**Yet another Taiora from me! This one is going to be ONLY Taiora, sorry to disappoint anyone out there hoping for either Mimato, Michi or Sorato. If anyone wants one of those couples, please review and say so, and I'll try my best to start one after I finish this fic and "War Torn". Anyway, this is a fic dealing with magic and sorcery, so I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I am enjoying writing it!**
The Ring
Prologue: The Ring Keeper
She ran through the night carrying something small in her arms. What the object was, no one knew. Splashing through puddles of murky water, the woman clad in dark brown garbs raced through the streets of Medieval England, desperately seeking solace from the one who was relentlessly chasing after her. Suddenly stopping at a small church, the woman rushed inside, slamming the door behind her.
"Who's there?" a middle age Friar asked as he lit a candle and walked toward the shivering woman and her bundle. The woman lowered her brown cloak, revealing her pale face and brown hair.
"I am being chased through the night by a stranger. Could you take my baby and make sure she stays safe within these walls until my return?" The woman pleaded, her cinnamon eyes large and hopeful. The Friar scratched his chin slowly, then put his arms out to receive the child.
"Oh thank you, Friar. Her name is Sora. I just gave birth to her two months before this time. I will be back by daybreak. Please take good care of Sora until then, kind Friar." The woman said, placing her child into the robed man's arms. Before replacing her cloak, the woman looked one last time into her baby's face.
"Be good for the Friar Sora. Mother will be back very very soon." The woman whispered to the sleeping infant, who moved slightly and cuddled into the Friar's robe. The Friar smiled down at the child and ushered the woman along.
"My lady, I give you my solemn vow that this child will be safe from all harm. But you must flee, as your pursuer might be catching up to you." The Friar said quietly, his blue eyes dark with sadness. The mother took a small ring off her finger and placed it on a leather string, which she put around her sleeping child's neck.
"Don't let her lose this ring, for it has powers too great to measure. Hide it from her until her sixteenth year, then present it to her on her birthday, the twenty third of September." The woman ordered.
"You will be coming back, my lady. I know you will." The Friar replied, a determined look crossing his face.
"Yes, I will be coming back. But those instructions must be carried out in the even that I do not return. Please, promise me." The woman whispered, her voice choking with emotion.
"But-" The Friar cried.
"Promise me!" The woman commanded, her eyes begging.
"I promise you." The Friar whispered, looking from the woman to the sleeping child in his arms. The woman put her cloak back on and opened the door, hurrying out into the dark night air. Looking wistfully out toward the shadow of the woman, the Friar turned and closed the door, walking toward his room. He put the tiny child in a small wooden bed beside his own and fell into a deep sleep. Around the baby's tiny neck, the ring glowed a soft blue light.
The woman ran down the street once again, fleeing from the one who'd been hunting her. She stopped at an alley and hid behind a cart filled with dirt. She could hear footsteps walking down the alley, and knew she'd been caught. Suddenly the cart was tossed aside, and the woman's pursuer was standing before her. He was very tall with black hair and dark brown eyes. The woman took a breath and cringed as he reached down and grabbed her by her garment, dragging her into the air. He set her down roughly and looked her square in the eyes.
"Where is the ring, Serene?" the man asked angrily. The woman looked away from the man, who, enraged, threw her against the wall of the alley. She landed with a thump, but struggled to rise to her feet again.
"Serene, where is the damned ring?" the man commanded, his voice rising in volume.
"I won't tell you. Never." Serene cried, trying to make a break for the open street. The man grabbed Serene and threw her back against the wall. This time the woman did not move. The man shook the woman, and screamed in rage when he found her dead.
"Master, have you the ring?" a short little man asked as he limped forward. A taller more healthy man stood behind the short man, his arms crossed.
"No, Serene is dead. The ring is not on her person. Did you find the baby?" The man asked. The two men smiled evilly and revealed a tiny baby wrapped in brown cloth.
"Perfect." The man answered, a sinister grin forming on his face.
"It is a boy, master. We found him lying in the street. Serene must have left him there while she was hiding from you." The tall man stated, uncovering the child and revealing a brown hair infant around Sora's age. The man frowned and threw his hands up.
"That is not the child. Serene's child was female!" The man yelled. The other two men crouched down, almost dropping the sleeping baby boy. The baby began to wail loudly, and the tall man almost beat him on the head, but was stopped by the leader.
"Do not harm him. We do not have Serene's baby, but we do have a child. We will train him to become what Serene's child was to be. And when we find her, we will destroy her." The man said evilly, smiling cruelly down on the tiny boy, who looked up at the man with large chocolate eyes.
"What shall we call this child, master?" the short man asked, limping up to the tall man and taking the child from his arms.
"His name shall be Tai. And someday, he shall bring me the world on a plate!" The man replied, looking down at Tai and grinning meanly.
**So there's the prologue. This is the dealio: Serene is Sora's mother. She gave Sora a magical ring to protect the world from the man and his followers. The man wanted to get Serene and Sora so he could kill them, but he could only find Serene. Thinking he had Sora in his possession, he finds that the child is a boy, and calls him Tai. Tai's purpose in the fic is to become a sorcerer to bring the world to its knees for the man. So here you have it, two infant children who will decide the fate of the world are now in the hands of the ultimate good (*The Church*) and the ultimate evil (*The Man, who's name will be released in the next chapter*). I need reviews to keep this one going, and trust me, if you all review, you will like this story. The next chapter is sixteen years later when Sora finds out her past and is determined not to let her mother die in vain. Tai, also sixteen, has become a powerful young man with a heart of gold. The one who has been teaching him all these years has told him lies about the one who is coming to take over the world. What is going to happen? You have to read and review to find out!**
The Ring
Prologue: The Ring Keeper
She ran through the night carrying something small in her arms. What the object was, no one knew. Splashing through puddles of murky water, the woman clad in dark brown garbs raced through the streets of Medieval England, desperately seeking solace from the one who was relentlessly chasing after her. Suddenly stopping at a small church, the woman rushed inside, slamming the door behind her.
