{CHAPTER FOUR: The Nobles}

...

They descended the four flights of stone staircases. Wander could feel the eyes of the village inhabitants as intensely as he had when he first arrived. This time, he was less conscious of that, and more conscious of how heavy his limbs felt.

What was he going to do?

When the men finally led him to the bottom level, they pushed him through the stone pathways to the entrance, where the stone met the grass of the valley outside. But instead of continuing where they had entered, they led him to the left, towards the side of the mountain. Ahead he could see a cave, lined at each side with a lighted torch.

Inside the cave, the noises of the village faded away. The soldiers' heavy footsteps echoed off the walls. Immediately the temperature dropped. The atmosphere was cool and damp. They walked for a bit, and downhill, it seemed, until the path gave way to a larger room. There were torches along the walls in here, too. Wander could see six holding cells, three on each side. There was nothing inside them but a bench of stone. The doors were thick iron bars.

The soldiers brought him to the first cell on the right, shoved him inside while removing the ropes, and closed the door. One stood by while the other took a silver key from a sack on his belt and locked it. Wander stared at them, fuming.

"You'll be brought a meal at sundown," the one to his left spoke, his voice muffled by his helmet though it echoed off the cave walls. They both turned in unison to leave.

"Who are you?"

Wander's question caused the soldiers to stop and turn.

"Who are you?" he repeated, overwhelmed and discouraged. "Who are your people? What do they want from me?"

"Skystone told you all that you need to know," one of them hissed, the one who held the key. "And as our prisoner and a violator of the law, you have no right to question your captors."

The other soldier turned to his counterpart and they shared a look. After a moment, he reached up and for the first time, removed his helmet. He walked closer to the bars. His features were shadowed by torchlight, but distinguished. He was dark-skinned with short, black hair. He looked young – he couldn't have been many years Wander's elder. What gives him the right to push me around as he has? Wander thought stubbornly. Armor and a sword?

But the man's eyes were kind, among a face that looked like it had seen conflict. He motioned to the other soldier, who grunted and begrudgingly motioned to remove his own helmet, though he didn't come closer. Wander was surprised to see that they were identical – they were twins. In the dim light he couldn't tell of any distinctions between them.

"My name is Crane," the kinder one said, then nodding to his twin. "This is my brother, Sparrow. Skystone is our uncle. You can be sure he will treat you fairly. He is an honest and just man."

Wander didn't know what to say to that. It didn't give him much comfort. He was still a prisoner. He still didn't belong here.

Crane stood there for a moment longer, a bit awkwardly, seeming equally as unsure of what else to say. He didn't speak again, only nodded curtly at Wander, before he started walking back towards the entrance. Sparrow followed him. Wander watched as the last of their blue tunics disappeared around the corner of the cave wall. Then, an ominous silence.

So this was it? He'd survived killing fifteen giant monsters of the earth, all but losing his humanity in the process, and he would die here? Rotting behind iron bars in a mountain prison?

He kicked at the bars and huffed in frustration. He had no time for this. He had to get back. Wherever he was, he had to get back. He was so close. So close to being done with it; with Dormin's challenge; fulfilling the requirements to Dormin's promise. Bringing Mono back. That was all that mattered. One more Colossus and it would have been done.

Wander felt angry tears stinging his eyes and he blinked them away. He sat on the stone bench. It was cold against his legs.

However long he was to be here, he had nothing but time. Nothing but time to think. As engrained into his mind as it was – now, he felt, it had been his only coherent thought, the only thing keeping him alive – he had to force himself not to think of Mono. He had to force himself to try and make sense of everything that was happening. He took a deep breath.

In his head he repeated the foreign names and concepts that he had experienced since he got here. None of them made any sense to him. Gatekeeper. Montis Terra, the Mountain Lands. Four Elemental Tribes, though I know only one – the Tribe of Flight. Skystone, Falcon the Second. Sparrow and Crane. The animal flags. The miniature Colossi idols. The restored ancient structures.

Restored. That word resonated in his brain. Wander knew he was in the Forbidden Lands. But that was not what they were called now. Impossibility was beyond him – he had to come to terms with the fact that he was in the same place, but a different time. He scoffed and shook his head.

He had come from a time where earthen beasts called Colossi roamed free. How much more believable was that than time travel?

Wander watched the torch flames flicker against the walls as he thought. Did he travel back in time, or forward? He had made a mental note of all the differences in his surroundings thus far, from before and after he'd been 'transported' here. The weather seemed normal, and not at all like the seemingly stagnant atmosphere that had plagued the Forbidden Lands. There was a more obvious presence of life and abundance, not just people. The structures, like the Shrine and Avion's lair, were far improved. But that could have meant anything – a newness or a rebuilding.

