This could be easily considered the easiest of the tales. There was a strong power that drifted with the fog that night. It could have very well been a spell trickling through the hot steam created by a force from beyond. The Goddess could hear her own voice speaking out to her from the heavens. It would read out what they needed to know to start the story but nothing more. The story would be their own to create. The only real reason she found herself falling back into the hot liquid of the spring was because she knew this meant she was able to relax and in this story clothing was silly. Who would choose to wear clothing when they dipped into the hot spring?

Rhea shifted around in the spring, resting her chin softly on her cross arms that rested on the cool boulders that made it up. Her chocolate hair rested in the water already wet from when she first dunked under the water and her cheeks were shimmered a soft pink from the warmth. She could probably stay here forever. The story book kept most from entering outside of the one who would be her partner in the scene. She was curious who was going to be thrown into the story with her but it was more of a back thought at this point.

She had not been in the story long but it had been enough time for her to strip from her clothing and jump in the water. Her pink dress rested on a low tree branch with the rest of her items, which only consisted of her underwear, fan, and slippers. It was obvious to see that she would be one of the few who probably actually decided to get pulled into the story book. There was rumors already on where people were going to when they followed the sweet voices, but there were probably some that would just accidentally find the place because of pure curiosity. She had even heard that people were trying to find the music, so that they could reach this world.

Breathing out, she just let her hazel eyes close. The water had a soft hue to it from the steam that rose from it but otherwise it did not hide much from the eyes of others. Many would have tried to cover up more or rest in a way that kept them hidden from prying eyes. Rhea, however, was not one of those people. Her body was perfect. She had scars traveling across her skin in a few places and other small blemishes from battling. She had nothing to hide because it was that which made her beautiful. Her mother had taught her to love every scar and imperfection. They gave you character and a story to tell. Wise words from a woman that had once been a slave, so Rhea had always held them deep in her heart.

Oh, why did Silanus enter this story? It had some sort of aroma that made him SICK! From plants, to bushes, to trees, EVERYTHING made him feel bad, it seemed to be some sort of allergy the place caused… Ugh, and everyone here was so stupid! Saying they came to this damned place because of a voice or music or that sort og thing! And they say Silanus is crazy … Hmph!

Silanus did not even bother to read the book, he wanted everything to be a surprise… Bah! This "tale" should be named "The lovely story of allergy" or "The tales of sickness" TO HELL WITH THIS! Atleast let this poor man have some sort of medicine, hmph! Well, in this place some sort of hot, white steam could be seen… Perhaps hot springs could be found there! Oh, hot water, if only that would cure this damn sickness! Silanus was literally sneezing every 12 seconds!!!

After some walking, Silanus was finally there! Hot springs! Let's just hope that breathing here can cure sick people, or that atleast the point of this CURSED story is in this place…. Oh, finally some rest for his shoulders! Silanus removed his helmet, then his "hasta", then his sword, his dagger and finally, his heavy steel armor, leaving him in his short, thin red tunic. The boulders of this beautiful place were slippery, so keeping his boots was not the best idea… Silanus, after sneezing two times, removed his boots and his leather bracers… 

Was it a good idea to enter the water? Who knows… It seemed … Perfect … Silanus mumbled to himself: "Oh, who cares! My feet hurt, after all, why not?" Silanus slowly and carefully removed his red tunic, leaving it on a soft place, far from the hot springs… And finally, entered to the water… A great feeling… His culture was not ashamed of being nude, they even shared baths! Back in their home in the lands of their orc allies, the Gratis clan built a large bath, using the clean water of a lake. It was everyone's favorite time of the day…

Silanus sat on an underwater boulder of rock, literally covering everything under his jaw with the hot water. He said, in a relaxing tone of voice: "Ahh… Home… Perhaps this place is not THAT bad, but still…" Bathing alone in a corner was boring, damn… A good conversation would suit him just fine… That's when he saw a lady resting his head on his arms, she seemed pretty comfortable… Well, after all, why not? Why couldn't he go and speak with her? Hopefully, she had some good things to talk about… Or… Was the story related to her? Maybe she knows, even better!

Silanus, with everything but his head covered in water,  walked to the woman over there… At the beggining, starting a conversation with an stranger was kind of… Weird… Would she think bad of him? Hopefully not… Silanus, with a calmed voice tone, said: "Greetings, greetings… These springs are pretty nice, you seem to know this place, may Silanus ask how did you find it?"
After saying that, Silanus just scratched his nose; his face was a little sweaty…

The second contestant to the story was not quiet about his entrance. Hazel eyes crept open curiously to see who exactly was appearing from the thick trees. She could not see clearly past the thick steam of the hot springs but it was obviously a male by the tone of his voice. Holding back her giggles, she let her eyes slide close once more and went to just listening to him. He either enjoyed to talk to himself or he had no idea that she was here. He was mumbling to himself but with how silent the forest could be at night, it was not difficult for her to hear what he was saying.

