Well, it's Christmas Eve, and what am I doing? Caroling? Nope. Enjoying Egg Nog and feel-good family Christmas movies? Nope.
I'm finishing my next chapter!
Oh well, I want to, and I only have an hour, so this has got to be quick.
Quick notes:
To SaturnActingChick and anyone else…In the song in chapter 10, there isn't any actual Relina Bashing. (Sorry to disappoint) It's actually referring to that damn insane *$#@& who was attempting to blow up L7 in hopes to kill the Gundam pilots. (I'm actually against Relina bashing. I neither like her nor hate her.)
GlaiveGirl. Thanks for the cool rating. I'm really glad you like this. *Smiles* Birds are defiantly cool.
Shimegami Ichijouji: Glad you like this! Love Tomodachi! Write more!!!!!
I'm glad everyone is enjoying this. I'll try to keep one step ahead of my writers block.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
(And any other holidays you may celebrate!)
Please R&R!
Peace, Love and Anarchy!
~The Elemental!
Walk Through the Fire:
Chapter 12
Green Lady.
Jaznica had cleaned up the spilt tea as Cass prepared another for Duo. Handing him the cup, she motioned for him and Hotaru to follow her outside.
They headed out and along a path, enjoying the early-morning quiet. Birds chirped in the otherwise silence as each collected their thoughts, none speaking. Finally they stopped at a clear pool that was so calm and peaceful it resembled a mirror. Cass kneeled by the water's edge, and after a moment, Duo and Hotaru sat on the nearby rocks surrounding the pool.
"This is the pool of reflections. My people believe I come here to divine the hardest of truths…Really though, I come here when I need a little peace and quiet." She folded her hands into her lap, looking out at the water. Her voice seemed detached, as though she was addressing the grass or a rock, and as if none of her words mattered. "This world is such a beautiful place. It is filled with life, and death. A perfect balance. There are so many species; all co-existing…Although I can't say it's always peacefully. You know of the goblins. They are a hate-filled race, who love battle and detest peace. They are really a threat to all, but prefer to stay inside their mountain caves, and leave us forest-dwellers alone…most of the time…The Elves of this world are artists, bards and magicians. They are beauty embodied and are true friends…but you must first break through the icy barrier they hold to strangers. Once you have befriended them, you will find yourself with a strong ally, no matter how fierce the battle." Both Duo and Hotaru smiled unseen, thinking of friends they knew who shared that temperament.
That sounds just like Makoto and Setsuna…Even a little like Haruka and Michiru…
That's just like the guys…well not Quatre, he's everyone's friend…But he still doesn't have a lot of true friends. I think it's just us pilots and his Magunacs, and probably Relina and Noin…
"Our tribe and the Silversong elf tribe are allies against goblin and troll attacks. Trolls and Ogres do very little, in fact they prefer to sleep more than anything else, but should you cross even one, their entire family group will attack you, and there are few who can hold their own against a single troll or ogre, never mind twenty." She smiled, seeming to have forgotten the pair and was simply thinking aloud. Neither Duo nor Hotaru made any move to remind her.
"No one knows much of the fairies, except that they seem to exist outside time; and that they must hold a massive amount of magic, as a whole. Dwarves are solitary creatures, and spend most of their time alone, but are excellent smiths and fierce warriors. They craft all of our finer weapons. But the Green Lady…So little can be certain of her. The only thing that is certain is that she came here over a century ago, and killed the wizard Anrak not long after her arrival. Past that…It's said that she lives in a moving castle in the Forest of Shadows, and that it's never found in the same place twice. Few have seen her, fewer have lived to tell of it. It is said that she will help those who come to her, for a price, but there are few desperate enough to seek her help, and many who do find her price too steep. From those who have seen her, they say she is clothed always in green, hence her name; none know her true name. She keeps a Gyrfalcon as her familiar, and they say it is as old as she is, and as wise. None know how she has lived so long, but many whisper that she holds the key to immortality." She turned to face Duo and Hotaru for the first time.
"Your arrival here will affect this world, that much I can see. But how, and to what extent…I can not begin to fathom. But you will be the beginning, I believe, for something great. The effects have already begun."
