Yay, I finally got this up…I think I've been working on it for more than a week already…but I'm just happy that I got it done! The next chapter should be shorter (I hope). This story might be really long…I don't know yet but it looks like it…I mean, Raven isn't even in it yet, it's supposed to be a teen titans fanfic! I guess it's just how I am…I love long stories!
Oh yeah, thank you to everyone who reviewed for the prologue! I didn't think I'd get any reviews at all…so I'm grateful!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans…or Raven…or anything about her that I didn't make up…I wish I did though. The show wouldn't be over if I owned TT!
Okay, here we go…The Caged Bird
Chapter One: Buried Secrets
84 years after the Prophecy…
"Arella!"
A thin young woman was running through green woods, shouting a name and looking around feverishly. She had short, shiny black hair and very pale skin. She had dark brown eyes and a beautiful face. The dress she had on looked strange…it was long and made of a material similar to cotton on Earth. Most of it was black, but there was a 4- inch sea foam green silk sash wrapped around her waist, the long ends hung loosely at her side. The part of the dress you could see below the sash split downthe middle in the front…underneath the black was a sea foam green skirt, the same color as the sash. The sleeves were long, and when they reached her elbows they flared out. At that point, the black material of the sleeves split in the middle in the inside of her forearms, like the bottom of the dress, and had the same colored material as the sash and skirt. The edges of the sleeves and the bottom of the skirt had a hand-cut look to it…the pattern was a wide, scallop one. The woman had a sea foam colored flower behind her ear, which kept her hair from falling in front of her face…she was worried and a bit mad at the moment, and she didn't want her hair getting in the way of what she could see.
"Arella!" shouted the lady again. "I know you're out here…I've been to the rest of your little "hiding places", and you weren't there, so hurry up and come out! I want to talk to you!"
Only silence greeted her, but she wasn't going to give up. She knew her friend was here, and she was determined to find out what she was doing for the past few days, and why she was even out here in the first place.
"Aaaaaaa-rell-a! C'mon already! I'm getting tired of looking for you…besides, I've hardly gotten the chance to hang out with you, let alone talk to you for days now. I mean really, what could be so important that you don't wanna fool around with your best friend?"
The woman continued searching, looking behind the tallest trees, and inspecting every cave, hole, and burrow she came across. She looked and looked, but still found nothing. Just when she was going to turn around and head back to the village, she heard something. It was the sound of rushing water, and it wasn't far away. 'The river!' thought the lady. 'She's gotta be down there!'
So she ran, well…at least she tried to with the energy she had left, but ended up walking instead to the long, noisy river. The ground was a bit high above the river, and if you looked at the woods from the other side of the water, you'd think someone had cut out a huge chunk of it, like cake. The lady knew that the side of the ground that looked cut was flat, kind of, so she needed to jump down if she wanted to see if her friend was hiding there. She walked to the edge and jumped down several feet, landing on the scattered dry leaves with a crunch! The woman turned her back on the river, and saw something that grabbed her attention.
It was a kind of burrow in the flat side of the ground…not deep enough to be a cave though. The hole was pretty wide and tall…it could pass for a bedroom in a small house. There she saw the person she'd been searching for the last 2 hours, sitting down and leaning her back on the side of the hole. She looked like she was…muttering to herself. Curious, the lady crept forward, trying not to make a sound.
The lady in the hole looked to be the same age as the other lady, skinny, and very beautiful. She had long wavy black hair, and had a dress similar to her friend, but in the places where hers was sea foam green, hers was dark blue. This person's skin was pale also, but not as pale as the first woman.
She had her eyes closed, but it was hard to tell if she knew the lady was there or not. The lady with the green on her dress could see something in her hands…but she wasn't sure what it was. When she was only three feet away, she gasped. She knew what it was her friend was holding, and why she looked like she was talking to herself silently, but…but it was just too shocking and unbelievable to be true.
Making her presence known, she whispered the woman's name. "Ah…Arella?" Startled, Arella dropped the thing in her hands and opened her eyes. Looking up, she saw the face of her friend and it made her eyes widen in shock. "S-Seriya…uh, wh-what are you doing here?"
