Gaia walked back towards the tower, frustrated and angry with himself. He
didn't like feeling helpless and that's exactly what he was. No one went
against the Pharaoh. No one. He sighed.
"Well at least for a little while they'll be happy."
That thought however was shattered as soon as he entered his friend's room. Something was wrong. He searched the whole series of rooms and found no one.
"Where would they have gone at this hour?"
He sat by the table and finally saw a piece of paper. Curiosity and concern made him pick it up.
'I know now the reason you stayed silent and I don't blame you. But understand this. In the few hours I've known you, I've given you're my heart and soul. I just found you and can't bear to lose you. I'm going now to find away for us to be together, even if it's in the Deck.
Celtic'
Gaia set the note down carefully. The Elf had left. But how could he hope to find a way to stay with Dark, unless.
That was it! He was going to try and be chosen for the deck himself!
"The fool! He can't do it alone!" He cursed under his breath and went in search of Dark. He had a feeling the Magician had yet to read the note.
'Cause if he had, he would have left by now and there is no way I'm staying out of this!'
He grinned as he raced through the tower trying to find his friend. As serious as this was, it looked like fun and that is something that had been lacking in his life.
Dark looked down at his spell book but found he couldn't concentrate on the words on the paper. It had only been a few minutes after Celtic had left that the normal, comforting silence of his rooms had become unbearable. He had to leave and keep his mind off this unhappy fate.
So he had come here, to the library, to try to do something useful. But he was finding out the hard way that he couldn't. He finally closed the book and slumped into his chair, placing it on the table beside him.
"Why is it that I feel this way? I don't even know where he's from."
"Well you won't be able to learn anything if you don't get moving soon."
Dark jumped at the voice and spun out of his chair and faced Gaia.
"Did you have to sneak up on me?" The other's words sunk in. "What do you mean?"
Gaia sighed.
"Let's go back to your room for a minute there's something you might want to read." Gaia reached out and practically dragged him out of the room. He didn't like the feel of this and when they finally reached his tower room and he saw the note. That feeling grew.
Gaia passed the paper over to him and watched him closely as he read it. The paper shook in his hand as his body trembled. Something finally clicked.
"We're bonded."
Gaia raised one eyebrow and gave a small smile.
"Took you long enough, Dark. Now, one guess as to what he's going to try and do."
Dark looked at Gaia in alarm.
"He wouldn't!" The eyebrow rose a bit higher and Dark's shoulders slumped. "He would." He leaned against the table for support but just for a moment. In his mind he took a long look at himself and who he had become.
Ever since he had found out he was destined for the Deck, he had given up on this life, on happiness and as he looked back, he realized how it had affected his friends. Now there was someone in his life who showed him that there was another path he could take. That he could still find happiness.
Or that he could at least try and this wasn't a chance that he was going to throw away. He looked up at Gaia.
"Will you come with me?" The knight smiled.
"You couldn't keep me here if you tried." He turned and headed for the door. "I'm going to tell Flame what has happened. You pack up and I'll meet you at the gate. I'm pretty sure he is headed for the Temple, so we have a direction at least."
Dark nodded and watched his friend go. He looked around his room and found to his surprise that he was happy to be letting it go. No matter what happened, at the end of this his future was in the deck. But whether he was going alone was yet to be decided. He smiled and started packing.
Celtic looked around him and saw miles upon miles of sand. He sighed and shook some of the stuff out of his hair. He knew he had to keep walking, because, being the idiot that he was, he had left the tower with nothing but the clothes on his back and they weren't even his!
But it was comforting to have something of Dark's with him. It was less comforting though, to know they offered no protection.
He shook off those gloomy thoughts and continued walking; that was all he could really do. A low growl was the only warning he got and then he felt something lunge at him. He turned quickly and moved to the side, his elfin speed saving him from the jaws of the creature again behind him. He turned to face it and came face to face with a beautiful silver wolf.
He was huge, as big as a horse or larger and he could easily take Celtic down, as he had just tried. But now he didn't seem inclined to attack. They stared each other down, neither giving way until finally the wolf cocked his head to the side and sat down on his haunches.
