Discovering the world: Training in Toedo

After moving to the incredible ship and settling in our rooms, we gathered in the cozy living room upstairs. We sat on the carpet, next to the fireplace. It was time for talking about the next steps in our journey.

"So, what are the plans?" Heath asked.

"First, we have to explain to Althea who is Mihalk and why we are going to meet him." said Joseph.

"She doesn't know?!" Hissed Heath, incredulous. He obviously had no idea of ​​my past.

"Althea's past was not so easy Heath. Only recently did she find out about who she is… before that, Althea was imprisoned for nine years. She was isolated from the world by Orion's father."

"Nine years?" Heath exclaimed, looking at me appalled. "That is a monstrosity. You must have been so young... and now I understand the reason why there was no news from the other Descendant…"

"Yes. She was taken by the Navy shortly after she turned six and isolated in Carthage. Before that, she was on a distant island, also isolated, without even knowing the truth behind her own story. We recently released her, so she also knows nothing about the current situation in the world." explained Dominic. Heath's expression was no longer cheerful as before. "She just started learning the basics."

"Due to that, we also need a lot of training as she has not yet had the opportunity to explore her potential or gain control over her own powers. I think you know how this is something of extreme difficulty without proper help." continued Joseph.

"Yes, I know." Heath agreed in a dark voice. Then he addressed me. "In this case, I don't think you know anything about revolutionaries, yes? Althea, the government is corrupt, unjust, and very powerful. Few dared to rebel against it. Not even the most powerful weapons managed to bring it down. Only the other Descendant was capable to impose some threat to Orion and his father, however, 17 years ago there was an ordinary man with the courage and strength to rebel against the world."

"His name is Mihalk. He started one of the major rebellions and became the leader of those who today proclaim themselves revolutionaries. It is a movement that is spread across the continent, waiting for the real battle." Joseph continued.

"How strong are they? Can they destroy the government?" I asked.

"Maybe." Replied Dominic. "They have hundreds of thousands of followers around the world. However, in the past, the revolutionaries lost some critical battles against the government and, after your father's disappearance, they went quiet. According to Joseph's visions, the main leaders of the revolutionaries are currently hidden in a secret base in Venus. And that's where we will go."

"It is known that the only person who can destroy Orion and the government once and for all is you, the other Descendant." continued Joseph. "The rise of the Heiress will serve as inspiration for many and will also give strength to the resistance."

"But why did you say before that meeting Mihalk is madness, Heath?" I asked, afraid of the answer. Perhaps it was the possibility that I was going to be a disappointment to revolutionaries.

"It is well known that Mihalk's warriors are famous for being merciless against their enemies. They would certainly recognize Dominic and I seriously doubt that things would end well." Heath said.

"And Heath is correct." said Joseph. "It will be very difficult to approach them without instigating their hostility. When we get there, we will have to convince not only Mihalk but also his two best warriors: James Farrel and Christopher Abel. Both have impressive skills and are feared by the military. No one would like to run into them, especially into Abel."

"And I hope we don't meet with that maniac. If Abel is on Venus, under no circumstances should he approach you, Althea." spoke Dominic in a harsh voice. "He also has powers from the fountain of Elven."

"Does that mean that he has powers equal to yours?"

"No. Abel is able to create and manipulate fire, and this is an extremely strong and dangerous power. However, he lacks dominance over it and loses control when angered. I've never seen anyone more reckless. If we end up pissing him off, he could hurt you, Althea." answered Dominic.

"To be precise, this mission will be very dangerous. That's why before it, we will stop in Toedo first to prepare ourselves." said Joseph.

Things were getting more difficult and it was just the beginning of our journey.

"In Toedo the four of us will train together. We will have approximately two days to increase the extent and control of your powers Althea. It will be very heavy and arduous, but we will see if you are prepared to face a real opponent." Dominic explained.

We sat there for another fifteen minutes until Heath went to the main cabin and Joseph went to help him get the ship on our new route. But before that, Joseph asked me to do him a favor and help Dominic organize his own room.

"We can't let him do it alone. The room we shared until yesterday was a mess, at least in his part." Joseph said with wide eyes. I could see Dominic laughing and at that moment I understood what they were planning. They were afraid that, if I would be alone, I would start overthinking.

Dominic's room was as big as mine, but the arrangement was quite different. The bed was in the center of the room, while mine was next to the window. Everything in my room was positioned close to the wall and in the center, there was only a giant carpet which made me want to lie down. But in Dominic's room, things were scattered and the moment we entered, I saw that the mess was about to start. His objects were dispersed on the floor and I felt that I would have another challenge to overcome.

