Chapter Text
Even the leaves seem to smile today. The air is crisp and cool; when a breeze blows through the branches and cools me off, the sun warms my skin right back to comfort. Today is one of those days where you can throw on a light sweater and be comfortable; one of those days where you can smell the seasons changing.
It is the perfect weather for hiking.
As soon as I woke up this fine, fall morning, I knew exactly where my legs were going to lead me. Straight into the woods. It wasn’t uncommon for me to find myself amongst nature, in fact, if anyone had not heard from me within a day, they could easily assume I was out with the flowers and the leaves. I was most likely picking up a random rock and stashing it in my pocket.
“ Valencia Grey, ” my mother would say sternly, “ your wanderlust will be the death of you. ”
Every time I came back, smelling of earth and mist, she would plop me down on the floor between her knees and check my hair for ticks and bugs.
When the troubles of the world would become too much. I would stuff my hiking backpack full of necessities and would set off until my mind was clear. There was just something about being in the woods that I found so calming. I could find a spot and sit for hours, just listening to the sounds of nature. The sounds of birds chirping, the wind rustling through the leaves. There was nothing more peaceful than that.
That was how I ended up in front of a waterfall today.
Water always soothed my racing mind. In fact, water soothed every human being’s mind. They were drawn to it by nature of their being, it was the reason water features are so popular in architecture: humans find water to be pure and good.
The trail that I was walking was one I hadn’t walked before. Usually, I would open up an app on my phone and find the nearest trail and off I would go. When I saw this particular one on my phone, the biggest feature was the enormous, beautiful waterfall I stood in front of right now.
It was so gorgeous. I couldn’t help but stop and admire the natural beauty of it in front of me. On my phone, I had read that the height from the top of the waterfall to the bottom was close to the height of Niagara Falls.
“There’s no way,” I mumble to myself, looking back and forth from the top to the bottom. The wood platform I stood on looked about the middle of the falls. If I leaned my head over the side, I could look down to where the water crashed. “Niagara Falls, huh?”
Looking around, I saw the popular trails that tourists and hikers took on a daily basis, all of them were marked with signs and helpful arrows. But when it came to hiking, it was the one time I allowed myself to explore and go off the beaten path.
I need a closer look at that waterfall. It was the same height as Niagara Falls, after all.
There seemed to be no direct path to the waterfall itself. That was probably for a good reason; accidents happen every single day. It seems like every day you can read about a hiking accident in the newspaper.
I was on the main path for a little bit, but honest, at this point, walking off might be better, right? Yeah, of course.
How else was I going to get closer?
Leaving the path, I start carefully climbing over rocks and branches on the ground. The forest is getting thicker and thicker with each step I take away from the path. Voices from other hikers begin to fade and the sounds of the forest slowly become the only thing I can hear.
For a moment I just stop and stand still, taking everything in. The different color leaves on the trees, the vines climbing up the trunks. If I listen closely, I can hear the waterfall. I can hear the water hitting the rocks below. Some birds flew overhead when there was a strong gust of wind. A twig snapped behind me and a squirrel scuttled through the brush.
I could just stay here forever. I would if I could.
But the real world, the adult world , was out there waiting. Life after college is the hardest, especially when every single day you’re just reminded about how you don’t have a steady job yet. And all you can think about is how you just signed your life away in student loans for a piece of paper. All throughout college you were told you would never have a hard time finding a job, but here you are. Unemployed.
“Enough, Val.” I mutter to myself, shaking away the anxious thoughts. I take a deep breath and keep walking. That waterfall was waiting for me.
I honestly just wanted to stay out here forever. People who live in the woods never have anything to worry about. I could just buy a small cabin and only have to worry about lunatics who run around with axes.
After a bit more walking and jumping over branches on the ground, I finally see it before me. I’m so close on the side that I can feel the mist kissing my face.
I had hiked to a trail that faced the center of the waterfall and I was gazing at it from the side. The water was coming down rather calmly, but was still pounding onto the rocks below. The more steps I took towards it, the more I felt as if I were in a trance.
I look all the way at the top, watching where the water is coming from. It was pouring over the top by the gallon, a beautiful, aquarium blue color and becoming more white as it topples down over the rocks.
The water hit the rocks rougher the farther down it went, until it hits the bottom and continues on with the river.
There is one specific rock about even with me that catches my attention though, or actually, it was the gap between the rocks that drew my eye.
“No way.” I whisper, "Absolutely no way.”
Was there a cave behind the waterfall? Well. I have to know.
I study around the falls, trying to find a path. There happens to be a very, and I mean very, skinny ledge along the falls even with the gap that I could follow. And when I mean skinny, I mean smaller-than-a-balance-beam skinny.
