The vast mountain forest was filled with the cool winds sweeping down from snow covered peaks. The summer sun beat down between the pines to warm the otherwise cool air. There along a fern choked dirt trail walked a pair of figures. Miya was holding her younger brother Tromly close to her side as they traveled through the forest, their happiness so great that the fear of mountain beasts never even entered their mind. After all, even if some wild beast was to attack them, the protection of a great and powerful goddess was upon them.
"Oh Tromly" Miya said while hugging her brother with her right arm. "Promise me you'll never wander off like that again! If Goddess Jenna hadn't awoke I would have never seen you again."
There was still emotion in her voice as she embraced her brother. Despite his age he was sent off into the woods to forage just as any of the other children were. If you were old enough to walk you were old enough to work. Some children helped with the field work, some helped with the animals, and any others either foraged or did odd jobs around the village. Tromly was quite good as spotting root vegetables which was why he was often in the forests surrounding their village. He had never gotten lost before, but as the guardian adult had said, there was an unprecedented bear attack that split him away from the group. From there his disappearance and subsequent rescue by Jenna was a miracle of history.
"Yes sister..." Tromly said hanging his head.
He was still recovering from shock himself. The entire experience had been extremely traumatic for a boy of eight years. After escaping being gored by a wild boar he had wandered in the woods for two days and nights. He had slept under rock crags and eaten whatever plants he could find. The gigantic girl stomping up like a moving mountain and carrying him to his sister was the part he still couldn't believe was real. But it had been real, and unlike his sister he wasn't as eager to bow down and worship some random goddess that happened to be nice this once. All the stories he had heard about the goddesses of old were mixed between benevolent dictators and bloodthirsty tyrants.
"Do you really think Goddess Jenna is safe?" Tromly asked, looking up at his sister's face.
Miya was still smiling like a fool and hugged her brother again. "Of course she is! I was terrified at first, but something about her just radiates kindness and warmth. She's nothing like the ancient stories!" She sighed wistfully.
----
The two of them had walked in relative silence for the rest of the journey. Only the chirping of birds and occasional small animal running through the bushes broke the silence. It took them a couple hours to hike down from the temple ruins to the village, but thankfully it was late morning and the rest of the daylight was ahead of them.
"Finally we're home!" Miya said as they walked across the village boundary.
Though their home village of Doovlin was small it was always full of activity. Their family home was on the far side of the cleared land near the mill, as the entire village rested in the heart of the lowlands forest. Miya and her family were among those that worked the area of deforested farmland. It was important work as the crops they grew supplemented the hunting and foraging that were the village's only sources of food.
Miya held her brother tight as she hurried through the village, getting her brother home to show her parents was her top priority. Her father would be in the fields a this time but her mother would be home doing other work.
"Hurry hurry!" she said in excitement. She was almost dragging Tromly at this point as his exhaustion was setting in.
As they walked through the village there were many a gasp of shock from those they passed. Many pointed and spoke amongst themselves about the return of the lost boy. There had been many earthquakes today with no understood cause. Yet here came the Deuiden girl, dragging her brother out of the mountains as if his two days long disappearance had never happened. The earthquakes and reappearance of the boy happening on the same morning were more than simple coincidence, and suspicion of magic was reflex in all that saw the pair. There had been rumors from the nearby town that a cult had been working to summon an ancient goddess. Was Miya part of this group? She did leave to the mountain each morning the last few days, not accepting that the search had been called off. Here was her brother, though he was thought lost and dead.
Miya and Tromly couldn't miss this behavior, though while Tromly was confused Miya had an understanding of what they might be thinking. She admitted it was crazy to go up the mountain to that ruined temple to pray for her brother's salvation. But with the village and her own parents giving up on the search she had no other choice. In the end she couldn't have felt more vindicated due to the appearance of Goddess Jenna. Not only had she saved her brother's life, but she has brought an ally to the village that would make them more prosperous than they could ever imagine. At least that's what she hoped would happen.
"Don't pay any attention to them" Miya said holding her brother tighter.
"Do they not know about the goddess?" Tromly asked.