A little after we started tidying up the room, the ship picked up speed and the sun started to appear on the horizon. According to Heath, we would arrive in Toedo by the end of the day.

It was fun to help Dominic. I was happy to see that, in the end, there was at least something that he wasn't able to do in a perfect way, and I made a point of laughing at him. But it seemed impossible to irritate Dominic, no matter how hard I tried.

When we were done, I threw myself on his bed, completely exhausted. We had to move several things around " which was not too difficult since Dominic could move any piece of furniture with one hand " and we spent the whole morning organizing the room. After putting the last object in place, Dominic joined me, lying on my side.

"It was more complicated than I imagined." I said laughing.

"It was worth the effort. My room is now immaculate and there is still time to rest." he replied smiling.

We went silent. I could hear Dominic's slowly breathing beside me, in a relaxing rhythm. Although we didn't say anything, we were comfortable. When I was with him, there was no need to fill the moments of silence. I felt completely safe.

"Althea?" He said, turning to me. I could feel his hot breath now touching my face, while my body was covered with goosebumps.

"I'm listening." I answered in a soft voice. I had already realized that he had been wanting to talk to me since that dawn and that he finally found the right moment to do so.

"There's something about the island of Venus that disturbs me. I fear that they will want proof that you are the Heiress and that they insist that…"

"That I prove it by fighting one of theirs. I've been thinking about this possibility as well. You believe I will not manage it, correct?" I asked, trying to hide the sadness in my voice.

"No, that's not the case. You are doing really well, in fact, you can use your powers to an extent that I believed would take months to reach. The problem is your likely opponent."

"My opponent?" I asked without understanding.

"Yes. I'm sure Mihalk will appoint one of his best warriors to test you. My only question is whether it will be James or Abel." he said in a controlled but tense voice.

"And they are very strong." I concluded.

"Yes, but there is a very big difference between the two. If you must fight James, I'm sure it will be easy for you. It is much easier to beat him than Joseph. Your powers are advantageous over his."

I hesitated for a moment. I hadn't even beaten Joseph.

"What if I have to face the other? Abel?" I asked in a lower voice than before.

"I won't allow that to happen." asserted Dominic. The tone of his voice was so cold and furious that it made me cringe involuntarily. Realizing this, Dominic put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him. I calmed down instantly.

"Is he much stronger than James?"

"Quite stronger. But there is something worse than that. When he is fighting, he has no control and just follows his bloodthirsty instincts. I've seen him in battle once, a few years ago. From the moment he started using fire in his attacks, he couldn't stop until he killed everyone around him. He is dangerous."

"But I am just like him." I whispered, my voice almost inaudible. I couldn't hide my embarrassment at that moment. "I know you've never seen it Dominic, but when I lose control, it is complete chaos. Is impossible for me to stop on my own as well."

"But you try hard to control yourself and I know you would never kill someone on purpose, which is not the case with Abel. There is no heart in his chest, there is no mercy… There is only the desire for blood." said Dominic.

I shook my head trying not to imagine it.

"But if Abel is my opponent, I will have no option but to face him. If we say "no" they will not believe us Dominic, and they might try to kill us." I concluded. I couldn't let them die just to avoid a fight that, in my opinion, was inevitable.

"I will not allow him to touch you nor come near you. Abel is out of control and will not cease fire until he seriously hurts you, Althea." continued Dominic, now sitting down on the corner of the bed. I followed his movement on impulse and sat as well. His eyes were sincere, and I saw the suffering in them. "I will not hesitate to interfere."

"Domi..."

"Shh. You won't convince me not to do so".

"You shouldn't burden yourself trying to protect me."

"Burden myself?" he laughed. "Protecting you is my only wish, Althea. You are too important to me."

I felt the blood boiling on my face after hearing his words. I turned my face away from him, but it was impossible to hide my feelings at that moment.

Dominic laughed even louder at my reaction. The silence then returned while he moved his hands in my direction and touched my face gently. His eyes never left mine and he seemed to be entering my mind with his intense gaze. Suddenly, Dominic pulled my face closer to his, with his hand now stroking my hair.

"Keep calm." he said.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm calm already." I answered.

"But I am not." he replied. Dominic got even closer to me until his lips touched my forehead. He stood there for a moment while I shivered completely. Our breathing was irregular and now my last words had become a lie.

"The food is ready!" shouted a voice from the hall. It was Joseph calling us, probably standing on the stairs.

We both jumped away from each other, alarmed by Joseph's voice. We had completely forgotten about everything around us, including sleeping hours. We got up automatically and went towards the corridor, without saying a word, but we didn't move far away from each other. Dominic was holding my hand and I didn't want him to let it go. We went up the stairs and walked through the living room until we reached the huge table. Heath helped Joseph with the dishes, and I sat next to Dominic. There was room for more than ten people there.

