Aglanthol 4 - Tyrnae (Journey to the Otherworld) - 8. Chapter 8

Lyaris awoke. Night was falling. He looked around. He was still feeling dizzy. He rose to his feet and went to the fountain. Lyaris looked into the fountain again. He put his hand into the dark water. The long sleep had made him thirsty. Lyaris took a handful of water and rinsed his mouth. He bent over and drank more water. Suddenly, he heard a voice beside him. Startled, Lyaris turned around. A man stood in the shadows. Lyaris was not able to see his face clearly. The figure was tall and the voice was the voice of a man.

"Welcome to my fountain. My name is Mimir," the man said. His voice was dark and cold.

Lyaris tensed. He looked at the figure. A few moments passed before the prince replied.

"My name is Lyaris. I am the Prince of Aglanthol," he said finally. He tried to keep his voice firm. His insecurity, however, showed clearly.

Lyaris felt nervous. Who was the man? What did he want? And where had he come from so suddenly? Lyaris thoughts were running. He kept gazing at the man who stood motionless in the shadows.

"A prince," the man said with a chuckle. His laugh was accompanied by the sound of small bells.

Lyaris glanced left and right in order to make out where the sound of the bells had come from. Yet he did not see anything or anybody.

The man stepped closer. Lyaris felt tempted to retreat. However, he kept standing in his place. He took a deep breath.

"It is nice to meet a prince," the man said. "Do you wish to visit the venerable kingdom?" he asked.

"Kingdom?" Lyaris uttered in confusion.

"You knocked at the gate. Did you not knock for admittance?" the man asked while he made another step towards Lyaris.

Lyaris now saw the man’s face more clearly. He was middle-aged. He had an ash blond full beard and his ash blond hair fell to his shoulders. The man was dressed in a green tunic and dark brown suede pants. He wore black leather boots and he carried a spear in his hand.

Lyaris gazed at the man. Then he turned his eyes to the spear. He gazed at the weapon.

"I haven’t knocked on a gate," Lyaris said slowly. He looked back at the man.

"Oh, you did, Prince Lyaris," Mimir said in a full voice. "You drank of the water of the fountain on the evening of Samuin."

"Samuin," Lyaris muttered.

His manuscript came to his mind. The gate to the otherworld opened on the day of Samuin. His birthday had come. He had not noticed. Lyaris suddenly felt hot and cold. He made a step back.

Mimir laughed.

"Not so fast, my prince. You might stumble and fall," he said.

Lyaris made another step back. His back touched something hard. Lyaris glanced back. A huge root of the ash tree stopped his retreat.

Mimir gave another laugh.

"You drank from the fountain yesterday. The water made you sick, didn’t it? Why did you not leave the place?" he asked.

Lyaris felt confused.

"I drank from the water. But it did not make me feel sick. I just grew very tired," he replied.

"Ah," Mimir said as if Lyaris’ words sufficed as an explanation. "You tasted the water again today. Did you want to fall asleep again?" he asked.

Lyaris felt perplexed. In all honesty, he had not given this a thought. He had just followed his first impulse to drink more of the water.

"I was thirsty," he said weakly.

"Thirsty for what?" Mimir asked.

He made another step towards Lyaris. Lyaris turned to the right and stepped a few steps away from the man. Yet, suddenly, like out of nowhere, another huge root appeared in his way and stopped him from moving on. Mimir gave a loud laugh. He moved closer to the prince until he stood right in front of him. Lyaris held his breath. Mimir’s look was grim and his eyes were piercing. Lyaris felt totally scared.

"Thirsty for what?" Mimir asked again. His voice sounded menacing this time. "Answer, Prince Lyaris. Thirsty for what? Fame? Glory? Knowledge? Or power?"

Lyaris gazed at the threatening man. The prince swallowed. His mind was chaos.

"I’m thirsty for adventure," he replied in a meek voice.

Mimir gazed at the prince. His eyes showed surprise. Then he let out a hearty laugh. His cheeks flushed and his eyes sparkled.

"Your answer is pleasing me," Mimir said. "Come, follow me, Prince Lyaris."

Mimir pointed with his spear at another huge root that was formed like an arch. Lyaris looked at what looked like a natural formed gate. The gate was wreathed in mist. Lyaris heard the sound of bells from the other side of the gate.

