Chapter 27 Chapter 26

Chapter 27 Chapter 26
CHAPTER 26

CAELON

The horizon was split with the golden line, a tell tale of the sun that is coming out behind the ranges. 

“Go on, get dress. Pick your favourite flowers and meet me down by the river.”

“There is a river here?”

“Of course. You don’t expect me to conjure water out of thin air, do you? That is simply unacceptable with the rules of the realm.” Aila shrugged her shoulders, her hand still caressing the dress. “It is behind the dome. You can easily spot it because of the lilies, it will be impossible for you to not see them. And oh! You never need to look for me, since I will be waiting there for you by the riverbank, as I have been in the past.” I cringed at how I sound so sweet and blushed as Aila marveled at me, her eyes glazed. 

“Stop acting like a fool that fell in love, my dearest Aila.”

She snapped out of her trance as I clear my throat. 

It is the Cupid side of me that’s working here and Aila is vulnerable like all humans are as they couldn’t help but fall on my charms. I smirked at Aila who she quickly marched down the hill, nervous at first before she relaxed, swaying slightly as though she was dancing to a song. 

I sighed and headed at the opposite direction where the hill dips down to a river. I took some lilies and tie them together, settling them inside the baskets before letting them float on the water, using them to form a broken circle in the middle. The full bloom rose by the river bank swayed and I gingerly plucked a few of them and put it on a basket along with some wool where I can put the ring on.

Satisfied, I headed back inside the dome with the basket on my waist and took the worn out leather bag from the side of the carousel before going outside. I gulped as I headed down the dome, pushing the pots and vases and laying the bag on top of my work table. I opened the bag, pulling the light cotton-like material. 

I have heard from Emyr that clouds can be manipulated in the ancient times and made into a garment. I ran my hands on it and smiled, sighing as I removed my clothes before draping it on my body, holding it in place with the loose thread from the golden fleece. I fixed the strings on my shoulder and rummaged for the small box from the depths of the bag, holding it in the palm of my hand. I opened it, smiling tenderly at the pair of rings.

The gold glistened against the lack of sunlight and the diamond in the middle perfectly fits the mouth of the carved rose. It was simple and perfect and I know that Aila will love it. I caressed the rings before settling them inside the basket. 

The hike down the hill leading to the river is quite short and I easily reached the edge where I lay the basket on a rock. I decided to wander to the other side, spying on Aila as she gathered the ivies. I sneaked at her, interrupting her as I said, “I think that’s more than enough for a bouquet.” 

Aila frowns, turning so that she can glare at me, her wild ginger hair flying about as the wind blew. “Well, we have to make use of the flowers one way or another, don’t we? I am only going to be married like this so, don’t spoil my fun, Caelon!”

I let out a chuckle, walking back to the other side of the river. I waited for her by the riverbank with my feet growing colder as I skimmed the soft pebbles that lined the edges of the river. 

I took the rose basket, dipping my toes as soon as I see Aila walking down the hill that leads to the river, golden veil now covering her face from me. She slowly waded through the water, giggling for she has stumbled a couple of times and by the time she has reached me, her clothes was drenched to her waist when in reality, the water is barely reaching my knees. 

“It is quite slippery,” she whispered and I grabbed her hand, taking us to the middle of the circle made from the basket of lilies. 

“The river is enchanted to maintain the same depth – it won’t go deeper as we wade through, nor dry up, so don’t you worry about anything at all,” I tightened my hands on hers and we glanced up at the sun as it shines at us, the sweet morning air blowing her hair. 

I tucked her hair beneath her ear and took a deep breath.

“I , Caelon Eros Rouen, First of the Cupid, a marked Dieoublie, take thee, Aila Francesca Hearthrowe to be my significant half, forever – in this life and the next , thee, the sister of my soul, my light and my love. To thee, I promise to share my life, my difficulties and happiness, my sadness and joy, my moments of peril, of damnation and vow to protect thee from any harm that may come – this, I declare to the gods, with the mountains and the river as the witness of my love – my salvation,” I bowed my head in front of Aila, dipping it so low before I raised it, looking at her as I slipped the ring on her right ring finger. 

