Thanks for sticking around! Just a little heads up, I might not get to the romance until Ch. 10! I'm sorry but it's just that it's hard for Ofelia to love anyone yet when she hasn't met anyone yet. Enjoy :)

Alik's Forest

We started to notice that the trees were growing stronger in the lightest part of the forest. I kept looking back to the sky to see if it was daytime at all. It seemed almost impossible that it was still daytime in the forest. I could see a little gate in the distance. Uncle told me we were getting closer. As we did get closer, the gate was much bigger. It was in between two golden trees. The roots linked together to make a strong gate. Suddenly, one of them yawned. I jumped and nearly crashed into Uncle. He didn't seem to be bothered by the speaking tree.

"Who steps up to Alik's Forest?" the tree asked impatiently.

"My name is Ofelia Stiltzchen. I've come to see Alik," I said with truth.

"Alik doesn't take just any human girl to see him. I'm sorry but only nymphs are allowed. If you do not move immediately, then we'll have to fight you," he laughed evilly.

Suddenly, he noticed that his other twin wasn't saying anything. One of his roots slapped him across the face. He was angry and not in the mood to be woken up. They fought for a short time while we stood there. I looked to Uncle who just shrugged. I sighed and walked closer to them.

"Listen!" I shouted at them. They stopped to look at me. "You wouldn't want to fight the Last Deity would you?" I smirked at them.

"There's no such thing as the Deity anymore. Stop with your lies," they argued again.

Now I was getting angry, which I hadn't been in a very long time. I focused on their bickering roots and pulled them apart, all at once. They looked at me in horror and tried to fight me back. Finally with a boost of mind energy, I forced their roots back. They stared at each other and back to me.

"You'll let me in now?" I assured them.

"Alik will be glad to see you," their voices cracked a bit.

I entered in between the trees, with Uncle following. I could hear every last argument they had until I was presented with Alik. He stood on top of a large mushroom. I guessed it was built just like a throne. As he was sitting down, the roots formed a chair before I could blink. He motioned Uncle to come forth. When I was about to go too, he motioned me to stay where I was. They exchanged a few muffled greetings. Uncle pointed to me as his mouth moved. Alik's jaw dropped open with surprise and came walking down the mound.

"Princess Ofelia Stiltzchen," he bowed to me.

"King Alik of the Forest," I thought of a title.

"Alik is just fine," he commented.

"Ofelia is just fine as well," I made him laugh. Suddenly, he started speaking another language completely foreign to me. My body started to tense up. I looked to Uncle and he nodded.

"Please excuse me but Ofelia doesn't remember this place," his words rang in my ear.

He sighed and nodded very slowly. He linked my arm in his and we continued to walk. He seemed like a shy man. He wasn't that old, for his facial features didn't bother any wrinkles. His hair was a silky white with a matching beard. He didn't have any crown on his head nor any jewelry. He looked like a simply farmer. His tunic was a dark green and nothing more. The only thing he did carry was a sword. It was sheathed but it was probably special to him.

"Has the High Queen poisoned your mind?" he suddenly asked me as we stopped.

"Of course. When you spoke that language, I didn't remember anything. I've been blocked from the outside world," my voice almost swollen.

"I'm sorry you had to suffer. No one had to go through what you had to. Locked in your mother's kingdom ever since you were born? We didn't know," he said.

"She's not my mother anymore. She knows I'm missing by now," I guessed.

"I understand. For now, let me give you a review of our house," he showed me the way.

He told me to look up to the sky. There were glass houses that stood in the trees. What a smart way to hide, I thought. Everything else below were just markets and shops. Nymphs passed by, trading, laughing, chattering, and being ecstatic. I smiled at how pleasant they all were. It was peaceful, almost soundless. It was beautiful, almost breath-taking. This place could never be harmed. Time almost stopped moving for a second.

"Since I'm human, I'm the only one allowed to speak the popular language," he was saying.

"The nymphs aren't allowed?" I questioned.

"It's better that way and it should be kept like that. They shouldn't be mistaken for humans. When they are spotted, they should be known as nymphs. They should keep their identities," he said it in simplicity.

"I agree," I ended the conversation.

"I wish you remembered but I have a daughter. She's not my blooded daughter, though. Her name is Celeste. Celeste!" he gave her name a tone.

She walked out of a tent made from palm trees. She hurried to her father's side without looking at me. He explained some things in their language and pointed to me. She looked at me strangely and then smiled. With all her might, she hugged me. I laughed uncontrollably and then explained to her that she needed to stop. She didn't listen, of course. Alik had to pull her away for a moment.

"She's very affectionate," I commented.

"She hasn't seen you in a long time. She doesn't mean you personally. She was once friends with a Deity like yourself," he told me.

"Ah, I see. She sure can recognize one," I laughed.

"She has many special gifts. I'm allowing her to be your follower," he smiled.

"Wow, I'm really honored," I looked at her.

She was quite beautiful in her own ways. I admired her beautiful, green hair. A gold leaf wrapped around her head. As I looked closer, she had specks of gold dust on her cheekbones. She looked so little and innocent, perhaps more than me. I started to doubt the idea that she should come along. If she even died, it would be my fault! She whispered in her father's ear and then giggled.

"Celeste wants you to change into more appropriate clothing," she grabbed my hand.

"Alright," I said to myself.

In just a few minutes, I was already dressed in nymph warrior garb. I had a tunic that looked similar to Alik's. It was a little different than Celeste's clothes. It had a few gold leaves attached to it. My boots were even decorated in gold. She then attached my white cloak to it. She says some words to me and I just nod for some reason.

"'Now the Last Deity can feel like one of us' is what she said," Uncle translated.

"Thank you," I smiled at him.

As we went back outside, the light had already disappeared. Time had surely switched. Uncle explained that Alik offered us refuge here until the morning. He advised us that we go to the Alliance first. Reina might've gotten there first but we should make sure. If anything should happen with the Alliance, we might have no hope of winning this war.