The Cloud-Capped Towers .:V:.

by ~veritaslux

V – Fallen Star

It was dark that evening, and as Cysagh reflected on the day’s events, he began to wonder again about what he had just done in connection with the angels’ prophecy about him. It seemed strange that he could be able to do something like that, when he had never so much as spoken in public, or indeed in front of people before. It was a thought that remained in the back of his head as he gazed out of his window into the enigma that was the night.

The moon was perfectly round in the sky, and it seemed to be lazily hanging above the village, dimly illuminating the people below. The stars were also watching, their beads of light forming patterns and obscure pictures in the sky. It was times like this that made Cysagh wonder how people read the moon and the stars, and if they ever really realised their true beauty.

He yawned, and realising exactly how tired he was, he laid himself down on his bed, and continued looking out of the window to try and lull himself to sleep. He drifted deeper and deeper into slumber as the moon and the stars watched over him, and when he finally fell asleep, it was close to midnight.

That evening, Cysagh dreamt about what he had seen, but not the bad things; he had woven it into some sort of surreal fairytale of him gallantly saving the world. He slept soundly through it, the idea appealing to the vague, dreamy part of his mind that was registering what he saw. Dwelling in the land of dreams was one of his favourite things, and he wasn’t about to ruin the moment. And so his head swam with the various thoughts and feelings encountered in the strange world that was sleep.

* * *

What woke him was the noise. It sounded as though somebody had taken a knife and torn the air open; not unlike a seamstress tearing a piece of fabric with her dressmaking scissors. Cysagh stood up wearily, and walked over to the window to see what the commotion was all about.  He rubbed his eyes quickly, and then stared into the sky.

What appeared to be a shooting star was streaming through the night, its bright white tail serenely illuminating everything below. As it sailed through the air, it looked peaceful amongst the stars and the moon. It glowed as it reached ever closer to the ground, getting larger and larger as it neared. It was when it became larger than Cysagh had ever seen a shooting star that he began to realise what was happening.

The falling star enlarged to a ball of white flame, until it became close enough to the house for Cysagh to see the shadowy figure trapped inside it. With a mighty crash, the ball hit the ground just yards away from where the structure of the house was, leaving a visible indentation in the ground. He winced at the impact, fearing that the entire village would have heard, but found himself surprised that nobody had seemed to notice.

Slipping on his shirt and buttoning it quickly, he light-footedly crept outside to explore the disturbance. Cysagh found it suddenly intriguing to think about what else might be out there, as it seemed that his future was unstoppably entwined with every other person’s.

As he reached the depression where the fallen star had buried itself, he gasped in shock at what he saw. There was no rock, no more flame, nothing. Just a woman. An unconscious woman lying in the place of where a shooting star had once been. She looked just slightly older than Cysagh, and was serenely beautiful. Her pale face was illuminated by the hanging white orb that was the moon above, and long brown hair flowing in straight locks down her back. She was dressed in a pale white gown, which augmented her features.

Cysagh bent down over the woman, concerned for her safety. Without regard for whether she could hear, he started talking to her.
“Are you alright? That was a bit of a... nasty fall you had. How did you even get inside that fallen star, and then it vanish the moment it impacts?”

Realising that she was unconscious, Cysagh berated himself for his stupidity, and finally mumbled something about going to get help. Just as he was about to step away, however, an angelic voice came to his ears.
“Yes,” it said. “I am alright. And if you don’t go to get help, I’ll tell you how I got inside a fallen star.”

Turning around in amazement, Cysagh saw the woman sitting up in the depression, with a ghost of a smile touching at her lips. He walked back to where she was, and unable to find words, helped pull her out instead. She stood slightly taller than him, and looked down with deep brown eyes. She gazed intently at Cysagh for a minute, before saying quickly, “Follow me.”

Cysagh obeyed without thought for what was happening, and followed her into the forest Cysagh was going to explore only earlier that day. The woman pulled him towards her, and frowned as she looked at him.
“I had hoped I didn’t land near any civilisation, but I suppose that doesn’t matter now,” she said, speaking in her clear, perfectly formed tones. “What matters is that you will swear not to mention my very existence to anybody else. You’ll do that, won’t you?”

The question wasn’t even spoken as a question, more an assertion of something she had already decided. When Cysagh nodded, she continued.
“My name...” she stammered, obviously confused as whether to trust the fifteen year-old boy standing in front of her, “is Perioc. I didn’t come here in a fallen star, I am the fallen star. I was sent here on a mission to retrieve... a particular item. And that is all I am willing to tell you. You’ve helped me, I’ve helped you, and now we can go about doing what we need to do. Now go back to your bed and forget that I ever existed.”
“But,” objected Cysagh, finding his voice, “I can’t just... forget! You’ve fallen out of the sky, on a mission, but you won’t tell me what it is and why you are on it! It will madden me until I know!”
“Then it is necessary for you to go mad. Because I am not going to tell you why I am here. That is none of your business, and likely will never be your business. I am leaving, and do not try to stop me,” she replied sternly, and before Cysagh had a chance to retort, she was gone, merely a whisper remaining in the woods where she had stalked off to.

Realising it would be futile to pursue her in the night and without knowing exactly who she was, Cysagh returned through the thicket of trees and bushes, and laid in his bed, another strange occurrence weighing down on his thoughts as he fell once more into the land of dreams.