After another half hour, she reached the shrine.
A priestess greeted her, "Welcome to our Shrine to Althena. What is your business here?" She asked.
"I'd like to pray. Perhaps rest a little." Althena replied.
"Go right in." She stepped aside.
Althena stepped inside, and marched straight up to the statue of herself. It was such an exhillerating experience to see her true form adorning the peaceful building. Nothing could describe the pride she felt; in herself for bringing about this magical world, and in her people for being true to her.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" a male voice from beside her stirred her from here reverie.
"Yes, very." She replied.
"I've never seen you here before, are you starting out to become a priestess?" He asked.
"No, I'm just passing by. I'm a traveller." She replied.
"Oh. Do you have a home?" He asked.
"No. I used to live in a small village, but I was orphaned after my house burned down." she explained, deciding to stick to the same story.
"That's terrible. Where are you heading next?" He asked.
"I thought I would head to Meribia." She replied.
"Really? Wow, I live there. I was just about to head out there, in fact. Would you llike to come with me?" He asked.
"Oh, sure." She replied.
"Alright then, let's go..." He trailed off, "Unless, of course, you aren't finished here."
"Oh, I'm done. I just wanted to see the shrine." She replied.
"Well then, let's go!" He said. He took her hand and all-but-dragged her out of the shrine. Althena could see he probably didn't have much company. He was delighted to find a new friend. She didn't mind. After all, she was delighted just as equally to find any number of nice people on this world of hers.
As they were heading toward Meribia, he turned to
her, "I'm sorry, I never asked your name,"
"Oh, it's Luna" She replied.
"That's a nice name. I'm Mel. My father
sent me to become a priest at the shrine, but I really want to go on a
giant adventure, and maybe someday rule Meribia. My father says that
could never happen, but I'm sure I could someday." He explained. Her hypothesis had been correct; he must be longing for new company.
"I'm sure your dreams will come true. Especially
with the Goddess Althena at our sides." she assured him.
"Why, thank you. I'm sure I could be the ruler
of Meribia someday. I don't know about the adventure, but you never
know." He said, with determination in his eyes.
"I'm sure you'd have the Goddess' blessing." She
replied.
"Even if I give up becoming a priest?" He asked.
"Of course. Althena loves that we have priests
and priestesses, but if it's not for you, she'd want you to follow your
own dreams." Althena replied.
"You're so wise," Mel commented, "Do you have a
place to stay at Meribia?"
"Oh no, I wasn't going to stay long. I just
wanted to see the city, and then leave." She answered.
"Oh, come on. You've travelled enough for
the day. By the time we get to Meribia, it will be late in the afternoon. You'll surely be tired and hungry. You could stay the night with
my parents and I." He offered.
"Well, maybe. I suppose one more day here
couldn't hurt." After all, she was the Goddess, and no one was about to
stop her.
"There ya go!" He exclaimed, "I'm sure you'll love
Meribia. It's a very big city. I've lived there all fifteen
years of my life. Well, except for the past three months when I've
been at the Shrine." He explained, almost excitedly.
The two of them reached the city after a long walk.
At the front gates, there was a blond haired woman with three children. Two were blond. One had flowing, silver hair. They were all
calling to people as they walked by.
"You're a priest at the temple, correct?" The woman
said to Mel.
"Yes, I am, why?" He replied.
"Because you must know that Althena is wrong. She is trying to control us. What she says doesn't have to be obeyed. If you want to be free, you shouldn't listen to her." She campaigned to
them.
"You're part of the vile tribe." Althena observed,
"Althena wants us all to have freedom. She loves every one of us,
and is nothing like you describe her. If you keep blasphemying, she
will punish you."
"The Goddess can't touch me. She is a fake,
and shouldn't be followed. If you had any sense of freedom, you'd
believe me."
"Tell me, why do you sin? Why do you believe
Althena is so wrong? She wants us all to have freedom, and loves
her and our world. She will forgive you of all your sins, if you
just ask her. You are free. She lets you be free." Althena
assured them. She could see the little silver haired girl's eyes
shine brightly. She might even have gotten through to her.
"You lie!" One of the other girls hissed, "The Goddess
wants nothing to do with us. All she wants is people to worship her
and feed her ego!"
"Believe me, that's not true." Althena said to them.
"How would you know, you wretch?" The woman hissed,
"Leave us alone if you won't accept the truth!"
With that, Mel pulled Althena away from them, "Just leave them be."
He told her, "Althena can handle them. It's better to just let them
think what they want. Even though they are wrong."
"They are wrong," she agreed, "And they must be
stopped before they lead anyone else to their side." She insisted.
"Well, there's not much we can do. Why don't
you come into my house, have something to eat, and rest for a while. You look very tired." He offered.
"Thank you so much, Mel. May the Goddess bless
your heart." she said.
"You're welcome. It's a pleasure to help someone
else." He said.
The next morning, Althena got up bright and early
to look around the town. She had sampled some of what the Vile tribe
was up to, and she hoped they wouldn't go too far.
To her surprise, Mel and his parents were already awake.
