He entered the temple in the usual manner, under the cover of a moonlit sky. Sneaking through the overgrown gardens that lined the outer walls, carefully picking his way through the blackthorn bushes that grew rampant among rosebushes and choke weeds, scaling the moss covered inner wall that separated the temple grounds from the gardens, moving with grace among the shadows, wending his way over broken pillars and dilapidated benches of what was once a splendid walkway.
The temple itself was nothing more than an antechamber, an entryway to the inner sanctum. At one point there were guards posted at every door, now there would only be overgrown brambles and knotted roots. Inside the ruined temple his progress slowed to no more than a crawl, many times stopping to test his footing on the stone floor that could easily give way into the cavernous depths beneath. The inner sanctum was no more than a small room set atop a natural rock pillar, there were six doors, four of which were the mystical waterfalls of the world. Thundering endlessly into the world's water table and flowing along unseen routes to whatever destination the spirits willed. A solitary bridge connected the temple to the inner sanctum, covered in vines and peculiar flowers of varying colors, all of which were poisonous to the touch. The thunderous roar of the four waterfalls stifled all other sounds, so if the bridge began to break apart he would only know when that falling sensation set in. his pace slowed considerably, shuffling his way across the ancient bridge, carefully testing and re-testing each step on the boards. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he climbed over the broken stone door into the inner sanctum.
The only available ingress led him to a smaller rounded room, touching his hand to his forehead then to the symbol of the Water goddess carved into the ach above the entrance; he removed his mud spattered boots and stained cloak, leaving them by the door before stepping into the darkened room. The floor was cold, the air around him considerably colder, it seeped into his flesh and wrapped around his bones but it was quiet, the noise from the outside seemed unable to penetrate the walls. There was water here, inside the room, he could her it clearly, the soft lapping melody reverberated off the walls, as his eyes adjusted to the gloom he found its source, there was a raised dais with its top cut out to form a large basin, its rim covered in obscure and ancient letters that glowed a dull green the closer he drew.
Kneeling before the large raised basin, he took a glass sphere, twice the size of a hen's egg from a leather pouch that looped around his belt, placing it in a depression at the basin's rim, there was a soft click as it sunk into place. The letters along the basin glowed and angry red, growing brighter and brighter, the floor lurched, and the water dropped away swirling downwards then just as suddenly surged back upwards, when it was at its previous level it stopped and everything grew calm as the glowing died away.
Then he waited, and hoped.
He didn't have long to wait, soon the water in the basin began to swirl, gently at first then increasing in ferocity. A huge wave reached up towards the ceiling before whipping back and splashing into the basin again, no mater how violent the thrashing waves became not a drop spilled over the sides, always curling back as if an unseen barrier kept it in. Slowly the room began to fill with a pale blue light, emanating from the centre of the basin; growing brighter until the entire room became illuminated.
He stepped back as the water began to swirl and splash more violently against the edges of the basin, then with a magnificent roar it erupted, surging to the ceiling and back, then just as before all became calm. The pale light pulsed slowly as the movement of the water settled to gentle ripples spreading outward from its center.
The surface broke blooming upwards, fingers ascended the silky tension forming hand and arms, her head flowed upwards as the water cascaded from her dark hair raining back into the basin. Her eyes were closed and her face expressionless, her lips held the peculiar pale blue pallor of someone caught too long in a winter storm. As more of her body rose from the water he saw she wore a simple green gown held together by a strip of reed around her middle. It stopped just below her knees and clung to her body as if refusing to separate them from her perfect form, glowing in the pale light that filled the room.
Her feet came at last and he watched mesmerized as rivulets ran down her legs wending the way to the tips of her toes and dripping inexorably into the dark pool of water. He stood in awe of her delicate beauty and watched as the water melted away from her body, within moments her gown gently flapping in a non-existent wind; she stood on the rim of the basin.
He stepped forward took her hand in his, they were cool to the touch, not cold as one might expect, marveling at the softness of her skin before slowly raising it to his lips and kissing the back of her fingers.
"My lady." He whispered
Her eyes fluttered open but she said nothing. Instantly he was captured, drawn into the deep blue/green pupils that seemed to shimmer and move like the surface of the water from which she had just emerged. The room had changed; he didn't notice it until he finally managed to pull his eyes from hers. It was still the small round room it was before but now it was lighted, there were sheets strewn about the floor, he felt the softness beneath his feet, a material he could not name and he knew he would never be able to. The raise dais was still there and the water and also the glass orb, at the opposite end of the room there was another raised platform, covered also in sheets and cushions of varying sizes.
