Phew, sorry 'bout being gone for a couple days- I had to babysit and then it was my little brother's birthday, : ) I love birthdays… I also love all the comments you all have posted! First let me say, they were so nice, thank you! I love the responses about Elliot, too, hehe! I actually saved him in the game : P I couldn't kill him. Later, I married him, but the game glitches and he's invisible at the moment : ( Can't seem to find him anywhere… Ah well… Anyway, you've all been wanting another chapter, and I am happy to oblige! : D
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It was unbelievable, whatever this place was. The ceiling lay above them, higher than anything she had seen before, and candles lit their path, breaking away any darkness that had first blinded her. In the center of this large catacomb, was a statue- a stone staircase leading up to it. Lette felt a shiver run through her body, and not just because it was cold. Things were about to change drastically right now, she just knew it.
Jasper and Walter were silent as they walked up the staircase, coming face to face with the statue. There were two tombs in front of the winged stone woman and Lette stopped before them. She swallowed hard, touching the stone with a gentle hand. Her father- she knew that a statue of him had been erected in the castle gardens (before Logan had torn it down, that is), but she had never known where his body had gone to rest.
And here…right next to her mother. She could feel herself fighting back tears and her eyes closed when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"I made a promise to your father, before he left us, that I would take you here," Walter said softly, and Lette looked up at him. "When you were old enough, strong enough…when you were ready."
He looked away, up at the statue and let out a sigh, shaking his head sadly. "I had hoped I wouldn't have to, Lette, but the world has been to long without a hero." As he stepped to the side, getting to one knee, he glanced over at Lette. She looked so small right then, horrified beyond belief of all that was happening. He didn't blame her. "Perhaps it will have one soon,"
Lette looked at him sharply, frowning. "A Hero. You still think that I'm a Hero?" She curled the hand laying upon her father's tomb into a fist. "I can't be… I'm not…"
She was interrupted suddenly, by Walter pushing in a stone. He stood, backing a few paces away and Lette's eyes widened. The statue in front of her began to move, at least it's arms did. They lowered with a creaking noise that made her teeth ache but then, then they were done. Lowered as if it was offering something to her- Lette let out a small gasp. It was offering something to her- in the hands of the statue was a small golden, circle, tinted blue between the symbol she had seen her father hold so dearly.
"This…this is…" Lette whispered, stepping closer to it.
Walter nodded, coming to stand beside her. "Yes. This is the guild seal. It chooses those who have a power inside of them, something…special. Something like a Hero."
Lette looked back at Jasper and he merely smiled at her, urging her on. "And Logan…" she said quietly, causing Jasper's smile to falter.
"It did not choose him," Walter said firmly. He reached out a hand, placing it on her shoulder and gave Lette a smile. It was in that smile that she felt reassured- whatever was about to happen, at least Jasper and Walter would be by her side; at least she would not be alone. "Take it," Walter ushered her forward, stepping away from her.
Lette reached forward, her hands trembling. What if it did not choose her? What if she wasn't a Hero? But then…what if she was? Did she really want to be- was she ready- was this what her father had been expecting-
All questions were rushed out of her mind the moment her hand touched the seal. A jolt of electricity ran through her body. It felt as though her veins had been lit up, as if pure, liquid energy was running through her. Her mind felt as if it were going a mile a minute, reliving every single memory it had stored up, even the ones Lette could no longer recall. Letting out a yell, Lette pulled her arms in tight to her body, curling up as a glow took over the world- she couldn't see? Walter? Jasper? Where were they? Were they alright?
"Open your eyes, Hero," a voice said calmly.
Lette let out a breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding. Her eyes fluttered open, then remained wide. There was a gate before her, tall and made of iron. All around her was a faint mist and behind it could be seen the outline of the castle. In all this strangeness, though, the strangest thing was the woman who stood in front of the gate. A red hood covered her face, but Lette could see that the woman was smiling.
"Wha…Where am I?" Lette said slowly, bracing herself for the unexpected. Though she did not know this woman, there was something about her… Something she could trust and something oddly familiar.
The woman shifted her weight, tilting her head a little to the side. "No need to fear, Hero. My name is Teresa. It was with my help and guidance that your father got through his greatest triumph. This," She gestured to the land around them. "is where your life begins. Where your triumph starts, an even harder one than your fathers. Behind this gate…is your destiny,"
Lette blanched at her. "My destiny?" It sounded preposterous to her, insane actually.
The woman nodded, not seeming bothered by Lette's reaction. "Yes. Already it has begun." She tilted her head again to the side a little. "Did you think that the seal would awake for just anyone, Hero?"
"Please," Lette said softly. Images of Elliot flashed through her mind, causing her heart to ache. "Don't call me that. I am no Hero." After all, she couldn't even save the one person she loved.
