The base of the mountain was vast, seemingly going on forever in either direction. It was larger than the biggest palace Isis had ever seen, she just looked out the window in awe as they approached the base of the mountain. Isis had never seen anything quite like it. She assumed that Julius felt the same as she observed him gawking at the mountain as well. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFpGwXzfkw
“It’s massive.” Isis gasped, awestruck by the mountain. Julius nodded in agreement and then looked at her worriedly.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sQezM4Dt6
“Are you sure you’ll be alright? I mean, anything could go wrong up there.” He said, his eyes filled with concern for her well being. Isis groaned.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7D35J8Yksr
“Yes, I’ve told you a thousand times that I will be okay.” She explained yet again. But Julius kept looking at her with distress etched into his features. She glared at him.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBaZuPyAkf0
“We’re already here, why turn back now.” She barked. But as she shouted at him, a light pressure pushed on her bladder. It was light at first but slowly more pressure was added.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVovmjG8XnR
“I don’t suppose there are any lavatories out here…” She mumbled embarrassed. Julius smiled and leaned his head out of the carriage window, requesting a rest stop. Isis’ face turned beat red with embarrassment. Her face only got redder and redder as the carriage pulled over and creaked to a stop. One of her attending maids got out of a second carriage and went to help Isis find a suitable place for her to relieve herself in private.
Once done, she climbed back into the carriage, avoiding eye contact with everyone, not wanting people to know that she just stopped an entire entourage because she needed to use the lou. All Julius did was chuckle at her misfortune.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwvNZy0L9VG
“And what’s so funny about needing to relieve myself, huh?!” She yelped, her face a bright cherry pink. Julius kept giggling like a little girl and Isis shot him a death glare. He then stopped, apologizing through his tears of laughter. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVS4aY6sLza
“We’re almost here.” Julius announced even though Isis was hardly listening, too busy giving him the cold shoulder to care. She kept watching out of the window, mesmerized by the structure of the mountain. All the colors of the different rocks piling up onto one another and mushing into one large mass. She wondered why some of the rocks were gray, and some were red, and some were light blue. It fascinated her greatly. All she wanted to do was reach out and touch the rocks, but she put her hands in her lap, not wanting to stop the caravan yet again for a miscellaneous task. When she looked back she saw Julius just staring at her, his eyes held so much affection that surprised Isis greatly.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSMtCSIbg6
“Wah-what?” She asked, her cheeks turning a light pink. Julius just kept staring at her with such love in his eyes that Isis believed even the carriage behind them could tell what they were doing.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt3gTMp0JD
“What?” She asked more forcefully this time. Julius giggled a little.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQteBnTyPkv
“We’re getting married.” He cooed a goofy smile spread across his face. Isis chuckled at his display of excitement.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0KoRhO3JJ
“We are.” She replied. Julius frowned and looked like a puppy who had been refused a treat.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HZAQmxVCa
“No Isis. We’re getting married! We’re going to spend the rest of our lives together!” Julius explained. Isis knew that this was what marriage meant, but she never really thought about truly getting married to him until now. Her eyes went wide with realization.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡERyx6Qbafn
“It felt like just yesterday when we met for the first time.” Julius added, reaching out to play with a strand of her hair. She nodded and leaned into his touch. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmKsw4juHQ
“I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, Isis.” Julius spoke, giving her a tender kiss. She smiled back at him and patted the seat next to her, beckoning him to sit next to her. Julius waited for a moment, waiting for the carriage to roll smoothly before he got up. Once he sat next to her, he glomped onto her, smothering her in kisses. Isis couldn’t stop laughing.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH052Ian6NZ
“You’re tickling me, Julius!” She yelped through her giggles. Julius didn’t let up, firing barrage after barrage of kisses on her face, neck and hands. Isis kept on laughing and laughing until she ran out of breath. Julius finally stopped kissing her and just leaned his head on her shoulder, holding her hand in his. He traced the outline of her knuckles and each wrinkle of her palm. Isis leaned against him as well, resting her eyes for a moment. It was peaceful and calm, creating a sense of tranquility while in the carriage. The knights that were riding on either side of the carriage felt jealous. The men also wanted to be at home with their wives and girlfriends and children. They silently hoped their wives would welcome them back home with a gesture like that.