Seriya didn't answer right away. She knelt down by her friend and said in a voice so soft only Arella could hear it, "…Arella…that thing you were holding…pl-please don't tell me that…that it's--"
"A rosary?" finished Arella, looking at her hands instead of her companion's face. There was silence for a few minutes, Seriya had her head turned to the river next to the burrow…Arella continued to look down. Both didn't want to say anything, but they knew this couldn't be ignored. Seriya broke the silence and asked, "…Why, Arella? Why are you…why are you doing this?"
The other woman didn't speak…she didn't know what to say. Seriya continued, "I've…I've been looking for you for hours, worried sick about you for the past few days…and I find you here, with those…those beads…praying? And not to one of our gods, I'm sure…"
"Look!" Arella cut in suddenly. "This is exactly the reason I've had to hide this from you…from everyone! I knew how you all would react…you'd never accept me, what I'm doing, what I believe in--"
"Arella!" shouted Seriya. "Of course we'd be against it! This…what you're doing, it goes against all our laws, our rules…everything that we were taught since we were little! You know that it's forbidden to have anything to do with Christianity! We were told this all our lives…so…how could you do this?" Seriya looked up, sadness and confusion in her eyes…she was just so…lost as to why her friend, her best friend would betray their people in this way…it just didn't fit Arella to do something like this…no…not ever.
Arella had her back turned to Seriya…in the heat of the argument she had stood up, and now had her arms crossed and was looking out to the land beyond the woods…the great tall mountains on the borders of their land. There was longing in her eyes, but it was gone as soon as she turned around.
"Seriya…friend," began Arella. "I know you think what I'm doing is wrong, but…I have to do this. I have to follow what my heart is telling me…you know I always do." She took a few steps toward her. "This…believing in the Christian religion, I…I want to do this. When I see the travelers that come by our tribe, the mortal ones...when I see them with their rosaries and religious books, it makes me want to join them. It makes me want to beg them to take me with them to their land, where I can be accepted and…and have happiness without fear." Seriya looked like she wanted to interrupt, but Arella put a hand up, signaling her to let her continue.
"I love our tribe…our people…our home. But I've…I've just always had this feeling that I didn't belong with you all. Like I've never fit in, even though you guys have done nothing but shown me kindness and love. My heart just feels like…my home…my true home, is somewhere far away. And I want to find it, Seriya. I want to leave and search, and even if it takes me my entire life, I'm willing to sacrifice because in the end, it'll all be worth it." Arella looked up and was shocked at the emotion on her friend's face. Her head was bent to the ground, turned away from Arella, and there were tears, endless, endless tears cascading down her cheeks.
"Se-Seriya--"
"I…I knew it!" shouted Seriya angrily. "I knew they should've just…just let you go with those mortals! Even…even though we were so kind to you and treated you as one of us, you still feel like you don't belong! What were they thinking! What were those stupid elders thinking! How could you ever want to stay here! I…I-I just--" Her knees gave in, and she feel on the ground, sobbing and kneeling in front of Arella. Still in shock, Arella kneeled and held her best friend, trying to comfort her and make her stop crying. "Seriya…Seriya it's okay, just stop…stop crying, please…just please stop…"
She stayed there with her until the tears were gone. When that happened, the two just sat there, on the ground, watching the sky become red and orange as the sun set far, far away in the West. When the stars began to appear and Delsetor the moon came out, Arella grabbed her rosary and got up. She was going to walk back to the village when Seriya stopped her.
"Th-There's something I should…I should tell you. It's been kept a secret for so long now, I don't think it's right to hide it from you anymore…" Curious, Arella walked back into the burrow. Before she could sit, someone jumped down from above, shouting their names.
