"You are confined only by walls you build yourself."
-Anonymous
Your blue eyes were narrowed as you stared down at the garment placed before you.
It seemed to be some sort of traditional dress that held some kind of great importance to these people. Although you respected the difference of cultures, you had no intention of wearing something that could hardly be described as clothing at all.
The first "garment" was made up of shells from the ocean and even a few stones. The shells seemed to be sewn onto a material that almost resembled burlap. If you were to dawn the clothing, it would scarcely cover your chest area. The bottom was a skirt that appeared to be made of palm, shells lining the waist.
A head dress rested beside the clothing that had been laid out for you. A small ringlet of wooden vines were woven together, a small gem hanging from the center.
When you first came back to the small tent that had been assigned to you, you took instant notice of the countless offerings that had been placed in front of the entrance. Fruits, dead fish and even a few shells had been stacked up in a neat fashion and had been waiting for your return.
You'd simply stepped over them and walked into the tent. You wouldn't take anything from these people. They saw you as a god. Taking anything from them would only serve to feed their beliefs. They clearly had prayers and desires that they had wished you to fulfil. Showing any kind of favor to the gifts would have them believing that you could fix their problems.
You didn't want to give anyone false hope.
"My goddess, are you dressed yet?"
You sighed, pulling your hair over your shoulder, beginning to braid it from the top.
"Come in, Alon."
The dark-skinned man pushed the flap back, entering into the small tent.
His brown eyes filled with confusion as his eyes scanned over your figure. He clearly expected to find you in the clothing he'd laid out for you.
"My goddess, you've not dawned the garments yet?"
You shook your head, continuing to braid your hair.
"I have no need to wear something like that," You explained, "Save them for a real goddess. I am expecting to leave this island within the day."
His eyes widened at your words, not expecting such frankness from you.
"My goddess! You cannot--"
You huffed out, allowing your hands to fall from your hair in frustration. Your h/c locks fell to frame your face, blue eyes glimmering.
"Alon, look at me. I am not a goddess. I am simply a human woman. I've honestly no idea why you believe otherwise. I have no divine powers, I only have two things; determination and anger. Neither of those things will serve whatever purpose you and your people have. I am sorry, but that is the the way of things."
Alon's dark eyes softened on your form, moving forward to stand closer to you.
"May I touch you?"
Your eyes snapped up to his, brows raising in slightly confusion.
You studied him for a moment.
"Yes."
Alon smiled, moving to stand behind you.
You almost let out a sound of surprise as his hands raked through your hair, fingers pulling the h/c strands away from your face as he began to pick up where you left off, braiding your locks.
The close proximity had your heart burning and the mark on your hand and wrist pulsating almost painfully.
"I was the one who found you on the shore," He started, breath brushing against your ear, "My people are taught from a young age to kill trespassers--gender to be disregarded. I was to kill you."
"Then, why didn't you?"
He smiled softly, continuing to style your hair.
"As I was about to run my spear through you, you opened your eyes and you said something that convinced me of your divinity."
You remained silent, eyes locking on the opposite side of the tent.
"You were delirious from the sea, but your words rang with something I could not describe..."
"You make it sound as though I predicted the future."
He chuckled, hand reaching for the headdress.
"No, nothing as amazing as that, my goddess."
"No?" You repeated, "Then what did I say?"
"You opened your eyes and saw the spear in my hands. You saw me preparing to run you through...and you looked at me and told me to get to shelter--that the storm would kill me."
Your body stiffened at his words, body turning to look at him.
His eyes met yours and he smiled.
"The storm had already passed at that time, so your warning was in vain...but it still touched me. Only a goddess would have such compassion for a being who, not only had no care for her wounds, but was willing to run her through without a second thought."
"Sounds like you need nicer people on this island," You mused, "If you were trained to kill trespassers, why didn't you kill my crew when they arrived?"
He was silent for a few moments, clearly contemplating how to answer your question without upsetting you.
You tilted your chin upwards.
You'd seen that look on plenty of people before.
He knew something you didn't...something that you probably weren't supposed to know.
"Why?"
He let out a huff, gently placing the headdress atop your head.
