Heir of the Sword

12 | Harmonia

Harmonia {Harmony}

A trail of sweat lined Arya's face and she continued climbing. It was nearly dawn right now and the sun would soon be approaching. She needed to reach the peak of the cliff before that. Not only was that Madame Kenna's requirement but Arya knew that the sun would blind her vision leaving her in a very dangerous position.

She began climbing again in small and slow steps. The rocks dug into her skin and she tried finding places where she could pull herself higher. Below her, Arya could hear the sound of the water where the waves were lapping over themselves gently. If Arya missed a step, she would end up in the freezing waters of the Tunshia Ocean.

Arya tried gripping the next nook but her hand missed by a quarter of an inch. She saw the rocks tumbling down and veered her path straighter.

That had been a close call.

Throughout Arya's climb she had more of those close calls. Right now she was almost at the top of the cliff and she could see Madame Kenna meditating. With momentum, Arya swung herself over the last bit and made it onto the luscious green grass.

"That took a while." Madame Kenna commented with her eyes still closed.

Arya remained silent and let Madame Kenna continue. "Although I will say, it wasn't horrible for your first try."  

Arya slightly shook her head. It was very hard to please Madame Kenna and even when one did, it wasn't as though she sung your praises. Arya knew that it had taken longer but in her defense, she had been unaware of where the strong parts of the cliff were and how much of her weight they would be able to hold.

"The first thing that we are going to be doing is meditating."

Arya quietly sat down beside Madame Kenna and crossed her legs, one limb over the other. She had meditated countless number of times but if Madame Kenna was telling her to do it, it must have an important lesson behind it. Arya held her tongue and allowed her senses to be heightened. It was amazing how much one could hear if they actually tried.

"The sun is going to be rising in a few minutes. Keep your eyes closed and senses open. Don't depend on the sight but your nose, touch and feeling. I want you to describe how you imagine the sunrise based on all those factors and make sure to include any animals or sounds you hear as well." Madame Kenna said softly and she lowered her voice.

Arya could sense her getting up from her sitting position and a few moments later she felt a tug on her elbow. "Move closer until I tell you."

Arya blindly nodded and moved until she heard Madame Kenna telling her to stop. "Excellent, this is the exact spot; now allow your senses to open up."

Arya did exactly as she was told. As before, she could hear the waves flowing over one another but this time, they were also crashing with something violently.

It's probably the cliff, Arya thought after hearing the sound over and over again.

That was the only thing that made sense. Based on the closeness of the sounds, Arya could also predicate that she was near the very edge of the cliff.

A soft breeze seemed to pass by which sent Arya's midnight blue hair in frenzy and the strands began blowing alongside the wind. Based on the position of her hair, Arya was able to tell that the wind was coming from the north, probably from the waterways. She could feel her skin getting warmer which meant that the sun was coming up.

All of a sudden, it seemed as though Mother Nature had awoken. Arya could hear birds chirping now, their sounds distinct, as they called to on another. Arya was pretty sure a hawk had flown above her due to his cry that was heard.