Ynnell - The Mystical Princess of Yor (con.)

As Ynnell slowly returns to consciousness, she finds that she is lying on a large beautiful bear skin in a magnificent cave. There is a fire burning near by; it is a friendly fire, casting out both warmth and light. Above her stands a tall man wearing a long, dark robe, with a soft, full hood. He is watching her closely and she can sense a smile as he sees that she is waking up.

He speaks, "Well Ynnell, it took you long enough to find me. It seems you are ready to begin your journey to recovery. I believe you are ready now to trust me."

While Ynnell could not see who this strange man was, she was surprised to discover that she did indeed trust him. She smiled for the first time in many long years. It wasn't a big smile, but it was a beginning.

"Can you help me?" she asked. "I have been so unhappy, so afraid of living and trusting others, and I don't even know why. Can you really help me?"

The man said that he could and that she should relax now, while he spoke some soothing words to her and stroked her brow. He then laid his hand upon her forehead and began to speak in a tongue she had never heard before. He spoke in a sing-song voice that seemed to fill the entire cave, and as he spoke she felt herself begin to drift away.

At first, she seemed suspended between two worlds not a part of either. Fog and mist surrounded her and then she began to catch a glimpse of a beautiful land. As she looked the land reminded her of Yor, and yet it didn't. It seemed hollow and false and she seemed to sense a sinister presence throughout. Deep inside of her she felt a touch of fear and loathing, and yet the calm serenity only got stronger and the fear quickly went away; she knew she was in good hands and she trusted the tall man completely.

In the distance she saw a great castle that reminded her of the Wizard of Yor's castle, and yet it, too, was different. She believed that she had once suffered greatly in this castle and she hurt deep inside as she thought of the little girl that had experienced such pain, so very long ago.

Into the castle itself she went and there she saw a man who looked just like the Wizard of Yor, and, yet again, she knew that it was not he. This man was evil, he hated good and beauty and did everything in his power to destroy it whenever he could.

Then her vision clouded, and when it cleared she saw this man talking to a small girl, herself when she was very young. He was talking of the pain that comes with beauty and of the hurt that is felt with kindness and caring. As he talked he would show her beautiful things and then cause her pain with all matter of evil instruments. Then he would be kind, make her wonderful promises and then break them again and again, showing her that she could never trust a promise to be kept.

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