The Oath of Arigot

Chapter Three

The whistling of soft wind was all that could be heard as Gonzalo and Arit stood at the Great Gate, observing and waiting for Rozalis to come to the garden to tend to his flowers. Arit's bone-straight blonde hair was knotted at the back with a golden metal shaped like a bolt. She wore a white dress pleated down from the waistline. There was a blue waistband on the dress and a blue fabric draped over her shoulders. She wore an emerald bracelet, a silver necklace with an emerald pendant, and a tiara, all of which made her very adorable and princess-like. Naturally, she had a sheer white skin, so much that she could pass for an angel in the eyes of a human. She also had blue eyes and pale blue cheeks. Her lips were a rosy pink. She had a slender body with soft curves.

"Are you sure he will come to the garden today?" Arit asked Gonzalo.

"He comes everyday to tend to the flowers," Gonzalo replied.

"So why isn't he here already?" Arit asked further. She was becoming apprehensive, but Gonzalo kept reassuring her that Rozalis would definitely come to the garden. The fabric which contained the magic powder that Lesi gave Arit was in Gonzalo's hand. They were patiently waiting for Rozalis to show up.

Soon, they saw Rozalis sauntering into the garden with a little basket in his hand. His curly brown hair fluttered gently as he walked. The sun rays on his skin created a sparkle in Arit's eyes.

"Oh, my dear Rozalis, how the gods made you the most beautiful creature alive," Arit enthused. She was still standing at the Great Gate but her soul was already with Rozalis in the garden in the human world.

"Give me the magic powder", she ordered.

Gonzalo immediately unwrapped the fabric and handed it over to her. The powder looked like sawdust. Arit poured a little of it into her right palm and cupped it, then she tied the fabric back into a knot.

"Oh, Gonzalo my dearest friend, I'm embarking on such a beautiful journey and I trust this remains a secret between us," Arit said.

Gonzalo assured her of her enduring support and friendship, and promised to keep everything a secret between just the two of them.

"I want to fly safely down to the human world to see Rozalis and fly back to Arigot. I wish to be with him," Arit prayed.

Gonzalo stood by watching her as she said her prayer and wish. Arit then sprinkled the powder on herself. Immediately, a gentle wind twirled around her. She felt her weight disappearing and her body becoming lighter. It was as if she were a bird. The gentle wind lifted her off the ground and swayed her gently before propelling her out of Arigot through the Great Gate into the human world. She floated on air and drifted down to the human world. Her hair and her dress fluttered gracefully in the air. She could see Rozalis tending to the flowers in the garden. She imagined him giving her such care and it pleased her.

The wind landed Arit beside a grove of sequoia trees that was not far from the garden where Rozalis was. She stood there, hiding behind one of the trees and musing on what to do to attract Rozalis' attention or how to approach him. She knew that Gonzalo could see her from above in the sky and she wished she could ask her for advice on what to do.

"Oh, Gonzalo, how beloved he looks, a perfect creature carved by the gods themselves," she whispered. Doves cooed at the top of the sequoia trees and crickets chirped in the thicket of bush surrounding the grove.

Arit made several attempts to come out of the grove and walk up to Rozalis, but she felt her feet restricted by a shyness that emanated from the depth of enchantment and love she felt for him.

"Oh, my lovely Rozalis, I wish you could walk this way into this grove and be with me," she whispered.

Time was fast running, yet she could not overcome her shyness and sum up the courage to walk up to Rozalis. She stood there hiding behind one of the sequoia trees, observing every move made by Rozalis. She admired the gentleness with which he was tending to the flowers; she admired the firmness of his muscles as they contracted against every move of his; she admired the fairness of his sun-kissed skin; and she admired the fluffiness of his curly brown hair. The sight of him pleased her.

While Arit was still hiding behind the trees and peeking out, Rozalis began packing his equipment to leave the garden. He had finished his work for the day and was about going home. Arit knew he was about to leave. Her heart raced as she thought of how she would have wasted her chance if she didn't talk to him. Her eyes began to glisten with tears. She thought of calling him but her shyness froze her voice and caused the words to form a lump in her throat. She tried to move her feet but they were entrapped by her shyness still. All she could do was to heave out an inaudible "Beloved Rozalis, do not go away,"

As Rozalis stood up to leave, some grains which he had gathered from the garden splattered on the ground. A white dove flew past him and perched on the ground where the grains fell. The dove began to peck at the grains. Rozalis watched as the dove continued pecking. Meanwhile, Arit was still behind the tree in the grove, and peeking out to see him. Rozalis made an attempt to pat the dove on its back but it quickly flew away into the grove. As he watched the dove flying away, he saw something swiftly flipping to the back of a tree. He thought it resembled the head of a woman. But it was veiled by the tree. He concluded that it must have been someone picking some fruits in the grove, but he had never met anyone there before. He turned his back to the grove and started walking away. As he receded into the distance, he heard a faint call and turned back to the direction of the grove. What he heard sounded like "Rou-zar-liz" and he didn't recognise the voice or the name. All he did was to turn his back against the grove and continued walking away. Then he heard the voice calling again. He turned swiftly, almost with the speed of lightning. His eyes caught a glimpse of a face with a sheer white skin flipping to the back of a tree. He stood there wondering at who it could be. Was there someone following him? And why was the person hiding behind the trees?

Rozalis decided to wait there for a while and see whether the person would come out. As he was standing, the face peeked out again. This time he saw it clearly before it flipped back behind the tree. With such a sheer white skin and something he could detect to be blue eyes, he thought it could be an angel. He had heard stories about how angels visited humans sometimes. Even though he was a little tensed, he started stalking the grove. Stones crunched under his feet and dry leaves crackled as he stepped on them, one feet after the other. As he approached the grove, the sound of dry leaves crackling under his feet alerted Arit. She immediately sprinted off. Rozalis stood still watching the flay of her white dress and her blond hair flutter as she ran away. He also saw the tiara on her head and concluded that she was either an angel or a member of a royal family. He ran after her but by the time he got to the grove, she had vanished. In his mind, he concluded that he had been visited by an angel, but he couldn't tell what inspired the visit.