Chapter 14: The First Night
After a modest dinner, the room was bathed in a warm glow that evening. The flickering oil lamp cast dancing shadows on the walls, lending the space a sense of mystery and comfort. Gathered around the small, round table, Jethru leaned in, his voice low and magnetic, as he unraveled the legend of Galeya's Throne.
"In the beginning," he began, "the land of the five kingdoms was an unbroken expanse of flat earth, as featureless and boundless as the tranquil sea that bordered it. Galeya, the goddess of the earth, grew restless, her gaze fixed on the horizon where land met water. Her curiosity burned—what secrets lay beyond the ocean's reach? She summoned a mighty spike from the earth to satisfy her wonder.
With a resounding tremor, the ground obeyed her will, and the spike began its ascent. Slowly, majestically, it rose, reshaping the once-level landscape. Taller and taller it grew, sculpted by Galeya's divine power, until it stood as a towering sentinel, piercing the sky at an imposing height of one hundred meters. This was no mere landmark but a monument to her strength, a throne carved from the earth itself.
Jethru's voice softened, drawing his listeners closer. "But Galeya's creation did not go unnoticed. Far off in the azure expanse of the sea, Neptuno, the deity of the ocean, swam effortlessly through his vast, tranquil domain. He relished the calm, the rhythmic embrace of the waves until something new caught his eye—a disturbance near the boundary where land met sea.
A rectangular platform rose above the flat terrain, stark and bold against the endless horizon. At its pinnacle stood a striking figure, her silhouette framed by the endless blue sky. Long, dark hair cascaded down her back in waves, adorned with vibrant flowers that swayed with the sea breeze. She was draped in a flowing white gown, its ethereal fabric catching the wind and dancing like foam on the ocean's crest.
Neptuno watched, transfixed, as the scene unfolded before him—a perfect harmony of earth, sky, and sea, and at its heart, a woman whose beauty rivaled any of the mermaids he had seen. Compelled by her presence, he drew closer, the waters whispering their welcome as he approached."
Neptuno was captivated by the beauty of the earth deity, a radiant embodiment of nature's grace. From that day forward, their hearts intertwined. They would meet at the shoreline, where the waves kissed the golden sands just as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple.
One day, as the first rays of the sun broke over the horizon, Galeya ascended the high platform that overlooked the shimmering expanse of the sea. Her heart sank as she caught sight of Neptuno, playfully flirting with a group of mermaids, their laughter ringing like bells in the crisp morning air. A surge of anger coursed through her; the sight of Neptuno's charming flirtation ignited a fierce jealousy within her. In a fit of emotion, she summoned her powers, conjuring towering mountains that rose majestically from the earth, their peaks piercing the sky, effectively blocking her view of the sea.
"That's how Alta-Sierra came to be." Jethru finished the story.
"Grandpa, you didn't make that up, right? How come I've never heard such a story from my parents?" Reya asked suspiciously.