Prologue

Marilira is created ...

Rebirth. The word meant everything and nothing to the girl lying in a fetal position. She was floating on a sea of flowers that stretched to the horizon in every direction. Each flower carried a heavenly scent that wafted past the girl's nose. Her nose twitched in response but could not perform the simple task of smelling. She was dizzy and blackness clouded her eyesight. Her memory was fuzzy and the last piece of conscious thought she remembered was stumbling in front of an elderly oak tree that stood on its last strong roots, straining to hold its last branches up. She felt the sea of flowers squeeze her tightly before falling unconscious again.

It seemed like an eternity before the girl woke up again. Her head pounded like a drum as she struggled to keep consciousness. Attempting to open her eyes, a ray of blinding light hit them and she quickly shut them. Opening them up again slowly, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the suddenness of the light. Now eyes fully adjusted and open, she tried to turn her neck, but caused a pain to shot down her spin. Abandoning this idea, she stared at the crystal clear blue sky and noticed out of the corner of her eye small, bell shaped flowers in all colors. A yellow-orange sun shone brightly, reflecting its rays off the flowers, making the colors of the flowers sparkle. In the distance, the silouette of a magnificent oak tree could be seen looming over the flowers like a canopy providing shelter for those in need.

Beside the tree, a shadowy outline of a figure hovered over the flowers. The girl could feel the presence of the figure reach her immobile body before she could see. The figure was a lady dressed in a flowing, white, elegant gown that trailed down to her feet to form a small pool of fabric. Her dress billowed slightly in a passing breeze. Her long, blonde almost white hair sparkled in the sun like gold.

Smiling gently, the lady placed her hands on the girl's abdomen while murmuring a chant in an unknown language. Immediate warmth seeped through the girl's body. Her limbs went limp and were trembling as though taking a new shape. Her muscles relaxed completely. Falling from her suspended position, she fell amongst the flowers in an crumpled heap. Gingerly trying to stand, the girl realized she could stand with ease.

Both lady and girl stood next to each other amid the flowers. The lady towered over the girl from an extraordinary height. Looking closely, the girl noticed that the lady had an unblemished face and a kind smile playing at the corners of her lips. Her eyes were a bright and unusual mixture of purple and blue. A small twinkle in her eyes gave off a hint of humor.

Silence invaded the space between them for neither moved nor spoke. A gentle breeze stirred, sending a small shiver down the girls spine. Noticing the girl moving, the lady place her hand into the girl's own hand and led her through the sea of flowers to the looming oak tree. The tree was gnarled and knotted in its trunk; its branches sagging over the flowers.

Looking down, the girl noticed she was floating over the flowers just like the lady. She gazed curiously at the tree and noticed a small cave chiseled in the trunk. Peering inside, she saw nothing but darkness. The lady led her inside and in a rumbling voice, brillant white light spilling into the cave, illuminating every corner. The girl gazed in awe as she walked around, noticing she was no longer floating. Her hands ran across the smooth wood that made up the walls. Her feet touched on a weaved mess of roots and moss, rough to the touch but somewhat tickling her.

The lady motioned to the girl to sit down next to her. Sitting awkwardly and slightly away from the lady, the girl noticed her gentle gaze on her and listened to her melodic voice say, “Greetings, my child. Welcome the the Realm of Lost Dreams. My name is Lady Aelaedil, Goddess of Light and Life.”

Although the voice was soft, a renewed strength energized the girl and she felt a certain power reverberate through the cave.

Continuing, Lady Aelaedil stated, “I know your name, Marilira. I know your past, your thoughts, your dreams. Your future is your own destiny. Only you can weave that destiny with actions of your choice. Whether good or bad, it will shape you, mold you, turn you into a great power for the nations, and all surrounding kingdoms. The Divine of this world have foretold of great things coming from you, Marilira.”

Marilira stared wide-eyed at Lady Aelaedil. It was impossible. A mistake. The words rang like a clanging bell in Marilira's ears. She somewhat willed her voice to say, “M-Me? You must be mi-mistaken, Lady. I-I am just an innocent elf.”

Aelaedil cut her off and smiling broadly said, “Your name brings true potential and power. The gods and goddesses are pleased with you and are protecting you. Now, enough! The time has come for you to rejoin your fellow elves, in the kingdom of Nys'ril. Go forth and add fruit to the ever growing Tree of Life.”

With those words said, the goddess held out her palm and murmured again a chant in the unknown language. A small flame rose from the center of the palm, and began to spin and grow, opening a brilliant and blazing gateway, growing to its full size.

Marilira could hear Aelaedil say over the roar of the gate, “Enter my child, the time has come. I will always be with you.” She beckoned Marilira toward the portal where images of Nys'ril were floating. Deep, lush, green forest blanketed with thick trees that formed a high canopy over the surrounding villages. Images of a tall tree, encircled Marilira's vision as she inched closer to the portal.

Aelaedil gave the young girl a small push into the portal and watched her tumble headfirst in, journeying to the Tree of Healing in Nys'ril where life would start anew.  

Author's Note

is this a good start? or should this be added later on, and start with action?
does it grab your attention? grammer, dialogue, imagery...

Reviews

[jasonaspraggins]

I like this opening! It is full of whimsy. The names of people and places are really creative as well.

1) I noticed that in the second paragraph there may be a typo:
It reads: "...but caused a pain to shot down her spin. "- did you mean "spine"?

2) I do think adding the indents will make it much easier to read.

3) There are some coma errors. I'll come back and try find those again for you. I'm going to read on for now :)

I can't wait to read what comes next! This seems fun :)

[Tomas]

WOW.... That is really good. It has really good description! I love it!

[Arya_the_elven_lady]

Okay. I have one or two pointers, and much praise!

Pointers:
1) Indent, indent, indent! Indented paragraphs are important, and look more orderly.
2) The quotes and sentences are somewhat jumbled. Distinctly separating the quotes from sentences really helps the book`s flow.

Praise:
1) Fascinating story: grabs the reader.
2) Cool words! Sophisticated and simple to understand.

Overall, awesome!

[Arya_the_elven_lady]

Oh my! Wonderful word choice, and a long paragraph. I like the idea of a field of flowers.