The Third Land

Three days earlier...

I felt a sudden jolt, like an electric shock. The world around me dissolved into a blur of colors and shapes, and I felt weightless as if I were floating in mid-air, as if my body were being pulled in all directions. Then, in an instant, it was over.

"Mavis!"

My ears perked at the distant sound of my name, an extremely chilling air enveloping me as I slowly opened my eyes.

"Mavis step away from the cliff!"

The what?! Confused, I blinked rapidly, with my vision now cleared, I looked down. "Ahhhh!" The ice beneath my feet gave out and I began to fall.

My hair whipped around, the freezing air making it very hard for me to think straight. Suddenly I stopped falling, my body surrounded by a beautiful blue essence as I began to float upward.

With my teeth chattering, the essence gently placed me back on the solid ice, a safe distance from the cliff.

"Here." A deep alluring voice came from behind me, as a woolly blue coat came over my shoulders.

Without much thought, I swung my elbow backward, hitting the stranger dead in the face. "Stay back!" I whirled around, peering over the falling coat to catch a glimpse of the intruding stranger.

"Well," the...man said? The being caressed his nose, a pained and amused look on his face. He looked like a normal person, yet blue lines traveled throughout most of his body, in beautiful shapes and patterns. "That was unexpected." He smiled down at me, the blue mist in the lines seeming to glow brighter.

As the sun shone, his bronze skin seemed to glow, not suffering any sort of dryness from the escalating cold in the air. "I'm sorry, I wanted only to help." His words landed on deaf ears as I stared at him in awe of what he could be. He cocked his head to the side, his braids of white hair catching my adept attention. "Miss? Are you alright? What were you doing so close to the ridge?"

"Mavis!" Mason's voice filtered into my ears and a relieved gasp filtered through my mouth.

"Mason!" My brother attacked me with a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. A few seconds later, he gave me a shove and I stumbled backward. "What the hell!?"

"What the hell? What the hell?! I think I should be the one asking you that! What were you doing at the edge of a freaking cliff!?" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the cliff.

"How am I supposed to know?! It's not like I appeared there on purpose." I reasoned with my raging brother.

"But you did and you fell!" He grabbed both my shoulders, shaking me slightly, his eyes wide. "You fell." Momentarily casting a glance at the ice we stood on, he frowned in confusion. "Where are we, sister?"

I rolled my eyes in irritation. "Get off me, you moron." I shrugged off his hands, turning around absent-mindedly. "Ha! Jesus Christ, you scared me!" I flinched in shock at the being I had formerly met.

He smiled at me, revealing a subtle dimple. "You are in Naiad, the third land of Naltaniera."

"What…who is that?" My brother whispered behind me.

I turned my head halfway back to him. "I am as clueless as you are, stop asking me these questions." I turned back to the man, meeting his ever-present smile once again.

"Why is he smiling?" My brother whispered to me again.

"I don't know." I looked up at his strange features, my hair whipping against the thrashing wind. "Who are you?"

"Tedran of Eryndor." He answered, placing a hand on his chest.

"Eryndor." I laboriously thought back. "Home of the Elarans and the Druids?"

"Yes, I am a druid." He tipped his head down slightly, his eyes endearing. "And you are?"

"Maraja." Words failed me, as I thought of what to add to this foreign-sounding name of mine.

"Are you Elaran? You seem to have the aura of one." His blue eyes glinted as he took me in. "Did you know that you would've been killed the moment you got here if you had been seen by a Naiadan soldier?"

"Oh. Yes because I am a stranger." I turned slightly to my brother. "Have you not seen Ria and the rest?"

My brother mimicked my eye roll, speaking in what he felt to be the closest to my voice. "I am as clueless as you are, stop asking me these questions."

"Ugh." I turned back to the man.

"Ria? Wisteria?" Tedran repeated.

"Yes. We traveled together from the veil, but now they're nowhere to be found." Another chilling breeze traveled into my trembling body.

"Here." He picked the blue coat, offering it to me once more.

Overcome by the overwhelming frigid air, I accepted the coat from the strange man. "Thank you."

"Follow me, I shall take you to see the Hilden." He turned his back, a blue cape covering his backside.

"Hilden?" I asked.

"Yes, the ruler." He answered as I began tagging along with him, nearly slipping on the ice.

"Sister he's a stranger." Mason whisper-shouted behind me.

"You think I don't know that?"

~~~

The sun shone brightly overhead, casting a warm glow on the land of Naiad, yet the air remained teeth-chattering. Maraja and Mason followed Tedran closely, quivering not only at the cold but the stares of the sneering Naiadans.

Homes were built with ice and snow, the land as icy as ever. The Naiadans wore coats and hoods as they halted their work, staring not so kindly at the strangers trailing behind Tedran.

They stood at the edge of their land, watching as a group of strangers approached. Maraja's eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the sight of the snow and ice that covered the homes and land alike.

Tedran led them on, approaching an almost sky-high gateway, made from strange-looking rocks, the top crusted with snow that seemed to shine.

As the strangers drew closer, the Naiadans' powers began to stir. The air grew colder, and a thin layer of frost began to form on the ground.

Suddenly, Ria burst out the gates ahead, her hair tucked safely into her hood once more. "Maraja!" She raced along the ice toward the Nawi.

Slowly, the Naiadans began to lower their guard. They watched as the stranger hugged their princess, her feet crunching through the snow. The sun continued to shine overhead, bringing no warmth to the strangers.

"Ria," Maraja looked passed the tiny female and at the towering gates, she'd just burst from. "This is Naiad, your Naiad?"

"Yes! This is my home." She gestured around, smiling vibrantly at her people. "I was so worried when I was ported into my castle with just my brother and without any of you. Where were you ported?"

Tedran lowered his frame to reach Ria's ear as he spoke with a tone a bit lower than a whisper. "Figrin grounds, princess."

Ria's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the sound of the location, quickly composing herself with a feigned hum. "Well, isn't that something? Come, you must meet the Hilden."

As they began walking to the gates, the air began to warm. The frost on the ground began to melt, and the snow began to soften.

Ria linked an arm around the chosen one's, muttering to her while holding a flawless smile as they walked passed the gates. "You must be cautious though, Nawi. My mother isn't so…welcoming."