"Goodmorning, Luna. Did you sleep well?" his
mother greeted her.
"Oh yes. I feel great." she replied.
"I'm glad. So, where are you off to today?"
She asked.
"Well, I thought I'd explore the town today, then
maybe I'll head over the river to Saith or something." she replied.
"Sounds like a good idea," Mel said, "You're welcome
to stay another night at our house if you want."
"Oh, no. That's alright. Thank you anyway."
She replied.
"Mel told me about your parents and your home,"
His mother said, "and you're welcome to stay here any time you're In town. We're here if you find you're staying here tonight as well."
"Well, I like to think of it as my house that burned
down, but now the whole world is my home. Thank you for offering
anyway. I'll stop in to see you whenever I'm in town." she told them.
"Mel will be going back to the shrine in a few days,
but you're welcomed to come here even if he's away." His father told her.
"Thank you all so much. I'm sure the Goddess
will bless you for you're hospitality. I, however, really must go."
She told them.
"Alright. Good luck, Luna." Mel said, as he
led her to the door.
"Thank you, and bless you all." She replied, then
headed out into the city.
Not much was going on today. It seemed the
members of the Vile tribe had left the city. After a while of looking
around, she decided to go ahead with her plan and take a ship to Saith.
As she approached the harbour, she looked around. She wasn't sure what boat would go where, so she went up to the harbourmaster.
"That one over there'll take ya to Saith in about,
oh, half an hour or so. Ya gotta buy a ticket. Do ya got the
money?" He asked.
Althena realized she'd forgotten about money. She opened her
mouth to say something, when she heard her name being called,
"Luna!" She turned around to see Mel running toward
her, "I thought you might need a little cash. I don't know how you'd
make money being a traveller."
"Oh, that's alright" she replied, not wanting to
take his money.
"No, I insist. You don't even have to pay
me back." He shoved a bunch of silver coins into her hands.
"Well, I suppose I could." She said, taking the
money. She was only staying a day and needed the money to get to
Saith. She decided she would bless them with a fortune when she resumed
being a Goddess in her temple.
"There you go. Now, I have to get back, so
have a great trip! Maybe I'll see you again sometime."
"Of course you will," She smiled. Then he
was off.
"So, I guess ya do have the cash then?" the harbourmaster
said.
"Yes. Yes, more than enough." She paid him,
and he gave her a ticket.
"Tell me," She started, "What do you think of the
Goddess Althena?"
"Well, I think she's done a great job with this
world, I just wish she'd give me a better job. This one don't pay
well." He replied.
"You have to work to get a better job, they aren't
just handed to you. It shouldn't be too hard, though, if you have
faith in the Goddess and know she'll help you all the way." Althena told
him.
"Sure, I guess you're right." He said.
Soon enough, the ship did come, and before she knew
it, she was sailing for Saith.
When she got there, it was late afternoon. Everything seemed calm there. There really wasn't anyone who opposed
her, as a goddess, that she could get insight from. She decided she
would leave and possibly sleep somewhere another night if she had to. This night, she was sure, she wouldn't have the luxury of sleeping at anyone's
house. She really didn't mind, though. After all, her entire
world was a beautiful place.
She grabbed a map a local store and looked at it,
wondering where she should head to next. Right across the forest
was a little town. It's name was Burg. Althena thought it sounded
nice, so she chose Burg as her new destination.
After having something small to eat at a restaurant,
Althena headed out to begin her journey to Burg. As she approached
the woods, she realized that it was going to be a great maze, and maybe
she should use her magic to transport herself around it. It wasn't
that wise an idea, as she wasn't certain how people would react to that.
So, deciding not to take any chances, she made sure no one was around.
When she was certain of it, she sang her song to transmit herself to
the other side, "La, la la la la, la la la lala lalalaa la la, la." As
she finished her song, she dissapeared from the place she was, and re appeared
outside the other end of the forest. She saw Burg resting peacefully
ahead, and headed toward it.
As she entered the town, she saw that the many people
here were either resting, or scurrying around to their own business. She was walking in to town, when, "Ah!" She exclaimed as she was knocked
to the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" cried the boy who knocked her over. "I wasn't looking, I'm sorry." He said, extending his hand out to her.
Althena looked up to see the most brilliant green eyes staring at her. "It's alright. I wasn't looking either," She said as she extended
her hand to be helped.
"I'm truly sorry, but I have to go. Again,
I'm sorry," He muttered before scurrying off to his own business.
Dazed, she sat down. As she brushed herself
off, she realized, just now, what it was like to feel pain. Althena
knew, from seeing the suffering which she had no control over everyday,
that this was only a fraction of a fraction of what they felt. Still,
it hurt. And still, she found it so strange to be a human, and experience
what they felt.
Soon, someone approached her, "Hello there, I've
never seen you around." He said.
"I travelled here from Saith. I really only
travel a lot." She replied.
"Well, it's nice to see new faces. My name
is Ghaleon. In a few months, I'm going to travel to Vane to practice
magic." He told her.
"My name is Luna. I travelled from there not
too long ago." She said, deciding not to tell him about her encounter with
Lemia Ausa.