"You don't act like any elf I've ever met before." He said it almost accusingly and Celtic was tempted to laugh. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, how am I supposed to act?" He had a feeling he knew the answer.
"I expected you to have a bow or use some kind of magic to block me." Yup he had been right. He sighed and glared at the wolf.
"So I'm not like other elves. I prefer the sword as my weapon, but as you see I don't have one so you have me at a disadvantage." The wolf looked surprised but then he gave a movement close to a shrug.
"Don't worry about it, I wasn't going to hurt you. As for using a sword, well that's interesting. An elf actually might be good with one as long as it wasn't one of those overgrown clunky metal objects that humans seem to favor."
Celtic was now confused.
"If you weren't going to hurt me, then why did you attack me?"
"I was curious as to what you were going to do. If you had attacked back, I would have backed off. I'm one of those enlisted to guard the temple and any of the races with cruel intents are to be kept away." He grinned, showing teeth. "You; fortunately are not one of those and therefore are safe."
Here he padded over to the elf.
"But why are you here? No one was summoned and that's usually the only reason that anyone ever comes here of their own free will."
"That may be, but I have no other choice but to come here, although my business at the temple is right now, mine alone to know."
Gold eyes studied red and it seemed to Celtic as if the wolf was testing him; reaching into his very heart and then those gold eyes widened in surprise and went glassy as if focusing on something else. He stayed like that for a few moments and then seemed to shake himself free.
"Well, it's still a long way to the temple and you will have to face many perils along the way. You need to be prepared." He turned and presented his back to Celtic who decided not to comment on his strange behavior before. "I'll give you a lift to the village near here."
Celtic got on to the Wolf's back and held on.
"By the way, the name's Silver Fang."
"Celtic."
Silver Fang took off with one flying leap and then they were racing across the sand. But a voice seemed to speak into the Elf's mind.
'Your heart lies within the Deck but is that truly what your soul desires? Your name is now known. Be wary of where that knowledge will lead you to.'
Red eyes met red eyes for the first time.
Both knew that it wouldn't be the last.
"Well at least for a little while they'll be happy."
That thought however was shattered as soon as he entered his friend's room. Something was wrong. He searched the whole series of rooms and found no one.
"Where would they have gone at this hour?"
He sat by the table and finally saw a piece of paper. Curiosity and concern made him pick it up.
'I know now the reason you stayed silent and I don't blame you. But understand this. In the few hours I've known you, I've given you're my heart and soul. I just found you and can't bear to lose you. I'm going now to find away for us to be together, even if it's in the Deck.
Celtic'
Gaia set the note down carefully. The Elf had left. But how could he hope to find a way to stay with Dark, unless.
That was it! He was going to try and be chosen for the deck himself!
"The fool! He can't do it alone!" He cursed under his breath and went in search of Dark. He had a feeling the Magician had yet to read the note.
'Cause if he had, he would have left by now and there is no way I'm staying out of this!'
He grinned as he raced through the tower trying to find his friend. As serious as this was, it looked like fun and that is something that had been lacking in his life.
Dark looked down at his spell book but found he couldn't concentrate on the words on the paper. It had only been a few minutes after Celtic had left that the normal, comforting silence of his rooms had become unbearable. He had to leave and keep his mind off this unhappy fate.
So he had come here, to the library, to try to do something useful. But he was finding out the hard way that he couldn't. He finally closed the book and slumped into his chair, placing it on the table beside him.
"Why is it that I feel this way? I don't even know where he's from."
"Well you won't be able to learn anything if you don't get moving soon."
Dark jumped at the voice and spun out of his chair and faced Gaia.
"Did you have to sneak up on me?" The other's words sunk in. "What do you mean?"
Gaia sighed.
"Let's go back to your room for a minute there's something you might want to read." Gaia reached out and practically dragged him out of the room. He didn't like the feel of this and when they finally reached his tower room and he saw the note. That feeling grew.
Gaia passed the paper over to him and watched him closely as he read it. The paper shook in his hand as his body trembled. Something finally clicked.
