Astaroth tried letting the maid back to her feet, but she clung to his neck like a frightened animal, her eyes closed tight, as the wind from this elevation ruffled her hair loose. He hadn't expected such a reaction from her, and now he felt slightly bad for forcing her here.
"Uh… I'm sorry? I didn't know you were scared of heights. But you are safe as long as I'm next to you, so would you mind letting go? There is plenty of room to walk on the branches without danger of falling."
Astaroth worked hard, convincing her to get back to her own two feet, and she still vehemently refused to open her eyes.
"Fine, don't open your eyes. But I'm moving, so either you hold my hand, or you open your eyes to follow me."
"Sire! I wouldn't dare hold your hand. Can't we go back inside instead?" the woman whimpered.
Hearing no response, Coral's stomach dropped.
'Did he already leave me here?'
She had no choice but to open her eyes. Opening them slowly, taking a peek straight ahead of herself, she could see Astaroth's back, steadily walking away, in a relaxed gait.
Astaroth advanced, not a care in the world. He kept his senses on the girl, in case anything happened to her, but he was also looking around himself with a smile.
In the last ten years since he'd been up here, a few branches had grown out from the main ones, and he was brushing his hands against their leaves. The crisp cold air at this altitude was refreshing, and it washed away whatever weariness was left of his stress-filled week since the update launch.
He heard the clopping of the maid's shoes against the wood behind him and turned to watch her waddle with incertitude to reach him.
Slowly walking backwards, he watched her terrified expression as she looked at her feet.
"Don't look at your feet. Look ahead. The more you look down, the worst it will be."
She was shaking hard, and her head rose slowly, as she fought against every instinct of hers to watch where she was putting her feet. Once she locked her gaze forward on Astaroth's confidant form, her shaking reduced a bit.
She inched her way forward, noticing Astaroth was also walking backward, not even looking where he was going. After a few unsure steps, she was able to accelerate her pace a bit and finally caught up to her monarch.
"I hate you, Sire."
"Been told that a few times. Now, will you hold my hand, or can you keep going on your own?"
He heard her swallow nervously and had to hold back a chuckle, lest he sound like he was making fun of her.
"I… I think I can walk alone… Will you stay nearby?"
"Of course. I want to climb a bit higher. Normally I would just jump my way up, but we can use the stairs a bit further ahead, for your sake."
"Higher?!" she blurted out.
"Just a bit. I know a delightful spot from which to look at the city. You can also probably come here with your lover next time, and have a nice romantic picnic or something."
Her face blushed, bringing some colour back to her pale cheeks.
"Does the queen know you like teasing other women?"
"Hah! She knows I tease everyone. It's not a sexual thing, rather just I'm an immature little brat. Think nothing of it."
He stuck his tongue out at her before pivoting around and resuming his walk toward the staircase further.
Although, calling it a staircase was a stretch.
The structure resembled stairs, but there was no solid attachment to them. It was closer to being a rope bridge, with tilted planks to make stairs instead of a pathway.
But he cared little for technicalities, and he trusted the construction since he assumed a lot of sentinels used it regularly. Reaching the stairs, he turned around to make sure she knew he was waiting for her.
He hadn't taken his senses off of her, but she didn't seem to have enough mana to even notice he was locked on her like an eagle. Coral trudged her way forward, reaching him a few seconds later.
She looked at the stairs in horror, now realizing what she had to go up, and her eyes became glossy again.
"Do I really have to climb this, sire? Can't we go back inside now?"
"We're almost there, Coral. Give it just another bit of courage."
Gulping down her now dry mouth, she gripped the ropes on each side tightly as she took her first step on the unstable structure.
She almost reflexively closed her eyes when she felt the planks move under her feet, but resisted the urge. As her second foot left the solidity of the branch, she felt her body sway lightly from left to right on the rope staircase and whined to herself.
"Come on, you got this. Just a few steps to go!" Astaroth cheered from behind her.
After a painful climb of the twenty steps up, Astaroth was already waiting for her at the top, as he had decided jumping up would be faster. He looked at her with a gentle smile and reached his hand out.
"The offer still stands."
Coral shook her head, trying to feign bravery, regardless of her ghastly white face.
"Are we almost there?"
Astaroth nodded, retracting his hand.
"The passage led us very close, by chance. Only a few hundred feet to traverse on this main branch, and we'll be there."
She nodded her head reluctantly.
After travelling forward for what seemed an eternity for the woman, she gasped when they arrived at the edge of an opening in the canopy. Astaroth stood there, his hands on his hips, smiling at the breathtaking view.
Even Coral, who was still shivering in fear, opened her mouth, contemplating the city from this high up. Her fear of height took a rear seat as a sense of awe overcame her.
She suddenly felt like the world belonged to her, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. The feeling was fleeting, though, as she was reminded of the very lethal fall she would take if she were to misstep.
Astaroth spoke, breaking her out of her cycle of fear and amazement.
"Last time I came up here, the city down below didn't exist. It was just ruins and forest, more so after the siege. Phoenix and I came up here together and slept under the starry skies. Those were more peaceful times, regardless of the events."
Coral looked at him, seeing a facet she doubted many people knew of the king. He was sentimental and romantic.
'Lucky woman,' she briefly thought, before shaking that thought away from her mind.
"I thank you for showing me this spot. But I would much like to go down now. I also think the time for your meeting is nearing."
"That is true. Let us be on our way, then."
But before they could turn around and leave, a loud shout resounded behind them.
"Coral! By the gods! Why are you up here?!"
Astaroth pivoted on his feet, noticing the maid's boyfriend, with a worried sick look on his face.
But as the woman turned to face the man, she tripped on her feet and lost balance. The next thing she saw was the terror-filled face of her lover, as well as the surprised face of Astaroth, slowly getting further away, as the branch she had been standing on shrank in her vision.
'Shit!' Astaroth thought.
"CORAAAALLLLL!!!!!" Castien screamed.
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