"Was it your first time there?" he asked.
"Yes. Yes it was. Have you ever been
there?" She asked.
"No, I haven't, but I've heard great things about
it. Did you like it?" He asked.
"Of course I did. But, I love all of m..."
She trailed off, then cleared her throat, "Sorry, I was going to say, I
love all of Althena's creations."
"As do I." He smiled. Although she wasn't
much of a master at interpreting human expressions, she could tell he'd
taken a liking to her.. She, however, was not about to get too involved
in life here. She was going to try to leave later that day.
"Ghaleon!" she heard someone call him. She
couldn't quite see who the voice originated from, but it seemed as though
Ghaleon knew.
"Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, but
I must go. Hopefully I'll see you later." He said, smiling.
"I'll bet you will," She smiled back. Then
he was off.
Althena decided she wanted a little peace and quiet, so she explored a little until she found a small, secluded strip of land heading out to overlook the river.
The water dripped, and rippled, but was otherwise a perfect, crystal clear picture of beauty.
She watched it for a long time, gazing off in to
forever. However, she knew she had to leave. She decided it
might be good to go back to her temple now. She had gotten a little
insight as to why the Vile Tribe was trying to overthrow her, and now she
could probably think of something to do. Her ideas would be fresher
in her own temple. She concentrated, and tried hard to return home,
but found she was too tired. Maybe if she hadn't used the spell to
cross the woods, she would be able to do this, but now she probably just
needed to rest for a little while.
Looking out on the river stirred emotions in her
she'd never felt before. It was so new and interesting to walk the
world as a human, not just watch it as a Goddess. She looked back
on her experiences. She wondered, what did everyday feel like
for a human being going from birth to death in a mere 60 or so years? All these sensations, Althena figured it must be wonderful. She also
guessed, at times, it must be agonizing.
Was this why they hated her so? Because of all the suffering?
What was she to do? She had no control over any human emotion, suffering included. If only the Vile Tribe could understand that.
That made Althena go back to her experience at Meribia. That young, silver-haired girl. She'd seen in her eyes that she'd gotten through to her, just a little. Perhaps enough, perhaps not. Either way, that young girl intrigued her.
Althena was tired, however. Usually she had all eternity to herself and her thoughts. Watching over her world was a lonesome job, and she had to keep herself company. Now, however, she was just simply too tired to think.
She began to sing her favourite treasured song;
"Beautiful song," A voice came from behind her. Startled, she spun around, only find herself staring into a pair of brilliant
green eyes; it was the boy from before! "You have a wonderful voice." He
said, then paused to think a moment, "Haven't I seen you before?"
"Yes, you, ah, bumped into me earlier." Althena
replied.
"Oh right!" He exclaimed, "Did I say I was sorry?"
"Yes. Many times." She replied, "It's really
okay. I didn't get hurt or anything."
"You're sure you're okay?" He asked.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine," She said, staring into
his amazing green eyes.
"That was a beautiful song. It stirred my
soul." He said. "If you don't mind me saying, you're very beautiful
as well."
"Thank you." She replied. Her cheeks felt
as if they were burning. She felt embarassed, was blushing. What a strange sensation. Returning the compliment, she said, "You
have amazing green eyes."
"Thank you." she noticed him blushing, as well. "My name is Dyne. I hope one day for it to be dragonmaster Dyne,
but that would be far to come. I'm only fifteen. Might I ask
you your name?"
"I'm Luna," She replied, still fixated on his eyes,
unsure of what she was feeling at the moment, "I'm fifteen as well."
"Luna? That's such a pretty name. It
suits you well. If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Burg?"
He asked.
"Well," Althena paused to remember her story, "I
was orphaned by a fire, so now I basically travel the world, seeking to
understand Althena by experiencing all of her creation." she explained.
He smiled, "Do you normally sleep outside, Luna?"
"That, or wherever I find shelter." She replied,
returning his smile.
"How would you like to, uh, find shelter at my house
tonight?" He asked.
"I'd love to," She said without thinking, but being
almost in a trance from those amazing green eyes.
He took her hand in his and kissed it politely, his eyes never leaving
hers.
Dyne gripped 'Luna''s hand and led her back to the
house where he lived with his parents. The small house was brilliantly
warmed by the intoxicating smell of fresh, homemade food, and Dyne offered
her some dinner. Althena was so tired, however, that she turned down,
and, instead, Dyne led her to the spare bedroom across the hall from his
room.
"If you need anything, just call." He said, and
with a smile, left the room.
As soon as he left, she threw herself onto the bed, and scolded herself for being stupid.
"Don't get attatched to anyone!" She told herself, "You're going to leave tomorrow, anyway." As much as she scolded herself, her mind kept wandering back to those amazing green eyes. Maybe it was just because she'd become human, and she'd probably forget all about him when she resumed her throne. In a way, she felt that she would regret such an action. However, she knew, as the Goddess, there was no way she could become involved with anyone. Maybe she could stay, just a little longer...
She pushed the thought out of her mind. She had to get going tomorrow.
Before she could think anymore, her mind drifted into a deep sleep.