The two were oblivious to the world around them, too caught up in the warmth of each other's presence. The world just didn’t seem to matter any more, not their journey, not their duties, nothing. Just the two of them embracing one another. But when the carriage finally stopped, the two were unprepared and slid off the seat, landing haphazardly on the floor of the carriage. Before the door had been opened the couple just looked at each other, and before long, the two were cracking up and absolutely losing it. Slowly they got up and exited the carriage clumsily. Finally standing on solid ground, a priest had come down from the temple to assist them on their journey.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo2LfNcJvF6
“I estimate the travel to be around six days and five nights.” The priest announced. The two looked at each other with doubt. Would they really be able to make it there without getting hurt or sick? Julius’ main concern wasn’t his own health, but Isis’. He feared she may push herself too hard and end up miscarrying. Even if she did, he would still love her no matter what. But the fear of losing his unborn child instilled a fear in him like no other. He wanted to get married to her, and she wanted to get married to him, but the fear of the infant’s death was doing a number on his reasoning. He knew they had to get married before anyone else found out about the baby, and if they waited much longer, hiding the fact that Isis was pregnant would be too difficult. Even now she had to wear layers to keep the bump under wraps. The priest then smiled at them.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHo08zU6aq
“Shall we begin?” He asked, motioning towards the pathway. Julius and Isis looked at each other, uncertainty lacing their eyes. But then, Isis smiled sweetly at him. 86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kXLdxCt7t
“Are you ready to get married?” She asked, grabbing his hand thoughtfully. Julius smiled back at her, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXWIeN5ujd
“I’ve been ready since I proposed.” He informed her. They followed the priest, walking hand in hand, their steps in sync with each other.
As the two walked steadily behind the priest, feeling nervous but excited about what was to come in the next few days. They knew that at some point the priest was going to test them to see if they truly belong together for eternity and even in death. But the excitement about getting married was almost too much, Isis’ heart was practically bouncing off the walls of her ribcage. Julius was practically running to get to the temple as fast as he could, even though it was a five day trip by foot. Isis tried her best to keep calm and cool, her steps were calculated to go as fast as she could without looking rushed. Julius was whining to her about how he didn’t need to get married to her in the sun temple, that he would just marry her right here and now if he could, which Isis didn’t mind, the view from up there was breathtaking, and the sun was shining through the tops of the trees, a truly ethereal sight to behold. She too wanted to skip the formalities and just get married already. She had been waiting for five and a half months to get married and now that they were so close, her heart couldn’t take the excitement much longer. Excitement flowed through her veins like her own blood, pumping it everywhere in her body, leaving no area without jitters.
After about an hour of walking, Isis started to feel ill again, the queasiness was almost overwhelming to the point where she momentarily had to stop and retch into a nearby bush while Julius was holding back her hair.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYA5GcUv7F
“Nervousness?” Asked the priest, wondering why a seemingly healthy woman was getting sick like this. Julius nodded.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rydtcIuV7
“Y-yes, she’s just nervous. Right, Isis?” He asked, scared that there would be repercussions if the priest found out that Isis was pregnant. Isis whipped her mouth and drank some water to flush out the taste of bile. The priest hovered over her, concerned for her health.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTzTVAEgxf4
“Just my nerves acting up.” She lied, knowing that lying to a priest could lead to big trouble. The priest, not wanting to push, nodded and they carried on through the thick foliage.Still walking hand in hand despite how ill Isis felt, her fingers laced through his in a tight embrace. He felt like safety to her, like home, a home that she never got growing up.