Miya shook her head. "I think we should keep that a secret until I can get adults to come see her."
One village resident was unperturbed by the rumors and strange miracle however, and came hurrying over when the two passed by. It was the blacksmith Elphonse Pillaman who operated the only forge in the village. He jogged over to where they were walking and stopped in front of them, his face a mixture of relief and confusion.
"Why look at you Miya! You disappear into the woods every morning and here you be dragging your lost brother out of the darkness of death!"
"Mr Pillaman!" Miya said in relief. "Y-You're not suspicious of me?"
Elphonse shook his head. "Of course not! Everyone knows no one in this village can use magic. Those earthquakes were the mountain settling and not some dark magic shit."
At this point Tromly was barely staying awake. He clung to Miya and was quickly fading from the waking world as he stumbled, slumping over as he began to pass out.
"You're brother looks in rough shape" Elphonse said. "Here let me carry him."
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The tall and muscular man easily scooped the young boy in his arms and lifted him into the air and smiled down at Miya.
Miya let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Mr Pillaman. It would have been difficult to carry him, he's been growing so quickly lately and I'm embarrassed to say he's not as easy to carry as he used to be." She looked down in shame. "I know I'm just a girl and shouldn't be out in the forest, but I was desperate."
"Ach don't be so hard on yourself little lady" Elphonse replied. "Just thank the powers that be that you found your brother after all. You'll have to tell me all about it on the way home."
"No!" Miya said suddenly, causing the man to give her a surprised look. "Its just..." she said looking down again. "I shouldn't tell you anything about it until we make it home." She gave a nervous look around.
Elphonse was more than a little confused but saw something was bothering the girl. "Well if you say so Miya. I know your mother will want to hear as well anyway."
The two of them began walking the rest of the way to the Deuiden residence. Miya stayed close to Elphonse's side as they walked, the suspicious looks reduced by his presence but not stopping entirely. It was only a few minutes walk anyway and soon they came into the more openly spaced buildings that then turned into farmland. There wasn't much open land of course, but there was enough to grow a decent crop of hardy vegetables.
Once Miya's home was in sight she broke away from Elphonse and ran the renaming distance. It was a small cottage made of timber and stone that was occupied by only her family of four. There was no smoke coming from the roof but that didn't mean her mother wasn't inside. The door was open and she burst inside in a rush of excitement.
"Mother! Mother!" Miya cried. "Come quick! I found Tromly!"
A middle age woman was siting on a wooden chair on the far side of the large room, a garment in her hand as she sewed a path of cloth on to repair a hole. The sudden appearance of her daughter in the door shouting caused her to let out a shriek. The needle and shirt she were holding flew from her hands as she leapt practically out of the chair. She stood up and turned towards the door, a look of frustration on her face. Her skin was pale and her hair was long, the long dark brown locks flowing down over her shoulders.
"Miya! What do you think you're doing?!" she exclaimed exasperated. "Has our family not had enough ruin without you running off into the mountains after your deceased brother? Now you jump out of doorways and try to send me into the next life as well?"
Miya ran over to her mother and took hold her arms, pulling her towards the door of their home. "No mother. Tromly isn't dead! He's alive I found him! Come come, Mr Pillaman is carrying him!"
"What nonsense are you babbling about now?" her mother asked.
She followed her daughter to the door nonetheless in hopes indulging Miya's apparently fit of madness would help bring her back to reality. How stunned she was when she came to the door to see Elphonse walking towards their house, and indeed Tromly was in his arms. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, but just the sight of her boy lifted her heart almost out of her chest. In a trance she stared for a moment. She couldn't be sure if she was awake or dreaming, but her body moved on its own. She moved past her daughter and ran towards Elphonse, her voice rising from her throat before she could even realize she was speaking.
"Tromly!" she cried in surprise and elation.
Elphonse merely stood there as the woman ran up to him and fell upon the boy in his arms. She put her hands on Tromly's face and arms, feeling him to ensure she wasn't seeing an apparition. The boy was breathing but asleep, it was her son alive and well.
"The boy is quite exhausted Elentra" Elphonse said to her. "Miya showed up dragging him into the village just a short while ago."
