The forest pond was calm under the moonlight and stars, which reflected from the mirror-like surface. El felt like something or perhaps someone had guided her there. Perhaps it was the spirit of her mother reaching out from beyond the underworld. Perhaps the old stories were true – perhaps in every body of water lies a hidden gateway.

Her thoughts were distracted by faint call, like a bird’s, but somehow different. El searched her surroundings. Nothing in the forest, then again the sound seemed to come from the water itself. Her eyes flowed from side to side, until they fixated on a faint pale creature on the opposite side. It seemed to approach her before vanishing beneath the water. El’s left ear twitched a little, like she were expecting an ambush.

Suddenly the water rippled before El, not too far away from the shore she was on. A column of water sprout out from the middle of the ripples. A figure of light towered over kneeling El. It had a light feathery body of a lady with a long green dress. Its long neck arched downwards with a swan-like face looking down at El with glowing white eyes. On its back there was a pair of ethereal wings. The figure was like an angel of the new faith, or perhaps more like a goddess of the folktales. Even the water beneath the figure treated her like she had the power over it.

The being approached El once more, producing a blade from the waters she seemed to be supported on by the water itself. Ever so gracefully, the being offered the weapon to El. Mystified, El couldn’t almost believe her eyes, questioning if it was a dream brought on by her delirious mind coping with the pain of the wounds and sorrow, and yet there the it was, The Lady of the Lake.