Part 4 of 100 (It'll stop before there, I'm sure... maybe... *smiles*)
*SD TLP once again shuffles out onto the stage*
Alright minna! After much deliberation with Ely, it has been decided
that this chapter is very confusing... so, to make things less
confusing, here's a sum-up of the year that occurs between chapter 3
and this one...
First, Mamoru was found by a small foraging party from the Southern
Kingdom. He was brought back to the city, where he was nursed back to
health and enrolled in a sort-of training school for guards. There,
he met up with Andrew and quickly became friends. Unfortunately,
Mamoru has no recollection of his past, due to the strain on him from
the previous events coupled with his exposure to the cold. He has now
taken the name Darien upon himself... ^_~
Secondly, Usagi has been poisoned by the Yoma's seed. *boos and
hisses heard -- TLP closes canned annoyance* She, too, carries no
remembrance of her past and plans are being made for her to be wed to
King Kashue. She is now known as Serena by the Southern Kingdom, who
all know her for her kindness and warmth. She has also somehow gained
a very commanding presence...
Thirdly, a war has erupted between the Terindya and Southern kingdoms.
All available youth have been called to war, which is occuring
primarily in the highlands and forests between the two warring
kingdoms. However, several garrisons of troops have remained behind
to protect the main city, in case it falls under attack. Mamoru, now
known as Darien, has risen to the rank of Lieutenant in the City Guard,
while Andrew has just been brought in to fill a vacancy in the Royal
Guard.
Finally, as war is not looked on favorably amongst the common people,
King Kashue has scheduled a street fair and parade to try to relieve
the sullen attitude that has fallen over the city...
That is all, enjoy! *SD TLP scampers off stage... SD Mehgth and SD
Dae-chan chase after him with forks and knives shouting "Pork, pork,
bacon, and ham... are you hungry? I know I am!"*
ONE YEAR AFTER THE EVENTS DETAILED IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER:
People crowded into the streets as parades led their way down the
street. Armored troops were everywhere, sent out to keep the peace
and make sure her majesty was not to be hurt in the celebration.
Music filled the air, but could barely be heard above the roaring
crowds. Children laughed at the street magicians, as coins were pulled
out of the air and balls disappeared from their site. Pickpockets too,
were making their rounds through the crowds, helping themselves to the
riches the day promised.
"Hoi! Darien!" called a friendly voice from the crowd.
Darien turned. "Andrew! Long time no see..."
The friends embraced each other in a mutual bear-hug.
"So what have you been up to Darien? Look at you... have you risen in
rank again?"
Darien raised an arm behind his neck and smiled sheepishly. He pointed
to a ribbon hanging from his leather armor. Andrew looked at it, then
stared in amazement.
"Honorary city guard? WOW! That's great Darien. Just remember who
your friends are when you hit the high ups, ne?"
Darien smiled. Andrew had been his training buddy all through school.
They had graduated together, Darien with high honors, and Andrew
showing an entire lack thereof. But despite the difference they showed
in training, they had quickly become best friends. The two musketeers,
they had been called. Numerous times one had stood up for the other.
Picking a fight with Darien, would result in fighting with Andrew; and
vice-versa.
Fighting was all Darien remembered, before training school was a black
gap. He woke every night with nightmares. And despite his good looks,
had found it hard to commit to anything and generally didn't like being
in the company of giddy females. He knew there was something that he
had to continue living for... something he had to rescue, but he
couldn't think of it. Whenever he got closer, he felt like he was
getting pulled further away...
"What about you Andrew? What have you been doing?"
Andrew smiled broadly and held out his chest, proudly displaying the
ribbon he carried.
"Can I believe my eyes?" asked Darien, "You? A member of the Royal
Castle Guard? And here you're telling me to remember you..."
The friends laughed together.
And then there was a lot of commotion. Darien looked out into the
street to see a swarm of city guard surrounding a child. The child
couldn't have been older than nine years. Darien ran out into the
mess, his duty remembered.
When he arrived, one of the guards had the young lad pinned underneath
a leaden foot. The youth's face was planted down in a puddle of water.
"Rick, that is most certainly enough!" Darien shouted, already in
action and back to commanding. He pushed forward through his men, and
went to pick the lad up.
"There now," Darien said, upon finding the boy little more than
confused. "Under what authority was this child assaulted?"
"Mine!" said a voice from behind Darien. Darien spun around to see his
commanding officer mounted on his black steed.
"Sir!" Darien saluted. Rick also saluted, without a word.
"What's going on here?" asked the commander.
"Sir," said Rick. "The boy tried to assault her majesty, the lady
Serena..."
"I hardly believe that the boy's intention was to harm the la..."
snapped Darien.
"That's enough! One more outburst from you Lieutenant Shields and I'll
have your position! Take the boy away!" The commander's words cut
like blades. He then turned to the carriage that held her majesty.
"I apologize for the disturbance created by this lad, m'lady. If my
lieutenants were more responsible, it would never have happened. I
take full responsibility for this."
Darien felt himself beginning to get angry. His hands clenched, but
he still held his tongue.
