Trust in the past life

I look at Elyn conflicted between listening to her and waking up Quinara "please don't you trust me?" Elyn asks and despite the wealth of reasons I shouldn't, I couldn't deny in my gut I still trusted her, "of course" I answer honestly. "Then come on" she says beckoning me to follow her, I take a deep breath and begin to follow. "So what is this thing you want to show me?" I ask as we walk through the dark woods in the earliest hours of the morning before dawn-break, "it's a surprise but trust me you're going to love it" Elyn says not even turning back to me.

She moved with such purposeful strides as if she knew these woods like the back of her hand, thankfully I had no trouble following her as her blonde hair seemed to almost glow in the dark woods. I hear a twig snap and reach for my sword, only to find in my haste I had left it "shit we need to go back", "what why?" Elyn says turning and hurrying to me "I left my sword" I mutter silently cursing my own stupidity. Elyn looks at me sympathetically "but we're so close... Can you just continue to the surprise first then we will go straight back", I didn't like the fact that I was in the wood in the dead of night unarmed "n-no we have to go back it's not safe". Elyn lets out a soothing hum "you're panicking Huck, remember what she said panic will get you killed", I am reassured by her words "yeah you're ri- Wait how did you know what Quinara said to me?" I ask by all accounts that was a private conversation how would Elyn be privy to that information, Elyn remains calm as ever "ok I should have came clean... But I've been watching you for a while but I needed to wait till that brute was asleep before I came to you" Elyn explains, "she's not a brute" I say defensively. "Oh but she is, a scary snarling brute, I was scared for you Huck" Elyn whispers to me, I want to defend her but I am reminded that Elyn also grew up hearing the tales of orcs as brutish monsters. "Come on we're close" Elyn says continuing on her way to this surprise, I desperately wants to turn back and get my sword but as I look behind me I realise, I had no idea the way back to camp, "fuck" I curse under my breath before continuing to follow.

We walk until the sun begins to rise, this was far longer of a journey than she had originally pitched "are we close?" I ask getting increasingly more concerned with every second, "yeah we're almost there, I promise" she calls back sweetly. As I walk I think how did Elyn hear that conversation? She must have been close to hear but neither Quinara nor me noticed her and how long had she been following us? Things weren't adding up, "I'll have to pin her down and get some real answers when we're at whatever she wants to show me" I think as we continue.

Finally we reach what Elyn wanted to show me a snow coated clearing "we're here!" She announces with a real singsong warble, "come on Huck" she says skipping out past the treeline to the open field, I follow her onto the clearing the open air feeling like a real reprieve from the claustrophobic nature of the woods. "Yeah this place is pretty cool" I say confused that this was the surprise, however now that I had seen her surprise I needed answers. I catch up to her and reach out to grab her shoulder but my hand passes through her body as if it weren't there "what the fuck!?" I watch as Elyn turns to face me her body flickering as if some trick of the light "HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAH" Elyn begins giggling turning into a maniacal laugh as her body disapparates before me leaving a flying fairy cackling where her head was. The fairy simply flies away laughing the whole time, I curse myself for being fooled by the fairies fey trickery letting it guide me here, "they magically guide you to your ****" Quinara's words ring in my ears. I was now on high alert looking around for danger but finding none, it seemed this fairy didn't want to guide me to my ****, it just wanted to guide me to this open field.... This open field in the middle of these woods.... These woods that are connected to the Hysin river. "Oh god please no" I say as I use my foot to move some of the snow to see what I'm standing on and the hairs on my neck stand on end as my worst fears are confirmed by my own reflection staring back at me from the ice.

I carefully turn around there was a long way between me and the treeline and I needed to be extra careful. I tentatively take my first step desperately hoping the ice will take my weight, it had taken it so far so surely it will last my way back, I think desperately trying to reassure myself. I take another couple of steps and then I hear it CRACK! The sound of ice splintering beneath my feet, "fuck fuck fuck fuck" I say standing perfectly stationary however the cracking only sounds for couple of seconds, "ok just gotta keep going" I say to myself trying to reassure myself that everything will be fine.

I go to take my next step but the ice gives out from under me with a shatter, I am plunged into freezing cold waters and the shock of it strikes every nerve ending. I had never been so cold as the frigid waters encompass my whole being wrapping me in it's icy embrace, I swim up with the intent of climbing out only to find a layer of ice enclosing me into the water. "Shit I need to find the hole where I fell in" I think frantically looking through the murky waters for a hole in the ice, but I cannot see anything. I swim frantically beneath the ice desperately looking for the hole but being unable to find it. In a last ditch effort I pound my fists on the ice above me trying to break it open so I can get free, the cold embrace is weakening me with every second and my vision starts to blur from lack of oxygen. I feel myself start to pass out I take a breath hoping for air but getting a plentiful amount of freezing waters into my core cooling me from the inside, dark edges encircle my peripheral vision as I feel myself on the verge of passing out. My vision goes black and my sense of cold starts to vanish as I pass out, the last thing I register before I lose consciousness is the sound of ice shattering and an accompanying large splash sound.