krystalkatzficz | The Witch part 6 (Reply)

“For your first lesson, which is likely to be your hardest, you have to forget who you are. From now on you are no longer Prince Ohno Satoshi. You will become nameless. The trappings of your past life are to be stripped away and you will once again become a new born infant in the eyes of the Gods” Kazumi told him as they walked to a clearing some distance away from her home. It was beside a waterfall that was spraying down huge amounts of icy water. The thunder of it should have drowned out her words but he heard her as clear as day.

“I do not follow the old gods”

“No, but you will, it is them that decided you would live, that you would be the chosen one to stop the great evil that is forming...They are the beginning and the ending of all things and you will learn them, and respect them all in turn” Kazumi smiled before slowly removing the belt from around her waist and slipping her robe down from her shoulders. Satoshi flushed a little at the action, more so when her breasts and stomach were shown. Once the clothing was removed she stepped into the pool at the base of the waterfall. Satoshi had no doubt that it was cold and yet she didn’t even flinch as she walked back towards the waterfall. “Today you will learn to respect Aquaria...The goddess of the water she will wash away your past life...” As she spoke that final word she moved to step under the waterfall complete and Satoshi was convinced that she would be knocked down under the weight. That didn’t happen, as soon as she was under the spray it parted around her a rainbow shining off the spray. Satoshi blinked in slow surprise his mouth falling open as Kazumi grinned from ear to ear. “When you respect Aquaria she will respect and aid you in turn...Come to the water”

“Okay...” Satoshi whispered brokenly removing the clothing that he was wearing. It was not his own. It was a soft white fabric without patterns much the same as Kazumi’s and he was surprised at how warm it had been keeping him. As soon as it was removed the cold air whipped at his skin and he knew that it would be no better in the water. He moved to the water’s edge and dipped a toe in shivering almost immediately. Kazumi was watching from under the waterfall and he felt a wave of confidence overwhelm him and he plunged his foot into the pool.

Icy cold water wrapped around him and his teeth began to chatter against themselves. It was colder than even he was expected and he suspected that the water was the run off from the snow on the top of the mountain. Knowing that it was no good wait to adjust he put his other foot in and walked slowly out into the centre of the pool. A small voice, which sounded very much like his father, told him that he was a fool for doing this. What kind of idiot would listen to the words of a witch? Sure she had so rather pretty tricks but to listen and invite death by freezing was beyond all sense. He pushed through the thoughts and carried on walking until even his hips were covered. His teeth chattered more than ever but eventually he reached Kazumi.

“You have done well” The witch said with a smile moving out from under the spray and pushed him under it. Unlike with Kazumi the water didn’t separate and Satoshi let out a loud shout as the spray hit the top of his head and his shoulders. It was the greatest weight that he had ever known pushing itself down on top of him and he could barely stand up. “What is your name?”

“You know my name...” Satoshi ground out between sharp painful breaths. It was as though icy had filled his lungs and each word caused more pain. His eyes filled with tears as the water rushed around his head. He couldn’t open his eyes but he was sure that Kazumi’s voice was getting further away.

“...You do not have a name...Learn that lesson quick, Little Prince...I will return in a little while” Kazumi chuckled and Satoshi wrenched his eyes open in time to see the woman stepping out from the pool beside her robe. Her body was strangely dry and she immediately wrapped her clothing around herself before walking off leaving Satoshi under the harsh spray of the water. His first thought was to cheat. To step out from both the waterfall and the pool but he stayed. The witch had saved his life once, if she had wanted to kill him she wouldn’t have done so. He was sure of that. So he stayed under the spray standing in his half crouched position with the water spray slapping against his back and neck. Each splash seemed to slice into his skin as sharply as any knife and he fought hard not to give into the cries that wanted to spill forth from his mouth.

He had no idea what he was meant to do here in the water. It would have been better perhaps if Kazumi had given him something to think about. How was he meant to learn to respect Aquaria if he knew nothing about her? Her stories weren’t something that were taught in the palace after all...No, he remembered suddenly. His tutors hadn’t taught him the ways of the old God’s but his mother had. She had told him of Aquaria and the love she’d had for a mortal man. In her youth she had been a simple girl from a fishing village who had played the part of a river nymph to capture the mortals attention...He had betrayed her...Hadn’t he? She had stood on the beach and screamed into the air.

That night a mighty flood had swept up from the ocean and destroyed the village of the lover. Aquaria had been distraught when she saw that her brother and parents had also been taken in the flood. She had thrown her self into the sea and killed herself. The sun god had refused to take her and instead made her become the Goddess of the sea...

He had never understood the story. If she wasn’t already a goddess then why was she able to cause the flood? He shook his head and gasped as the icy water came into his mouth choking him for a moment. He spluttered out the water and then forced himself to stand up. His eyes open as he whispered the best that he could;

“Aquaria, goddess of the ocean and rivers...Please allow me to understand your story...”

Silence, saving the rush of the waterfall, met his words and instantly Satoshi felt embarrassed and flushed crouching back in the water. A tinkling laugh reached his ears shortly afterwards and for a moment he thought he had summoned Aquaria but when he looked up he saw that it was Kazumi. She was standing on a rock at the far end of the pool her hands on her hips gazing at him with something akin to surprise.

“You did well, but you are only just beginning. Come, lets head back to the house and get you warm, Aquaria is pleased enough with you for now...”

TBC

A/N: I hope that this is okay >.<