Chapter Three - Earth and Fire
"Oh, Luva-sama? Look who we have here!"
For just a moment Selene was confused by the person sweeping dramatically toward her. Ornate clothes, elaborate hair, a heavy, sensual scent and looming height were the first impressions Selene received before her hand was taken up and a rather courtly kiss bestowed upon the back of it. Selene glanced up startled, into eyes that smiled down into hers. She could tell, from the expression on his face that this was indeed a man, despite the feminine attire he wore.
"Uhm..." she stammered in her surprise.
"You are Selene-sama and you are here to see Luva!" the man claimed, releasing her hand and running his own hand emphatically through his long pink and blonde hair. "I'll get out of you hair for now!"
He left, pausing only to smile back at them from at the doorway before almost flouncing away.
"Uhm..." Selene stammered again, staring after him.
"Olivie-sama takes some getting used to," a gentle laugh sounded behind her. "I'm Luva."
"Luva-sama..." Selene looked up into attentive and she hoped kindly teal-hued eyes, "...help?!"
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"...so you have yet to meet Oscar, Randy and Zephel," Luva noted, placing his tea cup down.
Selene felt much less panicky now, armed with the background and knowledge that Luva had given her. It was amazing how a little understanding went a long way. Luva was another Guardian, of Earth as he had explained, but the effect of his Sacrea was to enhance wisdom in people. Given his knowledge and his matter of fact way of sharing it, Selene found it an appropriate fit for him.
He'd calmed her down, gotten her to tell him all that had happened so far, helped by explaining about the people she'd met, described the ones she hadn't met yet and given her a basic history of Sanctuary, the current Queen, the Guardians and their Sacrea. All of this, he did from memory, while sharing tea.
"Luva-sama?"
"Yes?" he smiled. Selene thought she would love to get used to that, all these Guardians seemed to smile so easily! Well, Julious and Clavis didn't...
"Everyone seems to have a purpose here, on Sanctuary. Why, do you suppose, am I here?"
"That, I don't know. I expect you will discover it. I don't believe you would be allowed to remain if you had no purpose here," Luva replied serenely.
Selene thought about that for several long minutes as she finished her tea. Luva seemingly pondered the same thing as he finished his.
"Well...as Olivie-sama said, I should get out of your hair...or turban rather!" Selene grinned as she stood up. She had the feeling, that despite the patience and amount of time Luva had given her, she was keeping him from something important. Luva smiled at her as he stood too. "Uhm...Oscar-sama is the Guardian of Fire, Randy-sama is Wind and Zephel-sama is Steel, right?"
Luva's eyebrow rose, "Correct! You have a good memory to remember that about the Guardians you haven't met yet!"
"Well...I think it's important for trying to figure out why I'm here. Thank you, Luva-sama, for all of your help!" Selene turned when she reached the door. "And thank you for the tea too! It was delicious!"
********
Selene noticed it was becoming dusk as she stepped outside. She sighed a bit as she realized how far she would have to walk to get back to the Inn where her room was. She was exhausted!
She did have to admire how beautiful Sanctuary was though. Marcel had placed pots of blooming flowers just about everywhere. The paths were well kept. Selene hadn't seen even on speck of litter the whole day. She stopped, to get her bearings and found her attention commanded by the moon as it lifted over the horizon. As she gazed up toward the moon, she heard a rhythmic sound behind her. Her eyes couldn't adjust quickly enough from moon gazing to peer into the dusky shadows as the sound came closer. She finally identified it as a horse's hoofbeats as they slowed and stopped before her. A man swung himself down from the horse's back and stepped into the light.
"Good evening, milady," he greeted politely.
"Good, good evening," Selene gasped out.
"I did not mean to startle you!" he claimed, though his eyes twinkled at her. "You were star gazing?"
"Looking at the moon," she agreed, beginning to recover her composure. His smile was uncomplicated, warming and entirely too self-assured! He was quite handsome, just this side of being a knight in shining armor with his attire and the sword he carried at his side.
"You must be Selene. Fitting I would meet you under moonlight, given your name!" he laughed. Selene had to laugh too, it was an appropriate way for her to meet someone!
"Alas, there is no return justice for me, showing that, to keep the cosmic order, we should be together! I am Oscar, Guardian of Fire," he continued with a mournful smile.
Selene gasped at his audacity, then understood Luva's veiled warning about the Guardian of Fire.
"Don't let Oscar-sama's ways upset you, Selene-san. He's really respectful under it all and would never allow a woman to come to harm...much less harm her in any way himself!"
"Oh, too bad there is no cosmic dictum then, since it matters so much to you!" Selene teased.
Oscar gasped.
"Touché, milady!" Oscar grinned at her. "But it is late, and my honor insists I accompany you to destination. There is nothing to harm man or beast here on Sanctuary, but still..."
Selene smiled. Oscar really was gallant!
"I'm slowly making my way to the Inn. Julious-sama got a room for me there."
"I will see you to the Inn then! Have you ever ridden ahorse?" he turned to check the tautness of his horse's saddle girth.
"Nay," Selene replied. Oscar whipped around at that to find her grinning at him.
"Are you always so...lively?" he demanded, nonplused, though he smiled still.
"Not usually. I think you are bringing my more playful side to the surface, Oscar-sama," Selene admitted.
"Julious told me you were so serious..." Oscar mused. "I don't know if he could tolerate..."
"Julious-sama has too many responsibilities and concerns for me to be less than...predictable, Oscar-sama," Selene replied in complete seriousness. He looked into her softly moonlit eyes at that and nodded that he understood.
"So you will not trouble him?"
"There was...a sort of confrontation, between Clavis-sama and Julious-sama..."
"I heard about that. Julious is sorry for what happened, though he will tell anyone but the one he should about it. Pay it no mind, Selene. Clavis and Julious, Darkness and Light, will ever be at odds with each other," Oscar advised. "Now, if you will allow..."
Oscar placed his hands around her waist and lifted her up into the saddle. A moment later, he took his place behind her and reached for the reins.
"A ride in the moonlight with a moon-girl in my arms!" he breathed past her ear as he chirruped his horse into walking. He smiled to see the faint blush, just discernible in the moonlight, on her cheeks.
********
Oscar had insisted on escorting her into the Inn to make certain that there was indeed a room set aside for her. He claimed that Julious would have seen to it, but he still wanted to make certain...and it gave him a few more minutes in company with 'his moon-girl'. After finding all in order, and wishing her sweet dreams sealed with a kiss on the back of her hand, Oscar left.
Selene had found all she needed in the well-appointed room and now snuggled under soft covers in the huge, comfortable bed. She mentally reviewed the extraordinary day she'd had, and the people she'd met until her exhaustion claimed her.
The wings of a bird crossed her sleeping mind. She followed where the bird led and found she'd become a bird too. A beautifully wrought metal perch appeared before her, ornate and intricate, and she could tell that it would be the perfect place to land and rest her weary wings.
As she neared it, a gust of wind pushed her away. She fought against the wind, trying to make her way to the perch that would protect her from the wind's capriciousness. Suddenly, the wind abated, then from underneath assisted her. It lifted her from beneath her wings up to where the top of the perch was. She hadn't realized it was too far away for her to make it on her own before.
She landed on the perch, which somehow rejuvenated her energy as the wind gently stroked through the feathers of her wings. The next thing she knew, she was waking to morning sunlight filtering through her window.
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