In Preparation for the Second Climb

It took nine years, but Noah was finally made his choice. It was the morning after the incident with Lynn and he went to go visit David to talk over his next steps. He made sure not to wake up Ellie or Lynn as he wasn't too keen on bringing them along. If anything, Noah knew that he was more of a burden on David then anything last trip, and while he cared for the two girls deeply, he wanted an easier trip. Noah arrived and knocked on the door.

David: "The hell are you doing here? Aren't you looking after Lynn for a bit longer?"

Noah: "Long story, but, we don't need to worry anymore. She's fine now."

David: "We can talk about that later then, but why are you here now regardless?"

Noah: "What happened with her... it helped my finally decide. I'll take on the trial of ice, and I'll shatter it."

David: "Nine years kid. You made me wait nine years to finally hear those words."

Noah: "With how I plan to tackle the issue, you're gonna be waiting even more for me to actually make the trip. I know I need to be ready, so for the next year or so, I'm going to dedicate my time to preparing."

David: "I'll join you in that. Funds for three people might hurt your savings more than you think."

Noah: "I don't know if I'll be taking them with me. Rather, I doubt that I will."

David: "Trust me when I say that you don't want to make that entire trip alone. We had a pretty good time until the very end of it all."

Noah: "I guess..."

David: "Look, you'll have a healer in Lynn and Ellie can supply water, that helps with your costs a lot. Plus, think of it this way, both of them are infinitely more useful then you were back when we made the trip."

Noah: "That hurts, but I guess I can't really deny that one."

David: "Both of them are your reasons for doing this, so you should really just take them along with you."

Noah: "I'll bring it up to them later then. For now I want to talk planning."

David: "Sarah is in the process of selling the farm off, we can put some of that money towards the trip. You also have a years worth of earnings. This blacksmith job does pretty well for me, so I can help you out as well."

Noah: "Well, I guess funding is dealt with. That was a lot easier than I expected."

David: "It isn't like that trip costs much regardless. What would you need money for other than an inn once in the city and occasional supplies along the way."

Noah: "I wanted to get souvenirs for Ellie."

David: "Spoken like a true father."

Noah: "Yeah, yeah."

David: "It might be good for her to go exploring as well, she's basically in the same boat as you were back then."

Noah: "Maybe we'll spend a few nights in the city then. Mainly just to look around, considering someone decided to mope around last trip."

David: "That was nine years ago, why do you still have to have that grudge."

Noah: "I'm kidding. For the most part anyway."

David: "Well, I want to get some work done. At this point you just need to talk over your plans with your family. Actually, would family be the right word?"

Noah: "I don't see why not."

David: "Well we can't let Lynn be part of the family until you marry her. Otherwise it'll be somewhat awkward."

Noah: "Shut up and go to work. I'm heading back. See yah."

David: "Later."

When Noah got back to the home, Ellie had been out of bed searching the house for him.

Ellie: "Oh, there you are."

Noah: "Guess you basically just got up?"

Ellie: "Yeah, everyone else is still sleeping, so when I saw you were gone I tried looking for you."

Noah: "I was at David's talking with him. We'll discuss why at breakfast."

After an hour or so, the household was all awake and sitting at the table.

Noah: "I have something to bring to the table here. In about a year, I'll be taking the trip the Heaven's Peak again."

Ellie: "What's that?"

Noah explained the idea behind the trip to Ellie, as she was a baby when Noah and David first made the trek there.

Noah: "Anyways, I want to go back. I also want to take Lynn and Ellie along with me."

Lynn: "Really?"

Ellie: "Awesome! I get to see the city!"

Lawrence: "If this is what you decided, I can't stop you. Not that I want to stop you to begin with."

Edna: "Right, we'll be supporting you the whole way."

Noah: "Thanks. I want to protect all the people I love. I've only been thinking about how becoming a hero would effect me, but that was never the issue. I'm tired of seeing you all hurt. So I'll go win that trial and do my best to stop the king."

Edna: "Well, we'll get out of the way of your discussion. You should go over the ground rules with them. I'm sure that taking them wasn't originally going to be your plan."

Edna and Lawrence went back to their room as Noah and the others continued to talk.

Noah: "I'll be honest. She's correct about you all not originally being in my plans to come. I care about you both and this trip can be very dangerous and a multitude of points. First off, no using magic unless we're in a place where we can guarantee that no one can see us, especially in the city. The city is gated, and if they find out magic users are in the city, they'll close them. The most important thing is to listen to everything I say without question. Being together in that crowded city is one thing, but this rule is most important once we get to Heaven's Peak. The Titans have a curse on the mountain where only those with the resolve and will to find the lair will do so. I need to lead the way in that sense. Next, don't mention the purpose of this trip to anyone. We're just sightseeing around the country. I'll probably introduce all of us as siblings if we get asked. Finally, just use common sense. That's going to be the thing that get us through most any situation. I'll handle anything dangerous, so just trust in me."

Lynn: "Sounds good to me."

Ellie: "Yup!"

Noah: "Alright then. Repeat all of that back to me."

Ellie: "You gotta be kidding me."

Noah: "Not at all."

With the talks about what they plan to do out of the way, it was time to start training for the trial. Noah and David assumed that the fight against the creature at the gate would relay the fighting style of the trial challengers to the Titans of Ice, so they had to find a proper way around that fight. They considered many options, even faking Noah's fighting style to represent David's to trick them.

The bigger issue would be how to properly fight the trial itself. There's no way to properly predict what the fighting style will be, and since the creature is made of ice and has infinite stamina, Noah needs to end the trial quickly. Even before all of the fighting, the climb up the mountain itself will be a difficult task with Ellie especially, as she doesn't deal well with cold weather due to leading a rather sheltered life for a few years. Her getting sick wasn't out of the question and added another tedious obstacle in the way.

His resolve has been formed, but Noah must now face all the challenges that lie before him. Destiny has arrived, but will it end as the destiny that Noah desires?