Someonenew this was comes . . .
The Freeblade
The Peacelands stretched before her, the sea of flowers on all directions. She smiled and laughed, spinning as she did like a child with her arms spread. After a moment she thought to roll in the flowers, to breath in the calming fragrance and spread it across her body. But the beauty of such a dream was far too easily shattered, at least for her.
Trigon was there, he was always there to ruin anything she dare enjoy. He opened his great mouth when he saw her and a jet of flame spewed from it, racing towards her. She tried to run, fear paralyzing her power as if often did in his presence, but wasn't fast enough. When the fire reached her she screamed as the land disappeared and she knew she would awaken as her dream body died.
But it didn't.
The Peacelands went away and she stayed hovering in space. Earth lay before her, still whole instead of in ruins like it often was in her nightmares. A comet streaked the sky, orbiting the planet before disappearing. Raven wondered if the humans below had looked into the sky in that moment and saw the neon-purple trail it left behind it.
"Raven!" She heard someone call, someone she knew, "Raven, I'm here. I know you hear me. Awaken, Raven, GET UP!"
She woke up startled. She wasn't cold, wasn't sweating, but her heart was beating fast and pounding in her ears. She ran from the medical room. Ignoring Beastboy's cautioned words telling her not to move she sprinted until she reached the living room. There, sitting cross-legged on the air as if meditating was the one who had contacted her in the dream.
"Mother!" She called and she opened her eyes and smiled. "Mother, what are you doing here?"
"I came to get you, Raven," She answered. Her voice was a combination of happiness and terror. "I need you back home."
"Has Trigon hurt you?" The memories of when her angered father had turned on her when things had not gone his way.
"He has tried, Raven, he has tried" She smiled when she said this. "So much has changed since you left Raven. The Azrathians are behaving differently. They follow a new leader now, a warrior if I ever saw one."
At those words Raven willingly let anger control her for only an instant. Her friends she could excuse if they said something like that, but not her mother. "The Untamed is a greater warrior than any will ever be."
"Oh, this girl would be a challenge for her."
"You lie!" At the outburst she felt a hand on her shoulder. Beastboy's. As simple as the gesture was it did calm her. Her mother snorted at the movement. Azrathians rarely ever touched and when they did it usually didn't mean anything good. "I'm sorry." She quickly apologized, another earthly response. "Tell me everything from the moment I left."
Arielle sighed and closed her eyes for a moment gathering her thoughts and memories. "After you flew away the second time Trigon was furious. But he did not strike me and for that I am grateful. But the people of Azrath suffered greatly and so very many of us died. Then, in the charred remains of the Peacelands a warrior rose. She calls herself Freeblade."
"Why?"
"Blade in hand she intends to free Azrath from Trigon. She wants the people to be free. The people say that as a pesant her parents were killed in the war with Tameran. Her husband took part but after she became with child he too was sent off to war and died. She raised the child alone, going to the Peacelands for shelter, until Trigon destroyed the land in fire. The blaze took her son. She stayed loyal to Trigon, always wanting him dead, always plotting the perfect moment to strike."
"Is that what the legends say, or what she said?" The Untamed's story was proof enough to her that stories could be manipulated any way the writer wanted.
"The people ofAzrath say it is so."
"Dose she?"
"No. I am unable to see her even. The people do not trust me."
"Keep going."
"After the Freeblade began to rally the people she began to speak. Her words inspire even the most broken of our kind to fight for freedom. And they do it for her, for their families, and for themselves. The first of their raids was on an armory. They took everything. The guards placed there either turned to fight for their cause or were killed on the spot. The second was the castle prison, freeing those who had been there for all reasons. They claim that they will have their own trials and those guilty would go back, but on much softer terms."
"And they were successful on both raids?" Raven asked thinking the task was impossible.
"With Freeblade leading them, they are a formidable opponent. And when Trigon was informed he ordered a small army to put them down, but half his forced joined her during the battle. The Freeblade simply cannot be stopped."
"Continue."
"The third of the raids came after a speech Freeblade gave. With all of her followers she became unafraid to speak in public and when she did more joined her each time. She spoke of the tyrannical demon that lead them, but also told him about an ally that he had."
"Do you know who the ally is?"
"No, no one dose. But we know he has one for certain. And when she told them this the people began to believe that he gained himself an ally because he, himself, is weak."
