Chapter One (Erislan and James' Past)

In the world of the ancients, there is a place called Erislan. This land is where the Valenians dwell. The Valenians live in the forests of Erislan. Now, they are not the only creatures that live in Erislan but they are the humans that live there. On the coast of Erislan is a world in itself, one that many do not consider a world but it is.

The, illae aquae (those of water), or the bottom feeders as the Valenians like to address them as, call their part of the sea Solum Sirena (Land of the Merpeople).

These merpeople do not look like what the present world calls mermaids. These half fish, half human creatures have longer ears fused to their heads and their hair is like silk, ranging from green, brown, and black. Oil runs through the strands because the hair is not dead hanging around them, it is alive and grows like the limbs of the body until it reaches the length it is meant to be. These creatures are beautiful with heart shaped faces and skin that has an aqua blue tint to it. And their fingers have the thinnest, most translucent tissue between them. Their legs are defined, yet fused together to make a long tail from the waist down, covered in smooth dark blue, almost black skin with a thick tail at the end.

The women of the merpeople are very unique. Their upper body has an extra layer of skin covering over their breasts, and when they become pregnant, the extra layer peels off allowing the breasts to produce milk for their young. Once the baby no longer needs nourishment from its mother, the extra layer grows back over their breasts for protection.

For centuries the merpeople and Valenians have been at war with each other. The merpeople do mainly live in the water, but that is only because they choose to live there. At the creation of the ancient world, there was only one race of humans, and different races evolved from that one. So the Valenians and merpeople do share ancient blood.

When the merpeople stay out of the water for a long period of time, their body goes through a transformation and they are able to live on land as well. This right here was the problem. The merpeople were tired of being confined only to the water. As much as they loved the sea they loved the land too. The Valenians could not live in the sea though, and they thought it only fair that the merpeople keep to their waters just as they keep to their land.

King Elione of the merpeople did not like being told where he and his people could dwell, after all he loved his people and would do anything to keep them happy, protected, and prospering. He wanted all of Erislan for his people not just half.

The Valenians, on the other hand, are very powerful and wise. They have access to the spirit world and can do many great things. The present world would identify these humans as witches, but they do not possess magic they possess knowledge of all the worlds and they have complete knowledge of the ancient world. They are in sync with nature and the essence of everything.

Here is where our story takes a twist. The spirit world coexists with every world, it just cannot be seen. But some people from each different world are able to see certain things from the spirit world. In the present world, these people would be called mediums. Fiolas, a merwoman, was one of these people.

As most already know, the war in the spirit world has always been between good and evil. One of the evil creatures from that world came into contact with Fiolas one night, and she willingly gave her soul up to it. Fiolas then concocted a plan to make King Elione her lover. One night she snuck into Elione’s bedroom and seduced him. Before the sun rose she had disappeared back into her cave that was at the deepest part of the sea.

She continued with this same routine, until Elione, frustrated with this cat and mouse game, decided he wanted to know who this creature was that seduced him so well. When Fiolas came to him that night, Elione finally demanded that she tell him who she was. Fiolas put on her sweetest face possible and manipulated the king into thinking he was in love with her. With Elione love struck, Fiolas eventually got him to give his soul up as well.

As it has probably been predicted, Fiolas became pregnant. She gave birth to a son and they named him James. As James grew to maturity, everyone knew he had a good, kind soul. Trying as hard as they could, Fiolas and Elione could not manipulate James into giving up his soul. James eventually became tired of how his mother and father never showed him affection. So he decided to leave the sea, and live on the beautiful land of Erislan. He had been on the land many times meeting the people and all the creatures who lived there. He had come to be friends with all of them who had showed him friendship and love, they had become his family. So with no more time to waste, James found his father and told him of his plans to leave Solum Sirena. Elione and Fiolas were furious!

James started his life anew and loved every minute of it. He was a free spirit finally! He lived in his own house that he himself built in the woods of Erislan. He soon realized that there was a community of Valenians not too far from where he dwelled and he became good friends with them. He especially came to like a girl by the name of Adrianna.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen; her long flowing brown hair that reached her waist, and her soft copper skin that all the Valenians of that community there seemed to possess. She also had the most beautiful lavender eyes. They soon got to know each other and fell in love.

It wasn’t long before they got married and decided they wanted a family of their own. James loved his life, the family and friends that he had acquired, and his woods. But James knew that one day his father would come looking for him and demand he take the throne because there was no other heir. His father and mother never had any other children. Only a legit heir of the crown could take the throne. Because of Fiolas and her connection to the spirit world, only the royal family possessed the strength and power to protect and guide the merpeople.

Knowing this in the back of his mind, James and Adrianna decided they needed to leave their world and start anew in another where their family would be safe. Only creatures of the ancient world and the spirit world possessed the knowledge and resources to go to different worlds. Adrianna’s mother and father knew where the portal that led out of the world was and showed them the way. The day they decided to leave was a sad yet happy one. They had said goodbye to everyone they knew and made their way along with Adrianna’s family to the edge of the forest.

Adrianna took a canister of paste she had made earlier from out of her pocket and smeared it on James’ and her right hand and they placed them on the trunk of a huge white oak. In the ancient world some species of trees were more evolved or sacred than others, the white oak was one of these trees. It is difficult to explain how one transports to a different world but when James and Adrianna placed their hand on the tree it took their DNA and soul with it.

When they passed through the portal they found themselves in another forest. So they walked and finally came upon a clearing in the woods. It took James many years to build them the perfect house. A two story house that looked like a cottage. The house was green with dark blue shutters and had a huge garden with a small shed to the back of the house. Adrianna and James loved it so much they were finally going to be able to start a family.

Finally, after about five years they decided to have a baby. Adrianna had a very good pregnancy and after nine long months gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She was the love of their lives and for once in James’ life he was happy and at peace.

Then slowly things started to change. Adrianna was not herself anymore. There was no glimmer of light in her lavender eyes anymore. She was cruel to James and would not let him near the baby anymore. She had started to call him bottom feeder. And no matter how many times he told her that was not who he was and no matter how much affection he tried to show her, she would never listen or return his love.

One day as James was out working the garden he looked up to find Adrianna staring at him. Her hair was a mess and she had dirt all over her body. As she stared at him with daggers she started to speak in Latin, “You will never harm me or my baby! I curse you to be a frog for all eternity you bottom feeder!”

Those were the last words James heard her say to him. And so, Adrianna placed his soul into a beautiful tree frog that happened to be clinging to a tree not far from where they stood. With a stunned and broken heart James hopped into the forest and soon found a tall white oak that became his home. He vowed he would never leave them and always watch over his little Julian and one day, one day maybe be reunited with his loves.