Author's Note:
I was going to include the next part in the last chapter, but it seemed too long, so I'm moving it to here. I hope you like it so far! Let me know if you have any suggestions for additions to the story.
-Tangent
Ean shut the oak door behind him as he stepped into the small cottage. The old woman, for that's who the person was, had laid Iya on a bed near the back. She wore a red robe with the hood up, and strands of grey hair fell around her face, which was kind and old. She was quite short, barely reaching the elf's neck. The cottage itself was cozy, with a bed, stove, and other miscellaneous pieces of furniture scattered about. After tending to Iya for a moment, the elder woman turned to Ean, who was standing near the door, his claws extended slightly.
"Don't just sit there! Come on, come over here!" The woman laughed, and Ean walked over to the bed, sitting on a chair.
"Now, she will awaken soon, but who are you?" The woman said, her eyes landing on their strange ears. Ean tensed, but answered the question.
"Ean and Iya, ma'am. We are traveling down to the forests."
"Ah, I see. And the girl…" The woman looked at Iya's blue hair. "She looks remarkably similar to a certain princess that has escaped into these mountains, hm?" Ean jumped to his feet, ready to fight, but the woman merely chuckled. "Relax, I'm not going to turn you in. But I do need to speak to you, Iya Tiki." Ean moved back a step, alarmed.
This woman knows a lot. Who is she? The woman raised her hand and spoke in a strange tongue. With a blast of emerald light, Iya sat bolt upright, gasping. Her scars had faded, and she seemed lively and healthy again.
"Ean! I… where…" Her voice faded as she remembered. "The dragons. What happened?"
"Young Ean dragged you in here, and I healed you. I guess I can heal him too." The woman pointed at him, and he felt a surge of energy as all his pains disappeared.
"Thank you." Iya said sincerely. "But who are you?" The woman smiled, and lowered her hood, revealing a knot of gray hair at the back.
"I am the watcher of this land, young Tiki. The Oracle is my only name now."
Iya stared at the woman, not fully understanding? She was an oracle of some sort? Across from her, Ean had gasped, his mouth falling open.
"Ean, you know her?" She asked.
"No, but I was told to find her after I rescued you. The Elder Oak told me to "seek out the Oracle." But who are you, and what do you want?" He asked, and the Oracle frowned slightly.
"That is a hard question to answer. But first, I will give you answers of your own." She turned to Iya, who sat up straighter on the bed. "No doubt you've been wondering why the Snow Queen took you?"
"Yes." The elven girl replied, her brow furrowed. "But I thought she wanted my magic? That's what the Elder Oak said, at least."
"That is true, but she wanted much more than that. She took your very spirit, girl. The six parts of you that make you whole, she has taken them from you and assimilated them into herself."
"What!?" Iya asked, shocked. "What do you mean, my spirit?"
"You have your magical talent through your spirit, Iya. It could never truly be separated from you, so the Snow Queen drained your very spirit from you."
"And what does that mean?" Ean asked quietly, his fists curled. Iya saw a look of awful rage on his face, and she knew he was contemplating returning to Shaenlir.
"Ean. It's okay. Just breathe, alright?" She said quietly, and he nodded stiffly.
"Without your spirit, you cannot leave this land." The Oracle said, a sad look on her face. "The Elder Oak will not allow a person lacking in spirit to cross between worlds."
"No, that can't be!" Ean said, shooting up from his chair. "He told me…"
"He told you she had great magic, but it has not awoken, and will not without her spirit!" The Oracle spoke loudly, silencing him. "If you were to face her now, she would obliterate you. You must grow stronger." She addressed the last sentence to Iya, who sat there in shock.
"I… What do you mean?"
"The Snow Queen has not taken all of your spirit, young one. But she plans to take the entire world apart to find you. Which is why you must seize your destiny, reclaim your spirit, and defeat her once and for all!" There was complete silence, only broken by the crackling of the fire.
"I have to do this? Nobody else can?" Iya asked. The older woman shook her head.
"Nobody except you has the power, young one. Not even me." Iya buried her head in her hands, and the older woman turned to Ean.