I felt her hand caressing my cheeks and I looked up to see the shadow of her smile from the veil, “I, Aila Francesca Hearthrowe, Cupid the seventeenth, transformed  human, take thee, Caelon Eros Rouen, to be my significant half, forever. In this life and the next, thee, the sister of my soul, my rock and my strength. To thee, I promise to never forget, whatever happens –“ Aila’s face is almost visible as her tears stained the veil, and she tightened her hand on mine, her voice breaking. “To share my dreams, my hopes and my wishes, to spend the rest of my days with moments of happiness and sadness. I vow to Hades that I will come back to you, my Caelon, in whatever means, in whatever time – to love and to cherish, forever. This I declare to the gods, with the sky and the sun as witness to my love, my salvation.” Aila shakily pushed the ring on my right hand, her shoulders trembling.

I never wasted a moment more as I moved the veil and leaned in close so that I can kiss her, fervently, anxious that her hours has finally come to an end and she will be snatched away from me. 

I felt restless as I take her; my lips probably bruising hers, my hands roaming around her body – shaking so bad that I have to breathe in and out, slowing them down while I pulled away from her. 

“Come on.”

She quietly followed me up the hill and we settled by the meadow where the violets and daisies bloom. I caressed her face and pulled her down so that she was sitting on my lap. I wrapped my arms around her.

“You’ll never forget me?” I asked her, knowing that it is lame and pointless  for all souls that Hades has taken will not remember their past as he possessed their memories, eventually making them forget about their loved ones.

“I won’t.” 

Her voice sounded so sure that I want to believe it, however unlikely as it seems. I want to hang to that false hope – that Hades will forget about the bargain or just ask for seven white cows and seven white lambs instead. My tears fell and I cried harder as she held out her hand to wipe my tears – revealing the number of hours etched on her wrist.

An hour.

An hour at most. What shall we do with that remaining time? Cuddle? Kiss? There’s so many things I wanted to ask her, too many things I wanted to know about her – why does she prefer the colour green over red? Why does she open the fridge slowly and close it fast? How can she manage not to snore even when her mouth is wide open when she sleeps? And how can she even manage to tolerated certain heights but be afraid of riding the plane?

There is a lot more that I wanted to ask her – an hour is simply far too short to ask these questions for me to figure her out more. I felt like I would need a day – no – make it a month, or a decade or better yet, a millennia for me to feel like I have really spent some time to know her better. 

I cannot speak. 

I cannot even open my mouth as she looks at me, her hands on the sides of my face asking, “Why are you crying, Caelon? Please, tell me, please. Stop crying, please, I beg you…” She pecked my lips, putting her head on the hollow my neck, making me cry harder, “Please stop crying, Caelon, I don’t know what to do!”

I smooth her wild red hair and threaded my fingers through them, thinking about how I will miss it, miss her, the untamable rouge that took my breath away. I nuzzled my nose in her hair and sniffed – how can I let her go when her scent alone resembles the smell of the flowers of the field?

I’ll never survive a day without her, I swear. 

I tried to compose myself, wiping my tears furiously, willing myself to stop crying so I can speak,” What do you want to talk about, Aila?” 

Sge lifted her head off the side of my neck and adjusted herself so that she was leaning on my shoulder, looking up at me with her puffy green eyes, “Can you tell me how our future will be if we were normal?”

“Oh.”

Her question caught me off guard that I choke back on a tear. Aila rubs her head on my neck and whispered, “It would’ve been nice to live in a cottage here in the field.” I let her talk, committing her voice in my memory as I listened to her, “The river bank is a good place to spend the afternoon summers and maybe then, you would teach me how to swim.” 

She smiled at me and I love how it made my heart skip a beat.

