Owen and Gwyneth

"Owen!!!", echoed throughout the DuKent estate. But, the eight-year old was nowhere to be found in the monstrosity of the house. Owen had, again, stolen his father's gondola and had set sail in the canal that ran underneath the house. He was headed towards the ocean.

Owen sat, perplexed, staring at the crest of the waves; at their magnificent height, off in the distance. Gripping the sand between his fingers, he watched and pondered. Some would say the young DuKent was a lucky boy. He was studying at the finest school in the isle of Riamahn. His father, a very successful painter had provided him with all that is imaginable for a child. Owen, on the other hand, felt his luck had run out the moment he was born. Actually, seconds later. Owen had a beautiful mother, but he had never met her. She died when he was 20 seconds old. Twenty seconds... With that knowledge, Owen had learned the value of a third of a minute. Always seize the moment, enjoy it! You may only have a third of a minute...

And, that's what Owen was doing now: enjoying the moment. He loved the beach, but he seldom went there. His father kept him too busy with school. Also, Owen often accompanied his father throughout the Kingdom of the Isle during his tours and gallery shows. But, Owen hated that. He loved his home, and just recently, he had begun to love the ocean. There's something about reaching the horizons, journeying the Wyrld, that appealed to Owen. As he looked at the sparkling water and listened to the music of the waves, he spotted something. A pink stroke among the blue and white canvas. Something was in the water! Owen dashed for the sea. Did he know how to swim? What better time to find out?! The water splashed against his face and he fluttered his arms wildly, wondering if he was actually moving forward at all. In less than a minute, Owen hit something.

"Aaack!", it shrieked. Owen stopped swimming and stretched his legs to discover that he could stand underwater with his chin above surface. He was surprised to see a girl in the water next to him. She seemed his age, and she was wearing a pink cotton dress, sort of like a nightgown. Owen was thinking who would be foolish enough to swim with their clothes on when she asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Owen. Are you drowning?"

"No! I'm swimming!"

"Oh", Owen could tell, although the water reached her chin too, she couldn't stand up and was fighting to stay afloat. She seemed to manage it, though, so he offered no help. He only stared at her, gulping water (as she was) every once in a while. He noticed how beautiful she was as he enjoyed watching the water trickle down her face from her wet reddish hair. The water had made her eyes redden a little, but he could still see the sky-blue. He started to swim back ashore when the girl called him back, "Owen!"

Owen stopped a few feet from her, "Yes?"

"Have you ever seen the bottom of the sea?"

"What?"

"Have you ever s-"

"Yes, I've heard you. No, I've never seen the bottom"

There was a pause, then the girl swam towards him, "I can't see it. My eyes burn when I open them underwater. My father says I have bad eyes, and they'll get better in time... I come here everyday. Today, they still burned, and I saw nothing..."

"Ok", Owen said and swam away.

During one of his father's feasts, Owen met a famous politician, by the name of Von Howell. He was a tall and intimidating man. "Eugene, you seem to have an excellent son!", Von Howell told his father, "If only we could have had sons. My daughters are here tonight, obviously. Perhaps Owen should meet them". Owen's father, of course agreed, and after meeting Marla, Pamela, and Anita, Von Howell set out to find the youngest one. Aside, Owen talked to his father, "Dad! I want to go to my room".

"Owen, come on! It's a party!"

"Yeah, but Dad..."

"It's the girls, isn't it, Son? That school for boys may not be a perfect school after all!", Eugene chuckled, "You'll be fine. Meeting girls will be good for you! Besides, I hear Von Howell's youngest is about your age". Owen made a face.

Suddenly, as crowds parted, Eugene and Owen saw Master Von Howell, holding a red-haired little girl by the hand. They were walking towards Owen. His mouth opened a little and his knees began to shake. "Owen", Von Howell introduced them, "This is my youngest daughter, Gwyneth". Owen was speechless. She was indeed his age, and she lived not too far from the DuKent estate. But, this was the girl from the beach! The swimming angel! They spoke no words to each other, but Gwyneth's face (unbeknownst to Owen) was redder than usual.

Slowly, Gwyneth and Owen became best friends. They spent countless hours on the beach. Usually, Owen made sandcastles while she swam. She never could see the bottom of the ocean. She beckoned him to swim with her, but Owen was always too shy to oblige. One day, when they were 13 years old, Owen met Gwyneth at the beach like always. Today, Gwyneth was sad. "What's wrong?", Owen asked. She burst into tears and ran towards him. Owen had no choice but to embrace her. "Gwyn (as he called her), what's wrong?", Owen asked. She pulled from him and fought back her tears as she spoke, "My father is moving us to Coer- Maen... There's nothing I can do!"

"When are you going?", Owen asked, disappointed.

"Tomorrow morning"

Neither of them swam. They held each other.

