Something felt wrong.
It wasn't just the feeling of falling into an immense void.
There was something else that I couldn't explain. A foreboding crept into my gut as I fell and fell through a portal that never seemed to end.
I could feel a sigh leave my body, before impacting the ground.
My back screamed as I hit the ground, scattering barren earth around me.
I opened my eyes, which I kept closed, and could only see clouds above me.
'I suspect the mermaids didn't like us very much, they gave us quite a beating with their private little ride.'
I can't believe I'm saying this, but hearing Caelus so lucid made me feel good. It meant that we had both survived, that nothing had happened to us, and that at least someone would know where we were.
'Oh your Majesty, come out of the dust, it doesn't suit you,' he held out his hand, which I ventured to take.
I brushed the remnants of dirt off me, and also did so for my bag, which had somewhat camouflaged a worse blow.
However, my bones were already groaning from the impact.
'Where are we?' I asked him and noticed that he had a bit of dirt on his cheek. Without thinking I brushed it off and he tensed as if I had tried to kill him. I couldn't repel him from such contact, could I?
He took a step back and was back to his usual self.
'Can't you tell? Cloudy skies, arid land and unbearable wind. Nothing yet?'
'Eurus?'
'Welcome to the most entertaining Kingdom of all, the one you always want to come to, again and again.'
I rolled my eyes.
'Don't be like that.'
'What? It's true. It's so much fun to be chased by men with wings every step you take.'
The only thing I knew about this Kingdom was that it was the one that provided us with power. And something about windmills, but nothing more than that.
'You really have no idea about anything? I can't wrap my head around it.'
'The number of books about other Kingdoms was... let me think, oh yes one. Does that make it any clearer to you? I spent my entire life reading, but never about what really mattered. Do you want to know how many kinds of flowers there are in the world? I can tell you even though I've only seen maybe five. Do you want to know the parts of your precious ship? I know them, but I've never been on one until... well you know.'
'Your story never ceases to depress me, you should write a book about all your sorrows princess.'
He started walking off in a direction with an assurance I could do nothing but mimic. I would follow him even if I didn't know where he was taking me.
'So what can you tell me about this kingdom?'
There was nothing but land around us. Dirt was wrapped in the wind that blew every few minutes. Little whirlwinds would build up and then spread out again.
'You know the basics, now you're missing the important stuff. They don't have kings or queens, they have rulers.'
'And what's the difference?'
'Hmm, I don't know, maybe the fact that a King or Queen listens to other voices and the Ruler only believes that his or her opinion is the only one that counts. That it is that person who decides on the fate of all its subjects, both their lives and their deaths. And I forgot of course, that he is the one who commands all the forces. The birdmen or angeli, as some call them, are bloodthirsty, they would do anything for their Ruler. But don't even think that a woman could do it, because in this Kingdom they can only stay at home cleaning.'
I couldn't believe my ears.
I always thought the other Kingdoms were better than Bieno, but Eurus was sounding darker and darker.
'I don't get how they let someone like that rule them, if they have a choice, why don't they choose someone else?'
'Because they don't choose him, remember?'
'What do you mean?'
Caelus paused and sighed.
'It is disturbing how little you know. You see dear princess, Ventus is not like the other Gods. He is not content to follow a bloodline like the others. He chooses his Ruler all by himself.'
'What do you mean he chooses him?'
'I mean he takes his raven form, approaches a newborn baby and makes sure to bless it so that everyone knows that from that moment on that child will be the Ruler. He only chooses children and changes families every 30 years.'
'That's why this Ruler is so young?'
'Exactly, Brennus is a spoiled child who thinks the only way to prove his power is to be evil.'
If Caelus believed the child was evil, he must be truly terrible. I thought at once that I could never consider someone like that an ally.
The flat, barren land was disrupted by a mountain.
Dry and devoid of plant life, the mountain only seemed to go higher and higher.
'Please don't tell me that...'
'We must climb that mountain? Yes.'
Without letting him see my discontent, I began to follow him uphill.
There was nothing to hold on to, just relying on the strength of our legs, and after several days of walking, they were not in their best shape.
There were a couple of times I thought I would fall and roll all the way down, but luckily the Gods were with me and it didn't happen.
I couldn't ignore the thought of what had happened at the inn.
The fact that we were on this adventure together meant nothing. When it was all over he would go back to his mock Kingdom and I would go back to my real duties. I would have to think about what my life would be like... I would have to consider getting married.