"Why would they think that?" Raven asked the question, but in her own mind she couldn't think of another reason why he would need one. She shook her head and told her to continue.
"They attacked the palace. They thought they could kill him."
"He destroyed them all didn't he?"
"That," Arielle paused, "is something even I do not understand yet. He didn't strike back, he fled like a child. When they reached them he carved a hole between dimensions and his flaming warriors came. Many died, but they left many more living. But in the battle he disappeared. In the end all that was left was me."
"Did they hurt you?"
"At first I thought they would. They were screaming for royal blood and here I was, the only one. I collapsed on my knees for them and wouldn't dare look up. Now I wish I did. Just before they killed me I heard a voice tell them to stop. 'Let her live for she is guilty of no crime.' She asked if I would join them and I said I would. It's not like I had a choice. But when I looked up she was gone. The man closest to me said I was lucky the Freeblade favored me. I wish I had seen her."
"You should have looked up when she addressed you."
"If you were as scared as I was then the thought would have never crossed your mind until after. In any case I stayed with them and Trigon returned to the castle. We haven't attacked there again, but there is no doubt we will very soon."
"Then why aren't you there?"
"I was sent to get you. The Freeblade has requested you and chose me to retrieve you. I imagine she knows you trust me." Her mother raised an arm and pulled back the cloth of her sleve. The action revealed scars from many different weapons, from knives to whips to iron shackles. A burn halfway between her wrist and elbow formed the shape of a T engulfed in flames: a symbol meaning she belonged to Trigon and no one else. Raven did the same, only her arm was relatively unharmed and free of the burn mark. Raven would not dare claim she had suffered as much as her mother had. "So you will return home."
"I suppose I have to, don't I?"
"The choice is yours to come or stay. I only tell what I am told. Freeblade did not, however, give you an option and if you stay she will probably send others who are less friendly to a daughter of Trigon."
"then I'll go."
"No way." Beastboy spoke for the first time. The both of them had forgotten that both Cyborg and Beastboy were there. Raven hadn't even noticed that Robin wasn't there at all until then. "If she's going somewhere then the rest of us need to be there too."
"I don't want you on Azrath." Raven told him, "I don't even want to go back, I can't . . . "Why was she hesitating? Trigon was the worst of it and they had seen him. "I just don't want you there."
"Haven't you learned by now that hiding from us only leads to bad things." Cyborg told her.
"I have other reasons." She knew exactly what the problem was, but she would never, ever, tell them. The last thing she wanted was to end up like Starfire. "You can't go."
"You don't even know why she wants you." Beastboy said, "It could be bad."
"I imagine they won't. Freeblade let her live and she's guilty of more than me." Arielle dropped her head at the words, but knew they were true. Arielle had spilled Azrathian blood at Trigon's orders, Raven never had.
"Still, it's dangerous."
Cyborg pulled him back. He whispered but Raven could still hear him, "Just drop it BB, after she's gone we'll take the T-sub and follow her." Raven went ahead and let him believe she didn't hear him. They would never find Azrath anyway.
Raven nodded her good-bys and followed her mother to the skies. Only when she high in the air did she feel the soft touch of falling water on her head. Assuming it was rain she kept flying even if none of the clouds were dark. Even above the atmosphere she could see droplets of water forming a trail behind her mother. Raven picked up speed to fly beside her, instead of under.
"Mother," She said, but she looked away, "Mother are you crying?"
"I've done a horrible thing, Raven. Or, at least, I am most certain I did." From around them Azrathians appeared, one by one. Escorts to ensure she reached Freeblade.
"You're doing what you were told."
"To keep my life. But now that it's done I wish I had not." Raven looked back to the planed expecting it to be destroyed once Trigon's daughter was clear of it.
"Mother, what have you done?"
"I hoped that you would have asked me what Freeblade wanted. They did not tell me and I can only assume. But now that you have agreed they will not let you leave."
"Why is this bad? They let you leave."
"I have no demon blood. To them you are as much of a demon as Trigon is. They want you dead, Raven. I know that's why I lived. They wanted me alive to find you so they could kill you themselves.
Again, thanks for reading this far, it means a lot. Keep reading for more! Please comment or something so I know what I'm doing right or wrong.