“Would you like to have a child with me, given the chance?” I whispered, my chin resting on top of her head. “Yes, but not after the wedding. I would like us to live like a couple and enjoy ourselves for two years before committing ourselves to a snot that looks just like me but acts like you.” I chuckled, glad that she is cheering me up when it should be me who is comforting her. 

“And maybe, we’ll get a cat and name him Ripple because he will be better than Emyr’s cat. Stupid Gust!” She exclaimed before yawning widely, tracing her fingers on my hand as she slowly grew silent.

“What are you thinking about?”

“The heavens – the gods – of how they are so cruel; how they have punished us greatly in the past and let us meet again to suffer the same tragedy.” I felt her tears on my chest which made me pull away slightly, lifting her chin up with my finger. 

“I wish you were human, Caelon. I wish we were normal.”

“I wish so, too.”

“Will they give us another chance, perhaps, to meet as normal humans for the third time?”

“I don’t know.” I replied, not wanting to give her some false hope because I don’t want her to wish upon something that won’t happen. 

“I wish they’ll be able to hear me, Caelon, because my love for you will never fade – even if Hades takes me, I will never stop loving you.” Her body shakes as she sobbed on my shoulders. I pat her back, trying to comfort her as I tried to distract her away from this thoughts. 

“It’s never good to dwell to this depressing thoughts, Aila. Let me tell you some good things instead so you better listen to the story I am about to tell.” I felt her nod on my neck so I began. 

“There was a girl, with beautiful red curls like yours, untamable and true with eyes that drive me crazy, making me loose my sanity. She was very pretty and every night, I wish to see her again in my dreams. Soon, I was driven impatient with such a strong desire of seeing her, of talking to her, of holding her. I lost the thrill of seeing her only in my dreams and I longed to see her in flesh and bone and so, I set out to search the earth for hundreds of years, upturn any remote places that she might be hiding in – all the while begging the heavens, the gods, to grant me the most beautiful gift which is her. I may have end up unfortunate for my prayers fell to deaf ears and my attempts remain futile – it made me frustrated. Though, when I finally decided to stop my search and ignore my beliefs about her existence, she has arrived, knocking on my window. She showed me how great it felt to be loved and –“

“Caelon?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you,” I looked down, not believing how soft and sensitive her words are, driving me mute.

Aila’s eyes were open but they are not seeing – it remains open, unblinking. Her face is contorted with sadness but her lips are slightly pulled in the sides as though she have tried to smile, knowing that it is futile. 

My vision became blurry all of a sudden before the sound of a wounded animal filled my ears, making it almost impossible for me to believe that the sound came from me. My heart felt so heavy as I cried over her, my hands caressing her face, “No, no, no!”

Her body started shimmering until she started to fade away.

“Aila? Aila, please, stay!” I hold unto her wrist, trying to stop her from fading away but I couldn’t. “No, please. Please!”

Half of her body has already faded with the wind and as I blink, she was gone. 

“No! Aila, no…no, please. Aila!” I got to my feet and impatiently searched the field, calling out her name. 

Maybe she’s just hiding.

“Aila!” My throat is sore as I sobbed, crying my heart out. 

The sudden change of dawn to morning promising a beautiful day, felt like an insult to how I am feeling right now. How I wish it will rain so that it can wash my tears away and let the cold air numb the pain in my chest.

My tears halted as the sun was high up, my shadow not to be seen and I have resigned myself to just lying down on the meadow where she has left – still hoping for her to go back here and tell me that she was just joking. I felt the hush of the wind as it blew on my cheeks, his presence familiar to me even before I see him. 

“Emyr,”

“Caelon – why?” He watched me as I scrambled to my feet and crawled towards him, eyes wild and hands shaking as I held at the ends of his coat. 

“Help me find the arrow, Emyr, help me.” Emyr bites his lip as he assessed me with his bright purple eyes. He touched the top of my head before he sighs, pulling his hand away so that he can plunge it inside the depth of his chest pocket. 

“You need not to find it, Caelon, for it is here.” I quickly stood on my trembling legs, snatching the arrow from his hand as I look at it. 

