Guardian Souls
By: Ghost of the Dawn
Chapter Nine: Outside
It called to him. And Sage had been ignoring it for far too long. He had to obey or he thought he'd go crazy. It was the sun and the fresh air that called. The first rays of light came over the countryside and through his large stone window decorated in green silk curtains. The bearer of Halo walked out onto the balcony and looked around him. The air was never this fresh in Toyama, even on the city outskirts. Here, everything smelled new and clean; untouched by modern pollution.
In this, Sage idly wondered if they had fallen in to some kind of old-time paradise.
"You're up early."
Sage looked around at the voice. No one was in his room. He looked above him. Higher, standing on another balcony, Diana, the Priestess of Torrent was leaning on the side, smiling down at him.
"I've always been a morning person," he told her.
Diana gave a light laugh. "The sunlight suits you, Lord Halo."
Sage smiled back. He liked Diana. She was very soft spoken and mellow. Much calmer than any of the other priestesses.
"What about yourself?" Sage asked. He could hear a church bell somewhere in the distance. "Are you a morning person, too?"
Diana just smiled and closed her eyes, facing the light breeze. "Well, I am the Lady of the Dawn. This is my time."
"What do you mean by that?" Sage asked.
Diana pushed a few stray strands from her face as she looked down to Sage once more. "We priestesses have many titles," she explained. "One of these refer to the four main times of day. According to legend, at that specific time is when that priestesses' power is the strongest. Mine is the dawn-when the sun barely peeks over the land."
"Why isn't the Priestess of Halo dawn?" Sage then questioned, almost sounding jealous.
"Halo has mid-day, or noon, as it's usually called where you're from."
This answer brought a different question to Sage's mind.
"But didn't you come from the same place we did before you...died?"
"Yes, Halo," she laughed. "But before that life, I lived here as the previous Priestess of Torrent."
"Which is why you already know so much about everything," Sage surmised.
"Exactly."
Sage chewed on this information for a bit. Reincarnation? Between worlds? That was very interesting and it brought a whole new set of questions to the table.
"So does that mean all four of the--"
Sage stopped when he saw the balcony above him was empty. Diana had already left. Not that he could blame her. He was probably asking far too many questions first thing in the morning. So he let it go and decided he would also go get ready for the day.
Later, Sage found himself finally free after being cooped up inside for more than twenty four hours. Out on the training ground beside the castle, the weather was beautiful without a cloud in the sky.
But Sage didn't have time to admire the view at the moment. Twin blades came whistling through the air towards him. Sage quickly blocked with a larger blade of his own. His opponent was a tall, olive skinned woman. She had sharp dark eyes that said even though this was their first sparring match, she would not hold back.
Sage, for his part, didn't mind at all. He needed a chance to release some of the stress and tension that had been building up. Also, fighting was a good way to clear his head. Some might think that sounded strange, but, to Sage, life seemed at its clearest when he was fighting for it. The swinging blade, the clashing of steel, it was like a rhythm that helped him get in sync with his thoughts.
Myune, however, was not letting his mind wander off too much. The slightly older woman proved to be quite a good sparring partner. Like Ryo, she preferred twin swords as her weapon. But her swords were a bit different than any make Sage had seen. The blades were unbelievably thin, yet sturdy. Every time they clashed into Sage's larger single sword, he thought they would shatter. However, the weapons stayed strong with each hit. Because of the lightness of them, Myune could swing them much faster than ordinary swords. Sage was constantly on defense. Though she wasn't as good a swordsman as Ryo, she was definitely faster. And she seemed to be giving Sage a good run for his money.
Not too far away, Cye and Diana were practicing archery. This, Cye just found out, was Diana's weapon of choice. At first she had laughed and said she was probably rusty after so many years, but Diana was actually quite a good shot. Now, she was instructing Cye on how to do it. The bearer of Torrent had shot arrows before, but was still no where near that experienced. Rowen had stopped by for a moment to practice, but because of his injury, his aim was off and he could only do a few before his shoulder started to hurt.
In another section, Miniko had found a sparring partner in Captain Darris. Both were facing off with wooden staffs and were having quite a bit of fun doing it. The staff seemed to be Miniko's weapon of choice and she was even giving the captain a hard time of it. There was far more banter and laughs from this fight, however, than that of the two Halos battling it out.
From her place, in the shade of the castle, Robyn saw it all with wide eyes. They all knew how to fight. ALL of them. Even Miniko. And she was good enough to stand beside any of the Ronins. Robyn was the only one who didn't fit here. She turned to go back inside.
"Where are YOU going?" Kento demanded as he grabbed the back of her robe.
Despite the fact that the odds were against her, Robyn continued to lean forward until she was practically hanging from Kento's hold. The door was so close. She reached out as far as she could, grunting, her finger tips almost brushing it.
"I SAID where are you GOING!" Kento repeated louder, shaking her up.
This merely caused Robyn to flail more at the object of her escape. Kento was not amused. He greatly disliked being ignored. So, he picked Robyn clean off her feet and brought her around.
"Wah! No no no!" Robyn cried as her attention was now turned to the collar Kento had a hold of. "I want inside! I want inside NOW!"
"Oh, come on, you baby. It won't be so bad," Kento insisted.
Robyn begged to differ as she was dragged off to the training field.
The fight was the only thing on Sage's mind. When Myune suddenly stopped attacking, Sage's world was thrust back into reality. The Halo Priestess was now gazing at something behind him with a disapproving look. Sage turned around. Formerly at his back was a large brass pole proudly displaying a flag of the royal family crest. At the base of said pole clung the Priestess of Hardrock for dear life. Kento had her around the waist and was trying to pry her off it. The two were making a very loud scene of it.
Sage was surprised he hadn't heard the ruckus earlier. He must have really been concentrating.