She dipped her hand into the water's edge, sending ripples across its surface. "Your presence has begun the ripples across our future. When they will stop however…"She splashed the water, causing many more ripples to form. "Who can say? But you must seek out the Green Lady. Of all on this world, she will know the most of world crossings, and is truly your only way home. You have come through a portal you cannot re-create; she is one of the few I can name who can create portals at will. Why she remains in this world is a mystery, she has the ability and the power to move to a much more powerful realm, perhaps even the center of Diadem, but she remains, and the reason will change nothing. You must seek her out, if you ever hope to return. It is better to meet her on her own terms anyway. As I have said, she has 'removed' all other magicians to come to this world for a century. She will soon seek you out, and may not wait for any explanations. Whether you believe you are magicians or not."
Hotaru and Duo processed this. Duo was the first to speak.
"We really can't get out of this, can we? No matter what, we've got to meet her."
"Yes."
"Well that's just great." He used his fingers to tick off points. "I've been blasted, blown up, burned, dropped and bitten. Not only that, but we've both been traipsing through this world without any clue as to what's going on, and now we've got to meet some sorceress who probably wants to kill us but first we have to find her, since I doubt anyone knows where she is." Cass shook her head. "Add to that we'll be tramping through God-knows where and oh yeah, I don't have my gun. This is great."
"What is this 'gun'?"
"It's a weapon, Cass." Hotaru stood and placed a calming hand on Duo's shoulder. "It is small, but lethal, in the right hands. A similar concept to a bow and arrow."
"I see." Cass sighed and stood. "I have told you all I can, I can only hope it will be enough. Come, you must leave soon, and Duo is right, you will need weapons." She gazed at the pair. "And clothes."
Duo and Hotaru both blushed. They had been in the same clothing for the last four days, and considering what they had been through, looked quite the worse for wear.
"Follow me."
**********************************
Hotaru wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and fastened the silver filigree clasp at hr neck. A female centaur, Cass had called her Fillia, was fussing over both her and Duo.
"There, that will keep you warm at night, and compliments the rest of your garb. Duo! No No No! You have to tie the belt here…" She moved over towards him and re-tied the belt of his tunic, this time to the side.
Duo placed a hand behind his head and chuckled nervously. "Heh-heh-heh…I've never worn something like this before, sorry. It feels really strange. What about you 'Taru?"
Hotaru glanced down and smoothed out imagined creases in the dark purple tunic she now wore, layered over even darker leggings, their colour more of a black than purple. A hooded cloak hung around her shoulders, also a deep purple, but lined in crimson silk; silver embroidery winked across the purple, tracing the design of a phoenix along its hem. "I couldn't say, it is unlike anything I've ever worn, but it is comfortable." Duo nodded.
"You're right about that." He looked at his own tunic-and-legging combination. Black leggings and a crimson-red tunic, topped with a black cloak that had a dragon embroidered across its hem in red. It had taken so much to get them both to change; neither wanted to part with the last piece of their worlds, but reality had to be faced. Their clothes were too dirty and torn, and were far too inadequate for their planned expedition. Grudgingly, they had agreed to change.
"Of course they're comfortable! The Silversong elves made them. How could you expect anything less?"
"I'm sorry, we know very little of this world. These were made by elves? Is that why you have leggings as well?" Hotaru motioned towards Fillia, pointing out the fact that centaurs needed none. Fillia laughed.
"Of course! Well, you certainly are as strange as everyone says you are. Why, when Grandmother Silverarc said that you would need clothing, I took one look at you and rushed straight out to Genna, and had her whip up these for you. I hope the colors are all right?" She let the question hang.
"They're great."
"These are perfect."
Duo and Hotaru smiled. They might have said something more, but Cass had re-appeared inside Fillia's shop. "Come, we still must find weapons for you."
They headed out and entered another shop, larger this time, and filled with every weapon imaginable. Well, almost. A dwarf, not a centaur, stood behind a counter, and bowed exceptionally low when Cass entered.
"You honor me with your presence, oh wise one." He straightened.
"Elian, have you any other customers?"
"None, wise one."
"Then you can drop the formalities. They know."
The dwarf's demeanor immediately changed. He seemed to brighten, and smiled broadly. "I see. So these must be the two everyone's making such a fuss about." He nodded at Hotaru. "It was a fine thing you did there, to spare Dyan's life, and to return Shanra to us." Hotaru made to speak, but Elian raised his hands. "Even if you meant nothing by it at the time. It was a very fine thing." He flipped the counter back and motioned for them to join him among the racks of weapons. "So, what will you be needing?"
"They plan on finding the Green Lady."
Elian whistled and looked at Hotaru and Duo as if for the first time. "Strange, I thought these two still had their minds…Oh well." He shrugged. "If you're planning on tramping through the Forest of Shadows, you'll need a weapon. Preferably one you use well. Anything specific?" He motioned towards the walls. "Just walk around and see what you can use. If you have any questions, ask me."
Hotaru immediately approached Elian, while Duo searched up and down the walls. "Do you have a glaive?" Better use something I'm used to, and I can't summon the Silence Glaive, not without raising too many questions.
Elian scratched his head. "Frankly missy, I don't know. I haven't the foggiest as to what you're asking."
Hotaru sighed. It had been worth the attempt. "A long pole with a blade attached to one end."
Elian brightened and reached behind a counter, pulling out a long, black polearm. "Would this do?"
It was close to a glaive, with a shorter staff and a much broader, single blade, but it would do. She nodded and accepted the weapon. Duo walked up behind her, looking incredulous.
"You chose that? Do you even know how to use it?"
"Of course."
"Right. I picked up this. It's not too different than the one I used when training in school for a while." He showed off a blade that seemed to be a cross from an American double-edged sword, a katana and a rapier; neither fat nor thin, though rather long. Elian handed him a sheath and after a moment's hesitation, Duo strapped it to his hip. "Thanks."
"I would prefer you to both have daggers as well. First of all, they're more practical in some situations, and in case you need to defend yourself when disarmed." He held out two daggers slightly longer than Duo's hand, both sheathed in black leather, and motioned for the pair to attach them to the belts of their tunics. He then handed them two smaller knives with strange looking sheathes. "These are boot daggers. I noticed Fillia made sure you two got some proper footwear, so I'll make sure you're both equipped properly. They attach like that." He finished strapping Duo's to the inside of his boot. Hotaru followed suit.
"Thank you Elian. I don't know what I'd do without you." Cass had stepped up behind him and handed him a small leather bag.
"You'd find another dwarf swordmaster and hire him." Elian took her hand and gently kissed it, causing Cass to blush, then pull away.
"You know what I meant. Come on, we must leave. The day reaches noon, and you will need the daylight for your travels." Cass lead them out of Elian's shop, Hotaru carefully keeping her polearm, as Elian had called it, facing up at all times. The last thing she wanted to do was feed Rothar any more fuel for his plan to kill them both. Which brought up another question…
"Cass, I mean Grandmother…" I must remember not to use Cass in public! Be careful! "What did you say to Rothar when he tried to convince you we were a threat?" They approached a building, and Cass turned to face Duo and Hotaru.
"How did you know about that?"
"Shanra overheard part of the conversation…"
"I see…Smart child, for all her curiosity getting her into trouble….I simply told him that I had 'seen the truth' and that you two would never be a threat to us, unless we attacked you. He stomped off in a huff, but will do his best to stay away from you. There are none in this tribe or any others who doubt my final word. Come, you must meet your guide."
"Guide?" Startled, they both followed Cass into a final building, a small home this time.
"Aliannora! Aliannora! Where is that girl? Aliannora!"
"I'm out back!"
Cass smiled for some unknown reason, and motioned for Hotaru and Duo to follow her out a back door and into what seemed to be a dojo training ground. There were archery targets, and mannequins, weighted dummies and what seemed to be a gauntlet following one side of the fence, which surrounded the whole area and blocked anyone from seeing in. A single centaur was training against a dummy with a weighted staff. Each time she hit the dummy, its metal arms would react and she would have to block the attack or move out of the way. She gave the dummy one final smash across its side and dropped the staff, coming up towards the group and bowing.
"I praise your visit, wise one. May you see truths today." She turned and faced Duo, bowing, then bowed to Hotaru. "And you must be our honored guests. I praise your wisdom, oh merciful lady."
Cass chuckled and Hotaru blushed. "I'm not a lady, I'm just Hotaru, please. And this is Duo." Cass placed a hand on Hotaru's shoulder.
"Don't worry about her, Hotaru. She's like this with everyone, it means she likes you. She's from another tribe. Aliannora, please stand up." She motioned to Duo and Hotaru once the centaur had straightened. "Aliannora, this is Hotaru, and this is Duo. This is Aliannora from the Yamni tribe. She's our weapons master here, and will be your guide to the Forest of Shadows." Seeing the shocked look on Aliannora's face, Cass smiled. "They're looking for the Green Lady."
"Strange, I thought these two were the wise ones who brought back Shanra. They were the ones to return her, right?"