"We're bonded."
Gaia raised one eyebrow and gave a small smile.
"Took you long enough, Dark. Now, one guess as to what he's going to try and do."
Dark looked at Gaia in alarm.
"He wouldn't!" The eyebrow rose a bit higher and Dark's shoulders slumped. "He would." He leaned against the table for support but just for a moment. In his mind he took a long look at himself and who he had become.
Ever since he had found out he was destined for the Deck, he had given up on this life, on happiness and as he looked back, he realized how it had affected his friends. Now there was someone in his life who showed him that there was another path he could take. That he could still find happiness.
Or that he could at least try and this wasn't a chance that he was going to throw away. He looked up at Gaia.
"Will you come with me?" The knight smiled.
"You couldn't keep me here if you tried." He turned and headed for the door. "I'm going to tell Flame what has happened. You pack up and I'll meet you at the gate. I'm pretty sure he is headed for the Temple, so we have a direction at least."
Dark nodded and watched his friend go. He looked around his room and found to his surprise that he was happy to be letting it go. No matter what happened, at the end of this his future was in the deck. But whether he was going alone was yet to be decided. He smiled and started packing.
Celtic looked around him and saw miles upon miles of sand. He sighed and shook some of the stuff out of his hair. He knew he had to keep walking, because, being the idiot that he was, he had left the tower with nothing but the clothes on his back and they weren't even his!
But it was comforting to have something of Dark's with him. It was less comforting though, to know they offered no protection.
He shook off those gloomy thoughts and continued walking; that was all he could really do. A low growl was the only warning he got and then he felt something lunge at him. He turned quickly and moved to the side, his elfin speed saving him from the jaws of the creature again behind him. He turned to face it and came face to face with a beautiful silver wolf.
He was huge, as big as a horse or larger and he could easily take Celtic down, as he had just tried. But now he didn't seem inclined to attack. They stared each other down, neither giving way until finally the wolf cocked his head to the side and sat down on his haunches.
"You don't act like any elf I've ever met before." He said it almost accusingly and Celtic was tempted to laugh. Instead he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Well, how am I supposed to act?" He had a feeling he knew the answer.
"I expected you to have a bow or use some kind of magic to block me." Yup he had been right. He sighed and glared at the wolf.
"So I'm not like other elves. I prefer the sword as my weapon, but as you see I don't have one so you have me at a disadvantage." The wolf looked surprised but then he gave a movement close to a shrug.
"Don't worry about it, I wasn't going to hurt you. As for using a sword, well that's interesting. An elf actually might be good with one as long as it wasn't one of those overgrown clunky metal objects that humans seem to favor."
Celtic was now confused.
"If you weren't going to hurt me, then why did you attack me?"
"I was curious as to what you were going to do. If you had attacked back, I would have backed off. I'm one of those enlisted to guard the temple and any of the races with cruel intents are to be kept away." He grinned, showing teeth. "You; fortunately are not one of those and therefore are safe."
Here he padded over to the elf.
"But why are you here? No one was summoned and that's usually the only reason that anyone ever comes here of their own free will."
"That may be, but I have no other choice but to come here, although my business at the temple is right now, mine alone to know."
Gold eyes studied red and it seemed to Celtic as if the wolf was testing him; reaching into his very heart and then those gold eyes widened in surprise and went glassy as if focusing on something else. He stayed like that for a few moments and then seemed to shake himself free.
"Well, it's still a long way to the temple and you will have to face many perils along the way. You need to be prepared." He turned and presented his back to Celtic who decided not to comment on his strange behavior before. "I'll give you a lift to the village near here."
Celtic got on to the Wolf's back and held on.
"By the way, the name's Silver Fang."
"Celtic."
Silver Fang took off with one flying leap and then they were racing across the sand. But a voice seemed to speak into the Elf's mind.
'Your heart lies within the Deck but is that truly what your soul desires? Your name is now known. Be wary of where that knowledge will lead you to.'
Red eyes met red eyes for the first time.
Both knew that it wouldn't be the last.