Willow of Endless Waters the Journey Begins

by DB Jones

wasn't safe to go anywhere near the forest at that time, he could not resist sending his spies to find out what was going on. Had Willow or Vala been spotted? Had they seen the great Delfin Llyr? He crept from the dark depths of the open sea, swam as near as he could without being noticed, and called to the slithers. They trembled in fear, thinking he had found out about the voice. They retreated from their posts outside where the water people lived and headed closer to the edge of darkness where Adaro awaited.

  As they approached Adaro, they realized he was unaware of what had just transpired. None of the slithers dared mention a word. How would they explain that they had succumbed to such magical powers, and what would become of them if the Great Sea Beast knew? There was only silence until Adaro questioned them about what was happening within the forest. When they had nothing to report, he was disappointed. He assumed it was because Llyr and Ellura watched over them very closely now, yet he still wanted the slithers to remain at their posts, just in case. After all, once before, Willow and Vala had strayed from the group when they ventured into the open waters alone and were nearly taken by him. Maybe, just maybe, they would stray again, and he thought this time he would be ready for them.

  Adaro turned, and his mighty body slowly cleared a path through the open seas as he returned to the darkness. The slithers resumed their position around the perimeter of the coral. None of them spoke of the voice again, but each wondered if the other had heard what he had heard. It surely was nothing they would ever discuss among themselves, because they feared Adaro's wrath. If one informed him, thinking to get into favor, Adaro would see it as a weakness, and they all would perish. None of them had ever experienced the feeling of comfort and peace they had felt when they heard the voice whisper to them. They weren't sure what to make of it, but it was something that would never be shared with any other slither, and certainly not with Adaro.

  The shadows of the night covered the waters, and everyone in the Sea Kingdom settled down for the evening in anticipation of the morrow—everyone but Llyr, Ellura, and of course Adaro, who roamed back and forth in the darkness of the open water, hoping for another chance to devour Vala or Willow. But that chance would not happen that night or the following day.

  The entire Sea Kingdom awoke early the next morning as brilliant beams of golden light from the sun sent rays shimmering down through the endless waters. It was the day everyone was waiting for, and none more than Ellura. She was the woman of the water and the spirit of the sea, and she had awaited the event long before the day Willow was born.

  Ellura called to Willow and Vala, asking them to join her at the forest's edge. Vala glided up beside Ellura, waiting for Willow to arrive. Willow whispered a message to Ellura in the language of her mother, asking to be alone for a moment and to then join them. Ellura knew what she wanted to do and told her to join them when she was ready.

  Willow put on the flowing gown her mother had given Ellura. She wished her mother could be there, she but knew it would be too dangerous. This wasn't the time for Willow and her mother, but she knew the time would come. This was an event the water people had anticipated, and it was her responsibility to honor her place with them and fulfill the promise made.

  Willow gracefully glided through the waters to meet with Vala and Ellura, wearing the gown her mother had made for when she would choose a mate. Little had she known then that it wouldn't be until she entered the world of the sea that she would choose her mate from among the water people and that Vala had been predestined to be the one. But from the moment Willow saw him, she knew he was the one she had waited for. Their eyes met, and she felt the magic.

  As she glided through the water, her long, golden hair, ablaze with brilliance, swirled in and out of the current, and the gown she wore glistened with the silver strands that had been woven into it. It hadn't been until she was given the gift from Morven that she realized the silver strands had been passed down from her maternal lineage—they were the silver strands of Ellura's hair. Willow knew Ellura had been around since the beginning of time and that her silver hair possessed a magic of its own. But this was a secret she would hold until she had Ellura's permission to speak of it.

  Willow was truly a creature of beauty as she approached Vala and Ellura. There, just beyond the coral, was the ancient one of the Delfin Clan, Llyr. Willow bowed to him and Llyr to her. No words were spoken between the two; there was no need for words with them. They were bonded to one another. She knew that as long as Llyr was near, she had nothing to fear. She wanted him to be a part of the event, and she had not seen him since she returned from the cave of the ancients with Vala.

