In a world where bonds are tested and destinies unfold, join Lyrie Hucrele, Hops McGee, and Zelena on a journey that defies the norms of friendship and family. As they navigate the twists of fate, their unbreakable camaraderie becomes a beacon of st...
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Lyrie skips along the vineyard rows in her parent's winery. She soon reached the edge of the woods. Lyrie's parents warned her about these woods, they were never to be played in. She mockingly acted out her father waving his finger and Mother's disapproving stare as Lyrie would tell her mother stories of her adventures beyond the edge of these trees in her dreams. Stories of how these woods weren't bad at all, just a little mischievous and sometimes, just sometimes a little scary. Lyrie wistfully dreamed of days in the summer sun, surrounded by the green leaves on the branches and covered by the shade of the trees. Lyrie skipped far enough ahead of her teacher Mr. Periwinkle. Lyrie knew she would have a few moments to sneak into the shade of the trees before getting caught by him. She loved the sense of adventure just having taken a step beneath the tall trees. She often dreamed of what the world looked like outside of the tree line of Oakhurst. The itch for something new tickled the back of her neck.
There was something different about today. Something almost like a magnetic pull, pulling Lyrie into the woods to the spot she always gazed at from the vineyard yard and said to herself that if she ever dared, if she was ever brave enough she would walk to the spot and soak in every inch of the forest. She walked with confidence into the overgrown forest floor surrounded by the looming, overbearing trees feeling like the trees were peering down at her reminding her of her mother's disapproving face and Father's waving finger, but today Lyrie did not care. Today Lyrie was going to make a decision for herself, as she stepped into the woods surrounded by green and the smells of decomposing leaves as birds sing in the branches of the trees and crickets played a symphony of music. Lyrie closed her eyes for one moment, soaking in the forest with all her senses. As her eyes closed, a shift happened. The shift was quick. One moment the symphony of crickets, the bird songs, and the fresh decomposing leaves were there and the next they disappeared. When Lyrie opened her eyes again she realized she had stepped into a world where she was surrounded by magenta, emeralds, topaz, and little floating lights almost like fireflies. The trees were bent and crooked, giant mushrooms spiraled up out of the ground like pillars. Lyrie could not believe her eyes. She tried to open her eyes wider to collect and memorize this place of wonder. Lyrie never knew Oakhurst was just a hop, skip, and maybe a jump from the most beautiful place she had ever seen. As the light was hazy with pink fog Lyrie knew this could be the last time she would ever be free. She felt like she had been observed all her life and trained to be this perfect daughter, perfect business owner, perfect wife.
As Lyrie walked through the forbidden land she felt like an adventurer and longed to see more. She leaned in and touched the roots of the massive spiraling mushroom pillars and reached out for the floating lights. Lyrie was overwhelmed with excitement for the newness of her new found realm. She wanted to see every piece of this pocket world, but as she stepped forward, her steps turned into a jog then into a sprint until she landed back in the vineyard, just 100 yards from where she had started. Lyrie was puzzled as she looked around unable to connect the dots or the pieces of how she would have ended up here. Was she daydreaming? Was she going mad?
As Lyrie wearily stepped back down the edge of the woods where she started, she cautiously stepped back towards the edge of the woods. As she stepped, she heard footsteps coming down the path, a gentle reminder that her time is not her own, but rather a sad reminder that she had lessons and responsibilities that held her back from exploration. As her teacher Mr. Periwinkle huffed down the path. Lyrie's teacher was a large man who always dressed in a suit that was obviously meant for someone three sizes smaller than he. Perhaps he had bought the suit in his glory days as a professor at the university in Waterdeep, or maybe he just could not let go of the past, either way he teacher Mr. Periwinkle puffed down the path as if he had just run a marathon, Lyrie knew he had just walked until he got to her. Still out of breath and very angry Mr. Periwinkle called to Lyrie reminding her that her lessons were waiting and what would her parents think, but as Mr. Periwinkle grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards her house; all Lyrie could do was look backwards to the little patch of green she was now so eager to explore. As Mr. Periwinkle's voice faded into the background of her mind, Lyrie thought of the mysterious world she longed to visit again, just not now.
In later years, Lyrie would learn that the portals lining the woods around Lyrie's house would take her to this magical land called the Feywild. The portals would become one of Lyrie's favorite hiding places. She could explore for hours in there, yet only be gone a minute, or sje could spend days sipping from the freshwater streams and lazily learning pixie songs. Lyrie would sometimes even sneak away in the dead of night to catch glimpses of the magical magentas and topazes and explore a world she never thought she would see. Just outside of her four walls, a world she longed to explore was there, ready, waiting for her to step in.
