Hey guys! So I wrote this after I watched the movie on tv. I really don't like the ending so I figure it would be happily ever after and then more into Nod's past. :) I hope you guys likey and I'm sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes! For those of you who know I am working on an NCIS: Los Angeles fanfiction, only after I used Kallan did I realize the similarity but I hope you guys don't mind. Excuse my choice of names by the way. Acacia is pronounced "Akaseeya". Anyways, please enjoy and review ;)
"Nod, Nod wake up, you're having a nightmare" Mary Katherine (MK) said to Nod, giving him a shake. The sun was rising and she knew that soon Ronin would pass by to get Nod, and if Nod wasn't awake yet Ronin would not be pleased. As she lay next to him she thought about the events of the past year. It had been a year since the pod opened, she was still 2 inches tall, and Mandrake was gone. All had become peaceful and the new queen, Queen Lydia, was a year older. Even though the young queen was still a girl of 10 years, her tiny form radiated kindness, goodness, and purity. Ronin was back to commanding the leafmen and Nod was now officially one of them. Mary Katherine was so proud of him, and even though she missed her father, she was happy to have stayed with the leaf people. They welcomed her with open arms and she was happy to be part of their civilization.
"Huh, what? What time is it?" Nod grumbled still half asleep.
"Nod get up, you have to go help Ronin with trainings" MK said as she nudged Nod until he fell off the side of the bed.
"Oww" Nod whined getting up off the floor. He climbed onto the bed and gave MK a kiss before he started to get ready for his day with Ronin. Ronin and him were on much better terms and they had become, sort of, friends. Sort of. He knew that Mary Katherine missed her father, but he was happy to have her with him. Nod hoped that one day she would be the one to carry his child, but it had only been a year and both of them knew it was too soon.
"Nod, hey wait, before you go, what was your dream about?" MK asked, curious as to what had shaken him so bad that he lay sweating and whimpering in his sleep.
"I can't remember my dreams, no matter how bad they may be" Nod said giving MK a soft, reassuring smile.
"Nod, move it!" Ronin screamed from somewhere in the air. "Good morning Mary Katherine" he then shouted at MK, seeing that Nod was talking to her.
"Take care of him for me" MK shouted back, causing Nod to give her a face.
"I can hold my own" Nod said with a funny expression on his face.
"I will" Ronin said laughing. "Come on Nod, I'm not just gonna wait all day for you to decide to join me" Ronin said raising an eyebrow at Nod. Nod shook his head laughing and called for the hummingbird that was now his.
"Love you babe" Nod said as he flew away. MK shook her head. Her man was definitely a wild one.
Ronin and Nod reached the training site and were surprised to see that the amount of new recruits was incredibly high. Men and women, tall, short, wide, and lean all stood waiting to hear what their first part of training would be. Ronin and Nod got off their birds smiling at all the new people that they would have to train.
"I know a lot of people here is good, but did there have to be so many?" Nod asked cringing at the thought of having to deal with all of them. Ronin chuckled and scanned the faces of all the recruits. His eyes narrowed when a young women with brown, wavy hair till the waist, a fit form, and grey eyes walked through all the new recruits and straight towards Nod and himself. She didn't look like she was part of the new recruit group. She wore a light blue dress that was tight at the waist, had elbow long sleeves, and swayed from the waist down as she moved towards them. The young girl also had a type of messenger bag swung diagonally across her shoulder.
"Who's that?" Ronin asked quietly more to himself than to Nod.
"She looks a lot like—" Nod started to say, but stopped short of a name.
"Like who?" Ronin hissed back getting impatient while the young girl got closer.
"Kallan's sister" Nod whispered. He looked confused at the girl's appearance here. Ronin, on the other hand, was amused and interested in the young girl. What was her place and how come he had never seen her before? Surely after all these years he would recognize everyone living in this kingdom. "Acacia?" Nod asked unsurely when the girl reached them and stood before them.
"Nod" she said smiling. 'Gosh her smile is beautiful' Ronin thought to himself. She was obviously way too young for him but something about her reminded him so much of Tara.
"Acacia, this is Ronin, commander of all warrior leafmen and leafwomen" Nod said introducing the young girl to Ronin.
"Pleased to meet you" Ronin said offering his hand to her. Acacia glanced at it and just nodded to acknowledge it, but she did not offer her hand at any point in time.
