In his cloak Vale felt no more secure than if he had a legion of Spears poised in his direction "You had told me I would be able to find the incantation on the isle of Lucrecia. I had found a scroll but that of the first half!" the sorcerer bellowed at the cloaked Sidhe Fae. The figure shook his head not wanting to disturb his captor as he had been engaged in an iron circle filled with will power, something the queen herself would have trouble breaking from. He had answered the summons to show not expecting the spell caster to be so enraged as to trap his benevolent source of information.

A sigh could be heard from within the barrior "That is not how I informed you of this in any case." He paused letting the notion sink in. "What I had informed you of was the location of the first piece of the incantation, I am indeed appologetic that you misunderstood my words. Do you not know how cryptically we speak?" Vale asked hoping the price of information would be enough for the sorcerer to accept and let him go. His anticipation did not include setting fule to the flames as he had deducted this one to be somewhat competent.

A spell hit Vale in the chest incantations resounding throughout the room "You think my mind is impotant like the rest do you not?" He raged rhetorically, spittle flying from his mouth landing in various places. He produced an amulet holding it eye level and absorbing Vale into the silver and ruby crested circular shaped artifact, his form slowly faded into it his mind going dim with his own magic sustaining the spell. Knowing that his soul would shape the amulet he relaxed as only those with talent would see its true value, from the sorcerers actions the amulet would change from becoming nothing more than a rock in his eyes. He knew not when he awoke simply that he was, and that he was not under control... Therefore his contractor had failed, but what was this? He sensed a new life form had touched him, and it had currently been sleeping. He let his mind seep into the wearers dream sending a vision of a vast plain, he sat himself under a grandiose oak and waited for the consciousness to encounter him.

Tethys carefully wrapped the egg she’d found in a soft cloth as she heard the familiar sound of the peddler’s cart, tinkling through the village as it did every other Sunday. There was nothing in particular that she was in need of, but boredom led her towards the marketplace, where old Jak had stopped to hawk his wares.

“Ah, it’s pretty young Tethys,” he said, noticing her among the milling group of people who’d gathered around the cart. “See anything you like, just give me a holler.” He went back to watching the sticky fingers of his youngest customers.

Tethys perused the back of the cart, and nothing really caught her eye. She turned to go, but suddenly felt an unmistakable pull towards a small parcel at the very edge of the platform. Curious, she moved towards it. The closer she got, the more it sounded almost as if a distant voice was whispering on the edge of her consciousness.

She unwrapped the item to find a round silver amulet. It had intricate engravings upon it, the largest of which was an angered dragon. Its eyes were the same color as the large ruby stone in the middle of the amulet, which had a simple silver chain. Her breath caught as she touched it. Instantly, the whispering sensation stopped.

Tethys pulled Jak aside. “What do you want for this?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual. The amulet was clearly worth a lot.

Jak looked it over passively. “Oh, that old thing… Found it in the dirt at the base of a mountain. Not much to look at, but if you really want it, I’ll take anything you have on hand.”

Tethys stared at him. Not much to look at?! Was he not seeing the same thing she was seeing? “Are you sure?” she pressed, figuring that he might just be jesting around with her.

“’Course I’m sure. It’s a pebble on a string, dear,” he pointed out.

Still confused, but not about to pass up on such an offer, she held out her treasure from earlier. “A Golden Honeywing egg. I was going to cook it with dinner, but it’s yours in exchange for the amu- for the pebble necklace.”

Jak raised his eyebrows. “You ask me, a Golden Honeywing cream with sweet bread is worth more than this trinket. But, it’s all yours.”

Tethys gladly made the exchange and hurried home. Once she was alone, she took out the amulet, and couldn’t stop staring at it. She barely remembered to eat dinner once the sun went down. Finally, she fastened the amulet around her neck, and fell asleep, clutching the pendant in one hand.

In mid-slumber, she felt a shadow of herself awaken, as though she was aware that she was dreaming. But where was she? A wide, grassy plain she had never seen before materialized around her, and across the way was a magnificent oak tree, beneath which sat an unmoving figure.

With patience Vale began to see the girl enter into his realm, he paused to see her reaction as it would tell him a decent morsel of information. Then he hesitated to take in the sight of her, she was quite breath taking for a mortal. The Far used glamour magics and there fore seemed to be however they pleased, but his appearance needed no magic as it would have been too much for any human to look upon without becoming his slave be it woman or man.

He stood opening his arms his simple white tunic sliding back from his wrists and revealing more pale skin "Come child." He beckoned invitingly, he smiled with warmth to show benevolence "Let me see you more clearly." He invited reasoning, he didn't mind if she stayed far away but his every word, his every action, was a lure to see what she would react to and how.

His gaze upon her was intrigued if not sensual as he found that the line was thin between the two, and could be quite pleasing to whomever experianced it as it stroked the pride of the receiver. His mind mulled over how to work her pride, or whether or not she was open to direct instructions. However the more he looked at her, the more he saw a romantic, and the more he saw a dreamer. He invisioned a streak of shooting stars to invite passion into her heart, and brought about fireflies slowly as though they were just waking blinking lazily as they do. All of this took him but a few moments to do, after all his mind was vast in age but stuck like a boulder in the river of time.

“Let me see you more clearly.”

The stranger’s voice echoed around Tethys, and she wasn’t sure if he had spoken aloud or into her mind, but she was suddenly intrigued by this handsome character. He opened his arms invitingly. Shooting stars streaked silently across the sky, and she had a vague awareness of twinkling fireflies drifting around her, beckoning her to this man.