"Take the boy away Lieutenant Shields. Lock him away in the dungeon,
and I don't want to hear another word of this incident!"
"Sir! He is but a youth! You have no ri--"
"Silence! Lieutenant, you have no right to undermine my authority.
Take the boy away."
"No sir! I can not... will not... obey this request, even from a
commanding officer. Even if it means sacrificing my position in the
city guard which I strove so hard to achieve..."
"Lieutenant! We can discuss this at another time!" The commander
turned to the carriage once again, and bowed to the lady it held,
intending to apologize for his suboordinate's words... but his own
words were cut off by Darien's.
"I will not be silenced! You can not expect to throw another person
into those dungeons. They are already past their maximum capacity!
People are dying down there! To throw such a young boy in there would
be murder!" Darien's eyes glowed a fiery red, his fighting spirit
awakened in the argument.
The commander turned to his suboordinate. Anger was clearly etched
into every part of his face. He opened his mouth to spit a string of
obscenities, but found himself silenced as the men before him all bowed
lowly. The commander turned, to find that the Lady Serena had come
forward from her sitting place.
"Commander. While I am not familiar at all with the chain of command,
I do believe I have authority over you in this matter. Is that not so?"
Her words were harsh, but flowed with an unmatched charismatic charm.
"Yes, m'lady. The boy tried to assault you. I only wanted to do what
was rig--"
"What was right commander? Is taking the life of a small child right?
Let him go. He has done nothing to prove that he would harm me. And
as for your Lieutenant..." she glanced at Darien and found herself lost
in his deep blue eyes. For a moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of
peace and familiarity. She felt at home in those eyes.
"M'lady?" asked the commander hesitantly.
Serena snatched herself back to the reality at hand. "You shall do
nothing to harm this man. You would do good to learn a lesson or two
from him in how to treat those you are sworn to protect."
And with that, she disappeared back into her coach. The road cleared,
and the parade resumed. The commander shot Darien a hated look, but
said nothing. Darien didn't notice. He stood a few paces from the
path the parade was taking, his jaw hanging open, and his eyes staring
forward. What was this feeling? He had looked deep into her eyes and
had found something that he seemed to remember. Something from a past
life that he had forgotten somewhere... it had felt like a dream.
Darien stood for a moment longer, before a pair of strong hands wrapped
around him and pulled him back into the crowds.
"Darien... wow, buddy. That was quite a show. I thought you were
going to be put to death there, pal," said Andrew.
Darien put a hand on his friends' shoulder to help steady himself.
"Who was she?" he wondered aloud.
"Who? Darien, man, that was the Lady Serena. The king's betrothed?
Don't tell me you didn't know that."
"I know her... from somewhere before..." said Darien.
"I'd be glad to find out from where. Nobody had heard of her before
the king suddenly brought her into the public's eye. As far as I can
tell, she was no more than a street urchin that happened to catch the
eye of royalty and was very lucky..."
"Don't call her that! She's someone special... I know it. But from
where, I don't know."
"C'mon man, I think you've been out here to long... let's get you
inside."
Andrew led his disillusioned friend down a nearby alleyway. There,
the sounds of the crowd seemed to die down into a low buzz. The two
friends leaned up against the side of a building and slid down the
stone wall, resting on the cold ground.
It took Darien a moment to recover. The events that had just taken
place all came back at once, clashing about in his head as if they
were being thrown about by a maelstrom. Where had he seen her before?
Everything seemed to want to be put together, but over half of the
pieces were missing and nothing he had seemed to want to fit together.
Andrew tapped his comrade on the shoulder.
"Wha..." began Darien, before finding a hand pressed over his mouth.
Andrew looked at him very seriously, with a solitary finger pressed
across his lips. Andrew gestured towards the other end of the alleyway.
There was a small company of men sneaking down the street, obviously
trying to avoid being seen. Andrew stood slowly, followed closely by
Darien. The two of them eased down the alleyway, away from the party.
'It was broad daylight!' thought Darien to himself. 'Who would have
the gall to try to sneak around a city in the middle of the day?' And
then it hit him. Of course! What better time to move about undetected
in a city, when you know that everyone will be somewhere else?
Andrew was in the lead as they eased around the corner. About a
hundred feet away, standing in broad daylight, was a solitary man.
There was no sign of the other men he was with.
The man looked around suspiciously, before holding something to his
lips and blowing. Several minutes later, six black-cloaked figures
seemed to materialize out of the shadows. They all came to stand in a
circle around him. The man in the middle was saying something, and
they all seemed to watch intently. He pointed suddenly towards the
merriment, and the black-clad men all turned as one. With a single
leap, three of them made it to the rooftops and stopped. The remaining
three shot down some nearby alleyways and slipped away into the shadows.
"What are we going to do?" whispered Mamoru harshly.
"Nothing for now... you go tell your commander, I'll tell mine. And be
sure to watch for any of those ninja..."
=====================================================================
Part 5 of *alright, alright, 50?... is that okay?*
Serena was growing tired of waving. It's not that she didn't enjoy
being in the position she was in, it was quite the contrary. Serena
felt that she could accomplish something for these people. She wanted
to make their lives better.
