THE HERMIT’S SECRET

time, long before the Kingdom of Rillen became known for its silver trees, there lived a wise old hermit. He dwelled on the Mountain of Three Kings, close to where the Golden River bursts out of the rock and starts its journey to the sea. The old man passed his time quietly tending his animals and garden. Scarcely a day went by that someone did not make a pilgrimage to the humble man. “Go see the wise man,” was the advice people gave to those who were confused, troubled, grieving, or struggling. “Go. He will help.” A youth by the name of Alath lived at the foot of the mountain, on the Plain of Narra, where the silver trees would one day grow. He watched people start up the path to the hermit’s house with troubled faces. He saw them come back at peace, helped and comforted. What happened on that mountain? Who was this old man who never came