He slide into one of the other springs but he was not far from her. It did not take long for him to finally take notice to her because he spoke out his greetings. The way he spoke, it was clear that he must not have known she had been listening to everything he had been saying. She thought for a moment if she wanted to bring up everything that he had said but she decided she would let it slide for now. It could prove to be more useful later than it would now.

”Greetings. They are fine, are they not?” Rhea muttered out her response, displaying nothing but comfort as she lazily opened her eyes to peer at him from the steam. ”Well, there is not much else you can find here. You could travel further through the forest but you will only find yourself returning here.” Her eyes watched him curiously for a moment.

She was curious if he would mention the fact that this was a story or maybe he had no real idea? Some seemed to be able to hear her voice reading them the beginning of the story while some were able to just get in with no knowledge of what they had walked into. Which one would he be? She was kind of hoping he had not been able to hear the reason he was in there. It would most likely bring more humor to the situation, but she could also feel the aura of the area. It made her want to unleash things she normally would save until the best of moments.

There was one thing she was happy about. He was rather decent looking man, so at least she had something nice to look at while she enjoyed the hot springs. Maybe she would let the story take effect just for the fun of it. What was wrong with just enjoying a beautiful scene with a stranger? It would make it far more interesting if they were to meet again.

Silanus yawned and scratched his eyes… He thought: "This place, it´s like… The best spot to sleep, a tropical paradise…" The man looked around… Something about this place was, special. It´s the first time he has been in this island, oh, if only Silanus knew the volcano some people mentioned was closer than he would have thought… He would want to see it, he has never seen a volcano in all his life… Was it like a mountain with a hole? But well, who cares, anyway? There was talk about a tribe or something in the island… Was this girl from it? 

Silanus was about to say something, but before, he quickly turned around to see if his weapons, clothing, armor and all the things he carried were there… What a relief, his things did not dissapear… Nobody stole them… Poor Silanus, if he lost his dear helmet he would be DEAD inside…. After quickly looking around, the paranoic man said: "Oh, this island is a paradise, when poor Silanus came he was suffering a horrible allergy, he was cursing this place as if it was hell… But now, it feels PERFECT! No doubt why it´s so popular, who would not be here?" But now, enough of talking of himself… Who was this person? This stranger? She seemed to be extremely relaxed, as if she had no problems… Who in the world has an easy life? Everyone has a hard life, in their way… Pure happiness is almost impossible hard to see… But, somehow, she had it… 

Silanus gazed at her in thought… Perhaps he was overracting… But… He IS a very paranoic person… Seeing him relaxed is not easy, as something will always stress the poor man… He tried to hide his curiosity and said: "Well, who are you? Do you live here? Perhaps this question is a little… Odd… But, why do you seem to be so… Calm?"

The way the man talked was fascinating and peculiar. He did not communicate in a way that most of the civilization conversed. Rhea enjoyed that very fact, maybe a little too much. Her lazy gaze drew him in like a drug and she found herself grinning a little when he finally came out and asked the very question that would catch her attention. Hazel eyes darted up to look at him curiously with her eyes finally opening fully.

”So you have allergies to this forest? How interesting. I heard of a few have issues with all the flowers. I am intrigued to know that it effects even in this world.” Rhea mused softly, she was still staring at him but it was mare like she was talking to herself over him. She was curious what else she could do in a story that one could do in the mortal world. There was so much for her to explore and learn. It did make sense that someone would have allergies in their dreams if they did in real life.

”I would suggest not going to this place in the normal world then, poor boy. I have a feeling the situation would not work out as well as it does here.” There was a soft giggle that escaped her lips before she finally let herself sit up more. She watched him curiously as she ran her hand over the warm rocks. She was unsure how to answer his question but she had her ideas on the matter.

”I do not live here. I am like you, I came from the outside world.  As for who I am, you may call me Rhea and I am assuming you are Silanus?” She rose up and reached out her hand to him. He could shake it, kiss it, or whatever was normal in his world but she was just trying to be considerate. She did not care if she was now showing off a lot more of her body now that half of her was outside of the water.

”Who would not be calm in a beautiful place like this? We are in the middle of a story, how can that not be fun and the scenery is beautiful! Though, I have a weakness to water that makes me always feel very content and calm.” She gave him a smile before she lowered herself back into the warm water. ”Would you like to join me over here? It may be easier than talking between to springs?”

