Oh My Goddess

The first thing that came back to Altheria was the feeling in her fingers. Slowly she shifted them against whatever she was laying on, feeling something feathery underneath her. Although she tried to open her eyes, Altheria found it impossible to do so. All she could do was lay there and wait for the numbness in her body to dissipate. It forced her mind to focus on her situation. So much had happened in such a short span of time and there was even more that needed to be done. The young goddess knew she needed to be back where she belonged before everything dived into chaos.

She may have been tricked but Altheria was no fool. Her path forward was very clear to her, but how would she find him? Altheria feared that her search would be a long one and there was very little time to waste. And there was the worry of how to convince him as well. She was stripped of her powers and her godly presence. Even though her beauty would still be tiers above these mortals, it was no longer enough to prove she herself was a Goddess and not just blessed.

No, she could not allow herself to dive far into this planning. There were things that needed to be done first. Being able to move was one. As well as figuring out how to maintain this mortal body of hers. Then she could worry about finding her champion. Convincing him could be figured out later. But how she would ever find him weighed on her. Altheria truly needed a hero among mortals. And, as a Goddess, she had not concerned herself with such warriors. It had been quite detached from her responsibilities. She brought life and they were more concerned with death...

Death, that damn fool. That God of it. Altheria could not wait to see his reaction when she rose back to her natural status. And once she had done so, revenge would be at her fingertips. Altheria was a kind and forgiving goddess but that man will pay for what he did for her.

Pulling herself from the anger that was beginning to rise up in her, Altheria forced herself to focus on moving her arms and legs now that the numbness had passed. Carefully, she opened up her eyes and saw the sun shining down on her. Slowly, her head turned and she saw she was laying in a field. A sigh left her lips before she slowly sat up and looked around. It appeared as though that damn man had dumped her in some field near the road.

@ BearGirl
The sound of the beautiful black stallion's hoofbeats was the only sound that met Kasper's ears as they raced through the land. The sky was so blue, and the weather was so warm. It was a beautiful day. One that made Kasper glad he had stolen this stallion he was on from an old fool who was being ripped off by some merchant selling wheat. Or were they oats? Kasper didn't know, nor did he care. That was women's work, and he was no dainty female. No, he had a cock that had a mind of its own. Especially when he was drunk and surrounded by beautiful ladies in a brothel.

At the mere thought of a lovely lady in his lap, moaning like crazy while his hands roamed under her dress. The flush of her skin under his cool palms. Ugh, those were the days. A small groan escaped from Kasper as he thought about the last whore house he was at. The place was filled with big breast women, that carry asses that fit into the palms of his ass. "Damn, should have stayed there longer." Kasper murmured to himself as he felt himself getting hard at the mere thought.

A groan escaped from Kasper as he snapped out of his thoughts. Damn, riding a horse with a hard-on was an extremely uncomfortable feeling. "Damn it." Kasper murmured as he opened his eyes. And as he did so, he nearly jumped out of his skin. "Woah," Kasper called out as he pulled back on the rains, the horse let out a wail as it reared up for a moment before listening to the strange man, slowing down to a trot before going to a walk. Then, eventually moving to just stand.

Lowering his gaze, Kasper narrowed his eyes. His head cocked to the side a little bit, curiosity filling him. A while curiosity might usually kill the cat, Kasper was no stranger to the mysteries of the world. Or woman. "Woman, what are you doing? This isn't exactly the place to be taking a rest." Kasper spoke, his tone deep and authoritative, as one's tone should be when talking to a woman.

Keeping his grip on the reins tight, Kasper nudged the horse forward with his dirty boots. His dark cloak mostly hiding the rather nice looking sword that was strapped to his belt by twine. "Are ye lost?" Kasper asked, stopping his horse a couple of steps away from the woman in case she had a case of the crazies and decided to lung at him and his newly stolen trusty steed.

@ FallenHope95

Before Altheria was even able to sit up, a voice was coming from above her. Slowly, her head turned to see a man on a large black horse. A small sigh came from the goddess's lips. While some assistance would be appreciated, she wasn't quite ready to speak to a mortal. What was she meant to say? It has been a long while since she has been in the mortal realm and who knew what they did now. It was never all that important to know but now...

Gingerly, Altheria sat up and turned to the man. Her body was still adjusting, still a bit numb here and there. Her vibrant blue eyes met his. Her perfectly curled hair fell along the sides of her face and Altheria offered the man a warm smile, keeping the rage she felt deep inside of herself. She wished she was in her godly form, things would be so much easier. "I feel blessed that you have come across me, stranger. I have had the worst few days, having been captured and only today have managed to escape my captors' cart."

A small, tired sigh left her lips before she continued on. "I feel so weak though and decided to lay here until someone kind rode past." At least, Altheria hoped that he would be a kind man but she did not know what she would do if he was not. All she hoped was that this man fell for her female in distress act... well she was in distressed and a female but the story wasn't true. Was she acting correctly? She was not used to being weak and at the mercy of another. This was uncharted territory.

And, Altheria knew she was more enraged by her situation than feeling 'hopeless' and 'lost'. She wouldn't even bother with a champion if she did not know the consequences of doing so. Little did these humans know that her downfall alone would bring them chaos. No, Altheria had to keep herself alive and safe, not only for herself but for these creatures she had spent lifetimes caring for. "Will you please help me, kind sir? I am afraid I do not know where I am and I feel too weak to walk."

@ BearGirl
As the young beauty spoke, Kasper sat up straighter. His full attention to the young beauty on the ground. His gaze roaming over her luscious body as she spoke. Most of her words were going in one ear and out the other. Her story making sense and not at the same time. She looked perfectly healthy to him, so whoever took this poor woman, weren't treating her to badly. Hell, she didn't even seem to have a single scratch on that body of hers. Although, she could have been injured in other places as well.

"You have a name, girl?" Kasper asked, ignoring her question. As he hadn't yet decided on an answer for that himself. He was a mercenary after all and if she was the property of some thugs, Kasper wasn't too sure he wanted to get in the middle of them and a big payday. As this woman was quite beautiful. Fair skin, dark hair, bright eyes, yeah she'd sell nicely on the slave market.

Although, from her looks, she could also be the daughter of a noble house and could fetch a nice reward for him for returning her. "Stand up, I want to see your arms raised above your head," Kasper ordered, throwing one of his legs over the side of the horse as he stepped off of the horse. His hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he slowly approached the woman, waiting for her to comply before he'd actually move towards her.

Rather the woman managed to do as he asked or not, Kasper moved forward and pulled her wrists together. One hand holding them, while the other searched her body. Not being shy about grabbing her breasts or gripping her hips. Making sure that she had nothing that could harm him or cause trouble. Then, once Kasper was sure that the girl was free of dangerous objects, he slowly released her arms and looked down at her. "You're in the countryside of Valencia. Between the town of Saleen and For'val." He told her, then took a step back to give her some space. "I'm heading to Saleen, so you better have business to do there."

@ FallenHope95

"Yes, my name is -" As she started to speak, Altheria suddenly caught herself before she revealed her true name. She realized quickly that it would be better to give a fake name. The first being that people did not name their children after the gods for good reason. The goddess knew she didn't need unnecessary attention from these mortals. Though, more than that, if she could lose the attention of him she would be better off for it.

"My name is Melina," Altheria told him, her voice soft. She didn't like lying about who she was but it was necessary. Once she gained her power back, she would burn those who forced her to drop so low. When the stranger asked her to stand, Altheria nodded and slowly tried to move onto her feet. Though after stumbling a few times, she stayed down in the grass. "I can't stand," It seemed that the expected mortal strength hadn't arrived yet but even with that, Altheria knew she would feel a great loss.

Though when he slid off of his steed, Altheria rose her arms above her head, at least being able to comply with that. She was curious as to why the stranger was having her do this at all. She grew tense as his hands grabbed onto her wrists. Altheria tried to pull away, wanting use of her hands and not appreciating his wandering hand. No one was allowed to touch her without her permission and this was beyond inappropriate. He might be the first one she smites when her powers come back. "You surely do not touch ladies like this down here!" Altheria snapped at him.

Once she had use of her hands back, she pulled her arms back protectively against her chest. Her face was glowing red with fury. How could this get any more humiliating?

"Saleen will be fine. We can part ways there." Altheria told him. Even though she didn't appreciate his wandering hands, she didn't want to be left in the field. And although she knew nothing of Saleen, Altheria was sure that it would have a least a few things she needed there.

@ BearGirl
As Kasper released the young beauty that was on the ground a small smirk played along his lips. "Only to the ones who I do not trust and find stranded on the side of the road," Kasper told her, his smirk never leaving his face as he spoke to her. It was customary for his kind to be wary. Mercenaries were always getting into trouble, rather it is with each other, the law, or something out of the blue. They were the ones who did the dirty work and got shit on for it as well.

Then, once this Melina girl said that she'd go to Saleen Kasper gave her a quick nod. "Alright." Was all he said before offering her a hand this time. "Since you don't seem to have any weapons on ya, I'll help ya up," Kasper told her as he waited for her to accept his help to stand. Then, if she didn't accept it then he'd easily come over and sling her onto his shoulder before bringing her towards his trusty stolen steen.

"Have ye ridden a horse before?" He asked as he set the woman on top of the black stallion. His hands resting an inch from her sides in case she became wobbly and almost fall or something like that. Once he was sure she'd be fine though, Kasper was quick to hop onto the horse as well and grabbed onto its reins. "Ye can either hold onto me or the horse if you feel like you're going to fall," Kasper told Melina as the horse started off at a slow walk before moving into a slow canter to get their momentum.

(Sorry! I had a brainfart while writing... D: )

@ FallenHope95

When the man offered his hand to her, Altheria's arns tightened around her body. She wasn't too interested in having him touch her again. But, then again, Altheria knew she needed the help up as the feeling in her legs had not returned yet. But, it seemed that she had hesitated for too long as the man came over and threw her over his shoulder.

She let out a little scream in surprise as she grabbed onto him tightly. Altheria let out a sigh of relief as he set her down on the horse. "Yes, I have," Altheria told him as she reached down and lightly patted the black stallion. Altheria was familiar with horses, knew them quite well. Though she was used to riding her own ethereal creatures.

When the man was on as well, Altheria grabbed onto his sides. He mentioned holding onto the horse but she had no idea where she was suppose to grab onto when he had the reigns. But this was just temporary. Once they got into the town, hopefully she could find a gentlman with honor. This man was just a ruffian.

"What is your name?" Altheria asked him after a few moments. "You asked for mine but never told me yours!"

@ BearGirl
Glancing down at the damsel in distress on his horse, Kasper couldn't help but snort. "The answers simple sweetheart. You never asked." His words were casual sounding as he focused back on the road ahead of them. Making sure that he didn't steer the horse into a freaking tree or bush or something. That would be quite comical and the first time he would have done so while sober. Although, he was quite sure that Miss Melina wouldn't find it as such.

"Kasper." He replied after a couple of moments. "My name's Kasper, don't wear it out though." He offered the woman a small wink. "Or you know, feel free to. Don't really care either way." He murmured as he once again focused on the dirt road. It will take them at least a half a day at this rate to get to Saleen, and that's if they don't come into contact with any thieves along the way.