"Seriya! Arella! Where are--" the older woman stopped, as she turned and saw them in the hole. "Oh, there you guys are! I've been looking for you, it's late and everyone's worried. You missed the feast, but I managed to save some food for you if you're hun…gry." She stopped talking as she spotted what was in Arella's hand. The woman's eyes widened as she realized what it was. "Oh my…Arella, you're holding a…but its forbidden…and…oh this is just…uh…I…I have to tell the elders." She turned to climb back up to the higher ground when Seriya shouted, "Wait! Don't go! Y-You can't tell them and get Arella in trouble…please don't!" But it was too late…she was gone. They could hear her running, her feet crunching on the leaves.
"Arella…I…I'm so sorry--"
"Don't worry about it, Seriya", cut in Arella. "I…I've known that you'd all find out someday…today's just that day, I guess…" Seriya's head shot up.
"No! No they'll…they'll banish you for sure! I--"
"That's good then…it'll give me an excuse for…leaving." Even though her words made her sound happy, there was fear and a bit of sadness in her voice and on her face.
Seriya brought up the idea of Arella just running away, but Arella didn't want to…she'd just face the others…she didn't want to have any shame in being true to her heart. So they left the hole, climbed up, and started to walk back, slowly. But they had only gone a few feet before they saw something up ahead.
There were four or five women coming toward them. They all wore the same kind of dresses that the other two had on; they were the only things that their people wore. There was one woman who was ahead of the others. She was walking really fast toward them, and they could tell that she was extremely angry.
Once she was in front of them she brought her hand up and slapped Arella across the face. It was so strong and unexpected that it made her stumble and fall backwards onto the ground. Seriya gasped and hurried to her friend, who was touching the side of her face where the woman had slapped her. It was turning red.
The angry lady glared at Arella, and opened her mouth to speak. "…How dare you…how dare you do this…this unbelievable act, an act of treason an-and betrayal toward your people! Your own people! Why would you even consider doing something so…disloyal and wicked! I…I'm ashamed of you, Arella! You--"
"Taelya, I…I know this is wrong…"
"Of course it is," muttered Taelya under her breath.
"But," continued Arella. "But…I have to do this. From the start, I knew that you'd all go against it…and I was truly afraid…but something told me that I shouldn't quit on this. P-please understand…" Arella was starting to stutter as she saw the anger on Taelya's face. It was still present and looked as if it was getting worse.
"…I-I need to listen to my heart, and it's telling me to keep going, despite the dangers. Despite the…anger and…h-hatred you might have for…" She trailed off, knowing that her explanation was doing no good for her. Taelya couldn't contain the rage that burned inside her any longer. She exploded.
"WHAT!" she roared. "Do you ACTUALLY THINK that I, or all the other elders will believe your 'listen to your heart' crap! OF COURSE NOT! No matter what your heart is telling you, you have to ALWAYS do what's right for your people! What you know you have to do, not what you want to do! And it's GOOD that you're afraid…because now that we know about this, you will sure to be BANISHED FROM THIS LAND!" A woman that looked older than her grabbed her arm, stopping her from saying anything more. Turning, she saw the elders behind her with grave, serious looks on their faces.
"That's enough, Taelya," said the woman holding her arm. "I believe you've said enough. We would like to talk to young Arella now, if you do not mind."
"Of course not," answered Taelya as the woman let go of her arm. She stepped out of the way to the side, and had a "you're gonna get it now" look on her face.
During the bombardment of Taelya's harsh words, Arella did not show a single sign of being afraid…she'd expected this to happen, so she did not let it get to her. Seriya was actually the one who looked afraid, but it was for her friend, not for herself. 'Oh Arella' thought Seriya. 'I…I hope that the elders aren't too severe with you.'
The tallest and most beautiful out of the elders came forward. She was the queen and leader of their people. "Arella," began the woman. "Our shock was great when Fellamine ran intoour hutand told us what you had done. Obviously we are not pleased with you…and we do agree with Taelya about this horrible betrayal to us…to your family." She stopped, letting the person next to her continue.
"We are witches, Arella. You know the laws. Involvement in the Christian religion…it is a terrible thing to do. We are…well to say the least our disappointment in you is great, child. Very great." This made Arella bite her lip. Disappointing the elders…such a terrible thing…she felt so much shame in her heart, but knew that she would stick with what she believed in.
