Once they left the city capital, Annlynn and her companions made their way further west, straight toward some large mountains. Their travels were mostly silent, leaving Annlynn ample time to consider her situation.

Despite what the elves had said, she wasn’t entirely certain she shared the notion that the elven ghost had meant nothing to her. That it was just a superstition when a day later, she found herself face to face 

Of course, the mountains were both a welcome sight and an unwelcome one. The mountains held a splendor which Annlynn had only dreamed about for the past seven years. And yet, with the dark clouds coming closer, dread lingered. As they came closer, and as small snowflakes indicated the beginning of another blizzard, her stomach flipped.

Annlynn followed the elves to the best of her abilities as they made their way through the drab, wintry foothills. , even as snow fell. At points, she was certain she would lose them. She did her best to remain silent. She ignored the burning in her calves, and she did her best to turn away the thoughts of complaining. Whenever she thought to speak up, there was her stepmother in the background, still yelling at her, asking her how could she? She had to do things herself, she was certain. Or at least, that’s what her mind had told her.

She wasn’t certain if she should believe anything. Not that the elves were good, and not that they would stay with her if she asked for help. But then again, they had done all of this to protect her, going off course a few times.

When they reached the base of the mountains, the snowy paths began. Annlynn followed Asonya’s trail, but she was out of breath quickly, and still, as she found herself here, she thought about how the elves would think of her if she commented on the idea that she was taking too long. But the fears never subsided.

Annlynn turned back to the elves when they paused near a small plateau. There, she took a piece of the thick, wet snow and she threw it over the cliff, taking her frustration out on it.

“Annlynn,” Asonya said. “You seem to be rather tired. Are you holding up well?”

Annlynn shook her head. “No matter what I do, I can’t seem to keep up with you.”

“It’s not that it should be expected. And at this rate, I don’t think that it’s such a good idea for you to continue like this,” Asonya said. She turned back to Annlynn and gave a polite smile. “The gwynisar is just on the other side of these mountains.”

“I know, and I am sorry. I shouldn’t complain, though,” Annlynn said.

“Any and all suggestions are welcome.” Asonya said, firm but kind. “But I don’t think it’s right for us to ask for you to continue. One suggestion would be to wait until this storm passes.”

Annlynn paused. “That would make sense, but I don’t want you three to be delayed more than you have to. This is awkward, but I think I should ask you for help.”

“I want to hear your reasoning,” Asonya said. “No judgment here.”

Annlynn paused, her emotions raging, with the different emotions raging throughout her mind like a large windstorm. She turned back to Asonya. “You are a snow elf, so this is probably lightwork for you. So at least remaining close to you would be a good idea. And then maybe waiting would be nice? Listen, this might be awkward, but if we were to continue, I might suggest riding on your back.”

“What scares you most about such a proposition?” Asonya said, bending down to where Annlynn could make eye contact with her.

“I don’t want to ask you folks for more than what you have already given,” Annlynn said, rubbing her upper arm and keeping her eyes on one of the nearby boulders. “And I’m sorry. I probably should have asked sooner.”

“We swore to protect you, regardless of anything else. This is not about what we have given you, but it is about a core element of our culture. In that sense, helping you has cost us nothing,” Sylvani said. “And if you need to decide, down the road, that you want to stop with anything, please talk to us. We can rearrange your packs.”

“And I can help with the dishes later on, as a thank you,” Annlynn said, her heart still racing. “I’m sorry. I’m just not used to getting help. At least, not when it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a return for you three. Not saying that’s the case, but well.”

“I get it,” Sylvani said. “We all understand. But you are safe with us, and that includes having the ability to come to us for help when you need it.”

The elves placed their packs on the ground. As they reshuffled their pots and pans, Annlynn offered to take a smaller pack with a few lighter fabrics and two metal pots, while Sylvani and Valaris took the rest. A moment later, after they rearranged their goods, Annlynn turned to Asonya.

“It would make sense if you climbed on my back, wouldn’t it?” Asonya said.

Annlynn nodded, her heartbeat once again racing. Asonya bent down at her knees, while her back was still up straight. After a failed attempt, Annlynn gave a short sigh. With the help of Sylvani, Annlynn found her footing once more. Even still, as Sylvani lent her hands, Annlynn stifled a flinch. But when she secured herself, there was some safety to it.

