Chapter 7

   "What?" Aiden questioned.

   "The girl you're looking for, she isn't here." Alexandra said.

   "That is not possible, I saw her with my own eyes." Aiden insisted. Alexandra looked at him, deep in thought. 

   "I talked to everyone I could, and no one has seen her. Even the port manager who, as you probably know, monitors everyone who arrives on and leaves the island." She said. "The only thing I can think of is if your mystery maiden is a stowaway. Perhaps she is secretly seeking shelter on one of the ships at port and only ventured out at night when no one was around to see. That is, no one but you." 

   Aiden gave her idea some consideration. He was not at all sure about any of this anymore. All he knew was that there was a golden-haired girl that kept appearing in his dreams and was now appearing in his real life. At this point he would have accepted any explanation as long as it would help him find the girl of his dreams.

   "If that were the case then she would be on one of those ships at port now." He said. She nodded. "Then I should look there." 

   "Not so fast." Alexandra said. "No sailor would appreciate you snooping around their ship without reason. I say you should act as a ship inspector. Just avoid the port manager and you will be fine." 

   "Good idea." Aiden rose to his feet but before he could leave, she stopped him. 

   "No inspector I've ever seen went about with a dog like yours at their side. I don't believe bringing him along would be the best idea, lest you risk blowing your cover." 

   "Ah, you are right." Aiden said. "Would you mind if Gale stayed with you for the time being?" 

   Alexandra looked reluctant at first but when she looked down at Gale who stared at her with gleaming eyes and a wagging tale, her face softened. "Alright. The mutt can stay here, but don't you take too long!"

   "I won't." He promised on his way out the door, quickly telling Gale to behave before he left. Upon opening the door, the sun's garish golden light glared in his eyes. He squinted them shut but even behind his eyelids the golden light still seemed to find a way to blind him. 

   For a moment everything was silent. The chattering noise from the pub was gone. The sound of voices shouting and hollering mixed with loud footsteps thundering through the streets were gone. The only thing he could hear was the gentle hum of the soft breeze. It was like he was back in the meadow from his dreams except he could not see the meadow, he could only feel it around him. 

   Though he was still blinded by the golden light, unable to see his surroundings, he felt strangely at ease. The golden light entangled him in a lovingly warm embrace. He knew that even if he were to try his hardest, he would not have been able to move his body, but that did not seem to bother him in the slightest. The light was so warm and comforting that he did not even want to move. He wanted to stay in its embrace like this forever. 

   As he stood there entranced by the golden light, he heard a song slowly mix into the breeze. The voice was heavenly. As smooth as butter and as rich as honey. It was a voice he knew all too well and could never get enough of. He longed to see the singer the voice belonged to, but the golden light was too bright. 

   Even though he could not see the golden maiden, he could sense her near him. He was not sure how, but he could feel her standing in front of him, watching him. Her eyes gazed at him with a warmth that he could physically feel. It was as if she was trying to tell him something. Like she was trying to tell him that she was close.

   Suddenly he opened his eyes and the golden light vanished. The song was gone and in its place were the obnoxious noises thundering down the streets and pouring out the windows of the pub. As he was still standing just outside the door of the pub, a weathered old man with a limp in his step and a glare in his eye shoved past him on his way inside. Aiden quickly stepped out of the way and, still in a bit of a daze, allowed his feet to carry him towards the port. 

   As he walked, he did his best to clear his mind and shake himself out of the daze he was in. He was not sure how to interpret whatever had just happened. He was not asleep, yet he had another sort of dream. Yet though it was like the dreams he kept having, he knew that this was not a dream. It was more of a vision. But then what did it mean? Why did it happen? All he wanted was answers but he only ever managed to receive even more questions. 

   He had to find this golden maiden of his dreams. Only then would he finally learn all the answers to these questions that tormented him so. All he had to do was find her, but that was no easy task. Every time she was close, she was always just out of reach. But he was determined to get to her, even if he had to sail to the end of the world. 

   By the time he arrived at the docks his mind was clear enough for him to focus on the task at hand. He needed to search each and every ship and boat. It was his last chance to find the golden maiden. If this did not work, he would be completely out of options. Luckily for him, there were not that many boats docked on the island. Searching all of them would not take more than a few hours at max. 

   The majority of the boats were left unattended, giving him easy access to them. Some cabins were locked, and he was unable to enter, but he could tell that they were locked by key and were most likely not where a stowaway would have been hiding. On a few of the bigger ships he had a bit more of a problem gaining entry as there was someone left to watch over it. He explained that he was an inspector which some believed while others were a bit more skeptical. But after a bit of persuasion, Aiden was able to board and search every ship that was docked. 

   By the time he got to the last ship his heart was both pounding with hope and dropping with disappointment. This was the last ship. If she was not there then that was it. He would not have a clue as to where she was or where she went. He searched the ship from stern to bow as meticulously as he could but to no avail. She was not on board. 

   His heart clenched as he could not help the frown that found its way onto his face. What was he to do now? He was out of ideas and out of options. Though she was so close, she was still out of his grasp. But what vexed him the most was that even though she was not here, he still had this feeling that she was close. Ever since his strange vision that feeling would not leave him and only grew stronger. 

   As he stepped off the ship and stood on the dock, something felt slightly different. There was something missing. His gaze was pulled towards the ocean where he noticed a ship sailing away from the island. It was not one of the ships he had searched. He missed one. A spark of hope lit in his chest as he narrowed his eyes, looking as closely at the ship as he could. On the deck he caught a glimpse of the glint of a golden light. He could not tell if it was the sun or something else, but hope sparked inside of him.

   The feeling that told him the golden maiden was close grew stronger the longer he stared after the ship. His heartbeat sped up as he felt a strong longing to jump into the water and swim after the ship until he caught up to it. Though he knew that was impossible, he felt himself almost do it anyway, but he was able to hold himself back. He knew what he had to do. He had to go after that ship. 

  Quickly stopping by the pub, he picked up Gale from Alexandra's watch. Gale was happy to see him and began barking loudly which angered several of the patrons at the pub. 

   "Did you find her?" Alexandra asked, seeing the spark of eager excitement in his eyes. 

   "Yes and no." He said. She quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to explain more. "I believe she is on a ship that just left port. I must go after it now. I appreciate all of your help." 

   "You're leaving now?" She asked.

   "Yes. I cannot afford to waste another moment." 

   "I wish you good luck on your endeavor." She said, "I hope our paths cross again someday in the future." He nodded, bidding her goodbye as he and Gale left the pub. Nearly breaking into a run, Aiden rushed to his sailboat and quickly prepared it to set sail. Though he did not get any time during his short stay on the island to restock any of his supplies or rations, he believed that he still had enough to get him to the next island. 

   In a short matter of time, the sailboat set off after the ship as it sailed away into the horizon. Though the ship was much farther away now, it was still within his sight. He knew he would not be able to catch up with it, but he hoped that he could at least follow it to its destination and find the golden maiden there. He was now closer than ever to finding her. She was so close. All he had to do was stay on the ship's course. How hard could that be?