ACK!!! You DID it!!! I MUST read it! I loved the begining of it, and am SO pumped that you finished it! Way to go Leeli!!

WHOO HOOO! Congrats again, Leeli! :D

Thanks, Admin!

You're welcome!

A note about the introduction: So, I wrote this before a whole lot of the major plot was decided, so some of it may be irrevelant now, but I'm gonna go ahead and post it because some of it is important to understand other parts of the plot. 

~A Kind of Introduction~

The world of Earvinst is a large, vast world, with two main continents divided by one large ocean. The larger continent, Thariss, in the east, and the smaller continent, Fargon, in the West. 

When the world of Earvinst was young and pure and no evil had entered it as of yet, good, pure beings walked the earth. They were know as Ielisans, and they were the first beings to inhabit the land other than the many creatures. The Ielisans protected the world from all darkness and evil that might wish to take the land, and a wonderful peace lay over the land like a soft blanket. For one thousand years the Ielisans managed to ward off evils, chasing them to the corners of the earth. During this time of peace, more races entered Earvinst, such as elves and men. Kingdoms flourished. Cities rose up. Towns and villages were built. People were happy. But the world couldn't stay perfect forever. Evil came, as evil will. Darkness shrouded the land. And though it wasn't what it once was, the world still had much good in it. The Ielisans retreated to the land in the north from whence they once came. 

Now some evils weren't strong yet. They still lurked only in certain places, but it was apparent that there was a main evil building its forces. And it was building them quickly. 

The people of the land gathered together their armies and sent them all to fight as one. They knew they'd have no option but to unite their armies. But the enemy was clever and knew their plan. He caused them to turn against each other. The entire land was fighting. Cities which had once been allies raged battle against each other. Kingdoms were torn apart. Villagers fled. The people fighting for their land ended up fighting against it, doing half the work of the enemy for him, and leaving their land worse off than he could have. 

But yet, there was hope. An army arose, an alliance, a resistance. They fought hard, and were able to make the enemy retreat across the water separating the two mainlands. The enemy promised to return, stronger. 

The men of the Sornian mountains, however, had grown accustomed to the peace that followed. They didn't want to give it up, and they didn't want their children and their children’s children to have to give it up, either. So they moved down into the valley of Minildrith below, and built a huge fence around its border. The fence was neither large nor strong, and wasn't fit to keep anything out. In fact, it wasn't meant to. It was more to keep the people of Minildrith in, or, rather, to tell them where security ended and the danger of the wide world began. 

This is where our story begins. 

~Prologue~

Two figures stood at the bow of the ship, cloaks blowing in the light wind. One was slightly behind the other. The figure closest to the edge of the boat peered out over the sea. The water was calm, still. Still as it always was beside the cliffs of Ielis. The figure drew a spyglass from the folds of their cloak and held it to their eye. He seemed to be looking for something. Slowly, the first figure brought the spyglass down. 

The man turned, his brow furrowed and his face solemn, as if he had just seen what he had hoped not to see, but expected to see. And he had. He pulled off his hood. Turning to his companion, he spoke. 

“I have seen it.” His companion’s face grew dark. Concern clouded the younger man’s usually cheerful eyes. 

“Are you sure it wasn't just fog?” He said, as if trying to convince himself it could've been when he knew very well what it was. 

“I am sure.”

Both men stood in silence under the grey sky. 

“We must send word to Ielis and Thraenen.” The older man was the first to speak. “Turn the boat around. We must spread the word quickly.”

~

An elf-maiden stood in the deepest part of the forest, staring into a clear pool. It was dark. The moon was black, but the stars sparkled above the treetops and made the smooth pool below shine silver so that it looked like glass. She stood alone, in silence. The pool began to glow. It was dull at first, but soon grew into a bright light so that one could hardly bear to look into it. The elf-maiden kept her gaze fixed upon it. Soon, a hushed voice began to emanate from the pool along with the light. It was so soft you could barely hear it, like the whisper of a whisper, and yet it boomed and echoed inside your head like your own thoughts. It came from the pool, but it carried on the wind, and in the air, so that the sound seemed to be coming from all around you. Though the voice was soft and sweet, it had an eerie air to it. 