He was considering going out to yell at the two when he saw Ryo stroll up to them. Wordlessly, the Bearer of Wildfire walked up and tickled Robyn under the arms, forcing her to give one last cry before letting go. She and Kento then fell to the ground.
"I win!" Ryo announced, holding his fists in the air as a sign of victory.
Myune found the scene quite strange. She turned to her partner to ask about it, only to loose her words at the sight of him. Sage, her partner in arms, had seemed in quite high spirits when they had began. It was obvious he enjoyed this kind of thing very much. But now, his posture had changed drastically at the sight. It was almost as if a bit of his fighting spirit had somehow been disheartened at the sight of his friends showing so little self restraint. Myune could sympathize. This wasn't looking good for their cause.
"Dangit, Ryo! That hurt!" Robyn cried, rubbing her head. Kento had fallen on top of her so she was quite justified in her complaint.
Kento shook his head, collecting himself. He looked down to see Robyn under him. With wide eyes, he quickly yanked himself off her and sat a respectable distance away. Why did stuff like that keep happening to him now?
The Bearer of Wildfire grinned as he crouched over her. "Come on Robyn," he called as if he were calling a pet. "Get up! You can do it, girl!"
"Shut up! I'm not your dog!" Robyn retorted as she swatted harmlessly at him. "Man, why do I have to do this anyway," she then whined as she got up. "It's not like I have 'warrior' in MY title."
"It is proper for the priestesses to learn how to fight," Myune announced.
Robyn looked up. She hadn't even realized she was standing there. Sage was coming up behind her.
"But, it's me and KENTO," Robyn argued. "No matter what I do, I'm not ever going to be as strong as he is. How am I going to be any help to him?"
"Priestesses often go into battle with the armor bearers. If you can't even take care of yourself out there you are far more of a hindrance than help." Myune lectured sternly.
"Yeah, but, fighting means...hurting people," Robyn continued, her voice getting smaller. "I don't know if I--"
"You'll do it!" Myune cut her off.
Robyn wasn't the only one who was surprised at the outburst. Myune was usually quite reserved. But it seemed the Priestess of Halo now had a bit of a temper.
"How in the world did this responsibility fall to you?" Myune demanded. "You've done nothing but refuse our ways and complain the whole time!" She clenched her fists. "Why don't you just--"
Myune paused as Robyn suddenly flinched, rasing an arm to protect herself. This reaction really surprised her. Myune certainly wasn't going to hit her. But Robyn had reacted instantly, almost instinctively, as if she had been hit before.
"I see..." Myune then said, her temper residing.
"What's going on?" Rowen demanded, coming from behind and grabbing Myune's wrist. Apparently, the shouting had gotten the attention of other parties. The way Robyn had reacted had also alarmed those watching.
"It's nothing Rowen, don't worry about it," said Sage who had seen it all.
"Indeed," Myune replied, tearing out of his grip. She was the Priestess of Halo; that meant she didn't have to put up with being grabbed by the Bearer of Strata for any reason. "I'm done for today. I'm going inside."
Off she trudged back into the castle. After a moment, Sage followed her.
"You okay?" Rowen asked, offering Robyn his hand.
"Fine," Robyn replied. "Just a bruised ego."
Rowen flinched as he pulled Robyn to her feet.
"Is that shoulder still hurting you?" Robyn then demanded. "Honestly, would it kill you to take it easy for one day?"
"It's healing just fine," Rowen defended. "You're not my mom!"
He was right. And Rowen's mother, everyone knew, was probably the only one who could make him rest when he didn't want to. But Robyn would give it her best shot.
"I don't have to be your mom to have common sense," Robyn retorted. "You're still recovering. You should take care of yourself so get inside."
Rowen looked a bit befuddled at the insinuation that he had no common sense–which was, in all actuality, quite true sometimes.
"But--"
Robyn was not having any of it today.
"I said rest, damn you..." She shook her fist at him.
"Fine," Rowen relented with a heavy sigh. Robyn stayed right on his heels as he trudged inside.
Diana laughed when they left.
"My, she certainly has a way with Lord Strata."
"That's just how you talk to Rowen," Kento explained. "It's what he understands."
"From what your mom says, you're like that, too, Kento," Cye put in with a grin. "She says she has to practically beat you down with her spoon to get you to stay in bed."
"Yeah, but Rowen likes the attention and stuff," Kento defended. "That's why he always puts up such a fuss. I don't like being babied. That's why I'm always trying to sneak off before Ma tries to do that kind of stuff to me. My sisters are just as bad."
"But I think Robyn likes to yell at Rowen, too," Ryo put in. "That's why she's always there to try and patch him up."
Diana laughed again. It was interesting and kind of cute how they all knew these things about each other. It was completely different from the last generation. It was an entirely different atmosphere than what she was used to. Perhaps, this was even for the better.
Diana mulled these thoughts over in her head as she went to go get the bow she was using earlier. Ryo went with her to fetch Rowen's since he had obviously forgot.
Cye stayed where he was, the previous conversation made him realize something.
"Kento," he said when they were alone. "You don't think she fancies him, do you?"
"What?" Kento wondered, already lost. "Who?"
"Robyn. She's always hung around Rowen–even tighter after he got hurt. Do you think maybe she...likes him?"
Kento blinked at his best friend, a bit of color draining from his face. Cye wasn't sure about Hardrock's sudden change in expression. He almost looked guilty now.
"Well gee Cye, I don't know, I cough uh, that is..."
Kento was beside himself, how was he supposed to explain to Cye what happened between him and Robyn?
"My Lords and Lady," a servant girl announced as she came into the court yard. "Lunch will be prepared soon. Let us clean up the yard so you can get ready."
Yes! Saved by the lunch bell!
"Woo hoo!" Kento shouted. He was genuinely happy it was lunch time, but it was also a great excuse to not answer Cye's question. "Yes! Food, food, food! I'm on my way."