"Wow, what an amazing smell!" I praised while realizing how hungry I actually was.

"Joseph prepared enough food to celebrate our first day on the ship." Heath said with his voice full of excitement.

I looked at Joseph and saw that he seemed to be in a good mood as well. I immediately realized that there was a silent conversation going on between him and Dominic. Dominic gave him a hateful gaze and I wondered what they were "talking about".

"Hmm... looks tasty." I said trying to change the mood in the dining room.

Nothing seemed to change. Heath realized what I was trying to do and soon found a topic to discuss.

"I just remembered that we haven't named the ship yet! We have to find a name for it, come on! What do you think?" he asked while catching the attention of all in the room.

"I don't know..." sighed Dominic.

"Hmm... Any ideas Heath?" said Joseph, still looking good-natured.

"How about "Destiny"?" he replied.

Destiny. It seemed to fit.

"Perfect." Joseph agreed.

"I liked it too." said Dominic.

"Then I think we already have a name." I spoke smiling.

Joseph filled our glasses with juice, and we got up.

"A toast to Destiny." Heath proposed.

"To fate." said Joseph.

They then hit their glasses together, and I followed, drinking for our fate. Finally, we sat down and started devouring the delicious meal

It was very hot outside the ship. Destiny sailed at an incredible speed as the wind was in our favor " something that was attributed to the fact that Dominic could control it at will. Heath spent most of the afternoon at the helm while listening to music on the record player and I stayed in the library reading books about navigation, geography, and physics. I managed to finish five books, over three hundred pages each, in one day - which, according to Joseph, was absurd, but was one of the Descendants' abilities. He and Dominic stayed on the deck "looking at the landscape". Heath and I knew they were just continuing the discussion that started over lunch.

"Two children" Heath muttered constantly.

I simply chose to ignore it.

The clock struck half"past five when the island of Toedo was sighted. Although I did not sleep, I was not tired at all. We had to bypass the island before anchoring, fleeing the main port, to avoid any unnecessary contact with the Navy.

Toedo was as beautiful as Lyrus, in my opinion. According to Dominic, the city was small, and few people lived there. The place was best known as a "trading point" for smugglers, pirates, and even corrupt military personnel. There was no sign of life where we were, except for a forest that stretched on the banks of a huge river.

From Joseph's explanations, in the two days we intended to stay there, we would only go to the city once to buy supplies and the remaining time would be spent on our training.

After settling in, Joseph and Dominic spent the rest of the afternoon going over the plans with Heath and me. Each time Christopher Abel's name was mentioned, Dominic's expression changed to an eminent hatred, and each time it happened, I shuddered. It was almost seven at night and the sun was already completely down, with a small layer of clouds covering now the sky, bringing with it a light rain that lasted all night. I debuted in my new room that day, but without success since I couldn't close my eyes at any moment. When I realized, the sun was rising again, and its rays of light came in through the porthole. It was the second day in a row that I had not slept.

I got up early, hesitating a little as I remembered that day was going to be exhausting and tiring. "Althea, training is needed. Remember that".

When I got to the kitchen, Joseph had already prepared breakfast and Heath was enjoying one of the wonderful rolls that were on the table. I joined him and enjoyed another wonderful dish.

"What is the weather forecast today Joseph?" Heath asked, laughing.

"Intense sun accompanied by a refreshing wind until half-past six." he replied. I had already forgotten that Joseph could see glimpses of the future. According to what he had explained to me the other day, he could see what people connected to him would do more easily than other people and that he could also only see a decision or an idea as long as they had already been made. I was the only person with whom Joseph had had visions without any prior connection.

After we finished eating, Heath took me to the cockpit and showed me the ship's controls. I absorbed as much information as possible and he promised that, when we left Toedo, he would let me control the rudder. I said I would remember that promise.

I went straight to the library to select the next books to read when I had time. Suddenly something leaning on my shoulder caught me by surprise, making me jump with my body against the bookshelf and dropping several books with me.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed when a thick book fell on my foot.

"I am sorry! I didn't want to scare you... Are you okay?" asked Dominic with a puzzled expression. I couldn't help laughing about my own disaster.

"Don't do that anymore, please. My heart almost exploded! But I'm fine. I think I was very distracted with my thoughts." I said laughing and bending down to pick up the books. "What a mess!"

"No, let me fix it, it's my fault." He said bending down to help me. At that very moment, I was getting up to put a book on the shelf and, to worsen that situation, I hit my head on Dominic's chin, causing deadly pain and making a loud noise, followed by another exclamation from me. I hit the bookcase again, causing about twenty more books to drop.

