The peaceful village of Angel Falls is a masterpiece of predictability. As soon as the sun's rays split the horizon and spill out over the little town, the children similarly flood the roads and gardens to either begin their Sunday lessons or play their favorite outdoor games; leaving the women to go diligently about their business. The young men and ladies not yet put to work will spend their time chatting, while hiding bashful smiles and reddened cheeks as they put off their chores about town. Finally, the men will start their long day of labor tending to the animals - just as Erinn had been tending to me.
I stood in front of the Guardian Statue near the foot of the falls I had been fished out of just a week before and stared blankly at was inscribed there.
'Altairis- Guardian of Angel Falls'
It gave me a dangerous sense of hope.
After being thrown from the Observatory and into the Protectorate, I had fell into water of Angel Falls. I was rescued and cared for by Erinn, whom I was surprised to find I was completely visible to. It wasn't just her though, her grandfather and the many other villagers that had stopped by her home had been able to see me as well. More than that, I hurt. A lot. And I slept even more than I hurt. In the rare times I wasn't asleep or too busy being in pain, I ate.
None of this was meant to be possible.
It was easy enough to explain the humans being able to see me - without my halo to cloak me from their senses, it was inevitable that they'd notice me. The intense pain all over my body was harder to accept. I knew the ache of tired muscles from overuse and training, but until that horrifying moment I felt my wings rent from my back, I had not known pain. Now it seemed to never cease. What scared me the most though was this sudden and seemingly constant need for sleep and food.
As a Celestrian, I might have rested my eyes after a long day of reading, or lazed about in my hammock to relax my limbs, but my mind had never needed to shut down so fully as it did now. And that terrible period of unconsciousness was plagued by images of blood, feathers and water, making it all the more unbearable. Then there was the food. . . food! The act of eating was disgustingly foreign. The urge though, the need for sustenance, was greater than anything I'd ever felt before. It overwhelmed even my fear and sorrow and I hated myself for it.
At first, I had no idea what was happening to me, only that I hurt too much to do anything on my own. Only after having Erinn go through the motions of feeding me, bathing me and dressing my wounds did it hit me - I had become mortal.
I was lucky to have been taken in by someone like Erinn though. She was good natured and patient enough to teach me how to do all of the human things I didn't understand while conveniently filling in a lot of the blanks I didn't have the presence of mind to find excuses for.
Who was I? Probably a wandering minstrel. Why didn't I know how to eat? Hit my head during my fall. How did I wind up falling into the river? Must have been at the top of the waterfall when the earthquake hit. What was I doing up there? I was lost, obviously.
It wasn't until I had begun talking on my own - mostly saying things like 'Ow' and 'Gallus' - did Erinn bother me with any questions.
What was my name? Altairis.
"Oh! You have the same name as our village Guardian!" she had exclaimed. It was all I needed to hear to change my mind about my fate. How could my name still be in the minds of the mortals as Guardian unless I was still truly Celestrian? But I couldn't know for sure. . . I had to see it, my name etched in stone.
So I set my mind to recovery. I did my best to move on my own and ate as much as I could, hoping that would be enough to heal a mortal body, but it just made things worse. I succeeded only in re-opening my wounds and vomiting which, despite everything I had already been through, was one of the worst experiences of my life.
Erinn told me there was naught I could do to speed up recuperation, that my body just needed some time.
"What of a. . . healer? Surly, their magic could help?" I croaked out as Erinn lead me back to my bed. The first I'd ever used.
I remember her frown then, it looked unusual on her normally cheery face and I felt bad for being the one to cause it.
"This town is so small and secluded, we don't have any magic users here. The pastor did all he knew how, but it didn't seem to make any difference." She sighed helplessly. "I would like to call in a priest from Stornway just in case, but the mountain pass became blocked after the earthquake. . . I'm sorry, Altairis, but please, just take it easy." She said as she gently tucked a soft blanket in around me. "Besides, you've made remarkable progress since I first found you! I've never seen someone bounce back so quickly without magic. It's truly miraculous." Granting me a warm smile, Erinn left me to sleep.
