Chapter 3: The White Knight/ Priestess in Training
The very next day, Naru got up very early. She wore a long dark blue skirt with a slit on the side and a dark blue top with white see through short sleeves. She looked a lot like a warrior at last. Naru was so excited for her first day of actual training with Sehka that she could not sleep a moment longer. Her instructions were to head to the dining room for breakfast. Shortly afterward, Naru would be led to Sehka's training grounds by some messenger. Naru's parents were already aware of the instructions and for the first time in Naru's life, she was able to wander the corridors of the palace without parental supervision (and before dawn at that). She stared around the nearly empty corridors looking for any sign to the dining room. She was told how to get there, but a child's memory quickly fades when he or she is so excited that they can barely stand it. After exploring for nearly a half an hour she started to smell the delicious food in the dining room and ran towards it.
It was a magnificent room with tapestries all over the walls and a large gold chandelier lit with candles just over a long golden table. Akunumkanon sat alone at the one end of the table. In his hands was a gold book with the Senri eye on it. Slowly, Naru walked over towards him and he looked up smiling. "Good morning, Naru," He said quietly. "Are you hungry?"
"I… guess so," she muttered nervously and rubbed her arms. Akunumkanon signaled to one of the servants to go into the kitchens and bring back some food for Naru. Naru looked down at the book as a small aura emanated around it. The book was quite entrancing.
Akunumkanon followed Naru's gaze to the book and smiled. "It's interesting, isn't it?" He asked.
"Yes. But what is it?" Her soft voice trembled. She was not really sure if she should have asked that question. She did sound to herself to be a little nosy in matters that do not concern her. Even with that so, Akunumkanon answered.
"This is called the Book of Amunra."
"Amunra? What is that?"
Akunumkanon frowned a little. "Your parents never told you about Amunra before?" Naru shook her head slightly. "Very strange…"
"You can tell me though, can't you?"
"I'm afraid not, Naru. Something like Amunra must be told to you by your parents only. I must not interfere." Nele looked down sadly. "Do not be sad, Naru. I am certain they will tell you soon. You are just a little girl now. There are so many experiences that lay before you on your journey to seek what you're looking for." He smiled as Naru looked up quickly and stared at him. Had he just read her thoughts? "It's easy to tell what you're thinking by your emotions, Naru. Be very aware when you use your emotions. And as for your journey, what child does not have something they are seeking for in their lives?"
"I… don't even know what I'm searching for. How do you know I'll find it?"
"Because you have your mother's spirit and your father's determination. You'll find it." Naru smiled cutely and just out of nowhere, she hugs him then quickly backs up. Both laugh a little bit and Akunumkanon offers her a seat next to him as the food was placed down before them.
Shortly after breakfast, Naru walked over to a balcony and waited for Sehka's messenger to take her to the training grounds. A few other of the priests started walking into the room to eat breakfast as well, but there was no sign of Sehka yet. 'Perhaps she forgot about me?' Naru asked herself. She looked back at the horizon to watch the sun rise for a short while longer. About ten minutes later, Akunumkanon walked over to her and looked at the horizon too.
"She's on her way," he muttered to Naru. Naru looked at him.
"You're certain?" Akunumkanon nodded. "How do you know?" Naru asked. Akunumkanon smiled to her.
"My, my. You ask quite a lot of questions for a child your age," Akunumkanon replied laughing a little while Naru blushed. "Magic is how I know, Naru. I know by telepathy and by sensing it. When you get in tuned with your powers… you will be able to know too." Akunumkanon pointed to a small black dot that was in front of the sun. The black dot seemed to be getting closer for it began to grow and form shape of someone. That someone was another girl, Sehka's messenger.
Sehka's messenger was around Naru's age. She had long dark brown hair and light lavender eyes. She wore a long black and white dress that lay just off of her shoulders. On her back were long black wings that were flapping vigorously. She flew right up to Naru and stared at her for a moment while tilting her head from time to time.
"You're late," Akunumkanon said to the girl calmly.
"Forgive me, my Pharaoh," the girl said while curtsying in midair, "I woke up rather late this morning." She rubbed her eyes a little. Naru could see that the girl was extremely tired still but the girl tried hard to hide that.
"Do not apologize to me," Akunumkanon said back, "it is Naru that you should apologize to. She has been waiting for you for quite some time." The girl's eyes went back to Naru.
"I am sorry, Naru," the girl said apologetically to Naru.
Naru blinked and replied, "It's quite all right, I guess." The girl smiles and Naru smiles back.
Akunumkanon continued to just look at the girl directly. "Naru hasn't learned to fly like her mother yet so you'll have to help her out, Audriana."
Naru stared at Akunumkanon with her jaw wide open. "My mom can fly?!" Akunumkanon nodded. "Good Ra she's been keeping so much from me."
"All for your protection, I'm sure, Naru," Akunumkanon replied quickly. Naru nodded slowly and looks at the girl Akunumkanon called Audriana. Audriana looks back at her while still smiling slightly.
"Well, shall we?" Audriana asked and held out her hand to Naru. Naru took her hand.
"Good luck with your training, Naru," Akunumkanon said to Naru and smiled as Audriana and Naru flew off into the desert.
