<strong>Bridge of Eldin, heading towards Castle Town</strong><br/><br/>Mael never thought she would be relieved to leave the forest, her home. She had never left before, and though she had experienced a desire to explore the world, she had never felt any great need to leave. Now though, she felt relieved that she had been sent out. Lately, every step she took in the forest felt as though she were walking on nettles. Contact with the forest had become physically painful, the land was suffering and so was she. She could hear the spirits in her head, dying. She had not slept well these last weeks, her dreams more troubled than her waking life. It had pained her to leave her home behind, but it would have pained her more to stay. In the end, either she would have perished along with them, or she would have been left alone in the dead forest. At least this way she might be able to stop the damage, and maybe even reverse it.<br/><br/>She had been walking for days, maybe longer and every step she took away the voices of the spirits grew dimmer, though she still could feel her connection to the land. She thought that perhaps she just wasn't familiar with the spirits of the outer world enough to speak with them in the way she could with the spirits of her home, or maybe they were merely silent. She had encountered a few travelers since she had made her way out of the forest, but she had avoided them, she was still nervous about interacting with anyone.<br/><br/>Remembering her first steps out of the forest she smiled faintly. She had never seen so much open space before, and she had imagined that the whole world just spread on and on forever, a field that never ended. She looked off into the distance. The sun was setting and she could see the castle in the difference. She had never seen anything like it before, and she knew somehow that that was where she needed to be. She had made it to a large bridge, a massive expanse of water below. As she crossed Mael looked around her in awe. 'What amazing things can be built by the races of this world. I never thought I would see something like this!' She thought stopping to stare out across the bridge. After a moment she continued across the bridge, sighing once she reached the ground on the other side. She curled her toes into the dirt, relishing the feeling of earth against her skin. As amazing as it was, she didn't feel comfortable when she wasn't connected to the land.