Hello again, everyone. Dah-dah-dah-duuum! Here is chapter six already- hold your applause! Oh, the new ideas are just flowing out of my brain to my fingertips so fast, I go back and read them and go, "Good job, brain and fingers!"
Sorry, no action this chapter, but just wait for it! Next chapter will have some, promise! I am working on it right now. However, you do get to more than likely figure out for sure who Jessa is being held captive with…! Here you go…commence!
XxXxXxX
Chapter 6
"…I agree, my sister. I believe she will fetch quite a penny." The man crossed his arms, looking at the woman laguz in the tiny cell before him and his sister. She smirked and gave an approving nod, glad her brother saw what she was saying.
Jessa began to stir, groaning from the throbbing headache she had. She raised her hand to her temples to rub them and ease the pain when she suddenly remembered where she was. She had been stolen away from William's side by these warriors that were also haters of laguz… They constantly called her sub-human and taunted her from the other side of the bars. The cell was too small for her to transform and tear them all to pieces for what they had done. Not to mention, she was pretty sure whatever water they gave her was drugged.
The woman gave her a smile of pure evil and leaned closer to the bars. "Are you ready for your big day, sub-human?"
Jessa got a shiver running down her spine at the way she said that. Obviously, whatever plans these people had for her weren't good. She didn't even give them the luxury of a response.
"Now, now, that won't do. You have to speak… You aren't like our other little prize…"
The woman stepped out of the way, and Jessa looked across from her cell with fear, not sure what she was about to see. In the cell across the way, there was a young man, another laguz with wings… His primary feathers were a light brown color while his secondary wings were black. He had messy, unkept black hair, and his clothes that were probably once a fresh color were faded beige and ragged. Jessa nearly wanted to sob. She could sense the pain emitting from this young man…along with the hatred. Most of all, the loss of hope. Jessa could only wonder how long he had been captive by these people.
"You see, he hasn't spoken in so long…but it's okay. Just by being here, he serves his purpose." The woman's voice was nearly a purr. "Today, you will decide your fate."
"My…fate…?" she whispered in return, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
"Whether you will be sold into slavery or kept here as a pet for our little friend."
XxXxXxX
William jerked harshly enough in his sleep to pull him to the world of the living, his heart racing, sweat beading on his forehead. When he remembered that he was in the small village, he calmed a little. His body didn't feel as wrecked today as it did the previous day, when Mist had healed him. She'd ordered him to rest, and against his urge to leave right away and search for Jessa, he obeyed her and was momentarily glad he did. He sat up slowly, just in case. Feeling like he would be able to manage alright, he nodded to himself and gave a long exhale. He reached for his tome and jacket before standing. He could hear two voices carrying in from near outside the door, one of which he recognized from yesterday: that young hawk woman he'd collided heads with. He walked towards the door and decided then and there to try and contain his worry for Jessa…he would find her soon enough and kill the bastards that had kidnapped her, that was for sure.
"…Hey, Ranulf?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you tell me about the dragons? We don't have any laguz like that from where I'm from…" Mihara trailed off. She and Ranulf were sitting on opposite sides of the door leading into the house where William had been sleeping. Several times in the night, he'd cried out and screamed in his sleep, pulling Mihara out of her dreamland of home. In case he started thrashing and hurting himself, she'd decided to just remain nearby. Ranulf, too, had been woken by him and kept her company. "I mean…there were the horse laguz that I lived with… I suppose they're all really powerful, compared to your size."
"Size isn't everything," Ranulf pointed out, slightly sarcastic and defensive, as if he'd taken it personally offensively.
"Well, yes, but… I don't know. You'd have to see them." Mihara pulled her knees to her chest. "There were the swans, which are very similar to the herons… At least, from what I could tell from Reyson and Leanne."
"First name basis already? Well, well, you're getting along nicely…"
Mihara's cheeks heated up. "Wha-what's that supposed to mean?!"
Ranulf grinned and chuckled, leaning his head against the wall. "Nothing. I'm just picking on you. Please, continue."