Cye just watched him run into the castle, his expression puzzled. Something was going on here.
"Well done, Lady Strata," a voice trickled to him.
Cye looked over to where Captain Darris and Miniko had just finished their own sparring match.
"You're not too bad yourself, Captain," Miniko replied as she bowed respectfully.
The two didn't seem to mind the rest of the world had momentarily forgotten they were there.
Rowen sighed as he sat back in the large hot water tub. He was in the bathhouse that was reserved for the armor bearers and the water felt good on his aching shoulder. He rotated it a few times, trying to get the kinks out. Next to him sat Sage who had worked up a good sweat fighting against Myune; both were sitting in the bath meant for Strata. The young servant boys of the bathhouse had learned since then that these new armor bearers didn't always follow the rules.
"So that Priestess of yours is quite a fighter, huh Sage?" Rowen commented.
"She's not too bad," Sage replied. He looked around him as if already bored with the subject. "She's really fast. She'll be a good ally to whatever it is we're supposed to do."
"But she does seem to have a temper, huh?" Rowen continued. "She tore into Robyn pretty good."
Sage went quiet, thinking back to the conversation he had with Myune when they first left the training yard.
"I take it Lady Hardrock has not had an easy life," Myune had said out of the blue.
Sage had been a bit surprised at the comment and it took him a while to reply.
"No, she hasn't."
"So the five of you seem to spoil her a bit."
"I suppose they–we have from time to time."
Myune then stopped in her tracks and stared hard at him.
"You know, sheltering her like that isn't going to do her any favors. You're not protecting her by letting her stay weak."
Sage hadn't known what to say to that. They had always looked after Robyn, always fought for her. What were they supposed to do for her now?
"Hey, listen," Rowen then said, cutting Sage from his thoughts. "Do you think you could ask Myune to cut Robyn a little slack? She's just--"
"Robyn needs to learn to do what she's told," Sage interrupted sternly. "We've all spoiled her. It would do her some good to be forced to toughen up." And with that, he stood up and grabbed his robe.
"Sage..." was all Rowen could say as he left.
He was beginning to see just how similar Sage and Myune really were. Both were anal about protocol, easy to anger over it, and hated things they had no control over. Perhaps there was some sort of method to how the priestesses were chosen after all.
"You know, Miniko," Mia said as they walked the castle halls together. "I find it amazing how you never get lost in here. This place is so big."
"You're right, Mia," Miniko said, just realizing it herself. "I don't know. I just...know where everything is. It's felt so natural, I didn't even think about it."
"You think maybe you've been here before?" Mia said with a grin.
Miniko shrugged playfully. "Who knows. I am a priestess of this world after all. Maybe I lived here in another life."
Mia laughed at the thought. Wouldn't that be funny if it were true? But then, another thought came to her, one that took away her smile.
"Miniko," she said quietly. "Have you...heard anything from Anubis since we've been here?"
The priestess of Strata stared in realization once more. "No. Come to think of it, I haven't. Usually he's invading my privacy by now." She chewed on the tip of her thumb as she thought about it. "Anubis said it was pretty hard for him to stay in contact with me– that I wasn't the one meant to channel him naturally. I would imagine that now I'm here, he has no need to constantly be around me. I bet the only way to talk to him now would be through Robyn and her powers."
Mia's shoulders drooped as she thought about it. But looking up, she saw a familiar person pass by going the other way.
"Hey Ryo, where are you going?"
The Bearer of Wildfire turned, but did not stop walking in the direction he was headed.
"Robyn hasn't shown up for lunch yet. She was yelled at by Myune this morning. I'm just making sure she's not off sulking in her room. It's this way, right?"
"Make sure you take that hall at your left," Miniko called after him.
Ryo waved his thanks as he turned down it.
"She got yelled at?" Mia asked.
Miniko shrugged. "A little bit, I guess. I wasn't really paying much attention to it."
Mia grinned. "I bet not!"
Miniko blushed at what her friend was insinuating. "Oh like you wouldn't have done the same."
The two women continued down to lunch laughing.
"Hey Robyn, are you in there?" Ryo asked as he opened the door to her room.
Upon looking in, the first thing he saw was Robyn flailing off the balcony window directly opposite of him. Ryo gasped. It looked like she had completely fallen out. But then a hand came up and Robyn grunted as she pulled herself back up.
"Don't DO that!" she cried. "Ever heard of knocking?"
"Robyn, what are you doing?" Ryo demanded as he ran over to her. "You weren't trying to escape out the window, were you?"
"I was trying it," Robyn replied without shame. "Until you barged in and startled me."
Ryo laughed right out.
"You would have never made it down this high up, you silly!"
"I was still in the planning stages!" Robyn insisted. "And it's not funny!"
"Sorry, sorry," Ryo tried to compose yourself. "But seriously, where were you going to go if you actually made it down in one piece?"
"Out, duh. I wanna see what this place looks like."
Ryo leaned against the balcony, the wind teasing his thick hair. "Are you sure you're not just running away?"
"Of course I'm running away! It's what I do. Give me a break, Ryo."
Ryo furrowed his brows, looking at the back of Robyn's head since she wouldn't look at him at the moment. He was right. What Myune had said to her earlier had bothered her even though she didn't let it show at the time.
"What makes you think going out there will change anything?"
It was then Robyn turned around and looked at him as if she had expected something more intelligent than what was standing before her.
"Aren't you tired of being left in the dark? You were brought here, expected to protect this world. Don't you even want to see what it is you're protecting?"
Ryo stared at her. That was a far more profound answer than he was expecting. Maybe, in a way, Robyn wasn't running after all.
He smiled to himself. Then he climbed up top the balcony ledge and held out his hand.
"Come on, then. Let's see what we can see."
Robyn, thinking he was just going to give her some object lesson by standing on something higher, allowed herself to be pulled up. She was surprised, however, when Ryo suddenly curved an arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"Hold on," he told her.
