"What is this place?" I asked, looking all around me.

"The royal stables. It's where the winged horses are kept," Kadia answered. She walked a few paces in front of me and rested her hands on her hips. "I spend a great deal of time here."

My eyes widened. "I'm sorry, did you just say winged horses?"

She gave me a look of confusion. "I did. Don't you have winged horses on Earth?"

"No, we just have regular horses! The ones without wings?"

"Oh. My mistake. In that case, this should be exciting for you."

She turned around a bend in the hallway. I followed. We stopped and I inhaled sharply. I didn't even notice my jaw slowly dropping. I gaped at the rows of generously sized stalls before me. Each and every one of them was made of polished wood and carved into detailed shapes and patterns. The stall doors were varying colours of lustrous metal, and a few of them had some sort of jewel embedded into the door. Surprisingly, for a stable, the building was very clean and tidy, and only smelled a bit like straw. Large windows were placed high on the walls, close to the ceiling, to supply a perfect amount of light. Farther down the hallway, there were only about a dozen winged horses who were munching on hay. The rest of the stalls were empty.

"You may go see them," Kadia encouraged, practically reading my mind.

I nodded and slowly approached the majestic creatures. They were of all different sizes and colours. I noticed a figure in the stall to my right. He was working the dust out of the coat of a beautiful, black winged horse with a brush. He turned around to pick up a comb when his eyes darted to mine. I recognized him immediately. As if his pointed ears weren't strange enough for me, I still wasn't used to his cat-like pupils. It was Thorne.

He knit his brows together momentarily as if he was concentrating. A knowing look crossed his face. "You're that girl...!"

I smoothed out the creases in my dress. "The one that you almost killed? That's me." I gave him a small, friendly smile when he turned a slight shade of pink.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Earth! Does Kadia know about this–?"

"It's okay. She knows; she's taking me to see the, um, Elders. I need more information...since... Well, y'know."

"Right, you're a saviour and all that." He calmed down but remained cautious. Kadia gave him a reassuring nod from behind me.

"Anyway, I don't believe we've formally met." I extended my right hand in his direction. "My name is Brielle."

"Thorne Surcliffe. Second Lieutenant, platoon two, Rime Guard," he replied bluntly, ignoring my offer to shake hands. I assumed maybe they did formal greetings differently on Emiarhia.

I tried to discreetly lower my arm. "Yeah, nice to meet you."

"And you as well." He seemed to notice my gaze shifting to the creature behind him. "Have you ever seen a winged horse before?"

"No, never. On Earth, we just have regular, wingless horses."

"Oh. Did you know they can speak?"

I leaned up against the stall door. "Seriously? They can talk too? What else, can they do math?"

He chuckled a bit. "No, unfortunately, they're not very good at arithmetics. Here, I'll show you."

I unlatched the door and joined him. "Is it male or female?"

"Male. Muscular one, too. Excellent flyer. Friesian black stallion pegasus, with an unmistakable white blaze down the middle of his face. 17.1 hands high, royal blue wings." He gestured for me to come closer. I hesitantly took a few steps forward. "Brielle, this is Dimone. Dimone, Brielle. Behave now, hm?"

"He's beautiful," I murmured. "So, these pegasi are intelligent creatures... Is there some kind of pact between them and Emiarhians?"

"Yep. They've been around for almost as long as we have. Emiarhians supported them centuries ago when their population was fighting a plague and we helped eradicate it. Since then, we've formed a treaty with mutual benefits. They help us with travel, we help improve their quality of living."

Dimone stretched his wings outwards slightly. The feathers that covered them shimmered in the sunlight. I was amazed at how wide his wingspan was, considering how much smaller they looked all tucked in. I stumbled backwards.

"Come along. Don't be shy, now," Thorne said quietly. "Extend your hand. Palm facing upwards."

I did as I was instructed. Dimone looked at me with his big, dark blue eyes. He blinked once, and then lowered his head. He rested his muzzle into my palm. I stroked his nose carefully. It was insanely soft, like velvet. He snorted loudly and I retracted my hand.

"Is he angry?" I asked, a bit panicked.

Thorne shook his head. "No, that just means he's relaxed. He's calm. That was good, I think he likes you."

I let out a relieved sigh, which felt like something I'd been doing a lot. It seemed like I was starting to get used to all of the new oddity and abnormality in my life.

