In the steps of Eternity

Awakening: part 3

“This is a Griffon nest!?" I stare from Elvithal's clutches as we approach his home, or should I say his Fortress? Ruins though they may be, they are still in decent condition considering the state of any other man made structures we passed on our journey here.

Coming before a grand door adorned in patterns of feathers and leaves Elvithal drops me and with a thud my butt lands flat on the broken stones beneath it. "Oof!" I exclaim even if I didn't really feel the impact, or the pain that would normally come with it.

Landing in front of me Elvithal places his wing upon the door before it begins to shimmer in rainbow hues. "Beautiful..." I can only think to myself. So mesmerized by the door that I had failed to realized that the creature that had caused this whole phenomenon had shifted from his original form, into that of a rather well dressed man. Rugged as he might be.

I can only remain speechless. Between the door and the miraculous change in shape. I can only sit and stare. Like a newborn child who has gotten their first real look at the world.

"Are you coming?" He asks, jolting my mind back into focus just before I hide my face in embarrassment while getting to my feet. "What is it that you just did?" I ask through a mumbled voice.

"The door?" he asks with a tilt of his head before he gave me an answer. "Think of it like a Lock and key. Only my soul holds the key to my home." With a nod he turns to motion me inside.

Following after him the lights in the hall seem to burst with life as we approach them. Looking around once again I am amazed by it all.

With a cough Elvithal looks at me with his head tilted once more. "Shoot..." I think to myself "I did it again didn't I? How embarrassing..." with a sigh I look at him once more and then look around the room we have come to stop in.

"It's very pretty, what is this room I wonder?" I ask while I notice the immense amount of lace and frills laid out upon the room.

"This is one of the very few guest rooms I have. I thought it would suit you, along with the clothes that lay inside." He simply replied with a warm smile on his face. But I could not help but feel like something was strange.

"But why would you think it would suit me? I tilt my head in pure curiosity before I take a look down at myself to imagine what he could be thinking.

Elvithal just laughs at my strange expression before he pulls out something that gives me a very good look at myself. "Is... That really me?" I ask in shock and amazement "So pretty..."

Elvithal simply nods enthusiastically and gestures towards the clothes. As if asking... no... Telling me to hurry and pick an outfit.

As I get closer to the bed that has the outfits laid out upon it, I realize, that they are much more than just simple dresses, but full on ensembles. Scanning the choices I find one that is simple, very few ruffles, and just the scant amount of lace. "Perfect..." i could only think in my head.

Tsk. I hear behind me as I pick up the outfit. "Did Elvithal just click his tongue? Did he not want me to pick this outfit? Well it's too late. He gave me the choice. I made it. The end... I think?"

"Let's get you dressed properly then shall we?" Elvithal speaks over my thoughts almost as if he was about to burst out in a fit of laughter. "Oh right he can read my thoughts..." I mumble while I exhale.

Stripping the last of the rags that remained hanging on my body I hear a very loud and shrill call "SQUAWK" before turning my head to see why Elvithal could possibly make such a noise.

"Let me leave first before you start disrobing!" he all but screams while covering his face. Before running out of the room. "Well that was a strange reaction..." I think out loud before resuming my action to change.

Giving myself another look over after swapping clothes, I get a better look at the dress its self. Silver with a hue of blue mixed in. It almost resembles the color of my skin now that I take a better look at myself. The sleeves are comfy as they stop just after the shoulders, And the only lace seems to be around the arm holes, around the neck and the hem, all be it thin in amount.

Walking out of the room that Elvithal had lent me to change, i find him in a grand hall fanning himself on a rather large couch, but when he notices me his face sinks. "Child. What have you done?" he asks in a rather shaky voice.

With a quick swoop down from his cushion, he sweeps me up in his arms and back to the room, before he forcefully fixes my outfit before he undoes the immeasurable number of knots in my hair, allowing it to cascade down to touch even the floor.

"There is... WAY more than I had imagined there to be. Goodness Child how did it get so long? How did it get so tangled to begin with anyways?" Busy as he was with fixing my person, Elvithal continued to bombard me with criticism and questions. So many in fact. That I couldn't keep up.

"There we go! Anybody would be blessed to have you among them." He basically praises himself for a job well done before I look in the mirror. The dress fits a lot better now and there are now ribbons that tie my hair up high and off the ground. It seems that even with how strong he is, even he couldn't cut my hair. So he simply resolved to turn it into a big fancy tail.

"Now, let us talk about what I wanted to while I was waiting the first time." He puts his hands turned talons on my shoulders and gives me a quick spin around before looking me dead in the eyes. "Scary..." is the only thought that could describe what I felt at this moment.