Robyn's eyes went wide. She felt the muscles in his body stiffen, ready for action, before she felt something solid like metal cover his body.
"Oh no," Robyn muttered, realizing he now had his sub armor on under his clothes and what he was about to do. She closed her eyes and hung on tight.
Ryo jumped.
A scream got caught in Robyn's throat, coming out as only a squeak as she felt weightless for a moment. The only thing solid around her was Ryo and she clung to him with all her might. Their landing wasn't as jarring as Robyn thought it would be. Ryo took the brunt of the impact, landing crouched on his feet, and then lowering Robyn to the ground on her knees.
"We did it!" He announced proudly.
Robyn was still holding tight as she felt the sub armor disappear beneath his clothes. She then let out a heavy breath, letting him going and feeling the grass with her palms. Ryo was so sporadic sometimes.
"You okay?" Ryo then asked.
Robyn frowned at him. "Thanks for the warning," she said, sarcasm thick in her voice.
"Hey, you wanted out, I got you out," Ryo defended. He grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "So let's go before someone sees us."
Robyn nodded.
Without letting go of her hand, Ryo took off out of the courtyard, pulling Robyn with him.
"Is anyone else starting to worry?" Rowen asked during lunch, eyeing the two empty chairs. This place wasn't as fancy as the main dining hall they had diner in the night before, but it was still pretty nice.
"You know, it is kind of unusual for either Ryo or Robyn to miss a meal," Cye agreed.
"Well you're the one who saw Robyn last," Kento then said to Rowen. "Do you know where she went?"
"No," Rowen replied. "She stormed off after I said I was going to take a bath."
"After you did what now?" Kento asked, rasing an eyebrow. It was obvious he didn't believe the story. "Fine. After I offered to take a bath with her." The three priestesses present all stared at him. Cye slapped his palm to his forehead.
"What?" Rowen defended. "It's a joke! I do that sometimes, Robyn knows that."
All commentary on Strata's intelligence was cut off as Queen Laelia ran in followed by Captain Darris. The poor guy with the staff didn't even get a chance to announce them and wondered what he should do as the young queen ran up to the table. Everyone blinked at her as she looked a bit flustered.
"We have a problem," she panted.
"It appears," Darris clarified for her. "That Lord Wildfire and Lady Hardrock have left the castle grounds."
"What?" Cye exclaimed, standing up and slapping his palms on the table.
"Jeeze, calm down, Cye," Kento flinched at the high voice.
"Some of my men saw them sneaking off into town," Darris continued.
"Captain," Sage said calmly. "Are they in any danger out there?"
The captain scratched at his jaw. "Well, no...no immediate danger, I suppose...but--"
"But Royal Protocol demands no one leaves the castle without an escort," Myune put in. "ESPECIALLY the Priestesses."
"And if anyone were to realize who they were," Darris continued. "It could cause quite a stir. The towns people would be flocking all over them."
"What should be do then?" Kento asked. "Won't the rest of us running around draw attention, too?"
The Captain nodded. This was indeed a pickle.
"Hey, it's only because of these they'd notice us, right?" Rowen said, tugging on his deep blue tunic. "What if we went dressed as regular soldiers, then we could look for them easier."
Myune furrowed her brows. "I don't know if that--"
"Yeah!" Kento agreed, standing up. "That will be awesome! I'm game!"
"Wait," Queen Laelia tried. "You can't just--"
"You in? Sage? Cye?"
"Fine," the blonde surrendered, despite dark looks from Myune.
"It will get us outside anyway," Cye agreed.
Laelia glared at her Captain and his lack of attempts to try and persuade them otherwise. Darris just smiled helplessly back at her.
"Alright!" Rowen and Kento cheered together.
The streets around town were all made of dirt. They were uneven and full of rivets where carriage wheels often rolled. They were also full of people. Robyn made sure she stayed close to Ryo as they tried to weave their way through the crowds. There were little shops everywhere and citizens of all social classes buying and bartering. Not to mention that the place was huge. Robyn did not like the thought of losing Ryo in the crowd. Sure, it was easy to find her way back to the castle–there was only one around. But Robyn did not want to be left alone with so many strangers who weren't even from her own time. She found herself clinging to Ryo's robe despite herself.
"What do you think?" Ryo asked as they continued to wander. He seemed not bothered at all by her clinging. In fact, he seemed almost pleased with it. "Like this place?"
"It's right out of a fairy tale," Robyn marveled. "With the peasants and the shops. We really are stuck in some kind of medieval world. Only..."
"Only what?"
"Well," Robyn speculated. "Everyone here looks fine. The people look happy and the land healthy. When we were told the armors were needed to save this place, I thought we'd find some destitute kingdom outside the palace. But everything looks okay to me."
"Yeah, it does," Ryo agreed as he looked around. "You're good at thinking of stuff like that, Robyn. I'm glad you came."
Robyn raised an eyebrow at his goofy grin. She didn't want to tell him that she really hated being there, so she kept her mouth shut.
Ryo seemed to sense her mood darken and took her hand again.
"Come on," he said with an encouraging smile. "Let's see what else we can find."
The pair's wanderings led them from the busy town to more open farmland. Robyn liked this better. If she kept the castle behind her and just looked at the fields, she could pretend she was just in some back road in the US. Even so, pretending didn't make her feel too much better. She wished she could put a finger on why this world unsettled her so much.
"Ryo?" she asked after a span of silence between the two. "Does this place make you...feel anything? Maybe different or weird?"
Ryo looked at her and then blinked at the sky.
"Not really, I guess. Does it to you?"
Robyn looked down at her feet. They were walking up a grassy hill to a single tree growing on top.
"Some things I see feel really familiar at times," she admitted. "And I know I said all the people in town looked happy, but when I look around here, I feel kind of...sad."
