It was a very sunny day, and Gaen liked it. In his kingdom, the sun was the greater god of the pantheon, always being the sign of good fortune and divine light, illuminating the path of righteousness. Gaen liked it.
It was his Debute as a knight. He was meant to bring some glory to his order, The Brilliant Blade, by bringing a good game from the first hunt. But still, he could not see to find such glory, no monster was lurking in behind the trees, nor were witches summoning hexes upon him. Not even a single bear, for which the grove by the City was known for housing on the tens, seemed to want to appear. He was frustrated. It would seem that he could not be capable of bringing glory home.
In his frustration, he took off running in the groove, and by the time he stopped, it was not too long before Noon. He was starved, and his throat was stinging like the Devil's Pike. He found himself, after some search, by a spring. Crystalline water passing calmly by the shallow bed, as if inviting Gaen to take a sip and quench his thirst. And so He did.
After the little rest, he found himself a good spot under an old tree by the spring.
" Oh Dear flow, bathe my body in this sunny day, may the heat don't burn my skin, nor the light blind my sight, for only so, can I see my chosen's might... " a melody flows, as naturally as the water itself, and the sweet voice was then noticed by the young Knight.
" Where is it, that I can hear such sweet and soothing voice? Have the Lord sent one of his daughters to appease this lowly one? " Gaen looked about, still dazed from the heat, searching for the subject of his fantasies.
" The flow continues, relentless in it's path, washing sins away, so much does it hide... But from it as well, many blessings flow right by, waiting for a courageous one, to take it out, to bear it's spikes... " The melody did not stopped, and without noticing, Gaen was steadly marching up the spring, eyes set upon mist, enchanted by the sweet lure of the voice.
And by the time the melody ended, Gaen was looking at a beautiful waterfall, that falling from a high cliff, had a layer of mist and a beautiful rainbow. Right bellow the waterfall, was a beautiful pond, that despite the steady drops of water, remained undisturbed, as if the waterfall, the origin of the pond, didn't not have any weight upon it. The surface was clear, similar to a mirror.
Slowly, very slowly, a beautiful feminine silhouette was moving behind the waterfall, while humming the melody, seemingly pleased for being watched. The mesmerized knight, still enchanted, bathed his eyes in such beauty, and a redness of lust rised from his neck to his face. Yet he never blinked, for it was so unreal, he feared he would wake up from such dazzling dream.
Tentatively, the silhouette passed through the veil of the waterfall, teasing the young knight by doing so. And finally, from the white mist, a beautiful woman appeared, dressed in nothing but the moisture in her skin, her snow white skin was tinted in a beautiful shade of pink, while her kind blue eyes looked deeply into the soul of the young Gaen. Her golden locks fluttered by the breeze, and extending a single hand, she invited the knight.
" What could be Thy name, if this lowly knight may have the honor? " Despite her way of dressing, Gaen could still remember how to be polite, and even humble, when faced with such stunning lady.
" Many ask this question, young one, and many more follow me, after hearing my name. But say, little knight, can you stand the suffering, to seek what your heart longs for? Will you bear the scars of the ones that went before you, and be one with that? Can you trail all the path, and not look back? " The voice of the woman resounds by the pond and beyond, echoing inside the head of the young knight. Yet, he does not hesitate.
" Yes, I shall bear. " hearing this, the woman smile, and answer " Then come, my knight, For my name is Hope, and you have chosen my path. "
With tentative steps, the young knight approaches the woman, unabated of the water, he steadily step on it, and take hold of Hope's hand. And then, the both of them are thrown in the pond, and Hope leads Gaen through the stream of water.
Harsh stones and strong currents, Gaen won against both, holding her hand. Sharp spikes and gruesome pain, he beared hearing her voice. Sweet pleasure and blissfull happiness, he experienced while feeling her touch. And by the end of the Stream of Life, never had Gaen lost Hope. And by the end of the stream, an endless ocean extended before them. Gaen still held Hope tight, maybe in the end, was the moment he held her the tightest.
" Is this, the end of the stream? " Gaen Gazed at the infinite ocean that spread in front of him. " Everything has an end, but what really matters, is the journey that led to it. " Hope turn around, and with her so do Gaen.
And what Gaen saw, brought tears to his eyes. All the struggles and pain, as well as the happines and bliss, were carved in the land, the Stream of Life immortalized them, for this very moment. And then, only then, he could see the purpose of the whole journey.
Still holding in the hands of Hope, Gaen turned to the ocean. And since then, He never looked back.