A/N: As requested…

Pronunciations of the names:

Aithwayth: Ay th way th

Kal: Call

Neen: Knee en

Rilerol: rill er all

Lianad: Lee an add

I hope that these help in understanding the names. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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Years went by with life changing and dying. Clouds passed by as suns rose and set. Moons went through their phases of new to full. People came and went along with plagues coming and getting cured. Kingdoms rose and fell while battles started and ended.

The one thing that baffled few was that one kingdom remained standing the whole time and refused to ever fall. Forests came and went, but one tree remained the entire time while fires took the lives of other trees surrounding it. The oddities of life, they pondered.

A hooded man stood in front of that ever-glowing tree that bloomed and grew every year. A low chuckled rang from him as he picked up a piece of shattered axe, knowing that this tree couldn’t be burned, let alone being cut down for firewood or parts of a home.

This man could be seen here periodically, talking to the tree as if it were a person, hoping it would respond back. Even though it never did answer, he always seemed satisfied.

From behind him stood an elf of flowing two toned hair the resonated of blue and purple. She wore a flowing empire style gown trimmed tight at her bust. It contained thin slivers of dark blue for straps that crept their way to the two toned accents of the fabric that matched her hair. Its main color consisted of the dark blue with a thin sheer covering of sapphire purple that split into two along her midriff down to the shimmering grass that she stood upon… so elegant and never aging. Tiny threads that came around her bodice danced in the breeze as it reached for the earth.

Another woman came to stand in front of the rest. Her long golden hair sparkled in the sunlight to accent her golden lace girdle that tied around her off white bliaut with golden trim. The sleeves were wide bell sleeves the reached to her golden slippers. To cover her identity she was hooded with an off white cope.

Fluttering around their heads was a childlike figure that seemed eager to witness what the rest could. She stared at the large tree with a smile from ear to ear, her patience running thin at what was about to happen. The top layers of her sinuous long brown hair were pulled into a bun while the rest swirled around her. She wore a three layered petal skirt made of shimmering leaves with a tight corset of the same material. The wings attached to her back glimmered of transparent rainbow colors as their light source pierced its way through the sheer wings.

Then there was the Drow who stood amongst these women who had outlived their lifetimes like he himself. There was nothing special with him except for his ebony skin, stark white hair and violet eyes. His attire completely matched his skin now with the hood over his face.

The four travelers stood there with either their arms crossed or hands held. They watched the sun make its way to where they needed to before one spoke and said, “It’s time.”

The golden haired woman stepped forward and spread out a blanket beneath where she would sit. Once into position, the others took leave and walked back to camp that rested about thirty miles away from the tree that haunted their dreams and waking moments for so long. Periodically they would return to check on the woman who went so deep into the astral existence to free their friend. The sky remained clear throughout the night and even into the next day. The three that sat idly by watched from a distance as now there would periodically be waves of color around the tree as it slowly shrunk… almost like it was unraveling to give birth to the life it contained within it’s clutches.

The Drow rose one morning to find out the progress that the White Mage was making. He only stood five feet away from the tree with his breath held at the wonder he partook in.

Half of Aithwayth’s body had been exposed. She still rested in an upright position with her arms across her bare breasts. The long hair that Aithwayth contained still held its mahogany splendor as it coursed down her back. With her eyes still closed her lips seemed to slightly pucker with their voluptuous grandeur. He felt mesmerized until a soft voice broke the silence.

“I’m glad you came. She is out as much as I can get her without damaging myself,” Mikaila cooed from the lack of sleep, “Gather the others so the awakening can be completed.”

Within five minutes, everyone had gathered around the tree with Mikaila instructing them on what to do from where she had sat. Rilerol and Kal took a side of Aithwayth to slowly move her out of the remains of the shell. Her body still remained lifeless to the touch as they brought her in front of Mikaila, placing her on a blanket with gentle ease.

Mikaila took out an athame to make a thin cut down her palm and did the same to Aithwayth’s. Pumping her hand of blood, she let her life drip onto the ground for a moment before taking the lifeless hand in hers and finished the ceremony with the spell that would reverse a century long enchantment. Everyone watched in wonder as Aithwayth’s body shimmered in a blue haze before her chest started to rise once more.

“Hello, everyone,” a smile that took every ounce of little energy their old Queen contained crossed her face before falling back asleep.

Between the three healers of the group, they had spent the next two weeks working Aithwayth’s muscles that had been well preserved but needed some rebuilding. Outside of the main tent Kal had spent his time meditating and practicing with his sword.

Aithwayth had only made a few appearances afterwards to take a few steps outside of her thin protective walls. Over her time within the tree she could still feel the energy and magic pumping through her veins. She could even tell that through the transfer between Mikaila and herself left her with small traces of abilities that the White Mage contained.

Six weeks had gone by and they were ready to set out to complete the task they had set out to do. Aithwayth had started doing her training again with Kal, but she felt the energy that the tree had given her were slowly floating away with each passing day to leave her as she once was. Kal kept reassuring her that it was okay and she would start feeling like her normal self. She would always give him a sorrowful glance considering it had become so much of a part of her… it felt like she was losing part of herself like an excited soon-to-be-mother finding out her child was no longer within her.

The day that they were to leave, Kal found her along the cliffs that were nearby to the tree and camp. He knew that things were hard for her and she still had yet to hear of the changes that the people had taken over the century… They weren’t their happy selves… but angry and greedy. The only place that still contained any light was her kingdom that he fought so hard to keep. Kal had almost given up on several occasions over the decades to letting the kingdom fall… but he would always remember back to what Mikaila had said to him that night in the stables. Aithwayth had faith in him.

“It’s time, my lady. Let’s get Lianad back.”