"Sad?" Ryo asked, now looking worried. "Are you homesick?"
"A little," she admitted. The tree was closer now. She idly noticed something was carved in the trunk. "But this feels different. It's kind of nostalgic. Like thinking about something you loved that was lost."
Ryo scratched his head. He had no idea what she was trying to explain to him so he decided to go ahead and chalk to up to homesickness anyway. It seemed the most plausible since he knew Robyn didn't want to be there one way or the other. He then noticed the tree as well.
"Hey look," he announced. "People do it here, too!"
Robyn looked up at the carving. The tree was ancient. It was large and gnarled, a bit bent over with the top branches drooping. The shape carved in the tree's trunk looked almost as old, but the symbol was universally familiar. It was a heart. Within the heart was, most likely, written two names. The carving was so old, however, it was hard to read what the names were any more.
"This was fun!" Ryo beamed. "I'm glad we came out here. Look what we found. This is--"
He paused when he finally saw what lay at the base on the other side of the hill. Thousands of grave sites, marked with crude headstones or wooden crosses, littered the fields below him. Ryo was taken aback at the sight. He never would have imagined to see something like this out there. There were more bodies buried out there than he could count.
"Hey Robyn," he called to her. "What do you think--"
He turned to find something far more heart wrenching to him.
Robyn was standing with her hand over the carving on the tree. When she looked up, Ryo was surprised to see two rivers of tears flowing down her cheeks. Robyn brought her free hand up to her face and gave a hollow, confused laugh.
"What's going on?" she chocked, her voice laced with a hint of fear. "Why am I crying?"
"Robyn?" Ryo asked, stepping closer to her. This really worried him.
Robyn scrubbed at her eyes. "I'm fine. I don't know why I'm doing this." Her chest hurt, but it wasn't any physical pain. Was this what pure heartbreak felt like? If so, then why was she feeling it? She wasn't crying, but her eyes wouldn't stop shedding tears. These tears didn't even feel like her own. What was going on?
There was a gasp behind them and the sound of a basket hitting the ground. Ryo and Robyn looked behind them to see an elderly woman standing there, her face one of shock. Her white hair was loose and hung in thin tendrils while she was dressed in a ragged, brown cloak. Her basket of bread and vegetables were now scattered on the ground. She placed a bony hand over her open mouth.
"It can't be..." she breathed.
Ryo and Robyn looked at each other. What couldn't what be? They had no idea what this woman wanted.
Ryo was about to ask when the woman stepped forward and brushed right past him. Robyn leaned over, to be more eye level with the shorter woman as she approached.
"It's you," the old woman marveled as she touched Robyn's bewildered face. "I would know you anywhere, Lady Hardrock."
Robyn's eyes went wide. "Wow! How did you guess?"
The woman offered her a sad sort of smile. "No other would be drawn out to this place beside the Priestess of Hardrock." She then turned to look at Ryo. "Judging from the color of your clothes, I would imagine you're the new Lord Wildfire."
"Yes Ma'am," Ryo replied. "That's me."
"This is wonderful," the old woman smiled. "There have been rumors among the people that it was time to summon our protectors once again. But I don't think anyone was counting on it being this soon."
The two, not really know what to say, just smiled politely. Robyn's stomach growled.
"Robyn," Ryo hissed. "That's rude."
"Sorry," Robyn blushed.
Ryo's stomach then rumbled and both began to look embarrassed.
"Goodness!" The old woman exclaimed. "Don't they feed you up in that castle? Come, come with me. I'll make us some stew."
Ryo looked a hesitant at first. He had always been taught not to go home with strangers. He looked over at Robyn. She was already drooling at the thought of being fed. He sighed. As long as he was with Robyn, they should be okay.
The two of them helped the woman gather up her dropped items and together they journeyed to a small shack located down the opposite side of the hill. Behind them, where Robyn's tears had fallen–the ones which were not her own– a patch of beautiful flowers suddenly grew.
"Man, look at this place," Kento marveled from atop his horse. He and the other Ronins were now dressed as royal soldiers with Captain Darris in the lead.. "It's like straight from a movie set."
"A bit more authentic than a movie, Kento," Cye corrected. "This is the real thing. It's quite a site."
Rowen, for his part didn't notice the scenery as much as he noticed all the young women in the streets stopping to watch them go by.
"Hey, maybe being a solider in this place isn't so bad, eh Sage?" he whispered as he elbowed his friend.
Sage steered his own horse away from Rowen's prodding and seemed less than interested in the conversation. No matter what world he was in, girls were always ogling him. It was quite exasperating.
One girl gasped and looked over at them. Rowen was about to wave when a bunch of girls suddenly ran over and accosted the lead horse–Darris' horse. They all began chirping and tittering around him like little love-struck chicks, flattering the young captain left and right.
"So much for your soldier theory," Sage whispered to a frowning Rowen. Then in a louder voice he said. "And someone was worried WE would draw too much attention."
This earned Halo a glare from the captain.
"Alright ladies," he said, a bit embarrassed. "We must get through, we're on royal business right now."
"Aww..." the girls all chorused, but let them through.
"There, now," the Captain said, clearing his throat. "Which part of the town do you think they would go?"
"Guys," Kento spoke up. "Call me crazy, but I don't think they're anywhere in the town."
"That's probably why you're not in charge, Kento," Cye retorted.
"Actually, it might be a good idea to listen to him," Darris said. "If his bond with Lady Hardrock is strong enough, he might be able to lead us to where she is."
Cye raised an eyebrow if that were a personal challenge. He then turned to Kento.
"Alright then," he smiled his dare. "Lead on. Where is she?"
Kento chewed on his lip. Everyone was staring at him and he really wished they weren't. He wasn't cut out to be a leader. He never should have opened his big mouth.
"Miniko, may we talk to you for a minute?"
Miniko turned around to see that Myune and Diana had followed after her and Mia.