Teresa leaned down, picking up a box that lay at her feet, then stepped forward. "Do not be naïve, Hero. No one else could have awoken the seal like you did, and the seal does not choose wrong." Again, Lette could see the small smile. "The fate of all Albion rests in your hands now, a responsibility that only few can handle. It has been determined that you shall take this destiny…" The woman reached out, holding the box under one arm, and touched a finger underneath Lette's chin, lifting it up a little. "If an ancient relic believes in you, Lette, so much so that it waited all this time for you, then hopefully that will start to give you the strength to believe in yourself as well,"
Teresa's hand fell, holding the box now instead. "What..what must I do?" Lette asked, hoping that the strange woman did not notice the tremor in her voice.
"You cannot fight this battle alone," Teresa said, shaking her head. "You will need allies, where ever you can find them." She paused, holding out the box. "For now, take this."
Lette reached forward, taking the wooden box in her hands slowly, it's contents unknown to her. What could this woman possibly give to her? And in something that was only about a foot long? Lette unhooked the clasp, opening the box and what was inside confused her. A glove? It was just a glove, sure, one with what appeared to be a ruby in the center of the palm, but still. A glove?
Teresa had apparently noticed the expression Lette wore. "This gauntlet that you hold has incredible powers, do not underestimate it by mere appearance alone. There is power inside of you that you know nothing of, and with this," she gestured to what Lette had thought was a glove, "will help you channel it. It's other uses will be made known to you in due time, Hero."
Teresa took a step back, and Lette, who had slid the glove on, looked up at her in disbelief. "This is all to much. I can't possibly do anything…I've been in the castle for so long…"
Teresa shook her head. "You underestimate yourself, Hero." She pointed to the gauntlet. "Use that in the mausoleum when you return." She smiled, and for a moment, Lette thought she caught a glimpse of bright blue eyes. "Now go, we will surely meet again,"
Lette shook her head, stepping forward, her mouth open to speak- there were so many questions she still had, so many things she needed to know, but the glow from before was returning, the same race in her mind. Holding onto her head, Lette let out a yell.
"Good heavens, Miss, are you alright?"
Lette opened her eyes, staring into Jasper's face. She was breathing heavily, her heart drumming like a mad man in her chest. Slowly, ever so cautiously, Lette straightened herself, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"What is that?" Walter asked, raising his eyebrows as he took sight of the gauntlet.
Lette looked down at it. So it hadn't been a dream, or a day dream of a sort. It had been real and that would mean what the woman had said was, too…
Looking around, determination flaring in her eyes, Lette spotted a seal on the ground. She walked over to it, standing firm, and raised her hand to the statue. "It's our way out," she said, closing her eyes. In that moment, she felt herself being pulled towards the gem in the gauntlet, as if it were sucking away some of her energy, parts of herself even. The sensation was odd, and Lette felt her face pull up in a grimace. There was a spark behind her eyes and she let out a cry, throwing down her hands. A burst of energy laced with bright, orange flames, danced away from her, spreading dust into the air. As Jasper coughed, the floor in front of them began to spread apart, revealing a long stair case.
"It worked!" Walter cried, excitement in his eyes. "See! What did I tell you! You really are a Hero!"
Lette, breathing heavily again, looked over at them, her two friends. She offered them a small smile as they approached her, and Walter happily slapped her on the back.
"I never doubted it for a moment, Miss," Jasper said, nodding his head once, and Walter laughed.
"Neither did I, I'm just happy it worked! Are you ready to get out of here?" He raised an eyebrow, smiling down at Lette.
"Yes," Lette whispered. Everything was beginning now and all she knew was that Jasper and Walter would be there along the way. A push of pain hit the back of her mind as a thought crossed her- for how long would they be along the way? Teresa had not made this sound easy…it was going to be dangerous, full of hardships. Jasper…there was no way he could handle himself in battle. And Walter? He was an amazing soldier, but his age was showing- his hair already salted with gray. She would need more allies, but having more allies meant putting more people in danger.
"Your father," Walter said softly, breaking into her thoughts. "Would be proud of you,"
Lette brought a hand to her eyes, pressing them quickly before any tears could even think of escaping. She looked back at her father's tomb and had to put a hand to her eyes again. Was this what he was expecting? Had he known all along that she was a Hero?
"Lets get moving," Lette said quickly, turning away from the tombs and heading down the stairs.
They walked for what seemed like miles, and perhaps it had been. Lette could hardly feel her legs anymore, they were numb. As much as she hated running, she never thought that walking would become her enemy, too. At least that wasn't a problem for Jasper- no, his enemy had been something much smaller. A swarm of bats that had made him shriek and cower against the ground, covering his head. Though she felt bad for his scare, Lette couldn't help but giggle a little- the first time she had laughed since being with Elliot-
Her spirits dampened as she walked. Elliot. Where was he now? Lette could feel her throat constricting at the thought of him behind bars, waiting to be killed. Or was he already dead? Surely she would have felt that, surely their connection was strong enough that she would have felt half her heart die away?
