Throne of Leaves

Chapter 3

Meditation.Meditation is where I started so long ago. I knew this is where I was going to begin again. Meditation until I felt the Earth below me and the winds surrounding me. I was going to meditate on the animals and life around me until I could feel the energy of the living things. I knew that Aaron could do this for he was born and raised with the ever wandering people of the plains but for me. For me this is different. I would have to feel and see the energy flow around me. This was a critical thing to understand. To understand how the world worked, and how to fix a broken world I would need to see and understand where the breaks were. Once I could feel and sense all things in the forest I will be able to call upon the sacred animals for help. When I was younger I could find the place but I could never cross the threshold in my mind to actually see and feel the Forest. Now though, I am older, I have a purpose and I have a stronger will.

I sat on the worn stump in the center of the Silver Forest. I had my legs crossed and I could feel the hardness of the wood beneath me. I slowly let my body become at ease letting all of my senses go opening my mind and body to the forest around me. After a short time I could hear the calming sounds of the forest. The birds sitting in their nests feeding their hatchlings. The chipmunks and squirrels running around in the undergrowth looking for nuts and other various foods. I felt a small breeze next to me as a robin landed pecking at the ground for the worms that would soon become food for the young birds. I stayed still letting my mind absorb all the workings of the animals and all of their connections. I followed them with my senses and moved on to the plants. I could feel the trees around me. I could imagine in my mind what they would look like and how deep their roots went. This thought made me smile. It was then the Forest went silent and I felt a strong source of energy draw near. It was almost to the point of overpowering for I let my mind wander freely among the Forest and along the winds. I was forced to come back to my body and open my eyes. I opened them to see the Lady standing there sill with a soft look on her face.

"What did you see?" She asked simply.

"I did not see, I felt the birds of the air and the land creatures all around me until I turned my senses to the trees and the roots and the deepness of them. Ever reaching and searching for more depth." I said back still sitting.

She shook her head with a soft smile and set down a plate of bread and cheese "you are close but you need to see them with your mind. Not with your imagination but with your third eye. You will be able to do this. Look deeper within yourself and find the connection. only then will you become truly aware of the world." She said and walked off.

I sighed to myself and took the bread in my hands and looked at. I thought of the process of which it was made and the amount of energy it took to make it. I then thought of how much energy it will still give me to go forward. I smiled a bit starting to understand and ate the bread slowly. I closed my eyes again and sank back into the world. I relaxed again and decided to close off my brain and just let my body collect all the information that I needed. I let my weight move with the weight of the world. I don't know how long I sat there but it suddenly clicked. I opened my eyes from within my brain. I did not open my physical eyes but what I opened could be described as eyes or an eye. I could see though. I could see the animals glowing brightly and the trees, and the undergrowth and all the living things. I noticed then, that there were wisps of light green in the air and coming off of the living things. I could see that these things as a whole moved like a river. It had a current. Some of it was coming off of the living things but most of the river like what I supposed to be energy came from deeper within the forest. I took a closer look at the animals. Each animal had a different shade of green, and so did plants, and the trees around me. I looked and I saw that there was a blue tint as well and I followed its path around the clearing until I found its source. It was the Lady. She radiated the blue. I looked around her and I then understood that she was an Air spirit and I smiled. It was then I saw behind her, a bird swooped down and landed in front of me. Its energy was great and very bright where its eyes were. I nodded to the bird and it bowed its head. It spread its massive wings and took off. I then opened my physical eye and looked at the world. I saw everything and nothing at the same time. I could not see the bright light radiating anymore but I could feel it and if I looked at something I could internally tell the color and the source of life.

I looked at the Lady and bowed

"I see it. I see and I understand" I said. She smiled

"you see but do not fully understand yet. The current of energy comes from the heart of the Forest. It comes from the source of all power of this great Forest. I as a spirit call it the Grove but you know it as the King's Forest. You will not fully understand all of this until you are blessed there by all of us." She stated. I nodded. I had only heard of the King's Forest. It is the most sacred ground of the Forest and it is within the most dark and oldest part of the Forest. Only the Elders and the Last King have gone there. Well the last king was the last person to enter the sacred grove but the Eldars make the journey to the outer rim. only the Kings and Queens have seen the inside of the grove. Anrina never went in for she was never supposed to be the Queen. My father was supposed to be but he gave the throne to her as a gift. And now, I will be going there in time to complete the sacred tradition.

She offered her hand to me and I took it as I she helped me up. I almost fell down as soon as all of my weight hit my legs and feet. I leaned on the stump that I was just sitting on until I regained the circulation in my legs. I looked at her and we stayed silent for a moment until we started to laugh. I had been sitting in the same attitude for so long my legs fell asleep and could not support all of my body weight. I could finally stand as our laughter subsided and I stood to full height. I smiled and nodded to her. She nodded back and turned around and started to walk. I quickly follow with a smile letter her guide me back to our next task.

"So how long was I there?" I asked curious. She turns her head to look back and smiled

"Two full days after I last say you and gave you food." she said.

I almost stopped dead. Two days? How in the world could I have survived on no food or drink? I laughed a bit and shook my head.

"You fed off the energy around you. That nourished you for the most part but you still need to eat and sleep today. I nodded even though that made very little sense to me I accepted it to be true. I yawned and blinked, maybe it was more true that I hought. I was really tired. We came back to my old home and I climbed up into my bed high in the branches and fell asleep.