Chapter 8

Blistering wind riddled with sea spray and salt battered Aiden, his hair being harshly blown into his face, making it nearly impossible for him to see. As any sailor would, he had hoped for clear skies and smooth sailing, but his wish went by unheard and ungranted. His sailboat rocked up and down over the spiteful waves that thrashed at the deck. The sails billowed in the wind that assaulted it from multiple angles. 

Gale's loud barks could be heard from below deck. Aiden had locked him down there at the start of the storm, but he knew being down there made him antsy and he was longing to leave the dark cabin he was confined in. But Aiden had to ignore his dog's cries. If he were to let him back on deck, he would risk the dog being thrown overboard. That was a risk he was not willing to take, so he would have to leave him there until the storm passed.

 For now, his main concern was to follow the ship that kept getting further and further out of view. The skies were so dark and stormy, and the waves were so tall and harsh that he could not catch more than a slight glimpse of the ship every five or so minutes. But he had to stay on its trail. Even if he could not see it, he knew the direction it was going in, so all he had to do was continue straight ahead. Although it sounded simple in theory, in reality it was far more arduous. 

With the wind pushing the sails in every direction, he had a difficult time keeping his boat straight. And with the wind and waves threatening to capsize his boat, he had to focus mostly on keeping his boat above the waves rather than on course. 

Using the knowledge he had learned, and the experience he had gained from facing the first storm, he was able to stop his sailboat from tipping over. By the time he finally emerged from the storm, his hair was disheveled, his face was battered from the wind, and his eyes were watery from the salt that had penetrated them. 

Scanning the now clear horizon, Aiden searched for the ship he was following. His heart dropped when he discovered that it was nowhere in sight. He had lost it. He was now in the middle of the ocean without a clue as to where the ship was or where it was going. After letting Gale back onto the deck, Aiden sat down, feeling defeated. 

This was his last hope, and he blew it. He had felt so close. He was so close. She was on that ship, he knew it. After all of this time he was finally so close to finding her and now it was all gone. She was gone and so was his only hope of finding her.

Perhaps she would appear to him again. It kept happening so much that he was positive that it would happen again. She had not left his dreams yet. She was still with him, and he still had hope of finding her. But how long would this wild goose chase go on for?

Even if she did come to him in his dreams again, even if he did catch a glimpse of her in real life again, how could he be sure that it would ever amount to anything? How could he be sure that it would lead him to finding her? How could he be sure that he would ever get as close to finding her as he was before the storm hit? He could not be sure of any of those things. 

Part of him had had enough. He wanted to give up, to let her go, to forget about her. It would be so much easier. He would be able to focus on having more fun on his little adventure away from home rather than stressing over finding this mystery maiden. It all seemed hopeless. The odds were against him. He would never be able to find her. 

But at the same time, part of him refused to give up. Even though he felt hopeless, he wanted to push on. He wanted to do anything he could to find her. He longed to see her, not just in his dreams but in real life. He was determined to do anything and everything he could to find her, even if it would take days, weeks, months, or even years. He could not give up on her. 

Though finding her felt impossible, forgetting about her would have been significantly more impossible. She would not leave his mind and he knew that she never would. When it came to this feeling he felt for this golden maiden of his dreams, all rationality was out the window. He had to find her, and he was going to do so if it were the last thing he would do. 

Pulling out his map, he checked the course he had previously been on when he had been following the ship. It was heading towards an island called Esthic. He was not positive if that was where the ship was heading. Though the course the ship had been on was heading towards the island, it could have changed courses at any moment. Even so, it was now his only hope. Though the chances were so slim he could barely even call it that. 

Checking his compass, he found that in the midst of the storm he had gotten thrown off course. He could not tell how far off he had gone, he only hoped that it was not too far as he redirected his sailboat back in the right direction. 

The rest of the journey took several days and soon he began to run out of supplies. Rationing what he had, he tried his hardest to saver what was left until he arrived at his destination. As he began to grow worried that his calculations were wrong and he was not heading in the right direction, he suddenly caught a glimpse of land on the horizon. That was it! It was Esthic, he was sure of it!