"Look, up ahead!" Walter exclaimed, breaking the silence that had drifted upon them. The three hurried forward, coming upon a seal on the ground. "Looks like that one before," Walter muttered, stroking his beard thoughtfully. He looked at Lette and she nodded.
Stepping forward, she stood upon the seal, giving Jasper and Walter a moment to stand away from her. Closing her eyes, she held out her hands, and the same sensation overcame her body. A little piece of herself, sacrificed for whatever power these gauntlets had, that's what it felt like. Letting out a cry, Lette through her hands down, but…nothing happened.
"Walter?" Lette asked questioningly, looking to the perplexed man. He and Jasper came over to her, standing upon the seal.
"How curious!" Jasper said, looking around. "It appears that nothing has happened!"
"But that's not right! There should be a staircase or a-"
The ground rumbled and Walter stopped dead, his eyes going wide. Lette reached out, grabbing onto his arm. The last thing she saw was a mist of blue shadowing over them.
"Oh..my head…" Lette groaned. She could feel solid ground beneath her feet but her head was spinning. She opened her eyes just in time before falling over and smashing her forehead against the stone floor. She caught sight of Walter stumbling as well, reaching out to hold onto the wall for support.
"What…was that?" he exclaimed, holding a hand to his head.
"I don't- Oh, Jasper!" Lette yelled, going over to the older man's side. He was sitting up slowly, blinking repeatedly.
"I dare say…I don't ever want to do that again,"
Lette laughed a little, helping him up. Walter stepping into the round room, glancing around. In the center of the room was a table with a map on it, similar to the one that Logan had in his study. "Jasper…" Walter said slowly. "This book has your name on it,"
"What?" Jasper stepped forward, stumbling once but catching himself. He shook his head and then grasped the book, reading the small note on the cover. His face slowly drained itself of all color and his eyes, wide with shock, looked at Lette. "It's from your father. This…this is the book of Heros." Fully focused, he put the book on the table, opening it up and skimming through a couple pages. "Yes…yes…" he muttered.
"Well, what is this place?" Walter exclaimed, and Lette nodded in agreement, just as curious.
"It says here that this is the "Sanctuary,"…your father's very own secret base, if you will."
"My fathers.." Lette's voice drifted off as she took in the room with this new information. Her father had stood in this very place, going on his adventures, meeting people from all around. She could feel herself stand a little straighter, hold her head a little higher.
Jasper pointed to the map. "Apparently, these are all places that the gauntlet you wear," He motioned towards Lette. "is programmed to know."
Lette frowned a little, stepping towards the map. "What do you mean?"
Jasper rubbed his temple, skimming through a few more pages. "It means, I do believe, that the gauntlet, if you stand on the seal on the floor, can take you to these marked places on the map, just like that."
Lette's eyes widened as Walter let out a triumphant cry. "That will come in handy!" He exclaimed, grinning widely.
"That's…amazing…" Lette whispered. She could envision her father here, going from place to place in the blink of an eye. It was incredible. He had died when she was so young and yet…she felt closer to him than she had as a child.
"Ah!" Her attention turned towards Walter, who was focusing on the map. He jabbed his finger towards a location. "Here, here is where we go first! I think we'll find someone to help us build the army that we need,"
He motioned for Lette to follow him to the seal and Jasper cleared his throat. "I think I will remain here… There's a lot to clean up and I find it a task that I am more than ready to overcome,"
Lette gave him a smile and walked over to where Walter stood on the seal. She wasn't sure if this was the right place to go to, or even if anything they were doing was the right move- but she trusted Walter and her gut was telling her to follow. Teresa had said that the seal had chosen her, so since it had, it must have known that she had no idea what she was doing; that she would listen to Walter.
Staring at the old man, a thought occurred to her. Perhaps she was a Hero, but only somewhat. Perhaps, if she hadn't of known Walter or Jasper or both of them, the seal never would have acknowledged them. Perhaps, without them, she was no Hero.
"Ready?" Walter asked her, and Lette shook her thoughts away, smiling.
"Ready." She answered.
She raised her hands, preparing herself for the sensation that was coming.
Destiny was waiting.
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I'm not going to lie- I really can't wait for more people to come in, like Ben (I love Ben! : D ) and Page. I hate when people rush into a story, so I'm taking my time with it, but gahhhhh how badly do I just want to zoom things ahead to when she knows all these people? So much. So, question for you all, leave it in a comment/review- good or evil? Which did you pick in the game (if you played it) and which would you rather see Lette choose….muha ha ha….. ; )
