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She stepped across the strangely ooden floor, towards the here the ht into the roo a perpetual, distant sound: a constant echo, reminiscent of bells

She brushed her hand over the drapes, and parted them

Slowly, her hand went to her cheek in order to pinch herself She wanted to be absolutely certain that she had not fallen asleep out of exhaustion fro, and she was not still in her room back home

But the pinch hurt Here, there were no storht's cal those horriblethem with serenity and comfort

There were tree branches, as far as the eye could see Above, through a dense forest canopy, the moon shone in a clear sky, flecked with the brilliance of innu branches and leaves swayed in the gentle wind, releasing an endless shower of the shi petal-like sparkles

"By theso about the room," A voice said froave a start, throwing the muslin drapes back as she spun around

She had heard no doors open or shut, but Aldrec was there, standing in the center of the roo smile upon his face

"Do you feel better now, Tulyr?" He said

Mericlou found that she had to struggle to recall the events that led up to her current situation, as if the peacefulness of this place had wiped them from her mind Slowly, it all came back: her fear in her own hoh aar her safety for the first tier there "Yes Much better"

"I' so much when you arrived?"

"It was horrible," Mericlou answered, and proceeded to explain the events after she had returned hoe objectivity in the recollection, as if it had all happened to someone else entirely

" …And by the ti that it would end, or that I could at least sleep, and hope for it to be over in the le tear rolled down her cheek "I don't knohy so calls"