Hello, here's the next chapter of Emerald Wind!

Talim: Oh, I can't wait to see what happens!

I'm sure that neither can my readers! Let's get going with it, Link, you say the disclaimer!

Link: Uh... Ok, CrypticElf owns nothing of Soul Calibur II and never will.

Chapter Four: The Secret Is Told

Talim and Link began walking out of the back gates of Regulus, Edgar watching after them.

"I wish you two good luck! You better come back to see me again one day!" Edgar waved good-bye and Talim laughed.

"We will Edgar! Someday something will bring us back here!" Talim yelled back, then she stopped and noticed that Yunsung was standing right behind Edgar. Edgar, seeing her looking turned around and saw him as well.

"Yunsung, off to see them off?" Edgar asked him.

"I guess that you could say that." He replied.

By now Link had turned around as well, looking at Yunsung who had bandages wrapped around his stomach. His shoulder was black and blue from the bruise Talim had given him when she had slammed her elbow into his shoulder after dislocating it.

"Hey Talim," Yunsung said. "I'll meet you again, mark my words. And we will battle, and I won't be beat next time either!"

With that said he turned around and headed back, Talim smiled and grinned.

"I will prepare for that battle Yunsung! You mark my words!" Talim yelled back at him as she turned around with Link.

Edgar laughed and then waved good-bye, and he watched them leave until he could see them no longer.

The sun had barely come up, both Talim and Link insisting on an early leave. Edgar had gone with them until the gate, and after that he followed no more.

Sighing, he turned around and walked back. He knew in his bones that they would do something that would change to world, something good of course. They had skill, lots of it. More then he did, and they had experienced more then he had, even though he was older then the both of them things had happened to each that made them true warriors.

"I'm getting old," he told himself. "At least those two are making feel old. But I won't stop fighting, because fighting is all that I have left."

Talim and Link walked over the endless fields of grass. Link felt his Ocarina, or Zelda's Ocarina in his pack. He felt it's odd egg shaped curve against his back; it brought him comfort.

"Oh Link," Talim asked. "Isn't it a nice day to be traveling?"

"Yep, it sure is."

Clouds went about the sky, offering shade from the sun when needed. It was a pleasant day, and of course as always the Wind blew by, making it even cooler, which was needed against the sun.

"I just don't get why the wind is always blowing when I'm with you!" Link exclaimed after a few minutes passed. Talim frowned, and when Link saw this he felt confusion bubble inside. "Is there something wrong Talim?" He asked.

Talim's frown deepened, she felt that she could trust him but what if he thought that she was crazy? She didn't want him to leave her, but how would he feel if she told him after they had known each other after days, weeks, or even months passed? That would hurt him more then him thinking that she was crazy, wouldn't it?

"I guess that I should tell you." Talim finally told him after a while; Link raised his eyebrow and stopped walking.

"If it's something that's important, then let's take a break. After all it has been about six hours since we left Regulas, and another thing is that it's lunch."

Talim nodded and Link sat down where he stood and Talim sat down hesitantly. Sitting down, Link looked at Talim.

"What is it that you want to tell me Talim?"

"It's... better to show then to tell." Talim decided after a moment. Link nodded and waited.

Talim shifted herself into a more comfortable position and then closed her eyes.

'Wind, I ask of you to follow my hands.'

'You need not to ask young Talim.' The Wind replied sweetly.

Opening her eyes again, Talim bit her lip hoping that Link wouldn't think of her as a witch that needed to burn on a stake.

She stretched her hand forward and pointed to the ground and started spinning her finger. The Wind followed and started creating a mini tornado under Talim's finger, at first you couldn't see it at all but eventually it started collecting and little pieces of loose dirt. Link stared, his eyes wide.

Talim kept spinning her finger but lifted it up making the tiny tornado grow longer and taller. Then, she pointed forward and her little creation followed her finger and started moving away and then went around in circles. Then, clapping her hands then mini tornado let all of its grass and dirt go and then disappeared.

"I can control and talk with the Wind." Talim told Link simply, she didn't bother to look at him. Fearing that she wouldn't see the expression that she wanted to see. But Link put his hand on her shoulder, making her turn around.

"So is that why the wind is always blowing when I'm around you?"

Talim nodded, and was shocked when she saw Link smiling.

"Did you think that I would think of you as a freak? I wouldn't, and besides if I did tell you that you're a freak then I'd be one to talk."

"You aren't a freak." Talim told him, Link laughed and took his hand off of her shoulder.

"I don't think that you're a freak either... and even though I've never met anyone who can control the Wind in know a lot of people that can do odd things, even I used to be able to do odd things, like teleporting or creating fire. But that was lost when I came here, I guess that there isn't any source for my powers to feed onto."

"It isn't that," Talim told him. "You're talking about magic, aren't you?"

"I guess if you wanted it nice and flatly said, then yes it is magic." Link replied.

"Magic, you can't use it because of Soul Edge's power, it sucks in whatever power it can gain. So any magic that may exist here has been sucked in and used for more power by Soul Edge."