"I don't suppose you've noticed anything strange about this castle," Myune said, getting right to the point. "Anything around it seem familiar? Do you find yourself knowing your way around even though you're sure you've never been here before?"
"We were actually just talking about that earlier," Mia jumped in. "Miniko does navigate these halls very well."
"So?" Miniko countered, not sure what they were getting at. "If I do, what's it supposed to mean?"
"Please come with us," Myune then said, offering no other explanation. "There is something we would like to show you."
Miniko held back. "Do you mind if Mia comes, too?"
Myune looked dubious. She glanced from Miniko's and Mia's hopeful faces to Diana, who was smiling pleasantly as she always did.
"That's fine," the Halo priestess finally relented. "Come."
"Wow! This is the best stew ever!" Robyn exclaimed as she practically devoured what was put before her. The fact that her food was in a crude wood bowl or cooked over an open fire seemed not to hinder her appetite at all.
Ryo laughed. "I swear, no one is more enthusiastic about food than you-- except maybe Kento."
"That's probably why we're partners," Robyn replied happily.
"Maybe," Ryo nodded. "You know, it does seem to me that each pairing shares similar personalities."
Robyn raised an eyebrow at him. "Think so?"
"Yeah. You guys might not see it because it involves you. But when I stand back and look at the different pairings, I can see similarities."
"Huh," Robyn then said, chewing on a thick piece of bread as she thought about it.
It was an interesting theory. She had to agree, Diana was a lot like Cye. Both were soft spoken and had an easy air to them. Robyn had yet, however, to see Diana freak out like Cye sometimes did. Myune and Sage were both very serious and nonsensical and both made her uneasy in their presence. Miniko and Rowen, however, were more like opposites. She liked Rowen, he was her friend. She did not like Miniko. Robyn also couldn't see any similarities between herself and Kento. In her opinion, he was everything she wasn't. Maybe for Hardrock and Strata, the pairings were meant to compliment each other and with Halo and Torrent, they were meant to be the same.
Or maybe she was just thinking way too hard about it in the first place. Either way, the stew really was pretty good.
"Please eat as much as you like," the old woman said as she sat herself at the table. "It's been a while since I've had anyone to cook for."
"Thank you so much!" Robyn grinned.
Ryo was about to say something, too, when there was a thud on the thatched roof above them. Then, in a blue of twigs and branches, a body broke through it and landed on the table. Before Ryo could stand, he already knew they were surrounded.
"Forgive us for ambushing you and dragging you off so suddenly," Diana said as she and Myune lead the way into a deeper part of the castle. They were lower than the base now, walking down a stairway which led them underground. The two priestesses in the lead each had lit torches to light their way. "We really wanted to talk to you alone and this was the best opportunity we had."
"It's fine," Miniko shrugged. "But what is it you wanted to talk about? And what does it have to do with me knowing my way around the castle a bit?"
Mia followed closely behind, all ears at what was being said. Every little thing she learned about this place was so fascinating.
"You will soon begin to remember much more than that, I'm sure," Myune stated as she led them down a deep cavern. "Observe."
She held up her torch high and Mia and Miniko suddenly saw a painting on the wall they had not realized was there.
The two stepped back, trying to take in the whole mural. It was huge.
"Down here is a record of all the important events in our history," Myune explained.
Just like the ancient Egyptians did, Mia thought. The more she saw, the more she was convinced this world had no idea which culture it was supposed to be.
"This picture," Myune continued. "Depicts the pact the four Priestesses made with the Gods. When the first Armor Bearers abused their power, the Gods became angry. In so much that they threatened to destroy the entire world for the transgressions of five men." At the top of the mural was a bloody scene in which figures resembling the five armors were killing people and burning the land. To the left of it, four white personages were kneeling in front of an alter.
"The four priestesses from each corner of the kingdom pleaded with the Gods to not destroy the world just because of these men. So the Gods struck a bargain with them. If those four women were willing to stain their purity in blood, they would be granted a certain authority over the armors. Thus, they agreed. Each priestess sought out an armor bearer and tricked and killed him. This sealed that priestess to that armor in the blood of the first wearer."
Another part of the mural depicted this. White figures stained in blood held glowing orbs with them.
"Who is this?" Miniko asked, pointing to a fifth figure holding the mantle of Wildfire.
Myune looked up at it. "The armor of Wildfire was far too powerful for any of the priestesses to handle and its wearer was far too cunning to be tricked. It was the first prince of Falnan who finally beat him and took Wildfire for himself, leading the people into a prosperous age. The four priestesses supported him and found four others of high virtues to take the other armors and follow him."
The bottom of the mural expressed a happy kingdom with the four armors serving the brilliant white armor of Inferno.
"So, is this the real origin of the armors?" Mia asked. "They were really forged by gods?"
She had been too timid to speak until now. Mia already had loads of questions, but she also knew that she was being suffered to be there and they could kick her out at any time. She finally dared one small question from them.
"Yes," Diana answered sweetly. "No other beings but the Gods could make something so powerful and so in balance with neither a good nor evil side."
"But how do you know this for sure?" Mia ventured one more question. "What proof do you have this is where the armors came from?"
"Because they're still here," Myune answered without a moment of thought.
This answer surprised Mia greatly.
"What do you mean by that?" Miniko asked for her this time.
"Gods still walk this world as is their pleasure," Myune answered. "One in particular." Her faced darkened slightly at the mention if it. "A god without a temple roams this world and tampers with it as he pleases."
Myune glanced at Mia. It was obvious the woman was about to lay out a new set of questions.
"But that is not why we're here," Myune quickly cut her off. "This way."
She led them down the hall to a different painting on the wall. This one Mia had a hard time deciphering what it was supposed to mean. Glorified figures Mia decided must be gods were at the top. The rest of the painting was cut in half diagonally. One half dark, the other light. In the middle were four lines of light which were scribbled in circular pattered between the two side. Mia thought the lights almost looked like souls.