Gathering my courage, I hike closer to the ledge. When I got there, I saw that there was another ledge about shoulder level that I could grip onto while I shimmy across.
Then another realization hits me, I’m going to have to get soaking wet to find my answer. And I’m not even sure that there is a cave behind this waterfall. I’m just taking a wild bet here.
Well, curiosity killed the cat.
I look back to the platform where the main trail is to see if anyone is watching. Luckily, there’s no one. Now is my chance before someone sees and yells at me to get off.
I test my grip strength on the upper ledge and begin to slowly work my way to the falls. The gentle mist that was kissing my face becomes heavier, drenching my skin and clinging to my eyelashes as I shimmy over.
“Don’t look down, don’t look down,” I say to myself over and over again.
After some expert shimmying, I make it to the edge before the water will begin to dump on me. If I keep going, I really have to commit; no turning back.
I was on an adventure, wasn’t I?
I take a deep breath and shuffle into the direct path of the crashing water. Within seconds, I’m completely drenched from head to toe. It’s like taking a shower with the world’s most powerful faucet.
My fingertips are starting to ache from holding on for so long and the water is almost too much, I have to close my eyes to avoid getting water in them. It’s all up to feeling around blindly now.
All of a sudden, when my hand slides to grab more rock, there isn't any. I’m met with open space. I lost my balance for a split second, but regained it. Quickly, I shimmy the rest of my body into the clearing and stumble into the cave.
I can’t believe it! I was right! There was a cave behind here!
It’s dark and dank, but it’s here . I wipe the water from my eyes to look around. There’s moss climbing up the walls and hanging from the ceiling, giving the space a specific smell of wet grass. Stalactites hang from the top and stalagmites come up from the floor. The only thing I can hear is the waterfall behind me.
I turn back to look at the waterfall, holding my hand out to let the water pool in my palm. It runs over my skin, creating goosebumps up my arm, causing me to shiver.
Looking back at the cave, I squint my eyes in the darkness, trying to see further. The only light in here is the few beams coming through the wall of water. There’s a small flashlight in my backpack that I fish out, pointing it forward. The cave seems to continue down further and take a slight bend that I can’t not see past.
I’m already back here, I might as well keep going. I mean, I have location services on my phone. If anyone was to come looking for me, they would be able to find me easily. I always make it home in time for dinner.
The further I got from the mouth of the cave, the quieter it got. I’m still able to hear the rushing water, it’s just fading into white noise. It almost sounds like TV static.
Days like these were the ones I lived for. I used to take a friend with me on these hikes, the night before I would be scrolling through my contacts, seeing who was available to come with me. It was the deal my mom made with me, if I had someone with me, I was allowed to explore wherever I pleased.
But eventually, I realized that the reason I came out here was to get away from people and not have to speak to a soul. I wanted to just take in nature, and there was not a single person I knew that could just walk side by side and listen to the birds sing. Why did we always have to talk?
There was a part of me that knew it was rude to ask someone just to silently walk side by side with me; but, then again, why was it such a huge ask? Sometimes you just need a person’s presence to calm down.
I pause, straining my ears. Why did it sound like the waterfall was getting louder again? I’m sure that I’m walking away from it. Maybe the cave just circles back around to the opening again? But I didn’t see any side halls that would lead back to where I came in; and I was looking too.
After walking further down the dark halls, I was certain that the waterfall was getting louder. There was no mistaking it. My shoulders slump forward a bit, a frown pulling on my lips. I was so excited to find this cave, I was hoping that there would’ve been at least something back here. I’m not saying I was hoping for treasure, but I’m also not saying the thought didn’t cross my mind.
Rounding a bend, the cave starts to get a bit brighter with natural light. My frown deepens. So my little excursion was over. I guess, I did have to go home eventually; and what a cool story I have for my friends and family. I can tell them all about how I, an amateur hiker, found a secret hidden cave behind a waterfall.
There’s always a silver lining in every situation.
This little cave reminds me so much of the hideouts my childhood friends and I would talk about. We would always find little places by our houses to call a “secret base”. This could’ve been anything from a pile of sticks to my father’s shed in the backyard. We always talked about eventually building something in the woods near our house. A little place we could call our own. It never happened.
I pull my phone out of my bag and take some pictures of the cave around me. There was no way my dad was going to believe me unless I had proof. Each picture looked exactly the same, but I knew that he would want to look at each one.
For a moment, I just stand there, just looking around at the natural beauty around me. I watch the dewdrops fall down the cave walls, dripping onto the floor of the cave. There are several small puddles along the floor, they all increase in size the closer they get to the mouth of the cave.