"Come," Mimir said again.

Lyaris swallowed. Hesitatingly, he made a step towards the gate. Mimir made an encouraging gesture with his hand. Lyaris moved on and Mimir followed him until they had reached the gate. A cold shiver ran up Lyaris’ spine. He felt an urge to turn and run. But at the same time he felt tempted to move on and step through the gate.

"Come," Mimir said in a soft and tempting voice. "Step through the gate, Prince Lyaris."

Lyaris glanced at the wondrous man, and then he made another step forward and crossed the gate. The sound of the bells grew louder for a moment, yet then the sound faded away.

"Welcome. Welcome to the land that only few do find and less do leave," Mimir said in dark and grave voice.

Lyaris startled at Mimir’s words. Frightened, he turned his head back to Mimir. The man was standing in the gate.

"Welcome to Tyrnae, Prince Lyaris," Mimir said. His piercing eyes were resting on Lyaris’ face.

His figure faded. And then, from one moment to the other, Mimir had disappeared. The gate had also vanished. Lyaris tensed. His body stiffened and fear crept up his spine. He looked around desperately. The surrounding had changed entirely. The huge ash tree and the fountain had gone. Lyaris stood on a clearing. The trees had also changed. The evergreen ash trees had disappeared and oak trees had replaced them. The colour of the leaves had already turned into yellow, orange, and red. Despair took hold of Lyaris as he realized what he had done. Totally unaware of it, he had entered Tyrnae. He had entered the ancient realm that was mysterious and magical and only welcomed the chosen ones.

‘Welcome to the land that only few do find and less do leave.’ Mimir’s words echoed in Lyaris’ mind. Tears came to his eyes and he opened his lips, yet no cry or sob escaped his mouth. Lyaris felt petrified. Reality had caught up with him.

Lyaris gave a mocking laugh at his thought. Reality had not caught up with him. On the contrary, he had entirely lost touch with it. He was trapped in some unreal and magical world. Lyaris felt as if he was trapped in a dream. However, he was totally aware that this was not a dream. The gate had opened to him on the evening of Samuin. It had opened to him on his birthday. The veil between the worlds was thin on the day of Samuin. Lyaris had passed the gate to the ancient world. Lyaris had entered the magical world of Tyrnae.

Lyaris stood and did not move. He gazed at the tainted trees. A warm morning sun was shining down on him. Even the time of the day had changed.

~~**~~

A sudden, albeit faint sound shook Lyaris out of his paralysis. He heard a rustle in his back. He turned around slowly and looked in the direction where the rustle had come from. He did not see anyone or anything. Lyaris heard another rustle and he walked in the direction slowly. The noise had come from behind a rowan tree. Lyaris approached it and stopped in front of it. He listened attentively and stood motionless until he heard another sound.

"Is anybody watching me?" Lyaris asked in a firm voice.

There was a brief silence. And then a melodious voice answered from behind the rowan tree.

"Yes, I am watching you. I’m a around here often, but I have never seen you. Who are you?" someone asked back.

Lyaris straightened.

"I am Prince Lyaris of Aglanthol. I have just passed the gate to Tyrnae," he said.

"Oh, have you?" the voice asked with a chuckle. "Welcome then. I am a prince as well. I am Prince Erendil."

"So why don’t you come out of your hiding place?" Lyaris asked. "I won’t harm you."

A moment later, a young man stepped from behind the rowan tree and smiled at Lyaris. Lyaris was stunned. The man was tall. Long blond hair framed his pale face. The hair was braided and revealed pointed ears. Lyaris gazed at them. Prince Erendil chuckled once more. Lyaris looked the man up and down. Erendil was dressed in a purple tunic with elaborate embroideries. He wore light brown suede pants and brown suede boots. He carried a bow and a quiver with arrows. Lyaris judged that the man was his age. He had blue eyes and a handsome face. He looked pure and clean and somehow ethereal.

"Welcome to Tyrnae," Prince Erendil said again. "I suspect you come from the human world and passed the gate on the day of Samuin. Did you look for the gate or did you cross it accidentally?"

Lyaris gazed at Erendil. He felt somehow perplexed by the man’s curiosity.

