Eternal Wynter

Eternal Wynter Special

Hayden strolled through the castle, admiring the incarnate craftsmanship of the walls. He had no doubt that Wynter had created the walls herself, after seeing what she was capable of. Something, however, was still amiss. He had never heard of Ather, not even whilst leading Isabella's army. What land was it? How would it influence everything he knew?

The thought of Isabella brought a sour thought to mind. Compared Wynter, Ice Queen, Queen of Cruelty, Isabella was a monster of gigantic proportions. Isabella would manipulate anyone to get her way, would threaten anyone to get what she wanted. What she had done to Hayden...

"Hayden!" A voice called out to him.

He turned and faced Crystal, a girl he found very curious. She was very talkative, although she admitted to him while she was tending to his wounds that she restrained herself whilst she was around Wynter. He smiled at her, but he noted that she looked sad, almost broken. That, however, was none of his business.

"Crystal." He nodded at her and gave her a smile.

She fell into step next to him, a slight grimace on her face. "Tell me, how much do you and Grace know of Ather?"

Hayden shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea what Ather is. My sister may know something, but me? Nothing."

Crystal stopped walking which forced Hayden to stop as well. A deep frowned created creases on her forehead that looked like windblown snow. Then she laughed and shook her head.

"I completely forgot that Isabella keeps most of her people in the dark about the other realms."

Hayden's eyes widened. "Other, other realms? You mean there are others besides Wicker and Sade?"

Grace nodded. "Yes. Three others to be exact. One, Danthos, is our sister realm. It was created, just like this one, by tearing pieces of Ather, Earth and Sade from their place and weaving those pieces into a new world."

A look of disbelief, shock and awe lined Hayden's features. "That's amazing." He commented.

Crystal nodded. "It is." She cocked her head to the side. "I know that you will be training with the rest of the Guard this afternoon, but do you want to learn more about the realms?"

Hayden grinned. "Thank you. It would be an honor."

"Then follow me."

Crystal lead him though the castle until she reached a large wooden door. She leaned against the thick wood and opened a crack large enough for the two of them to squeeze through. The sight that met him made him dizzy.

He stood at the top of a large winding staircase that lead down into a massive library. Books lined the walls from ceiling to floor as far as he could see and scrolls stuck out of small cubbyholes in the walls. The room was so large, Hayden reckoned that the entire first floor of the palace could fit into the chamber.