Another elder spoke. "You betrayed not only us, but our sister witches on Earth. The ones who were brutally killed by the Christians there long ago…you know those people are not our friends…their hatred for us is what sparked our hatred for them. We did them no harm, but they still bring us pain. This is why we ignore them and their religion so, and you've known this, but you still chose to go against us."
The queen began to speak again. "Unlike what Taelya said, we do understand and believe in what you say about your heart, and though we are upset with you, we admire you for your bravery to follow this," she pointed to her chest "Instead of this," she pointed to her head. "Now, we have already decided on your punishment." All there were looking at the queen, which included others from the tribe. They heard the news and had come out to see what was going on.
"We discussed it…and we have decided that since your intentions were good…you can stay." Many of the people sighed with relief. Seriya laughed and hugged Arella, who was smiling. "But…there is one condition." Her smile disappeared instantly. "…As leaders, we cannot allow something like this to continue…so Arella, to stay here with our tribe… you must give up your Christianity…it ties you to our enemies, and we can't have that my dear."
No one spoke. All were looking at Arella now, waiting to see what she would say. After a few moments of silence, she looked up at the face of the queen and said, "Your Highness, I am…happy that you have decided to let me stay. I'm glad that I can still live with my friends, my family…but…my happiness wouldn't be complete without my religion. I…I wouldn't be…uh…" She was having difficulty being heard, for when she said that she wanted to keep her religion, everyone started to talk and mutter to their neighbors. "QUIET!" yelled Taelya. "Let's see what the girl has to say."
Arella continued. "I wouldn't be living a true life…I love Christianity, and taking it away…I-I wouldn't be complete. So, thank you for being kind and letting me stay, but if I have to throw away my beliefs…it's not worth it, your highness." She bowed her head, afraid to look at the queen's face. Seriya was looking at her friend in complete shock. Everyone began chatting about it to each other. The elders motioned to them to stop, for the queen wanted to say something to Arella.
"…I see…so you really are dedicated to this?" The lady nodded. "…Well…I'm sorry but you cannot stay here if this is your decision. After all, it's still a punishment…so…I will give you a few days to leave--"
"Oh no, my lady," interrupted Arella. "I…I'll leave tonight. I…it wouldn't feel right if I lingered here…the sooner I'm gone, the…better…" The queen looked at her with kind eyes. She sighed, and spoke as Arella began to walk away.
"Child…you…you've never really felt like…like you belong with us, have you?" She froze, but did not look up. "I've…I've seen it in your eyes, Arella…in your actions…you smile and look happy, yes…but…there are moments when you stay alone, by yourself. Frequently, I've caught you looking out, way past the trees and hills in the woods to the land beyond the borders. I knew…I knew that you'd be like this when you got older…I just…I just didn't realize how much longing you would have to…to leave us."
Arella said nothing. The other witches and warlocks around them were silent…they knew what their queen was going to say…a secret they'd had to keep locked away for many years now. Seriya was tearing up again. She knew that even if the Christianity thing hadn't surfaced, her best friend would have to leave her…and it was positive that she wouldn't be coming back.
"Arella," started the queen in a soft, kind voice. "It's time we told you something…something we've kept a secret from you since you were little. It's important you know this because…" the queen sighed. "…I just…wouldn't feel right in letting you go without telling you this…so…please listen to what we have to say. Will you?"
Arella just stared at the queen, then said, "…Okay…fine."
The queen nodded, then spoke. "My dear…you've been having strong feelings to travel and get out of the North to…to a place where you can be…accepted. Where you can truly feel at home. Well…I know that there's reason for these…particular feelings." Arella looked at the queen curiously.
She sighed deeply. "I-I'm sorry, it's just that…we weren't going to tell you this until we thought you were ready…and I didn't really expect that day to come…so soon." She sighed again. "…Okay. Arella…everyone here…we aren't too astonished at your desire to leave because…well you…you aren't actually…a…a witch."