"I met a man who called himself Mimir. He invited me here," Lyaris said slowly.

"Oh, Mimir, the prankster," Erendil said with another beautiful smile. "So you drank from the water of his fountain and then felt tempted to cross the gate?"

Lyaris kept gazing at the man. He stared at his pointed ears. Lyaris thought on Erendil's question.

"Actually, I set out to find the gate," he said finally. "I read on Tyrnae in ancient books. The tales drew me in. I wanted to find and explore the ancient realm."

Erendil tilted his head and smiled.

"Be careful what you wish for. Your wish might be granted," he said mysteriously.

Mimir’s words echoed in Lyaris’ mind. ‘Welcome to the land that only few do find and less do leave.’ Lyaris swallowed.

"Is it true then that I am forever trapped in Tyrnae?" he asked in a hollow voice.

Erendil tilted his head again. He looked at Lyaris thoughtfully.

"I cannot judge on this, Prince Lyaris. But only those who were summoned will leave this world again," he said.

A cold shiver ran up Lyaris’ spine.

"What happens to those who come here without being summoned?" he asked under his breath. Fear showed in his voice.

Erendil studied him seriously.

"There is a place in Tyrnae where these lost souls do gather. Their life is tedious and the place is arid and bleak. They came here to exploit the ancient realm for whatever reasons of theirs. As a result, they must stay here. They would only attract more intruders, if Tyrnae let them leave. They get what they deserve," Erendil said coldly.

Lyaris felt a lump in his throat. He had not heard a call. This meant that he was doomed to ruin.

"You can show me to this arid and bleak place then," Lyaris said in a defiant voice. "I heard no call. So I’m your captive. Punish me. Let’s get over with it quickly."

Lyaris felt angry. This was all so unfair. He had not come here to exploit the ancient realm. He had just wanted to have a look. Lyaris frowned at Erendil.

Erendil gave a soft laugh. He smirked at Lyaris.

"There is something about you that I have never seen before on anyone who came through the gate. None of those travellers asked to be punished in the first hour of their stay in Tyrnae," Erendil said.

They looked at each other for a while. Lyaris kept frowning. He did not reply. Finally, Erendil made a gesture with his hand.

"Come, Prince Lyaris. I’ll show you to my father’s house. He’s an Elvish noble man, yet not a king, although I am called a prince," Erendil said.

"Elvish?" Lyaris asked in a perplexed voice. He blinked, and then gazed at Erendil.

Erendil gave a soft laugh.

"Yes, Prince Lyaris. You have entered the ancient realm of Tyrnae. It’s mainly inhabited by elves," he said. He looked at Lyaris curiously. "Have you heard of the elves in your world?"

Lyaris nodded slowly.

"The ancient books tell of Tyrnae, yet they do not mention the elves. From the books, however, I know that the veil is thin between the worlds on the day of Samuin. There are folk tales on Samuin in my world and these tell of the elves," he said.

An excited sparkle showed in Erendil’s eyes.

"You must tell me of these tales," the elf said. "I’m curious to learn what the humans think of us."

"Why so?" Lyaris asked in confusion. "Do you plan to visit the human world?"

Erendil’s pale cheeks turned rosy. He lowered his eyes for the split of a second. Lyaris smiled. His smiled broadened and then he broke into laughter. Erendil looked at Lyaris awkwardly. After a few moments, however, the elf felt reassured. He smiled also and then gave a soft laugh.

"We have a lot in common, Prince Lyaris," he said with a smirk. "A happy coincidence led you here. Or maybe you followed Tyrnae’s call."

They stopped laughing. Another shiver ran through Lyaris’ body. Erendil looked at him kindly. Then he made a gesture with his hand.

"Come, Prince Lyaris. I’ll show you to my father’s house," he said again.

Erendil turned around and walked into the forest. Lyaris followed him. The sun was shining and shed a warm light. The rays of the sun fell through the leaves of the trees and tickled Lyaris’ face. The rich scent of herbs and autumn flowers made Lyaris feel at ease. He looked at Erendil’s back as he followed the elf on the path through the forest. Lyaris breathed deeply. He felt totally at peace. He did not think of the human world that he had left behind just a couple of minutes ago.

~~**~~