"Acacia" Nod hissed as Ronin kept his hand there expecting the girl to shake it. Acacia simply glared at Nod as if to make sure he realized she was not under any circumstance going to shake the man's hand. As an uncomfortable silence set in, Ronin dropped his hand and Acacia stopped glaring at Nod.
"How have you been, Acacia?" Nod stammered out, trying to break the silence, but Acacia ignored his question and looked Ronin up and down as if to assess him. Something about Acacia or who she was made Nod nervous around her, and it was killing Ronin to figure out what.
"You two know each other then?" Ronin asked looking pointedly at Nod who looked down avoiding Ronin's piercing eyes.
"She—we—um" was all Nod could get out until he gave up trying to explain anything.
"I was told to ask Commander Ronin here for an escort to the Budding Meadows and back" Acacia said in a clear voice, obviously very sure of herself, "I told the queen, when I went to ask permission and explain my situation, that I would be fine on my own but even as the 10 year old girl she is, she insisted that ,considering I am her friend, I come to you and ask you for an escort." Nod could tell that Acacia was annoyed by the fact that she had to go with an escort. He knew Acacia well enough to know that she felt she could take care of herself, and she probably could, but he wouldn't know. Nod hadn't seen Acacia for at least 7 years.
"I understand the queen's concern. The Budding Meadows isn't the safest place to go" Ronin said, wondering what the young girl could want from that place. The Budding Meadows was a place where rare herbs grew and dangerous incantations were practiced. Leaf people of all strange types with strange 'gifts' lived in the area, and the meadows themselves were huge. "What could you possibly seek there?" Ronin asked, letting his curiosity get the best of him while he told himself he was only asking for the sake of his warrior's safety.
"What I seek is none of your business" Acacia spit out, suddenly seeming angry.
"The safety of my warriors is my business" Ronin retaliated, starting to get annoyed. What the hell did the girl want from there, and why was it such a secret? Whoever he sent with her would figure it out and report back to him anyways.
"Ronin" Nod said quickly, suddenly part of the conversation, "Send Jonah to go with her and you'll get a report back later." Ronin nodded and looked around, searching for the familiar face of his second in command.
"Jonah" Ronin called out when he saw his well-built, blond friend scanning through the recruits as he himself had been doing earlier. Jonah came jogging his way and slowed down when he saw Acacia standing with Ronin and Nod. When Jonah reached them he politely introduced himself to Acacia with a wave of the hand. Acacia smiled and gave him her name in return. "Jonah, you will escort Acacia to the Budding Meadows and back, and I expect you to report to me when you return" Ronin commanded.
"Oh, so now I'm an escort?" Jonah asked agitated.
"She is the queen's friend and you will bring her there and bring her back safely" Ronin said, ending Jonah's rant before it could even start. Acacia walked away from the three men giving them some space to sort out what was going to happen. Ronin knew that Jonah was hoping to help with the training of the recruits, but he would trust no one else with Acacia. There was something about her that radiated importance of some sort and Ronin was not going to let her go with a sucker of an escort who couldn't protect her for his life.
"What are we going for?" Jonah asked. Ronin and Nod both hoped he wouldn't ask, but of course anyone in their right mind would ask the obvious question.
"No clue" Ronin and Nod said simultaneously causing Jonah to look at them both with complete confusion.
"Now go, I want the two of you back before nightfall. And please, be careful! No one knows exactly what lurks in the shadows of the Budding Meadows" Ronin warned, taking a second to glance at Acacia who seemed to be far off in her own thoughts. Jonah bowed slightly to Ronin and then turned to go towards Acacia. To Ronin's surprise Nod ran out ahead of Jonah and stopped at Acacia's side. He slowly walked to stand in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. Ronin couldn't see Acacia's face and it bothered him. What was Nod doing? It looked like he was speaking to her, but Acacia stood completely still. Just when Jonah reached them, Nod gave Acacia a light shake and retracted his hands before she could slap them away. Jonah was about to touch Acacia's shoulder to get her attention, but her reflexes had her turned around and backed up before his hand could even reach. Ronin watched them closely. It looked as if other than Nod, she couldn't have anyone else touch her.