  Willow approached Vala, and he took her hand in his. The two hovered there, gazing into each other's ice-blue eyes. It was the moment they had awaited since the first time Willow saw him beneath the endless waters. Today was the day they would join as mates for all eternity.

  Ellura glided over to Llyr and spoke to him, yet Willow could not hear what they were saying, which came as a surprise to her. But it didn't bother her, for she felt his warmth and protection and knew that only goodness flowed from Ellura and Llyr for her. Then Ellura turned and glided to the top of the highest coral tree and whispered, "It is time."

  The excitement was palpable. She called to Vala and then to Willow to join her at the coral tree. The two glided softly up together and hovered in front of her. She spoke to them in a language only they could understand. They joined hands and faced each other. As Ellura spoke to them, the waters began to swirl and stir, whipping around the two of them until no one else could see them. The waters glistened with ethereal beams of swaying, crystal-blue lights from the corner of the coral forest, where the entrance to the cave of the ancients began.

  All the creatures could see the incandescent lights approaching, encircling the coral forest and nearing the couple, causing the waters to create a vortex of energy upward around them. The beams intensified as they swirled around and around Vala and Willow until the lights had enclosed the two of them in a cocoon of crystal-blue strands. There was no longer Willow and Vala, but the most magnificent glow of blue energy spiraling upward through the water, leaving a trail of ethereal strands as the pair ascended to the surface of the endless waters. When they reached the surface, they continued upward, bringing with them the waters of the sea behind them, creating a vision that could be seen for great distances.

  Children were playing on the shore with their parents watching over them—the same shore Willow had often visited as a child when she first became aware of the creatures that lived beneath the sea. One child let out a cry. "Look!" The villagers turned their attention to the open waters beyond the shore. There arose far from the shore a magnificent, radiating, glowing light, and below it trailed beams of silver stands.

  Audra was already standing on the knoll by her rocking chair. She felt the power of her daughter and knew it was the moment she would join with her mate in the land beneath the sea. The astonished villagers rushed to the shore to see the miraculous event. No one had ever seen such a thing in the endless waters.

  Nyle joined Audra out on the knoll. He reached out and held her hand. She turned and looked into his eyes. They both had tears running down their faces. Audra spoke to him as he watched this event. "That is our daughter, and now she has joined with her mate." Audra and Nyle held each other and watched the incredible event.

  The villagers could not turn away as they watched the ball of magic ascend, lift into the clouds, and slowly descend back into the endless waters. As Vala and Willow descended, the sea opened, creating a mighty spinning vortex. The waves rushed to the shore and gently rolled onto the sandy beach, where the villagers stood in amazement. It would be the talk of the village for a very long time.

  The entire sea world felt the impact as they returned to the sea. The water people were captivated by the incredible glow that radiated from the ball of energy that surrounded Vala and Willow. They had never seen anything like it when two joined as mates, but then Willow and Va
la were no ordinary couple. Surely this was a great sign. The event had not been for just Willow and Vala, but it had touched something within every creature and every clan that would change them forever. This story would be passed down through the ages, and the vision of what occurred would be burned into their memories and the memories of those to come.

  Willow and Vala slowly descended to the spot where Ellura was waiting. As they drew near to her, the ice-blue ethereal strands loosened around them and retreated back to the cave of the ancients. But there, hovering before all the clans and the water people, were Vala and Willow. Their bodies were illuminated with a brilliant, ice-blue glow, and as they entered the coral forest, the light reached out and touched each being within the forest.

  Willow and Vala said nothing as they bowed to the clans and to the water people. Ellura glided below them, and she too bowed to them. At that time, all the water people also bowed, and then there was a call from the Delfin Clan. Willow and Val turned and glided outside the coral forest to Llyr, reached out, and touched his mighty fin. They bowed to him, and he bowed to them in returned.

  Then the two of them