Serena had been told that she herself had come from the common folk.
Maybe that's why she felt so compelled to stand up in her position.
She thought to the incident that had happened only a few minutes
earlier. Something would have to be done about the officers in the
city guard. It should not be allowed that any person be treated so
cruely. She made it a point that the moment she rest after they return
to the castle, she would venture down to the dungeons and see for
herself what this young lieutenant had brought up.
Serena blushed. The young lieutenant with the deep blue eyes flittered
across her mind. What had she seen there? Everything had gone in to
slow motion and it was as if a broken link had been reconnected. She
felt a special connection with him from some time before, but couldn't
quite place it.
Her thoughts were interrupted at that time by a commotion coming from
the crowds around her. People were moving to either side as several
knights began to walk from the crowd. They were evenly spaced around
her carriage. Four to either side, and who knows how many beyond that.
She watched in nervous fascination as they approached her carriage.
The men were dressed in full plate armor, but moved as if they were
wearing no more than commoners' clothing.
At that moment, everything stopped. The commoners' commotion died to
no more than the buzz of annoyance. Guards before her all toppled to
the ground as if blown over by a strong gust of wind. Even the air
around Serena's carriage seemed almost to solidify.
Serena opened her mouth to scream, but found she could not vocalize it.
It felt like a hand had an iron grip on her throat and would not let
any words escape it. She bit her lip in utter frustration and screamed
inside. Her breath came in ragged gasps, seized now by the same unseen
intruder. The last thing she saw was the silhoutte of a man
materialize from the air in front of her. And then all was black...
On the other side of the city, Darien raced to the front gates. If
those men were inside the city gates then there was only a few
possiblities as to how they could have done so. Darien took every
alley-way and shortcut he could come across. So intent was he on his
destination, he did not notice the presence of two black-clad
individuals running to either side of him.
And then everything went in to slow motion for Darien. He was
running forward with all his force, intent on making it to the
guardhouse at the front gates at one moment. The next, Darien found
himself trying to stop as a hill-giant walked into the street several
yards in front of him. The giant lifted his sword and prepared it to
cleave Darien in two. Darien couldn't stop, he had to much momentum
into his running already. He picked his pace back up, hoping to be
able to leap out of the way of the sword. He counted silently to
himself his steps... "1..." Darien was closing the gap... "2..."
the sword began to swing... "3..." Darien planted his foot into the
cobblestone road... "4..." Darien knew he wouldn't make it he had
misjudged the giant's speed... "5..." the sword began to connect with
Darien's midsection, he winced knowing that it was over. He screamed
in desperation the first thing that came to mind:
"USAGI!!!"
And then he was standing thirty yards behind the giant, with only a
scratch which hadn't even drawn blood. He felt slightly lightheaded,
but the feeling passed quickly. He didn't even venture a guess as to
what could have occurred, but instead began running for the gate once
more.
As far as he could tell, his assailants did not follow. Usagi? Who
was Usagi? And where had that come from? The name sounded so familiar,
but distant. Darien shrugged off the feeling and redoubled his efforts.
On the other side of town, a very nervous Andrew was running into the
castle screaming for the Royal Guard to respond. The castle was more
empty now than he had ever seen it. All of the servants had been
excused for the day in celebration of the parade. Still, members of
the Royal Guard were to be posted in every hall at all times, holiday
or not. Where was everyone?
Andrew continued running. Several moments later, he slowed to a halt.
"This is hopeless... nobody is here. Where could they all be?" he
murmured aloud.
As Andrew stood in the otherwise empty hallway catching his breath,
voices floated on the breeze to him. They were difficult to understand,
but he began his walk in that direction and listened, trying to
recognize the voices.
"What about my payment?"
"Payment? You double-crossed your own king and all for what? A couple
of coins? You poor fool, if money is that important to you then here."
Andrew heard the jingle of coins as he peered into a room at the end of
the hall. He almost gave himself away as he gasped in surprise at the
sight before him. He recognized one figure as Rick. The other was
dressed in full armor and wore the sigil of the Terindya kingdom.
Ryan reached out to catch the sack that had been thrown at him. As his
hand clasped about the bag, the second figure pulled his sword and
sliced sideways into Rick. The movement was so fluid, Andrew saw only
a flash of light as the drawn metal caught the light of the torches and
then saw the Terindyan man with his arm outstretched. Andrew gasped.
The sword glowed an unholy purple. It seemed to distort the very air
around it and let loose a scream like that of a thousand dead souls.
Rick's face contorted in a grimace of disbelief.
"Lord Falken?"
A thin line of red began to seep through his clothing. Falken smiled
evilly.
"What a fool... why should I let one live who has betrayed his own
country?"
Rick's torso slid from his body. The money that was so precious to him,
still clutched in his hands. Falken reached over and tore a clean
scrap of cloth from the lifeless torso. He wiped his sword with it,
and slid the eerie blade back into the scabbard.
Andrew let a sigh of relief as those horrible screams were sealed away.