Before allowing her feet to lead her closer, Tethys touched the amulet at her throat. Perhaps this was an item of magic, and had brought her into a mystical dreamland. Or perhaps she had simply fallen asleep with wishes for a fantastical dream, because she'd acquired such an interesting piece of jewelry that appeared to be made of precious jewels to her eyes, but was no more than a rock to the peddler.

Did all this have something to do with her budding magical talents that had only recently begun to surface? Tethys had done her best to hide her abilities from her fellow villagers, but if they continued to grow in strength and went beyond her control, she would have to leave this place for good, and seek a home more welcoming to wielders of magic.

She supposed anything could happen in a dream, even if it didn’t make sense. Tethys approached him hesitantly, pausing a short distance away. He was even more striking up close; and if not for her natural wariness and demure manners in the presence of strangers, she would have stepped willingly into his arms, throwing all caution to the wind.

“What is this place?” she asked, feeling the rapid increase of her heartbeats. Tethys found herself unable to quite look at him in the eyes, so she instead watched his mouth, waiting breathlessly for his reply.

As she touched the dreamworld artifact Vale nodded in approval seeing that she had a mind of her own, her features told him of her questionings. Where as he could not read her mind as of yet, he would still have the ability to make an educated guess as to what she was thinking. As she stepped foreward his smile grew naturally on his face becoming charming and slightly devilish, and then she had stopped. This one was cautious and most likely had a stronger will, it was appearent in Vale's mind that she was still struck by his appearance.

What is this place?

He took a few long strides stopping but an arms length away dropping his arms as he grew closer "We are currently in worlds between worlds, betwix yours and mind own my mageling." He informed her cooly with a hint of amusement at her watching his lips move for the first time. He began to exaggerate their movements so as to make them more atractive, more skillful "You must have quite the hidden talent to have seen that form of the amulet..." He trailed acting as if he were in a train of thought. He turned around with theatrical grace pulling his hand to his chin "I suppose that I could offer," He mentioned to no one in particular "Would you enjoy a teacher?" He pondered aloud turning once again to face her his gaze fixated on her own lips affectionately to complete the circle.

He did not give her much time to anwser, after all a human with choices is a thinking human "Of course it would be wise to have instruction before the life blood of the world begins to act according to your will. I'm sure there has been a time or two where you have wished for someone to burn and regretted the thought?" he inquired letting her mull over the idea of accidentally setting a person aflame.

Yet still he gave her little time to answer "You needn't even move from your hometown, as all your studying will be done here." He informed her waving an arm slowly, an open door to a gargantuan library showing behind her. It was only the door and frame leading to another location in his mind, if she were to look behind it only flashing glows and long stalks of grass would show. If she were to turn to be impacted by the sight of a nearly boundless knowledge he would take the last step and whisper sweetly and slowly into her ear about the things that she could learn from a Fae creature. Mundane and otherwise.

Tethys’s intuition told her faintly that this stranger was exaggerating his movements; using his charms to keep her attention. But she brushed those thoughts away, awed by the sight of the massive library that waited for her to approach. She glanced back over her shoulder, seeing only shadows of the twilit stalks of grass and lazy fireflies.

As dreamlike as this place was, and though she knew she was asleep, Tethys also knew that she was somewhere as real as she was. This handsome stranger had to be real as well; but perhaps he was unable to cross the threshold between worlds. And he knew so much about her.

The chance to hone her skills and gain control over them; to explore this mystical place within her mind and use it to become who she was destined to be. Such a tempting prospect…

Tethys turned back towards the inviting doorway, gazing at its shelves upon rows of tomes and bound-up scrolls. “I don’t even know who you are,” she said quietly.

Vale wanted to frown but refrained from doing so "I am but an echo of myself caught up in this amulet by a sorcerer whom was jealous of my magical capability." He said whispering into her ear slowly. With her back turned to him he was able to let her other senses take stock of what he was. Even if the was only a foot between them his body heat would embrace her skin enveloping her. A smell of summer spices and sweets almost the same as apple pies and honey, the aroma carried off of him thickly and could almost be overpowering.

However he knew that this one was resistant to his charms, at least for now. Shaking his head and retreating under his oak, he sat on roots raising up to become his throne that he never really had. Each strand of the large wooden chair wove together beautifully as if it had its own mind "I am Vale, of the Sidhe courts of summer." He informed her almost in a bored tone. He only said such in that manner so that she may not derive from it his true ununciation of his name for it would give her power over him that he was not willing to give. He studied her more trying to pry further into her demeanor for clues that he could use but stopped after just a twinkling of time.

Drawing a deep breath Vale rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and his face on his fist "It is time for you to go child, I have wasted enough of your day." He said slowly closing the door with a wave of his fore and middle fingers. He smiled lazily at her and nodded his eyes closed "No worries, I will still be with you during your awakening. I will also advise you on certain matters and keep you safe." He chartered with idle movements as though he himself was growing tired.

Tethys felt her skin growing hot as he took the chance to whisper close into her ear. A surge of tense excitement waved through her stomach, and her throat felt dry. The sensations eased as he moved away, but they were still there, in lesser intensity.

He sat upon a throne of intertwined roots that rose up to receive him comfortably, and finally introduced himself as Vale, a Faerie of the Summer Court. Tethys was too distracted to pay much attention to the way he pronounced his name.

Vale leaned upon his hand and closed the doorway, waving for her to go, as though he himself had grown weary. He assured her that he would still be able to advise her when they were separate from this world.

Tethys felt the dreamworld slowly begin to dissolve around her, and she awoke in her own bed, heart beating quickly. She saw the first rays of sunlight beginning to stream through the windows. Had all of that really just happened?

She touched the amulet she was still wearing, just to be sure. It glowed faintly, and Vale’s words echoed through her head. I will still be with you during your awakening...