When he arrived on the island, he found that it was much bigger than both of the islands he had previously been to put together. It was a magnificent sight of tall buildings painted refined colors of white, toffee brown, and gold. The port was large and held dozens of mighty, regal ships that stood tall above his humble sailboat. He attempted to look for the ship he had been following but quickly gave up as he had forgotten what it looked like and could not have been able to tell it apart from the rest. 

His first course of action when landing on the island was to find a place to stay. After asking around he was quickly able to find his way to an inn and rent a room for the night. This town appeared much safer and more pristine than the last. The buildings and streets appeared to be in better condition and so was the room he was staying in. 

As he laid down on the bed, he found that it was soft and almost as comfortable as his bed at home. With all his exhaustion from his endless days at sea, sleep came to him quickly, happily welcoming him into its embrace. 

In his dream, Aiden found himself wandering the streets of Esthic instead of the meadow he usually found himself in. It was strange for multiple reasons other than just that. The streets were completely empty without a single soul in sight. There was a slight breeze but other than its soft moans, no other sounds could be heard. He could not even hear his own footsteps as he walked through the streets. Everything was silent. 

Although he had never seen the streets he was walking through in his dream, he felt a strange feeling of familiarity, but he could not tell if it was towards the town or something else. The feeling of familiarity rapidly increased as he suddenly heard a whisper in his ear. It was brief but he was still able to catch what it said. "Come here."

As soon as he heard the whisper a familiar song caught his attention, but this time it was not being carried by the breeze. It was coming from the next street over. He ran towards the voice but as he rounded the corner no one was there. He could hear the voice getting farther away as the singer appeared to be running away from him. Or perhaps luring him. 

He continued to chase after it, winding through the streets as fast as his feet could carry him. Finally, the voice stayed in one place and when he rounded the corner, he came face to face with the beauty of the golden maiden. She smiled when she saw him, her eyes shining like the finest diamonds. He stepped closer, drawn to her. 

She reached out a graceful hand towards him. "Come here." She spoke. Her voice was as sweet and soothing as her singing voice. He was drawn to her even more. Taking another step forward, he stopped just within arm's reach of her. Lifting up her hand, she gently cupped his cheek. Her touch was so soft and delicate, it made his heart burn and face flush. "Come to me." 

His eyes closed and when they opened again, he awoke from the dream. The heat in his chest was still there and he could even still feel the warmth from where she had touched him in his dream. Glancing at the pure light that poured out the glittering window, he jumped out of bed and got dressed for the day before heading out of the inn with Gale at his heel. 

After a quick breakfast he went out onto the streets to explore. But there was something specific he was looking for. As he walked, he got the feeling that it was close by, that she was close by. Suddenly Gale perked up, let out a thunderous bark and ran off down one of the less busy streets. Aiden ran after him, calling his dog's name but he would not stop. 

Though there were not too many people, there were still enough to make it difficult for him to keep sight of his dog and soon he lost track of him. Wandering through the streets, he searched for his dog but something else caught his attention. Something about where he was seemed familiar to him. 

He had never been to this island before, yet he somehow was getting a sense of deja vu. Suddenly he realized what it was. The street was the same one he found himself in during his dream the night before. In the back of his mind the words of the golden maiden whispered to him. "Come to me." Drawn forward, he recalled each and every step he took in his dream and reenacted them. 

The feeling of familiarity sparked inside of him, increasing with every step he took. She was here, he could feel it. He was not sure how, but she was. He had to go to her. He had to find her. He had to see her. And now he would finally be able to. 

His heartbeat sped up, beating a quick-paced rhythm in his chest. Anticipation boiled with hope and excitement as he winded through the streets that began getting more and more vacant until there was no one else around. Then at last he rounded the final corner. The world around him slowed down, the only sound he could hear being his own heartbeat that thundered in his ears, as he came face to face with the golden maiden.