The Fortress in the Clouds

A WEEK AFTER Naomi’s eighteenth birthday had passed, her mother fell victim to the hands of death. It was a peaceful passing, one that Naomi had expected for a long time. The time was ripe and her mother’s health had been deteriorating for the last few years. Hence, it was only a matter of time before she had to go.

There wasn’t a big ceremony for it. Barely anyone from the village came to the funeral in fear of catching the sickness that Naomi’s mother had died of. As a result, Naomi mourned alone and that night buried her mother right beside her father’s grave.

The days after that, Naomi spent them alone. She worked in the fields that her family once owned, bringing them back to life with crops to sell. Since she was well past the age of marriage, no man in the village wanted her as a bride.

Not that she cared.

Her heart had long been stolen by a boy whose green eyes were a startling forest lush and hair was as brown as the dirt she spent most of her days working on. For years, she had not seen the fortress nor the boy that came along with the magnificent structure. Working in the fields was her only way of coping. It was her new reality, one that was needed to erase the blissful dream she was forced to wake up from.

The sun was beating down on her back, sending tormenting rays of golden sunshine onto her dark skin. Her hair was pulled up in a bun to get it out of the way, a large straw hat shielding her at the bare minimum as she collected the crops and watered the fields.

A rustle came in a distance, followed by the squawking of birds that flew off into the sky in fright and away from the canopy of trees. It attracted Naomi’s attention immediately, making her spin her body so that she faced the direction of the commotion.

Her cottage was not very far away from the forest so whenever wild beasts roamed near, Naomi always had to chase them away before they could reach her fields and eventually her house.

She squinted at the clearing, hands dropping her wooden pail to reach for the large farming tools she had on hand before making her way over cautiously.

Instead of a wild beast like she had expected, a person emerged from the shadow provided by the flora, hair messy and eyes glittering brightly. They matched the scenery behind him, green, thriving, and full of life.

Naomi dropped her weapon in an instant, running the rest of the way with the hems of her dress in hand so that she would not trip over the fabric. The distance teased her, going threateningly slowly even when she picked up speed but when she finally reached where Argus stood with a smile on his face and relief in his eyes, she leaped into his open arms.

“Hello Naomi,” he murmured into her hair, arms wrapped around her body tightly without a care in the world.

She, in turn, held onto him for dear life because he was the dream that continued even after she had woken up. Unlike her childhood, she did not need the fortress in the clouds. It was just a place, a location, a setting. It was the people that lived within the fortress that made everything about it so special.

And he was now right there with her in her arms.

“Welcome home.”