"This," Myune announced. "Is how the blood pact we made works. While the armors can have many different bearers as are designated by us, we as priestesses are bound to the armors for all time. When we die, our spirits are thrown back out into new bodies and we become the priestesses again. No matter where we are born."
She turned to Miniko. "This is why the castle seems so familiar and why many more things will be coming back to you as the days go on. This was the fate you–we chose for ourselves long ago."
Miniko nodded grimly. Suddenly, a lot of things in her life made sense.
"And this is Robyn's fate, too," Mia surmised. "She was also a priestess in another life."
Myune and Diana looked at Mia with wide, alarmed eyes. Mia was taken aback. Wasn't that the logical conclusion? What did she say?
"I'm afraid Lady Hardrock's case is quite different," Myune said. "The soul of the previous Guardian of Hardrock was not reincarnated."
Miniko didn't know why, but that alarmed her for some reason.
"Why not?"
Robyn stood in silent alarm and just stared. The large man in black had crashed through the roof and was now crouched on the table between her and Ryo. There was nothing in the way to protect her and the eyes behind the black mask looked as though they knew it.
Though she was well aware of the man's muscles tightening to strike, she could not move. Fear had frozen her to where she stood. The man lunged, but Robyn still couldn't move. For a second, she thought her time was up. But then, Ryo grabbed the man from behind and hurled him the opposite way into the wall.
"Robyn," he called as he climbed over the table to her. Many more enemies were crowding in through the door and windows of the small shack.
"Stay behind me, okay," Ryo said. "Don't let them separate us."
Robyn nodded dumbly. She had no idea what to do. The kind old woman that had took them in was crouched next to them. Robyn took her arm, knowing the woman was even more helpless than she.
Ryo's subarmor had already been summoned as he looked the situation over. He had no room to call upon his armor without bringing the whole shack down on top of them. They were surrounded and he was the only one capable of defending himself. This did not look good at all. Ryo backed up closer to Robyn. He knew he would never be able to forgive himself, nor would any of the others forgive him, if he let anything happen to her.
There was a span of silence, as if all life on earth stood still as Ryo stood against staggering odds. Then, they all rushed him. He gritted his teeth for the impact. Four or five men were on him all at once. Ryo could hear Robyn's worried voice calling to him as he struggled against them. As he fought, he wondered why they were coming at him to hold him down and not attacking with weapons.
Before the thought was finished, he knew why. Another man was walking towards him with a small bag of glittery powder in his hand.
'No! They're going to try to stop me from calling on Wildfire!' his mind panicked. If anything else, he had to make sure they couldn't seal him from the one thing he could easily beat them with. 'I have to get out of here and call my armor!'
Ryo struggled harder, wishing his was the strength of Hardrock's at the moment. He managed to get one arm free, but it wasn't enough. He heard Robyn cried again and looked helplessly as they had, indeed, been separated. Two other men were advancing on her and backing her into a corner. Robyn looked more frightened than he had ever seen her.
'I have to do something, quick!'
With lack of alternative, Ryo did the only thing he could think to do. He let his legs fall out from under him and slipped out of the enemy's grip. He rolled under the table and popped up on the other side, finally free. Ryo's next move was to try and get back to his friend. One step towards Robyn, and Ryo was cut off as more of the black-clad men jumped in his way.
'This is no good! They're everywhere I turn!'
Without any other option left to him, Ryo suddenly threw himself out the window behind him. A few of the men looked surprised, but then followed: one or two out the window and the rest out the door.
Ryo paused only a second to see who was behind him, then he took off for the field.
'Good. Most of them are coming after me. I just need enough space to armor up before they seal it off from me. Please hold on, Robyn. I'll be back for you.'
Back inside, Robyn watched wide eyed as Ryo disappeared out the window. Where was he going? Something inside told her he would definitely come back for her. But still, she was terrified without him.
"Hey there, little girl," one of the masked men cackled at her. Three of them had stayed behind from the chase. "You're wearing the robes of a priestess."
Robyn gasped. They knew! What would they do to her now that they knew who she was?
"What? There's no way," another man said. "This can't be the Priestess of Hardrock. We were sent to the wrong place."
"He's NEVER wrong," the first man insisted. "You know that."
"There's one way to tell," the third man then piped up. "Come on, girlie..."
Robyn gasped when their attention was turned back to her.
"So? Let's see your powers."
"I...I don't..." Robyn was cut off as her shoulder was thrust into the wall.
"I said show me," the man growled.
Robyn coughed, having the wind knocked out of her. "But I don't have any," she choked.
"Sure you do," one of the others laughed cruelly.
Robyn's eyes grew wide with fear as finally one of them pulled out a weapon. She stared at the shiny katana blade like a deer caught in headlights.
"We just might have to persuade it out of you a little..."
Myune didn't turn from the wall as she looked up at the mural. She was silent for so long, Diana was wondering if she should speak for her. But then, Myune breathed in.
"The Priestess of Hardrock," she began slowly, carefully. "Did not...fulfill her duty. After choosing a new bearer for the armor, she broke her covenant with the gods. Thus, her life was ended and her spirit thrust into eternal darkness. This left the gods to choose a new spirit to replace her."
Mia's head was reeling with this new information. She wanted to ask so much! What was the covenant? How was it broken? What was meant by 'her life was ended'? But Mia didn't say anything. There was still something in the air that spoke Myune wasn't finished.
"You know..." she continued, finally looking at them. "I gave Lady Hardrock-Robyn- a bad time this morning, but the truth is that I am very relieved. While it is true that her lack of fighting ability does not help us, the more I see of her, the more I see how much of Minami- the previous priestess- she is not. Ever since I met her, I was worried the Priestess of the Dead just may have been reincarnated after all. But now I am certain they are not one in the same."