It was then that I decided to trust in the Almighty, wherever He may be, and go to sleep thinking 'miraculous' thoughts. Sure enough, a few days later and here I was, up and walking. The first thing I went to see was the Guardian Statue. My Guardian statue.
As I stood there thinking on how the figure of the statue looked incredibly nothing at all like me to an almost offensive degree, I heard a familiar voice from behind.
"Hey, it's that Altairis character who turned up just after the earthquake the other day. Oi! Wakey, wakey! What are you doing there, staring off into space?"
Ah, the sweet, insufferable sounds of Ivor. He had been by the house multiple times during my recovery, and practically made a game of how badly he could aggravate those around him.
"It's called 'thinking', Ivor. Sometimes, people with brains do that." I quipped as I turned to face him and Hugo who, no surprise, was with him. Sweet but sometimes dimwitted, Hugo was practically stitched to his friends side.
Ivor either didn't hear me over the sound of his own obnoxiousness, or he just ignored me.
I'm betting the former.
"I don't know what Erinn thinks she's doing bothering with the likes of her. She won't tell us where she's from, her clothes are all weird. . . I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her." Ivor said loudly as if to a crowd, facing me with his smug smile the entire time.
"I bet it's her name that's got Erinn so keen. It is the same as our village Guardian's after all." Hugo mused.
It was probably true. Erinn was always a very devout believer in Celestrians, and her eyes positively lit up when I told her my name.
"Huh! I doubt it's even her real name. I bet she's just some no-good wandering minstrel taking on a Guardian's name to get a free lunch. Well, listen to this, oddball! I won't let you get away with any funny business on my patch!" Ivor declared.
For such a thoughtless jerk, I had to admit Ivor was pretty clever. Taking on a Guardians name in hopes of some free accommodations in a small town wasn't a terrible idea, especially if the con was dealing with someone as trusting as Erinn.
"Yeah, watch your step! Ivor doesn't like Erinn giving all of her attention to you." Hugo added.
A smile tugged at my lips. How precious.
Blushing and angry, Ivor quickly turned towards his friend. "S-Shut up, you idiot! Why would you say that!?"
The color quickly drained from his face as he noticed Erinn coming up the small hill towards our little group. As she approached us she looked. . . angry?
"What's going on? What are you two bothering Altairis for?" Erinn demanded.
Ivor balked. "Er. . . Hi, Erinn! Nothing's going on. Just teaching Altairis here a few village rules."
"It was a very enlightening chat." I said, smiling at Hugo.
Ivor was sweating. "A-Anyway, we were just leaving. Come on, Hugo." Ivor grabbed his friends arm and the two quickly scurried off.
Erinn shook her head as she watched them leave. "I don't know why Ivor's so full of himself these days. He never used to be like that. . ." She said sadly.
Maybe Ivor's feelings weren't completely unreciprocated? It would be a truly odd match in any case.
"I'm glad you're feeling better now and walking around, Altairis, but make sure you don't overdo it, okay?" Erinn said, turning towards me.
I gave her the most reassuring smile I could manage. "I promise not to undo all of your hard work, I just really need some fresh air."
"Oh, yes, I can understand that. You have been cooped up in the house for an awfully long time. And fresh air is always good for our health!"
"Is that why you're not at the inn? . . .Or were you just going to check in on me?"
Erinn giggled. "Well I am heading home, but only because there's nothing more to do at the inn for now. You just enjoy the fresh air and I'll get dinner ready, alright?"
I nodded and after another round of agreeing to not push myself, Erinn went on her way.
As I watched the young woman pick up the blue skirt of her dress and race home, I couldn't help but wonder how she ended up so motherly and protective when her own mother died when she was so young. Even now, after the relatively recent death of her father, she was alarmingly sunny. She had a resilience to sadness I knew now that I lacked.
It made me think of my own 'mother'. Deneb wasn't as fussy as Erinn was, but Celestrians typically weren't. It wasn't like we really needed maternal shielding and reassurance, not like mortals did. But then, as I remembered Gallus' terrified face as he was ripped from my arms, I had to question if that was really true.
