The Fortress in the Clouds

EVEN IF NAOMI had not deserted the fabled fortress to her back of her mind, she would have never imagined the architectural design to be so grand.

Before they were even near where the fortress was, Naomi could already see the high turrets towering over them, casting a shadow with the moon beaming eerily from behind. Faint flickering lights dotted some of the windows that lined the high towers and every once in a while, Naomi thought that she would see a shadow pass by.

The fortress was hidden within the clouds, built on one of the highest mountains in the region. Surrounded by such lush greenery, there was no such thing as light pollution for miles. Just because of that, the stars that glistened in the high heavens had never seemed so bright. They looked just like all the precious jewels in the world had been collected onto one inky black canvas.

In comparison, Naomi’s own artistic depiction of the fortress from a distance seemed dull and lack of life for she could never capture the light of the stars.

“It’s beautiful,” Naomi gasped, clutching the ends of her sleeves tightly in anticipation.

“This?” Argus snorted ungracefully and beside him, even Rayner seemed to be rolling its eyes. “At night, the fortress looks nothing more than a pile of junk. You should see it in the day. Under the golden sunlight, you will be able to see the colorful flowery vines that curl up the turrets and the grand stones that the fortress is made of. I guess I should just stop boasting and let you judge it for yourself, huh?”

At his words, Naomi could barely even manage a nod. Instead, she simply continued to stare at the fortress with her jaw hung wide open and eyes nearly popping out of its sockets.

Although the fortress was drenched in a blanket of dark, it was still a grand sight to behold. Naomi could not even begin to imagine how it must seem like in the morning up close when the sun is at its peak.

In her mind, she silently wondered to herself why was it that she was so willing to follow a stranger to a strange place down a strange path. It seemed so unlike her to do such a thing.

From young, Naomi was forced to learn to be an adult. She was prepared to take over the household like a dutiful wife; to clean, to cook, to take care of her children and to be careful of other men other than her husband. Yet, she was following someone she barely knew into the dark to chase after what used to be an imaginary castle.

‘Be reasonable, Naomi. It’s been years since you helped this boy. It might not even be him. He could be tricking you! Monsters dwell in the woods at night.’ There it was again. The cautious voice in her mind warned her but Naomi was quick to push it to the back of her mind.

‘If I were to die, I will die chasing my dreams and not someone else’s,’ she argued to herself. ‘It is time for my life to belong to myself instead of other people.’

“Lowlander?” Argus suddenly asked, snapping Naomi back into reality. Quickly, she spun around to meet his gaze, her bright blue eyes clashing with his forest green ones. “Are you okay?”

This time, Naomi allowed herself to smile as brightly as she could. All the pent up excitement of an eight-year-old child began to bubble back to the surface of the now sixteen-year-old’s skin. It was time to take back the childhood she had lost.

“I have never been better, highlander.”