A Long Journey Home

Chapter 4

Cato woke early the next morning, but didn't stir. He sorted through all that had happened, like paper in a box, trying to figure out how he felt about it. 

Although he couldn't hear her, he knew that Perdita was asleep in the next room. He would have to get up, and make her breakfast, ensure she was dressed appropriately for the training ahead... He couldn't help but consider, again, if he was suited for this role. She had chosen him to be her guardian, but did she really know what that meant? It would be hard to make her change the way she thought of him, but even she should know that their current relationship wouldn't last in this new dynamic. 

With a quiet sigh, he pulled himself to his feet, quietly dressed, and slipped from his room. He slowly nudged her door open as he passed, relieved to find her sleeping soundly in the small bed. He would need to get a new one, but because he hadn't been expecting her to move in so suddenly, she'd had to sleep on the spare, which was old, and creaked at the slightest touch. 

He began cooking silently, his eyes distant but his mind still quite slow and empty. 

When he finished cooking, and served the ham and eggs onto the table, he strode down the hall to knock on her door. 

She was still asleep, to his surprise, so he considered the best way to wake her. He began by pulling her curtains open, flinching slightly from the spider who had made its home in the window frame, since he'd last used the room. He clapped the dust from his hands, suddenly ashamed of having let a child sleep here, and loudly announced his presence. 

"Rise and Shine, kiddo. Got a long day ahead of us."

Perdita grumbled a reply, pulling her blanket over her eyes. Cato chuckled, tugging lightly on her red hair. Eventually, she rolled over to wave him away, then jumped, surprised that it was him at her bedside, and not one of the elders. She pulled the sheets closer to her, as though they could protect her, until she remembered the day before. 

"Oh, morning, Cato," She muttered, pushing her blanket away and slipping out of bed, "We starting training today?"

Cato nodded, guiding her to breakfast, "This morning I'll be taking you up to the temple, for your first ritual. Then, this afternoon, we'll work on that room of yours. Even one night in that dust is pushing it, and you have a right to make it feel a bit more like home. That'll probably take all afternoon, then Ari's coming over for dinner so we'll make something nice."

Perdita nodded at this plan as she started eating. She couldn't help watching him as he washed the last of the dishes and came to join her. Something was off...

Cato paused, mid-bite, to frown at her, "What?"

Perdita tilted her head, "You look different today. Like, the way you're sitting."

Cato glanced down at himself, realising what she meant. They rarely ate together, but she had easily noticed the way he sat back in his chair, his hands tucked neatly in his lap unless in use, and his eyes always downcast. Today, however, he was leaning forward, his elbows resting on the table. To Perdita, he looked much more confident, and was clearly the dominant force in the room. Perdita had always thought of him as a sibling, in a near equal level, but here she was suddenly reminded of how much older he really was. He was in a completely different stage of life, which she wouldn't experience for many years to come. 

Perdita suddenly looked back at her food, "Nothing. Nevermind."

Cato sighed, resting his fork on his plate, "Look, things aren't going to be the same. Surely you knew that when you chose me? We aren't friends anymore. I'm responsible for you, and from now on anything that you do reflects back on me; Positive and negative. Both of us have to be more mature now." When Perdita didn't reply, he took her hand in his across the table, "We'll get used to it soon. Things are changing, but they always do. Nothing stays the same forever, and it's up to us to look to the future with optimism." 

Perdita paused, then smiled at him, squeezing his hand in reply. 

Cato stopped at the top of the stairs, watching Perdita with amusement. She was leaning against the stone wall, breathing heavily. 

"How much... further...?" She panted, running a hand through her hair. She had put it up in pigtails after breakfast, but the wind had been so strong as they climbed the mountain, half of it had come out in knotted clumps. 

Cato trotted back down to meet her, holding back the chuckle. He pulled her hair lose and worked the knots out while she rested.

When she questioned it, he simply replied, "You ought to look your best, when you present yourself to the goddess for the first time, don't you think?" 

Perdita suddenly perked up, "I get to meet the goddess? Already?"

Cato laughed, pulling her hair back into the pigtails, "No, silly. Only the elders can talk with her. but she will see you, and she will judge you today."

"Well if I'd known that, I'd have worn my nice dress today," Perdita grumbled. 

"And climb a mountain?" He reminded her, "I wish you good luck with that."

When she finally reached the top of the stairs, her jaw fell open. 

At first it seemed as though they were standing inside the mountain, but then she realised that large chunks of the walls had been broken away, giving room for a breathtaking view over the town to the west, and the surrounding forest to the north and south. 

Inside the cave, however, was more splendid than anything Perdita had ever seen. The temple was build out of smooth stone, with four pillars, decorated with runes in the ancient language. Atop each pillar was a bright flame, which Cato said had supposedly been burning since the founding of the village, thousands of years ago. The most impressive feature, however, was the lava.

When Perdita approached the temple, she saw two stone platforms raised in a pool of lava on each side of the temple. She stared as Cato made his way around the temple and stepped onto the platform. He lowered himself, careful to not let his coat touch the burning liquid below, then waited, watching her expectantly. 

"Don't worry," he reassured her, "As long as you don't touch it, you're fine. We come here to heal sometimes. The heat gives us strength."

Perdita took a deep breath before gathering her skirt around her knees and stepping onto the platform. The lava was the warmest she'd ever been, and she found herself relaxing slightly. She glanced at Cato, and he began the ritual.