The blue gem rested against your brow, catching the light and causing your blue eyes to shine.
Alon almost lost his breath at the sight of you.
He wasn't to tell you anything--His father had told him that you were not to know of anything to do with the ceremony or the fates of your 'crew'. Looking at you now, he could feel nothing but pity towards you.
You had no idea of the terrors that would await you.
And he could not help but to feel that he would be a great part of whatever suffering you would be forced to endure.
His father had told him that your pain would bring about your clarity and that your attachment to the trespassers would prevent you from fulfilling your duties. These men bind you to the Earth and keep you away from your true purpose.
Alon could see the walls that rested just behind your eyes. You were guarded and his father believed it was because of those men.
But the young man could not help but feel as though it was something that extended the reach of men...
Walls had been placed around him his entire life--keeping him from the things he'd longed for. In his childhood, his father was the wall separating him from a life of normalcy with other children. As he grew, his titled was the wall between him and his happiness. And the sea--The largest wall he'd ever faced. The sea was a wall he'd long thought impossible to climb. It kept him from a life of adventure that he'd craved for as long as he could remember.
His mother had been a gift from the sea as you were...A gift that his father said was sent by the gods to him. He'd taken her to wife almost instantly and, within a year, Alon was born.
His mother was a quiet woman when it came to his father, but when she was alone, Alon saw a side of her that was beautiful. Her light eyes would sparkle as she spoke of her homeland and her longing for it. She had told him about the husband she'd left behind and the life she had missed.
Despite her longing, she had loved him. She understood that he hadn't asked to be born into this world, and she refused to treat him like the monster that she believed his father to be.
He'd seen walls behind his mother's eyes too. When she looked at his father, her walls were up...With anyone other than him, she was guarded.
His name was chosen by his father, but his mother had given him a different name--a name she only called him when the two of them were alone. He felt free when she spoke his name--like he was no longer tied to this island that he'd been forced to live on since his birth and all the walls surrounding him seemed to disappear.
Since his mother's death, he'd only ever been called Alon and with that name, the walls had come back. Brick by brick he'd slowly become entombed on this island.
In you, he'd seen a sadness like his mother's--a wall built by yourself, keeping others out and trapping you in.
"Alon."
You stern voice pulled him from his thoughts, his hand running through his dark hair.
"My goddess," He started, "My only duty is to see that you are cared and provided for until the ceremony, anything beyond that is something I am unable to discuss with you."
Your brows jumped.
"You'd better discuss. I'm not going to sit around here in the dark. Whatever you think is going to happen at this 'ceremony', I can assure you, I'll put up a fight to see that me and my men leave this island, even if we leave with sweat on our brows and blood on our hands."
His brown eyes widened at your words, the coldness in your ice iris' catching him off guard.
Your countenance was dangerous and angry.
Alon knew you possessed the mercy of a goddess, now he was beginning to figure out that you possessed the righteous fury of one as well.
"My goddess-"
"That is not my name!" You snapped, grabbing the headdress and pulling it off of you, "I have better things to be doing than sitting around on an island and waiting for whatever scheme is cooked up in the head of you and your father!"
He watched as you placed the headdress onto the fur blanket of your bed, the amount of respect you had for the small bit of his culture almost caught him off guard.
He inhaled deeply, trying to collect his thoughts.
If you truly were a goddess...would you have made such an outburst? Why would you claim to be human? Was this truly the work of the men with whom you sailed?
"What is your name?"
His question caught you off guard, your shoulders stiffening.
"What?"
"Your name. You said 'goddess' was not your name...So I am asking what your true name is."
You blinked.
"Y/n."
Alon smiled softly.
"A human name?"
"I am human."
"I was taught that the gods and goddesses had no true names--not among men."
"What kind of god would as you to trust them and give your everything to them without even telling you their name? Seems to me that you are in need of new gods."
"I was beginning to think the same thing."
Your cold eyes studied, no particular emotion on your face.
"My crew," You said, "What are they planning to do with them?"
Alon lowered his gaze for a moment.
"I can tell you this, goddess,"
He looked back to you.
"It isn't going to be good."
A/N,
Hello~
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
I love you!
I adore you!
I purple you!
I'm out!
-Max