He grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the tent.
As I walked out, the fresh breeze hit me in the face like a beautiful gift after I had lost all the air in my lungs.
It only took me a second to pull myself together.
'Let go of me,' I said to Rayn who kept moving me forward.
'Get on your horse and follow me,' he said as he mounted the black horse next to Lightning, 'I have to get you as far away as I possible, Polar won't be able to hold her much longer.'
That was Polar? Why did I feel I knew Polar too? Was everything in this place familiar to me?
To my regret, I listened to him and rode by his side.
'Where are we going?' I asked, swallowing my hatred towards him and his little fairy friend. I wanted to go back and show her a bit of what a human was capable of.
He pointed me towards the sea and rode faster. So to the sea we would go.
Why had that fairy tried to kill me so readily? Was this what Russell meant by them being bad people? Because I thought the worst thing they could do to us was what Rayn did.
But no, apparently they were capable of a lot worse.
And there was something that worried me with every gallop I took. If these were just followers, what would their leader be like? Only someone ruthless could order to torture people in exchange for money.
That was the person I should ask for help? How could I trust him not to kill me before I reached the Tree? How could I trust him not to kill me right here and now?
Maybe this was all an act to make me believe that they really cared that I survived and as soon as I got there they would murder me.
That possibility existed, but now I knew what they were capable of, so if they wanted to fight, well, I would fight.
The sea was closer than expected. As we reached the shore, Rayn got off the black horse and dug his boots into the water.
'The horses won't be able to come, I can only take you,' he informed me.
'I'm not leaving Lightning for that crazy fairy...'
Rayn lowered his head.
'Thunder won't let anything happen to him, right smart girl?' He said to the horse who seemed to understand and started to run down the beach.
Thunder? It couldn't be that much of a coincidence. I was beginning to think this really was a joke or worse, a trap.
Lightning, to my surprise, pulled on his reins to follow.
'Okay,' I said getting off him. 'Be careful my friend,' I said to his muzzle and let him follow the other horse.
Then, I looked at Rayn who surprisingly started to unbutton his shirt.
'What in the name of the Gods are you doing?' I said looking away.
'I can't swim in my clothes, come on,' he grabbed my arm and made me look at him.
His chest was bare, and he had only his underwear left. I was trying to look up and focus on his green eyes, but I really couldn't control my instinct.
'Come on Princess, don't tell me you've never seen a naked man,' he said in a teasing tone but managed to set my cheeks on fire.
He noticed my embarrassment and, I don't know if out of pity or mercy, he ignored it.
'I need you to hold on tight to me and hang your sack on your back, so whatever you're carrying in there doesn't get wet.'
Was he thinking that...?
'Rayn, I can't... I can't swim.' I had never even seen the sea before, the closest I had ever come to water was the small lake Russell had taken me to.
Rayn smiled. He tied my sack around my body and then, positioned my hands around his neck.
'Just don't let go and you'll be fine princess.'
We started walking into the sea.
The water was quite cold, considering I was wearing a very warm coat. I didn't even want to think about what Rayn was feeling being almost naked.
My heart began to race as the water came up to my hips. If he really thought I knew how to swim and was lying to him, well, he was in for a surprise.
However, I was the one surprised.
'Don't let go.'
Rayn fell forward, as if his legs were no longer holding him, and I, being gripped by his neck, fell forward with him.
The impact of the water on my face was instantaneous and I had to shake my head to see. When I was able to get the excess water out of my eyes, I saw what was happening.
We were moving at an impossible speed.
With a glance to the side I figured out what was going on.
Rayn's legs were gone, replaced by a huge dark green fin. It was almost the same color as his eyes.
His face was completely submerged, as were his arms, which went in front of him, pointing a way that was unknown to me.
Rayn was a merman, I had completely forgotten. When the magic returned, his powers must have returned as well. A small part of me, a part that wasn't so full of hatred for him, rejoiced. Maybe it hadn't been so bad for magic to return, for someone like him who could now truly be what he was meant to be.
A free being.
Although the water was hitting my face pretty hard, I could see something near us. A huge ship was floating on the sea and we were traveling directly towards it.
As we got closer, my heart began to beat in a strange way. I felt... nervous. Nervous about what I was about to see there perhaps, or who was going to meet me on that ship.
It was a giant dark brown ship with white sails flapping against the wind. It must have been as long as the shore we had left behind. No one was visible on board, yet I knew there was someone there.
We reached the side of the ship and Rayn pulled me close to a ladder hanging from it.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the ladder and climbed up at once, leaving behind the safety of Rayn's back, who soon sank into the depths of the sea.
I climbed over the side of the ship and swung my leg over its top until I was on the deck. I lay there for just a second, breathing.
If this had been just to find Caelus, how was I going to get through the Tree trials? Had Syform sent me on a suicide mission? No, no, I had to trust him.
I picked myself up off the floor and stood up straight.
I knew he was here, I just had to find him.
I walked to one of the two doors visible on deck, the one just below the helm and opened it, hoping it would lead me to the cabins and there to find him, since I hadn't seen him at the bow. Perhaps I had never seen a real ship, but I had read enough to tell the difference between bow and stern.
The door led to a small corridor that brought me to another door.
Perhaps I should have knocked, but I was already too tired to be respectful.
I opened the second door and found a fairly large chamber. At the end of it, there was a large window, through which you could see the light blue water blending with the sky of the same color. On the left side, there was a table with some chairs, a library full of books and a wall covered with swords. On the other side of the room, a bed full of pillows and a huge telescope right at the headboard. Now that I couldn't resist.
I walked over to the telescope. I had never seen one, but I knew it was used for stargazing. According to the Astrophysics book I had read when I was fifteen, in the stars were written the portents of our future. I touched it with amazement and could not help but notice that it was made of gold.
This was not the ship of a mercenary, it was the ship of a prince.
I noticed his presence before I saw him.
I felt him watching me and I stiffened, I froze completely.
I had my back to him, so I didn't know how he would react.
But I thought of all the people I had to save, and how Syform had insisted that I be there at that moment, at that instant. I gathered all the strength I had left and turned around.
And what I saw, I couldn't believe it.
'How brave do you think you are to be here now, Princess?'
He said repeating what he had said to me once.
It was him.
I could never forget his face.
The face of the boy of my dreams.
The face of the boy who had saved my life.