Author's Note:
Hey! Hope you enjoyed the first proper chapter. It was still a bit short, but I'm trying to properly break up the plot of the story into manageable lengths.
I also wanted to address the topic of the Snow Queen. I know it says she waited for 10 years before finding Iya, but for the sake of the story, we'll say that she knew about Iya for those 10 years, she just wasn't able to retrieve her at the moment. With that out of the way, we're rolling along!
Also, I added these lines to separate parts because I can't do spaces.
-Tangent
Ean was alone in the freezing darkness, surrounded by a swirling cloud of white. Wind whipped across his face, blowing his hair and clothes out of place. He tried to look around, but he could not move. He could only hear the howling of the wind, and-
"Ean!" The cry came to him from a distance. He knew that voice. He had grown up with it, hearing it every single day.
"Iya? Is that you?" He cried out, and the wind seemed to die down for a moment.
"Ean, she's taking me away! Please, come find me!" Her voice seemed fainter.
"Iya? Who's taking you? Where?" He shouted, but there was no reply. The wind howled even louder than before, and he had to strain his ears to hear the finals words.
"Save me! Ean!" Her voice died away, only to be replaced by screams that echoed in his mind, over, and over, and over…
He burst from his bed frantically, lashing out at the air.
"Iya!" He fell from his bed to the floor with a crash, still half-asleep. His blankets lay next to him on the ground. His hands were clenched, and his breathing was rapid. Ean looked around slowly, realizing where he was.
"I'm at home. It was just a dream." He repeated several times, getting to his feet and throwing the blankets on the bed. He pulled on his clothes from yesterday, having washed them and set them aside to dry. He stumbled out into the hall and into the kitchen, where he found only his mom. She turned to him excitedly.
"Ean! Have you seen outside? Your father is out there right now!"
"I- No, what's going on?" His mother seemed awfully excited.
"It snowed, Ean!" She exclaimed. He stared at her for a moment, confused.
"What is 'snow'?" He asked hesitantly. She pointed to the door.
"Go look!" Accepting the fact that he was not going to get more answers, Ean strode to the door and opened it, expecting to see something slightly different about the village. His jaw dropped.
The whole village had been covered in white overnight, covering up all the grass and replacing it with a warm blanket. The snow, as his mother had called it, was piled up outside the porch, having been moved to create a path. His father was standing knee-deep in it, smiling.
"Isn't it great? Come feel it?" Ean bent down and touched the substance, recoiling slightly at the feeling.
"It's cold!" He gasped, and his father nodded.
"It hasn't snowed for a long time. You should put on a jacket." Ean nodded and went back inside to retrieve a sweater from his wardrobe.
"I'm going to see Iya." He announced as he opened the door.
"Who?" His mother asked. He stopped, not quite believing that he had heard right.
"Iya."
"Who is Iya?" His mother responded, looking very confused. "Do you feel alright?"
"Oh, come on, Mom. You know Iya, don't you? She's my friend!" Ean said, now feeling very alert.
"I'm afraid I don't know any such girl, son. Run along now and take a biscuit." She handed him a warm biscuit wrapped in paper. Not knowing what else to do, Ean stepped outside and into the snow. The village seemed the same, from what he could tell. The same people were outside, the houses were all the same, and the sky was still mostly clear. The only thing different was this strange white powder…
Ean gasped. The "snow" was the same substance that he had seen in his dream! Making a decision, he ran for Iya's house, ploughing a trail through the snow up to her door. If the first part of the dream was real, then-
"It can't be." He said out loud and opened the door to the Tiki residence. It was warm inside, with Iya's mother and sister eating breakfast. They smiled at him.
"Good morning, Ean." Iya's mother said cheerfully. "Isn't it interesting?"
"Good morning. Is Iya around?" Ean asked. The older elf stared at him for a moment with a blank face.
"Who?" Ean's heart sank.
"You daughter, ma'am. Iya Tiki." The woman laughed.
"Oh, I see. You're trying to pull my leg. You know I only have one daughter, young Okho." She chuckled, and Iya's sister laughed as well. Ean stared at her, completely at a loss for words.
"I… I'm not joking, ma'am." She smiled at him.
"Of course not." She waved him off merrily. Ean strode forward, heading towards the hallway that led to Iya's room. He had only been in there once, and she had yelled at him to get out, but he knew where her bed was. It was on the right side of the room, right against the back wall. It was-
It was not there. There was nothing except an empty space in the room where the bed of his best friend had used to rest. He staggered and fell to one knee, overwhelmed.