All her life, she had yearned for a certain relationship. She wanted the loving, protective relationship with her stepmother. And in the beginning, it could almost seem like she had received that. But after the death of her stepsister, it had been coldness and blame which followed their relationship. And so in finding the elves, the irony in rediscovering some of that comfort with them was not lost on her. 

As she guided Annlynn along, Asonya made comments throughout, like mentioning the fact that they would need to climb up to a certain crevasse, or see to it that they had found a specific trail. All of this had been done with kindness. Once or twice, there were small tidbits of history given, as they related to the gods.

When they reached the base of a small peak, several large rocks jutted out easily outmatching Annlynn in size. Asonya pointed to another crevasse, with three different jagged edges of different stones. “Up there is the famed cedar tree. That’s where the Gwyinisar lives.”

Annlynn gave a grin as she switched from Asonya’s back to Valaris’ back. The logic there was that, if there were ever any problems with Annlynn’s energy, Valaris would be right there. She would be able to take care of things if the transfer went wrong.

As she and Valaris made their way up to the cedar tree, Annlynn should have thought about the implications. However, her mind went back to her old childhood fantasies. She was about to follow Prince Aleksei’s footsteps.

All she had to do was prove herself worthy to the gwynisar. Right. That would be challenging. No one else had made it this far. But what if she made it? What would her life be like then? Could she make history, then?

There was a seriousness to the situation. If everything went wrong, then she wasn’t certain of where else she could go, especially in relation to the king’s orders. And yet, she could not keep her giddiness at bay. As they found themselves at the base of the tree, there was a small hole inside.

“You can go first,” the elf said. “I will follow shortly afterward.”

Annlynn nodded, her stomach, mind, and heart a windstorm as she stepped into the hole, which lead to a wide enough base.

A black mass stood in the corner. “Welcome, my dear. What is it that you seek?”

“I want you to read my soul,” Annlynn said. She then knelt on the wood-chipped ground, a small chunk poking into the bottom of her skirt. “I want to go into the elven world.”

The Gwyinisar turned to her, gave a small moment. “The last human entered the elven world a few centuries ago. A few who have found their way up here have been turned down, and then they had to deal with the fallout from being rejected. Are you ready for that potential cost? Especially regarding your family history.”

“Yes,” Annlynn said.

Within a few moments, a large hiss echoed around her. Annlynn found herself trembling, almost unable to keep herself up on her feet. There was something rather surreal about the situation. If she was worthy in any capacity, she would end up in another world. And yet, the idea still seemed so far fetched.

When they stopped, Annlynn turned back and looked up at the gwynisar. They gave a subtle hiss. “I want you to make a guess as to what my answer would be.”

“Hopefully a yes, but I think it’s more likely you’ll say no,” Annlynn said.

“And why should I say no?” the gwynisar asked.

“Because of my family history, and the fact that I was supposedly blessed by a corrupt god,” Annlynn said. “That could be dangerous.”

“Many elves and many humans have shared the same blessings,” the Gwynisar said. “But regardless. There are many humans and many elves who would only mean to go to the other world to hurt things. Many kings have come before me, but their goal was conquest. And then many who try to go into the world are also only seeking to exploit it. And while they still exploit each other regardless, I had to step in as per commission from Orthanik himself, so that we did not see an interrealm war over resources.

“Makes sense,” Annlynn said. “Is learning about the world healthy, then? I mean, I come seeking refuge. If I don’t make it, the world around here would be rather bleak.”

“Respect is key,” the gwynisar said. “Of course, some of the reason why people no longer come here can be seen as a result from laws on both ends. I’m certain there are many elves, and humans, who would have been worthy. Regardless, Annlynn, you may enter the elven world. I can let you shift into the elven world whenever you’re ready.

As snow continued to slip down the mountainside, the muted colors had become commonplace, as did the cold. Annlynn gave a slow nod, which the entity acknowledged. At this point, as she stood face to face with the creature, the entity began to hum an old enchantment under its breath.

In a few moments, the hissing began again, and before she could process what had happened, she found herself in a lush green needle-leafed forest at the height of summer.

“What is this place?” She murmured. There would be no answer for some time, although at that point, she found it was hard to be bothered by any of it.

She was on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast valley, with a small river snaking through below. Its water shimmered in the sunlight. In the background, there were large glaciers still. The entire place had been, in many senses, one of the more beautiful places she had seen. Annlynn gave a polite smile at it, then she beamed. She was in the elven world, and if she kept it up like this, she would not see her stepmother again.