Micheal looked over at the goddess, who did not kneel, but all he could see was an unreadable mask. What the hell? Didn't only he get the wish? What was the king talking about?
He stood there silent, and the air was heavy with the anticipation of his response. The king's azure eyes shone behind steepled fingers as he waited.
"Your majesty…" Micheal managed to get out. He knew he had to say something. He couldn't just not say anything and risk offending the king, but he couldn't give up his wish just like that either. The tension was immense. "I will make my decision after I have the wish secured." It seemed as if the whole room let out its breath. Micheal felt himself relax. A noncommittal, cautious answer should do the trick.
The kings eyes were still bright with thought. "Very well." He responded. And with that Micheal truly felt more relaxed. The man in golden robes retreated with the scroll. "My offer still stands, and in your quest to defeat the other champion, I request that you take my daughter along. She is a competent warrior and has been blessed by Angels."
Micheal looked over at her. Having a beautiful princess to accompany him might not be so bad. Even if she is just trying to get close to him for the wish, maybe if they ended up growing close for real things could turn out differently.
"I accept." Micheal said.
"Very well." The king replied. "Give my daughter the rest of today to pack for the journey ahead. In addition, tomorrow you will meet the kingdoms finest adventurers who will serve as her bodyguards."
Crap. That was more than what he was bargaining for. But maybe the extra support could come in handy, and maybe he could grow or learn new abilities. But what was the kings real motive for this? That was pretty sneaky of him.
The guards and men in golden robes began to kneel, and so did Micheal. They rose once more, and the goddess cocked her head in the direction where they came. As he turned to follow her, Micheal stole a glance at the king's daughter, and her sapphire gaze met his own. He stared a bit too long and then turned back around to continue to follow the goddess. They proceeded back out through the massive golden temple and out back into the middle ring of the city.
"We will be staying at an inn nearby, tomorrow morning we will meet the princess and her bodyguards." the goddess broke the silence.
Micheal nodded. "So…" He wasn't sure what to ask. He thought the wish was only for him so what the hell was all that back there? Could he even trust her answers? It was worth a shot at least, but how could you even read a goddess? "I thought only I could get the wish, why was the king asking for it?"
The goddess gave a restrained smile. "You are the only one that can get the wish. However, you can give that wish to another if you desire."
Micheal accepted the answer. There was no way he was going to give up his wish once he got it anyways.
They walked back through the gate to the middle ring of the city. The goddess led the way through the markets and paved roads, to an inn made of marble and wood covered in gold leaf. Micheal opened the door. The floor was marble, and the desk that the innkeeper stood at was made of wood covered in gold leaf. The goddess walked past the desk up the marble steps to the next floor. Micheal quickly followed behind. On the second floor, gold thread carpet lined the floor, with white walls and gold doors leading to every room. She led the way to a room, took out a key and opened the door. Inside Micheal could see two beds, with gold frames and white sheets, and a window looking out to some of the markets in the streets below.
The goddess walked to the end of the room, turned around, and faced him. She gave him an unreadable smile. "It's getting late, you should get some rest. You must meet the princess and other adventurers tomorrow."
Micheal didn't feel tired at all, but it was getting late. He sat on the bed closest to the door. The bed was incredibly soft, and when his hands touched the sheets, they felt expensive.
"What about you?" He asked.
Something flashed across her eyes. "I do not require rest."
What was that? Micheal was feeling kind of freaked out. "I'm sorry, I should've guessed." Micheal went to lay down, and a nervous feeling took hold in his stomach.
The goddess gave him a calculated smile. "When you awake I will be here to accompany you to meet the others tomorrow."
Micheal nodded. The comfort of the sheets and bed took a hold of him and sleep found him quickly.
The goddess sighed to herself. She quietly walked out of the room, down the hall, and down the stairs. The innkeeper was gone. She left the inn and began to walk. The moon was high in the sky, its light casting an ethereal glow on the city of Ghen, bringing out the white in the marble while making the gold look more silver. She strode through the streets, all the way to the gate to the inner ring. The guards were the only ones awake at this hour. They let her through, their gazes lingering upon her moonlit form. She walked some more. She walked until she was before the temple.
Handriel's temple loomed before her. The goddess stared down the statue of the woman at the top of the temple. The Angel of Beauty and Love, with her white hair and eyes, white and gold robe, and two wings curving up and outwards from her lovely figure. The moonlight almost made her seem to be wholly divine, an untouchable creature. The goddess gave a tempered smile, turned, and walked back to the inn.
On the way back, the guards' gazes lingered even longer than the first time she had gone through the gate. It must have been the moonlight, or the darkness of night, but she seemed even more of a goddess than before. Her green hair shone an even brighter and deeper green. She seemed to have grown taller, with a figure impossible for even an Angel to achieve. The gold jewelry that decorated her head to toe seemed more ornate, with detailed metal work on the surface and precious jewels laid throughout them. Her white robes seemed even more pure, and altogether she was so beautiful, the kind of beauty that hurt to look at. She could feel their gazes, and that they were longer than before. On her way out she passed a woman wearing white and gold robes. When the woman looked at her, she gasped in admiration. The goddess gave a genuine smile, as magnificent as the sun, and the woman fell to her knees.
Micheal woke up the next morning, refreshed. That bed was extremely comfortable. He took a moment to take a couple breaths. He had a dream. No, a memory. He had been working at BurgerFries for a while, and he was in his early 20s then. He was manning the register, the greasy floor sticking to the soles of his shoes, his nose numb to the smell of 24/7 fast food. The door swung open, and in walked Brett in a suit. And behind him Ashley came in. And with Ashley there was a little girl and a little boy. Micheal did a double take. He knew they were together in high school, but it had been a while. Brett looked at him, recognition flashed across his eyes.
"Oh, hey! Micheal, right?" Brett flashed a smile.
Micheal gave a weak smile back. "Hey, how are you?" Ashley and the kids came up beside Brett. She looked tired. Very tired.
"I'm great" Brett smiled, and he was. "You remember Ashley? We have kids now, isn't that crazy?"
Ashley gave a tired smile. Micheal gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Anyways, how is college treating you? We had to take a quick break for the kids, but I've been able to work for my dad which has been great!"
Micheal flinched. "Oh, I um, didn't go to college."
There was a long awkward pause. Bretts smile dimmed slightly. Ashley didn't react at all. The kids stared up at him blankly.
Micheal took another breath and let the memory float away from him. He turned towards the light spilling from the window, and he almost had another heart attack.
"Holy!" He jumped up out of bed. His heart was racing. Once he saw who it was he calmed down a bit but gave a sigh. "You scared the hell out of me. Holy crap."
The goddess laughed. She was in the exact same spot as she was yesterday. Was it just the light or did she look a little bit more, no, a lot more… Beautiful? Tall? Impossible? Divine? Divine. She looked a lot more divine, in every sense of the word. He wasn't sure if he should be feeling admiration or fear.
"Are you ready? The others are waiting." The goddess gave a genuine smile.