Taking Flight

          Rivhild and Chimes stand atop the lone tree in the field of rolling hills in which the group was traveling. “Are you sure you can do this?” Tuipa calls up. “I know you have wings, but maybe you two are more like chickens or ostriches and can’t fly!”

“Worse case scenario,” Chimes shouts back, “we are indestructible!”

“Maybe hitting the ground too hard is your one weakness!” Reioi yells next.

“One way to find out!” Chimes then immediately jumps off the tree. He spreads his wings wide, flap, flap, he soars. “I’m doing it! I’m doing it, I am flying!” He turns in the air, the largest grin of pure joy paints his face.

Rivhild looks up at him with awe. She then shuffles to the edge of the branch she is and jumps herself. She glides, flap, flap, drop. She is able to glide onto the ground, but no proper flight. Chimes lands and as Reioi is about to speak, but Rivhild interrupts; “Hold on, let me try again!” She climbs the tree again and jumps. This time is worse, Rivhild only has a few seconds of airtime before she flops into Chimes.

Chimes sits up, Rivhild laying on his lap, pouting with tears welling up in her eyes. “My goddess, are you alright?” He asks softly.

“Yeah, just upset I still can’t fly properly.” She mutters.

Tuipa kneels next to Rivhild and Chimes. She takes a look at their wings. “Hey, Rivhild, Chimes, can I feel your wings?” Both nod, so Tuipa gently touches their wings, testing the texture of their wings. “I think I know why you can’t fly properly. You still have some baby feathers, you’re still too young, even though you are older then the three of us combined.”

“Aww!” Rivhild whines. “I’ll probably have to wait another fifty years then!”

“Maybe only, like thirty?” Reioi tries to comfort her, although she fails.

The angel returns to the wind chimes, and the trio of ladies sets out. They trek across the grass covered hills. When they climb a particularly tall one, the pause and gaze over the landscape. The fields stretch out for kilometers until far off in the distance they fade into lush forest. The off in the horizon the top of a castle glimmers in the sunlight beyond the trees. The three then continues on their way. When they finally cross the field, they make their way into another forest. Not much later, they find themselves at a lake.

Rivhild walks up to the water and stares at her reflection and waves. “There is so much water, is this a sea?” She questions her companions.

Reioi shakes her head and laughs. “No, this is a lake. Seas have salt water and are much bigger, lakes have fresh water.” She sets down her axe and bag, then takes off her surcoat. “I’ll show you how to swim.” She walks into the water and holds her hand out for Rivhild.

The young goddess takes her hand and wades in the water. “It’s cold.” She watches the water ripple with every movement.

When Rivhild is waste deep in the water, Reioi let’s go over her hand. The little girl reaches out for the woman. Tuipa, now simply in her chemise that was tucked into her pants and her corset on top, holds Rivhild’s hand as Reioi starts to demonstrate how to swim. The black haired woman stands while her hands are cupped and making swimming motions in the air. “You push the water down and out, while kicking.” She walks a little deeper, then dips her head under the water and begins to swim. “Rivhild, you watching?”

“Yeah!” The girl nods.

“Just do what I do, don’t worry, Tuipa and I are right here.” Reioi swims back over and stands.

Tuipa helps Rivhild get in the right position. “Alright, I’ll hold you up.

Rivhild starts to move her hands and feet while Tuipa keeps her hands under her belly. Rivhild swims forward, she takes deeps breaths but then a smile appears on her face. Then Tuipa lets go, Rivhild dips bellow the surface. Tuipa helps her back up as the girl spits out water, Rivhild doesn't stop trying. Tuipa guides Rivhild back towards the shore, then lets go once more. Rivhild has trouble keeping her head above the water, so she changes the angle of her hands, so she is doing a doggy-paddle.

"You're doing it!" Reioi shouts with joy.

Rivhild continues to swim until she gets too close to the shore. Then she turns around and sits in the water.

"Now swim back!" Reioi calls out.

The child pulls the chimes out of her pocket and rings them. Her angel soon appears at her side. Chimes looks down at the soaked rim if his robes. He then turns his attention to Rivhild. "My goddess, is everything alright?"

"Yeah! I want you to watch me!" Rivhild then starts to doggy-paddle back to Reioi and Tuipa. When the little goddess reaches them Tuipa holds her up so she can wave back to Chimes.

"Wow! That was awesome!" Chimes calls out.

When the sun begins to set, the group gets ready for bed. They eat some turnip meals they had got from Freyiao Village. The ladies soon go to sleep while Chimes keeps watch. A few hours go by without anything interesting going on.

Chimes closes his eyes, listening to the sound of crickets, his peaceful smile drops when he notices a few in the distance silence themselves in fear. His focus is on that area, then he hears a crunch. “Armoured…human…armed.” He mutters to himself. He goes to where he knows they will emerge. He sits cross-legged and closes his eyes once more. “Five in total, four men, one woman. Proper knights, not some bandits, their footsteps are those of duty. Two approach me, while the rest hang back, just out of sight.”

The angel opens his eyes to see two knights standing in front of him a meter away, both have their weapons drawn. “You heard us coming.” One states. Chimes nods.

The other one then speaks. “We come here on behalf of Count Isateo, we are looking for the one they call ‘The Black Winged Goddess’.”

“What business do you have with her?” The angel demands.

“He means her no harm, but he would really like to speak with her.” The second one refuses to answer.

The first one speaks again. “His daughter was kidnapped by an ancient vampire.”

“Lucianu!” The second one snaps. “We aren’t supposed to tell anyone!”

Chimes’ eyes flicker behind him for a moment before he pulls his wings back in, revealing that Rivhild, Reioi and Tuipa are now awake. “We’ll go.” Rivhild tells them. “But, this better not be a trick.” She adds, making the threat clear.