"There was once a prophecy.” It said. As the words floated up from the water, the image changed. The maiden’s reflection wavered in the pool, fading, showing something else. Something dark. No one was there with her, but if they had been, they would've seen the elf’s expression change from a calm, still, peace, to one of horror. Like the water, her sea-green eyes had once been still and cool, but they now swirled with emotion and turmoil, as the water now swirled with images. Images that no one else could've seen. Would ever see. 

She tore her eyes from the pool and ran. Ran away, deeper into the forest, her skirts blowing out behind her. 

Soon, the pool seemed to realize it was alone. The images faltered, replaced by a reflection of scattered trees illuminated by what once was a glow; now mere starlight. 

Whoa, that was fast. There must be an Admin on. 

~Chapter One~

Below the Sornian mountains, hidden from the rest of the world, lay a valley called Minildrith. In this valley, there were three towns. Cargon, nearest to the border, a bustling town full of busyness, but not much excitement, Larton, a darker town, not much different not the other two, but that it was farther out and harder to get to, and more people who, let's say, didn't want to be found came here, and the smallest town, Fynnesse, just at the base of the mountains, and the prettiest, at least in most Minildredes opinions. 

The village of Fynnesse was small, as mentioned before, and nothing very exciting ever happened. No one interesting usually came into town, unless they were returning home, but no one usually left town, either, because there was really no reason to. Many other people might find this town boring. Many other people might say things like, ‘I want to escape this tiny village.’ or ‘I wish I could go somewhere bigger with more opportunity.’ but, in fact, most people in Fynnesse didn't want to leave. 

Most people who lived there loved it dearly. The rolling foothills of the Sornians, the woods with the huge trees that had been in the same place for centuries, the streams, and the fields, and the hearts of the people who lived there made it dear to them. 

Eris Glidel was one of these people. She loved her home perhaps more than anyone, and hated the idea of leaving it. 

At the moment, Eris was lying in bed in a little cottage that sat at the edge of a thin patch of wood. She was in bed, but not asleep. Her eyes were wide open in the darkness. She shuddered and pulled the covers up to her chin. She had just woken from a nightmare. It was the same one she'd had over and over. Sometimes it started with a bale of hay and an oil lamp, sometimes it started with a traitor and a torch, but it always ended the same way: the village burned. Those close to Eris were lost. She was alone and lost in the wild, forced forever from her home. Eris was sixteen years old. She had been having these dreams since the earliest she could remember. Sometimes they were days in a row, sometimes they were moons apart. And they were always different. But all of them were built around the same fear. 

Eris shifted, looking out her bedroom window. Sometimes she thought she shadows the moon cast on the ground moving about as if they were alive. Her father told her stories sometimes about the fearless Elven Rangers who lived across the mountain. He said they could move about from shadow to shadow as if blending with the darkness. But he had also said that they never came across the Sornians from Darkest Forest and into Minildrith. 

It was said that decades ago, the rangers roamed the land around the Sornians, protecting it against beasts and enemies. But sometime around the third millennium, when the War of All Lands was waged, they went into hiding. An old saying went, “Though well known, they are rarely seen.”

Though Eris had no desire to leave her home, something about the thought of the rangers excited her. She had always wanted to see the Darkest Forest and was even curious about what was beyond the Sornians, even if she didn't want to live there. 

Something stirred in Eris. Something that had lain still a long time. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but she felt it inside. It was a new feeling. Something you might call excitement, or anticipation. 

“Mrow.” A black and white cat sprung onto Eris's quilt, settling itself beside her head. Eris stroked his fur. “Star, you must stop coming through the crack in the window.” She whispered, half chuckling. “Every time I patch the hole, you scratch through it. You know you're supposed to stay in the barn. And one day something else might get in!” Eris felt a cold chill creep over her at the thought. 

Suddenly, she heard a noise. Almost like a crunching. And then another. And another, this time the noise like a half howl, half scream. It made Eris’s heart skip a beat. She burrowed deeper under her covers and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that if something was out there it wouldn't decide to come in. She tried not to think about the creatures she had heard about before that roamed the wood at night, never seen, but heard...and felt.

Eris rolled over and was soon asleep, but the noises continued to haunt her dreams. 

I'm so happy for your Leeli!!! This is such an accomplishment!!! 

Wow. I am completely blown away. Do you realize how FEW people can do something like this at our age? Heck, I've been working on my novel since I turned twelve, which was 3 1/2 years ago, and I've only written half that number of words in mine. I hope this will be the beginning of a wonderful career! 

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!