Her eyes widened in surprise, but Arella didn't speak a word. The queen took this as a sign to continue. "You are actually a human. You…you aren't even from this planet, child. The place you're from is called…Earth. It's very far from Azarath…I don't even think that we're in the same galaxy…but they do have humans there, so…" she trailed off, looking at Arella, who was looking down. Her eyes had a lost look to them; she wasn't sure if the woman was taking it all in yet.
She continued, "I remember the day 16 years ago…when we found you…"
(Flashback)It was a sunny day on Azarath. The sky was bright, and gentle winds blew frequently, keeping it cool. There were a few children in a grassy meadow, right outside a huge wood. They were playing, gathering flowers and chasing each other around. Suddenly, one of them tripped and fell on the ground. (Author's Note: Oh yeah, I forgot… the name of the queen is Narise…sorry about that)
"Rion!" yelled one of the girls as all the kids ran to the boy. "Oww…" complained the child as two boys helped him up. "What happened? What did you trip on?" asked a girl with black hair. "I-I'm not sure," answered the child. They all looked down at the ground and saw something strange. Being curious, they sat or knelt on the grass to inspect it.
"W-what is it?" said one boy.
"I dunno…maybe it's a puddle of rainbow water," suggested a girl.
"I don't think so…" said the girl with the braided hair as she looked away, thinking. "Hmm…"
No one said anything for a while…they were looking at the girl who was in thought. Suddenly the boy who'd fallen, Rion, asked, "Uh…Narise? Do you have an idea what it is?"
"I'm…I'm trying to remember something. My mother told me about something I should look out for, and she described it like how this thing looks, but…but I don't remember what it's called."
"Any guesses?" asked a girl with long hair.
"Um…I think it starts with a 'p'…uh…paddle? No…plate? Uh uh…p…p…pa…po…por…portal! That's it! It's a portal!" exclaimed Narise as she looked back at the thing in the ground.
"Ooo…a portal? What's that?" asked a boy.
"It's…it's a thing…a thing that, when you put yourself through it, like, if you stick your arm in it or your head or something, it'll take you to some other place," answered Narise.
"Coooooooool," said the rest of the children in unison.
"So…" began Rion. "…What should we do about it? Should we tell the adults?"
"No!" said the girl with long hair. "They'll just…they'll just tell us to wait in the huts while they go check it out! They won't let us leave…they'll take away the fun!"
"We should go in," said one boy. "Let's go see where it'll take us too!"
"Yeah!" said another girl. "What if there's something reeeeeeeaaaally cool on the other side, like an ocean, or dolls, or…or maybe…maybe there's TREASURE!"
The children gasped in awe at the thought of finding treasure. "D-do you really think that there's something like that on the other side of the portal?" asked Rion.
"I dunno," said the girl who suggested it. "Why don't we go look and see?"
"NO!" shouted Narise as the others began to talk excitedly. "We shouldn't do that! My mother…she warned me about portals. She said if I ever find one, I shouldn't just go in it…who knows what's on the other side? I mean, what if…what if it's…something bad?"
A few of the kids' eyes widened at that thought, but the other girl said "Hmph! You just want us to think that…then, when we're gone, you'll just sneak back here, go in, and then steal the treasure for yourself!"
Narise looked up in shock and anger as she shouted, "Why would I do THAT! I'm not saying this to get you guys out of the way, I just don't want anyone to get HURT! Stop being silly and let's just go back--"
"NO WAY!" said the other girl as she raised her foot above the portal. "If there's treasure there, then I'm gonna go and get it!"
"Wait, don't!" said Rion. "Narise's right…maybe…maybe we should just forget about it and leave…" The others nodded in agreement.
There was shock on the girl's face, but it disappeared and was replaced by an evil smirk. "Fine…you wimps can stay here if you want…but I'm gonna go through…and when I'm loaded with diamonds and gold, and you all are begging to have some, I'll just ignore you since you had your chance but gave it up!" And with that, she stuck her foot in the portal. Automatically, it sucked her in…it was so fast that none of the other children could grab onto her.