The priest began to yip-yap about the history of the sun temple and its origins being the first ever temple on the continent of Lockwean back when demons still roamed the earth, trying to corrupt humans. Julius only rolled his eyes, already knowing this story, having heard it time and time again when his father married the previous queen. He and his four siblings had been born to the same courtier, Genevieve, a woman whose beauty was shown inside and out. Isis really admired her as she was a very strong woman, able to climb the ranks from concubine to courtier, which was almost impossible for lower ranking nobles such as her with her father’s Baron title. Julius, who became increasingly worried for Isis, started to slow his pace, instead of walking as fast as he could, he dropped down to rub Isis’ back, hoping to soothe some of her ailments. Though she hoped vomiting would have made her feel better, it only made it worse. Her throat was burning from the acid, her stomach churned like a butter pale and her hands sweat so much it felt like she had just soaked them in water. She walked slowly and tried not to get sick again, knowing that it would be odd if she had to stop yet again. So she swallowed it down, refusing to stop again until nightfall.
So as the sun set and the priest let the two rest for the night, Isis ate some bread and crackers to try and soak up the excess fluids in her stomach. Her eyes felt heavy and her limbs were sore from walking so much up such a steep path. Her and Julius sat on a log near the fire that the priest had lit to keep them warm. Isis’ eyes were trying desperately to stay open but ultimately failed, falling fast asleep on Julius’ shoulder. Julius and the priest talked for a while after that, conversing about different political things like taxes and the poverty rates which he was trying to get a hold over. He wanted his people to be happy and healthy, free from any type of sickness or ailments they could have. He wanted them to be able to afford sweet breads and good meat, vegetables to feed their children and milk to give them strong bones. But even the richest of kings would struggle with this task. Finally when the two tired out, Julius scooped up Isis’ sleeping form and moved her over to a small cot that they were expected to share. Though the ground made it fairly uncomfortable to sleep, Julius didn’t care because he was still sleeping next to the love of his life. He lay awake for a little while longer, just staring at her sleeping face that he had come to adore more than life itself. Brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. Her light breathing and soft exhales made him surge with affection. He wanted nothing more than to wake her up and shower her with kisses and attention, but he knew she would just roll over and continue to sleep if he tried. And believe him, he had tried before.
As the two slept together side by side and the night went about its business around them, Julius dreamt of their wedding day, her in a white dress and her family watching proudly in the pews behind them. He smiled unconsciously, but while he was having the time of his life in his own mind, Isis was dreaming of something more sinister. She dreamt of a fire raging and many casualties, including Julius’, her breathing quickened and sweat began to bead on her forehead and drip down. Every which way she turned there was fire and the body of someone she cared about. She sprinted, trying to get away from the flames but she saw a silhouette that remained unbothered by the raging fire all around them. It was a man, no- a boy, who had a striking resemblance to Julius and herself. She called out to him but he only smiled and disappeared into the flames behind him. Isis was slowly being consumed by the fire as it lapped at her ankles. Her white dress caught fire and burst into flames, burning her skin. She felt the searing pain of the fire enveloping her and eating her whole. She weeped both in her dreams and in the world where Julius kindly held onto her. Tears fell and pooled on Julius’ sleeved arm, dampening his clothing greatly. Even after her dreams faded away into nothingness, and all she saw was pitch black, her tears didn’t cease, if anything they only increased. Her body shook and shivered with fear and pain that had never existed.
A raging storm was brewing, clouds began to cluster on the mountain, shielding everything from the warm sun as it began to rise. A downpour hit and violently pulled the three out of their slumber. They all clobbered to get into some kind of shelter, not wanting to be stuck in the pouring rain and hail. Settling on an abandoned hut that was likely used as a bath house long ago. They scrambled inside, their clothes soaked through to their socks, and their noses running. Isis was shivering from the cold and the priest luckily found some spare lumber to keep them warm. They huddled together by the fire, Julius and Isis were sticking together like a thick glue.
A test from God is more difficult than anything a priest could do. And now, God had finally begun his trials on them.86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZyYFhFssxH
