the warrior and the goddess

this post has nothing to do with my concubine arc. this is a one shot, written for someone dear to me.
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the warrior sighed heavily as he paused in his journey. it had been long and arduous in his advancing age, but he knew the destination was finally growing near. so much time had passed when he had begun this quest that he almost couldn't remember when he had started, but it was winter now. his bones protested with pops and clicks as he shifted in his armor, sighing into the frosty air.

fat snowflakes fell past his nose, and with a shiver he adjusted the cowl up over the lower half of his face to protect it. picking up the rusty blade he had jabbed into the drifts building up past his knees, he continued trudging onward. it wouldn't do to keep her waiting, regardless of how long the trip actually was. he knew tarrying too long would be bad, though slowness was acceptable.

time wheeled endlessly, day to night to day. by the time he reached the sacred grove, he would have sworn he had aged another ten years in the process. it was hard to say really, all he knew was the rise and set of the fiery ball in the sky. as he passed under the flowery archway into the eternal spring of the magical place, he felt the snow fall from him and melt away into nothing.

instead of water sliding down his skin and irking him, the snow merely faded from existence. a faint smile touched his face as he regarded this, knowing it was the will of the divine one who's presence he had sought here. stepping carefully towards the tree in the center, he was amazed once again by the ethereal beauty of the place.

flowers, plants, trees, every kind of animal he had ever thought of roamed here freely and in peace, there were never any quarrels and no other people for that matter. he knew that he was not the only one to petition the divine one, but he seemed to be the sole human who came back over and over again over the decades.

when he came within ten feet of the tree, he saw her. she stepped into being as effortlessly as water sliding over stone, and her form glowed bright with the energy of her kind. had he been younger he would have wept with the sight of her beauty, but she had chastised him for doing so in the past. the memory made him chuckle softly, but she appeared to not have heard him as she regarded his form.

after a few moments she beckoned to him, and he made his way forward and collapsed at her feet. the gentle pressure on his skull told him she rested her hand on it, and he heard her sigh. "back again, erik," she mused, humming softly. her gaze wasn't on him, rather roaming over her grove for a moment before sealing the entrance and then looking down at the warrior.

"yes," he murmured at length, overwhelmed with her scent. he did not need to speak further, she would know why he had come. she always knew, since she was not an earthly being she possessed the ability to look into the hearts of man and know every secret they kept within them. instead he waited quietly, drinking in her presence and her touch.

with a petting motion on his head she moved her hand away, then sat down on the roots of the tree next to him. the tree graciously gave her room, shifting the wood so she would not be uncomfortable underneath the leaves. her eyes took him in, the rusted armor that was flaking away in places, the ruined sword on his back, the wrinkles on his face.

"time has not been kind to you, my warrior," she observed, and he chortled in response as she had always been very direct in her words. "indeed," he quipped before sighing. "i have fought many wars in the changing lands, and i don't even remember how it used to be now." she nodded as she listened, the birds chirping nearby.

although he did not linger on her long, he noticed that she was still vibrant and full of life, as young in appearance as she had been when he had first come to this place. part of him wondered if she was ageless, and another part of him posited that she was using magic to conceal her true age. "you're partially right," she said, answering his thoughts.

erik looked over at her, startled. "time runs differently here," she explained, smiling. "for you it has been over thirty years since you first came to me, while for me it has only been a few months." his eyes grew wide at this, and he wondered if he would faint at his proclamation. she laughed then, the silvery bells of her voice pealing throughout the grove and filling with with humor and peace.

she sobered then, and he felt something shift in the air. with that she stood up, looking around before sighing. a few odd words fell from her lips, and they seemed to crackle and spark in the air before forming a glowing portal. erik had to throw an arm over his eyes to save his vision, until the shadow of the goddess fell upon him and he lowered the limb to look up at her.

her eyes seemed to be a mixture of happiness and sadness as she peered down at him, resting peacefully on the grass. "your time has come, erik," she said, and her voice seemed filled with thunder, echoing beyond his perception as her true power came forth. she held a hand out to him as lightning flashed around her, striking the earth at random intervals while the grove darkened to nightfall.

"you have a choice," she continued. "come with me and serve me at my knee for time eternal, or remain here and be buried by your people when they find this place."

erik thought about it for a few long moments. his life had been plentiful, he had seen war and famine, peace and bounty. his children had children and children beyond, his descendants were ready for the new world. his body was old and failing, likely to give out soon. when his goddess left this plane he would be utterly alone, and as she announced, dead soon. the decision was easy.

"i will come with you," he murmured simply, taking her hand. she grinned at him, yanking him upwards. he gave a yelp of surprise, then looked astonished as his body felt a lot lighter. looking down he nearly fell over in shock, causing the divine woman to bend over laughing at his reaction. "it's just your new form, silly," she said, then gestured for him to follow. "i'll tell you all about it on the other side."

his bewilderment showed, since he was now glowing like she was, but his armor was smaller and shiny new, his body youthful and exuberant. his sword vibrated with power, looking as though it had only been forged that morning. the goddess didn't look back as she stepped through the portal, and he followed closely after her, excited for the new adventures he was going to partake in.

as the portal closed the grove faded away into nothing, leaving only a barren wasteland. the tree withered and died, all the leaves falling and rotting away. at its base was the body of a man, clutching a sword to him as it sat in rest or contemplation. the body turned to stone, and rust fell away from the metal as his armor and weapon joined it.

those who came near it seemed confused by this statue, but even more so that sheltered under the stone gaze was a single rose, and those who drew close all swore the same thing: that a voice whispered this was a promise that one day the warrior and his goddess would return when they were needed to help save humanity.