The sun was nearly high in the sky when Audriana and Naru broke the silence between them on their journey to Sehka.
"So, you're Lord Vazu & Lady Illana's daughter?" Audriana asked.
"Yes. My name is Naru," Naru replied.
"My name is Audriana. I'm a Priestess in training too," she said smiling proudly.
"This is just my first day to training…"
"You'll do just fine. If you're as good as rumors say you are, then training with Sehka will be a piece of cake."
"Rumors?"
"Yeah! It's already gone around the entire kingdom that you saved the Pharaoh's life yesterday. Rumors spread pretty fast around here. Then again, the one who says them can't ever keep her big mouth shut."
"Who's that?"
"Well… her name is Chira but she sometimes she likes her friends like me to call her Hawkhana. She's really cool."
"Oh. I'd like to meet her someday."
"Maybe you could come to sorcery training sometime. Sehka would surely not disagree that it could help out your powers of sorcery."
"If I have any…" Audriana stops suddenly and looks at Naru.
"Are you kidding me?! After what happened yesterday with that archer you doubt if you have any powers?! Are you insane?!" Naru looked down towards the ground sadly and then there was silence.
The city that Audriana and Naru were now flying over seemed very mysterious and eerie. It felt like a dark shadow was creeping over the city like a cat creeps over to trounce on its prey. That is where they landed. Naru looked around and then looked at Audriana.
"Sehka will be in through there," Audriana said to Naru while pointing to a nearly destroyed building. "Good luck."
Naru looked up and down the building, gulped, and walked into it. Just inside the door was a long staircase into a dark cave. Silently and with her knees shaking she followed the stairs into the cold and darkness of the morning. The stairs were extremely long and it seemed to take hours just to walk down and she still wasn't at the end. Naru was getting tired fast and she was quickly impatient with her excitement of training taking so long. She finally stopped on one of the stairs and looked around. "I wonder if there's any faster way to get down these stairs." The hallway of stairs was empty and to no avail she had found no faster way to descend until… 'I wish there was at least something here to help me,' she thought to herself and sighed. And that's when it happened. The thought of a shield stuck in her head and that's all her untrained mind could think about. Suddenly there was a noise next to her and a shield had strangely appeared right before her eyes and fell on a stair nearly falling down the rest of the staircase.
Naru quickly grabbed it before it fell and she stared at it for a while. 'Did I…? No… it couldn't have been me. Could it?' She asked herself but she then shrugged. The shield was very large and very heavy but it could do the job she wished to have done. She cautiously put the shield on a stair and slowly sat in it Indian style then looked down the dark hallway and took a deep breath. She let go of the other steps and quickly held onto the handles of the shields and immediately she zoomed down the stairs. At first it was terrifying to her but she finally got used to it and she started laughing as she went down the stairs. "Light!" About 20 more stairs down was a light and at last, the end of the staircase.
She looked around quickly with her eyes wide open. She knew now that if she doesn't find a way to slow down, she could crash into anything down at the end of the stairs. She looked up quickly and saw a bar coming up above her. Without even thinking about it she leapt from the shield and grabbed onto the bar as the shield zoomed down the final stairs and into the lit room with a large crash. She let out a heavy sigh and let go of the bar and dropped onto the stair below her and she walked down the final steps into the brightly lit room.
It was a large circular room with strange stone slabs with carvings of large creatures and monsters. They seemed somehow familiar to Naru but she couldn't recall having ever seen them before. As she gently placed her hand upon one of the tablets she seemed to hear a strong voice calling out to her from behind the stone. It was a loud and powerful voice that could scare off all intruders, but for some reason Naru was calmed more by the voice then afraid of it. She took a step back and gazed at the carving on the stone. The picture was of a tall centaur-type man with long blonde hair and a beautiful white mane. His upper body was mostly covered with soft white feathers and he appeared to have a magnificent sword and shield in his hands.
Naru smiled and curtsied to the stone slab. She didn't know why she had done that but it seemed to her that this slab was more then just some rock but that this rock was a dazzling creature of great strength and beauty. Her eyes were transfixed to the stone and the creature within once again called out to her and, as if in a trance, she slowly walked closer to the stone, reached out, and touched the hand of the white knight. A glow came from the tablet and suddenly Naru felt like she was floating to something for she was no longer in the cave. Finally she could see what she was landing upon. It was a beautiful ancient castle of white pillars and a crystal fountain. Around the realm floated large amounts of creatures much like the ones on the stone slabs she had recently come across.
"Naru…," whispered the voice again but this time softer and gentler. She was drawn to the voice like a moth to a flame as she climbed white stone steps and entered the room of the crystal fountain. On one of the sides of the fountain stood the White Knight that she had seen on the tablet in the cave. He watched her slowly approach as he smiled and bowed his head.
Naru stopped mere feet from the creature. She was in awe so badly that she could not speak a word and even if she could, she would not know what to say. As he raised his head he leaned forward to her and gently whispered in her ear. "Do not be afraid." His upper body pulled back and he kneeled on the ground with his horse legs. Just as the knight had done so, Naru ran up to him and hugged him tightly. His arms gently wrapped around her and embraced her. "I will always look after you…," he whispered and she closed her eyes smiling and then as quick as it had begun it was over.