Andrew stood and turned, intent on moving away from the situation as
soon as possible. He felt his belt loosen, and his sword slid off,
clattering to the ground. The sound echoed endlessly down the empty
corridors. And without thinking, Andrew grabbed his sword and was
running in the same fluid motion...
Serena found herself unable to move and very, very uncomfortable. A
gag had found itself between her teeth, but at least she could breath
again. She opened her eyes, but everything was dark. They had
blindfolded her too... why had this happened? How had this happened?
She would discuss matters with both the city and royal guard when she
was rescued. If she was rescued. She thought briefly of Lieutenant
Darien coming to her rescue, cutting men with a single swing of his
sword, and looking as handsome as ever -- even in the middle of combat.
She imagined once more looking into his deep blue eyes. She lost
herself for a moment in the depth that those eyes carried. And then
she shook the feeling.
What was she thinking? How could she think it? She was in love with
Kashue. He had found her, had helped her, and she owed it to him to be
his bride. And she loved him... but deep down inside she knew that he
was not for her. And all of these things that he had said to her about
her past... she couldn't even remember most of them. There was a
connection with that other man though, something from a past that she
had forgotten. What was so special about this lowly Lieutenant that
would make her so flustered just to think of him? She cursed herself
and her poor memory.
The ride came to a halt rather quickly and she found herself on what
she imagined was the floor of a carriage. Rough hands grabbed at her,
and lifted her. She found herself flung over a massive shoulder like
a sack of potatoes.
It was a long time before she was finally put down, and very
uncomfortably at that. Serena clenched her teeth in both pain and
frustration. She didn't know the exact time that she had been bound,
but it had become uncomfortable a long time ago.
A voice began to speak. It was to her...
"My dear. I apologize about the way you were treated as you were
brought here, but I assure you, it was necessary for speed and your
well-being."
'Well being my foot,' thought Serena. 'If they were looking after my
well-being, then they would have asked me to come in the first place
and it wouldn't have been nearly so uncomfortable.' She found a pair
of hands fumbling at the gag around her mouth. The moment she found
it loosened, she spit at whatever figure was in front of her.
"HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP ME! THE RIDE WAS TERRIBLE AND I WAS MOST
ASSUREDLY NOT HAPPY. I AM SERENA AND I AM TO MARRY KASHUE, KING OF THE
SOUTHERN KINGDOM. HOW DARE YOU DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FO..."
A hand slapped across her face. It stung.
"They've done something to you... my beloved Usagi... How could you
have forgotten your father?" A hand gently caressed her cheek, and
she tried to bite it, growling menacingly when she found her teeth
would not clench around her prey.
"Please, take her away to her room. I must consult with the old woman
about my alternatives at this point..." stated the voice sadly.
A fist found its way into Serena's stomach, and everything went black.
Darien ran faster than he had ever run before, but his goal was now in
sight. He hadn't realized the exact depth of the city until this day.
The guard station lay silent, the door shattered from its hinges. The
gate hung wide open, anyone could gain access to the city...
Darien cautiously peered inside the guard house. The smell of dead
bodies filled his nostrils. He reeled in disgust and threw up outside
the door.
"Captain?" he shouted, in hopes that his commanding officer would show.
Darien slumped to the ground outside, his back pressed up against the
warm stone of the guard station. His mind wandered through everything.
How had anyone gotten inside the city? Guards were on duty everywhere...
it just didn't make any sense. Darien's mind raced through all of the
possiblities, and his mind settled on one.
He stood, and raced back in to the guard house. This time, he managed
to hold his stomach. Darien glanced over the bodies. These were not
freshly killed. Their blood had clotted and the flesh had begun to
rot in many places. The site of a bug crawling from one of the
soldier's eyes turned Darien's stomach again, and he once again found
himself throwing up in front of the station.
A voice cleared itself before him, noting him to the presence of
another. Darien looked up to find himself entirely surrounded by the
black-clad ninja clan. Directly in front of him stood a human, and
behind him the hill-giant.
The human was dressed in light common clothing, and carried only a
small hunting knife at his belt. But his commanding presence let
Darien know... this is who he had been taught under all circumstances
to avoid. This man was a sorcerer.
Darien stepped backward quickly into the building and closed the
remnants of the heavy oaken door. He ran for various pieces of
furniture that littered the room and threw them in front of the door,
barricading himself into the room. But it took him far too long to
gather any of those things... and an attack still hadn't come. Why?
And then smoke began to pour into the room...
Andrew ran through the hallways of the castle. He had grown up in the
castle, being related to the king through marriage. He thanked that
fact, and used all of his knowledge to take every shortcut and
passageway that would lead him quickest outside. His breathing came in
ragged gasps, and the soft pad of his boots echoed through the
corridors. Oddly though, there was no sound of pursuit.
'That's funny,' thought Andrew as he rounded the last corner that led
into the courtyard.
He found himself blocked off. The metal gate that sealed off the
palace to guests at night had at sometime been closed. He rushed to it
in desparation and started to open it, but it was a slow process. He
had raised the gate an inch off the ground when a set of footsteps
sounded through the hallways...