Before I let myself drown in the sad thoughts I had been pushing aside since I first gained consciousness here, I decided to explore Angel Falls in a way I never had before - by foot.
At a glance, the town was, plain and simple, plain and simple. But that was part of why I enjoyed it so much. Compared to the relative opulence and detail of the Observatory, living here was excitingly new. In fact, the more I believed how wonderful it was that Angel Falls seemed to be everything that the Observatory wasn't, the easier it became to ignore my fear of never returning home.
Instead of being surrounded by stone, everything was green. Green grass in green fields with green trees and even the occasional green roof. Everything was just so natural and earthy. . . it felt homey in a way that didn't make me think of home.
As I strolled past Erinn's and onto the dirt road leading toward the bridges to the other side of town, I saw two of the village ladies excitedly chatting by the well across the way. One of them seemed to notice me as I went by so I gave them a friendly nod and wave as I went past.
No need to make the flock feel pity for poor old hobbled, homeless me, I thought.
Not that it mattered. The ladies lost their smiles once they saw me, and then begun whispering fiercely to one another, refusing to look away. All the same, I didn't lose the small smile I had mustered. I feared that if I lost it now, I'd lose it for good.
I knew from my time as master Aquila's apprentice, from watching him look after the people here, that humans in small settlements tended to be superstitious, especially of strangers - Ivor's earlier treatment assured me of that much. But I had always thought of it simply as a quirk certain mortals possessed, nothing to really concern myself with. Now that I was on the receiving end of that suspicion, I felt very differently.
In fact, I just felt differently in general. I may not have become fully mortal like I had first feared, but I was certainly changed. Aside from all of the physical alterations, I also found myself picking up the mortals way of talking. Sure, I still spoke with the same lilt that all Celestrians did, but my speech was becoming far more. . . relaxed. I blamed it on Erinn's persistent chattering while I was resting. Not that I minded all that much, she had an interestingly optimistic view of things that held my own dark thoughts at bay.
By the time I had crossed the second bridge and onto the other side of the town, I felt considerably better. My joints didn't feel as stiff and even though my muscles ached from all the sudden use, it was a good sort of pain. I still had trouble with my balance due to my sudden loss of wings, but the more I moved without them, the more confident I became.
Most of Angel Falls' public buildings were on the south side of town. The two most prominent being the Inn Erinn ran and the lovely old chapel. Both of which garnered a fair amount of attention from visitors and townsfolk alike.
I felt a pang of sadness as I came upon the church. The earthquake had done little structural damage to the town as a whole, but the chapel did not get off so easy. The sky blue tiles of its roof were littered all across the street in pieces. Much of the building itself had become cracked and splintered and many of its priceless stained glass windows were shattered. Most sad of all though was its bell, the crown of the church itself. Torn away from the belfry, the golden instrument lay uselessly buried in the dirt. Both the kindly local pastor and church nun had cobbled the place together well enough for it to function, but it had still lost much of its charm and spirit.
Would my home also be a shell of what it once was when I returned to it? If I returned to it? If there was even a home for me to return too - no! I couldn't think that way. I couldn't let myself give up on my hope before I even had a chance to act on it.
I shook my head, as if to fling the negative thoughts away from me, then continued my exploration. Just a short walk from the chapel, I came upon a familiar place. As I approached the ranch, a friendly whinny brought a smile to my face.
A beautiful auburn horse trotted up to me. Nervous to interact with an animal for the first time, I slowly reached out and rubbed its long face. "Hey there. I remember you. . ." I said as gently as I could. I did my best not to remember all the cleaning up after it I did as well, but some things aren't so easily forgotten.
With a hearty neigh in response, I felt myself ease up. "You remember me too, don't you?" Though I felt a bit silly talking to an animal, it was nice to see someone who recognized me for what I truly was.
