Coming Back Down

Thirteen

    "~It all starts here, with a rush of blood to the head, and I feel no fear, and nothing's happening yet.~" My voice carried with my ukulele as I sat on the open window sill. With the forest below and the cold breeze nipping my nose, I finally had a real break from training with Alquin and learning with Pocono. "~You pull me in, I'm doing things I never would do. My pulse, racing, I'm coming alive with you.~"

  The early morning sun was peeking over the horizon, so it would soon begin to warm up, but right now the sky was cast with so many colors that I would dislike seeing them leave. However, I knew they would be back the next morning, and that made me feel better.

  "~Free fall with me, get a little unruly. No guts, no glory.~" My fingers strummed over the strings, remembering the notes ingrained into my memory despite how old they were. "~You said to me, 'Get a little unruly. No guts, no glory.' You got me....skydiving! You got me....high flying! Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh. Never stop, never slow down- Skydiving!~" Looking out over the forest, I honestly couldn't quite describe how I felt not being out in the wilderness sleeping in a tree. It could be summed up as refreshing, I guess, but it didn't quite feel right.

  "~I'll take the leap, without a parachute, 'cause I can't keep my hands away from you. And I'm all in- It's too late to turn around. Adrenaline is taking my body now.~" Taking a breath, I was ready for the next line. "~Free fall with me, get a little unruly. No guts, no glory. You got me....skydiving! You got me....high flying! Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh. Never stop, never slow down- Skydiving!~" Shifting my fingers on the ukulele, I continued to sing with the notes as they filled the air.

  "~I'm going down, down, down, down! I'm going down, down, down, down! I'm going down, down, down, down! I'm going....skydiving! Boy, you're leaving a mark on me, diving into me so slowly. Always making it so easy to convince me. Boy, you're leaving a mark on me, diving into me so slowly. Always making it so easy to convince me. You got me....skydiving! You got me....high flying! Oh, I'm jumping off of the world now, uh. Never stop, never slow down- Skydiving!~" And I nearly fell off of the window sill since I suddenly saw a figure standing in the room. Grabbing the window to keep from falling, I glared.

  "You know, I don't think the forest down there would be a very cushiony landing for me." I popped off while draping my legs back into the building.

  "Then don't lean out of the window."

  "How about knocking? Privacy is still a thing here, right?" The man chuckled while taking a few steps closer.

  "I knocked, but there was no answer. Plus, I am the king, remember?" Roan raised his brows at me while smirking.

  "And I'm Pakstoka, remember? If I didn't like the ukulele so much, I'd throw it at you." I held up the instrument while rising to my feet and walking over to a chair to set it down.

  "Lucky me." He said in a joking manner. "But the reason I'm here has to do with-"

  "Alquin or Pocono?" Cutting him off, I crossed my arms while standing a few feet from the tall man. "Is it a complaint or a compliment?"

  "Neither, actually. If you would let me finish, you'd know that I was going to say, 'The reason I'm here has to do with your inability to ride a horse.'" Roan crossed his arms over his broad chest while looking down at me. "I have some time, so I'm taking you riding. It'll also let you get an idea of Azgeda's territory." There was a quiet pause before I started laughing.

  "You can't be serious! No thank you, I'm fine with them as long as I'm not on them." Waving my hand, he raised a brow at my gesture.

  "Horses are our fastest way of movement. You'll need to learn to ride."