Silanus watched carefully as Rhea extended her hand to salute him. It was not very usual to salute someone by shaking their hands, atleast not for his culture… It was mostly used by simple commoners, he almost felt a little humilliated by answering likewise… Silanus held her hand softly and shook it, the "salute" was short and quick. Now, what is she talking about? Dreams? What dream? Silanus had a dream about a pig carrying a goose, oh, was she mentioning a dream? Is this a dream? Possibly, if Silanus asked what is she talking about, or if he was in a dream, he would be seen as a stupid, mindless brute. Silanus would prefer to DIE before being seen as a barbaric person! So, for now, he stood in silence, acting as if he knew what the hell this woman is talking about.

Silanus looked once again at his burdens, just where he left them. Nothing dissapeared, everything was there, nobody was near, his dear helmet´s red plume was not wet… Everything was normal… The man quickly looked back at Rhea… She said that they are in a middle of a story and that the place is beautiful, or something like that… Something felt… Odd… Silanus had trouble at paying attention properly, he was distracted by something, a thought perhaps?

The man nodded and said: "Dreams? A story? Well, now everything makes ehm, sense? Finding such a kind and pretty girl randomly in an island is not something that happens everyday, atleast not in the… Ehm… No dreams… Ugh, Silanus will be honest, but the poor man does not understand what exactly you mean as a dream… A bizarre peasant mentioned that this was a story, oh, as Silanus heard the word story, of course he would want to be in!" Silanus remained in silence for a moment… He had a hard time breathing, oh, the steam of the springs! It makes his lungs feel heavy, he could not even inhale with his nose, the poor man had to breathe with his mouth all the time…

Silanus tried to ignore that and continued talking to Rhea: "Correct him if the poor, innocent Silanus is wrong, but sometimes he is a little clumsy in new topics… Were those, ehm, ambiguous people talking about theater? Oh, Silanus loves theater! Sometimes he and his fellow Fratis do one or two acts! Oh, and the slaves act too, of course, when they are not building clay spoons! Oh, how he misses the Camp…!" This man is such an interesting person, most of the time, he is stressed, thinking about problems and other things that trouble him, but when he speaks about something that he enjoys, a wide smile appears on his face and everything that bothers him, just dissapears! Sadly, not forever, but atleast for some time.

Silanus leaned his back on the warm rocks, now he was calmed and his troubled look became a relaxed one. However, he was still facing some breathing problems… Oh, the poor man, he had to breathe heavily… Why were those damn springs troubling his breathing so much? Why couldn´t they let him be calmed for atleast one or two minutes? Why is there ALWAYS a problem in his way!? Atleast, the problem is small, and it could be considered as the downside for being on such calming waters…

It appeared she had confused Silanus. A grin trickled across her features as she watched him curiously.  ”We are in a story. The way you enter is something like dreaming. It is the easiest way to explain how the things how strange things may happen in this world. It is not the normal mortal world that we all come from. “ Her eyes flickered for a moment as she thought about her own words. Referring to Revaliir as a mortal world was not the best way to explain the situation but she had always lived traveling to different realms. Most of the deity in the old enjoyed keeping their temples in their personal realm. It helped keep the temple safe and easier to access for the deity. It was partly why she did the same.

”I was not put much thought into how this world ticks. It will make your head spin. It is a beautiful story of romance and the location only helps!” She gave him a happy smile as she watched him finally rest down into the water with her.  She shifted a little closer to him as she rested her back against the rocks resting her arms behind her on the rocks. Her eyes trailed up to the sky even past the hot steam there was a black sky with stars dancing across the scene. It felt like she could almost reach up and touch them. The story made it hard to not love the scenery.

Her gaze drifted back to her guest. She had already learned a lot about him by his actions. He cared a lot for his armor. She could see his gaze drifting back to it and away from her. She was curious if she could find a way to get him to only pay attention to her only. Her mind focused on his words as suddenly her lips pressed into a small frown. Slaves… Her thought trailed out a moment after his words. She did not like the idea of him speaking of someone being a slave so easily, but she pushed it back. It did not mean he was a bad person, they were not like the people she disliked. The idea of slaves always was a sore subject for her.

Clearing her throat, she tried to help push the subject away from the story. ”Is something bothering you? I do not wish to pry but you were so confused on how I could be calm here… It may have brought my attention to your stress. “ Rhea kept her question simple. She did not want to tell him that she could feel his desire trailing for him. The anxiety was thick amongst the steam but she could not figure out the cause from just the feeling. He desired something that just did not make sense to her right now.  

