I don't own KP, just this story. Be sure to check out The Distraction, by Spectre666, a great story that is only getting batter!
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Impossible Love – Chapter 6
Ron could only stare wide-eyed as the old man quickly made camp, throwing up a tent in record time. Ron had wanted to be on his way quickly, especially after Rufus had come back shortly after the fight ended, but the old man would have none of it, insisting that he stay with them for at least one meal, refusing to answer any of his questions until such time as they had dined. His young assistant was also hard at work, preparing a campfire. Ron had offered several times if he could help, only to be rebuffed. So Ron sat by the tree, gently stroking Rufus' nose when he bent down for attention.
He must have been dozing lightly, because when the young assistant snapped his fingers and the campfire flared to life, Ron jumped to his feet. The young boy, Wade, just smiled, as he pulled a grill from his backpack, something that shouldn't have fit in there in the first place, and placed it over the fire.
Ron almost jumped again as he saw Sensei suddenly appear, sitting on a wooden log beside the fire as if he had been there for hours. When the older man motioned for him to sit, Ron did so reluctantly, eyeing them both.
Ron watched Sensei throw some meat onto the fire, and he felt his stomach rumble, but the questions plaguing him would not leave him alone. "Who are you, and how do you know of me?"
Sensei nodded solemnly, looking to his assistant to continue the cooking. "Forgive an old man his indulgences, but we have been traveling hard to get here, and thought we could all do with a rest. As I said, I am known as Sensei. I am a teacher of the mystical and martial arts, and I am here to help you, as well as the whole kingdom."
"But how…"
Sensei raised his hand, and Ron paused. "Please, here out my entire tale, and I shall answer all your questions." His hands danced before him, and above the campfire appeared a glowing sphere of light. Ron's eyes widened at the sight. "Some time ago, it was brought to my attention that peril would soon befall this world. It would begin, strangely enough, in this quiet little kingdom, with the fall of a king, and the birth of a tyrant, one set to help the forces of darkness take this world as their own."
The sphere swirled, showing a dark plane, with forces battling under a sun-less sky. "Long before, the forces of darkness controlled the world, reveling in battle and blood. They were driven from this plane ages ago, before the rise of mankind, by angels of light, who descended to drive these forces off." Ron marveled as the scene changed before his eyes, as the sun breached the darkness and amazing, winged beings came down from on high, doing battle with the dark forces, driving them back.
"When the last of the dark beings had fled, the angels themselves departed, restoring a balance to the Earth, allowing mankind, and others, to flourish." The image changed yet again, showing the angels departing into the bright sky. On the ground, figures of men stumbled from caves, their hands over their faces as they gazed up into the bright sky.
"It was at that point that mankind took what was offered to them, and embraced it. Mankind built great empires, rising and falling constantly, but always surviving. Other species thrived as well, though their tale is of no import right now." The scenes shifted constantly, showing great cities and mighty castles, down to the smallest villages. Ron leaned in closer, taking it all in.
"But the forces of darkness are not happy to have been driven out, and even now, seek to find some way to free themselves and return. When they can, they employ agents to strike, to upset the balance and try to free them. For millennia, their efforts have been individualistic in nature, as they can barely work together for any length of time to become successful."
"But…" Ron watched the image, showing figures in dark robes chanting, "if they haven't been successful now, what makes this any different? And what does this have to do with PK… Princess Kimberly, and I?"
Sensei just smiled darkly. "The balance is shifting. One, let's call them demons, named Baalsteria has managed to rally many, and has begun to orchestrate things here to permit their entry to our world."
Ron's eyes widened greatly. "So the ones that took PK are working for this… this demon?"
"I doubt they are even aware of it themselves. No, they are but the first sign of the coming darkness. But just because they are unaware of their actions, does not mean they are not pawns to be used. That is why we are here!"
Ron sat back, his gaze shifting between the still changing picture before him and Sensei. "How do you know all this?"