I trudge to the waterfall, standing there and looking at it from behind. I guess I was just hoping for a little bit of excitement in my life. I’m just so sick of: waking up, getting a coffee, applying for jobs I’ll never hear back from, reading a book, eating dinner, then going to bed. I just want something to break up the monotony of my life.
I pack my phone back into my bag and take a deep breath; getting out of this cave might prove to be more difficult than getting in. I know that there’s a small ledge to the left though, so, I’ll start there.
Sliding my foot carefully along the outside of the wall, I search for that ledge. Where is it? I know it’s here, it’s how I got in here for God’s sake. Is it further away that I remember? I place my hand on the rock outside to try and grab the upper ledge.
Maybe I stretched a bit too far. Maybe I slipped. I will never know the truth. But the next thing I knew, I was falling, and I was falling fast.
Niagara Falls, huh?
I’m sure I let out a scream going down, but if I did, I didn’t hear it. All I heard was the rushing water surrounding me as if I was just another droplet of water.
In the split second I was able to open my eyes, I saw the bottom of the falls. The surface was close enough for me to kiss it. I sucked in the fastest and deepest breath of my life and braced for impact.
I always heard that when you fall from a great height into water, it feels the same as landing on concrete. I think maybe I lucked out from the water also falling in, mixing up the surface tension. Don’t get me wrong, hitting the water hurt like a bitch . But deep down, I know it could’ve been worse.
I couldn’t get my bearings. I was ass-over-tea-kettle in the water, toppling around. I don’t know what was up and what was down.
Growing up close to the beach was special to me. I could remember the first time I was thrown around by the ocean waves. It was perhaps one of the scariest moments of my little life. My dad had taught me a trick back then, find the sand and the bottom of the ocean, then just push up. This was the only memory floating around in my mind right now.
I frantically flail my arms around underwater, searching for the bottom. There was nothing. Nothing was around me except more cold water. My lungs were burning with each moment I was under the water, I needed air and I needed it now.
Cracking my eyes open as much as I can, I frantically search around for light or any indication of the surface. But there’s still only nothing. I’m staring out into a black void.
I can’t believe it, I’m going to drown. All those years on the swim team, down the drain. My backpack feels like it weighs a hundred pounds on its own. This thing is taking me down with it.
My lungs can’t take much more. My muscles begin to ache from the lack of oxygen. It’s such a specific feeling your body gets when you’re drowning. I feel it in my legs first, then in my core, in my arms, and finally in my head.
I can’t do it anymore, my mouth opens and I suck in water as if it was a breath of air. My chest sputters and convulses with the water entering my system.
God it burns . If I wasn’t underwater, I probably would have screamed from the sensation.
Just as my mind is starting to go dark, I hear a loud splash. Maybe it’s an animal here to feast on my waterlogged corpse.
There’s a sharp tug on my backpack and a pair of strong hands grip my arms tightly, yanking me towards them. I have no control of my muscles, my body ragdolls against them. One of my savior’s arms wraps around my shoulders, bringing my back against their chest.
I feel us both break the surface of the water, my head lulls backwards onto the stranger’s shoulder. In my ear, I can hear them panting slightly while they paddle us both to the riverbank. In between breaths, they whisper words in a language I don’t recognize.
Oh good, I’ve been saved by a random tourist.
In the distance, I hear another male voice call out in our direction.
“Is she alive?” it yells. I feel my savior’s head shift to look at my face, then back towards where the voice came from.
“Maybe, but she’s not breathing!” he replies. Oh, so he does speak English. Bilingual.
I wasn’t breathing? I’m aware of everything that’s happening to me right now, though. Maybe I am dying.
After a few more moments, we reach the shore and another pair of arms grab me gently away from the first pair. They drag me onto the bank of the river and lay me on my back. Almost immediately, I feel hands pressing down on my diaphragm, trying to push the water out of my lungs and kickstart my heart.
Fingers pinch my nose and there were soft lips on mine, breathing life into me.
I never thought I would receive CPR, nevertheless be able to experience it like I was in the passenger seat of my own body.
After several rounds of compressions, it feels like my body suddenly reboots; all of my muscles wake up in my limbs and I feel bile rise in my throat.
My chest convulses and I’m quickly rolled onto my side just in time before I cough up all the water I had inhaled, and throw up all the water I swallowed. I’m pretty sure my breakfast came up with everything. Tears are streaming down my cheeks by the time I’m able to breathe on my own again.
A firm, but gentle hand rolls me onto my back once again, then I’m finally able to see my savior, well, saviors, plural.