She sniffed indignantly, pausing, not sure if she should listen to him or not. Muttering under her breath, she sighed. "Fine. The last ones were the otters… Obviously, they're very agile in both land and water… They're pretty vicious, actually. Especially when snakes are involved…"
"Snakes…?"
"Oh, nothing! Just a little… Nothing." Mihara gave a sheepish, knowing laugh. "But please, tell me about the dragons."
Ranulf thought for a minute, trying to decide what exactly to tell her. He doubted she wanted an entire history lesson, such as Dheginsea being involved with the whole beginning of the story of the "dark goddess" that had once been portrayed as Yune. He figured he could just give her a quick breakdown. "Well…their first ruler…also their first previous one – his son is king now – he made their country isolated. Dragons have terrible strength and are very hard to fight on your own. Their leader thought that they had so much power as a tribe that they could wipe Tellius off the map, should they be provoked too much…which he was probably right about." Mihara assumed from his use of past tense that the king had somehow died. But for him to be their first leader…he must've been very old… As if reading her thoughts, he continued with, "Dragons can live to an insane age beyond that of any laguz, save herons. I guess they have the same lifespan. They can get to be…pretty big, shall we say."
Mihara tried recalling some information she'd read in a book about mythical types of dragons, not laguz types. "Can they breathe fire?"
Ranulf shuddered. His tribe and fire didn't agree. "They sure can." His cat ears flicked back as he caught the approaching sound of William's feet. "It appears as though our friend is awake."
Mihara stood as William opened the door, slightly relieved that he was moving with more ease. "Are you feeling better, William?"
The necromancer seemed dazed as he stared directly ahead of him, taking in that it was probably early afternoon. Mihara frowned, wondering why he hadn't answered. Ranulf cleared his throat and said, "Uh…William?"
William blinked and looked between the two of them. "Sorry, what?"
Before Mihara could retort to his actions, Janaff came flying up to the trio, Tormod following along behind him. "Lady Mihara, Ranulf. I think we might know where our scaly friend went. There's a trail that this little band left behind, leading towards Daein. It might be worth our time checking it out."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ranulf clapped his hands together and rubbed them, ready to get a move on.
William caught this and took a step forward. "Please, allow me to go with you."
Tormod sent a glare towards the man, having heard that he was a necromancer. "Why should we do that?"
Mihara quickly relayed the fact that Jessa was a woman he'd been traveling with and was also a laguz. According to William, these people kidnapped her, and he had no idea where they were taking her or what they would do to her. Tormod's expression sobered rather quickly. "…Are you able to withstand this, though? You were injured, right?"
"That kind young woman healed me. She did a rather remarkable job, I believe." William set his jaw. "Please let me come. I will not slow you down."
"We do not have a spare horse for you to ride," Ranulf pointed out. "And no offense, but us laguz aren't that keen on giving out free rides."
Lethe quickly approached the group, her tail swishing back and forth, her ears pinned back, displaying her agitation. "Are we leaving, or what? Mist and Kieran said they would leave this up to us. They are going to remain behind for now to fix the village and report to Elincia."
"I do not need a horse. I will not be walking, either." At the skeptical looks, he assured them, "Trust me. I did not cross the ocean from an island on Jessa's back. I know better than to ask that," he mumbled. If Jessa did not offer him a ride, though she had, it was wise of him not to assume that it was okay. There was a different level of pride held by the laguz than beorc had.
Mihara shook her head and flapped her wings, flying up beside Janaff. "Whatever. If he can follow along without falling behind, I don't care. Obviously, this girl means a lot to him."
"…Thank you."
Ranulf gave Lethe a grin as he shifted into his full form. "See? All under control. We were coming."
