Goddess Of Shendhea

2

The land was almost shadowed in night when we arrived at Shendhea's city. Maxwell opened the main gates and we stepped foot into the city finally. As we slowly strolled through the gardens and buildings, I noticed how green and lush everything was. The plants that crept up the sides of the buildings; the colorful flowers that stood out; and even the stepping stone pathways with grass in between them made the city seem like such a magical place fit for a goddess. We followed endless paths until we wound up in the heart of the city; Shendhea's castle.

I looked in awe all around me as I realized that this would be my new home. I suddenly became slightly homesick, but realized this would be much more fulfilling than working at a desk everyday. Plus there wasn't really anybody back home for me. I never knew my mother so my dad had raised me up until his very last day and from then on, my grandmother. Now that my grandmother has passed, I can make a fresh start in a different world entirely.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Maxwell frowning.

"What's wrong?" I quietly asked him.

"My heart feels what yours does right now". He looked down for a second and then as if deciding something, smiled. "That is one of my abilities. I am able to feel the emotions and feelings of another being if I am close to them or share a deep connection with them". He looked back up at me with an expectant look, as he tried to gauge my reaction.

"That's interesting. I'd like to hear about it more some time," I said as I grabbed his hand and smiled at him. This seemed to cheer him up since I accepted him as he was. As we climbed the stairs, I felt my heart rush with excitement, fear, anxiousness, and awe. Maxwell, being the gentleman he is, opened the door for me and slightly bowed as I passed him through the threshold.

Suddenly something bright red came flying at me and hit the wall beside me with a loud thud. I gasped and turned around to see what it was. I looked closely and it was on fire. And then the form started to rapidly change into something much larger, and the flame subsided. I gasped again as I realized it was turning into a human being; a man to be exact. My hands flew up to my mouth in shock as he popped up to his feet. He looked at me and smirked, as if proud of himself.

"What's your name, pretty lady?" He whispered as he sauntered over to me and took me in his arms as if we were dance partners.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Her name is Luna," a voice mentioned from behind me. I tried turning around to see who it was, but I was still in the arms of the fire man. I looked back at him and his eyes were wide as he let me go.

"Goddess, I see. Well, I will surely fight for you to be mine, as you are a fine specimen" the fire man said as he unwrapped his arms from me and took a step back. "By the way," he added, "My name's Julius. I am a salamander". He took my hand and kissed it politely but looked up at me with a passion burning in his hazel eyes. My cheeks turned slightly pink as I realized this shared moment between us two wasn't really just us. We had spectators.

I turned around to address the other voice that had spoken and realized there were now two men facing me, in addition to Maxwell. The man who had previously spoken stepped forward and bowed, lightly kissing the top of my hand before straightening and looking at me. I was astounded by how handsome these men were. This man had aqua eyes that felt like they were as deep as the ocean; I was lost in them, floating away. In what seemed like an eternity looking into this man's eyes, I gave him a bow with my head.

"No goddess, you do not bow your head to us. We will always bow to you," the man said, with a curt and polite tone. I turned my gaze back to this man as he said his name was Kailani, and an Undine. A breeze shifted his hair and caught my eye. It was almost a darker shade of his eyes, soft and silky that stopped at his shoulders. His jaw was defined, as was the rest of his body. I'm assuming he does a good amount of swimming.

"Pleased to meet you," I smiled up at him. He gave me a low, graceful bow and stepped back in line with the other men. As Kailani Stepped back, the last man started to walk toward me.

"Hello, my goddess. I am the Gnome, Leo" he whispered in my ear as he grabbed my left hand. "Someday I will be yours". With that, he kissed a peck on my cheek and bowed as he kissed my hand. Of course my cheeks had a pink tone to them when his chocolate eyes met mine. He smirked and planted a few more kisses leading a hot trail up my arm.

"Oh Leo. You shouldn't be promising things that you can't fulfill," Kailani grumbled.

I stood back and took a look at all of the men as they were bantering. Each of them was different in just about every way possible. They were all so intriguing and I was so excited to get to know them all that I let out a tiny giggle. The quiet noise was enough to get everyone's attention. They all turned to look at me quizzically with their dazzling eyes.

"I was just thinking of how much you all seem like normal boys, always bickering.." my smile faded a bit as I finished my sentence. "It makes me feel more at home". Maxwell stepped next to me and grabbed my hand; he must have been tuning in on my feelings.

"You know, Goddess.. we can help ease the pain of your home sickness." He mentioned quietly as he stroked my hand with his thumb, helping to lift my spirits a bit. "You have to pick one of us actually..." He spoke slowly in order to gauge my feelings. "You have until your Positioning day. This is the day that you will be officially announced as our newest goddess. It has to be one of the four of us because we are the peacekeepers between the elements". I was grateful he had clarified, I had no idea what he was talking about.

"How long do I have until my Positioning day?" I questioned him. I noticed that his eyes flickered to the floor for a second before answering.

"You have a week," he murmured, and I froze. In my mind, a million thoughts ran through it as I tried to process everything that had happened. I could feel Maxwell squeezing my hand to try calming me down. I could feel his concerned gaze but I didn't dare move. The weight of the situation was crashing on my shoulders as I realized in a week I would be a goddess and be bound by mind, body and soul to another being. I stumbled for a couple seconds and then I felt my body falling backwards and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The last thing I saw before everything went black, was something blue floating towards me.