Vox

La Valtana's eyes glistened and her pupils changed to a diamond shape.
(eek!)
"I will begin with your questions." She said very matter of factly, and regarded me quietly as I struggled to put my thoughts together.

"Ermm, your majesty..."
"Oriel. Please. Titles weary me. I hear a multitude of them all day." she smiled.
"Oriel...Where...am I?"
Her smile had a visible glow to it. Pink to be exact.
"You are currently in the Royal City of Peili, which is also the capital of the Hidden Country, more widely known as Tirahvaalta."
"Well...where exactly is Tirahvaalta then? Am I....napping?"
Her laughter resembled wind chimes. "I can see how you would think that. You aren't exactly asleep, nor are you awake. And the "where" of Tirahvaalta isn't so much as important as the "why" and the "because"."
The look on my face must have been amusing, because Oriel laughed so much that the stars circling her crown turned into tiny comets.

"You are not the first to be confused by matters here, nor will you be the last. Tirahvaalta, is a famous place, known by many outsiders throughout history, but few remember its name. They more often take to mind how to arrive here, because the "where" truly isn't important. Arrival, as you have seen, can take place through certain venues. Mirrors, keyholes, cupboards, closets, blocked off entrances...places that are fond of containing secrets and mysteries.

And you, Esteri, have been here before. Have you not?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face. "Come again?"
"You are not new to this place. You are merely aware of it."
"I don't follow..."
"Tirahvaalta lives for all who recognize it. Many pass through its borders, but few return home in possession of any knowledge of it. No souvenirs, if you will. To put it plainly, I know you Esteri. But here you are, meeting me for the first time."

I sat quietly, attempting to wrap my mind around this. I detested wrapping. Never could get the hang out of it and all the christmas presents wound up looking like origami cranes fashioned by seven fingered trolls.

"Ok..." I said shakily.

" I don't expect you to grasp all I say here right away. But it will fall into place, hmm? Now, let me elaborate on why you are here, as this is of importance. Tirahvaalta is a very expansive place. No one knows it's true size. Not even me. We suspect that it is still growing as we speak. And, as I said before there are many who come through, but not all are aware as you now are. They are like...ghosts in a sense.

What I need most at the present are emissaries, explorers who would be willing to lose themselves in the task of wandering Tirahvaalta and building a bridge between it and other places. I seek people who are willing to...for lack of a better term...awaken the ghosts. "

She ascended to her feet and moved fluidly towards the nearest window.

"Tirahvaalta is a wild place," she continued. "To explore it is no ordinary task, and is not left to ordinary people." She turned slowly to face me, her eyes swirling with green sparks.

"You...are asking..me? To be an emissary? I...but.. wait! I have a job, and a flat...a life outside of here and I-"

"These things will wait for you. Do not fret. We have not domesticated time in this world. How you manage to control such an impetuous creature has always been of interest to me, but why you would want to is quite the mystery. Trust when I say that your outside life will be uneffected by your absence in it."

"But...I don't KNOW this place. What if I go missing? Why do you need me anyhow? You're the queen here, aren't there...people within the country who know better how to explore and build...bridges or whatever you need?"

Oriel came gliding up to my chair and knelt down so that her eyes were on level with mine.
"You fear the possibility of being extraordinary, as well as the vast horizon of the unknown. This is nothing to be ashamed of. It is something to be forgotten." She was so close to me I could hear the rotation of the numbers on her collar.

"Believe not in what you cannot do. Instead, realize the opportunity of what exists in the void of those beliefs. I chose you for this mission. You are fully capable and will have my assistance at every turn, should you need it. "

She rose effortlessly and strode back towards her chair.

"As as for Queen? A Queen I am not. I do not rule this place. Tirahvaalta manages itself. Quite well."

"But...then if you're not a queen, then why are you here?"

Her hair suddenly changed to a dark magenta streaked with gold and her eyes went midnight blue.

"Me? I am the voice."