"Miya did find him?" Elentra replied still in a state of shock. She turned around to see Miya jogging over to them while beaming with happiness.
"I told you mother" Miya exclaimed. "Once we're inside I'll tell you how I found him!"
Elphonse nodded. "Yea you owe me a telling of this tale as well little lady. But first he should be put into bed."
Elentra reached her arms underneath the sleeping boy and carefully took him from Elphonse's arms. She was single-mindedly focused on her returned son and wordlessly rushed him into the house and to the bed. The others followed after her and did not make any attempt to slow her down. Once Tromly was safely put into the children's bed inside the house a wave of emotion washed over Elentra. Miya and Elphonse found her softly crying over her sleeping son.
Miya walked over and put her hands on her mother's shoulders. "Its ok mother. He's safely home."
"Oh Miya" Elentra said through her tears. "Thank the gods he's been returned to us. You must tell me how you found him."
Miya pulled away from her mother and walked over to the table in the middle of the home. "Well about that mother..." she looked over to Elphonse as she sat down. "Mr Pillaman... You wouldn't believe me." She looked up with a passionate exclamation. "But its true I swear it!"
"What's true?" her mother said walking over and kneeling down in front of her.
Elphonse walked over and stood nearby. "Its time you owe us an explanation for this miracle young woman."
This was the moment that Miya had been dreading. The goddess she met was real, that was undeniable. But goddess worship hadn't happened in thousands of years in these lands, and the only living goddess the world knew about was in another area of the continent.
"Mmhm" Miya said clearing her throat a little. "Well... I'll start at the beginning..." She lowered her gaze as she spoke to avoid eye contact with the adults. "After the search had been called off I was unable to accept Tromly's disappearance. I remembered there was a ruined temple in the forest and I went there to pray. I was praying to anyone, anything, to save my brother." She looked up into her mothers eyes, then into Elphonse's. "But then on the third morning someone answered!"
Both adults looked at her in disbelief.
"What do you mean someone answered honey?" her mother asked confused.
"A goddess came!" Miya exclaimed standing up from the chair. She stretched her arms into the air. "She was taller than the trees and looked like a young girl! Her footsteps shook the mountain! That's the earthquakes everyone has been feeling lately, its her walking!"
"Now wait just a moment Miya" Elphonse said sternly. "There hasn't been a goddess in these lands in thousands of years! Why would one suddenly appear on our mountains, and why would your prayers wake her up? You were clearly delirious from grief and stumbled upon your brother by accident."
"No!" Miya said in rebuke. "She's real and her name is Jenna! Goddess Jenna! She found Tromly and brought him to me. She was carrying him in her palm like a person carries a baby chick." She mimicked the motion to demonstrate.
Elentra stood and held her daughter's shoulders. "Listen sweetie. I know you're beliefs are strong but we're talking about a goddess here. If the old stories are to be believed a goddess appearing is the worst omen this kingdom could ever receive. Why don't we take the miracle of Tromly being found and-"
"No mother" Miya said as she pushed her mother's hands off her shoulders. "She is real and if you don't believe me I'll prove it to you! When father gets home I'll take him and Mr Pillaman up to see her themselves!"
It was clear to both adults that Miya was not to be swayed from her beliefs. Clearly something had happened up in that forest, and mayhaps Miya had been entranced by something or someone. If nothing else a trip to that abandoned temple wouldn't be dangerous, and settling this would keep Miya from running off into the forest again. If there was a goddess though...
"Where is this goddess now Miya?" Elphonse asked.
"She's asleep at the temple" Miya replied with a huff. "I'll take you there tomorrow morning."
Elentra sighed and crossed her arms over her torso. "If the men go with you to the temple will you swear to give up on this all if there is no goddess there?"
"I swear it" Miya said defiantly. "Because there will be a goddess there and you will see I'm speaking the truth!"
Her mother turned and walked over to the bed Tromly was laying on. She looked down at her son sleeping peacefully. "Very well Miya. Tomorrow morning this will be settled."
Her daughter had always been stubborn. But to cause such a fuss over something like this. A goddess would be bad news for the village, very bad news indeed.