Link frowned and sighed, but at least now he knew why he couldn't feel any of his magic. It wasn't much at all, but he had enough just to use a few spells that had helped him greatly in his journey to defeat Ganondorf.

"Let's eat, Link."

Talim took off her pack and pulled bread, cheese, and some water. She passed Link some and then started eating her own portion. Link ate some of his bread with cheese on top of it, and then felt a small question stinging him.

"Talim, how do you control the wind?" he asked as she drank some of her water.

"Well, I think that they way that I can talk to the Wind is because of the meditation that I did ever since I was young. Then I pray to it, and I can talk to it in both my mind and out loud. I prefer out loud, but obviously that catches attention quickly and people start thinking odd thoughts... but anyway, the Wind always blows around me because it gives me comfort. It can tell me what others are saying, the range is about two miles."

Link nodded quietly as he finished the rest of his food.

"That has to be useful!"

"It is." Talim smiled and then ate her food quietly.

After Talim finished they put whatever they had out into their packs and then stood up. Talim looked to the sky, thinking.

'Wind, how is Alun?' Talim asked in her mind. 'And where is he?'

'Alun is well. He is still far away. I used my power to let him glide against me, I am sorry if that displeases you.'

'No, and in fact I thank you for the faster that he comes the better.'

"Ready Talim?" Link asked, Talim faced him and nodded with a smile.

They traveled together, happy to be out again instead of doing some useless training that they didn't need at all. The Wind blew freely around them, the clouds shading them against the sun.

Talim would occasionally search the sky for Alun, knowing well that he wouldn't be with her today. But she did it anyway, hoping to see a speck of him against the sky.

Night was coming, and so the two of them set their camp. Again, Talim said that they didn't need a fire so there was none.

They slept, and in the morning when Link woke up he saw Talim awake before he.

"Morning Link!" Talim told him as he sat up and stretched.

"Morning..." he replied sleepily as he rubbed an eye and then stretched.

"Here, we should get on a fast start." Talim handed him a piece of bread and cheese along with water. Link ate it as fast as he could, although he was still half-asleep.

After eating more then half of his breakfast, he took a drink of his water and then took off his gauntlets. He put some water in his palms and then wiped water on his face. A blast of wind came out of nowhere directly at his face, falling back the water on his face seemed to freeze doing a very good job of waking himself up. He sat back up immediately as Talim burst into laughter.

"Your face!" She pointed and laughed as she slapped her knee.

"You did that didn't you?" Link asked.

Talim nodded and then looked at Link with shinning eyes.

"Yes, you seem to need to get a little breeze to wake you up!"

"Little breeze? I fell backwards!"

Talim burst into laughter again and Link frowned and bitterly ate the rest of his breakfast. Boosting, he told this to Talim:

"Where I come from, no one would dare to laugh at the Hero of Time!"

Talim stopped laughing and looked at Link with curious eyes.

"Hero of Time? Is that what you're called?"

Link nodded and Talim tilted her head.

"Hero of Time! What a wonderful name!" Talim exclaimed as she laughed and then looked at the sky.

"You have a name like mine?" Link asked, she looked at Link and nodded. "What is it?"

Talim hesitated for a moment but then she finally spoke.

"Wind Priestess."

"'Wind Priestess'? Interesting! Where'd you get that from?"

"My tribe. I was supposed to be the last Shaman of my tribe, but I left."

"You left? For Soul Edge?"

"Yes."

"So why can't you be a Shaman for them any longer?"

"I was shunned." She told him with a sigh.

Link stared for a moment and then got out of his blanket.

"Shunned? For wanting to destroy Soul Edge?"

"The piece that came to my village by a merchant, many merchants come by during the summer. He brought a piece of Soul Edge, calling it something that was holy and would bring prosperity to my village. They bought it, and it was praised and cherished as if it were more important then the Wind itself!

"People started wanting it for themselves, and started to try and steal it. That was stopped of course... but then when others came to cherish it they started getting violent, something that has never happened before."

Talim shook her head as her eyes slightly watered.

"Even my own father and mother started fighting over it, they cursed and screamed at each other, and even they started getting violent as well. My grandmother, she was a village elder, even sought the piece for herself. So finally, I took it and hid it.

"But that didn't stop people, in fact it made it worse. The village was almost destroyed until it was found where I had hid it."

Talim shook her head and continued, the memory of it going through her head at the same time.

"Talim! Are you telling everyone of this village that you took the treasure and hid it?" her father roared as everyone in the village watched as their apprentice Shaman stood before her father with her head bowed.

"I did." She told him strongly as she lifted her head. "It was destroying us! Since when has something that a simple merchant has brought been more important?"

"Since now! The Wind is something of the past! This is our future!" he waved the piece of metal in front of Talim's face. She did not flinch.

"Future? What is wrong with you father?"

"What is wrong with you? You have the perfect potential to become the next Shaman! Do not throw all of this away for the sake of the Wind!"

Talim shook her head stubbornly and looked at her father in the eyes.

"You are not my father."