Now it was not just based on what I wanted, but what would be best for the Kingdom.
Perhaps I could never marry for love as I had dreamed, perhaps my destiny was that what I wanted would never happen.
Perhaps I was just to accept what the Gods entrusted to me, even if I disagreed, even if I hated it.
'Are you all right? You're strangely quiet. Do you need me to carry you, your Majesty?'
'I just need you to tell me we're almost there, and don't try to be funny, because it really annoys me.'
I knew the moment those words came out of my mouth that he would never stop making those jokes in front of me again. If there was anything he could do to irritate me, he would make sure to do it tirelessly.
The mountain seemed to get increasingly steeper, and I could feel the height on my shoulders. I didn't want to look down, for fear that the emptiness would consume me.
But when we finally reached the top, when we reached the end point of the mountain, my eyes ventured to see how far we had climbed, and I wished I had not.
The land was no longer visible, covered by clouds that would not hold us if we were to fall.
How high were we?
'We are too high,' Caelus seemed to answer my thoughts. 'Are you afraid of heights, princess?'
'No, of course not. You must be used to it, I mean, always looking down from up high on your ego.'
I managed to make him smile.
'Be careful with that tongue, I bet you mine can do much worse.'
Our conversation was interrupted by a flock, which came out of nowhere and simply set about circling over our heads.
'Stay close to me,' Caelus said to me, pulling me closer by grabbing my arm.
The birds kept flying, until something even bigger approached us.
A man, with long black hair, landed in front of us. His wings were gray, feathers glistening from his back. He was not wearing a shirt, his chest was bare. He looked strong and menacing. He carried a wooden staff which, when it made contact with the solid ground, caused the whole mountain to tremble beneath our feet.
'Who has dared to climb the caretaker's mountain?' he sentenced with an angry tone.
'The caretaker's mountain? Isn't that a bit much?' Caelus proved to be his usual arrogant self.
'Does this seem like a joke to you, mortal? I am Echo, lord of the heavens, caretaker of the mountain of trust.'
'And I am Caelus, the lord who wants to take the test and can't waste time with your nonsense.'
My eyes bugged out at what they heard.
Could he really be so... so Caelus?
'He's sorry, mountain caretaker, we just wanted to prove ourselves before the tree test. If you will allow us, we would be happy to take it.'
'What is your name child?'
'Gaia.'
'Gaia? Your name echoes among the heavens. Ventus himself whispers your name to his fellow Gods.'
'I don't think the Gods have time to speak of a mere mortal, my lord.'
His attitude changed.
His arms relaxed, his gaze losing aggression.
'That's the kind of humility I expect from the mortals who visit me, not the haughtiness with which this nobody spoke to me. So you're here for the test. Do you have any idea what you'll be up against?'
Our silence answered his question.
'Well then, I'll tell you...'
The flock, still hovering above us, flew towards him. It held fast to his commands, then began to fly swiftly.
They came at such speed, that a small tornado formed over Echo.
The skies seemed to hear the call and turned gray.
Echo stretched out his arms and from his mouth came the words we were waiting to hear.
'If you told the truth, and fearlessly went on, the owners of the sky will be the judges of your fate, when the great bridge of trust you shall face. Let your companion guide you through the fog and darkness, only by trusting can you walk across, but if betrayal comes along, the birds will take you where no one can find you anymore.'
Let your companion guide you?
'Then will you accept the test?'
'Excuse me, my lord, but which way will we have to go?'
Echo smiled with a malice that chilled my blood, then turned just a little.
As if it had never been there, a wooden bridge, supported only by a rope, was lost in the mist.
'There you have it. One of you must trust the other completely. Your eyes will be covered, and you must place your fate in the hands of your companion.'
'There is no point to this test,' Caelus commented.
'Why not insolent mortal?'
'Because we must both make it to the last test, the elf said so before we started. Obviously we're both going to want to survive.'
'Oh right, I forgot the most important thing. In this test, if the one who trusts perishes, he will simply be replaced by another person that the one who is left chooses. The rules are that two must make it to the last test. So forget about what that elf said.'
I looked at Caelus and didn't know what to say.
Could we switch partners?
Maybe I wouldn't think about it, but he... he would replace me without doubt. And for him to replace me would mean he would kill me in the process of doing so.
So this test could indeed be the end of me.
'Who chooses who trusts and who leads?' I asked with a lump in my throat.
'Well, me, of course,' Echo replied. 'And I already know who I want in each position. The insolent will lead and you lady, you will have to trust.'