And now, the poor man was even more confused. "Mortal… World…" Now Silanus was wondering if he hit his head before and is in coma or something like that… Perhaps Silanus should do what Rhea did, and not think much about this, yes… That would help… Something felt a little different now… Silanus could breathe normally once again, oh, this was a real good thing…

Silanus carefully watched how Rhea shifter a little closer to him, oh, how to not be nervous at this point? He just met a beautiful lady in the middle of the night, in the middle of an island, bathing inside some hot springs, and is also kind… And now, Silanus began to think even more about how did he got here… Did he fell of his bed while sleeping and hit against the floor? Silanus softly scratched his left eye and thought: "This is an interesting dream, indeed… Why am I dreaming about a place I have never been in and with a woman I have never met? Oh well…" Silanus looked at how Rhea was watching the sky, so he decided to take a small look at it too. The night was dark, the moon could not be seen completely, as it was covered by the thick leaves of the nearby trees, but he could see the tiny, bright stars…

Naturally, Silanus blushed in embarrasement, oh, that was really unpreventable, if only Silanus knew his cheeks changed color, it would have been unavoidable for him to feel even more embarrased. There was a little moment of silence, a small smile appeared in his face, oh, poor innocent Silanus. The man felt a strong desire of looking at his stuff once again, but he didn´t… His things would not walk away, well, it would be possible for them to do so, since this was a "Dream" 

Silanus answered Rhea´s question: "If you could only see your eyes, you could see what, perhaps not only Silanus, but most people can see… It´s like if you had no problems, if your life was as easy as eating a cooked yucca root… Bah, it´s probably just Silanus that sees things, but seriously… You are so calm, that looking at you can even make people forget their problems!"

The color added to his cheeks only helped to increase the smile on Rhea’s lips. She brought him embarrassment.  Her eyes studied him curiously for a moment as he answered her question. Maybe he did not feel the heat that had grown to his face because of the hot spring’s heat? He appeared barely wavered by his blushing but in the end it did not bother her. His words towards her was far more interesting.

”What kind words you have. It my more than just my eyes that cause that, I am afraid.” She did not completely want to talk about her race, so she was quick to change the subject after those words. ”I have my share of problems, I can promise you that. I must just look at life differently from yourself. There is so much in life to spend the ticking time worrying about your problems. You must enjoy each day and forget about the troubles that may follow. I learned that well growing up!”

There was a gentle smile on her lips as she moved in closer to him yet again. She enjoyed his company. She could not tell for sure if it was because of the essence of the story or if he just had a charm about him she enjoyed. Her hand rested back on the rocks behind them as rested on of her legs over the other. Hazel eyes watched him curiously trying to read him better. Her power did not work as well in the world of stories. They took power over her own and forced her to do as it pleased.

”It is sad that such a handsome man as yourself is caught up in all your troubles. Maybe you need to spend more time looking into my eyes if they have that power you spoke of.” A grin curled across her lips as she leaned closer to him with her lips close enough to his own that he could feel her own breath. She knew better than to touch him anyway. She did not want him fleeing so easily from her grasp. She was enjoying talking to him. ”See, my eyes are really not that magically. Just a simple hazel.”

Rhea had a nice way of looking at life, she focused on the good things, or well, that is what it seems. Silanus carefully heared what she was saying; it seems the lady had a noce childhood, lucky her. The man looked how she walked closer to him again, oh, now Silanus was really, really nervous!

Tacitus Silanus felt as nervous as a little kid talking to the prettiest girl in his village… He thought: "This is not a dream… This is heaven!" Oh, poor Silanus, at the beggining he hated this place, it felt like hell! But now, this was possibly the best place he had visited.

Silanus listened as Rhea continued talking. She said that he should… Look at her eyes, more? It's not something he listened everyday, but well, this was not everyday! And now, she moved even closer to him… He could even smell her breath… It smelled… Lovely…

Silanus had a nervous, embarrased grin on his face… Why is he so shy, if this is not even reality? For a moment, Silanus remembered the tales that the people of the Fratis usually told… Many of them mention to have seen nature nymphs, for example… A lake nymph! Now it makes sense, hah! Rhea is a lame nymph, of course!

Silanus began to bite his own lips, oh, the poor man was really embarrased! He slowly covered himself in the hot springs, just like before, everything below his neck was underwater… He looked at Rhea's hazel eyes. Oh, something about her was really charming! "W-well… Tell me m-more about ehm your… Ch-childhood? Or talk about s-something… Y-you have interesting topics… W-what do you e-eat, Rhea? Flowers? You-your breath smells like a divine's ga-garden!"