"You ready to go?" Ronin could hear Jonah say to Acacia. Acacia simply nodded and followed Jonah to his bird which sat perched and ready. He watched Jonah and Acacia fly off before him and Nod made eye contact, signaling to each other the start of recruitment training week.
"Recruits" They both shouted, and so training started.
Nightfall was coming down upon them and the recruits had gone home hungry, tired, and sore. They still had the rest of the week to go and they knew it. Ronin and Nod were starting to get worried. Jonah and Acacia hadn't returned yet, and even though they didn't know why Acacia needed to go to the Budding Meadows, it couldn't take this long could it? The last ray of sun was starting to disappear and Nod had been pacing like crazy, honestly it was driving Ronin nuts.
"Nod, stop pacing damnit!" He said shooting his hand out to grip Nod's shoulder, effectively stopping his pacing. "What's your deal with her anyways?"
"What deal? No deal. We're fine" Nod answered, his voice wavering.
"Yeah, you guys are obviously best friends" Ronin said sarcastically. Something was flying in the partial sun, partial darkness and as it got closer Ronin and Nod sighed in relief to see it was Jonah's bird. The relief, however, was short-lived when it could be seen that the one flying the bird was Acacia, and that Jonah was slumped over the bird's body in front of Acacia.
"Acacia" Nod yelled waving his arms to get her to land the bird where he stood. The bird started to go downwards and its landing was a bit of a stumble onto the platform where Nod and Ronin stood. Once it was down Ronin and Nod ran towards where it had stopped. Acacia was climbing off rather difficultly and Jonah was unconscious. When Ronin and Nod reached the first thing Ronin did was check Jonah. He had multiple scratches on him and a big lump on his head.
"He's okay, the scratches aren't so bad, it's just the lump on his head" Acacia said, breathing heavily and seeing Ronin's concern displayed all over his face. Nod reached for Acacia to see if he could help her, but she stepped back.
"Acacia, what the hell happened?" Nod asked her quietly. He wasn't angry at her, just worried for her. She looked so frightened and shocked, as if she was reliving whatever had happened. Ronin, in the meantime, had picked up Jonah and was taking him to the healing center. When Ronin got back, Nod was still standing with Acacia and trying to figure out what happened out there.
"You brought one of my best men back, unconscious and all scratched up. What the HELL did you need from out there?" Ronin yelled, raising his voice at Acacia. Acacia wouldn't look at Nod or Ronin, she just stared at the ground breathing heavily. "I ASKED YOU A DAMNED QUESTION! ANSWER ME!" Ronin yelled once more, not even causing Acacia to flinch.
"Ronin" Nod said raising his voice at his friend, "look at her". When Ronin took a good look at her he saw that there was blood staining the front of her dress, and that there was a large gash across her forehead. He couldn't see her back and didn't bother looking, but Nod was right, she wasn't in good shape either. When Acacia finally looked at Nod and Ronin she had tears in her eyes. Her eyes held great confusion, anger, and pain. She held on tightly to her messenger bag which was still in incredibly good shape.
"What's in the bag?" Ronin asked her trying to reach for her, but again she backed up, this time tripping over her own feet. "Whoa hey, I won't hurt you, I'm Nod's friend, remember?" he said trying to reassure her, but she seemed in no way reassured.
"Ronin, that is not a good way to make her feel any better" Nod said to Ronin, again making him curious as to how Nod knew Acacia and what happened between the two of them. Acacia made an attempt to get up, but her legs would not support her and she fell back down.
"Nod—" she said, her pleading voice barely audible. She was about to continue, but her breathing became even more labored and a coughing fit took over to the point where she was coughing up black blood. Ronin and Nod both knew that it was surely not supposed to be that dark.
"Acacia, let me help you please" Nod pleaded, his voice breaking. He was freaking out inside and her reluctance to let them help or let anyone touch her at all was frustrating him. The black blood ran down her neck and stained her dress that was, by now, beyond saving. Acacia's energy was decreasing and she looked about to pass out. If she could just pass out already so one of them could take her to the healing center!
"Brother" she said so quietly that Ronin and Nod almost missed it. Nod recoiled as if she had shoved him, hard.
"Brother, did she say?" Ronin said looking at Nod. Nod's eyes looked as if they could fall out of their sockets at any moment. "Did she just call you her brother?"