=====================================================================
*SD TLP once again shuffles out onto the stage*
Alright minna! After much deliberation with Ely, it has been decided
that this chapter is very confusing... so, to make things less
confusing, here's a sum-up of the year that occurs between chapter 3
and this one...
First, Mamoru was found by a small foraging party from the Southern
Kingdom. He was brought back to the city, where he was nursed back to
health and enrolled in a sort-of training school for guards. There,
he met up with Andrew and quickly became friends. Unfortunately,
Mamoru has no recollection of his past, due to the strain on him from
the previous events coupled with his exposure to the cold. He has now
taken the name Darien upon himself... ^_~
Secondly, Usagi has been poisoned by the Yoma's seed. *boos and
hisses heard -- TLP closes canned annoyance* She, too, carries no
remembrance of her past and plans are being made for her to be wed to
King Kashue. She is now known as Serena by the Southern Kingdom, who
all know her for her kindness and warmth. She has also somehow gained
a very commanding presence...
Thirdly, a war has erupted between the Terindya and Southern kingdoms.
All available youth have been called to war, which is occuring
primarily in the highlands and forests between the two warring
kingdoms. However, several garrisons of troops have remained behind
to protect the main city, in case it falls under attack. Mamoru, now
known as Darien, has risen to the rank of Lieutenant in the City Guard,
while Andrew has just been brought in to fill a vacancy in the Royal
Guard.
Finally, as war is not looked on favorably amongst the common people,
King Kashue has scheduled a street fair and parade to try to relieve
the sullen attitude that has fallen over the city...
That is all, enjoy! *SD TLP scampers off stage... SD Mehgth and SD
Dae-chan chase after him with forks and knives shouting "Pork, pork,
bacon, and ham... are you hungry? I know I am!"*
ONE YEAR AFTER THE EVENTS DETAILED IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER:
People crowded into the streets as parades led their way down the
street. Armored troops were everywhere, sent out to keep the peace
and make sure her majesty was not to be hurt in the celebration.
Music filled the air, but could barely be heard above the roaring
crowds. Children laughed at the street magicians, as coins were pulled
out of the air and balls disappeared from their site. Pickpockets too,
were making their rounds through the crowds, helping themselves to the
riches the day promised.
"Hoi! Darien!" called a friendly voice from the crowd.
Darien turned. "Andrew! Long time no see..."
The friends embraced each other in a mutual bear-hug.
"So what have you been up to Darien? Look at you... have you risen in
rank again?"
Darien raised an arm behind his neck and smiled sheepishly. He pointed
to a ribbon hanging from his leather armor. Andrew looked at it, then
stared in amazement.
"Honorary city guard? WOW! That's great Darien. Just remember who
your friends are when you hit the high ups, ne?"
Darien smiled. Andrew had been his training buddy all through school.
They had graduated together, Darien with high honors, and Andrew
showing an entire lack thereof. But despite the difference they showed
in training, they had quickly become best friends. The two musketeers,
they had been called. Numerous times one had stood up for the other.
Picking a fight with Darien, would result in fighting with Andrew; and
vice-versa.
Fighting was all Darien remembered, before training school was a black
gap. He woke every night with nightmares. And despite his good looks,
had found it hard to commit to anything and generally didn't like being
in the company of giddy females. He knew there was something that he
had to continue living for... something he had to rescue, but he
couldn't think of it. Whenever he got closer, he felt like he was
getting pulled further away...
"What about you Andrew? What have you been doing?"
Andrew smiled broadly and held out his chest, proudly displaying the
ribbon he carried.
"Can I believe my eyes?" asked Darien, "You? A member of the Royal
Castle Guard? And here you're telling me to remember you..."
The friends laughed together.
And then there was a lot of commotion. Darien looked out into the
street to see a swarm of city guard surrounding a child. The child
couldn't have been older than nine years. Darien ran out into the
mess, his duty remembered.
When he arrived, one of the guards had the young lad pinned underneath
a leaden foot. The youth's face was planted down in a puddle of water.
"Rick, that is most certainly enough!" Darien shouted, already in
action and back to commanding. He pushed forward through his men, and
went to pick the lad up.
"There now," Darien said, upon finding the boy little more than
confused. "Under what authority was this child assaulted?"
"Mine!" said a voice from behind Darien. Darien spun around to see his
commanding officer mounted on his black steed.
"Sir!" Darien saluted. Rick also saluted, without a word.
"What's going on here?" asked the commander.
"Sir," said Rick. "The boy tried to assault her majesty, the lady
Serena..."
"I hardly believe that the boy's intention was to harm the la..."
snapped Darien.
"That's enough! One more outburst from you Lieutenant Shields and I'll
have your position! Take the boy away!" The commander's words cut
like blades. He then turned to the carriage that held her majesty.
"I apologize for the disturbance created by this lad, m'lady. If my
lieutenants were more responsible, it would never have happened. I
take full responsibility for this."
Darien felt himself beginning to get angry. His hands clenched, but
he still held his tongue.
"Take the boy away Lieutenant Shields. Lock him away in the dungeon,
and I don't want to hear another word of this incident!"
