Chapter 5
" Jeez, how can you guys walk in this armor? It's so uncomfortable!" Folken grinned as Embyr fidgeted in her newly acquired armor. She was going into battle against Fried, fighting on Zaibach's side. Folken had seen her fighting, and he pitied the enemy.
" Don't even THINK of smiling! It's SO not funny! I can sense some things." Folken shrugged and turned as she continued to fidget. Dillandu walked into the room where the troops were assembling.
" All troops! ATTACK!!!" A door behind the army opened up and the fighters started streaming out. Folken took Embyr's elbow.
" Shall we?" Embyr laughed and walked forward.
" What? She can't fight! She's blind!" Dillandu was having a fit.
" Really? If you would be so kind as to remember the day I met you, Dillandu? I think I can fight just fine." Dillandu got a peeved look on his face.
As Embyr and Dillandu entered an all out battle of the wits, Folken did a flashback to the day before.
" I'm looking for someone, Folken, so I don't think that we..." He remembered the way that Embyr looked, so sad and lost.
" I understand. Well, back to training. There's a big battle tomorrow."
Folken sighed and smiled as he heard Embyr completely disarm Dillandu in one of the biggest burns ever. Folken led Embyr into the battle.
Folken and I fought back to back. The sounds of war raged all around us. Battle cries, the clang of steel, and the sound of the guymelefs filled my head, almost overwhelming. But suddenly, everything seemed to go quiet, except for the whiz of an arrow through the air. From what I could determine from the sound, it was headed straight for Folken! Since I couldn't get injured, I jumped in front of him. When the arrow hit my shoulder I fell back into him in pain. It was like a piece of white hot metal was pressed against my skin. I couldn't help it, and I screamed in pain.
Folken didn't see the arrow coming at him until the last second, and by then it was too late to move. Folken couldn't help but let out a cry as Embyr went in front of him and took the arrow to her shoulder. She fell back into him and let out a cry of pain.
" No! Embyr, are you all right?" Folken saw that the arrow had just missed her heart by inches. Van and a group of people came running in her direction. Apparently they had seen it all.
" We have to get that arrow out!" The strange girl dropped to her knees beside Embyr, who sat up, reached behind her head, and pulled off her armor like a shirt. Everyone gasped at the amount of blood that was spilling onto her shirt.
" Great...this is never...going to... come out." Despite her pain, Embyr broke the arrow at the feathers and pulled out the arrow with a gasp. The strange girl then immediately ripped a piece of her sleeve off to tie around Embyr's shoulder.
" Thank you, Hitomi." Embyr smiled gratefully at the girl. Suddenly, a white light started shining out of the wound.
Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them, and they were standing in a white room. Folken looked around. He couldn't see Embyr anywhere! Did they all die?
" What's going on here!" Folken yelled out to whoever would hear him.
" I have to tell you a story, I guess." Many voices in one body were floating above them, wearing a white cloth wrapped around her body.
" A toga?" The strange girl looked bewildered.
" Yes. I am the goddess Embyr." Everyone looked up, and in unison shouted;
" EMBYR!!!" Folken was probably the most surprised.
" Many thousands of years ago, my four sisters and I created Gaia." The room showed pictures, first of five women standing in a circle around a piece of rock, then that rock took on the shape of Gaia.
" We then returned to Earth, or the Phantom Moon, and ruled over the land. However..." She paused, holding her shoulder. The blood was making a dark stain on her shoulder.
" However, I grew fond of Gaia, and returned, in the form of the girl, Embyr, where I then went to...aaaahh..." She clutched her shoulder and moaned. The white room disappeared and they were back on the battlefield. Embyr floated down to the ground, unconscious. Folken picked her up and called to the rest of the group.
" We have to get her into a tent, on the double! You guys should stay here so you don't cause a fight in the tents." Van nodded and as the group went into battle, spoke to Folken.
" Take care of her." With that, he ran off.
As soon as he got her into a tent, he called for a healer. After examining her wound, the healer put a plant on it and told him to sit, and wait for her to wake up. Folken intended to do just that. It was his fault that she had the injury, anyway. If he had been more careful...but it was too late for that. All he had to do now was to wait. That was going to be the hard part. Just because she was a goddess doesn't mean she's invincible, as proved by the arrow. She lost a lot of blood. If she made it, it would be a miracle. He hoped she did. He eased himself into a chair, pale beyond belief. He thought of everything that they had done, and, making sure no one was there, started to cry silently. Embyr moved slightly, and Folken caught a glint of something. Blinking furiously, he bent over her. Two teardrops, one from each eye, landed on her eyelids. Ignoring that, he looked at what had caught his eyes. And gasped. The necklace...the same one he...that meant...Embyr! A flood of memories came back to him. Embyr coming to the palace during a storm, Embyr's first court dress...he could remember staring at her constantly, their first kiss, and then, when he had to leave.
" Embyr...I missed you so much...and now you've come back." Folken whispered to her as he stroked her hair out of her face.
When I woke up, I was in a tent. I couldn't feel my shoulder, which I didn't know how to take, as good or bad news. Ah, wait, there it is...pain. I had kept my eyes closed, but I could hear Folken whispering something.
" Embyr...I missed you so much...and now you've come back." What was he talking about? I felt something drop on my bandage. My necklace, he'd found it. I opened my eyes and grabbed my necklace...I could see again! I stared around the room. There was a strange man there...was THAT Folken?
" Folken, is that you?" Apparently it was, because he grinned and nodded. " Wow. You look a lot different than I thought you would." I tilted my head sideways on my pillow.
" What's that supposed to mean...you can see again!" Folken's eyes widened.
" Yep! Don't know what happened, but I guess whatever it was fixed it." Folken grinned, looking nostalgic.
" Uh-oh, someone's getting nostalgic face." I grinned.
" Your necklace, it's missing something." He sounded funny, like he was nervous or something.
" Yeah, it's missing a pearl, why?" I squinted, examining him.
" What happened to the pearl? Did it have to do with that oh so tragic story that you told me?" I lowered my eyes and nodded.
" Have I ever told you my last name? No? Would you believe me if I...if I told you that I know who has the pearl?" He looked extremely nervous at this point.
" Well, no on both questions. Once again, I ask...why?"
" Well...your gonna kill me....but...Ihavethepearlandmylastname'sDe Fanel." He spewed it out so fast that I had to go over the sentence a couple times.
" Wait a sec...you have the pearl and....your last name is...De Fanel? That means...FOLKEN!"
After Folken did a one-word sentence, he thought to himself, Well, I fell in love with the same girl twice. Imagine that.
" Wait a sec...you have the pearl and...your last name is...De Fanel? That means...FOLKEN!" She jumped into his arms. Folken held her tight, whispering in her ear;
" I lost you once, I'm not going to lose you again." She giggled and wrapped her good arm around his neck. When they kissed, this time they didn't jump away from one another.