It felt odd, walking through a land that he had watched his entire life, yet never actually visited. Edgar's view from the tower in his stepmother's castle hadn't done Tamir justice. The flowers were larger and more colorful than he had imagined, the river even mightier, the forests even more majestic. For a few minutes he idly walked through the meadows, simply absorbing the sights, sounds and sensations that Tamir was creating, drinking in the experience heartily. After all these years, he had finally set foot in this wonderful country.
He walked north along the cliffs that overlooked the small beach, gazing out at the sea. In the distance, he could just make out a tiny island with a glittering palace upon it – Genesta's home. That fairy had been so kind to him after Rosella had left. She had provided him with a place to sleep, had her servants prepare him meals, and allowed him to go wherever he wished within her castle. Truthfully, Edgar could have had all of this done for him back at his stepmother's castle, but when Genesta had changed his body, the way he regarded his former home had changed as well. He no longer wanted to return to that place. It didn't disgust him and make him fearful in any way…he just felt like he no longer belonged there, that it was a finished chapter in his life. And shortly afterwards, his parents arrived, and a new chapter began.
He turned east and made his way past a pool as smooth and clear as a mirror, speckled with lily pads and surrounded by birch trees. He headed southeast and crossed the river via a worn stone bridge. He then decided to follow the river to its source, and it wasn't long before he discovered a mighty waterfall, rumbling deafeningly down the mountainside. He waded across the river and wandered north, where he beheld an enormous crypt built into the rock wall to the east and several neglected tombstones dotting the landscape, which had become oddly devoid of vegetation now, save for a few stoic pine trees to the north.
The thought that Rosella had been wandering through this very land made his heart flutter slightly. She had told him of her adventures in Tamir, and being in Tamir now, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be in her shoes, taming that unicorn, watching Pan frolic through the woods, running away from the ogre and the troll…
He decided to stop wondering for the moment.
After passing a large and decidedly unwelcoming mansion, which was well on its way to becoming a ruin, and several more tombstones, grass started to appear beneath his feet once again. Glancing to the north, he noticed a structure in the distance which he couldn't quite identify. Approaching it, he found that it was a large pool set in a huge marble base, bordered by a row of columns on each side. He walked along the east side of the ornate architectural wonder, trying to figure out who might have built this beautiful work of art.
Just as he had reached the northeast end of the pool, something beyond the columns on the opposite side caught his eye. Fear throttled his heart. He froze in place, staring silently at whatever it was – no, whoever it was – that was slowly but definitely moving towards him.
Continue to the second half...
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