Chapter Four
"I don't usually do this," said Mirria. She'd outdone herself in appearance, dressed in pale pink silk and with an artificial rose pinned in her hair. Tohmil could hardly believe he was sitting here with a girl he'd been staring at across the classroom for forever.
"You must get asked all the time," said Tohmil. They were in a quiet restaurant near the centre of the city. The place was split into little booths, each with their own privacy shield so that no one at the other tables could overhear what was said.
"I get asked," Mirria responded, "I just say no."
"Why?"
"Because it's really hard to have to make up excuses for why I have to leave in the middle. So many guys assume I was bored or didn't like them because I had to go and fight a monster half-way through the evening. I got sick of things being ruined that I just stopped going."
"But that flying gold thing was the first attack in months."
"Here, maybe. We've got a whole world to protect, remember? Over the past few months, the attacks have been getting more frequent and they've been occurring in more populated areas. Being a Ranger isn't all excitement and adventure. It's a lot of work, and a lot of sacrifice."
"How do you mean?"
"I lost a dance competition because I was too busy fighting monsters to practice. I can't start a steady relationship with anyone. My teachers send messages to my parents if I leave in the middle of school and I can't give them a good explanation for where I've been. And it hurts. The armour may give a lot of protection, but there's not a day when I don't have some part of me that's bruised or aching."
Tohmil listened in silence. He prodded his dinner, not quite certain how to respond. He'd never thought about it like that. He'd been so busy being jealous of Darvir that it hadn't even occurred to him that there might be difficulties involved for the older brother.
"I don't understand why you can't tell people."
"The oath," answered Mirria without even thinking about it.
"I mean, why is that one of the oaths? Wouldn't it make it so much easier for you to do your job if you could tell people what you were doing?"
"Maybe. But that oath's been around since the beginning of the Rangers. I think it's to stop people joining the team because they want to look good or they want people to think they're a hero. This way, they can't be a Ranger for the glory, they have to actually want to do some good."
"But I do want to do good."
"Don't rush things," Mirria said, "Enjoy your freedom while you still have it. If you're destined to be a Ranger, you'll be one when the time is right. But until then, be glad of free time and friends that you don't have to hide things from."
Tohmil looked at her and knew she was right. It was more than the words, there was something in how she said them. A quiet air of confidence that put any doubts out of his mind. If it was meant to happen, it would happen.
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Darvir was waiting in the Command Centre with the others. Mirria was late. Ardrin had decided not to contact her. A few minutes weren't going to make a huge difference.
The lights had been turned up, revealing the massive amounts of equipment that Darvir still didn't know enough about. He listened attentively when Zordon explained, but most of the time he just felt that he should have waited to be a Ranger. The blue coin supposedly chose a wise Ranger, or a wise Ranger was chosen for it by some higher power. No one was quite certain which way round it was. Either way, the Blue Ranger usually was extremely skilled technologically.
Darvir didn't feel particularly well suited to his role. He wondered if what Tohmil had said was true and that the coin was only his because he was heir to the throne. Would they have given him any coin just to keep the tradition, whether he was worthy of it or not?
He did his best. He fought as well as he could and he thought he proved himself well in battle, but he still didn't seem to fit into the position that blue usually took. Most of the responsibilities were still taken by Zordon, who it seemed had been a Ranger too long to easily walk away.
At last, Mirria arrived in a flash of pink.
"Sorry," she said to Ardrin, "I didn't notice the time."
"Well, we're all here now," Ardrin said, "Let's go."
He nodded to Zordon who stood by the main controls for the teleporter and the Command Centre dissolve away, leaving the six standing in a large anti-chamber. Darvir recognised it well enough as the waiting room outside his mother's study. The room was elegantly appointed with antique wooden furniture and panelling, a plush carpet on the floor and images of some of the more significant monarchs.
Darvir kept in place behind Ardrin as the Green Ranger knocked on the study door. Today, he wasn't a prince. Today he was a Ranger, and would stand behind the leader as it should be.
The door opened for them and the six walked through into a room much like the one before, but dominated by a large desk where the queen sat. The furnishings of the room hadn't changed in centuries. It seemed devoid of technology at first glance. A closer inspection revealed that the lights in the chandelier were really electronic and that the carved, wooden board rising from the surface of the desk concealed a computer screen.
The queen sat proudly behind her desk. She looked at the assembled group but didn't even acknowledge Darvir. He supposed that was proper too, but it still irked him that his mother could so easily separate duty and family.
"What report do you make?" the queen asked.
"The monsters that have been attacking Eltar are produced by magic," said Ardrin, "The creature that attacked Prince Tohmil and the Pink Ranger spoke of an empress that he was preparing the way for. These creatures would appear to be merely testing our defences in preparation for an invasion by a magically enabled enemy."
"And your suggestion?"
"That we contact the Mystic Mother and ask for her advice. She may know who could be behind this and how to stop them."
Darvir had never heard much about the Mystic Mother, just whispers and rumours. She was supposed to be a sorceress of such magical strength that she was even capable of granting magic to others. She was said to have been born to an enormous power, though the stories were always vague as to what that power might be. He was as excited at the prospect of meeting such a legend as most people would be by the thought of meeting the Rangers.
"Agreed," said the queen, "I will speak to the Mystic Mother and see what she has to say."
"Your majesty," said Ardrin, "I would like to be here when you speak to her. She may have questions that I can answer and you can't and any instructions for my Rangers are best given directly to me."
The queen nodded, "It is your right, Green Ranger."
Ardrin thanked her and then turned to the others, "Go back to the Command Centre. I will join you soon."
Darvir left with the others, reaching for his morpher to teleport. He wondered what the point of them even being there had been. It seemed that Ardrin could deal with everything himself. As usual.
There were times when Darvir almost wondered why Ardrin called them to fight. The Green Ranger was the strongest in many ways, not just in the fact that his coin held the most power. He led the team well and Darvir didn't resent it, but there were moments when the team squabbled and argued that Darvir thought that the Green Ranger might do a better job if he fought alone.
