I don't know how long I've been wandering in here. Lost in the trees and fighting with my own mind. I feel I have finally wrestled control of my mind back and I am holding on tight. I have to get out of here before it slips from my grasp. But I haven't been able to find an exit. 

My only hope is to wait for that fairy or one of those scouts to enter or exit and follow them out. I can only hope that I can keep control of my mind long enough for that to happen. But every minute it feels like I can fighting a losing battle. Even so, I don't give up. I can't. I keep fighting against the mental onslaught that is directed towards me. 

So that is what I do. I find a place to wait and watch. Passing the time by making sure I do not lose grip on myself. It could be hours, days even before something happens to provide me with a stroke of luck. But I can't give up. I can't quit. If I do I will be trapped here, lost forever. I could forget myself. So I remind myself of who I am and what I am doing. 

Like a never ending mantra in my head, I constantly go over every little detail of what I know to be true. About myself. About my past. My family. My goals. My surroundings. Any little detail that comes into my head that I know it not false, I repeat it. I keep it in my head and refuse to let any of it go. If I do I might lose that information forever. 

Something catches my attention and I look up. I smile, what a stroke of luck! Not that I believe in such a thing. But the sight in front of me can only be a good thing. Tink is gliding effortlessly through the trees in front of me. She wasn't there a moment ago. It's as if she just materialized. It could be an entrance, or it could just be Tink. She does seem to just appear and disappear at will. Still, she is my best chance of getting out of here. 

I follow her silently, keeping her just in sight but making sure that I go unnoticed. She goes towards the camp and meets with Tiger Lily when the lights of the camp are just in sight. They talk for a while. It is hard to tell, especially from this distance, but Tink seems irritated. I almost feel proud that I have managed to cause that irritation in such an unflappable character. They converse for a shorter amount of time than I expected before Tink finally decides to take her leave. 

I continue to follow her through the trees on a winding path. I know I must keep hidden so I stay silent and quiet and keep a safe distance while also keeping her well in my sights. The farther we get the more my hopes rise. A small voice in my head reminds me of her ability to just melt into the trees around her, making my intention of following her seemingly impossible. If not entirely worthless. I shake my head, clearing the negative thoughts from my head. I can't fall into that trap. Especially not now. I have to focus. I have to keep going. I have to follow her out of this prison. 

Finally the sun brightens and my head clears completely. All the voices and visions melting away and out of my mind entirely. I never even noticed any sort of entrance change while we were walking. It was as if the added sunlight chased away all the negativity that was in the woods around me previously. A smile breaks on my face. I swallow the elated laugh that bubbles up in my chest, not wanting to give myself away. I stop following the uptight fairy and start on my own path. 

The rush of joy that freedom has given me fuels me to go running and even skipping with no destination in mind for a while. I don't understand exactly why I am feeling so happy or proud of myself, there is no reason for it. But nonetheless it is pleasant. My mind finally feels like my own again. I can see the sun again. All of this is enough to make anyone suddenly filled with joy. 

I'm suddenly reminded of the document I stole when it rubs against my side where I had it tucked into my sash.  Why I didn't bother to look at it sooner, I'm not entirely sure. It may have given my mind something to focus on while trapped in that awful enchanted woods. I pull it out and look it over. My brow furrows in confusion. 

I know what it is pointing to, that much is clear. The door to the Fae Realm. Not exactly what I was expecting, bit it is interesting nonetheless. The name of the destination seems to be the only clear thing about what is written on this. These riddles are annoying. I huff and sit down. I start puzzling through the riddles written out on the  scroll. 

After a few hours of trying to work out the riddles on the document I am getting frustrated. Perhaps, instead of trying to solve it all at once, I should go about this a different way. I scan the words again, this time looking for clues about a location or a place to start. 

I feel a new sense of determination fill me now that I have something new to set my mind to. I work studiously on the riddles and thinking on how this new course of action could benefit me. Things are finally looking up for me. I may just reach my goal without any more set backs. Wouldn't that be nice? 

I smile at the thought. Yes, with the door to Fae realm in my grasp I could not only have eternal life but magic that I could only dream of before. It would be beyond anything I could ever think, ever dream of. This may work out far better than I intended.