Lethe gave him a good-natured roll of her eyes, ignoring all the stares they were receiving as all the laguz transformed. Janaff and Mihara flew to where Ulki was awaiting them, Ranulf and Lethe following on the ground. William exhaled nice and slow before summoning spirits to help lift him into the air. Strength, don't fail me now. Once he was airborne, he followed after the hawks, keeping his eyes closed for a moment, not wanting to see the ground if he were to suddenly lose his strength and plummet below. He could hear the horrified whispers of the villagers below, but he paid no heed. Necromancers were seen as evil sorcerers, but he wasn't and had no need to explain himself to others. As soon as he felt like he would be okay, he opened his eyes and saw the surprised, yet amused looks that the hawks were giving him just as they turned and began flying as swiftly as they could, the three cat laguz close behind them, Tormod and Giselle atop Muarim's back. With a small smirk, he shot forward, determined to keep up with them. Jessa, I'm coming…
Back down in the village, Sylvia grumbled, "Why don't we get to go? I didn't even get to poke her wings, much less get to pet them… The others never let me! I was this close!"
Kieran cast a sideways glance at her. "Because we need to-"
"I mean, Giselle gets to go! Just 'cause her boyfriend is one of the laguz," she muttered darkly.
"It isn't like they're riding off to get themselves killed," Mist chimed in, a smile on her face at Sylvia's typical actions. "They'll be back. You'll get another chance."
"I better…"
XxXxXxX
Nailah glanced about the forest, a calming feeling washing over her. After a long journey across the desert with her people, they had taken a rest in Daein, thanks to Micaiah, but had soon pushed on so that they may arrive to the Serenes Forest. Now that they were here, Nailah understood why Rafiel had so terribly missed the forest, along with his family. It was beautiful, even in the early fall. She could hear her people whispering and murmuring about the forest, overwhelmed by its beauty. After all, until extremely recently, they had only ever seen sand and a few desert plants. Never before had they seen such greenery. Volug walked alongside his queen and spoke slowly, practicing his use of modern tongue, "I believe…everyone will like…like it here."
"I believe so, too." Nailah nodded approvingly. "I think we're almost there… Oh, and good job on progressing with your speech, Volug!" The Wolf Queen smiled, giving him encouragement.
"Thank you," he replied, a ghost of a smile on his lips as well.
As they continued on, they could hear the scampering of animals fleeing from the wolves' presence. With a smirk, Nailah thought hunting here would be quite enjoyable. Naturally, she was sure that the herons would request they hunt either in another forest or at the very edge of Serenes. It would be difficult at first, but she figured the least they could do was respect the herons' wishes.
Their progress through the forest was quite swift, and they soon heard a song ringing in the air, being sung by a mixture of male and female voices. Many of the wolves stopped momentarily to listen, moved by the sweet serenade they could now hear, never having met the herons before. Nailah and Volug spotted them first, seeing the trio of siblings standing atop an old, eroded altar that was once probably a beautiful spectacle to behold. All of the three, Rafiel, Reyson, and Leanne, had their eyes closed and hands extended, their voices carrying strongly, emitting a strange magic in the air. As Rafiel went to take a breath, he opened his eyes and spotted the approaching wolf pack. Cutting his part of the galdr off short, he called, "Queen Nailah!"
Reyson and Leanne also stopped their singing and gave a welcoming smile to their friends, watching as Rafiel went down to them. As they spoke, Leanne gave her other brother a quick glance. "…Are you okay?" she asked him in the ancient tongue.
Reyson gave her a puzzling look. "…Yes, I am fine. Why?"
Leanne giggled into her hand and shook her head. "Oh, no reason. I just thought I'd make sure. You've been awful quiet since we got back yesterday morning."
"…No, I haven't."
"Oh, yes, you have been. Not to mention, you spent a lot of time with Mihara…"
Reyson raised an eyebrow. "Because Janaff and Ulki asked me to accompany her."
Leanne's eyes widened for just a moment before she turned her back to Reyson. "I see!"
Reyson walked up to his sister's side, giving her a look of curiosity. "What is going on, Leanne?"
"Absolutely nothing!" Leanne ran down the altar to go and greet their guests who would now share the forest with them, leaving Reyson alone to look down after her, puzzling why she was acting so weird.
