Gate: Two of Swords

I passed through the vision gate and found myself standing on dark ground that absorbed the small amount of light present. The world’s surface moved slightly as I stepped on it like the outside of a bubble and, as my feet applied pressure to the ground, the darkness of the ground turned to light. I decided to explore the realm further, leaving a trail of brightly glowing footprints in my wake.

After some time moving through an empty and seemingly lifeless world, I sensed movement above me. A winged horse descended from the skies above and atop the horse was an armored warrior with a spear. The horse landed gracefully in my path and the warrior spirit dismounted to stand proudly upon the shadowed earth.

“I am Jason,” the warrior said. “I followed your progress through this realm because of the light that follows in your footsteps. Would you, spirit of the sun, join me and my men on our quest? We need someone like you to light our path through the shadows.”

“I’m afraid you have mistaken me for someone else for I walk more often beneath the light of the moon than the sun. My name is Heidi and I am a servant and messenger for a higher power,” I said. “I have come to this world seeking its true nature and have yet to encounter anyone other than you, Jason. Therefore I believe I was sent here to be of assistance to you. I’m honored to join your number, if only for a brief moment in time.”

The warrior smiled. “Come on then, Heidi of the moon and sometimes sun,” Jason said, extending a hand in my direction. “My men await my arrival and now yours as well.”

We climbed onto the magnificent winged horse and took off into the sky. As we flew, the ground beneath us took on the normal appearance of earth rather than a shadowy realm of darkness set upon an empty bubble.

“What is your quest?” I asked, wrapping my arms tightly around the warrior’s waist. “Maybe I’ll remember the story associated with it and can help with the inevitable trials and patterns it contains.”

“We seek the golden fleece!” he exclaimed. “A treasure of legend and myth, and one worthy of the combined search efforts of princes like me and my honorable companions.”

“That is an epic quest and I remember parts of the established story,” I said, brushing some strands of hair from my face. “As for more recent additions to the canon, I’ve seen a lamb or two on my journeys through the Inner Worlds but none with a fleece of gold. They’ve all been examples of typical sheep with cream or ivory colored coats, soft to the touch but otherwise unremarkable.”

“The story I was told in my childhood relates that the golden fleece originated from a godly ram who was a son of Poseidon. In your travels, did you ever see any flocks near water? Perhaps our treasure may be found near the sea,” Jason said. “At any rate, once we find it, the golden fleece will return my throne to me if my uncle keeps the promise he made before the gods and any who would listen.”

“Sometimes promises are not kept, especially when it comes to an exchange of power,” I said. “However, I hope we find the fleece quickly so that you may resume your place as king and anointed leader of your people. I know a thing or two about not being able to find the place that was meant for you in creation.”

“What seems to be your difficulty around that issue, Heidi?” Jason asked. “Do you lack the power to assert yourself? My warriors and I could help you with that once we finish our own quest.”

“I have serious memory issues when it comes to the other worlds, Prince,” I said. “If there is a place I belong or a people who claim me as their own, I can’t remember it or them and therefore can’t find my way back. But I do appreciate the offer of assistance, and if I ever do remember where my true home is, you and your companions will be the first I call upon when the time comes.”

Silence fell between us as Jason’s horse flew swiftly through the skies and we eventually touched down among a group of heavily armed warriors at the foot of a mountain. As soon as Jason and I joined their number, we began to scale its formidable heights. A bright light shone at the top of the mountain which I assumed was our final destination and the location of the treasure the men sought. The path that we were ascending was winding and exceedingly difficult so, after some hours of struggling, I brought the company to a halt.

“Princes and warriors all, why can’t we just fly to the top of the mountain?” I said. “This walk is arduous and it doesn’t need to be so. Let’s pretend we’re birds and ascend the heights through the air rather than crawling upon the ground. It’s so much more fun.”

Jason’s second-in-command looked at me as if I had grown a second head. “We are men, not birds or children who play pretend,” he said. Turning to Prince Jason he murmured, “Where’d you find this one? Take her back, she’s lost her wits to the shadows.”

“What a rude thing to say, especially when I’m only trying to make your lives a little easier,” I said, causing myself to rise through the air with a thought, as easily as a dust mote upon the breeze. “Sometimes I think adults with closed minds like you are just frightened children pretending to be grownup to make themselves feel superior to everyone around them. Everyone has an imagination, whether young or old, male or female, man or beast. Why not use them to make our lives better?” Instead of approval, the company took in my words and aerial display with unexpected horror, grabbed my feet and brought me back to earth.

“We cannot go that way, Heidi, like spirits of the air or sky,” Jason said. “If it was that simple, I’d just use the son of Pegasus to ferry us up there one at a time. This is more than a disagreement about the proper way to move through the world. The fleece belongs to the gods and the struggle is our sacrifice for its acquisition. It is as much a part of the journey as its desired end.”

“As you wish it, Prince, but know you all suffer from a severe lack of imagination,” I said. “The patterns of existence will always remain the same with struggle built into them if we, the ones who walk the paths, do not find new ways to approach the trials. If you want to continue the difficult way up the mountain, then I am not going to prevent you. I will stand beside you in solidarity and suffering though it does not have to be this way.”

“Thank you for adding your sacrifice to our own,” Jason said. “After this is all completed, you must show me how you move through the sky without a steed. I could see such knowledge being as valuable in time as the fleece itself.”

“You have my word on it,” I said, shaking the prince’s hand. Then, we took to the difficult path once more and our struggle to ascend the mountain continued for an unmarked period of time.

Finally, after much effort, we reached the summit where a gleaming, white staircase led to a temple that emitted a shining, golden light. Cautiously, Jason moved forward to begin the steps with me and his warriors following closely behind him.

Suddenly, there was a piercing shriek and a dark figure hurtled down from the sky and landed on the steps. Her arms were the wings of a predatory bird and she was clothed in darkness and shadow. Fire issued forth from her eyes and her tongue was a living serpent.

“Jason, wandering prince of a lost kingdom,” the creature screamed. “You shall go no further. Turn back now or I will be forced to slay you and your men. This temple belongs to the sky and you, of the earth, are not welcome here.”