Future Destiny

Mountain peaks thrust into a dark sheet of cloud, a wild storm swayed the snow in all directions yet settled nowhere. A treacherous landscape, beyond anyone's reach - and still one creature stood at its summit. At an ancient entrance between the crafted pillars that crowned the mountain, the blurry figure did not move, nor did anything on it move. Flashes of thunder revealed its bright flesh and menacing visage for a split second. Another flash struck the summit, crumbling its peak. As the ground shook, the statue broke its oath of stillness and instantly appeared in front of my face.

I hoped there was a hidden message behind this. Waking at this hour and wasting my parents' candle could get me into trouble. I couldn’t risk forgetting it, but who could I talk to about it?

"What do you think, Ruu?" I whispered to my pet kitten as he crawled around on my lap.

"Mrrr meow," Ruu replied cheerfully as he continued his crawling.

"You're right, we should head back to sleep, but this time do not leave me or I will have strange dreams like this again, all right, Ruu?" I asked him as we walked back to my bed.

Tomorrow… who should I turn to…? Maybe the priest will know something about the mountain woman; he is a very knowledgeable man and there must be a book about it somewhere. At least, I hope so… This has really thrown me out of my sleep cycle. Never have I been shaken from slumber like that. At least Ruu's soft fur was there to cling to; he always protected me when I needed him.

As the darkness of sleep approached, a face slowly crawled right before me; though blurry, its mouth moved and it spoke. The words this figure chanted to me… "You are the one… join me… the God calls for you…" Each word had a strange, charming aura - irresistible.

The curtains split apart and glistening sunlight flooded my face, burning my light, frail skin. A light morning breeze brushed my hair and cooled me down. The harmonic chirping brought me back to the real world.

"It is time to wake up, miss," said the housemaid. "It is already late in the morning; breakfast is ready. Please let me dress you quickly," she added.

"Yes, of course, I’ll get up now - sorry, Casilda." I replied as I began to move out of bed.

"No worries. Come, let's get this sorted quickly," she answered while picking out an outfit from my wardrobe.

Casilda always did her best to help me. Though I didn’t make it easy for her, she took care of me as if she were my actual mother, since mine was usually absent.

"Now, Miss Roza, put your arms up, please," she requested kindly as she removed my sleeping gown and dressed me in a breast-girdle, undergarments and a light white dress. "Let’s get going for breakfast now, shall we?" she added, putting away my sleeping gown.

With a nod, we ate the spectacular breakfast she had prepared. As I bit into my bread, I tried to recall what had happened last night: the strange dreams, the strange figure that appeared. Wait, I am forgetting something really important - what was it I heard after I went to sleep again? I knew I had heard a voice, but what was it? My mind suddenly went blank and all other thoughts fell away; the bread dropped from my hand. This face… A blurry visualisation slowly rendered in my mind, very vague, but the words - something about God wanting me?

What do I do with this? If God wants me, does that mean I will die? Am I supposed to join the church? I don't understand.

"Casilda…" I quietly called out.

"What is it, Miss Roza?" she softly asked as she knelt down to my height.

"What would you do if you had a dream where something says that God wants you?" I asked, unsuspecting.

"Well, Miss Roza, I would most likely go see the head priest of the town. He will be able to guide me on the right path so I can be closer to God."

"Is the head priest a good man?"

"If he weren't, I wouldn't trust him. Would you like to go with me? Take a look for yourself, Miss Roza?"

"Yes, please, if you could, Casilda."

"Finish eating; I will prepare some clothes for you to wear and we can head out. I will use that as an opportunity to buy some fresh vegetables for dinner today," she replied with a smile as she patted my head while getting up.

"Thank you," I told her as my shivering hand grabbed the bread back from the table.

Casilda took me to my dressing room, picked a few dresses and gave me the option to choose. In the end I chose a white-and-silver dress, considering the purpose of this outing was to find out the truth.

"Are you ready to head out, Miss Roza?" Casilda asked with her hand on the door, preparing to open it.

"Yes," I replied with a rough smile.

I gripped Casilda as we walked down towards the town square. The head priest was usually at the main church in the centre of the town; hopefully it would not be too busy.

We continued along the path towards the church. As we passed through the main centre of the village, I couldn't help but notice the crowd gathered around the area. I tightened my arms around Casilda, afraid of the dangers that might lurk.

Many eyes turned to my dress - they had probably never seen a noble pass through this district. I tightened my grip on Casilda and closed my eyes.

"Miss Roza? Are you okay?" Casilda asked, noticing my distress.

"I-I'm scared… of the outside world…" I stuttered, and tears slipped down my cheeks.

Casilda stopped and looked at me with a reassuring expression. She knelt and comforted me with a motherly hug.

"It's okay, it's okay, Miss Roza. I'm here, don't worry now. You won't get in danger, trust me," she gently patted my back.

"R-really?" I replied, tears on my face.

"Really." Casilda wiped the tears from my eyes and rubbed my head.

After I calmed, she took my hand and stayed close as we left the town centre. We finally made it through the busy streets of Tesialyrodi and reached the front gates of the church.

"See? I told you we wouldn't get in danger, Miss Roza," Casilda said with an assuring expression.

I nodded in response, grateful to be taken care of by her. She placed her right hand on the doorknob of the massive door leading into the church.

As Casilda pushed the door aside, the atmosphere changed the moment I stepped into the holy place. I saw the head priest standing in the middle of the church, looking at the altar. I held Casilda's hand and cautiously stood behind her while watching the head priest.

"We aren't disturbing, are we?" Casilda asked respectfully.

The priest did not say a word; he raised one arm and pointed toward the benches. Casilda guided me and we followed the head priest's instruction. My eyes locked on him with each step we took to the bench. After a few moments he finally moved from his stone-like stance and bowed.

"So, what pleasure do I have in seeing you two?" the head priest asked as he came towards us.

"Miss Roza said she wanted to meet you; she had something she wanted to talk about," Casilda replied, bowing her head as he approached.

"Oh? Well, I am pleased to meet you, little Miss Défteros!" he said, looking at me.

"Please, Miss Roza, feel free to say whatever you want to say."

"Well… uhm." Something held my words back. "When I…" I didn't know why, "I saw…"

"What is it, little miss? Don't be afraid to say anything; we're under God's protection here," the priest encouraged.

"Miss Roza had a dream. A dream where God was calling out for her. Isn't that right?" Casilda stepped in, saying what she recalled from this morning.

"Y-yes…" I answered quietly.

"Oh, good Heavens! What a miracle that is!" the head priest cried in shock. "Please, little miss, come with me - this is a revelation for us and our future!" He took my and Casilda's hands and led us toward the altar.

"Your sign was found. I will live up to your expectations. I will not disappoint you!" he bellowed, his voice filling the church as he stared at a statue behind the altar.

What was happening? Casilda looked as shocked as I felt. What did he mean by "expectations"? What would happen to me?