"Where did she go? Was she really taken?" He muttered under his breath. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him and straightened up, turning. It was Iya's little sister.
"Where is Iya's bed?" he asked. She looked at him oddly.
"I already told you, I don't have a sister. We never put a bed there because of the loose floorboards."
"But you do have a sister! She's- "
"You're weird." The little elf proclaimed, and she left the room. Ean strode over the space and swiped his hand through it, not believing anything he saw. The floor squeaked under his feet, and he froze. The loose floorboards. Falling to his knees, he wedged his hand under one of the wooden tiles and pulled upwards. With a squeak, it came loose, revealing a small cavity underneath. There was a pink ribbon inside, and Ean stared at it. He remembered this ribbon. He had given it to Iya a long time ago.
It had been a day of celebration in the village. They had spent all day commemorating magic in the village, something that all the children had enjoyed. Well, almost all of them. One small girl sat alone on a tree stump, watching the other girls play. She seemed thoughtful, but almost sad.
"Why are you alone?" Came a small voice from behind her. She turned to see an elf her age behind her. She knew him from school, having been in the same class. Ean was his name.
"I…" she stammered, not knowing how to answer. The boy ploughed on.
"You're Iya Tiki, right?" She nodded. "My mom said you have no magic. Is that true?" She nodded again. He seemed to be thinking for a moment, and then he smiled.
"Well, I don't really care. Do you want to play with me?" Her eyes widened as she stared at the young elf in front of her.
"You want to play? With me?" She squeaked, and he nodded.
"Yep! You seem like a nice girl. And your hair is really cool!" Iya blushed and thanked him as she rose from her stump. They spent the rest of the day playing together, and Iya went home happier than she had been in a long time. When they arrived on her doorstep, Ean had pressed a pink ribbon into her hand. Embarrassed, he had run back to his house, leaving her standing on the step. She had watched him go, and when he was gone, she clutched the ribbon to her chest and smiled wider than she ever had before. From that day on, they had been best friends.
All the memories came rushing back to Ean as he knelt on the floor in an empty room.
I knew it! She is real! But as soon as the thought had appeared, it vanished.
What have they done to her? Why can nobody remember? He decided to speak to the elders of the village about the matter. Rising to his feet, he exited the house without staying goodbye. He crunched through the snow as he headed to the small glade south of the village where the elders held their meetings. When he arrived, he found all three of the elves sitting in the clearing, looking worried.
"Elder Leyr?" Ean said tentatively, not wanting to disturb him.
"Ah, Ean. What is it?" Taking a deep breath, Ean told him about the dream that he had had the night before, describing the snow that he had seen.
"And if it is the same, then Iya's in danger, and-" Elder Leyr cut him off.
"Ean, we are all worried about the snow. And as for your friend, I can't say that I know her."
"But sir," Ean argued, not wanting to lose his chance to find Iya. "How can everyone forget her? What has happened? Do you not believe me?"
"I… I know the name is familiar, but I have never met this elf. We have more pressing concerns now, young Okho. The frost may kill all of our crops." Ean looked down at his boots, defeated. The elder looked sympathetic but did not speak.
"Sir, if I had a question nobody could answer, who would I ask?" The elf said finally, in a sad tone.
"I would speak to the Elder Oak, young one. He will answer you if your need is great enough." Elder Leyr said, giving him a long look. Ean nodded and turned away.
To the Elder Oak it is. He stopped for a moment, thinking.
I should get some supplies from the general store before I leave. I may be gone for a while, searching for her. He walked to the general store, opening the door to speak to the old elf inside. He purchased some food, as well as a new wooden shield. His coat would protect him from the cold, and he could get the dagger from the woods as a weapon. It was not much, but it was all that he had. He strode from the store with his shield on his back, carrying his supplies in his backpack. He walked towards the woods but stopped in front of his house. His father had gone inside. His chest was tight with sadness.
"I'll be back." He whispered, and disappeared into the snowy woods.
After retrieving the knife from the rock, he headed up the path that he and Iya had trodden yesterday. He could still see her sad face, disappointed at her continued failure. He could hear her laughter as they had brought the honeycomb back to his house. The trees opened up, and he entered the clearing of the Elder Oak.
The snow was thick here, and the pond surrounding the tree was frozen solid. The trees were almost gone, buried in an avalanche of white powder. He waded through the snow and approached the Elder Oak. He had never been this close before.