There was silence as they all stared at the spot where the girl had been standing. Suddenly a boy said "…S-shouldn't we go after her? What if something bad happens, and…you know…"
"I don't know," said another girl. "Maybe we should just tell the adults…"
"Yeah, but what if there's really something awesome on the other side? All the older people will just take it for themselves, and they won't give any to us…and anyway, we were the ones who found the portal, not them," argued another boy.
"Well, I'm going in," said the girl with long hair. "I wanna make sure that she's okay…I don't wanna be blamed if she gets hurt or anything…" and before they could stop her, she stuck her arm through and was gone.
"…We should just go you guys," said Rion. "C'mon, if they need help, they'll only have each other…and besides, we might even find…treasure." Everyone else nodded and went in, except for Narise. She tried to make them wait, but they wouldn't. Soon she stood alone in the meadow, wondering what to do.
'I really shouldn't follow them,' she thought as she started to pace around. 'But…I am worried about them…and what if…what if I don't get back here in time if I do get the adults' help? They could…they might…' she shuddered, thinking of their possible fate. '…Okay…I'll go…but…ohhhh, I hope I won't regret it.'
She walked over to the portal, staring at it with insecurity. To calm herself, she breathed in deeply, then closed her eyes, balled her hands into fists, and jumped into the portal.
It was like she was falling off a mountain…she could feel could air rushing past her, but she didn't dare to open her eyes. She kept going and going…it seemed like it would never end. Just when she was starting to get used to it, it stopped. She could feel solid ground under her feet, so she opened her tightly shut eyes. What she saw made her gasp.
She was…she was in a place she'd never seen before. It was definitely not on Azarath, so…She gasped, realizing that she was no longer home, she was…on a different planet! When she looked up at the sky, she confirmed her thoughts because she saw the color blue, not purple. Azarathian skies were purple, no matter where you were.
Narise looked around…she saw huge, tall buildings made of something that looked as hard as stone, but was smoother. The ground was hard and in some places was very dirty, rubbish laying around here and there. On the road next to the ground were…well, she wasn't exactly sure what they were. They were pretty big, and seemed to be made out of metal. They moved about on black wheels…tires, two on each side. Some had people in them, looking out the tiny windows. Speaking of people, there weren't many outside walking around…the ones she could see were dressed strangely…most had on formal looking clothing…like the suits that mortals wore to their parties…
'Oh!' said Narise as she came to another realization. 'These people…they must be humans! But…if weren't not on Azarath, the only other planet with humans on it was…Earth! Yes, that's where she was, Earth!' Looking ahead, she saw her friends gathered together in a group, talking to each other. She ran, joining them.
Seeing Narise there, the girl who had first entered said, "Well, well, well…look who it is. So Narise, what suddenly changed your mind to come along with us? What? Were you jealous that we'd be getting treasure and you wouldn't?"
"C'mon," cut in one boy. "Stop it…what you're saying doesn't matter, at least she's here…by the way Narise, do you have any idea where we are? We can't—"
"We're on Earth," said in Narise. "See, there are humans here…and it obvious we aren't on Azarath anymore, so--"
"Yeah, yeah," interrupted the other girl. "Okay, so now we know where we are, what about the treasure we want to get?"
Narise looked at her in disbelief. "W-what? How can you still be thinking about that? Look around you, do you see any treasure here? Even if there is and it's hidden, I don't wanna go looking for it. Lets just get back and tell the adults about the portal so they can close it up!"
"Hey! Why don't we go and explore this place?" suggested the straight-haired girl, putting aside what Narise had said about going back home. "After all, this may be the one chance that we'll be on Earth in our whole lives!"
"You're right!" said another boy. "We…we won't go looking for treasure, we might get hurt, but if we just stay together and safely look around, we should be okay…right?"
Everyone nodded, but turned to look at Narise. Seeing that all eyes were on her, she sighed and said, "Oh fine…I guess it's okay...so…I'll come with."
They all yelled "Yay!" and hurried together down the sidewalk.
(After a few hours of sightseeing, playing, and eating ice cream and popsicles)
"Wow, I'm tired," said Rion as they headed back to the portal.
"Yeah…I ate so much strawberry ice cream that…ugh, I can hardly walk!" complained the girl with long hair.
