The Fortress in the Clouds

THE FIRST LOCATION that Argus had brought Naomi to was their bakery. At first, Naomi had wrinkled her nose at the thought, her eyebrows shooting high up her forehead as she stared questioningly at Argus’s weird decision. Yet, he simply only grinned at her reaction, insisting that he did not have a few screws loose in his brain.

“Oh come on, lowlander, do not be such a spoilsport.” He laughed heartily, a hand clutched at his belly as his shoulders quaked. It was such a mesmerizing sight to see another laugh ever so merrily as if there wasn’t a single care in the world. “You will come to find that hidden joys are found where people do not seek.”

“But a bakery...” Naomi trailed off, her eyes drifting off to the gorgeous view beyond rather than at Argus’s face.

“Is just the place where people will not look for treasures. Treasures are not jewels, lowlander. They are things that an individual admires and prizes before anything else. It is true that there are many beautiful scenic spots that I can bring you to but that will be following the path planned. I rather take the path that is crafted by my own hands instead of the hands of fate.”

She could not argue with that. Naomi had always prided herself in defying what was set for her. The villagers thought that she would cry her eyes out when her father passed away. Instead, she stood up tall, pulled up her sleeves, and became the new head of the family. Her mother thought that she would follow along submissively with her outrageous marriage plans. Yet, Naomi packed her bags in the dead of the night with only the stars and the moon as her witness before hightailing away from her prison, running to freedom.

In the eyes of other people, perhaps these small accomplishments held no more worth than a crumb from a day’s old loaf of bread but to Naomi, they were phenomenal feats that she took great pride in. They shaped her to be the person she was and every passing second continued to shape her that way. A little rough around the edges, some might describe her to be, but underneath all that muck and dirt, she was a diamond that shone brilliantly like the stars at night.

“Fine then,” she conceded. “If you so insist on going to the bakery, then we shall. Lead the way, highlander.”

Gesturing her hand dramatically forward, Naomi tilted her chin up defiantly, challenging Argus to quip back something snarky. Instead, his eyes glittered with an unknown glint, one that Naomi could not decipher if it was mischief, amusement, or pride. Nonetheless, Argus dipped down dramatically, bowing down to her as if she were royalty before leading the way back into the town square.

The journey to the bakery was much shorter than Naomi had previously assumed. When she entered, she was flooded with a sweet sugary scent. Naomi inhaled deeply, desperate to fill her lungs with as much of the aroma as she could before she sighed with satisfaction. It was of butter and sugar, sweeter than freshly baked bread and softer than the fluffy white clouds that hung from the sky. So mild and demure, Naomi wished that she could wear it as a scent on her body all day.

The baker looked up at both Argus and Naomi when the doorbell chimed at their entry, a huge smile lighting up her face as her red lips stretched into a grin.

“Argus!” She beamed, immediately walking over with her arms outstretched and wide. “It is always a pleasure to see you, my dear. How have you been?”

“Just as usual, Poppy,” Argus immediately replied, his tone akin to when speaking with an old friend. “Do you mind bringing us a batch of your pastries? I have a new friend in town and she needs to try your delectable baked goods before anything else.”

“Only the best in town, some might say, but ooh are they all flatterers. I am the only baker in town so of course I am the best.” Poppy waved her arms in the air, as if swatting away the opinions of others that attempted to rain down on her.

Quickly, she slinked back behind the counter before pulling out a tray of golden pastries, sauntering over to the two.

“Careful,” she warned. “These just came out of the oven and can be quite hot to the touch.”

Naomi stared at the selection, drool already forming in her mouth. The possibilities seemed to stretch on forever. There were rows and rows of golden pastry, some sprinkled with a light layer of powdered sugar while others had a dot of icing on the top for decoration. There was one that was folded into the shape of a flower and Naomi swore she noticed some cranberry fillings inside that one.

However, with all the choices possible, Naomi settled for the plainest looking one. It was a simple rectangular piece of pastry that was brushed with shimmering butter. When she picked it up from the tray, the glossy butter caught the light of the sun that streamed in from the glass windows, making the light dance across the surface of it.

“I think I’ll try this one,” she mumbled, more so to herself than to both Poppy and Argus.

Argus, on the other hand, had picked one that was dusted with powdered sugar. Unable to wait, he had already sunk his teeth into the pastry, dropping two silver coins into Poppy’s hands even when she tried to stop him. Naomi barely even noticed when Poppy sighed, shaking her head before pocketing the two silver coins while giving Argus a pat on the shoulder as a sign of her thanks.

The pastry was sweet beyond belief, its simple outer appearance did not reduce its amazing taste and quality. It was flakey where it needed to be and soft on the inside. Unable to help herself, Naomi sighed in satisfaction, her eyelids fluttering closed as she savored the pastry down to the last bite.

“Amazing, is it not?” Argus laughed, wiping at the corners of his lips with his thumb.

“Better than anything I’ve ever had in my village, that’s for sure. I do not think that I’ve had more than second-day bread before back there.” Naomi absentmindedly revealed, still lightly licking at her fingertips where there were sugary crumb residues.

For a second, Argus’s smile dropped. It faltered, reduced to a shocked frown but it returned before Naomi ever realized it was missing. When she finally raised her eyes to meet his, however, a sense of determination flooded his veins. Especially when he noticed how Naomi’s icy cold eyes were now warm and periwinkle.

“No time to waste, lowlander. We have more places to be and more treasures to find. Are you ready?”

“The most I’ve ever been in my life,” she replied.