"I need your help." He spoke quietly into the quiet air, mist steaming from his mouth. "My friend, Iya Tiki, has vanished. You must know who she is." The tree did not stir.
"I fear that she had been taken by some powerful force, Elder Oak. Please, help me protect her. Help me find her." As he spoke, a wind began to stir the snow. But still the tree did not answer.
"Why?" He suddenly shouted, furious beyond reason. "Why deny her magic? Why is this happening? You have to know!" He collapsed to his knees in the snow, kneeling before the tree.
"I beg of you, bring her back."
"I cannot." The deep voice rumbled through the trees, shaking the snow from branched all around the elf. He jumped to his feet, staring at the oak in front of him. A kindly face had appeared in the tree.
"Elder Oak?" He gasped.
"Yes. Listen to me, Ean Okho. We have little time." The tree spoke again. "Your friend was taken by the Snow Queen, an evil spirit who rules an icy kingdom in the Land of Man. In time, she will extract all of Iya Tiki's magic from her, and she will be unstoppable. You must save her."
"Magic?" Ean asked dumbfoundedly. "Iya has no magic."
"She has more magic than any elf or human ever known. The Snow Queen knows this. You must journey to the Land of Man and save her."
"But I… I cannot. I'm no hero." said Ean.
"Not yet, you are not. I can sense that you have the will inside of you. But if you wish, I shall not open the portal. Just let me ask you this: Is she worth it?" Ean did not have to think.
"Yes, Elder Oak. She is." The tree smiled.
"Then go with my blessings. You will find a river when you arrive. Take it north until you see the snowy mountains. Enter the pass and travel to the city of Shaenlir, the residence of the Snow Queen. From there, you must rescue your friend."
"But how?"
"I know not, but you will find a way. Seek out the Oracle, young Ean. And good luck." The face vanished, and the trunk of the tree disappeared to create a swirling portal of light. Ean stared at it for a moment.
I'm coming for you, Iya. He plunged through the portal and vanished into nothingness.
Something was dripping onto his face, something wet. He blinked one or twice and opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground at the feet of the Elder Oak. The sky overhead was dark gray, and rain was pouring down upon him. He jerked, startled by the sudden revelation. It almost never rained in The Vale. Getting to his feet with a groan, he looked around, expecting to see the familiar trees of Elfwood. But instead, the trees were tall and dark, with jagged branches and wide trunks. And then he remembered.
"This must be the Land of Man." He whispered, turning around. The clearing was much the same as it was in Elfwood, with the Elder Oak standing in the middle. But here, bushes grew wildly along the edges of the clearing, intertwining to create a wall of green. In front of him, a narrow path led between the trees and out of sight. Staying on edge, Ean crept slowly towards the path, not knowing what could be lurking beyond his line of sight. As he approached the tree line, he glimpsed a long, wide piece of wood laying in the bushes. It seemed smooth, almost man-made. Reaching for it, he flipped it over to see that it was hollow, with a plank across the middle of it.
It's a boat! This must be what the Elder meant when he told me to take the river north. He yanked at the vessel, but it was caught firmly in the bushes.
"Oh, for…" He spent the better part of an hour cutting the bush away with his knife, careful not to damage his small boat. He also extracted two oars that could be used to row it. After a while, his clothes were thoroughly wet, and he stiffened as he felt as chill. Finally, pulling the boat from the bushes, he realized that it was quite light, and that he could carry it. He hoisted it onto his shoulders and began following the small passage through the trees, careful not to drop the boat.
He staggered through the final trees and emerged onto a wide stretch of grass. Already, the clouds seemed to have dissipated slightly, and the sun was peeking out from beyond its cover. The grass sloped downwards to meet a river that flowed rapidly to the north, where it rounded a bend and vanished from sight. On the other side of the river, another forest stretched away and out of sight.
"Okay, so if I'm facing east, I need to take the river downstream." Ean sighed, lugging the boat down to the water's edge. It was cool to the touch, almost refreshing. Pushing the boat into the water, Ean slid into the vessel, doing his best not to tip it over. Surprisingly enough, it stayed upright, and grabbed the oars from the bottom of the boat. Dipping them in the water, he pulled on them, and the boat moved forward! Pleased with this development, he continued rowing until he was in the middle of the river. He felt the current begin to take the boat, and he relaxed slightly. He didn't really have to row unless he got near one of the banks of the river. A small smile crossed his face, only to be replaced by a look of determination.
"I'm on my way, Iya. Just hold on!"