Chapter 40: Chapter 40

‘Galahad... Why did I call him that?’ Shia frowned immediately. She was caught by surprise as she spoke her words to Mage Silas earlier.

“You knew my answer all along, Galahad...”

Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind, a memory that seemed to be coming not from her own but from the deepest corners of someone else’s mind.

‘Could it be... Freya?’

The memory came to Shia as if she was an outsider seeing everything that was happening around. A slim, fair girl with golden, flowing tresses was sitting amongst the court, looking downcast. The crowd murmured around as a group of serious-looking elders convened in one corner. Suddenly, the leader of the court pounded his large fist at the golden table.

“Silence! The Head Gods have decided. Now, we will deliver the verdict. For the crime of abetting the dark deeds of the Ancient Evil, Sirion de Luca, we pronounce you, Freya Leyla Ava, Goddess of Light, guilty of all charges. You will be stripped away of your divine titles, and you will be banished from Teotroly forever so long as the Gods of the World Remain in their seats of power.

Several muscular guards started to pick her up from her seat. The golden-haired girl did not budge, and she started to speak.

“Head Gods, I recognize my crimes and I accept your verdict; but if you may allow me to speak first: I know of a way to help defeat the Ancient Evil,” she cried desperately.

“Pray, speak, child!”

“I-I offer myself as bait. Let me go down on earth and kill the Ancient Evil. It was true I did not know his real intentions when he asked for a share in my powers, but I can see now the magnitude of what I have done. Allow me, Head Gods! Allow me to be the one to kill Sirion de Luca. Let him die at my hands!”

“No, Freya!”

The golden-haired girl – Freya – turned her gaze to the owner of the voice: a well-built, muscular man with comely tangled curls. Held firmly by the guards at the court, he started to thrash violently at his seat as Freya started to present her plan to the court. “No, Freya, don’t do it! Don’t!”

“Galahad... I’m sorry... I’m so sorry I betrayed your trust!... I’m sorry I fell in love with Sirion and chose him over you on the day of our wedding! Now, I know I was wrong...”

“Silence!” the leader shouted once more. “Freya, do you really intend to kill Sirion? You are, after all, his lover...”

“Yes, Lord Heedra! This was my entire fault! I have given him access to the power of light. Now, he could possess humans and take over their souls. Stripping me of my titles is not enough of a punishment. I implore you to send me down on earth. Let me kill him! Let me be the one to stop the War of the World’s End!”

The leader sat in silence, his eyebrows furrowed deeply in thoughts. The crowd fell speechless as they await the verdict of Head God Heedra.

“Very well, Freya. You will be sent down on earth, but as a punishment, you will be stripped of your immortality and be reborn as a human. If you regain your memories as a goddess, you will have access to your original powers, aiding you in your conquest to kill Sirion de Luca, the Ancient Evil and the God of Darkness.”

He sighed and continued, “I shall grant you a thousand and one lifetimes to do the task. If you fail to do so, we have no other choice but to extinguish your spirit forever.”

“No, Head God, I beg you!” Galahad, screamed with all his might, “I beg you, please have mercy on Freya! I beg you, Father!”

“Son, I apologize... It must be done.”

“Then, let me come with her!” Galahad said, fighting away the guards that were keeping him from reaching Freya and scampering to the Head God’s seat. “Freya cannot do this alone! Let me guide her! Send me down on earth too, and let me be her guide!”

“Galahad, no! Please, Head God, don’t allow it!” Freya said, now in a more frantic state. “Don’t do this Galahad, don’t ruin your life again for me!”

Head God Heedra looked down upon the anxious face of the son he loved the most, seeing all the possible futures ahead of him. “Galahad, son, why are you doing this?...”

“Father, I... I cannot live without Freya! If you banish her, I will give up my divine titles and live amongst men. I will find her in every lifetime and defeat Sirion alongside with her until she can come back here and regain her place as goddess.”

There was a long silence. Everybody’s eyes were fixed on Head God Heedra.

“Indeed, love is a potent poison, even to the gods,” the Head God said in resignation. “Very well, Galahad. Do as you please. Follow Freya if you must, but I can already see that the roads to all your futures remain as bleak as today...”