Wander rested his back against the wall. Despairingly, he realized that it would be no easy task figuring out his current circumstances. His head ached, but it was not from the uncomfortable stone behind him. He mulled over his thoughts for a time; he was not sure how long. There were no means for him to gauge passing moments down here.

He began to close his eyes from exhaustion when he heard shuffling. Instantly he opened them and glanced towards the tunnel. He saw a shadow, distorted and moving as the torchlight projected it onto the walls. Wander sat up. He may not have known how long he'd been down here, but could it have been sundown already?

He was expecting one of the twins, but the person who entered the dungeon was no one that he'd been acquainted with. It was a girl, short and thin, carrying a wooden platter to his cell. He squinted curiously against the dim lighting, and rose to his feet as she approached.

Wander could see that she had dark skin, and dark hair that ended just past her shoulders. She was clothed in a similar tunic that he had seen the villagers wear, however hers seemed made of finer material, and parts of the blue dressings shimmered in the torchlight. He met her gaze awkwardly.

"Hi," she said cheerily, beaming up at him. She came to about his shoulder in height, but Wander could tell that she was likely not that much younger than him.

"Hello," he responded hesitantly, before looking down at the platter. On it was a pitcher of water, a cup, a spoon, a loaf of bread, and liquid in a wooden bowl – the tantalizing smell that filled the air told him it was some sort of soup. Suddenly his stomach twisted and he became aware of his gnawing hunger. "Is that my dinner already?"

"Yep!" The girl bent down, took the cup and the pitcher off the platter, and pushed the rest of it under the cell door. Wander hadn't realized that there was a space between that and the floor – briefly he considered this a glaring design flaw, but there were far more pressing things on his mind.

The girl filled his cup and set the pitcher down again. She offered it, now full with water, through the bars as he took it and picked up the platter with his other hand. Wander walked back to the stone bench and set it all down, scarcely examining it before taking a huge bite of the bread. He could have cried – it was one of the best things he'd ever tasted. He wondered for a fleeting moment how long it had been since he'd eaten any type of bread; or anything besides the sparse selection of fruit, small birds, lizards, and tortoises that the Forbidden Lands had offered.

"Sparrow and Crane told me to wait until sundown, but I wanted to come and meet you right away," the girl continued, smiling as she watched him eat from the other side of the bars.

Wander raised a brow at her. "Mee meh?" he asked incredulously, mouth full of bread.

"Yes," she replied. "My name is Robin. Sparrow and Crane are my cousins." She lowered herself to the stone floor, sitting cross-legged now with the pitcher of water beside her. "And I knew you would be coming. I saw it in a dream."

Wander nearly choked on his meal; he swallowed before he could. He stared at Robin with wide eyes. "You what?"

Robin chuckled and rolled her eyes at him, as if he should have expected such a statement. "I don't expect you to understand. Uncle said that you wouldn't. But I'm not meant to be the one to explain it to you. He will, and sooner than you think." Her eyes glinted mischievously.

Wander's frustration at receiving more questions than answers was never ending. He decided to put at least some pieces together, while he had his first friendly Tribe member here and willing to talk.

"Skystone is your uncle as well, then?" he asked.

Robin nodded. "Sparrow, Crane, and my mother Starling and I are all his blood. We are the only Nobles remaining in our Tribe."

"Nobles?"

She smiled patiently. "That's what the Tribes call the family of the Tribe leader. It's also why we all have the names of birds. In each tribe, a Noble is given a name that represents our element. In the Tribe of Flight, it's birds. But it's different for the other three."

As Wander digested the information, he shoveled more food into his mouth. "What are the other Tribes?" And which Colossi lairs do they inhabit? He questioned silently.

"The Tribe of Storm, the Tribe of Earth, and the Tribe of Life," Robin answered. "But don't worry – I'm sure Skystone will tell you all about them."

She began to rise to her feet, and Wander felt a bit sad that she would go. "Does that mean I'm getting out of here soon?" he asked, looking around the cell.

Robin gathered the pitcher in her arms and smirked at him. "Like I said, Wander. Sooner than you think."

She pivoted on her heels, her hair spinning with the movement, and Wander watched her shadow as she exited the dungeon.

With all the information she'd given him, and all the new questions he had, there was still only one thought on his tired mind: how much Robin reminded him of Mono.

AN; Things are looking up... maybe? I'd like to acknowledge the thoughtful reviews I've received since reviving this story. That's really what keeps me writing. Thanks guys, and I hope to not disappoint! - Monica