"And you, young man. You also have a part to play in this prophecy."
"Me?" Ean asked. "What must I do? Is helping Iya reclaim her spirit not enough?"
"That's part of it, but no. You must unite the other kingdoms against the Snow Queen. Without their rulers, they will eventually fall to her might. You must recruit them to your cause, or all is lost. And in the end, you will have to stand against the Snow Queen as well."
"I… I see." Ean was lost. "But how can I do this? This is too much!"
"You two will have to find a way. I would recommend going to Thais first. Return to the river, and follow it east to the city. Speak to Prince Uthar Pendragon, the descendant of Rhen Pendragon. He will know what to do." She turned back to Iya, who looked at her.
"The way to reclaim your spirit is not easy, but you will not be alone. There will be others to assist you and help you bear the burden. You must seek out the six nymphs of this world. Each holds a piece of your spirit, and they will bless you with it."
"Nymphs? Where can I find them?" Iya asked, her voice still shaky.
"Yes. Their names are Hepititus, Nymph of Wickedness, Ceri, Nymph of Love, Serendipity, Nymph of Luck, Aisling, Nymph of Hope, Nuha, Nymph of Wisdom, and Ishtar, Nymph of Compassion." She pulled a book from a nearby shelf and handed it to Iya, who took it out of instinct. It was titled: "The Six Nymphs", and placed it in her lap.
"That will help you find them, although I do not know what exactly they will do. They have been silent for years, perhaps in hiding. If the Snow Queen really wanted to rule the world, she would have to deal with them as well." She reached into a chest under her bed and pulled out two backpacks like Ean's. She handed them to them. "These enchanted backpacks can carry almost an unlimited amount of items. They will surely be useful. And one more thing for our magic user…" Holding out her hand, the Oracle frowned with concentration, and green light began to coalesce in her palm. It turned into a shimmering orb, emblazoned with a transparent leaf on the side.
"This is a song orb, young one. It will help focus your magic, and will increase it the more you use it in battle. I say this because I know there will be many battles ahead of you. The way is long, and the enemies are fierce, but you must prevail." She gave the orb to Iya, where it dissolved in her palm, infusing itself into her body. She breathed out once, a green light emanating from her hands.
"Thank you, Oracle." The old woman nodded, and pointed to the door.
"You should get going. The way to Thais is blocked, but there may be somebody in Riverwood with the answer. Across from the icy mountains, there is a forest, and on the other side is the town. And do not delay. Good luck, young ones." The two elves rose to their feet, and walked to the door with their new knowledge. They opened it and stepped out, ready to face their new destiny.
Ean and Iya had continued on through the mountain pass, until they arrived at a steep cliff. Looking down, Ean could see the ice caves he had previously explored. The whole top of the cave was covered with the same crystals, and he wondered how he had ever missed it before.
"What do we do?" Iya asked.
"I think we can work our way down from that ledge." Ean said, pointing to the left, where there was a small outcrop of rock. "And I know a path through the caves." Over the next hour, Iya managed to get down the cliff without falling to her death. Ean followed suit, and when their feet touched the snowy ground, they moved towards the crystal caves. The sun was beginning to set, and she could see clouds on the horizon.
"Hey, wait." Ean said, holding out a hand. On the ground in front of them was a large number of footsteps, all leading towards the entrance to the mountains.
"Guards, probably. They'll try to catch us when we leave." They ducked into the entrance of the cave, and Ean led her into the complex areas.
"How do you know your way around?" Iya asked.
"Well, I told you how I almost froze to death, and that lady saved me. She showed a way through, so maybe we'll find her in here." His voice echoed slightly in the silence, and she nodded. The cave really was quite beautiful.
The crystals must naturally form like this. She continued thinking about it, but her mind was too full of new information. Everything was crowding in around her, threatening to overwhelm her.
"Hey, you with me?" Ean nudged her gently. She blinked, snapping out of her trance to look at him.
"Yeah. Just… It's a lot to take in. I'm still not really accepting that you're even here, Ean. And that prophecy thing…" Ean seemed to understand.