Sanput stepped back, glaring at her.

"How dare you say that to me?" He hissed. "You are no daughter of mine!"

Talim's mother, Lidi, walked up to Sanput.

"Not a daughter?" she asked. "She is of your own flesh and blood! How dare you?"

She turned to Talim.

"And how dare you, Talim? You can't think that this treasure will not bring us to shine above the eyes of those not worthy!"

Talim stepped back, frightened.

Lidi walked back behind Sanput, her words done for that moment.

"Talim," her father said sternly as he raised the piece of disgusting metal towards her. "You must swear that you shall worship it."

"I will never worship it. My will stays with the Wind."

He shook his head and gave her a disgusted look.

"I shun you then, you are a traitor."

Talim's heart was crushed under those words, and tears started streaming down her face.

"Shun!" Lidi and Kalana cried with pain and Sanput quieted them instantly.

"Get out traitor!" he cried at her, Talim just stared at him, still shaken. "Out!"

He slapped across the face, and only Lidi and Kalana gasped and had pain in their eyes.

"OUT!"

Talim looked up at him, her innocent eyes filled with grief, sorrow and pain. And if her father had been himself, he would have been shriveling. She stepped back, but then stepped forward and grabbed the piece of cursed metal from his fingers and then ran.

Talim let her tears fly across her face as she ran, and as she passed her home she stopped herself and ran inside.

She grabbed Syi Sarika and Luka Loha and anything else that she could. She briefly went to Alun's cage in pet his silky feathers on last time, she could not bring for if she were captured then they would kill him as well. She hoped that someone would find Alun here and take him to safety.

Turning away, she took a back entrance that she had built in case of a fire. Once she was out she fled away from everything that she knew, nearly all that she loved, her family, and the only home that she ever had.

She ran.

And never looked back.

Talim's eyes watered and she shook her head and then smiled at Link.

"But that is of the past, now is now."

Link sniffled, not sure how Talim could smile after telling such a story.

"We need to get going Link, stop staring at me and put your blanket away."

Link looked at Talim for a moment more before he started putting his blanket away. It was the only thing that he had out, so it didn't take long before both of them were up and on their way once again.

Authors Note: Ok, there's the chapter for Emerald Wind! Now for any of you that are interested here's the story of how Alun was able to get out of his cage! Yes, that's it, look down!

Kalana walked slowly to Talim's old home; there was no one in the village except her and Lidi. Everyone else had run after Talim after she had taken the metal piece from Sanput's hands. Lidi followed slowly after her, weeping softly.

Together they arrived at Talim's old home, entering they saw that the others had already been there. Everything was broken, Talim's table, her pillows were ripped; everything in sight was not whole.

"I cannot believe that they did this." Lidi whispered as Kalana shook her head.

"Now that Talim has taken away that piece of metal, I can see clearly again. My vision is no longer being blinded by that curse metal. I am I again, I am me."

Kalana sighed, and then heard the small voice of a bird in pain. Looking around, she saw Alun standing on the floor.

"Oh! Alun!" cried Lidi as both she and Kalana rushed forward. Lidi bent down as Kalana looked on, her back had gotten weak many years ago.

Lidi let Alun hop on her hand; looking at him she realized that his wing was bleeding, and that it was also broken.

"Those monsters!" Lidi cried as she pet Alun's soft gray feathers. "They did enough damage destroying Talim's home, but to hurt a bird? He is so strong, a true falcon!"

"But against the sheer power of men, his bones are like twigs." Kalana said. "His bones are frail, meant for speed, not to defend against raging men and women who are driven by evil."

Lidi lifted Alun up, his eyes closed as she gently ran her fingers over his head.

"We shall heal him." Kalana stated. "Until he is healed, then we shall set him free."

And it was done so; Kalana took Alun into her care, along with Lidi who refused to share the same bed with the very man who had shunned her child. Lidi stayed with Kalana, helping with what she could.

One month later, Alun's wing had been fully healed thanks to the skills of a village elder. It was midnight when Lidi and Kalana sent him off.

Holding him on her hand, Kalana pet him once more.

"I pray that your journey be safe, dear Alun. Choose your path well." Kalana told him. Lidi stood next to her.

"Please, if you go to Talim then please watch over my daughter. I love her, and I know that you love her as well. Take care, dear Alun. I hope to see you again."

With their words said, Kalana lifted Alun into the air, and he spread his wings open as the Wind caught him and sent him soaring up. His figure was a solid black against the silver of the moon, and he went on, his head held high.

He dove back down, and spun over Kalana and Lidi five times before going down all the way and flying strait past them. Then, he flew away, off into the night hoping to meet his best friend once again.

Ok, there was the little story of how Alun was free. And I know that Talim's tribe didn't shun her, but it made the story better! Some of you probably hate me! HAHAHA!

I hope that you stay with me, and that you enjoyed this chapter! And Alun is a gray falcon, and since Talim was supposed to be the next leader of her people why shouldn't she have her own crib? Well, that's all that I want to say besides please review!

So Until Next Time,

CrypticElf....