Diana smiled sadly. She seemed to agree that this was a good thing, but there was a hint of regret in her face.
"What if it did happen?" Mia finally got up the courage to ask. "Hypothetically speaking, why would it be so bad if, somehow, her spirit was reborn?"
Robyn fell to the floor, her head swimming in pain. One of the men had used the butt of his sword to backhand her to the ground. She struggled to get her vision back as the three men crowded around her.
"Come on, fight!" one of them taunted. "Get up and show us that strength and power you have!"
Another of them kicked her in the ribs.
"He said get up!" he hissed, drawing his sword. "If you're supposed to be some kind of decoy to the real priestess then you're in a lot of trouble."
He raised his sword to run her through.
Myune stared at Mia hard, as if troubled by the answer of that possibility.
"The Armor of Hardrock, if used correctly, has the ability to destroy this world by itself. If the original priestess were to ever come back from where we have sent her, she- it - would be... a very vengeful spirit...full of a deep hatred."
Mia wasn't sure, but she could almost feel a chilled breeze deep in the castle caverns at those words.
Splinters flew everywhere as a body exploded out the side of the shack. The black clad man rolled several times before his body fell to a halt and did not move again. The other two looked out the large hole in the wall with wide eyes.
"You–what did you do?" one of them stammered.
The small, red haired girl just stood there, staring at them with sharp, cruel eyes.
"You wanted to see..." a deeper, accusing voice came from her throat.
They looked unconvinced and the two attacked her at once. As the first attacker raised his sword, the girl grabbed his arm, using a speed her body seemed almost incapable of commanding. Even more perplexing to the man, this little girl was easily holding back his sword with one hand! He grunted against the block until the girl single handedly lifted him and threw him off his feet. The man's body was hurled into the table, shattering it. It continued to sail into the far wall where it collided quite solidly, leaving a deep imprint.
The remaining man looked at her with surprise.
"You mean you have–"
Not even looking up, the girl clenched her small fist and punched the rock stove next to her. The thing crumbled like it was nothing. The man took a step back. It was clear to him now that this was the real thing and he was a bit over powered. He quickly retreated back, grabbing his unconscious comrade before disappearing.
Without any more enemies to fight, the red haired girl stalked outside. Her green eyes bore a deep malice as she looked around the countryside.
"Robyn!"
She glanced at the voice sharply. A group of horses came running up over the hills and her expression softened at the sight of their riders.
"Hey you guys," Robyn waved cheerfully. She wasn't sure why, but she was quite happy to see them.
Rowen was the first to get off his horse and rush to her, putting his arms around her shoulders and rubbing his check against hers.
"Hey Robyn!" he greeted.
"What's wrong with you?" Robyn responded, not sharing the enthusiasm.
"Mmm...separation anxiety."
"Whatever. You're such a dork," she retorted, pushing him off.
"Woah, what happened to you?" Kento then asked, noticing the other side of her face which was sporting a large bruise at her temple. "Were you attacked?"
Sage and Captain Darris were already observing the scene. It was obvious there was something that had happened. Though there were no bodies, the small hut nearby looked in ruins.
"Oh yeah!" Robyn recalled. "These guys came in all around us. Ryo tried to stop them, but they were everywhere and they chased him off. One of them hit me, but then I was out here."
She looked around. How DID she get out there?
"Hey guys," a fully armored Ryo called as he came over the hill. However, he was not alone and everyone gasped at his companion.
Captain Darris instinctively grabbed his sword.
"It's okay," he told everyone. "Don't worry. This beast shouldn't--"
"Kya!" Robyn cried out as she ran to them, hugging Ryo's companion around the neck. "You found us, White Blaze! You're such a smart, handsome boy!"
Ryo laughed. "I guess that means you're okay, huh Robyn?"
Darris looked befuddled. "You–you already know of him?"
"White Blaze?" Kento asked. "Oh yeah, he and Ryo go WAY back. I suppose he's part of your history, too?"
Darris nodded blankly.
"So what happened, Ryo?" Cye asked as he approached them. Robyn was still petting and sweet talking the tiger, seeming not to care.
"Well," Ryo recalled. "A bunch of those guys we've been having problems with attacked us. They were trying to seal up my armor before I could call it so I ran off, trying to get some space. But they ambushed me out there a ways." He pointed to a grove a trees. "For a minute, I thought they had got me with that powder stuff, but White Blaze showed up and I was able to call Wildfire. Then they ran off."
"I see," Sage said, rubbing his chin in thought. "What were you guys doing out here, anyway?"
"Ohmygosh!" Robyn suddenly gasped. She jumped to her feet and looked around. "That old lady, Ryo, what happened to her?"
Ryo blinked and looked around. "I don't know," he admitted.
Robyn ran off to the old shack where the woman had lived. Her memory was fuzzy. She knew the woman was there when the intruders first crashed through the roof. Then, it was like she was gone.
The group hurried to search the hut to see if she was still inside.
"This was a house, you say?" Cye coughed as he climbed through the crumbling door.
Robyn looked around, she couldn't understand. The place was not in the shape she had remembered. Everything looked old and dusty and empty. Like no one had lived there in years and years.
"I don't understand. We had lunch here. This place wasn't like this."
Ryo, who had now armored down, nodded. This wasn't right somehow. Where had that woman gone?
"Well, she's obviously not here," Captain Darris announced. "We've searched everywhere. People of this town know its countryside well. Perhaps she found a good hiding spot."
Ryo and Robyn looked at each other, not sure what to believe.
"I...guess..." Robyn relinquished.
White Blaze butted his head against her hip as if letting her know it was okay. She smiled as she patted his head. After a few more minutes of searching, the group had to finally give up and head back to the castle.
As they left, a figure watched them go from the hill with the lone carved tree.
I found you finally, my Lady. Your path may become even more dangerous, but we will be watching you until this kingdom knows your justice.