"I know. It's hard to go from the life we had before to the one now, isn't it? But we can't go back, no matter how much we want to." She nodded, grateful for his understanding. "I'm overwhelmed too, but we just need to focus on one thing at a time. I'll focus on getting us to Riverwood, and you should focus on your magic."
"I'm not sure what's different. I feel stronger, I suppose." Iya responded.
"Can you do anything besides lightning?" Iya concentrated, drawing on the source of energy. This time, however, the green orb manifested itself on her arm like a shield, facing outward.
"Whoa." Ean said, his eyes wide. Iya concentrated, and a small flame appeared in her palm. It grew bigger and bigger, until it was a proper ember, filling the cave with light. With a flick of her wrist, Iya sent the flame into a wall, where it exploded loudly, making them both flinch. When the smoke had cleared, she saw a large, circular burn mark upon the wall, as well as a couple cracks.
"I think it worked." She said, grinning at Ean's astonished face. With another burst of magic, she concentrated and sent a bolt of lightning across the cave. "I guess I can switch, too."
"Well, remind me not to make you mad, then." Ean teased. "I don't want to get fried!" She poked him in the side, smiling.
"Better not get on my bad side then, elf." He laughed as they arrived in a crystal cavern, the same one Ean had slept in before.
"We can stay here for the night. The guards are probably a lot more alert at night anyways. They probably think we'd try to sneak out at night." He set his pack down on the floor, and Iya followed suit, sitting down as Ean pulled out some bread and cheese.
"If we can make a fire, I'll show you something really nice. I'll get some wood from out there." He pointed to a crack in the wall, and Iya frowned at him.
"How will you fit through there?"
"Oh, it widens out." He stood and moved to the crack, disappearing through it. Iya heard his footsteps fade, and she looked through her pack, taking note of what she had. Ean was carrying most of the items, but he said his pack felt light as ever, so she supposed it was okay. She pulled out the book given to her by the Oracle and opened it, noting the exquisitely detailed pictures and fine words. She flipped to the first paragraph and began reading:
The Land of Man has been protected since time immemorial by two great forces: The Goddess and her nymphs. Although the Goddess resides in Aveyond (a mystical land), her nymphs reside in the mortal world, tending to it and keeping things in balance. There are six nymphs, each representing a portion of a person's spirit. Most people have a normal spirit, but certain magicians have been foretold to have a greater spirit, and thus, greater power. The nymphs are detailed below.
The nymphs first appeared in… Iya flipped a couple pages to the description of the nymphs, and their supposed homes.
The first nymph is Ishtar, who guards the spirit of compassion. She is a kind, warming soul, who always strives to help people wherever she goes. She has also been known to get unreasonably angry, but that has only ever happened once. As for her residence, nobody knows where she may be found, since she vanished over ten years ago. It is said that she walks the earth in the guise of a woman, but this is unconfirmed.
The second nymph is Ceri, the guardian of love. She resides in Candar, as well as protects the city of love from those seeking to destroy it. Unlike the other nymphs, she can give love freely to all who desire to it, not just those seeking to embolden their spirit. It is said that she also protects the deepest love, the "true love." Nobody knows where in the city she resides, but her presence has been felt many times.
Iya looked up as Ean returned to the cave with a bundle of wood and hair full of snow. He had a reassuring smile on his face, and she smiled back, closing the book in her lap and placing it back in her bag. He began to stack the wood up, shaking the snow from his hair. There was a few crystals on the back of his head, and before Iya knew what she was doing, she had leaned forward and brushed them away.
"You missed some." She said playfully, turning back to her bag. Ean stared at her in shock. Iya almost never initiated any sort of physical contract, and she only allowed it when things were really serious.
"T-thanks." He said, stammering slightly, but she must not have noticed, because she did not respond. Across from him, Iya was internally screaming.
Why did I do that? Now he thinks I'm weird or something! Despite the thoughts, she could not really bring herself to regret the action. Ean got the fire going, and she felt the warmth course through her as the flame grew.
