STAGE FOUR: The King of Celestia
"A…" Freyja opened her eyes, finding herself in the arms of man she's been longing to meet. His smiling face greeted her, like the bright rays of the sun after a long, cold evening. With trembling hands, she reluctantly reached for his face, afraid that if she touch it, he'd disappear. But no, it was soft and warm. Freyja burst into tears. She hugged him as tight as she could. "Alfiore! Alfiore! You recognize me, don't you!?" She was shouting like a child, sinking her face into his chest while trembling.
"Freyja." He replied, rubbing circles on her back, calming her down with a warm embrace. "How can't I recognize my Freyja?"
~ o 0 o ~
"Hey, where have you two been, it's late al—" Alaric was about to go out to find Freyja and Kirin, after waking up and not finding the two of them. However, he was rendered speechless the moment he saw both Alyon and an unfamiliar face with them. "Who's… this?" He looked at Freyja and Kirin.
"Let me introduce him to you Alfiore, this is Alaric! He's one of my best friends!" Freyja cheerfully introduced them, while Kirin was just quietly looking down.
"Alfiore… then… you are… FREYJA's FATHER!?" Alaric couldn't help but shout. "But you're…you're s-supposed to be… uh…" Alaric stuttered. He eyed the man from head to toe. He looks as if he's just as old as they are, if not younger. And more importantly, he should be dead.
Kinju had a wide smile on her face, so much like Freyja's. "Nice to meet you Alaric!" He extended his hand out for a handshake.
"You are…" Alaric glanced at Kirin, then at Freyja. "THE KING OF CELESTIA!?"
Again, Kinju nodded with a smile.
"YOUR MAJESTTY!" Alairc suddenly dropped himself on the floor. "Forgive my rudeness! I… I didn't" Alfiore reached his hand out to the young man, urging him to stand up. "Come on, it's okay it's okay! You are my daughter's friend, so just be casual okay? My name is Kinju Alfiore Leafen. Just Kinju is be fine!" Alaric blushed, moved by his kindness.
"Um, thank you very much sir. By the way, my name is Alaric Fullmar, I am a runemaster at the Runemasters guild in Runerich." He was his usual polite self, but obviously nervous. "I like you!" Alfiore exclaimed. "You'll be a good husband for my daughter!"
"ALFIORE!" Freyja violently reacted.
But just as Alaric was about to believe him, Kinju stuck his tongue out. "Bleah, dream on loser. Ha ha ha!" He laughed before grabbing his daughter's arm like a kid.
Alaric sneered at Kirin and Alyon, who both looked away in an instant.
~ o 0 o ~
For the rest of the night, Freyja and her father did not sleep a wink. Alaric and Kirin could hear her loud, cheerful voice from the next room. She was telling her father about almost everything that happened in her life. They also paid special attention on Kinju's stories about Celestia. Then, Freyja started yawning, and Kinju took the girl's head on his lap. The same as when Freyja was still a child, she laid down, curled up like a cat, with her head resting on her father's lap while he stroke her hair. "It's as if she completely forgotten about us…" Alaric sighed. Kirin said no word.
"…. And then and then! –" Freyja's sentence was cut by Kinju's sudden smile. "Huh?"
"You know, humans read the stars to navigate around their world. And in that faraway world where you were exiled, the one who taught them how to do it is me." He bragged.
"REALLY!? THAT's GREAT!!! THAT'S REALLY GREAT!!!!" Freyja is now wide awake again, sitting up.
"You seem to be more impressed with that than the things I told you about Celestia." Kinju laughed.
"Well you see, I studied science back then."
"How are they doing now?"
"FAAAAAAAAR from before! They've developed sooooo much!" She passionately explained, full of excitement. "And there are a whole lot of things that I learned there, which are very very useful even here or maybe, even in Celestia! They may be unable to use aura like we do, but they're making up for it in equally awesome ways! Those stars? They call them constellations. They make up stories about them and use them for a whole lot of things! Now, they've been making…."
Kinju giggled. "You sound exactly like Reyrah."
"Lady Reyrah? My mother? Really?"
His giggle turned to laughter. "Yep. Despite looking so prim and innocent, she's actually a fierce battle tactician. It's not because of her lineage that brought her fame actually, not even being the second consort of the Alfiore. It's because of her dedication and smarts. And she's really sly." He continued laughing.
"I…I didn't know that." Freyja blushed.
"That sweet looking face sure fooled quite a lot. In contrast to me, who's rather easy going, Reyrah's so competitive and passionate about the things she really likes." Then, Kinju continued to talk about Reyrah while Freyja told him about the things she learned in her travels. Freyja continued bragging about the things she learned to her father. He just listened, and as soon as she ran out of things to say, he asked.