Just then, the rancher I had helped what felt like an eternity ago stormed out of the nearest stable, ranting aloud to himself. "I worked and worked and worked, and finally I had enough money to buy another horse only for her to get injured in that earthquake the other day! Of all the rotten luck! And I had Altairis on my side and everything. . ." Spotting me, the man quickly amended, "Ah, I don't mean you, by the way, so don't get the wrong idea."
Except he did mean me, he just didn't know it. And I was on his side.
"Sorry to hear about your horse." I said as I continued to pet the one in front of me. "It must be hard to look after so many animals, especially when they can't figure out what's good for themselves on their own."
The man had a scowl that could wilt fresh flowers, if he pleased. "Hmph, no doubt a care-free minstrel as yourself would know a whole deal about the hard work I do." The rancher said as he eyed me suspiciously.
I continued to stroke the horse in front of me, finding calm in the repetitive motion. "Well, it's true I'm not as experienced at it as you are, and definitely in no shape to be doing anything of the sort now," I laughed, "but before I became a minstrel, I did a bit of. . . shepherding myself."
The man seemed to consider me for a moment before losing the edge in his voice. "Well, seeing the way my Penny takes to ya makes me think you'd of done better with horses than sheep."
Something sad came over me as I thought about the short time I spent caring for my flock, caring for the people here. "Yes. . . things would probably have turned out better that way." I replied quietly.
The rancher let me spend some more time with Penny and the other animals while he went about repairing his farm. After doing what little I could to help out, I figured I shouldn't keep Erinn waiting too much longer and decided on one last stop. To my surprise, the man actually returned my wave as I left.
With a small sense of accomplishment, I continued on to my next destination.
Before I was able to reach the steps of the house in front of me, a young, dark-haired girl hopped down from the small raised area beside the road and skipped merrily in my direction, careful not to trip over her long, pink skirt.
"Hiya, there!" She chimed as she got close. "You're that wandering minstrel everyone is talking about, riiight?"
"I am. . ." I hesitantly replied, still not entirely comfortable with the lie.
Her face lit up. "Oooh! Can you please do a pratfall? Oh! Oh! Or maybe a sobering slap! C'mon! Hit me! Hit me!" The girl shouted, pointing to her face.
What on earth. "Uh, I think maybe I shouldn't hit a child. . . people would probably disapprove. . ." I said, looking around warily, hoping to the Almighty that no one heard her.
A thoughtful look crossed the girls face. "Huh, yeah, probably. Everyone here is so stuffy! That's why I got so excited when Pa said a minstrel was in town! We never have anyone interesting come visit us, not like you!" She said, her blue eyes sparkling.
I couldn't help but laugh.
Cringing at the pain, I took a knee in front of her. "I'm glad you're so excited to meet new people. . . uh, what is your name, exactly?" I asked.
"Yvette!" She chirped, clasping her hands together. "And I would so love it, just adoooore it, if you would do some gymnastic moves for me, Miss Minstrel Lady! Pleeeaaasssseeeeeeee?" she begged.
I grimaced. Gymnastics? I didn't know gymnastics! Couldn't she have just asked to hear a story or something? What did this kid think minstrels actually did?
"Uh. . . ah!" An idea hit me. "Argh, the pain! The pain of all of my various and horrible wounds!" I said as convincingly as I could, gripping my sides in semi-false agony. "Oh it all hurts so much! Oh no! Everything is getting dark! I'm not sure I'll be able to do any gymnastics like this! . . .You know, because of all the pain?"
I had never seen a child so disappointed.
"Oh. . . well, that's okay I guess. You did get really beat up by the waterfall, after all. . ."
"You have no idea, Yvette."
Then as suddenly as a gust of wind, she perked right up. "Too bad! I'll just go find someone else to play with!"
"Wait!" I said before she skipped off.
"Yeeeeessss? Did someone change their mind?" she asked as slyly as a little girl could.
This kid.
"Ah, no. I was just wondering if I'm at the right house. This is the mayor's place, correct?"
"Yeah! This is where daddy and Ivor and me live!"
She was Ivor's sister? Ivor was the mayor's son?
"Oh. Oh! Well thank you, Yvette. I hope you find someone more fun than me to play with." I said as I tried to stand.
