Walking down the main road of the market place, Zelda heard seagulls caw in the distance. A smile pulled at her lips and spring was in her step. Her nostrils flared welcoming the salty aroma of the sea. Ever since she was a little girl, she had always loved the water. Sometimes, she wished her father had taken a house by the shore instead of up on the hill. Her smile broadened. All of that was behind her. This time tomorrow, she would be living down at the shore with her new husband. 

Hiking her a basket, filled with fruits and much-needed supplies for her father, against her right hip, she continued down the street. Dark halo's around the base of each building, told her it was noon. Smiling, she turned down a street that lead closer to the shore. Docks rested on the street and moved out towards the ocean. Several fishermen boats were tied to the docks while others were out on the sea. On the left, she pasted buildings, of meat sellers and pottery workers. Zelda paused in front of a potter's house; taking in the vases. Ideas of how she would decorate her new house raced through her mind. 

Snapping out of her trance, she pulled away and continued down the street. Zelda continued walking down the end of the road, till she came to the last Market place on the block. Smiling, she watched a thin, muscular male, with a well-chiseled face, and a broad smile, carry a crate full of carp towards a table. Setting the box down, he picked his head up and waved at the lingering girl. "Felix!" Zelda shouted excitedly. His chestnut hair glowed in the sunlight. 

"Zelda, how are you?" 

"Very well, how is business?"

"Quite, people like to come by in the evening." 

Zelda peered at the many fish his family had brought in that morning. Felix's family were fishermen and sold their daily catch to other vendors and, what was left, on the port. Felix let off a soft chuckle. "Why so formal? Is there something on your mind?" Yes, there was, but she didn't know if she should admit it or not. What if he thought it was ludicrous and had her thrown out of town for it. Pompeii was supposed to be for the rich and elite. There was no way they would want her stories floating around. 

Hoisting the basket higher against her hip, Zelda lied, "Just thinking about tomorrow is all. The whole town will be there, and I also got word this morning, that the baker wants us to come in for a final taste test when you can leave your stand." She watched the man set out his boxed carp then disappearing inside his house once more. Rumors say that Felix and his family use the downstairs as an icehouse for the fish they don't sell and the upstairs as their living quarters. A smile curled on her lips, most girls swooned over Felix and fell at his feet, until they got wind of his fish, then they would turn the other way. 

"We've tasted cakes about five times now. I can only imagine."

Starring into his blue eyes, Zelda saw a gleam of light and playfulness. "I can't wait until we are together. Think about it, you and me forever. It's scary and yet exciting all at the same time." Smiling, she agreed with him. Tomorrow, at noon, she would have to say goodbye to her father. The ground beneath them began shaking. Squealing, Zelda was thrown backward. The tent around Felix began falling around him. 

Reaching to her left, Zelda reached for a poll to hang on to. However, she was thrown backward as well. The stall collapsed inward as she hit the ground. "Felix," she shouted. Her call was drowned out by the sound of a crumbling building nearby.  Curling her body up, and raising her arms to protect her head, Zelda was soon covered by white marble dust. 

Shaking the dust from her hair, Zelda sat up. Her gaze took in the destruction of the stall. "Felix!" She shouted. Her mind raced, her heart thumped against her chest. Butterflies fluttered around her stomach. She rushed over to the stand and began pulling debris away. "Felix, where are you?"

"I'm fine, Zelda." His voice rang from the back. Zelda took a step back as several wooden pillars were pushed off to the side by a pair of strong hands. Zelda rushed to his aid. Felix glanced about taking in the sight of his little opened face shack. "This will set us back. I must admit, I've been working overtime as a catcher and seller so we could have a nice honeymoon in Rome. Now...." His voice traveled off as his head fell. 

A sweet smile appeared on Zelda's lips. Her small hand and slender fingers rested on his cheek, giving him comfort. "I don't ask for a honeymoon. After we fix everything, we can save up again. Double and twice as fast, in fact, with the two of us working hard." Felix lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. Zelda saw love residing in them. Felix and herself had been dating for two years, now their wedding was days away. It felt like a dream come true for the couple.

Felix let out a chuckle. "Sounds like a deal." He grabbed her smaller hand in his strong one, he wished to comment more when black dust began raining from the sky. The couple pulled their sight off one another to gaze up at the volcano. "The citizens believe the volcano will erupt any day now. Some people have started preparing boats for hordes of people and others are making underground tunnels to escape in." 

"There is a rumor that an evil presence dwells in the mountain," Zelda answered. "For some unseen reason, we have angered it." She let out a giggle. "Can you believe how naive people can be. I believe that it was just time for the volcano to erupt. No beasts involved just mother Nature at work." Felix looked away. Hurt was displayed on his face. Zelda rubbed his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

"Navie? If people believe in the monster then they are naive?"

"Felix, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you believed in the monsters." Zelda glanced downward. 

"I don't, I just know that we have to stop the volcano before it destroys Pompeii. Why don't you come and help us?" 

"Sorry, I can't. I don't believe in monsters." Zelda took in the position of the sun. "Oh, will look at that, I have to go home and fix supper for Dad. See you later, Felix." She quickly kissed him on the cheek, before grabbing her basket and rushing off. 

Reaching her house, she entered and found everything quiet. She set her basket on a nearby table and ventured further in. Smiling, she noticed her father had put everything back in their proper spot. Zelda's sandals echoed through the halls as she progressed towards her father's study. A smile spread across her face as she found him in his patched-up study. He sat at his desk peering over a scroll. 

"I'm home, Father." She stated. "You will never guess what Felix believes." Octavius turned to face his daughter. She could tell he was interested in what she had to say. Zelda walked over to his desk and leaned against it. He stared up at her waiting. "He and several other villagers believe that there is a monster inside Mt. Vesuvius." 

Octavius let out a chuckle. "Though I don't believe it myself, they might be onto something." He pulled a scroll closer off the bookcase next to him and rolled it open. "Several years ago, a dragon named Ember, who controlled flames, came to this stretch of land. Ember battled a dragon controlled the element of earth. During the battle, Tlaloc and Ember, built the land, but smoothing the land out and built crevasses. Ember lost and succumbed to Tialoc. The earth dragon built a prison for Ember, Mount Vesuvius. I fear that Ember has awoken from her sleep and is fighting her way out of the volcano."

An eerie quiet fell upon the Zelda and Octavius. "What should we do, Dad?" 

"Continue with life as it is. Right now, I'm not too worried." He gazed at the window and watched smoke billow out of the top cone. "Once lava starts flowing and rocks rain down on us then I'll be concerned. Right now, we should just continue with lives." As he spoke, the sun began setting. Colors of pinks and purples displayed with the usual with red, orange and yellow of a sunset. 

Standing, Zelda hugged him. "Yes, father. If you excuse me, I need to fix supper." With that, she walked out of the study, down the hall and into the kitchen.