Raven gasped as the sun rose over the mountain, casting color and light over the massive rocky face before them. Simon smiled softly as they neared the end, pulling on the reigns to slow Huxley down and let the cat win.
Tristan panted on the rocky ledge nervously as water dripped down his stony surface. He had charged through shallow water right at the end. Raven slid off Huxley, wrapping her arms around the trembling cat.
"You were amazing!" Raven told him as he blushed a deep red. Simon climbed down off the deer as he glanced back the way they had come. They weren't leaving today so they had time to get what they were looking for.
"We should move on. We won't be heading back until the bridge shows itself again in the morning." Simon told them as Raven and Tristan agreed. They got to their feet making Simon smile as Raven charged forward boldly. He paused beside the unsure cat petting his head.
"You were pretty badass back there. It's never easy to face your fears. I think in time you will conquer them. Just don't give up." Simon encouraged softly. Tristan blushed nodding, moving forward. It always felt weird when Simon was complementing him.
"Hey old man? How old are you really? I mean you are clearly older than I am, but sometimes you act like really old and wise. Other times you act like you aren't that much older than me and Raven." Tristan wondered as they followed the eager girl.
"How old are you and Raven? I had just turned twenty shortly before I got trapped in crystal." Simon told him as Tristan smiled.
"I turn seventeen when the leaves fade and begin to fall. I don't know how old Raven is. I just know she is around my age." Tristan told him as Simon smiled.
"Why don't you ask her?" Simon suggested as he secretly teased him. Tristan paused and shrugged unsure.
"Hey Raven! How old are you?" Tristan called out as Simon tried to keep a straight face. Women never liked being asked that sort of question. Simon waited for Raven to growl, and hiss annoyed at the cat. Tripping surprised when she simply smirked over her shoulder playfully.
"Who wants to know?" She asked as she slowed down. Tristan padded up to her smiling brightly.
"I was just wondering. Simon is twenty, I am sixteen. Chances are Meredith's son is in his twenties too. I heard Meredith came to Trayson just after my birth so he should be older than me, right? I was just wonder where you fit in." Tristan told her as she stalled. "Did I say something wrong?" Tristan asked worriedly as Raven smiled down at him.
"My father used to tell me that the only wrong question was the question left unasked. I just turned eighteen last week. Honestly, I was thinking about Meredith's son. Thinking about another male made me miss Rosila. I didn't hang out with people very often and the only person who spoke to me daily, besides my parents, was her. I never had friends in Trayson and now I have you and Simon and Huxley... I think I want a girlfriend. A girl that is a friend." Raven clarified with a blush. Simon coughed to cover up his laugh as Tristan sat confused.
"So, you miss Rosila because you are surrounded by males?" Tristan wondered. "I think I wouldn't mind if I was surrounded by females." Tristan decided making Simon let out a real laugh.
"It's different. Maybe the prince won't want to travel with us. You shouldn't fret about what has yet to happen. Besides, I thought we were meeting with Framtida, not another fish." Simon told them as Raven nodded taking a deep breath.
He was right. There was no guarantee that the mermaid prince would even accompany them on their quest. She would simply tell him about his mother and then they would be off traveling again. The three of them.
Raven cast a side glance at Simon as he coaxed his deer to follow over the uneven path. She hadn't spent much time with anyone, let alone attractive males her age.
Unlike anyone before, Simon had made a very rough first impression leading to many arguments between them. But over the last week, she was finding herself drawn to him. Even if he was hiding something from her. Tristan on the other hand, felt more like a little brother and she loved his sweet innocence.
"We are almost there." Tristan shouted over the rising noise. Raven had been lost in thought considering Simon, she hadn't noticed the noise until it was almost deafening. They turned the last jagged corner making Raven gasp at the sheer size of the waterfall. A tower of water poured from the sky, crashing onto the rocks below and into the lake. Tristan nudged her with his head, leading the way up the tricky path. Raven followed the stone cat behind the waterfall, pausing at the cave.