"Argh! It can not be possible!" I shouted at myself. "I give up!"

This time Dominic was the one laughing.

"Calm down Althea. Let me fix this before you destroy the room."

"I'm so sorry." I said in a whisper, still sitting on the floor rubbing my head. "Did I hurt you?"

"It takes a lot more than that to hurt me. I'm getting used to your accidents. I just think I bit my tongue."

He sat next to me and we looked at each other. I couldn't help but laugh again.

"I even forgot what I came here to do." he said.

"How about we go outside and breathe some fresh air? We need it."

"Agreed."

After we cleaned up the mess, we went through the side door of the ship and walked to the deck, where we had a nice shade and a great view of the island. It was perfect for relaxing.

"Here." said Dominic, opening a space for me to sit beside him on a bench in the shade. "Were you always so clumsy?"

"Since I was a kid balance was never one of my strengths, but I believe that all those years imprisoned only made the situation worse. I'm not like that by choice, you know."

"Don't get mad, it was just curiosity." said Dominic smiling. "How can I redeem myself for being rude?"

Just seeing that smile, I was no longer angry.

"Hmm... How about answering some questions? It's just curiosity." I said taking his hand.

"Feel free to ask me anything."

"What prophecy is this that you referred to yesterday? I didn't understand much of what you said."

He sighed. This was another long story.

"Exactly 222 years ago, our continent was in one of the most terrible wars in our history. Your predecessors and those of Orion finally faced each other in a direct and bloody battle. It felt like an endless battle, with no results. Their powers were equivalent, and it was impossible to defeat each other. The war ended, with no winners."

"That same day, Orion's predecessor went to a woman that was considered a diviner on those times and who had already predicted that the battle would have no winners. Most possibly she had very similar powers as Joseph. He went after her to look for a way to defeat his opponent, but the result was the Prophecy."

"The old woman saw that the only way for the war between the Descendants could come to an end was when the Heiress was born. The powers of this Heiress would be incomparable to that of her opponent, she would be the one who would free the world. Right after that, the Prophecy spread around the continent, bringing hopes and expectations for this child to be born. But the years passed, and all the Heirs were men. So far."

"Unbelievable." I thought to myself. I was awaited for so many years.

He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. The past seemed very interesting to me, but the future was even more.

"There are many stories about you around Eberon; but the most important story is still being written. Many will doubt our mission, others will expect us to carry it out without fail, but in reality, nothing is accurate." said Dominic. He was silent for a while longer, his fingers entwined in my hair. If he did not speak, I would certainly fall asleep. But he resumed the conversation and this time, his voice was melancholy. "Althea, Joseph predicted that our crew would increase, having up to ten main leaders by our side and hundreds to fight in our army… but I fear that in the end we will be outnumbered. What we are doing is very dangerous and those who join us will be willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause."

"I don't want them to die for me." I whispered. The death of a companion was too heavy a burden for me to bear.

"Death is not certain, however, the risk is. You should only be concerned with living. If there is anything that threatens your life, we will destroy it, even if it costs ours. I will never regret it if I die to save you. It's the best thing I can do, also to redeem myself from my past sins." he said. I opened my mouth to contest, but he raised his hand and covered it, preventing me from speaking. "Althea, I discovered my destiny the same day that I discovered you. You are the only thing that makes sense to me and I will go all the way to make you happy and not to let you suffer anymore."

I just sighed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing. It is just that you... leave me speechless. And I feel like my heart is going to burst." I replied blushing.

"That is very good." he whispered in an almost inaudible voice.

"Ah... You are too perfect." I spoke without realizing it and soon regretted it. "Oh my God, I said it out loud. Please pretend you didn't hear it." I continued, turning my face away from Dominic and covering it with my hands.

"I'm afraid you are wrong." contested him, taking my hands off my face holding them. His lips touched my fingers, making me shiver completely. That feeling was different from anything else I had felt in my life. "I am just your humble servant and far from perfect."

I couldn't find words to answer it. I got up on impulse and walked away from him, without a word, however, Dominic soon reached me and held me against the wall, holding my hands.

"Do not move." he said. I obeyed him blindly.

His fingers touched my face, and he caressed my lips gently. My heart was pounding even harder and my breath was irregular. That kind of contact with another person went beyond anything I had ever imagined.

I took the courage to face him and saw that he was looking deeply into my eyes. If at any time I had any intention of interrupting him, after seeing his gaze, that idea completely disappeared from my head. I wanted the same thing as him and nothing was going to change that fact.

"Dominic, don't do this to me. You know it is something without return." I said dizzy with all that. I wanted. But I shouldn't.

"I know."

"We will regret it."

"I will not."

I had never done that before.