Tried.
As soon as I shifted my weight upwards, I felt my world spin a little too much and ended up falling flat on my face.
Yvette gasped. "Ooooooh. . . ! Yes! A pratfall! Thank you so much Miss Minstrel Lady! You're the funnest ever!" She bellowed in my ear as she gave me an awkward hug.
"Y-You're welcome. . ." I replied, practically kissing the dirt.
Yvette ran off after helping me get back on my feet, and I decided that if I didn't make this visit short, I'd probably end up dead.
Once I got to the door I was unsure of what to do, I had never really paid attention to what mortal procedure came next. I knew when people came to Erinn's home they would knock first, but when they went to see her at the Inn, they just walked through the door.
I stood there for a good two minutes deciding what to do and ended up going the safe route and knocking.
Nothing happened.
I thought about turning back, seeing as it was beginning to get dark, but I really wanted to get my meeting with the mayor out of the way. If he found out I had been walking around, talking to his daughter no less, and didn't come to introduce myself? It would be rude and insubordinate and. . . it just didn't seem like something I could feel right doing as a Celestrian.
So I let myself in and hoped that would be less rude than not showing up at all.
As soon as I began my way down the front hall, I heard voices.
"Isn't it about time you did something useful with yourself rather than just hanging about the place causing trouble? You'd do well to take a leaf out of Erinn's book. She puts in a lot of hard work at the inn, that girl." Said a deep, masculine voice I did not recognize. The mayor, I assumed.
"Huh! What's Erinn got to do with it?" Said a panicky voice I did recognize. "I am trying to find something I want to do, anyway. And when I figure out what that is, I'll work my socks off! ...Probably..."
Turning the corner into the large living room the voices were coming from, I cleared my throat. "Hello there, Ivor. Mayor Litlun." I did a minor, but respectful bow towards the large man in the room. He and Ivor didn't look much alike, but I could see the resemblance in his daughter; she had his dark hair and upturned eyes. I doubt she would go prematurely bald like him, however.
The mayor regarded me coolly. "You're that minstrel who fell from the top of the waterfall, aren't you? The one who Erinn took in?"
"Yes, sir. Since I've managed to get back on my feet I thought it appropriate to introduce myself to you."
His eyes narrowed. "If your injuries are healed, then I suggest you find yourself some work rather than just hanging about the place." He said before dismissing himself from the room.
I stood there frozen in place, stunned by his casual disregard. Who did he think he was talking to?
"Hey! What are you even doing here?" Ivor asked, marching toward me.
I blinked. "Uh. Well, like I had just said, I -"
"Huh! I didn't want anyone to see that!" He interrupted, looking around wildly, then fixing his eyes back on me. "You'd better not tell Erinn, okay? I mean. . . please don't tell Erinn!"
There was something desperate and earnest about his sudden plea. He liked this girl more than I first thought, and that realization sucked the snark right out of me.
I sighed. "Of course I won't tell her. Or anyone else, for that matter.'
Ivor actually thanked me before remembering who he was talking to, then told me to get out of his house. I kindly obliged; I'd had about enough of Ivor's family for one day.
The sun had set and the air was cool by the time I made it back home - to Erinn's home I mean. I knew I couldn't get comfortable there, despite how kind some of the people in Angel Falls truly were. Now that I was back on my feet, I needed to find out what had happened to the Observatory that night, what happened to my real home. I just needed a place to start.
It wasn't until I was in my bed, filled to burst with Erinn's cooking and about to drift to sleep that I remembered something from that night I had forgotten about.
"I cannot help but think what of Corvus? He is still not returned to us. . . Is he doomed never to return. . . ?"
I heard Columba's pained words echo through my head.
Corvus.
Maybe what has happened to me is what happened to him? Maybe. . . Could I find him?
Then a second, unwanted thought crossed my mind. Were master Aquila and Apus Major as worried about me as Columba was about this Corvus? Was my family? Were they even alive?
All the feelings I was too in pain to dwell on before overwhelmed me now and for the first time in my life, I let myself cry freely without shame or hesitation.