Chapter 4

Dawin looked around in a daze, "what happened, I fell into the lake? I went under, had no strength to swim up. Oh yes, something grabbed me but what happened then. I can't remember, I can it just doesn't. "Dawin thought back and forth but couldn't think of anything more so he got up to see where he had ended up.
It was in a cave, that much was clear, but it was above or below water. Was he alive or was he dead. He would not be surprised if he were no longer alive because after what he had seen in his life he was no longer surprised. He saw a man transform into a forest owl before his eyes. He saw dragons and powerful wizards, so what should astonish him? He went to the wall and touched it.

It was wet and slimy and also very cold. He withdrew his hand and walked on. The whole cave was bathed in a silvery light and there were strange reflections on the walls.He had never been to a place like this, he hadn't even heard of a place like this.
The floor on which he walked was also damp and slippery, so that he had to be careful a few times that he did not slip. The cave wasn't very big and there was only one exit it seemed. Dawin walked into the passage that appeared to lead out and followed him. The path was very winding and here too the walls were damp and covered with something that felt like moss. The passage finally led into another cave which was not as dark as the first and so he could see a little more. There were various drawings on the walls. They were all very well worked out, which suggested that they had an inkling of what they were doing. Various stories were shown on the drawings. All of them are precisely traced down to the smallest detail. Amazed, Dawin walked through this chamber until he stopped in front of one of the pictures.This drawing showed a fight and the characters were very familiar to him. The picture showed him and Ivanhoe in their last fight. In the background of the picture one could also see the kite lying. Other images also caught his eye now. There was one that showed Lyria transforming Ivanhoe and one of the White Horse was there too.
There was also a picture of Sophie in the back of the chamber. She didn't look like he knew her, but she definitely was. The eyes were the same.
She wore a fine dress and her long hair was artfully pinned up. And yet it occurred to him that her eyes didn't have the look of pride he knew from her. Her eyes were staring straight ahead and her gaze was blank. She looked very unhappy. She looked like her will had been broken by force. Now he could understand why she didn't want to go back home, but why hadn't she told him that she was a princess or something. Had she believed he wouldn’t help her or even bring her back.If she really thought that, then she was wrong.

Carefully he ran his hand over the picture and the moment he touched it he felt a stab in his heart. Now he knew that she needed his help.

He left the chamber and simply went through the next. He looked for the exit he had to get to her. Somehow he suspected that she was in danger and that he had to help her.
He ran on and on through the passages of the underground cave. After a while he didn't even know whether he was moving down or up. He ran up a narrow passage without really paying attention to the path. suddenly he lost his feet and fell into a hole.

The fall was not deep so that he was back on his feet immediately after the impact. "Great Dawin. You are trying to help your girlfriend and you are not even able to take care of yourself. First you fall into a lake, and then into a hole in the ground."You are really a great hero. "He said annoyed to himself. When he looked down at his clothes he noticed that he was completely smeared with mud." That too, "he thought and tried to clean up a bit it only made it worse because the mud was only spread further. Annoyed he shook his head and stopped the attempt. He raised his head and realized that he was no longer in a cave but more in a kind of hall. The walls All around him were made of a material he did not know. The basic color was a light gray and yet it shimmered in all the colors of the rainbow. In this hall too, some drawings were to be seen. All of the same perfection as the ones he knew from the cave only that these were set in a frame made of pure gold. These pictures showed creatures he did not know. Huge fish and octopus but also people with la like fish-like tails that glided through the water of the sea.Dawin viewed these drawings with mixed feelings. It seemed completely illogical to him that there should be people who lived underwater. Could something like that really be true, or was the artist just too imaginative? Dawin brooded, was it possible that they existed and was it perhaps they who had saved him from the lake? He decided to investigate as soon as he found Sophie because that clearly had priority over everything else and however mysterious it might be.
He went through the hall, straight towards a large double door. His steps echoed loudly in the empty hall and he feared that one could hear him. Provided there was someone there who could have discovered him. "If anyone comes I'll probably notice and then I can still decide what to do. Until then, I don't have time to think about it." He thought and opened the door.
At the moment when the door opened he stopped as if frozen and couldn't believe his eyes.In front of him was a new hall, bigger than before and in the middle of the room was a huge hole filled with water. At the edge of this basin, some of these water people sat and talked to each other in a language that Dawin could not understand. "What is going on here, please tell me if I am still thinking clearly or if I am still dreaming. Or am I actually no longer living and have ended up in a kind of in-between world?" he asked himself. He took a step into the room and immediately all eyes were on him. It was a pretty uncomfortable feeling, and while Dawin was rarely embarrassed, now he was quite sure of it. These strange beings stared at him as if they had never seen a human before. Well maybe they actually didn't have this yet and he was the first. Even this thought had no calming effect on him, rather the opposite was the case, he was getting more and more nervous.

He looked down and his hand was on the hilt of his sword.He was ready to attack, even if he didn't know why. The beings didn't make the impression as if they wanted to be angry with him. They just sat there and watched him with great interest, it seemed.
"It was about time you came to us, I was afraid you would never find your way," said a male voice from the middle of the room. "Just don't worry, nobody here wants to harm you. You can let go of your weapon and I would appreciate it if you would look at us."
Dawin raised his head in amazement and saw the face of a man like himself. He stood in the midst of the water people and smiled gently in his direction. The man was a bit older than him and he was built quite thin, but his eyes had something powerful that Dawin could not explain. He also made an educated appearance. It did not make a dangerous impression on Dawin, and yet it was the look in his eyes that made him shudder.Until now he had only seen such a strong, powerful shine in one person and he would rather not be reminded of this person because the thought alone filled him with anger and fear at the same time.
Dawin chased the thought away again because that was impossible. This person or whatever he was couldn't possibly be here.
He looked at the man and slowly walked towards him. "Welcome to our realm of water. My name is Alexiel and I am the guardian of this people. Please don't be offended that we brought you down here, but we just wanted something for you." from which you will surely benefit on your journey. "He said and pointed to the back of the room where something was written that Dawin couldn't believe. There the white horse from the forest stood and looked at him curiously. "How does the horse get down here?" asked Dawin Alexiel. "In the same way as you, only that the stallion did not fall into the lake but was called by us."" Another question, how do you know about my trip or about Sophie? "Wondered Dawin." Lyria told us when she told us about the death of the dragon.

We want to try to help you because the journey won't be easy, that's for sure. We would like to give you the stallion as a present because your way will be long and you will need his help and he can also be a good friend to you in difficult hours. "Alexiel explained and led Dawin to the horse. He put his hand on it Nostrils and asked Dawin to do the same but the animal shied and Dawin withdrew his hand. "I've tried that before but he seems to have something against me and if I can't even touch him how should I ride him? "he asked unsettled." Something is wrong with you because Lyria personally gave us this animal for you. Actually, he shouldn't have anything against you, I don't understand. "Alexiel muttered and looked at Dawin searchingly. He looked down at him and his gaze stayed on the ring."Where did you get this ring from?" he asked with a worried expression on his face.

"I found this ring where Lyria disappeared after the fight. It just lay in the clearing. Why, what about it?" Dawin wondered and showed Alexiel the hand with the ring. He took it and looked at the piece of jewelry extensively. "One more question Dawin was there another person that night? Or was there something different about the ring? Alexiel asked excitedly. Dawin didn't know what to think of this question and yet he decided to answer it." the place where I found him shortly before Ivanhoe turned into an owl by the magic of Lyria and I will answer the other question, yes the ring has changed. When I found it the stone was white and now it has turned deep red. But why are you interested in all of this and what has that to do with the horse "" the