Chapter 9

Kiss of life

Cecil awoke, feeling refreshed. A soft motion in his side reminded him of the happenings the day before - Dawn was still asleep, curled into his side, some strains of her blond hair fallen into her face. Cecil watched her for a moment and couldn't help but marvel at her beauty once more. Then he carefully shook her arm with his free hand. Even through the silk of her tunic, he could feel the smoothness of her skin. As she began to move and mumbled something, Cecil felt himself blushing again. "This woman is a complete stranger to me and still she seems so familiar..."

He cleared his throat, then whispered softly: "Dawn - time to break up - morning has already broken..."

The blond woman slowly awoke. "Mmmh - thanks for waking me... How are you feeling, Cecil? Have you slept well?" She blinked at him friendly.

"Err - yes, very well... And you?" Cecil replied hastily, as he carefully removed his left arm from around her shoulder and pulled himself up on the rock.

Dawn looked at him with big eyes. "I've slept very well - I didn't feel the cold at all..." She uttered a soft laugh and then jumped to her feet with an effortless motion.

"Let's go! We've a long walk ahead of us ..." She grabbed her silver sword and tossed Legend to Cecil, then started to walk up the path.

"Her enthusiasm is really amazing - she sure knows how to motivate people," the paladin thought, staring after her.

"Hey Cecil! What are you staring at? That won't bring your sword back to life ..." Dawn shouted.

Cecil had to smile and quickly made his way after her.

They had walked the steep path for two hours or so, talking intensively to get to know the other better. Cecil stroke up the conversation with the discussion they had the night before - he somehow felt that his new travel companion had the right to know the reason for his venture - at least partly.

"Maybe", he hoped "She will tell me more of herself, then..." Dawn was a good listener and seemed very eager in hearing all the facts, and Cecil was happy to have someone to speak to.

"So, Cecil... You think that the shrine on Mt. Ordeals is the cause for all the things which have happened?" Dawn interrupted him suddenly in her usual calm, but never unfriendly manner.

The question made Cecil uneasy.

"Why yes..." he replied. "All my spiritual power comes from that shrine. It was there my father handed me the sword some years ago and the Elder of Mysidia once told me that this Mountain is the home of spirits and all magic..."

Dawn watched Cecil's expressions for a while, which made him somewhat nervous, and then said in a quit voice: "So you really think that your power comes from the shrine..." For a moment, she looked sad.

Cecil felt confused: "Have I said something wrong?"

"...No!" Dawn laughed and the sad expression on her face was gone in an instant. "I was just wondering if ..." She seemed to reflect over something for a moment. "Oh never mind - so you've been on Mt. Ordeals before?"

Cecil couldn't' help wondering why she had changed the subject so suddenly. "So you really think that your power comes from the shrine..." Why would she question this?"

Cecil never had doubted this fact for a minute - he had never quite understood the new power he had himself, but both the Elder and the old man Tellah, who had gotten Meteo on the mountaintop, had explained it to him that way: The power was a gift from the spirits... Suddenly Cecil had to think of the young black wizard who had said that in normal circumstances he never would have become a paladin...

Luckily Dawn obviously felt his change of mood and gave him a slight nudge. "Hey - now don't you get depressed again! Lets get a move on!" She started to walk faster, obviously trying to get some enthusiasm into her travel companion.

"You wanted to tell me about your experiences on this mountain... Is it still familiar to you?" she shouted from her position ahead, motioning the paladin to follow her.

Cecil still felt too tired to walk too fast due to his injuries and his inner state of self but was happy to resumed his story: "Well it should be familiar to me, but somehow everything seems to have changed a bi..."

RUMBLE

Suddenly there was a loud crash drowning out everything else.

"What is happening?" Dawn shouted on the top of her voice as some boulders in the size of a fist landed beside her feet.

"ROCK FALL!" Cecil screamed and started to run to catch up with her. Boulders and stones crashed beside him too, luckily missing him.

Dawn started to run, too and stopped under a big overhanging mountain plateau, motioning him to come.

"Come here, Cecil! It's safe!"

The paladin could barely understand her, so loud was the noise of the crashing stones. Suddenly a new sound seemed to mingle in the inferno, a cracking noise coming from ahead...

As Cecil looked up he saw a crack getting bigger and bigger - in the plateau directly over Dawn!

"Dawn!!" he screamed. "Get away from under that plateau! It is going to crash down!"

"What?" Dawn just stared at him, obviously not hearing him: Suddenly she felt earth and sand trickling on her from above, followed by a part of the plateau crashing down to her side.

"Dawn!" Cecil lunged forward as fast as he could, even if his bruises from the last fight hurt terribly. She still was so far away! Suddenly there was an even louder crash! With his last strength Cecil lunged forward, threw himself over Dawn and hurled her away to the side. Behind them, the rest of the giant plateau crashed to the ground, the force sending the two rolling over the ground. The came to a halt very near to the chasm...

Then it was completely silent again.

"UGH!" Cecil slowly opened his eyes, feeling every bone and scratch on his body. Dawn was lying directly on top of him. Even if everything seemed to hurt, Cecil wondered again how light she was.

"Dawn... Are you alright?" Slowly the body on him began to move...

"Cough, cough... Yes - I think so... I was so startled, I didn't even realize what was happening..." She raised herself a bit. "Thank you Cecil. You've saved my life..." She rested herself on her arms, her soft, silky hair brushing softly his face. Her scent reminded Cecil of something familiar, something very dear and pleasant.

"Dawn..." Cecil looked directly into her big blue eyes, which watched him again with this strange faraway expression and still seemed to penetrate him with their stare.

"So blue and wide like the endless sky - it is like looking into eternity..."

Suddenly she bent down and kissed him softly on his mouth, her lips as cool and soft as her touch had been... Cecil eyes widened and he felt himself blushing at once. For a moment it felt, as if his whole self was swept away...

"I guess we are even now..." Dawn drew back, raised and started to brush the dust off her cloak. Cecil was still staring at her, not knowing what to say or what to do. He was still feeling the tingle of her lips on his...

"Damn!" he thought "What is happening to me... I..."

"Hey!" Dawn started to laugh. "What's up with you? Do you want to lie there all day? And stop looking at me like that. I am alright!" She grabbed at his arm and started to pull him up...

"Come on -- we still have to walk a bit! Or are you hurt?" She started to sound concerned.

"N-no..." Cecil tried get his senses together. "I- I guess I am alright... "

He started to brush his clothes too, hoping that she hadn't noticed his blushing.

"She acts as if nothing has happened!" he wondered, touching his lips with his fingertips, as the tingling still had not ceased.

The blond woman had already begun to resume her climb, whistling a soft melody, her long hair fluttering in the wind.

"Like she's not from this world..." Cecil was still thinking about the kiss.

As she noticed that the paladin did not follow her, Dawn stopped, turned around and looked at him questioningly, a smile curved on her lip. Cecil shook his head and tried to get a clear head again, then hurried after her...