming in my eyes. "I didn't know what to do. I thought they were going to kill me, and I tried to protect myself, but they took it anyway. And.and.when I met you, I didn't know who you were at all. I had no idea if you were with him, or if you were just a traveler. And what I came here to actually do, to help all of those people.You don't know how terrible it would be if I couldn't finish it! All of them! They are all counting on me! Do you have any idea what it's been like knowing all of that?" I told him, now realizing that he had every right to be mad, and it was my mistake taking him for granted. "Before I started, someone told me not to trust anyone." I continued, tying to make him understand. "And after that incident, I decided to believe that. Please listen to me Luein. I am very sorry." I finished, now my eyes red and swollen from crying. He looked at me, and was frowning again. Except this time, he wasn't angry. He looked like he understood, and walked over to me.
"I-I didn't know. I had no idea." He said, and put his arms around me in a comforting hug. I didn't say anything back, but just stood there in his arms crying softly. After a minute or so, he pulled away.
"It's alright. C'mon lets go." He said, and put his arm around my shoulder and we walked out of the shrine into the sunlight.
Once we got outside, we both sat down on the ground. I still had the stone in my hands and I kept turning it around in my fingers, feeling its smoothness and thinking about what had just happened.
"You know Jennifer, if you need any help, any help at all on this adventure of yours, I will be more than happy to accompany you." I didn't say anything back. It would be nice to have a partner, but what if something happened to him? I would be responsible if he got hurt or killed.
"That's really nice of you, Luein, but I'm afraid it might get really dangerous. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." I said to him.
"I don't care if something happens to me," he answered. "You defiantly need some help. You can't do it all alone. Please let me come with you."
"I don't know. Let me think about it." I said and stood up. My legs felt like jelly, and my head was swimming in a pool of water. There was so much to think about. My mind felt like it was going to explode. Luein looked like he noticed this and quickly got up after me.
"You know what, I think you need some rest." He said, and put an arm around my shoulder. "You can think about all of this later. Let me take you back to my village, and you can get a proper nights' sleep before jumping into this mess." I felt too tired to protest, and so we walked to his village, and I tried to keep my mind off of everything.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *