Hi folks! Sorry it was such a long gap... But i was sick of my old plot and basically had to come up with something new entirely... now my plotline is fresh on my mind. Enjoy! PS I'm still on break so I'm gonna try to write some more and head towards the finish line... ^_^
Date: 1/11/13. shucks. why does time go by so fast?
Disclaimers: Miyazaki is clearly responsible for lighting my imagination on fire. :P Quite the wildfire now... I can't stop writing. :O
Chapter 12: Into the Darkness
Nausicaa stirred awake and frowned sleepily, partly at the uncomfortably bright sunlight but mostly about something unknown tugging uneasily at her conscience. As the rest her senses pulled out of sleep she became aware of a man shouting from outside her room. She recognized that voice well, low and reverberating into the deepest parts of her soul reserved for those she treasured the most. The intense frustration she heard in it called her at once out of the warmth of her bed. In haste she threw on an outfit and flung open the door to see the commotion.
"Get your hands off me!" Asbel fiercely snarled at the guards that were quickly closing in on him. "There's no way we can be under arrest!" Nausicaa stood there bewildered and trying to make sense of the drama before her. The guard refused to back off and regarded him coldy.
"You are in fact under arrest and this is the only way to do it. Please come with us now or we'll have to use brute force." Then the man noticed Nausicaa frozen at her doorway.
"You as well, Miss. King's orders." Asbel looked up and instantly their eyes locked on each other. She confusedly searched him for an explanation, but only found terror ablaze in the fiery hazel.
"Why?" she fearfully asked the guard. "What's happening?"
"We're simply following orders," the leader enunciated with as much feeling as a stone statue. Before Nausicaa could object two more guards appeared on either side of her and took hold of her arms. Her muscles turned unresponsive and her tongue refused to move, while hundreds of questions flashed through her mind. Anxiety twisted into a deep, horrified betrayal, and incredulity washed over her countenance.
Asbel was in complete despair; had all their efforts gone to waste? Had they trekked halfway across the world, gone this entire way just to have their pilgrimage abruptly end with unexplained arrest? Even if Mulsa was fated to be out of their reach, could he not at least protect Nausicaa from danger? The one person he swore to never let in harm's way! In torment he watched innocent confusion turn into fearful shock in her expressive brown eyes as she continued to absorb everything.
"No! Let her go! She doesn't deserve this!" He howled at them pleadingly, and struggled to free himself from their grasp. His anguish was reflected in Nausicaa's eyes in the form of pure heartbreak. She looked back at him like he was mad.
"Stop it Asbel!" she cried. "You'll hurt yourself!"
"I'm not letting you come with me!" He wriggled all the harder, getting bruised from the restrictive contact of hands, ropes and weapons.
"I need you to cooperate..." the guard tensely muttered to him. The man tightened his grip on an obstinate Asbel.
"Asbel please! Stop for a moment and think!" She begged him. "What you're doing is useless!" She was taking this road with him no matter where it led... or did he still not know that? Furthermore, they were so outnumbered that resistance was not an option...
"She has nothing to do with this! Let her go!" He furiously insisted, and wildly kicked a subordinate guard in the shin. The man uttered a suppressed yelp of pain in response. Finally the first guard got sick of Asbel's antics and gave him a firm blow to his head with the butt of his gun. Gripped with anguish Nausicaa reached for him, screaming his name and feeling his pain shoot through every fiber of her being. He grunted and fell to his knees, unharmed for the most part but very stunned. Cruelly the guards pulled him back up and they started walking.
"Come on now; work with us," they commanded. Defeatedly he stumbled back to a standing position and trudged with the guards towards their unknown place of confinement. On their way to the cells Nausicaa quickly realized that one member of their party was missing.
"Where's Kitson?" She whispered to Asbel with urgency, who like her, had his arms tied behind him and was walking alongside her.
"Don't know," he muttered in resignation. "He wasn't in the room when I woke up this morning." She speedily brainstormed all the places he could possibly be.
"You think the guards have him?" she asked in a lower voice so that the uniform-clad men around her wouldn't hear her.
"I doubt it; the guards had to search through my room to make sure he wasn't hiding anywhere."
"That's good to know..." she sighed in relief; a minuscule smile raised the corners of her lips. "Smart little guy. I bet he knew something was coming." she mused to herself.
The guards led them through a myriad of mysterious passages and staircases, each hallway looking darker and more ominous than the last. Determination steadily began to build in Nausicaa's soul; she wasn't going to let Sarkil have all the fun. The sneaky Merinthian might have the upper hand temporarily, but she would find a way to turn the tables. Nevertheless she needed to survey the playing field before she could make a move...it was time to extract a bit of information.
"Where are we going?" She inquired innocently.
"You'll find out soon enough." Rasped one of the guards.
Nausicaa had an impeccable sense of direction and observed the direction of the sunlight through the few tiny windows they had passed thus far. In her mind she visualized the layout of the Palace and the locations of the buildings relative to each other. If they were heading east and took a turn just then... they must be walking in the direction of the Conservatory.
"Are we going to the Conservatory?" She asked out of curiosity.
"Of course not; we're going to the cells."
"And they're inside the Conservatory?" She prodded again with feigned child-like naivety.
"No." boomed a uniformed gentle giant walking next to her. "They're underneath the Conservatory."
"Are they connected?"
"Everything's connected here. All the buildings within the Palace have underground passageways leading to each other."
"Oh." was her last remark as a self satisfied smile touched her lips. Information acquired.
In time they reached the prison. Like all the other underground tunnels, the passageway was well lit, though the stone walls gave everything a wash of dismal grey. Nausicaa and Asbel peered into the cells to behold other prisoners relatively well fed, despite looking as unamused and bored as any incarcerated man would be. The individual chambers appeared dreary, though not filthy or torturous in any way. The couple entered their empty cell in silence; the lock clicked shut behind them. They turned around to sullenly watch the guards retreat. Asbel still fumed from the whole injustice.
"This is ridiculous. We should've been on the plane by now; but here we are stuck in jail without even an explanation." Asbel began to pace back and forth across the concrete floor; he was increasingly annoyed with the current situation. Nausicaa sensed his tempermental state and watched concernedly from the other end of the cell.
"None of this makes sense." He spat, continuing to think out loud. "Sarkil knows we need the plant, we were treated as royal guests yesterday, and yet somehow we are now trapped in a prison cell. Why?"
"I don't know." She sighed frankly. Asbel growled in vexation and gave the steel bars surrounding them a violent shake.
"This is so frustrating! Can someone please tell us what's happening!" He cried suddenly, coming to stand still. Nausicaa gently took his hand and looked sympathetically into his eyes. The Pejite stopped his train of thoughts, his anger distracted by her composure as she quietly remained beside him. She understood his worry and wasn't going to say a word until his frantic breathing gradually slowed back down. When he looked into her eyes again he noticed the same gentle yet determined expression he had seen on her face 4 years ago in the sand caves under the Toxic Jungle. Instead of meticulously observing hollow tree trunks, this time she was carefully watching his every emotion.
Frustration was replaced by helplessness and Asbel eventually plunged downwards to sit on the floor. Nausicaa followed him and rested her head on his shoulder, and for a couple minutes they absorbed the calmness of the silence.
"I'm sorry..." he murmmered, but Nausicaa quieted him.
"Shh...Stop that. This is not your fault." The dark emptiness seemed to reverberate through the cells, drowning out all other noises.
"Now what?" He sighed exhaustedly, tilting his head to rest on top of hers.
"We find the plant."
"What?" He whined, reluctance audible in his tone of voice.
"Sarkil placed us within 100 feet of the Conservatory." she argued logically.
"You don't even know if it's in the Conservatory. And exactly how do you plan on getting past these bars?" He questioned skeptically.
"I don't know. But we'll figure something out." Her steady voice reassured him. Silence passed between them.
"You're crazy." He declared with a half chuckle.
"Did you just notice?" She replied sarcastically and gave a yawn.
Kitson crept stealthily along an empty hallway, cautious of every sight and sound that came his way. His only goal was to get out of the building without being noticed by too many people. So far things were going well; he had picked a quiet route and had a good sense of direction. As he progressed towards the front of the building, he passed a man that gave him a curious glance. Aware that a small boy walking alone looked inevitably suspicious, Kitson sped up his pace and pretended to have lost his way.
What a crazy morning! He had woken up before the crack of dawn that day, due to old habit, and decided to go exploring through the building. The corridors were completely lifeless save for a servant with the odd housekeeping job. After a half hour he was familiar with the floor plan of a good portion of the building, much to his delight. But when he turned a corner and heard footsteps from the other end, he panicked. The clink of armor told him it was guards, and he quickly searched for places to hide. To his terror the hallway was completely barren of objects... except for a massive, antique flower vase.
"Not again..." He sighed to himself, then walked up to it and jumped in. As the guards marched by he overheard their conversation; from the footsteps it sounded like two men.
"We're arresting them now? But they just got here."
"I know, but it's the King's order."
"They're not gonna like it... we should probably get more people. Oy, Arthur!"
"You two on the morning shift too, eh?" Came a voice much farther away.
"We've got some people to pick up!"
"Who?"
"The three that came in yesterday!"
"You mean the couple and the young boy?"
"Yep!"
"But isn't the girl a Princess from the Valley?"
"How should I know? King's orders."
Kitson lay motionless inside. He knew last night's ordeal was too good to be true; but what to do now? Could he go warn Nausicaa and Asbel? No, there wasn't enough time to wake them both up and escape. He needed to get out of the Palace - tell Tersa and Yupa. Wasting no time, he instantly crawled out of the vase and started his trek out of the Palace. When he reached the main lobby, it was the busiest time of the morning, bustling with visitors and businessmen alike. He scanned the hundreds of people and was shocked to see the same guards at the door as when they entered yesterday.
"Can I help you? Are you lost?" A voice startled Kitson. The young lad turned to see a kindly attendant and immediately put on his most forlorn expression.
"Yes please. Which way is the gardens? My parents were going there next and I lost track of them."
"Oh of course. Take those doors you see in front, and the gardens are to your right."
"Thank you!" He deftly snatched a hat from an unaware visitor, and inched towards the doors. Covering his face with the hat and eyeing the guards apprehensively, the boy took a deep breath.
And then he ran.
"Mom! Dad! Wait up!"
The guards looked up in surprise and chuckled.
Late in the afternoon Sarkil sat pensively at his desk, gazing out the window overlooking his kingdom; his hand carefully traced the familiar knob of his golden seal. He was quietly mulling over something, and at the moment his thoughts involved two visitors he had just rudely thrown into jail. He felt slightly sorry for them; watching others in their misery was not particularly entertaining to him. Nevertheless he made his decisions from a very practical standpoint, valuing first and foremost the well being of the people of Merinth. Standing at a close second was the security of his reign of course, and he gave little concern for others if it didn't affect either of those two things.
He experienced no remorse in imprisoning them. Anything related to Mulsa had to be settled with precision, and no risk of things going wrong. That plant was history, and he preferred to keep it that way. This particular situation was also unique; he was dealing with one very famous Nausicaa. His dark brows furrowed sharply as he connived how he might use this as an opportunity to benefit himself and Merinth...
He stopped his dark thoughts with a bemused chuckle; it was so considerate of them to waltz into the Palace. In fact if he had heard another report of 5 visitors relentlessly digging through Merinth for Mulsa, he'd have to send men to hunt them down and bring them in. Annoyance resurfaced on his thin, sharp-nosed face as he sighed wearily to himself... how on earth did they even hear about the damned plant, let alone its origins? He thought he was done cleaning up that mess from so many years ago.
He finished his current task on hand and called a servant into the room.
"Tell the guards to bring in Nausicaa and the Pejite; I'd like to speak to them."
Ten minutes later his two newest prisoners entered the room, escorted by a bunch of guards. Sarkil understood the agitated expressions on their faces, and decided to treat them in as civilized a manner as possible. After all, they were completely innocent and perfectly harmless.
"Apologies for the unkind treatment this morning. I had no other choice but to keep you here until I had the chance to talk with you."
"Arrest was hardly necessary!" Asbel snapped impulsively.
"Mmm, no I wasn't really trying to arrest you...I'm just making sure you don't go anywhere. So you're more like 'under surveillance', you see." He explained casually.
"You could have just told us to stay put." Nausicaa jumped in, disgust showing in her features.
"No my dear, I stopped relying solely on verbal orders a long time ago. A little bit of enforcement is always required."
"You gave us your word! You said you would help us!" Asbel denounced accusingly.
"I never promised you anything." The King stated matter-of-factly. "I only said the matter would be resolved; this is my way of resolving it." At this point Sarkil raised himself out of his chair and began to slowly circle around the desk towards them.
"I'm going to make a deal with you. I will let you go, and you can leave Merinth unharmed and in peace - but only if you swear to never speak of Mulsa again. Do not ask for it, do not tell anyone about it; just return home and pretend as though you never left.
"You're telling us to give up?" Nausicaa challenged defiantly. "Leave it all behind when we've travelled halfway around the world just for this plant?"
"If you want to leave Merinth in one piece, yes." He responded bluntly. Olive green eyes looked carefully at the two of them.
"Can Mulsa cure gullera?" Nausicaa stepped forward.
"I cannot tell you the answer to that." A haughty smile curled the corners on his lips, highlighting his aquiline features.
An elusive way of answering yes, she thought to herself.
"Where is it stored?" She demanded.
"You think I would tell you?" He retorted mischeviously, eyebrows raised. But the expression disappeared as quickly as it came and the serious look returned. "You don't know how dangerous this plant is, not to mention how much trouble it has caused me."
"How can it be dangerous when it's supposed to cure a sickness?" She bounced back immediately, catching the hint of a backstory.
"Stop asking questions you know I won't answer!" He hissed irritatedly as he sent her a sideways glare. "You're wasting my time; this is your last chance to drop everything and leave. If you don't cooperate... well, be forewarned that I will go to extreme measures to get my way."
"Then you should know we won't leave until we find the answers." Asbel returned resolutely. The bearded man sighed, clearly disappointed.
"Then I'm afraid I cannot help you." He stated plainly. "Take them back to the cells."
Nausicaa and Asbel returned to their place of confinement. Their accomodations consisted of a simple matress and a stone bench; near the back, behind a stone wall, lay a simple toilet. They sighed to themselves.
"We are going to get very bored, very soon." Nausicaa groaned.
"Better get used to it." Came another voice. Nausicaa and Asbel both turned to the barred window on their right. Presently an aged man waddled up to the window. He looked nearly seventy due to his scraggly, bearded appearance and white hair.
"Hello." Nausicaa greeted him.
"Hi. Name's Findel. Lewis Findel."
"I'm Nausicaa, and this is Asbel. We're not from around here."
"I can tell;" the man croaked, "You don't look Merinthian at all. What brought you here?"
"It's quite a long story." Asbel noted.
"We've got time." Lewis joked with a hearty smile.
They sat down to describe their entire journey: from Gullera, to Healer Kerlin, to their current hunt for Mulsa. The elder man seemed to pale a little at their mention of Mulsa, but his hair gave him such a whitish appearance that neither Nausicaa or Asbel could notice it in the dim light. He seemed particularly curious about the doctor Kerlin, and listened very intently to their story. At the end of it he sighed gloomily.
"Well, looks like you encountered the same fate I did."
"What are you in jail for?" Nausicaa inquired. Lewis was about to answer when guards approached Nausicaa and Asbel's cell and began unlocking the door.
"The king would like to speak to Nausicaa."
"What now?" She grunted, getting up from her seat. "Pleasure talking with you Lewis."
"You too princess." The man returned. Nausicaa leaned toward Asbel and touched her lips to his forehead.
"I'll be right back." She sang sweetly.
"Be careful." He urged her. Before departing with the guards she turned around and treated the two gentlemen to a confident, almost radiant smile.
"You are one lucky lad." Findel remarked when she disappeared up the staircase.
"I know." Asbel replied.
Everybody good so far? Haha sorry it's been a while; even I had to go back and reread the chapters previous to this to remind myself what I was writing about. :P But hey, I liked my older chapters ... hope I'm keeping up with the standard. Review if you have time! Thanks everyone for reading.