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Footsteps echoed in the quiet room, barely even audible. Jessa had her face hidden in her knees as they were held tightly up to her chest by her arms. She didn't want to look up into the face of her doom. However, as she inhaled, she recognized the scent of the person who was now standing in front of her cell. Slowly raising her head, she looked at the man in his eyes, his crimson red eyes are bright as his red hair. Attached to his more dark, mellowed red shirt was a black cape that flowed down to the back of his knees, hiding his wings. Completing his look were black pants that were tucked into his laced black boots. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the young woman. Her eyes were red and slightly puffed from crying softly once she had been left alone, and even when she tried to speak to the male hawk across from her, she received no answer. His grief was too overflowing. She wished she knew how he'd gotten there. Perhaps it was in the same manner as she. The dragon laguz spoke softly, "If it is any condolence…this is nothing personal."
Jessa narrowed her eyes in rage. She pushed herself off the floor and grabbed the bars for support. "Nothing…personal?" she echoed, her voice hoarse. "How is that supposed to make me feel any better?! If it's nothing personal, how do you justify kidnapping me?! Hurting William?! Leaving me to these humans…"
"…They are paying me."
Jessa felt a pit in her stomach. "…You're…a mercenary?" She knew then, that there was no hope for her. Mercenaries only worked for those who had the highest bid. She had no money to bargain with, nor did William. Not only that, but he was a dragon laguz. He was powerful. At the same time…she sensed something about him that made her sad. She pushed it aside, momentarily feeling no sorrow for this man.
He nodded in response to her question and turned his back to her, now facing the other prisoner. The young man did not even lift his head to know where the dragon was looking – he instantly flinched and curled up into a ball. Pity rushed through Jessa. They must have beaten this poor man down hard and broken his spirit to make him like this. She choked out, "Please…just let us out… Give us a chance…"
There came a chuckle from the dragon laguz as he turned back to face her. "You think he would run? Look at him. He is too scared to even look at me. Even given the opportunity, he wouldn't run. He has tried. He has failed. Do you know the number of times he's nearly been killed?" He walked closer to her cell, his voice lowering. "You wouldn't make it out of here without help."
"Then help us," she whispered pleadingly.
He scoffed and shook his head. No. Now is not the time for this. It is not the right time to be emotional about this. You are not a laguz brother right now, you are a mercenary. Act like one. "The only way I would help you is if you made your case strong enough to convince me." He reached through the bars and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him directly in his intimidating eyes. "Until then, you shall be moved. Your petty human friend will not find you so easily. Nor will they find him."
She backed away out of his reach, looking at his back as he left the room. Looking through her bars to her fellow captive, she reached her arm through, feeling like she could touch him even though there were still feet of space between them. Holding tight to the bars, she said, "Please, tell me…what have they done to you?"
The young man shifted his position, and Jessa took it as progress. He was at least acknowledging her existence at the moment. He raised his head, though he didn't look at her. His broken, tenor voice spoke as soft as a whispering dream, "…Everything."
Taking a closer look, Jessa could see now the faint scars that littered his arms, hinting that he had been a prisoner of these people for a long time. It made her legs shake to think of what all they had done to him. She then asked, "Could you at least tell me your name?"
"I would if I knew what it was…"
This reply stunned Jessa into silence. This poor guy had been a prisoner so long, he didn't even remember or know his own name? A few tears surfaced from her eyes and ran down her cheek. The sad part was, he barely even sounded upset about it…like it was just a normal part of life. "Do you have anything I could call you?"
He shook his head and rested it on his knees again, falling back into silence. He hated it when Stasik and Karoline – those sadistic sibling bastards – brought new laguz captives in that asked so many questions. He hated not knowing anything about himself, he hated trying to remember. It always gave him a severe headache. The only time it didn't was when he had fuzzy dreams that didn't make sense, yet he had a feeling that they were important. Thinking of which… He curled up on the floor, his back to his cellmate, closed his eyes, and attempted at getting some sleep.
XxXxXxX Flashback XxXxXxX
"Aww, c'mon, Dad! Can't we fly just a little bit higher?!" a young six-year-old boy pleaded to Tibarn, his messy black hair flapping everywhere in the wind, his golden eyes wide with excitement. His small wings struggled to keep him flying steady.
Tibarn smiled and, flapping with more ease than his son, nodded. "Alright, Shoen. Just a little higher."