“Freya Leyla Ava, former Goddess of Light, your punishment will begin now. Should you succeed in your task, I will give you a choice to go back here in Teotroly or remain where you are,” the Head God said, flying closer to Freya’s form and raising his hand that created the strips of reality and sands of time over her head, “Until we meet again, Freya...”

The memory might have lasted for only a few seconds, but Shia’s body felt too weak as if she had travelled back and forth nonstop around the world for several days. Suddenly, her eyes felt so heavy that she began to fall sleep. The last thing she remembered before closing her eyes was the looming form of Mage Silas – now exposed in his true, godly visage, the same form he was in when she faced her at the Council of the Head Gods a thousand and one lifetimes ago. A tear fell on her eye as she whispered his name before falling unconscious.

“Galahad...”

******************

Before her head had even hit the top of the table, Mage Silas – or Galahad, in his God name, – had already instructed the air to cradle Shia’s sleeping form and drop it into his open arms. Before she was possessed by sleep, he distinctly saw how her eyes had opened up in remembrance of the past and had heard her speak his name.

“Galahad...”

“Ah, it feels like such a bittersweet word coming from your lips, Freya...”

He placed her softly by her bed and brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face.

“I’m glad you remembered me, but just like before, it seems I had been too late... Even if you cannot say it, I see that you had given your heart to Sirion once more.”

And as swiftly as he had arrived after hearing her call, he left, leaving only with the iron resolution to help Freya for the thousand and one time, no matter what it takes.

******************

In the next three days that followed, Shia had kept herself so busy that she did not get to see Langrion at all.

Truth be told, it wasn’t that she was positively busy; it was also because she had made herself unavailable whenever Langrion would attempt to arrange a meeting.

“Lady Shia, the duchess is requesting you at the parlour. The prince had come to make a formal request on account of your impeding engagement.”

“Ah, please tell them I have flute lessons, and I can’t be bothered.”

Both her grandma and Langrion knew that ‘flute lessons’ actually pertained to her magic lessons with the mage. The servant made a deep curtsy and left.

“Lady Shia, you are requested for dinner. The prince is here.”

“Ah, please inform them that I have a splitting headache. I need some rest.”

“Lady Shia, the prince came this morning.”

“Sorry, I was practicing my dance for the ball.”

“Lady Shia, Prince Langrion is waiting by the receiving area.”

“Lady Shia, the prince -”

He came in everyday at different times and hours. It was as if he was testing her patience and the number of excuses she can come up with. Oh, how Shia would have loved to learn how it is to be invisible!

Thankfully, Langrion stopped coming in at the night time to her and had only requested to see her formally in the day time. Shia felt that she needed a lot of time to clear her head and process everything that had been happening inside of her. She did not want to make any wrong move when it came to Prince Langrion again. If the kiss between them the other day had not happened, she could have just faced him with ease. Now that Shia is positive that Langrey has no feelings for her, it had become increasingly difficult for her to read his mind and his next move. Her heart felt heavy and stuffed just thinking about how she could proceed with him at this point.

Shia hated the feeling of being stuck in the middle when it comes to the prince. She knew he is her friend, but is he something else for her too? No matter how much she asked herself, she does not have a clear answer for it yet, so until she can be sure, she does not want to push him further away nor close out the gap that is looming between them. Perhaps, this uncertainty is better; perhaps it will bring her the right kind of peace she deserves for now, considering what had happened between them so far.

The affair with Prince Langrion was just one of the things Shia needed to worry about. After uncovering a fraction of Freya’s memory, Shia had also stopped seeing Mage Silas and tried to practice making energy balls on her own. She couldn’t figure out how she’d face him now that she knew who he was and the role she, as Freya, had played in his life back then. More importantly, Shia now knew the motive behind Mage Silas’ – or Galahad’s – actions. Would it really be okay to continue asking for his aid knowing that she was the reason he had becoming a mage just to help her a thousand and one times? Just thinking about the right answer to those questions actually breaks her heart into pieces...

Before she knew it, the days had gone by swiftly, and the debutant ball had finally arrived. Shia braved herself. Now, despite her muddled thoughts and feelings, she smiled her brightest and faked a confident stance. She had finally run out of reasons to avoid the prince, who was her assigned escort for the day and who will soon be her official betrothed in a few hours.