Love Beneath The Moon

Chapter 16 - Aurora

In the morning, Aurora awoke to the sound of Maynard's uneasy breathing. He seemed to be having a bad dream, so Aurora woke him up. Upon the horizon, she could see the sun rising, casting a warm glow to the Temple grounds. Now it was Maynard's God, the Lord Sun who is in charge.

"Are you alright?"

Maynard whos breaths came in heavy puffs said "I think I just dreamt of them."

"Them?" Aurora's curiosity danced like starlight in her eyes.

"These Gods!" Maynard declared as he stood. Aurora rose up, staring at those beautiful eyes of him "You are right about them! Every single word! These Gods are the architects of Vistarion, building it with their very hands!"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I was thrown away into the past, witnessing our history unfold!" Maynard ran to one of the statue.

"I saw him!" Maynard pointed at Hagir "In my dreams, he guided King Ivaun to invade this lands!"

Maynard ran to the other statue, and Aurora was in the verge of tears. These things are common among Iceborns. To be blessed with visions and dreams upon holy grounds were part of their religious customs. Joy flooded her as she recognized the Gods' choice to bless Maynard.

"And then, this old man appeared!" Maynard indicated Freilos. "Everything turned to ice, and all life withered away." He hurried to the next statue. "But then he arrived, helping to establish Vistarion!" This time, Vahn was the focus of his reverence. "Then this guy, he ushered in prosperity!" The final statue, Darius.

All throughout, Aurora was cheering. "You were right about them, Aurora!" Maynard's joy was boundless as he raced to her, lifting her aloft with a joyful twirl. In that brief moment, their eyes locked in a wordless, enchanting communion. Maynard's joyful laughter echoed through the morning.

"You were blessed by them!" She said "My people will say you were touched!"

Maynard chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I was."

Aurora was looking at his lips and they were inviting. No, she thought to herself as she moved away.

"You know what, let me go hunt some food." She said.

Aurora left Maynard, leaving behind her sword and scabbard but taking the knife with her. The Temple's majesty it had last night was gone. It was immense and terrifying under the glow of the moonlight, but the sunlight made it dull and gray, and old. The broken bridge of the Temple was now more clearer and scarier. She could see how deep the moat around the Temple actually was. It was filled with pointy stones and rustling water beneath.

The wooden bridge that joined the broken stone bridge was more scarier at day. She could see how unsafe it was. Aurora braved through and crossed it nonetheless. She opened the large iron gates of the Temple's outer walls and traced the reel where the moat had drawn it's water from. She went there to catch some fish.

Aurora crouched by the edge of the river, the cool breeze tousling her hair as she prepared her long stick to catch some fish. She has taken the stick awhile ago and sharpened it with the knife. The water below was clear, revealing the darting movements of the trout and salmons. She stood below the river bank, the cold morning current rushing through her lower legs. A few fishes came and she skewered them swiftly.

As she stood there, she couldn't help but think about Maynard and his visions. It was rare for someone outside of the Iceborns to experience such visions, and she wondered what it meant for him. Was he truly blessed by the Gods? She wondered. It was what her people would say, but he's a Vistari Lord, not an Iceborn Man. Or was there something else behind it?