After a couple of moments, the silence was getting a little boring. Who in their right mind would refuse to talk to a girl that was clinging to them like it would be life or death? A stupid idiot, that's who. "So, what's got you running little lady?" Kasper asked as he glanced down at Melina, an eyebrow arched as he prompted for her to lie to him. "You an escaped slave? Running from an abusive husband, father dump you because he couldn't get a good dowery for ya?" Kasper asked, naming off a couple of the things he knew that often got the womenfolk in this kingdom in trouble.

@ FallenHope95

The urge to punch the man right in the side was suddenly growing in the fallen goddess. She could tell that being stuck in this realm was going to be difficult as they would not respect her as a goddess as they should. It was going to be so difficult not to punish those who deserve it... But she would need to stay strong and do what she must to rise to her spot in this universe.

"Well, thank you, Kasper, for assisting me," Altheria said after a moment although she didn't really want to thank this man. He seemed very rude but at least he was helping her. She could have crossed much worse than him... Her head turned a little, looking out at the fields as they rode past thing. It seemed like there was nothing around them except nature. How long would this ride into the city be?

Her attention moved back to Kasper when he started to speak again. Though at those words, her grip tightened around his stomach as though she was trying to squeeze all of the air out of him. "I do not believe it is any of your business. Also, I am not running from anything." She hissed at him. "Perhaps you would be better off not making any assumptions."

Altheria sat up a little straighter, annoyed that this mortal was trying to stick his nose in her business. But she could feel her pride rising up in her and she couldn't help but prove him wrong. "If you must know, a horrid man has kicked me out of my rightful position in this world. He is the one who dumped me in the fields. And I intend to find a great fighter who can assist me. He thinks he can claim what is mine. That ignorant fool. Only I can do what he can't and vice versa. So I must teach him and lesson and punish him for thinking otherwise."

@ BearGirl
A small hum was the only thing that Kasper could muster up to offer the young woman as she pokes. Listening to her speak and directing the horse at the same time. Kasper couldn't really offer the woman much of his attention, so he hoped a small hum wouldn't set her off to much. "So, your stepfather threw you out." Was all Kasper could come up with as he tried to decipher what she was talking about. Ultimately, it wasn't really his business though, so he wasn't going to push her for more info.

Raising his head higher, Kasper looked around them. Taking in the sights and sounds of nature as they rose through. Listening to the birds, the insects, and not to mention trying to hear anything that sounded out of the ordinary. There was nothing, so they shouldn't be in any sort of danger at the moment. They were free to ride for a couple of hours yet. Then they should be able to make it to their destination in about a day and a half's time.

"Just inform me when you need a rest, I plan to ride till dusk," Kasper informed Melina, casting her a quick glance before looking ahead. In his mind, he made a checklist of what he had on him. A couple of apples, a few things of bread and cheese. Hopefully, that would be enough to suffice the young lady and she won't complain about not having a hot meal. It was going to be bad enough that Kasper will need to make a fire for the lady, but cooking could attract who knows what.

@ FallenHope95

"He is not my stepfather," Altheria told him with a huff. "Just a man who thinks he can hold the world in his hands." She turned her head slightly against his back, pressing her forehead against him for a moment as she tried to calm herself down. This mortal couldn't even begin to understand the situation that the world was now being thrown into. And she didn't want to accidentally slip up in her words to make him too suspicious. So she decided to keep her lips shut about the whole situation. It wasn't like he actually needed to know anything.

It took some time but Alteria managed to calm herself down enough to become more clear-minded. There was still anger in her soul but all of that would need to wait. That anger would cause her only trouble and grief. She needed to be smart. She needed to think through her plans so she could rise back to her position. So that the world would not collapse. Therefore, her emotions will be pushed down and Altheria would move forward with finding the champion.

"I will not need to rest," Altheria told the man, not thinking of her new human body as she said it. She was used to not needing anything to surprise. If she wished it, Altheria would never need to sleep in her goddess form. She would never need to eat or do much of anything, really. Though there were some pleasures and benefits that came from doing these things. But the faster she was in the next town, the better. The town help opportunities that riding with this man did not.