Martha ran her fingertips gently over the worn cover, eyes filled with excitement and something else Y/N couldn't quite decipher at this point. "I'm guessing you've never heard about the hidden Kingdoms?" She queried with a smile.

"No, I've heard pretty much all of the Cornish tales but never anything about hidden Kingdoms." Y/N followed Martha, waiting patiently as the older women poured them both a glass of lemonade.

"Take a seat my dear, this will take time for me to explain."

Y/N gave a nod, quickly settling herself on the couch.

"Here, my own recipe. I hope you like it, I can always fetch you something else if it's too sweet." Martha passed her one of the glasses.

"I'm sure it's perfect and you know me, always a fan of sweet things." Y/N smiled as she took the glass, bringing it to her lips and taking a sip. "I love it." She cradled the glass between her hands, watching as Martha took a seat in the armchair opposite.

"I'm glad, seems I haven't lost my touch yet." Martha chuckled. "Have you ever wondered where creatures like the Loch Ness, Big Foot and such others originated from?" Martha questioned, crossing one leg over the other.

Y/N gave a nod.

"I've always been fascinated with those kinds of tales, I would love for them to be real but they can't be." Y/N replied with a shrug of her shoulders, she loved reading stories about fantastical encounters the every day person had with these incredible creatures but surely it was only bedside tales told to children or people seeking fame and fortune. Y/N desperately wanted them to be real but surely if they were more solid evidence would've been found by now, no they couldn't be real as much as she wanted them to be.

"What if I told you that they did exist, that they don't technically belong in our world but they somehow managed to slip through from theirs to ours?"

Y/N smiled, the idea that creatures like the Loch Ness could actually exist in another world not their own was far fetched but in equal parts intriguing, she knew it couldn't be true but decided to indulge Martha.

"It would be the greatest discovery mankind has ever made, surely if another world did exist we would've found it by now though."

"I hate to tell you this my dear but humanity doesn't know everything, in fact out of all the kingdoms they're the youngest, still so naive and quick to resort to violence." Martha sighed, shaking her head as she opened the book.

"The gateways allow those from different realms to travel, some have already found their gateways and been able to master them and others like humanity are still to even know of their existence. The oldest realm belongs to the Elven people and your Prince." Martha chuckled as she turned the book around, index finger pointing to another picture of him.

Y/N wanted to believe what Martha was saying could possibly be true but what evidence did she have? The words in some old book weren't enough to make her believe this was real, maybe Martha had been spending too much time reading about these tales and legends that she was actually starting to believe they could be true. Yet it was fun to buy into the fantasy, even if nothing would ever ome of it.

"If that's true, if creatures such as Elves exist and they have the ability to travel through these gateways then why haven't we seen them?"

Martha chuckled.

"Maybe you have seen them but you just didn't realise it, they're not going to put themselves on display my dear. If they travel to our world they're going to take precautions, keep their identity secret as they explore. I can guarantee you've been in the presence of at least one or two in your lifetime but you just didn't know it." Martha tilted her head, watching with a smile as Y/N mulled over her words.

"Is it possible that I've met him before?" Y/N pointed to the picture. It was ridiculous that she was asking these questions, they were just tales and it was just a book. It was entirely possible she read the book when she was younger, that's why she knew his face.

That had to be it, there was no other explanation.

"I don't believe you've ever met but what I do believe is that he's your Enda."

Y/N furrowed her brow, she didn't recognize the word, it didn't sound Cornish.

"Enda?" She questioned.

Martha gave a nod.

"Enda, your soul. In Elven lore, it's extremely rare but when it does happen it's the start of something truly magical. Certain Elves throughout history have discovered their Enda, they never feel complete until they find their other half , something is always missing right here." Martha placed an open palm over her heart, something about the action made her own ache.

"Two souls always craving adventure but nothing will ever fill that void until they meet and give themselves to the other."

Y/N's heart was now hammering against her chest, she knew it was only a tale that Martha was trying to get her swept up in but something about her words seemed to have taken hold over her.

"You're telling me that he's my Enda? This guy, is the other half of me?"

Martha smiled.

"Oh my love he's that and so much more."

Y/N furrowed her brow, why was she even listening to this? It couldn't be true, Martha just enjoyed telling tales.

"Then why hasn't he found me yet?" Y/N found herself asking, even though she knew it couldn't possibly be true.

"It'll happen when you're ready, when your heart wants to believe in the fantastical....then and only then will the gateways deem you worthy."

Y/N smiled, shaking her head and the crazy thoughts of Enda away.

"That's a lovely idea Martha, a great tale."

Martha chuckled, closing the book and passing it over to Y/N.

"Keep it, read it and then decide what you believe. I'm just finishing up a new piece in my studio, once you've finished your lemonade come and join me and I'll show you."

Y/N thanked Martha for the book, watching as she glided gracefully out of the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

It was just a tale right?

Magic, Elves, Loch Ness.

They weren't real.

Right?