Sensei paused as the image changed, showing an open courtyard, with dozens of students training in both fighting and magic, sometimes combined. "It has been the purpose of our order to keep the knowledge of the past, and prepare for the coming return of the darkness. We are also the watchers for the coming prophecies, that tell of the signs to watch for. Though we were not fast enough to get here before Princess Kimberly was taken, setting things in motion, we are here to do what we can to prevent it from getting worse. That, and to bring to you… a piece of your destiny!"
Ron turned his full attention now to Sensei. "My destiny? What are you talking about?"
Sensei waved his hand, the image before him changing, showing a very familiar face to Ron. "You, Ronald Stoppable, are destined to become one of the warriors tasked with preventing the darkness!"
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Kimberly awoke to darkness and cold, as she groggily opened her eyes. She tried lifting her hand to her face, and felt the weight on her wrist as she tried to move it. Looking down, she saw the large, iron manacle on her wrist, and she quickly determined she was fully chained to the wall. Her other arm sported an identical restraint, and she pulled on them quickly, testing them. When that proved fruitless, she looked around her surroundings. She was on a cold, stone floor, in a rather small room that she assumed to be a dungeon. Other than some straw on the floor, it was completely bare. There was no window, other than the one in the door.
Kimberly pulled on the restraints again, trying to free herself. She was working so diligently that she failed to note when the door opened.
"I think you'll find that you'll be unable to free yourself Princess."
Kimberly whirled on her abductor, rising quickly and reached out, testing the limits of the restraints. Lord Fiske just laughed, as he stood just outside the reach of her grasping hands. "Oh, this was well worth the trip myself. I hope you are enjoying your current accommodations. You didn't seem to appreciate the last ones that we gave you."
Kimberly allowed her arms to drop to her side, but her eyes remained defiant in their rage. "My father will stop your nefarious plot!"
Lord Fiske just laughed again. "I think not my dear child. Even now, the castle is mostly empty, all of your father's men sent out to scour the kingdom, in the wrong direction mind you, looking for you. By now, the search parties will be falling to the mercenaries I hired, captured. Oh, never fear, I shall keep the bloodshed to a minimum… provided they swear fealty to me. Once the search parties have been captured, Lipsky will transport me and my men to the castle, and we shall take control. All very nice and neat, with little to stand in our way. Of course, you won't be there to see it, but I'll make sure to send your father my regards."
"Your mercenaries will never be able to defeat my father's men!"
Lord Fiske cupped her chin, and she pulled away quickly. "My dear, several groups have already fallen. Even as we speak, another ambush is being sprung, one that should net me Captain Barkin, and your young paramour, Prince Joshua. He should fetch a fair coin when we ransom him back to his father… after I have taken control that is."
Lord Fiske laughed maniacally as he left her cell then, and Kimberly could only slump to the floor, despair setting in, fearing his boasts might just be well founded.
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Barkin rode at the front of his men, as they continued down the road. They were passing through a heavily wooded area now, and despite the noise of a dozen horses and riders, was keeping his ears open for any disturbance or rustling. When he stopped, Prince Joshua suddenly found himself trotting ahead by himself.
Wheeling quickly, he pulled up beside the burly captain. "What be the matter?"
Barkin raised a hand, demanding silence. His gaze twitched over the tree line, his eyes piecing. Without warning, he pulled his sword. "To arms! It is an ambush!"
His men reacted quickly, just as a pair of arrows shot from the woods. One struck one of the men near the rear, and he fell from his saddle, clutching his shoulder. From the woods came a loud shouting and bellowing, as a horde of darkly dressed men came out from the woods on all sides, setting upon his men quickly.
Barkin drove through the front rank, bearing down quickly on the brigands. His gaze was wild as he turned back to the young prince. "Prince Joshua, you must flee NOW!"
Joshua kicked out with one foot, knocking one of the attackers back. "But what about you and your men? There are too many…"
Barkin horse reared, but he remained in his saddle, bringing his sword down again and again. "You must flee, and warn the castle. It is an ambush, and I fear we have left the royal family almost unguarded."
