Dear Terseus, my brave and lovely apprentice!

It is not often that a Goddess must ask for forgiveness but in this case, it is warranted. It has been quite some time between your letter and my reply, so I beg your most humble pardon for letting such a large amount of time slip by. I can see you have been busy. I, too, have been occupied, which I will explain about here. What I have to tell is a great and true story with a real live hero – my own daughter, Alina.

But more about that in just a bit. Let us talk about you first, shall we?

My, such expressive writing you have! Your loops do, indeed, look happy. A letter is such a small thing, but small things most certain can and often do come packed with large amounts of joy. I’m so pleased my letter was such an occurrence for both you and your brother.

Your answer to your brother in regard to me doing his and your homework was a wise one. I am proud of you, o wise Terseus. We all have our crosses to bear, and passing the load entirely to someone else will only hurt you in the end, School and homework may seem like a chore (and believe me, some classes are harder to endure than others), but if done with diligence and your best effort, you will be a better person for it. There is much to learn in life and often times, the only way to accomplish it is by hands-on experience. Shortcuts, in many cases, will lead you down the wrong path or even get you lost.

Ah, but you know this as seen by your approach to the test I’ve given you. Exploring is one thing, and you get to see many magical wonders during exploration. However, exploring blindly won’t accomplish much. A map is most helpful, but sometimes there isn’t a clear one. However, you went seeking one in books. Oh, it might not be a physical map of sorts, but knowledge is its own kind of roadmap, is it not?

How wonderful that you’ve found a magical assistant! I’m happy for you. Jasper seems like a lovely assistant. I also have a magical assistant. Believe it or not, he is my magic mirror who is called Gunther. I have known Gunther a long, long tine, and I could not ask for a better assistant. If Jasper is but half the assistant Gunther is, then you are in excellent hands.

Again, you are a wise and brave soul, my dear apprentice! Often times, yes, thees tests are a secret but not always. You see, Jason could not have undertaken his mission without the help of the Argonauts, for sometimes it takes more than one person to accomplish something. I will leave it up to you as far as keeping it secret or not. If Jasper is someone you come to trust implicitly, perhaps telling him will help you in your quest. Think long and hard about it though and perhaps sleep on it, for this will be a difficult decision. There are those in the world who turn a blind eye to magic and refuse to believe that there is such a thing, let alone believing in the existence of Goddesses or otherworldly beings. Do not put your trust in the wrong person or it could lead to much heartache or even thwart your mission.

From what it sounds like, you have found a great friend and assistant in Jasper. Perhaps it’s another Dynamic Duo in the making.

I had to smile when you mentioned that perhaps Jasper wants to marry a tree. That might be a little hard to do since a tree can’t exchange marriage vows since it can’t talk in the way we do. A tree, I’m sure, makes a great listener, and you don’t have to worry about a tree mouthing off. It is said that it was fairies who planted the first trees and helped the very first flowers to blossom. They are all around us, fairies are, but most people are unaware of them.

There are many legends about how singing stones came to be. It’s one of those things best left to speculation. What is your take on it? I’m curious to know what your theory is. I will say this. They are wondrous and can perform many feats of magic, sometimes by themselves but they’re more powerful when put with other singing stones. Did you know there are even stones that act as time portals? That’s right. If the right conditions are met, certain stones can act as a gateway through time.

Now then, I promised you a story about a real life hero, didn’t I?

Her name is Alina, and she is my very own daughter.

She is very, very brave but doesn’t realize just how brave she is. You see, she traveled through time from a long, long time ago to now. She did this so her life would be saved. Where she was from, the people didn’t take kindly to witches. Many were killed and innocent people were burned at the stake.

She had to get used to a completely different way of life and did it admirably. She is now married to a nice young man named Robin.

They are very happy and love each other very, very much. However, there was one thing tht was seriously wrong. Alina was under a curse that was put on her by an evil fairy.

To be rid of it, Alina had to travel to the world of the spirits, and Robin went there to bring her back. It worked out and everyone is safe, but both Robin and Alina had to be extremely brave to go on such a journey. Because of what she did and her willingness to take on such a dangerous thing, she will always be a hero in my eyes.

There are other heroes I know and will tell you about them if you want to hear their stories. For now, I will end by once again congratulating you for getting off to a great start with your quest. Stay the course, brave Terseus, and let your heart be your guide.

Your friend and Goddess,

Mathilda