Looking down at me are two men. One blonde, one brunette. The brunette has shoulder length hair; it is soaking wet and still dripping water onto his shoulders. He must be the one who dove into the river to get me. He has a nice amount of scruff on his face and gray eyes that are studying my face intently.
The blonde, on the other hand, has hair almost as long as mine. His hair is a lighter blonde. My mother, ever the hairstylist, calls it ‘platinum yellow blonde’. Oh, she was always so specific about it. His hair looks like it was just freshly washed and brushed.
His face is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Dark eyebrows are furrowed the same way as the other man’s. Crystal blue eyes scanning my face, it looked like I was a math problem he was trying to solve.
His face is just… perfect .
Smooth, pale skin. Thin, pink lips that form a small frown. There is not a single imperfection on this man’s face.
I had to tear my eyes away from his gorgeous face for a moment to look back at the man who ripped me out of the river.
“Thank you so much,” I croak out. My throat is still raw from almost drowning.
The dark haired stranger’s expression pulls into an even more confused one. He looks over at his companion who still hasn’t taken his eyes off of me. There are brief moments where his eyes travel downwards towards my clothes, but then back up to my face.
Why are they looking at me like I’m some sort of zoo animal?
“ Est ped egelren, Legolas.* ” the brunette says to the blonde. The blonde continues to stare into my soul. I look back at his gaze, holding it. There was just something about him that I didn’t want to look away from.
I’m really starting to think I did die and maybe this is the afterlife.
“ Ech elen?** ” the blonde says finally. His voice is smooth and velvety, I want to hear him speak forever. Perhaps I can convince him to read me the phonebook. The brunette looks back at me after the blonde speaks.
It sounded like he asked me a question by the tone of his voice. The two men are looking at me expectantly. I slowly lift myself to support my weight on my elbows.
“I’m sorry,” I say to them, “I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
The blonde furrows his brows even more and the brunette looks up and away from the two of us, into the trees behind me. It was then that I took in their clothes.
The brunette is wearing several different layers; he has on a gray overcoat on top of a brown tunic-like shirt. He also has gauntlets over his wrist. As I’m studying his outfit, he stands up, revealing a sword belt tied around his hips. There is a very real sword clipped to it, firmly in its sheath.
The blonde is dressed in different shades of green. He has on a different type of tunic with a gray long sleeve shirt coming out from underneath the green short sleeved top. Looking over his shoulder, I see the fletchings of arrows. The quiver is being held onto him by brown leather straps.
I have several friends who do LARP and cosplay. Hell, even I would put on a cosplay every once in a while. But these clothes looked so authentic, almost too authentic. I can’t even imagine what my expression looked like to them.
“We cannot linger here for too long,” the brunette spoke up. The blonde finally tears his gaze from my face, but not before looking at the side of my head where my ears are. The look didn't last long at all.
“I’m sorry, but who are you guys? I’d like to know who saved my life.” I say quietly, sitting up further. My joints ached with the movement. It felt like I couldn’t catch my breath no matter how much I tried.
The blonde looks back at me, then to his friend, then back at me again. The brunette looks back down at me, extending a hand to help me stand up. I take it and try to gain my footing whilst he hoists me up. The blonde stands up with me.
“I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Legolas of the Woodland Realm,” he says, motioning to who I now know as Legolas.
These were … strange names. This has to be a LARP, right?
“Who are you?” Legolas asks me. I glance over at him and then at Aragorn, they’re both looking at me.
“Valencia Grey,” I answered him.
“Are you from around here?” Aragorn questions carefully. I’m about to answer yes until I take in my surroundings and gasp.
These were not the woods that I knew. These were entirely different. These trees looked older, the forest was much denser and it even smelled different. There’s no platforms for tourists to stand on, no signs marking the way of the hiking trails. No small dock for fishermen.
I look around, turning in place and staring at the woods that surround me, then I look back over at the river.
"Where’s the waterfall?” I ask the two of them. Aragorn silently comes up next to me and just points up the river. I follow his direction.
That was not the same waterfall I climbed, it looks completely different. Everything looks too different.
It was also night here, I had scaled the rocks around one in the afternoon, it almost looked to be around nine at night right now.
Tilting my head up at the sky, I look to the stars that were mostly covered by the trees. They’re so bright here. There’s no way I would’ve been able to see this many of them back home.
I take a step away from the two men and just continue to look around. My mind is blank. I simply cannot come up with any words to say to Aragorn or Legolas.
A moment passes.
“Valencia?” Aragorn says quietly, gently putting a hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my trance. There were tears prickling the corners of my eyes when I turned back to him.
I’m not making it back for dinner.
“Where am I?”