The Lake

Upon a large hill, almost a thousand meters over the sea, a great cathedral was built. When looking up towards the hill, you would notice the far stretching white walls, and the many tall towers that so gently decorated its steep hillsides. Beneath it, a city with a thousand roads, and buildings of all sizes and shapes, spread out over a cluttered landscape.

The roads were filled with everything between over-carried carts, horses dragging around wealthy businessmen, eager salesmen, women selling carrots, dogs chasing cats, and children chasing dogs... Up and down these brick and muddy roads you would find all sorts of markets, cottages, gardens, small workshops, obscure merchants, animal breeders, wine-yards, wheat-fields... - just about everything.

Beyond all this, beyond the farms, and over the fences, and into a forest, down a far slope, and even further in to the forest... Here the air was damp, and water dripped from the dense and tremendously tall trees. Thick moss clothed every rock, and barely any sunlight shined through the thick layers of leaves... A calm stream could be heard simmering within the moss, but part from that - and the sound of water dripping down from the the trees - this place was as tranquil as a snail making its way over a rock... If you would follow the sound of the stream, up through the lush forest, and out on a grassy field - through the tall grass, and into another end of the forest, you soon reached a stone wall. Above this stone wall, you only had to follow the sound water simmering beneath the rocks, and you eventually reached a lake. This lake was not very well known, as it was hard to find it had been left unnoticed, clean, and untouched...

On this particular day however, two young lovers had followed the small stream - over the grassy fields and up the dangerous climb of the stone wall... They laughed as they jumped on the slippery rocks, “Come on Brenda, you can do it, just jump I'll catch you!”, their voices echoed between the trees of the deep forest. As they reached the top, they stopped for a while, and looked over the edge. “Do you think we'll find our way back?”, “All we have to do is follow the sound of the stream”... It was early in the afternoon, and the hot summer sun was just starting to fade. Birds sang from the trees, and as they pushed themselves through a last barrier of vines, they suddenly stopped... Stunned by the sight, they grabbed each others hands - and on that spot, beneath an oak, they promised to never ever leave each other. And from that day on, the lake became known as Everlake.

Little did this couple know, that the Kingdom was about to fall...

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