She was back at the cave with her tiny arms trying to clasp around the large stone tablet as Sehka approached Naru with an eyebrow raised. "What are you doing?" Naru opened her eyes and looked at the stone tablet and then at her new mentor.
"I… nothing." 'Did I imagine that place?' Naru thought to herself.
Sehka walked up to the stone tablet and stared at it for a moment then touched the tablet with her hand. "Ah… Airknight Parshath… a powerful guardian." Her eyes lowered down to Naru who stared at the floor thinking herself foolish. 'Amazing that such a powerful creature would choose such a young and inexperienced child for his master. Perhaps Akunumkanon was right about this child having a gift for if the Airknight Parshath has chosen this little one, then he must see something special in her that I have yet to see.' She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I must partially congratulate you, I suppose."
"On what, my lady?" Naru asked.
"Your conjuring the shield on the stairs. That was a very inventive and an unexpected thing I would ever think to see from a child of your age. It would take any normal sorcerer or sorceress several years to learn such a thing but you did it in one try. You have great focus, I see...," Naru's eyes had wandered from Sehka to the other stone tablets and the rest of the room, "…but you lack the proper obedience on other matters…" Naru looked quickly at Sehka. "Stand up straight! A priestess does not slouch!" Naru stood up straight and looked dead forward to pay attention to Sehka who was circling her like a vulture ready to strike at her at any point. "You also lack patience."
"I will work on those things," Naru muttered.
"Very good." She stopped circling Naru and stood in front of her. "Every other day you will attend magic lessons with Priest Secmenton and his other apprentices unless otherwise advised by myself or the Pharaoh. Is that understood?" Naru nodded. "Excellent. We will leave most of your sorcery practices with him, then. Do you know of archery, child?"
"I only know that the man that tried to harm the Pharaoh was an archer."
"No, no that won't do at all. That shall be our first matter to attend to after my final instructions are given." She started pacing back and forth in front of Naru as Naru's eyes watched her closely. "On your days off during the week that are given to citizens to prey for the Pharaoh and the gods, you will be given some free time to do as you please. During that time you will also be obligated to report to the library to study on books that I see fit. Priest Shimon will be there to assist you certain times when he is not watching over the Princes of Egypt."
"When can I meet the Princes?"
"I'd believe a long time till you are able to see them at last but there are chances that either Prince Sethos or Prince Atem will show up at your sorcery class. If you do see them then you are under strict orders not to speak unless spoken to. The princes do not have time to trifle with questionative children like you taking them from their important studies."
"Yes, my lady," Naru mumbled looking down.
As weeks passed, Naru followed the strict instructions that Sehka had given her and she obediently followed them to the very end. On the sorcery days she was learning about the elements and studied healing but she had not seen nor heard anything more on the Princes. She was a quiet child in the classes and would most of the time spend the class learning in a corner alone as the other children were with other friends in the class. As the rumor had gone around about how she saved the Pharaoh, most in the class were afraid of her power.
"I heard that the gods themselves had raised her for a couple years but had to stop because her powers were getting too strong even for themselves," whispered one boy before the start of class. A couple of other young sorcerers and sorceresses had watched Naru from time to time during class but only one with dark brown hair and brown eyes had the guts to approach her. The girl, whom had called herself Mana, tried to talk to Naru but Naru never said a word to any of them. She had known what they all thought of her and so she figured that it was no use to press the issue to make any friends among them. Audriana, Naru had found out, had taken a great sickness for past few weeks and so Naru had no one to talk to that she knew.
On the training days she started to learn how to ride horses and how to work on archery. Horseback riding had come easy to her as if she had known it all her life already but archery was all together another story.
"No, no, Naru!" Sehka yelled at Naru as they were both standing in the eerie city looking at targets. "How many times have I told you to focus on your targets and not close your eyes?! It's one thing if you have no choice and cannot see your target and you have to use your other senses but the target is right in front of you! Don't be afraid to shoot it! These aren't even moving targets yet and you have trouble on stationary ones! Now shoot at the bull's-eye!" Naru aimed the bow at the center of the target, lost her footing, and shot straight into the air above the target, hit a building, and bounced off it at Sehka who narrowly missed getting hit in the heart with the arrow. Naru shuddered slightly and looked thoroughly embarrassed as Sehka was shaking with anger but she tried to hold her temper in. "That's it. You will practice day and night out here without your days off until you get it right. You have one week to improve or I will have no choice but to punish you for not trying your hardest."
Naru had a look of terror on her face. She hadn't ever seen the full wrath of Sehka when she was highly angered by failure and Naru did not want to find out. Sehka had taken off on a large two-headed fire dragon and left Naru alone with the targets to practice till sunset. By the time the sun had started to fall, Naru had finally given up for the day, put away her bow and arrows, and rode the couple miles home on the horse that she had decided to call Southwind for it had always seemed to Naru that the strongest winds she had experienced had come from the south. And so, Naru, Southwind, and the White Knight (Airknight Parshath) rode with the beautiful moon on their way home after a long day's of hard work.