Goddess

Soft-soled boots reaching to her calves and a flowing, green cotton dress were all that adorned her form, making her anything but intimidating. Small of frame, her height fell short of his collarbone but her body was long of line and slim, creating a look of fragile beauty. She was graceful, delicate and light in every step and movement; curling, dark hair, high cheek bones, small mouth, deep, fierce eyes…

She was Perfection.

Across the common room, Fable barely noticed when his breath caught in his chest until the loss threatened to suffocate. His gaze lingered upon the girl in absolute fascination, his hearing falling deafly upon the words of his companions. Despite her size and stature, the crowd had parted like water for her when she had first entered, other patrons shuffling nervously and averting their gazes. She had briefly looked his way, and in that moment he had been caught. Never had such a creature entered into the small town before, with a soulless expression but eyes that could consume a man with only one glance; as though she could read into the very heart, but cared nothing of what she found there. She was an ethereal beauty; some goddess or demon of a childhood story that could steal the spirit with only a meeting of the eyes. Even as she stood there, he was captivated.

Forgetting himself, Fable pushed through the meager crowd filling the small common room, counting the steps to his goal. Her back was facing towards him as she spoke in low tones to the owner of the inn; however, as he drew closer she paused, and eventually turned so that she was looking directly at him, those eyes boring holes into his body even as he finally approached–

All at once his vision was filled by boundless silver, chilling and threatening in its vast emptiness. It took him a moment of stunned silence to realize that he was looking into yet another set of eyes, this pair belonging to a dark, silent man who was easily as tall as Fable himself. Over the shoulder of the dark-haired man, he could see the girl watching, face as impassable as ever. An attempt to bypass the obstacle showed him that such an action would not be allowed without some struggle as he was once again confronted by that depthless silver, and though his opponent maintained a smaller, less imposing frame, something about those eyes halted Fable in his steps. Instead, he was forced to look past the man in order to speak to the girl.

“Your name.”

For a moment, it appeared as though she did not hear, simply staring through him. When that moment stretched on, the silver-eyed blockade turned his back on Fable and walked to her side, following soundlessly as the mysterious woman made her way towards the stairwell leading to the inn’s many rooms.

Disappointment and a feeling of deprivation crept over him at her obvious rejection…

–until she paused in the doorframe and glanced back at him.

“Riven.”

Fable stared as his goddess ascended.

~ by eeratka on September 1, 2007.