"It's been so long since I felt warmth. The city was always so cold, you know." Ean nodded and grabbed the food. He placed the cheese on the bread and placed it at the edge of the fire. After a minute or so, the cheese began to bubble and melt onto the side of the bread. He removed them and let them cool, handing one to Iya when he had finished. She bit into it, and it was quite good.
"This is quite delicious. How'd you think of that?"
"An innkeeper taught it to me. It provides a better meal for when you're traveling. We could put other stuff in it too, I suppose."
"Well, I like it. Thank you, Ean." Iya said sincerely, and she saw him flush slightly.
"It's nothing." She decided to let it go and ate a couple more pieces of bread and cheese, and then curled up next to her bag, leaning against it like a cushion. She pulled out the book again, opening it to the same page she had before. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her, and turned to see Ean sitting next to her.
"Do you mind if I read it too? We could share?" His voice was hesitant, and she thought she understood. He was trying to make their situation feel more normal, despite everything that was happening right now.
"Sure." She moved aside so he could lean on the bag as well, and he did so, their shoulder almost touching. She was acutely aware of how close the other elf was to her, and she thought she could smell a scent of the forest coming from him. She opened the book on her lap, turning so that he could see, and continued reading:
Serendipity is the nymph who takes care of luck. She is always willing to help anybody, and she guards the village of Verashema, the elven village on an island. She is reported to live across the island, in a small star-shaped inlet called Stardale Glen. As such, the locals treat her very well, and she returns the favor to them as well. She is the easiest nymph to locate, as the island is just south of Bogwood, home of Hepititus.
"Elves?" Ean asked, confused. "There are elves here?"
"I'm not sure, but I suppose we'll find out. Perhaps the elves once lived in the Land of Man, or some went there from the Vale." The two continued reading, their shoulders properly touching now.
To continue, Hepititus is the nymph of wickedness, and the worst of the nymphs. She lives in Bogwood, a swamp home to a number of powerful witches and warlocks. She does not bless anybody, nor has she ever, according to history. Several incidents can be traced back to her doing, and she apparently wears the guise of a mortal. This is one nymph better avoided, as she is arguably the most powerful of the sic.
"Sounds like a lovely person." Ean commented, making the elven girl smile.
Nuha is the nymph who guards the most important blessing: wisdom. She is knowledgeable about everything, and used to give out advice to all who asked. However, her hometown of Eredar in the Land of the Lost has vanished, and nobody has seen her in dozens of years. Many have set out to find her, but none have succeeded. As such, one part of a spirit has always been missing.
Finally, Aisling is the nymph of hope, the one who provides motivation. She lives on Fairytale Island, a remote land far to the south of Verashema. She reportedly lives in the forest, although few people have sailed far enough to know the truth. As such, she is also very hard to find, and may be quite elusive. She still lives there, as far as people have seen, tending to the forest and its strange people.
"Wow. So we have to find all of them?" Ean asked, and Iya looked up at him, surprised at how close they were.
"I guess so. But we should go to Thais first, since that's what the Oracle said."
"I agree. Anyways, we should sleep, so we can get going early in the morning. I'll be on watch."
"Ean, you have to sleep too, you know. Let me take the second half of the watch." Iya argued, frustrated that he didn't want to leave her alone. "You have to be tired."
"Not really, but I suppose so. I'll wake you when I'm tired, okay?" He reached over to his pack and pulled out a blanket for her, which he wrapped around her shoulders. To his surprise, she leaned against him slightly, her heat emanating through the blanket.
"I'm scared, Ean." Her voice was quiet, and he looked at her. Her blue hair was hanging down partially over her face, and he couldn't see her expression.
"Me too." He decided to be honest. "But we can do it."
"Can we really?"
"I think so. Don't you?" Iya paused, thinking.
"I guess so. It's just so much, Ean."
"I know it is. But you will not be alone. I'll be with you until the very end, and so will everybody else." Iya's heart felt sad at the words.
"But what if you die? What will I do then?"