“Will it still do what it os intended to do, just like in the past?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will it end me? Kill me?” Emyr stared at me, hard; his purple narrowed. He shakes his head.

“No. I am afraid it won’t. It will just make you human is all because of the trade.” My heart thudded fast in my chest as I hear his words. 

Does it mean that I’ll be able to –

“I know what you are thinking about, Caelon, and I won’t let you. I cannot let you risk it for Hades has taken her!”

“Yes, he did, but he took her body, Emyr. He did not even leave a single hair -it was as though she has ceased to exist! He took her –“

“Then, you are betting on her being alive and well? That she was brought somewhere, made to forget, just like all the other banished? That all of this was a hoax?”

“Yes!”

“So, what do you plan on doing, exactly? Tell me.”

“I’ll take the arrow and pierce my heart with it – like I did in the past. Yet this time, I asked for no one to interfere – let my Cupid side and Dieoublie part, die.”

Emyr’s hands twitched at my word that he barely nodded his head as he trained his eyes on the ground, grumbling under his breath. 

“I will find her, Emyr. Once I succeeded and I ended up alive, please find me and provide me anything that I would need – but! Yes, there is a but. Please, be discreet about it. I want to live like a human, not a god.” 

Emyr nodded once again, before he interrupted. 

“But what if your plan has failed, shall I intervene?”

“Of course, but not too soon.” I tightened my hold on the arrow, fixing my eyes at Emyr as I raised the arrow, “Remember what I told you, Emyr, and heed my orders even if it is for the last time.” 

With those words, I plunged the arrow on my chest.

It felt like a thousand elephants has stumbled over me, each of them weighing over a ton, trampling over my body but mostly my chest. I gasped. The torturr was soon replaced by the white hot pain blossoming from my chest, licking my skin. 

It was all I could ever think of until my mind shifted to her – her smile, her face, her laugh.

I am being pulled out of the suffering and slowly, I began to feel, being conscious of my surrounding. 

I can feel the cold air on my skin – it felt gentle and comforting, soothing my tortured body. 

The smell of the earth getting wet, infiltrated my nose as a few drops of water wet my face – was it raining?

My hands moved upon their own accord as I groped around like a blind man. I gasped as I felt the soil under me – where am I? 

Am I still back at the field, surrounded by the numerous flowers I had grown and cultivated over the years of my suffering?

I stretched out of my fetal position and opened my eyes, noticing the red bushes that is in front of me - pretty little peonies blocking my vision.

Huh?

“Ohayo gozaimasu!” 

My ears tingled at the foreign language I have heard. Did I just transported myself in a field back in Japan? But then, I am pretty sure that I have pierced my chest with the arrow.

Did I die and this is the heaven I ended up with? If it is, then gods can have an afterlife? I frown, another question bubbling inside my mind – if this is heaven then, they speak Japanese in heaven? 

I tried to rake my brains, preparing a phrase I shall say. I wonder if I can ask them about how I can go back to earth and find my Aila. Shaking my head, I decided to sit up, noticing that the rain was actually getting stronger.

“Hayaku, Hayaku, let’s go!” 

My heartbeat picks up as I hear her voice. Oh Zeus, I think, I really am in heaven. 

Bracing myself, I turned at the direction of her voice, facing her, quite surprise as she is. 

“Aila?”

“Ah! An outsider,” I quickly pushed myself on my feet, aware of my barefooted stance and wild eyes. Aila screams once again, taking a step back as she screams, “Ah! Baka, baka.” 

“No, Aila, I am not baka. I am not crazy, look-“ I tried to hold her arm but she only takes a step back, eyes wide as she crossed her arms, glaring at me. 

I almost laughed – she is definitely my Aila.  

She held out her hand, trembling as she speaks, “Stay away, don’t touch me!” she turns and ran the opposite direction. 

I chased after her but soon, I moved out of the way as a couple of guys started to chase me. 

Well, it might have been an awkward encounter but I’m pretty certain that we will have so much fun as the days go by. 

I just have to find a way to make my Aila, mine again.