Tristan shook himself out as Simon hissed getting sprayed with water. Huxley snorted as he moved through the cave to pause at the tall Iron doors. Raven gasped as the metal doors stood almost twenty feet tall opposite the massive waterfall. Mermaids were carved into them, swimming in circles around what appeared to be a serpent of some kind.
"Wilspar. The guardian of the waves and all that lie beneath." Simon muttered as he read the inscription at the bottom.
"What's a Wilspar?" Tristan asked unsure as Simon smiled at him. Tristan frowned noticing how Simon seemed to become nicer over time and less of a grumpy jerk.
"Wilspar is the name of the dragon. A water dragon guardian to be precise." Simon told him as he reached out to pet the iron dragon.
"Well can we enter?" Raven asked trying to hide her excitement. More dragons! Simon nodded putting his hands on the doors and pushing them open. He opened them enough to let Huxley through, stepping inside to glance around the cavern.
Tristan and Raven let him take the lead, pausing to try and close the doors. They shot each other a glance when the doors wouldn't budge.
"Maybe if I help you." Tristan grunted as Raven nodded. They both struggled against the door, making no difference.
"Maybe it only opens one way?" Raven ventured as they switched sides trying to open the door with no luck. It refused to budge.
"What are you two doing? You are not that wide. At least not as wide as Huxley. How much space do you need?" Simon wondered as they frowned at him.
"We were trying to close the doors to cover our tracks." Raven told him as she panted. Simon considered it before he agreed, waving them inside. Raven and Tristan stared in disbelief as Simon easily shut the doors with a single hand. As if they were made from wicker or straw.
"There. Now we can move forward. I have never been here before, so it is unfamiliar territory to me." Simon told them venturing off. Raven and Tristan shared a look before they shrugged. Deciding to worry about it later.
They walked together into the large cavern gasping in awe. Cracks in the walls near the roof allowed for sun to filter in over the forgotten place. Stone structures lined the walls, falling away to decay. Designs were carved out of the stone floor and filled with water, creating a need for bridges everywhere.
"Mermaids can travel over water and over land as if they were one and the same thing. Though most prefer the water ways, these river marks are deep enough for them to swim in." Simon noted as he crouched by the edge. He crossed over a bridge, letting Raven and Tristan follow as they glanced around.
Raven smiled as she petted the wild ivy that covered the buildings. No one had lived here in decades, possibly centuries. She paused to look at Simon as he sat staring at a stone statue of a mermaid on a rock. Perched in the center of a dried-up fountain.
"Do you know her?" Raven asked softly as Simon glanced at her. He nodded once pointing at the stone figure.
"Her name was Elamire. The mermaid's representative on the council. Her necklace is the piece of the amulet we are looking for. This must have been the kingdom she set up for her people after the divide." Simon told her softly as Raven glanced around in wonder. She frowned turning back to look at Simons pained look.
"Then, where are they? I saw gardens and orchards. They had food, shelter, water. Everything one might need. What do you think happened to them?" Raven asked as Simon shrugged. They both paused when the clicking of stone claws raced towards them.
"Guys! I found something!" Tristan shouted at them rushing back the way he had come. Raven giggled as she hurried after him. Simon bowed before the statue once before heading off after the eager cat.
He found them standing outside of a stone structure. Two mermaids held up the arch way as water poured over their backs. Steppingstones allowed them to cross over the deep water into the temple. Simon recognized some of the familiar architecture from the one mermaid temple he had visited.
"Pass through the gates of Wilspar into her gaze. As long as your heart and mind is pure then she will grant you the wisdom you seek through the eye of the storm." Simon muttered as he glanced around the abandoned temple. He frowned when something was missing.
"Simon, Framtida is here!" Raven called out. She stood next to a small mirror with Tristan by her side. Simon frowned at the back wall realizing what had been missing.
Each dragon faction had a mirror tailor made just for them. They could use it as a portal to pass from their world into the realm of the gods. The fact that her mirror was missing gave him a small amount of hope that the mermaids were not gone. Just lost. Simon wandered over to them pausing when he got a look at the woman in the mirror.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Simon said through a tight smile as the beautiful woman's lip thinned. Who the fuck was she and where was the real Framtida?