"Alright! Hey, Dad, watch this!" Shoen kicked his legs a little as he threw himself into a small back flip, causing him to lose several feet of altitude. As Tibarn began to make a reach for him to ensure he didn't fall, Shoen recovered and flew up beside his father. "Isn't that the coolest thing you ever saw?!"
"It is," Tibarn assured him, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. "I doubt even I could do that."
"You, Dad? But you can do anything!" Shoen protested, crossing his arms, not buying it.
"Now, now, that isn't entirely true. There's plenty of things I can't do."
"Like what?"
Saving my family. Saving your mother. Saving your sister. If there's one thing I can't do, it's save people. Tibarn gave Shoen a momentarily somber look as these thoughts ran through his head. Then, with a half smirk, he said, "For starters, your trick. How about you show me again? I bet I'd have to practice a lot to make sure I get it right."
Satisfied with the answer, the little hawk boy fought to do another back flip. Once he accomplished it, he laughed triumphant and carefree, unaware of the pain Tibarn felt. He watched his son with a mixture of pride, joy, and grief. I swear to you that I will protect you with my life, Shoen. You are my last link to Zelena, your sister, your aunt and uncles…to happiness. If you were to ever have anything happen to you…I couldn't guarantee what would happen to me. I would probably lose whatever will I have left to live. I've had too much taken from me in this life. I can't lose you, too.
XxXxXxX End Flashback XxXxXxX
Tibarn loosed a heavy sigh as he gazed at the single…"family" portrait he had painted. It was nearly right before Mihara was kidnapped…Shoen was only a young boy. Zelena wasn't there. Therefore, it couldn't be called a real family portrait. His blood boiled, thinking of why Zelena hadn't been there, but it faded when he thought of how he'd failed. He'd failed himself, Shoen, Zelena, Mihara…
Thankfully, the portrait hung in his room only, so no one could hear the strangled growling sob that escaped from his throat. He grabbed the closest object, an old book, and chucked it as hard as he could to the wall, where it fell to the floor, laid open. His hands clenched into fists, and he then slammed his right fist into the wall, forming a small dent in that spot. It wasn't the only one. There were several areas like that in his room, where he had given in to his anger and grief and struck something. He kept his fist there, against the wall as he leaned against it.
Why did he allow himself to have hope? Mihara had been found, alive. That was a miracle in itself, considering she hadn't been killed, as he'd thought for twenty-six long years. He had never felt a giant gaping hole in his chest from thinking of Shoen as dead. He'd never believed his son had been killed, though he had vanished during an attack on Kilvas. He had never been found, but neither had his body.
He stood upright again and walked towards his open balcony, looking up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, twinkling at him as he gazed at them. Looking straight up, he gave a dry laugh. "I've always had some star of misfortune over me, haven't I?" He then found himself wondering if Janaff and Ulki were keeping Mihara safe. …Yes, they must be. I have absolutely no reason to not trust them to. They would give their lives to protect her, I know that. I just can't help but worry… He chuckled again and muttered out loud, "Now I'm acting fatherly… I don't even know how to do that anymore, Zelena. If you were here, you'd know exactly what to do, I'm sure of it…"
He sat on the floor of the balcony just before leaning and lying on his back. "You'd be so proud, too… Not only is she alive, but she's a strong young woman. Whoever raised her obviously helped her along. All of her fighting skills, though…they're self-taught. She really is impressive…and charming, whether she knows it or not." A smile crept to his lips. "Part of it is because she wasn't raised here, I feel. She's shy, but she's stubborn. Two of our best qualities, huh?" He closed his eyes and relaxed. "If only you and Shoen were with us…"
XxXxXxX
Yes, yes, I know…I'm having too much fun showing the pain Tibarn is going through/has gone through in his life. It just helps me feel like I connect with his character/personality more! I'm ready for sibling interactions…I've been drawing so many pictures – realistic and chibi – of Mihara and Shoen in the past three days alone, it isn't even funny… Except for the chibi I drew where Mihara was giving Shoen a noogie. I just laughed hysterically when it was finished and my mom didn't get it. Oh well.
Thanks for all your reviews! Let's have a review party! Bring your reviews and friends who leave reviews! See you all next chapter!