"Hey Narise, do you think we're close to the portal yet?" asked a boy.
"Hmm…yeah, we just have to cross that street and it should be in the alleyway of that building," answered the girl as they continued walking down.
Once they reached the particular building, they turned into the alleyway, but stopped, seeing something there. A huge basket was lying next to the portal and the corner of a pink blanket was lying over the edge of it.
"Uh…" started Rion. "…What's that basket doing there?"
Narise had already began to approach it, but slowly, just in case there was something…bad in it. When she was next to it, she kneeled beside it, and looked inside.
They waited for her to say something, but she didn't, so one boy ran over and looked over Narise. He gasped and yelled, "It's a baby, you guys! A baby gi--"
"Shut up!" yelled Narise. "You're going to wake her up! She's asleep!"
With wide eyes, the others hurried over, and sure enough, there was a baby girl in the basket. She was wrapped in a long pink blanket, and was soundly sleeping. There was no note, just the baby and the basket.
For a while, no one said anything; they just stared at the sleeping infant. One girl grew impatient and blurted out, "So what are we gonna do about it?"
As soon as she said that, the rest of the children stopped looking at the baby and looked at each other instead.
"Well," started Rion. "We can't just leave her here…I mean, if someone left her here, I reeeeeaaally don't think that they're gonna come back for her."
"You're right," said Narise, picking up the basket. "If we just go and no one comes for her, she might starve or--"
"Hold on!" interrupted a boy. "We can't just take a baby with us, especially a human baby. What will the adults think when we show her to them?"
"…That…that doesn't matter," answered Narise. "We shouldn't worry about that now…I mean…I mean, really, it wouldn't be nice if we left this poor baby all alone…c'mon think about it. You know what will happen if we do…"
Everyone agreed with her, but it took some time to convince the worried boy. When they all were satisfied with bringing the child with them, they lined up, the person in front holding the hand of the person in back of them, and then jumped into the portal. Narise went in by herself; she could hold the baby easier that way.
After the long, long fall ended, they found themselves in the meadow. Strangely, the sun hadn't set yet; in fact, it looked like not much time had passed, even though they had spent hours on Earth.
For a few minutes, the kids just stared at the basket. They knew that they had to tell the adults now…this couldn't wait.
"So…let's go back, guys," started Narise. "C'mon, we shouldn't get in trouble…"
"Hopefully," muttered one boy.
Slowly, they began to walk back to the tribe, and on their way the baby woke, smiling as she looked up into the face of the frightened yet determined girl who carried her with shaking hands.
(End flashback)
"We spoke to the woman who was the witch-queen at that time, and even though the other elders were against it, she let you stay with me and my family. We had to work a memory charm onto your mind, Arella, so…so you wouldn't be able to remember anything about us finding you on Earth, even though you were still young at the time." The queen finished and looked at Arella who hadn't said a word the whole time.
Many of the others around them left; they knew the young woman was more on the quiet side and didn't expect her to say much. Soon, the only people standing there were Arella, Seriya, the queen and the elders.
"Child," started the queen. "I'm--"
"Sorry?" finished Arella. "You…you don't have to be, your highness. I'm not…I'm not mad at you and everyone else for keeping this a secret. I know most people would be. It's just…it's just that…I'm…confused…you know? Confused because…I can't understand. No matter how much I think it through, I can't understand why you hid it from me. I wouldn't have been upset…I wouldn't have been angry…you…you all could've just told me…so…so why didn't you?" She looked from the queen to the elders to her best friend, a questioning look on her face.
Seriya bit her lip; she felt a sudden burst of anger, and held her tongue to keep herself from saying something cruel. Why? Why couldn't she understand it…the reason that they hit everything away…Wasn't it obvious? Wasn't it just…so obvious?
"Arella," began the queen sadly. "I…I don't think me or the elders need to explain that to you…young Seriya here could easily do that if you ask her." With that the council of elders left, leaving the two young women all alone.
Arella started to say something but hesitated. She was afraid that if she asked it wouldn't end happily. Fortunately, she didn't have to; Seriya started to speak.