"Of course. There's nothing wrong with their minds, they need a way home, and the Green Lady is their only option."
"I see. So you two are going to need a guide to the Forest of Shadows. I assume you can use those?" She pointed to Hotaru's polearm and Duo's sheathed sword. Both nodded. "Good, but if you don't mind, I would like you to show me some of your skill, before we set out. Use those dummies over there." She pointed out the training dummies to her right.
Duo sputtered something about not needing to prove himself to anyone, but Hotaru stopped him from going any farther. "She has a right to see if what we claim is true. Come on Duo, you can go first."
Grumbling, he approached the dummies and drew his sword. With a yell he attacked, making sure to dodge the sharp arms of the dummy when it swung back. His sword glinted in the light, moving almost inhumanly fast. Within a few moments his skill was quite apparent.
"I think that's enough, Duo. You are quite good. Let me go now." Hotaru was itching to see exactly how this polearm would act in a battle, now was as good a time as any to find out. She stepped past Duo and selected a target. Breathing deeply for a moment, she waited until she was certain, then launched herself forward.
Strength was never her forte. She tired quickly and was prone to attacks, but she was fast, flexible, and very good with her weapon. In half a minute she stopped and leaned against the polearm. The dummy had been reduced to stuffing, metal shards and matchsticks.
"I guess that answers my question. I still don't see how you managed all that…Your style is unlike anything I have ever seen, Hotaru. Where did you learn?"
"It would be hard to explain. However, I have always been taught at home."
"That was amazing Hotaru! You're great with that thing….Um…What is it, anyway?"
"It's called a polearm."
"Ahem…" Cass cleared her throat. "…My work here is done, and you must leave. You will need all the light you can get. I must go. Aliannora?"
"Yes Grandmother?"
"Serve me well. Guide them true."
"Of course, Grandmother." Aliannora bowed.
"You have my blessings."
"Sprits bless."
Cass left, leaving Hotaru and Duo gazing at Aliannora in a mixture of surprise and confusion. Duo spoke first.
"So, uh….Now what?"
Aliannora straightened at last. "I'll pack some provisions for our trip. Do you wish to say goodbye to anyone?"
"Yes, Dyan and Shanra." Duo nodded.
"Then you do so while I pack, then we'd best leave. Darkness falls quickly during the red moon." Hotaru and Duo nodded, then left for Shanra's cabin, hoping to say good-bye to both her and her mother before they left.
"What are we going to do?"
"What else can we do?" Hotaru sighed. "We'll find this 'Green Lady', and go from there…"
"Great, and what if she tries to kill us?"
"I don't know for certain." A small smile appeared on Hotaru's lips. "But I happen to be rather hard to kill."
"You too huh? Man, this place is beginning to grind my nerves." Duo stretched. "Damn, its just getting weirder and weirder."
"It could be worse."
"I doubt it."
Hotaru shrugged. "It could be raining."
Duo stopped and faced Hotaru. He looked at her, then tilted his head back and laughed, long and hard. Somewhere during this, Hotaru joined him.
Wiping tears from his eyes, he extended his hand towards her. "Tell you what, 'Taru. Let's make a deal. No more feeling sorry about this, let's just keep trying to get home, alright? We've got people waiting for us!"
Hotaru examined his hand for a moment, then clasped it in her own. "Deal."
"Now, let's say goodbye to Shanra and Dyan, shall we?"
*****************************************************************
Whew!!!!! Now that was a feel good chapter if I ever did read one. Notes: Duo's got a sword, simply because I thought it'd be too uneven if they fought something if both Duo and Hotaru had a Scythe or similar weapon, and there was no way I was separating Hotaru and her Glaive, even if she didn't get one here.
I'm glad Cass came out so well, I was worried for a bit. This chapter started out as a shorter one, just the back story, and the info they'd need for their search, but I came up with the idea of Elian, and even though I changed him a bit, I liked him too much to drop completely.
I know it's bound to bug somebody that I gave them different clothes, but I'm following reality here in that they've spent four days being dragged through God knows what, and are going to look like hell. If you care, TELL ME! (Besides, I want to know what you think of their outfits in the first place!)
More info on the 'Green Lady', who, as you've probably guessed, is going to be a key figure. Expect her to pop up in the end of the next chapter, or chapter 14.
Please R&R!
I am the Breeze of Wisdom, I am the Wind of Insanity
~The Elemental