"Pleasure to meet you," said a voice.

I nearly jumped. "Who said that?"

Dimone was staring at me intently. "Well, me, of course." His mouth didn't move at all.

The horse was talking. It was talking...to me. It was like his voice was inside my head, crystal clear and almost echoing. I nervously rocked back and forth on my feet. "Oh, hi. You, uh, you startled me."

"Apologies," he replied in a deep but gentle voice. "This must be your first time communicating with one of my species."

I nodded. "I like your... Erm, wings."

His reply reverberated in my skull. "Thank you. I feel the need to stretch them out, though."

"What do you think?" Kadia asked, stepping into the stall.

"This is amazing. Winged horses are such cool animals."

She nodded. "I must agree."

Kadia positioned herself at Thorne's side and wrapped one arm around his waist. I saw his pupils dilate slightly. He leaned over and kissed her briefly on her temple. I raised my eyebrows momentarily before realizing that they were probably dating.

Kadia exited the stall, with me behind her. "Anyhow, we must be on our way. Have Sadora and Taphira been groomed?"

"As you requested, love," Thorne said, winking.

"Thank you. Come with me, Brielle."

I waved to Thorne as I passed then caught up to Kadia, who was standing in front of two stalls with winged horses in them.

"This is my pegasus. Her name is Sadora," she explained.

The winged horse had a black mane and tail, white feathers around her ankles, and immense violet wings. She had a blaze that went most of the way down her face, with a white snip on the end of her nose. I looked at the plaque nailed to the post beside me. Sadora, dark bay Shire pegasus mare, 18.2 hands high.

Kadia gestured over my shoulder to the second pegasus. "And this...is the one you'll be with today. Taphira."

I shifted my attention to the creature. She fluttered her long eyelashes curiously, hazel eyes glinting in the light. Her long mane and tail were snow white and arranged into flowing, elegant curls. She had matching white feathers on her legs. She had a white, misshapen star and a snip in the centre of her nose. Her wings faded from her grey body colour to a smoky blue. Taphira, Gypsy Vanner mouse grey pegasus mare, 17 hands high, read the plaque on her stall.

We proceeded to tack up both of the winged horses with equipment that matched the colour of each of their wings. Well, Kadia did most of it, after I apparently kept putting the saddle on backwards. It's more complicated than you think. Soon enough, we were ready to head out. Thorne gave Kadia one last kiss on the cheek before we lead the pegasi out to a strip of land that vaguely resembled the ones you see at airports for planes. Kadia showed me how to properly mount Taphira, and I was finally sitting in the saddle after four attempts. I had to laugh at how poorly I was doing so far.

I was just getting used to the feeling of sitting on a walking winged horse while wearing a dress when Kadia signalled at me to halt. "We have to take off from here."

My eyes widened. "What?! It's only been five minutes, and you're expecting me to just jump off of a cliff and fly around on this magical creature? Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

She nodded. "Trust Taphira, she's very aerially skilled." She firmly pressed her heels into Sadora's sides, who began to canter forwards. I was astonished at how calm and collected Kadia was. She must've done this a thousand times before. "In my theory," she yelled, her long, braided hair swirling behind her, "to get over your fear...you just have to...jump right in!"

I watched in shock as she bent her head low and dived off of the cliff with Sadora, disappearing into the clouds. Just as I began to worry about her safety, I saw her figure in the distance, flying evenly.

"Come on!" I faintly heard her exclaim. "We don't have all day!"

"Ready?" Taphira's gentle voice echoed in my head.

"No, not really, I don't feel all that comfortable–"

"You seem like a brave girl. You'll be fine. Like Kadia said, just trust me."

I exhaled shakily. "...Okay. I trust you."

With that, Taphira galloped forward down the stretch of short grass. Her hooves thumped along in a monotonous pattern. My fear grew more and more the closer we got to the edge of the cliff. My hair was flattened against my head by the wind and gathered behind me. I gripped onto the reins so strongly that my knuckles turned white. My heart pounded in my chest. A sharp scream escaped my lips before it was drowned out by the air rushing past my ears. We plummeted towards the forest below like a rocket. I had a mixed feeling of terror and thrill.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Then, suddenly, Taphira spread out her wings and floated higher into the sky. She steadied the both of us so we were gliding in a straight line. Kadia was only about twenty feet in front. The air around me calmed down and it was silent but peaceful. I let go of the reins and sat up straight. I laughed euphorically. The view was beautiful.