"Who's there?" a middle age Friar asked as he lit a candle and walked toward the shivering woman and her bundle. The woman lowered her brown cloak, revealing her pale face and brown hair.
"I am being chased through the night by a stranger. Could you take my baby and make sure she stays safe within these walls until my return?" The woman pleaded, her cinnamon eyes large and hopeful. The Friar scratched his chin slowly, then put his arms out to receive the child.
"Oh thank you, Friar. Her name is Sora. I just gave birth to her two months before this time. I will be back by daybreak. Please take good care of Sora until then, kind Friar." The woman said, placing her child into the robed man's arms. Before replacing her cloak, the woman looked one last time into her baby's face.
"Be good for the Friar Sora. Mother will be back very very soon." The woman whispered to the sleeping infant, who moved slightly and cuddled into the Friar's robe. The Friar smiled down at the child and ushered the woman along.
"My lady, I give you my solemn vow that this child will be safe from all harm. But you must flee, as your pursuer might be catching up to you." The Friar said quietly, his blue eyes dark with sadness. The mother took a small ring off her finger and placed it on a leather string, which she put around her sleeping child's neck.
"Don't let her lose this ring, for it has powers too great to measure. Hide it from her until her sixteenth year, then present it to her on her birthday, the twenty third of September." The woman ordered.
"You will be coming back, my lady. I know you will." The Friar replied, a determined look crossing his face.
"Yes, I will be coming back. But those instructions must be carried out in the even that I do not return. Please, promise me." The woman whispered, her voice choking with emotion.
"But-" The Friar cried.
"Promise me!" The woman commanded, her eyes begging.
"I promise you." The Friar whispered, looking from the woman to the sleeping child in his arms. The woman put her cloak back on and opened the door, hurrying out into the dark night air. Looking wistfully out toward the shadow of the woman, the Friar turned and closed the door, walking toward his room. He put the tiny child in a small wooden bed beside his own and fell into a deep sleep. Around the baby's tiny neck, the ring glowed a soft blue light.
The woman ran down the street once again, fleeing from the one who'd been hunting her. She stopped at an alley and hid behind a cart filled with dirt. She could hear footsteps walking down the alley, and knew she'd been caught. Suddenly the cart was tossed aside, and the woman's pursuer was standing before her. He was very tall with black hair and dark brown eyes. The woman took a breath and cringed as he reached down and grabbed her by her garment, dragging her into the air. He set her down roughly and looked her square in the eyes.
"Where is the ring, Serene?" the man asked angrily. The woman looked away from the man, who, enraged, threw her against the wall of the alley. She landed with a thump, but struggled to rise to her feet again.
"Serene, where is the damned ring?" the man commanded, his voice rising in volume.
"I won't tell you. Never." Serene cried, trying to make a break for the open street. The man grabbed Serene and threw her back against the wall. This time the woman did not move. The man shook the woman, and screamed in rage when he found her dead.
"Master, have you the ring?" a short little man asked as he limped forward. A taller more healthy man stood behind the short man, his arms crossed.
"No, Serene is dead. The ring is not on her person. Did you find the baby?" The man asked. The two men smiled evilly and revealed a tiny baby wrapped in brown cloth.
"Perfect." The man answered, a sinister grin forming on his face.
"It is a boy, master. We found him lying in the street. Serene must have left him there while she was hiding from you." The tall man stated, uncovering the child and revealing a brown hair infant around Sora's age. The man frowned and threw his hands up.
"That is not the child. Serene's child was female!" The man yelled. The other two men crouched down, almost dropping the sleeping baby boy. The baby began to wail loudly, and the tall man almost beat him on the head, but was stopped by the leader.
"Do not harm him. We do not have Serene's baby, but we do have a child. We will train him to become what Serene's child was to be. And when we find her, we will destroy her." The man said evilly, smiling cruelly down on the tiny boy, who looked up at the man with large chocolate eyes.
"What shall we call this child, master?" the short man asked, limping up to the tall man and taking the child from his arms.
"His name shall be Tai. And someday, he shall bring me the world on a plate!" The man replied, looking down at Tai and grinning meanly.
**So there's the prologue. This is the dealio: Serene is Sora's mother. She gave Sora a magical ring to protect the world from the man and his followers. The man wanted to get Serene and Sora so he could kill them, but he could only find Serene. Thinking he had Sora in his possession, he finds that the child is a boy, and calls him Tai. Tai's purpose in the fic is to become a sorcerer to bring the world to its knees for the man. So here you have it, two infant children who will decide the fate of the world are now in the hands of the ultimate good (*The Church*) and the ultimate evil (*The Man, who's name will be released in the next chapter*). I need reviews to keep this one going, and trust me, if you all review, you will like this story. The next chapter is sixteen years later when Sora finds out her past and is determined not to let her mother die in vain. Tai, also sixteen, has become a powerful young man with a heart of gold. The one who has been teaching him all these years has told him lies about the one who is coming to take over the world. What is going to happen? You have to read and review to find out!**