"Sir! He is but a youth! You have no ri--"
"Silence! Lieutenant, you have no right to undermine my authority.
Take the boy away."
"No sir! I can not... will not... obey this request, even from a
commanding officer. Even if it means sacrificing my position in the
city guard which I strove so hard to achieve..."
"Lieutenant! We can discuss this at another time!" The commander
turned to the carriage once again, and bowed to the lady it held,
intending to apologize for his suboordinate's words... but his own
words were cut off by Darien's.
"I will not be silenced! You can not expect to throw another person
into those dungeons. They are already past their maximum capacity!
People are dying down there! To throw such a young boy in there would
be murder!" Darien's eyes glowed a fiery red, his fighting spirit
awakened in the argument.
The commander turned to his suboordinate. Anger was clearly etched
into every part of his face. He opened his mouth to spit a string of
obscenities, but found himself silenced as the men before him all bowed
lowly. The commander turned, to find that the Lady Serena had come
forward from her sitting place.
"Commander. While I am not familiar at all with the chain of command,
I do believe I have authority over you in this matter. Is that not so?"
Her words were harsh, but flowed with an unmatched charismatic charm.
"Yes, m'lady. The boy tried to assault you. I only wanted to do what
was rig--"
"What was right commander? Is taking the life of a small child right?
Let him go. He has done nothing to prove that he would harm me. And
as for your Lieutenant..." she glanced at Darien and found herself lost
in his deep blue eyes. For a moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of
peace and familiarity. She felt at home in those eyes.
"M'lady?" asked the commander hesitantly.
Serena snatched herself back to the reality at hand. "You shall do
nothing to harm this man. You would do good to learn a lesson or two
from him in how to treat those you are sworn to protect."
And with that, she disappeared back into her coach. The road cleared,
and the parade resumed. The commander shot Darien a hated look, but
said nothing. Darien didn't notice. He stood a few paces from the
path the parade was taking, his jaw hanging open, and his eyes staring
forward. What was this feeling? He had looked deep into her eyes and
had found something that he seemed to remember. Something from a past
life that he had forgotten somewhere... it had felt like a dream.
Darien stood for a moment longer, before a pair of strong hands wrapped
around him and pulled him back into the crowds.
"Darien... wow, buddy. That was quite a show. I thought you were
going to be put to death there, pal," said Andrew.
Darien put a hand on his friends' shoulder to help steady himself.
"Who was she?" he wondered aloud.
"Who? Darien, man, that was the Lady Serena. The king's betrothed?
Don't tell me you didn't know that."
"I know her... from somewhere before..." said Darien.
"I'd be glad to find out from where. Nobody had heard of her before
the king suddenly brought her into the public's eye. As far as I can
tell, she was no more than a street urchin that happened to catch the
eye of royalty and was very lucky..."
"Don't call her that! She's someone special... I know it. But from
where, I don't know."
"C'mon man, I think you've been out here to long... let's get you
inside."
Andrew led his disillusioned friend down a nearby alleyway. There,
the sounds of the crowd seemed to die down into a low buzz. The two
friends leaned up against the side of a building and slid down the
stone wall, resting on the cold ground.
It took Darien a moment to recover. The events that had just taken
place all came back at once, clashing about in his head as if they
were being thrown about by a maelstrom. Where had he seen her before?
Everything seemed to want to be put together, but over half of the
pieces were missing and nothing he had seemed to want to fit together.
Andrew tapped his comrade on the shoulder.
"Wha..." began Darien, before finding a hand pressed over his mouth.
Andrew looked at him very seriously, with a solitary finger pressed
across his lips. Andrew gestured towards the other end of the alleyway.
There was a small company of men sneaking down the street, obviously
trying to avoid being seen. Andrew stood slowly, followed closely by
Darien. The two of them eased down the alleyway, away from the party.
'It was broad daylight!' thought Darien to himself. 'Who would have
the gall to try to sneak around a city in the middle of the day?' And
then it hit him. Of course! What better time to move about undetected
in a city, when you know that everyone will be somewhere else?
Andrew was in the lead as they eased around the corner. About a
hundred feet away, standing in broad daylight, was a solitary man.
There was no sign of the other men he was with.
The man looked around suspiciously, before holding something to his
lips and blowing. Several minutes later, six black-cloaked figures
seemed to materialize out of the shadows. They all came to stand in a
circle around him. The man in the middle was saying something, and
they all seemed to watch intently. He pointed suddenly towards the
merriment, and the black-clad men all turned as one. With a single
leap, three of them made it to the rooftops and stopped. The remaining
three shot down some nearby alleyways and slipped away into the shadows.
"What are we going to do?" whispered Mamoru harshly.
"Nothing for now... you go tell your commander, I'll tell mine. And be
sure to watch for any of those ninja..."
=====================================================================
Part 5 of *alright, alright, 50?... is that okay?*
Serena was growing tired of waving. It's not that she didn't enjoy
being in the position she was in, it was quite the contrary. Serena
felt that she could accomplish something for these people. She wanted
to make their lives better.
Serena had been told that she herself had come from the common folk.
Maybe that's why she felt so compelled to stand up in her position.
She thought to the incident that had happened only a few minutes
earlier. Something would have to be done about the officers in the
city guard. It should not be allowed that any person be treated so
cruely. She made it a point that the moment she rest after they return
to the castle, she would venture down to the dungeons and see for
herself what this young lieutenant had brought up.
Serena blushed. The young lieutenant with the deep blue eyes flittered
across her mind. What had she seen there? Everything had gone in to
slow motion and it was as if a broken link had been reconnected. She
felt a special connection with him from some time before, but couldn't
quite place it.
Her thoughts were interrupted at that time by a commotion coming from
the crowds around her. People were moving to either side as several
knights began to walk from the crowd. They were evenly spaced around
her carriage. Four to either side, and who knows how many beyond that.
She watched in nervous fascination as they approached her carriage.
The men were dressed in full plate armor, but moved as if they were
wearing no more than commoners' clothing.
At that moment, everything stopped. The commoners' commotion died to
no more than the buzz of annoyance. Guards before her all toppled to
the ground as if blown over by a strong gust of wind. Even the air
around Serena's carriage seemed almost to solidify.
Serena opened her mouth to scream, but found she could not vocalize it.
It felt like a hand had an iron grip on her throat and would not let
any words escape it. She bit her lip in utter frustration and screamed
inside. Her breath came in ragged gasps, seized now by the same unseen
intruder. The last thing she saw was the silhoutte of a man
materialize from the air in front of her. And then all was black...
On the other side of the city, Darien raced to the front gates. If
those men were inside the city gates then there was only a few
possiblities as to how they could have done so. Darien took every
alley-way and shortcut he could come across. So intent was he on his
destination, he did not notice the presence of two black-clad
individuals running to either side of him.
And then everything went in to slow motion for Darien. He was
running forward with all his force, intent on making it to the
guardhouse at the front gates at one moment. The next, Darien found
himself trying to stop as a hill-giant walked into the street several
yards in front of him. The giant lifted his sword and prepared it to
cleave Darien in two. Darien couldn't stop, he had to much momentum
into his running already. He picked his pace back up, hoping to be
able to leap out of the way of the sword. He counted silently to
himself his steps... "1..." Darien was closing the gap... "2..."
the sword began to swing... "3..." Darien planted his foot into the
cobblestone road... "4..." Darien knew he wouldn't make it he had
misjudged the giant's speed... "5..." the sword began to connect with
Darien's midsection, he winced knowing that it was over. He screamed
in desperation the first thing that came to mind:
"USAGI!!!"
And then he was standing thirty yards behind the giant, with only a
scratch which hadn't even drawn blood. He felt slightly lightheaded,
but the feeling passed quickly. He didn't even venture a guess as to
what could have occurred, but instead began running for the gate once
more.
As far as he could tell, his assailants did not follow. Usagi? Who
was Usagi? And where had that come from? The name sounded so familiar,
but distant. Darien shrugged off the feeling and redoubled his efforts.
On the other side of town, a very nervous Andrew was running into the
castle screaming for the Royal Guard to respond. The castle was more
empty now than he had ever seen it. All of the servants had been
excused for the day in celebration of the parade. Still, members of
the Royal Guard were to be posted in every hall at all times, holiday
or not. Where was everyone?
Andrew continued running. Several moments later, he slowed to a halt.
"This is hopeless... nobody is here. Where could they all be?" he
murmured aloud.
As Andrew stood in the otherwise empty hallway catching his breath,
voices floated on the breeze to him. They were difficult to understand,
but he began his walk in that direction and listened, trying to
recognize the voices.
"What about my payment?"
"Payment? You double-crossed your own king and all for what? A couple
of coins? You poor fool, if money is that important to you then here."
Andrew heard the jingle of coins as he peered into a room at the end of
the hall. He almost gave himself away as he gasped in surprise at the
sight before him. He recognized one figure as Rick. The other was
dressed in full armor and wore the sigil of the Terindya kingdom.
Ryan reached out to catch the sack that had been thrown at him. As his
hand clasped about the bag, the second figure pulled his sword and
sliced sideways into Rick. The movement was so fluid, Andrew saw only
a flash of light as the drawn metal caught the light of the torches and
then saw the Terindyan man with his arm outstretched. Andrew gasped.
The sword glowed an unholy purple. It seemed to distort the very air
around it and let loose a scream like that of a thousand dead souls.
Rick's face contorted in a grimace of disbelief.
"Lord Falken?"
A thin line of red began to seep through his clothing. Falken smiled
evilly.
"What a fool... why should I let one live who has betrayed his own
country?"
Rick's torso slid from his body. The money that was so precious to him,
still clutched in his hands. Falken reached over and tore a clean
scrap of cloth from the lifeless torso. He wiped his sword with it,
and slid the eerie blade back into the scabbard.
Andrew let a sigh of relief as those horrible screams were sealed away.
Andrew stood and turned, intent on moving away from the situation as
soon as possible. He felt his belt loosen, and his sword slid off,
clattering to the ground. The sound echoed endlessly down the empty
corridors. And without thinking, Andrew grabbed his sword and was
running in the same fluid motion...
Serena found herself unable to move and very, very uncomfortable. A
gag had found itself between her teeth, but at least she could breath
again. She opened her eyes, but everything was dark. They had
blindfolded her too... why had this happened? How had this happened?
She would discuss matters with both the city and royal guard when she
was rescued. If she was rescued. She thought briefly of Lieutenant
Darien coming to her rescue, cutting men with a single swing of his
sword, and looking as handsome as ever -- even in the middle of combat.
She imagined once more looking into his deep blue eyes. She lost
herself for a moment in the depth that those eyes carried. And then
she shook the feeling.
What was she thinking? How could she think it? She was in love with
Kashue. He had found her, had helped her, and she owed it to him to be
his bride. And she loved him... but deep down inside she knew that he
was not for her. And all of these things that he had said to her about
her past... she couldn't even remember most of them. There was a
connection with that other man though, something from a past that she
had forgotten. What was so special about this lowly Lieutenant that
would make her so flustered just to think of him? She cursed herself
and her poor memory.
The ride came to a halt rather quickly and she found herself on what
she imagined was the floor of a carriage. Rough hands grabbed at her,
and lifted her. She found herself flung over a massive shoulder like
a sack of potatoes.
It was a long time before she was finally put down, and very
uncomfortably at that. Serena clenched her teeth in both pain and
frustration. She didn't know the exact time that she had been bound,
but it had become uncomfortable a long time ago.
A voice began to speak. It was to her...
"My dear. I apologize about the way you were treated as you were
brought here, but I assure you, it was necessary for speed and your
well-being."
'Well being my foot,' thought Serena. 'If they were looking after my
well-being, then they would have asked me to come in the first place
and it wouldn't have been nearly so uncomfortable.' She found a pair
of hands fumbling at the gag around her mouth. The moment she found
it loosened, she spit at whatever figure was in front of her.
"HOW DARE YOU KIDNAP ME! THE RIDE WAS TERRIBLE AND I WAS MOST
ASSUREDLY NOT HAPPY. I AM SERENA AND I AM TO MARRY KASHUE, KING OF THE
SOUTHERN KINGDOM. HOW DARE YOU DECIDE WHAT IS BEST FO..."
A hand slapped across her face. It stung.
"They've done something to you... my beloved Usagi... How could you
have forgotten your father?" A hand gently caressed her cheek, and
she tried to bite it, growling menacingly when she found her teeth
would not clench around her prey.
"Please, take her away to her room. I must consult with the old woman
about my alternatives at this point..." stated the voice sadly.
A fist found its way into Serena's stomach, and everything went black.
Darien ran faster than he had ever run before, but his goal was now in
sight. He hadn't realized the exact depth of the city until this day.
The guard station lay silent, the door shattered from its hinges. The
gate hung wide open, anyone could gain access to the city...
Darien cautiously peered inside the guard house. The smell of dead
bodies filled his nostrils. He reeled in disgust and threw up outside
the door.
"Captain?" he shouted, in hopes that his commanding officer would show.
Darien slumped to the ground outside, his back pressed up against the
warm stone of the guard station. His mind wandered through everything.
How had anyone gotten inside the city? Guards were on duty everywhere...
it just didn't make any sense. Darien's mind raced through all of the
possiblities, and his mind settled on one.
He stood, and raced back in to the guard house. This time, he managed
to hold his stomach. Darien glanced over the bodies. These were not
freshly killed. Their blood had clotted and the flesh had begun to
rot in many places. The site of a bug crawling from one of the
soldier's eyes turned Darien's stomach again, and he once again found
himself throwing up in front of the station.
A voice cleared itself before him, noting him to the presence of
another. Darien looked up to find himself entirely surrounded by the
black-clad ninja clan. Directly in front of him stood a human, and
behind him the hill-giant.
The human was dressed in light common clothing, and carried only a
small hunting knife at his belt. But his commanding presence let
Darien know... this is who he had been taught under all circumstances
to avoid. This man was a sorcerer.
Darien stepped backward quickly into the building and closed the
remnants of the heavy oaken door. He ran for various pieces of
furniture that littered the room and threw them in front of the door,
barricading himself into the room. But it took him far too long to
gather any of those things... and an attack still hadn't come. Why?
And then smoke began to pour into the room...
Andrew ran through the hallways of the castle. He had grown up in the
castle, being related to the king through marriage. He thanked that
fact, and used all of his knowledge to take every shortcut and
passageway that would lead him quickest outside. His breathing came in
ragged gasps, and the soft pad of his boots echoed through the
corridors. Oddly though, there was no sound of pursuit.
'That's funny,' thought Andrew as he rounded the last corner that led
into the courtyard.
He found himself blocked off. The metal gate that sealed off the
palace to guests at night had at sometime been closed. He rushed to it
in desparation and started to open it, but it was a slow process. He
had raised the gate an inch off the ground when a set of footsteps
sounded through the hallways...
=====================================================================