The flight was long, but it helped that winged horses flew like bullets through the sky. I was happy to just take in the scenery below me the whole time.

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"There, was that so bad?" Kadia asked when I landed on solid ground.

I swung my right leg over the saddle and slid down. "I guess I've been on roller coasters that were worse."

Kadia arched an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "Are we just going to leave the horses here?"

"No, they'll fly back for now and return at midday. That's the perk of having animals that understand you, you can tell them when to return."

We sent Sadora and Taphira on their way and begun to venture into the mountains of Adares. The air wasn't horribly cold, but the temperature was noticeably lower than in the other realm. It was the occasional gusts of bitter wind that were the worst.

"I'm surprised at how warm it is today," Kadia commented.

"Warm?" I repeated.

"Yes. It's usually much, much colder than this."

I pulled my cloak further up the back of my neck. "Geez."

Kadia reached over to her hip and unbuttoned a brown leather pouch. She pulled out a small jar with a faded label. "Here. Take this." I stuck out my hand. She poured a drop of amber liquid into my palm, about the size of a quarter.

I looked at the substance and then back at her. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Apply it to the roof of your mouth and wait for it to harden. Quickly, before it sticks to your hand," she replied, demonstrating on herself.

I copied what she did, using my thumb. I almost retched. "Ugh, this tastes disgusting..."

"What do you expect? Medicinal ingredients never taste like baked treats."

I cringed at the flavour again. "Why do I have to have this anyway?"

"Because your lung tissue is susceptible to freezing under extreme temperatures," she said matter-of-factly.

I did a double-take. "...Oh."

"Right, then." She fastened her pouch and motioned for me to follow. "Off we go."

----------------------------------------

"Not to be a pain in the ass, but are we almost there?" I asked. We'd been walking through mostly shallow snow for a while, and I was starting to have a loss of feeling in my fingers. Snow was falling slowly from the sky before it was turned into a mini blizzard by the strong wind.

"Just over this hill," Kadia exclaimed from over her shoulder.

I groaned. Kadia was sort of intimidating, so I didn't want to...poke the bear. It was really exciting though, exploring Emiarhia, and I was enjoying the experience. But I was starting to get worried about if I was going to return home in time. I trotted down the groove of the tundra. There was a tiny village, tucked away on the side of a mountain. It was nearly undetectable at first glance. Seven identical huts were gathered around a large fire pit. A tall, triangular building was standing a little ways away. That was the one that we headed towards.

Kadia explained everything on the way over. "So, this is the little town of Ymsirene, Lyuethyr. It is home to the Elders. The cold doesn't bother them the way it does everybody else, for some reason. We are going to visit them today. Before I report to King Typhis and Queen Valanche that you are a saviour, we must confirm that... That you actually are one. I am nearly entirely certain, but it is still possible that there is a mere coincidence somewhere."

My feelings were very mixed at that moment. On one hand, I did want to be a saviour. I would get to train and I'd be exploring this amazing, new dimension. Being a warrior sounded pretty awesome. But on the other hand, I was apparently going to have no choice but to fight in a war between good and evil. What if I fail? What if I die? What've I gotten myself into... Maybe I should've just listened to my parents...

"Hello? Brielle! Are you conscious?" Kadia asked, snapping her fingers in my face.

"Sorry, what? I didn't catch that."

"I said, when we go into the temple, just stand there and look polite and civilized. Let me do all the talking. You won't understand what they're saying anyway. The Elders speak in an ancient language that Emiarhians haven't used for centuries."

"Right. I can do that."

We entered the stone temple. Surrounding the room, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, were six stained-glass filigree windows. Each one with a different colour scheme. The first one was full of rich reds and flaming oranges. The second one, calm blues and inviting greens. I scanned each of them carefully. The third had yellows, earthy greens and browns. The fourth had whites, purples and pale blues. The fifth was made of icy blues and whites. The sixth was my favourite. That one had brilliant whites, light violets, bright pinks, and shimmering gold. I shifted my attention to the people in the middle of the room. Three women and three men, I counted. Each one of the Elders was bony, wrinkled, small and generally grey. They were dressed in identical black robes. Although, their faces looked warm and friendly.