"But I can…"
His words were silenced as Barkin turned quickly, smacking his horse's rump sharply with the flat of his blade, spurring the horse quickly forward and past the line of attackers. It took a moment for Joshua to get control of his steed, and when he did, he turned, looking behind him. Most of Barkin's men were already down, and Barkin himself was beset on all sides, the mass of attackers surrounding and pulling at him. He fought valiantly, hacking and kicking all the way, but slowly, he was dragged down into the mass of men, his sword raised high as he struggled all the way down.
Arrows struck the ground before him, and Joshua saw several of the attackers mounting horses, while archers shifted to get into a better position. Spurring his horse, he took off quickly, hopeful that he could honour the task given to him, while evading capture, and possibly death, himself.
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Ron's jaw dropped, and for a moment, he was completely stunned. "Me? You cannot be serious? I am a peasant, working in the stables."
Sensei nodded, but just smiled. "Yet despite that, you still rode out to try and help your friend."
"I… I was… I mean… she's my friend, I just…"
Sensei rose quietly, waving his hand over the image. "Despite what you may think, you do have a warrior's spirit within you, one that will blossom with the right circumstances."
"I do not know what madness has afflicted you, but I can't fight! I can barely ride, and I have worked with horses most of my life. What do you expect me to do?"
"Only what you can. That is all anyone can ask of others and ourselves. But you are right, you do need help."
From beneath his robes, Sensei pulled forth a long blade and scabbard. The image before him changed to a warrior, wielding the same sword in battle. "This sword is passed down to those worthy enough to bear the responsibility. It is an ancient weapon, and will help you greatly in the days ahead."
Ron held his hands in front of him. "I can't take that! There's no way I am the one you are looking for, I'm not worthy!"
"The sword has already chosen you, that is how we found you as we did."
Ron looked over at Wade skeptically, but the young man just shrugged. "The sword chose me? Umm… how does it do that?"
Sensei just grinned, planting the sword on the ground. "Raise your hand, and picture the sword coming to you."
Ron just grinned, giving a small chuckle. "Um… here sword?"
The sword leapt from the scabbard, and flew right at Ron. His eyes wide, Ron dove to the side, and the sword struck the tree behind him, splitting it in twain down the middle and holding there. Ron rolled over on the ground, just staring at the blade as it quivered in front of him.
Sensei chuckled softly. "Now, as you see…" Sensei held his hand out, but the blade moved nary an inch, "the blade responds only to you. It has chosen you."
Ron got up slowly, looking at the sword closely. "That's… that just… wow…" He turned back to Sensei, his face breaking into a broad smile. "That's just… BADICAL!"
Sensei and Wade exchanged a confused glance, as Wade got to his feet. "Badical?"
Ron just shrugged, his smile infectious. "I don't know, seemed like the thing to say. So, you'll be able to help me save PK? With your help, they won't stand a chance!"
Wade face fell slightly, as he glanced over at Sensei. "We… won't be coming with you."
Ron's jaw fell. "You're not coming?"
Sensei nodded, motioning to Wade. "We have other tasks to accomplish, you will have to rescue the princess on your own. At least, in person you will be alone."
Wade stepped forward, holding a small sphere in his hands. "This is a communication sphere, it will allow you to contact us at any time, and should allow me to perform some spells through the device as well. Besides that," he handed Ron a small bag, "we have added some items you might need in here."
Ron took the bag, looking between them. "What will you be doing then?"
Sensei sat back down, motioning for his companions to do the same. "We'll be helping in another way. There are many sides to this conflict. But do not worry, focus on what you must do, and you will succeed! Now, I am hungry, and dinner is prepared. Would you join an old man for dinner, and I can tell you where you might find your princess."
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Author's Notes – Wow… never thought it would take this long to update this one! Hopefully it doesn't take this long for the next one!