I found myself shooting up, up, up, faster anyone could have imagined without taking the Thallenrose off-world before. Knowing I would find myself in the same pose I held before I was launched, I looked around and enjoyed the ride. As always before, I could only see ahead of myself; I could not watch Grendhill disappear behind me. I felt comfortably warm, although all was blackness and stars around me. The stars accelerated as they moved past in a rush of white and colorful dots. I remembered my first time off the Thallenrose, how startling all this was and how disorienting it was that I could not see where I was just a moment before. I looked back as I thought of this and felt like I was falling in pure darkness, being able only to see exactly that.

I turned my head forward again and thought about my destination. Harrval was not so foreign to Tasalans like myself. It was markedly hillier and a little less colorful, but otherwise not strange in appearance. It had grass, trees, stone, rivers, wind, and clouds in a rather blue sky. The sky was a little paler that it usually was in Grendhill, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

I noticed the stars begin to decelerate almost imperceptibly. One star straight ahead of me began to grow brighter and larger as I drew closer to it. Then the star moved a little to the left as my path turned without my effort. Looking at it, my view included some of the void behind him. Rather than utter blackness, it was now filled with dark points of red. Almost dizzy from the stark difference between the bright light and the dim redness behind me, I looked forward and determined not to look back again.

I found himself nearing Harrval, a large rock in space, of which I could only see a sliver on the left side, facing the growing star. As I came closer to the celestial body, I felt as if I were accelerating towards it. Whether this was true or only an effect of coming in so close to it, I didn’t know. Coming in close enough that Harrval took up most of my view, I was whipped around the bright side of the curved surface and had to squint. The sunlight reflecting off the planet nearly blinded me after the infinite blackness I had faced. How blue the water looked! It never looked so blue when I visited the seaside on Harrval in my boyhood. Come to think of it, looking up, the sun looked a little green while he rode the effect of the Thallenrose. And suddenly I saw the ground coming up.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

A world popped into place around me.

I turned, taking my bearings, as soon as I found myself in my slumped position with my hood up. The Fassendais under my feet felt solid and smooth, similar to the Thallenrose though it bore a different design. I didn’t know yet what would face me in Hevvlar. I stepped off the Fassendais thinking about his situation. Though it was likely that somebody in town knew the Farellas were expecting, it was not likely that they knew the birth was exactly today, and even less likely that they would expect me to show up with the Royal Arms in their city. Still, it was feasible that if somebody did guess, that they could wait at the edge of the square day after day and watch for me. I had to be careful appearing in Hevvlar because I had to appear in the middle of it without being able to see it first.

I looked about surreptitiously as I walked out of the square. It was nearly empty, being early morning here, it looked. Or late evening? I took out my compass. I turned towards the lighter part of the sky, then looked at the needle of his compass. It pointed towards his right. So I was looking west. Navigation was complicated in different worlds. Sun in the west…so was early morning in Hevvlar. A few minutes will bring full daylight. Time to move quickly.

I stepped lightly off the Fassendais. With soft footfalls I padded through the city. Up hills, down, between them. As I walked, hood still on, I noticed the thatched rooftops distinguishing themselves in golden hue, while the tiled ones calmly responded in a reddish brown. This accented the clean, smooth gray stone that composed most of the homes and shops I passed.

I heard Hevvlar waking up as I neared my destination. Cocks continued to crow a familiar cry in odd tones. I remembered the different breeds of animals the people kept on Harrval. Some were familiar types in different varieties; others were new and strange types entirely. They had very large chickens here, as well as some very small dogs. Tilutos barked alarm at the large birds in the distance.

I approached the door of a large house. Hoping that I was not rousing them, but that they were awake already inside, I knocked.