"She's mistaken. She must think I'm Kallan or something" Nod mumbled, knowing he was lying. The last thing he wanted to do was lie to Ronin, especially since he was such a father figure in his life, but this had to do with some stuff in his childhood he did not feel like sharing. Acacia started to cough again, getting the attention of both Ronin and Nod again. More black blood came out of her mouth and her grip on her messenger bag was starting to loosen.
"Screw this" Ronin muttered, bending down to her level and reaching for her arms. He did it slowly to make sure she didn't shrink away from him. Acacia groaned some but didn't have enough strength left to pull away. Ronin realized this and quickly but gently picked her up. She coughed some more getting blood on his clothes but he didn't care as he walked quickly with her to the healing center. In the process, Acacia had let go of the messenger bag and Nod made sure to pick it up before he followed after Ronin. When reaching the healing center, Mother Lorellei glared at Ronin. Mother Lorellei was the healer of their civilization. She was a small woman with graying hair and light blue eyes. Her hair was always in a braid reaching down to her lower back, and her face was a kind one which could become an angry one very easily. She was slightly chubby and wore the known healer's dress (a green dress with a brown patch shaped like a heart on the lower back).
"Damn you boy, what have you done to the poor girl?" She said angrily while Ronin placed Acacia on one of the beds. "First bringing in Jonah and then this young girl…" she mumbled on.
"I didn't do any—" Ronin started to say but Mother Lorellei cut him off.
"Hush boy" she said quickly. Mother Lorellei's hands hovered over Acacia's body from top to bottom while she tried to figure out what exactly was wrong with the young girl. Mother Lorellei's face showed confusion as she let her hands hover over Acacia again, this time stopping at Acacia's stomach. She closed her eyes in concentration and not a second later, pulled her hands back as if something had hurt her. "Black magic" she whispered, eyes wide. "Who did this child anger" she said more to herself.
Acacia's breathing was now loud and heavy. It was as if she couldn't seem to take in enough oxygen. Nod stood leaning against a wall, looking nervously at Acacia. What exactly had Acacia gone to get? He wondered for a split second and then realized he was holding her messenger back. He looked to Ronin and noticing that the man wasn't looking, carefully opened the bag. The bag held at least ten different vials with what looked like some type of wisps in them. Just when Nod was about to take a vial out of the bag, Ronin talked and startled him.
"Nod, do you have any idea who she might've gone to? What she might have asked for?" Ronin said looking at the messenger bag. Ronin walked over to Nod with determined steps and yanked the bag from his grasp. He then walked back to the bed Acacia was on and emptied the bags contents on the bed next to it. Ronin's confusion mirrored Nod's as they both stood and looked at all the vials. The moment Mother Lorellei saw them she gasped.
"Dear child, whose are those?" She asked Acacia, trying to get her attention so that she could answer. "Whose are those" Mother Lorellei urged. Acacia gave no answer, her eyes still closed as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"What are these things? What's in them?" Ronin asked Mother Lorellei, making note of her sudden paleness and shock.
"No no no" Mother Lorellei mumbled shaking her head and bustling about grabbing different things from different shelves.
"Can I help?" Ronin asked, hoping that there was something he could do.
"Leave child" Mother Lorellei said with irritation.
"But—" Nod started, getting ready to go into an argument.
"LEAVE" Mother Lorellei yelled back, shaking up the entire healing center. Mother Lorellei's eyes looked like iceRonin had known her to be annoyed and irritated, but never raging. The fact that she had screamed shocked him. Ronin and Nod backed out of the healing center while Mother Lorellei kept mumbling and running around in the healing center.
"Nod, what do you think happened out there?" Ronin asked, his voice soft.
"I don't know, but whatever happened couldn't have been good cause she's paying for it…big time…" Nod replied carefully, realizing that whatever Acacia had started was far from its end. From afar Nod could hear MK coming towards him and Ronin. She was still a bit clumsy, making it easy for him to know when she was around.
"Nod! Nod I just heard about Jonah and a mystery girl coming back, both injured. Do you know what happened? Do you know who she is?" MK said coming to a stop between Ronin and Nod.
"Her name is Acacia, and she's my sister" Nod said under his breath, hoping that neither had heard him. Luck was not in the cards for him that day, because when he turned to look at MK, Ronin was glaring at him. He had heard him and he was angry.