"Freyja, do the stars change in the sky? These, constellations you speak of?"
Freyja nodded. "Of course. In a very very veeeery long time, the patterns will change, because those things move too. We just don't notice them because they're very far."
"We celestials, are like those stars." Kinju shifted his eyes from Freyja to the stars outside the window. "We only live long in the eyes of short-lived creatures. But in truth, we are not different. We are still slave to the whole. We move, we change, we die."
"Alfiore?"
"Had you not lived in that faraway world, you wouldn't have truly understood the tremendous difference between celestials and humans. Those long-lived stars only looked immortal because you are looking at them through human eyes. Should you have lived in Celestia, you would have seen them as grass." Kinju paused, noticing that Freyja had a confused look in her face. "Sorry, sorry." He chuckled, "I mean, you would have lived thinking that everything around you are the same, normal, boring. You're fascinated about Celestia and stars, only because you grew up NOT among them." Kinju couldn't help but remember the five-year old Freyja who once said she wanted to get out of Celestia because its boring. He chuckled, shaking his head.
This rendered Freyja speechless. "I, was greatly moved by how these creatures with fleeting and fragile lives live each day so meaningfully. That's why like you, I became so fascinated with humans." Kinju said, talking about his own fascination.
"Not all, father, believe me." Freyja commented with a frown.
Kinju chuckled. "… In the eyes of a celestial, we are more meaningless than they are." Kinju's eyes suddenly had a hint of sadness. "Hearing those things from you Freyja, means that your heart is still human. Believe me Freyja, it is a wonderful thing." With that, Kinju gently pulled the girl's head back to his lap, stroked her hair, lulling her to sleep for the next few minutes before sunrise. "It is, Freyja. Believe me, it is."
The next morning, Freyja insisted that Kinju walk with them to town, after Alyon left to go on his separate way. Kinju was rearing to go!
Freyja's boy clothes fit Kinju perfectly. They were about the same size, that they look more like twins than father and daughter. They walked around the nearby down, around half-an-hour walk from where they're staying.
Alaric and Kirin couldn't bear interrupt. Freyja was especially cheerful, her smile never left her face ever since Kinju returned. "Hey look! Let's go over there!!!!" She dragged him to every store she found interesting.
"Be careful Freyja! Watch where you're going!"
"I'll be fine I'll—Ouch!" She tripped.
"You're so clumsy!" Kinju helped her stand. "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY DAUGHTER!?" He then suddenly sneered at some random guy passing by, staring at Freyja.
"Freyja always talks about how kind and soft-spoken the Alfiore is… but honestly, he's more of a douchebag." Kirin whispered to Alaric, who nodded immediately. "He's pretty scary if you ask me."
"But Kirin, he does resemble Freyja a lot, don't you think? A LOT." Alaric whispered.
For the whole afternoon, they did nothing but enjoy the streets, the shops, the food of that tiny town. It was already night time when they finally found an inn to rest. But just before they could head up to their rooms to retire for the night, a couple of bandits barged into the inn, demanding for Freyja. They weren't anything special, just the usual assassins they were already so used to. But before Kirin and Alaric could do anything, Kinju summoned four aura daggers and sent them flying towards the bandits. All at once, he finished half of them off without breaking a sweat. Alaric and Kirin were amazed at his abilities. But before he could finish the other half, Freyja suddenly grabbed him from behind, stopping him. "Stop. Don't use aura anymore." She pleaded. Alaric and Kirin looked at each other, surprised. Then, it occurred to them why Freyja did that.
"Freyja, we'll get them. Stay here." Kirin and Alaric ran after the assassins, leaving the girl and her father behind.
"Alfiore…" Freyja called, tightly clinging onto him. "Stop it…." She pleaded, again. Kinju sighed, and smiled. He warmly held the girl in his arms, reassuring her. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."
Kinju noticed the blood dripping off Freyja's knee. She was hurt.
"Don't worry Freyja, I'll heal it for you, okay?" Kinju closed his eyes, and gently, he touched Freyja's knee with his hands. Although they both knew that Kinju no longer possess the healing aura he once had, Freyja, felt the pain slowly fade away. And then, she cried… "Alfiore…" She sobbed, "Father…"
Kinju stood up and took his daughter in his arms. "It's alright now, it's alright. I'm here."
But his words just made her cry more. She hugged him tight. "It hurts." It wasn't the wound, it was something else.
"It hurts."
~ o 0 o ~