"Then you'll do it without me, Iya. I'll lay down my life for you if I must, but I'm not going anywhere. I'm your friend." She felt his hand brush her forehead, parting her hair, and she saw that he had a tender expression on his face. Immediately, a blush began to form in her cheeks, and he pulled his hand away, leaving her mildly disappointed for some reason.
"But we can talk about it later. Sleep." His voice brooked no arguments, and she lay down against her bag and closed her eyes. She drifted off into a dreamless sleep, with the crackling fire and Ean's warmth as her companions.
Ean gently touched her on the arm, and she woke, looking
around. The fire had died down slightly, and she scooted forward to sit next to it, handing Ean the blanket. He nodded gratefully to her, giving her a small smile that made her feel warm and cozy. He laid down where she had been, covering himself up with the blanket. The elf fell asleep almost instantly, making Iya wonder exactly how long it had been since he properly slept. His face was peaceful, and she returned to her vigil, watching the cave for signs of danger. As she did, she contemplated what had happened to her over the past week or so. Her life had changed so much, and now she was a stranger in a world that was not her own, with a maniacal ruler chasing after her.
I'm supposed to save the world, but I couldn't even save myself without Ean. He's the real hero here, not me… All at once, the sadness and loneliness came crashing down, and tears welled in her eyes. She shed them silently, not wanting to wake Ean, but needing to acknowledge the feelings behind them.
Ean lay there, frozen. He could hear Iya crying quietly near the fire, tears dripping onto the floor. He wanted to go to her so badly, but he knew that she needed time alone, to cope with what had happened to her.
She is so strong. He knew it was the truth, knew that lesser people would have cracked under a smaller burden. But he was sure she couldn't do it alone, and so he made a silent prayer to the Goddess:
Please, give her reason to be happy again. She must bear the burden, but lighten it if you can. After a while, he heard Iya stop crying and turn towards him. She seemed to be thinking, and he fell asleep after a short while.
He was awoken by the female elf in the morning, when
the sun began to shine through the crack in the wall. He got up quietly, stoking the fire and stowing their blankets away. They ate more bread and cheese for breakfast, both unusually quiet.
"Everything okay, Iya?" Ean asked cautiously.
"Yes." She said simply, her eyes still slightly red. "I will be okay. We should get going." He decided not to press her further as he extinguished the fire and scattered the ashes across the floor. Making sure that Iya had her ice amulet around her neck, the two elves exited the cave through the crack and stepped out into the icy snow. The trees were now covered in a thick layer of snow, as were the sides of the cliffs. They crunched through the cold, their feet stumbling over rocks and dead branches. Ean looked at Iya a couple of times, but she was silent for the most part, except for a few mumbled words of thanks here and there as he helped her over obstacles. The soldiers had felled trees near the path, and it made it hard to navigate properly. They encountered a few foes, all of which were slain very quickly and easily by Ean. Iya didn't seem to want to use magic, but that was okay.
After a few hours of travel, the travelers finally arrived at the edge of the snowy mountains. Ean pointed to a ledge that looked accessible.
"I'm going to look up there. Perhaps I can see what's going on with the guards, if they're there."
"I'm coming with you." Iya said firmly, and he nodded.
"Wouldn't have it any other way." They crawled up the side of the mountain to the ledge, where they sat against a large rock. Ean peered around, and he could see the plains of green grass, as well as the river farther beyond. Closer to them, he could see several dark green tents set up near the entrance to the pass. There were also several wooden watchtowers, and he could see soldiers atop them. They peered in all directions, searching for travelers.
"That's not good. They've got eyes everywhere." Ean whispered. "They're guarding the river, too." In the distance, he could see the forest that the Oracle spoke of. "Riverwood must be through there." From what he could see, there were always at least three men looking in their direction. "Damn. We might just have to run for it." He racked his brains.
"What if I caused a distraction?" Iya asked. "Could I use my magic for anything?" He considered the idea, looking around the edge of the mountains.
"Maybe if you… I don't know, caused a cliff collapse or something? That might cause them to look. But we'd have to get down and sneak around first. You think they have horses?"