The morning of Gwyneth's departure, Eugene couldn't get his son out of bed. Barrels of tears fell upon Owen's pillow that day. When the crying had receded, Owen thought of something.

He reached the beach out of breath. With tears still streaming across his face, he jumped in the water. He swam... and swam... and swam, until he could hardly see the shore and the chilling water made him shiver. Then, he plunged. He kicked his feet as hard as he could, fighting back the cold, going the deepest he could. With his eyes wide open, he searched for the view. But, all he saw was dark blue. He stopped, and began to involuntarily float up. Then, he saw a small fish. It swam past him into the blue blur. Almost instantly, a school of fish identical to the original pop out of the blue and up past Owen's face. He looked down at the spot where the fish had come from, and he kicked hard to swim down. In a third of a minute, he saw it.

The sight was extraordinary! The light of the rising sun made every fish, every coral, every grain of sand shine like jewels. There were so many different colors... It was so beautiful! Then, he remembered her, and he cried some more. As he ran out of breath, he curled up into a human ball and began to float up. The bottom of the sea was radiant, but every once in a while, small spots of light would flicker on the sand. Up at the surface, it was raining.

Owen gasped for air as soon as he reached the surface. It didn't last long, for a wave immediately brought him back under. With his eyes still open, Owen saw a flash in the blue blur, then he heard thunder. He swam for the surface again. He breathed in more air, and realized as he looked above the surface: he couldn't see the shore! He turned and turned, searching for it. The waves were pulling him underwater, and he couldn't see the shore! One last attempt at the surface, and he saw it: a small patch of dark green. He used all the might he had left to swim towards it.

Dragging himself along the sands of the beach, out of breath, he remembered. Owen made sure to remember. He stood up and ran home. Drenched, he scoured through his father's belongings (while his father was taking a nap) and found a small canvas: it was the size of the palm of an adult hand. His father called them "keepsake size". He found some very tiny brushes and a palette with fresh paint (Eugene was apparently in the middle of something). Owen began to paint very fast. His hand moved quickly on the palette and across the little canvas. Very soon, the bottom of the ocean had come alive with Owen's touch. The vibrant colors mimicked the radiance of the scene undersea. Owen signed it, framed it, and took it with him as he ran outside the house, under the rain, to the Von Howell estate.

When Owen got there, the Von Howell estate was desolate. He ran to the docks. There, he found Von Howell's servants loading the last of the belongings onto a very luxurious vessel.

"I'm looking for Gwyneth! The youngest of the Von Howell daughters", Owen asked, and he was pointed in the right direction. Aboard the ship, he encountered Master Von Howell, "Owen! Lad, what are you doing?"

"Where's Gwyneth?", Owen asked him.

"She should be in her quarters. But, Owen! You're drenched!"

Owen ran to the direction Von Howell looked when he had said "quarters". In the hall between chambers, he ran into a girl coming out of her room. He dropped the painting.

"Gwyneth!", Owen recognized her, "I saw it! I saw the bottom of the ocean!"

"I do not doubt that you have", Gwyneth said, amused, looking at his wet clothes.

"I can't let you leave", Owen was speaking out of breath, "Without showing you"

"Oh, Owen. I'm afraid I have to go", Gwyneth was in the verge of tears, "I can never see the bottom of the ocean with you"

"No, you don't understand. I brought it with me!"

Gwyneth looked puzzled as Owen bent down to pick up his painting. He showed it to her. "It's yours", Owen said as she looked at it. She started to cry.

"Oh, sweet Owen", Gwyneth said, "I will miss you. I know your love is genuine. But, I'm afraid you shall need this more than I. I have fond memories to remember you by. You... you shall have this". She kissed the painting, leaving her lip marks by Owen's signature, and handed it back to Owen. Then, she kissed him on the cheek.

...And that was the last he saw of Gwyneth...

Owen became a very famous and esteemed young painter throughout Riamahn, just like his father. He was most famous for his rendition of Lenor Keep (the central citadel in Riamahn). His father had made him a "Trinity Keepsake". Eugene had steel bolted together three framed "keepsake" paintings, that folded one on top of the other: Owen's three best paintings, The Bottom of the Ocean, Lenor Keep, and Mother.

Owen dreamed of his mother when he was fifteen. She spoke to him about love, peace, and strength, and that his heart must be filled with all of those. The dream had impacted Owen so much, he painted an image of his mother in his dream. Astonishingly, Eugene admitted it was a perfect resemblance. The boy had inexplicable talent!

The strangest feature in Mother, is the amulet that Owen painted around Glenys' neck. Owen claimed she wore it in the dream. His father, unable to recognize it, dismissed it. And, not long after, Owen did as well.

...Of course, unknown to them, the amulet bears the shield of the coat-of-arms of 'Protector' Evan DuWynn...