Kadia approached the Elders and bowed. "Quuni gijxbiļāre uhguinešunej muk no mpānešunuj puira hirhioj iomkiorš. Oj yoka, ru oj noojqua mākhkuayeh."

One of the women shook her head slowly. "Nē, mkehuquj, nug, zēknj. Quēj zūha mkioyīvi, pui jniovha mupīxbīza."

"Mupxioj," Kadia replied. "Nouhpioruquu jihaāyisu nāyu rpusā." She gestured to me. I had no idea what they were saying, so I kept my expression neutral. "Oj abjruha, ru šij ik gionj ne vpāzēsioqu. Ne mkugiohesaquj." She grabbed my shoulders firmly and pushed me towards where the Elders were sitting. I stared at the floor. "Giņuj gākxj ik Brielle."

"Brielle..." a different woman repeated. She said my name like it was delicate. Sacred. "Nāy, zēknj."

The woman gently took my hand and led me towards their sitting circle. She motioned for me to sit down on a cushion, while still holding my hand. The other Elders piled their hands on top of the woman's until my hand and wrist were covered in, well, their hands. Admittedly, I felt a bit uncomfortable. I watched as the six of them closed their eyes. My arm started to feel tingly like sparks were dancing their way up to my shoulder. It was strange.

I saw Kadia walk over silently and crouch beside me. "They're going to say some things. I'll translate for you."

A few minutes passed before one of them spoke. A man, this time. "Oj sūha piopa guka... zoh huj gēp nug uhrpāhi..."

"He said he senses great power in you, but it has yet to be discovered," she whispered.

"Hak jhukxajh mpuašāj an avanjvkērj jugā jikxī..." a woman mumbled.

Kadia turned to me again. "There's stardust in your lungs and a fire in your heart."

I nodded, awkwardly looking around. I had no idea why this had to be such a huge thing. As odd as it was, it continued for a while longer. One of the Elders would say something, and Kadia would translate it.

"Saquj ik mākjhoixbešj jmērj an xkejquo..."

"She said you have amazing strength and bravery."

"Oj sūha īmuša juihi uk Emiarhia ..."

"She says... She senses a special bond to Emiarhia."

"Ik jmipvha vuijqua jugā xgējopē..."

"He says there's a bright light in your soul."

And all of this was crazy to me. I mean, the things that they were saying were just so...weird. I was pretty confused, but I went along with it.

Then, all six of them lifted their hands off of mine slightly so they remained hovering above. "Zobšuazāqu," they said in unison.

My heart flip-flopped. I tilted my head to Kadia. "What'd they say just now?"

"They said... They said that there is no doubt. You're a saviour, Brielle. It's official."

My throat was dry. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to think. Oh my god, I thought. This is...actually happening. This is part of my life now. I'm a saviour. There's no going back. I don't have a choice... I remained seated on the floor while Kadia spoke with the Elders. I finally managed to stand up a few minutes later. By then, they'd already said what I assumed was goodbye.

We left the temple and returned to the cliff. I didn't say a word the whole way back. My mind was too busy trying to figure everything out. Sadora and Taphira were waiting for us at the edge. Kadia and I flew back to the town.

"What now?" I mumbled eventually.

Kadia adjusted one of her leather gauntlets. "As I said, now we must visit the King and Queen of Winithas. I should tell them the good news."

"Are there other kings and queens?"

"Yes," she continued, "Emiarhia actually isn't a monarchy despite the titles given to our rulers. Each realm has its own kings and/or queens, as well as numerous lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, esteemed government officials and various branches. Winithas is simply where you'll be spending the majority of your time, so Winithinian royalty will have the most contact with you. The entire council of kings and queens are involved with your prophecy, however, the same as with most prophecies. And just like royalty, every realm has its own unique military force to protect these nobles. The Rime Guard, in which I am a captain, belongs to Winithas."

"So I guess I should act really polite and stuff when I meet them?"

"Yes! Very, very, very civil! I cannot stress this enough. Do you have a king where you live?"

"Erm, we have a president. Which is kind of the same thing, I guess..."

"Great, so pretend that you're going to visit them. This is royalty you're about to meet."

"Right," I said. "No problem..."