"I don't know… I think we should try it. We need to hurry, though." Ean nodded, and they slid back down the slope into the pass. From there, the two worked their way over to a part of the mountains they could cross, closer to the river.
"Okay, here's the plan. Find a weak spot in the cliff, but don't break it yet. I'm going to make sure the boat is still where I left it." Ean slipped away into the pass, and Iya examined the outer walls of the cliff.
There's a deep fissure in the wall there. If I bring it down, it'll certainly draw their attention. I wonder if they'll leave the camp, though. She focused her magic, honing in on the crack in the cliff face. She could probably bring it down with a couple of the embers, but it would be quite loud.
A few minutes later, Ean returned, smiling encouragingly.
"Okay, the boat's still there. Here's the plan. I'll sneak over to it, so give me five minutes. After that, exit the pass and collapse the cliff behind you. They'll be looking, so be as stealthy as possible. To the right of the pass, the grass dips down into a lower point, and they can't see all of the bottom. Stay low, and go towards the bushes near the river. You'll see me. When you get close, I'll get it into the water, and hopefully we'll be past them before they can try and shoot us or something. Okay?" He gave her more specific directions, and turned back towards the plains, but Iya stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"What if they attack me?" He looked at her, and then he pulled her into a hug for a brief moment. She pulled away, flustered, and he stared at her dead in the eyes.
"Then do what you have to do." She nodded, and with one final look, he vanished out into the plains. She sat there on the icy stones, waiting. She tried not to think about what Ean was doing, and she began tapping her feet nervously. After what felt like an eternity, she rose from her stone and grabbed her pack.
Iya moved quickly out of the ravine and turned, just out of sight of the soldiers' camp. She summoned her magic, creating a glowing ember in her palm. She hurled it at the wall, and it exploded with a deafening boom. Several small cracks appeared, and she repeated the action until the cliff was almost collapsed entirely.
Alright, here we go. In her palm, Iya gathered a massive ember and tossed it lightly into the cliff. The whole mountains shook, and the cliff collapsed, rocks tumbling towards her, and she darted out into the plains as the pass to Shaenlir was buried under several tons of rock and dirt.
The elf kept low as she snuck onto the plains. About 200 yards away, she could see the soldiers looking towards her, no doubt wondering at the massive blast that had occurred. She darted behind a tree, breathing hard. Ahead, she could see the valley that Ean was in, and she thought she could make out his hair under some bushes. Moving stealthily and staying low, Iya crept under bushes and behind trees as she crossed the expanse. So far, she had not been seen.
With a quick movement, she crept down the slope of the valley, staying flat against the hill. Her heart was pounding so hard she though it was going to explode, and she took several deep breaths. She was halfway to Ean when a horn sounded, and several shouts were heard.
"Over there!"
"Get them!"
"Iya, run!" Ean yelled, grabbing the boat and dragging it from the bushes. Iya rose and sprinted forward, and more shouts were heard as she emerged from cover. She heard a twang and ducked as an arrow hissed over her head viciously, burying itself in the grass. Several more followed, but none struck her, and she made it to Ean unharmed. He was almost to the water, and she helped him shove it the last few yards into the river, where he jumped in, beckoning to her.
"Come on!" She leapt it, unsure of what she was doing. Behind them, several men had begun to run towards them, but stopped at the sight of the boat drifting into the middle of the river. They yelled, pointing at it.
"Hold the shield up!" Ean shouted, pointing to his wooden shield on the floor. Iya grabbed it and held it up facing the towers, which were now raining arrows upon them. One struck the boat and bounced off, while two more embedded themselves in the shield, quivering. Several more struck the water, and then they were clear, and the arrows stopped. She grabbed the other oar and rowed with Ean, eager to get away from the soldiers.
"What happened?" She asked, and Ean frowned.
"I think they saw me, but I'm not sure. I had to knock one of their guys out in the bushes." The boat floated down the river at a rapid pace, and soon they arrived at the edge of the woodlands, which stretched outwards. The camp was out of sight, and they rowed to shore, dragging the boat onto dry land. They stashed the vessel in the bushes, and the two elves vanished among the trees.