"…You…you can't see it, can you?" asked her friend in a voice barely above a whisper. Arella didn't answer.
"Why…can't you see it, when it's there…right in front of your face? The answer to your question…it's right there…right…here."
She said nothing…she didn't get what she was talking about.
"C'mon Arella! Look!" yelled Seriya. "I'm standing here, right in front of you…and you can't see it? Why do you think we didn't say anything, why…why do you think I sound so mad now? Why?"
"Se-Seriya, I--"
"It's because--" she stopped, turning to look away. "It's because we…we got attached to you, Arella. We care for you, we look out for you, we…we love you. All of us, we were told that we would treat you as one of our own, like you were a witch. We've gotten so used to having you with us, that we don't…we don't want you to leave…I don't want you to leave." Tears began forming in her eyes again. Surprise fell on Arella's face as she said, "Oh my…Seriya--"
"If you knew about it, you'd…you'd go!" cut in Seriya. "You'd go…far, far away…and I'd never see you again. Everyday, it was so obvious you wanted to leave, I could see it on your face. But…you didn't. And I knew that if you found out about what you really are, you wouldn't…you wouldn't hesitate to leave. You'd be…happy. I wanted to keep you here, with us…with me. I wasn't ready to let you go…no…I wasn't. I
just…I just I wanted you to stay and never…" She trailed off, her eyes widening in shock.
'I wanted her to stay,' thought Seriya. 'That's all I wanted, all I thought about…just me. Me, me, me…what about her? What about her feelings, her wants, her needs? Don't they matter, too? I…'
"I'm horrible, aren't I?" said Seriya in a shaky voice. Her head was bowed, the weight of shame on her neck. Arella just looked at her in surprise. "Seriya, you're not…h-how did this just come up--"
"I'm so selfish," continued the woman. "I could only think of myself. I knew what you wanted, what you desired with all your heart…but I kept it from you. I…I'm…so cruel!"
She collapsed onto the ground, in front of her friend, for the second time today. The two stayed like that for a while before Arella slowly dropped beside her, put her arm around her shoulders and muttered, "Get up."
Seriya stopped crying and looked at her. "W-wha--"
"Get up Seriya…come on. I don't…I don't want to see you cry anymore…please…."
She did as she asked, wiping away the tears that were on her face. When she was calm again, Arella started to talk, in a soothing, comforting voice.
"Seriya…I…I know how much you care about me…I do. You're my best friend, and no one could ever take your place. I don't…I don't think you're cruel and selfish, because you aren't, really. I don't blame you for wanting me to stay here…I'd probably feel the same way if I was in your shoes. But…"
She stopped and looked up to the sky, where the stars were twinkling and the moon was shining. "…But you have to understand that I want to leave. I know there's a place out there where I'll truly feel at home…so…you have to let me go. You have to let me fly up and into the sky, away from here…but don't think I won't come back, because…I will. I'll visit this place whenever I can. Know that…know that I love you all so much, and I'll remember you 'till I die…there will be a place for you in my heart, and it'll stay there forever. I will remember you…just…just promise that you will remember me."
Seriya looked up, smiling and said, "O-of course I will…I always will, Arella. But can you promise me something too?"
"…Sure, anything."
"Promise…promise me that no matter where you go, no matter what you do, we'll be together…okay?"
Arella smiled back and said, "Don't worry…there's no place I can go where we won't be…we'll be together…always."
The two hugged and just sat on the ground, enjoying the time that they had together before Arella would leave. Despite what she said, Arella wouldn't see Seriya and her witch tribe again…because when she journeyed to the other places on Azarath, she'd get caught up in things she never dreamed were possible…things of magic, of mystery…and of danger.
Okay…wow…that was long, wasn't it? Well the first few chapters might be like this so…be prepared! Oh yeah, I'm gonna start school again soon, so I might be even slower at updating…sigh. Oh well…anyway, please review…tell me what you think…I don't even mind if you tell me it's too long, really, I just want reviews! Please give me reviews, I neeeeeeeeeed them!