Well, finally, here it is! The last of the prologue! I hope you enjoy it! I really had fun writing it so please R&R!!! Love ya!
A couple things:
Bold print is when animals or elves are sending to each other. I put little stars around the sendings in the first 2 chapter, but I changed it. The bold makes it jump out so it sounds louder, like it would inside your head. Does that make sense? And lock-sending is when mental memories, stories, etc. are sent by images. Like you were actually there. Well hope it's not confusing!! ENJOY!!!
Prologue Chapter 3: A Mother's Love
"Come on, Brio." Auroree urged as she glanced over her shoulder to watch the battle slowly shrinking from her view. She turned to look in front of her and saw the gigantic, dark trees of the Forbidden Swamp on the horizon. She looked down at her son in her arms, lulled asleep by the steady rhythm of Brio's stride. She kissed his forehead gently with quivering lips, tears falling from her eyes onto his smooth cheeks. The warm contact broke him from his dreaming and he started to whimper.
"Keep him quiet, Auroree. Moritheus is most likely following."
"Hush, my cubling, we're almost there. Hush now," she crooned, trying to keep from sobbing herself. They were almost to the swamp.
Suddenly, Brio let out a loud yelp and Auroree and Kenshin were catapulted from his back. Curling around her baby, Auroree protected him from the fall, but the impact with the ground knocked the air from her body. While she lay stunned, she watched as Brio tried to rise from the ground with a huge, black arrow protruding from his hindquarters. A cold chill ran down her spine when she saw Moritheus on a great black beast rise above the wounded bond-wolf. He had turned completely into a shadow creature. The blue skin, black hair, the demonic red eyes, and vampire-like fangs. He looked like an elf, but he was one no longer. The jealousy, hatred, and greed in his heart had poisoned him as did his betrayal and murder of his brother. He has sold his soul to Zeal.
With wide eyes, Auroree watched as Moritheus unslung a giant bow from his shoulder, and removed another large arrow from the quiver on his back.
'He can't shoot that. No man, dwarf, or elf, royal or non, could shoot that bow.' Auroree reassured herself. But she knew she was wrong when Moritheus notched the huge arrow effortlessly and pointed it at the panting Brio.
"Give me that brat or Brio dies."
Auroree was torn between anger and grief. She couldn't give up her son, but it would mean the death of a dear friend. Kenshin started to cry. She decided to do the only thing she could. Shadow creatures were very susceptible to healing magic. She held Kenshin tightly to her bosom and closed her eyes. She felt her power surge through her blood and her eyes started to burn with its intensity. A strong mental yell broke her concentration.
"No Auroree! He is too strong! Get into the swamp. My time has come."
And before Auroree could protest, the great, white wolf launched his body at Moritheus. She heard the twang of the string before she saw the arrow rip through Brio's neck and shoot past her, splattering her with the wolf's blood. She watched his body fall to the ground and Moritheus dismount from his beast before she turned and fled into the shadows of the swamp. She ran aimlessly, stumbling, tears blinding her vision. The soft ground sucked at her feet and the willow branches tore at her trailing, black hair. She didn't dare stop, didn't dare breathe. She could hear Moritheus crashing behind her and heard him calling her name. She couldn't stop her sobs now. Her anguish was like lead tied to her feet, slowing her down. She was not at full health either having given birth not even an hour previous. As she broke from the trees, she saw the large stream blocking her way. Exhausted, she fell to her knees and closed her eyes before a large hand grabbed her shoulder yanking her roughly around. Moritheus took the crying bundle from her arms before throwing her against a tree. She groaned once before slumping to the ground. Moritheus then turned to the writhing baby he was holding and frowned, his red eyes narrowing.
"All this trouble... why don't I just kill it," he muttered to himself. He looked at Auroree on the ground and smiled sickly. "Zeal will give her to me if I revert the baby." He chuckled. "It will only take a second." He pulled a small, black dagger from his belt and made a cut along Kenshin's left cheek. The baby screamed and Moritheus only laughed as he pricked his own finger and watched as cold, purple blood dripped from the hole. He then pressed his bleeding finger against Kenshin's wounded cheek. Kenshin screamed louder as Moritheus' poisoned blood mixed with his own. Moritheus laughed as small fangs began to protrude from the baby's pink gums. His amusement ended abruptly when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A sharp pain exploded in his back just as his eyes fell on the spot where Auroree had once been.
He laughed.
"You cannot kill me with a mere knife!" he hissed before he spun around and grabbed Auroree's wrist still holding the elfin dagger. His eyes narrowed to slits when he saw the bright red blood mixed with his own on its blade. His eyes widened then. She had stabbed herself first. The blood of a healer was poisonous to a shadow creature. He looked into Auroree's eyes and saw her firm resolve as his body grew numb. She grabbed Kenshin from his arms before blasting him with enough healing power to fling him backwards. She watched as he whistled for his beast that came splashing through the swamp to reach its weakening master. Moritheus had barely enough strength to crawl atop his mount before it turned and headed back towards Zeal.
"You may have stopped me this time, bitch, but who will protect him now?! You might have lived with me, but now you both will die!" His slurred yells echoed off the willows before they faded completely. Tears streaming down her face, she turned and stumbled to the edge of the stream where she collapsed, holding Kenshin in her arms. She looked down at her still bleeding son and drew a tiny dagger, one she used for mending, from under her cloak. A tear fell from her eye onto its blade as she used it to cut another line across Kenshin's first cut, forming a cross-shaped wound. Then she shed her cloak revealing a once blue nightgown that was readily turning a deep purple as red blood poured from her chest where she had stabbed herself. She flinched as she placed her finger into her wound and then pressed it against her son's cheek, counter-acting the shadow blood. She watched as the wounds healed to form a scar. A scar he would wear forever.
"Now he cannot touch you. But you must bear much, my son, and you must live." she whispered to him, nose to nose. She smiled when he stopped crying and reached up, trying to put his tiny fingers in her mouth. "You will have this scar and these teeth to show your uncle." She reached out a hand over the water and touched the surface with one elegant finger, sending to something underwater.
"But we must hide those eyes and this hair until it is time." She kissed Kenshin's nose before closing her eyes and placing her index finger in the center of his forehead. She began to whisper in the elfin tongue, a spell. As her soft words continued, Kenshin's eyes started to droop and then close completely. Auroree's words ceased suddenly and she began coughing. The force racking her body and blood came up stained her lips. Kenshin's eyes flew open and instead of a glowing amber, they were a common violet hue. The spell incomplete and weak, his fluff of hair was still red. "Cubling, I can do no more." She coughed again. Blood trickled down her chin, mixing with her tears. "I must leave you," she whispered. Even though he was too young to understand her words, Kenshin felt her pain and grief and started to whimper. "Hush, my love." And then from the stream before them, a large sea turtle broke above the surface.
"Thank you for answering my call, Luca." Auroree sent to the turtle. She was too weak to even speak.
"I came as swiftly as I could, milady," Luca answered.
"What has happened?"
Luca hesitated. "We have failed. It is burning."
Auroree simply nodded, refusing to look at the billowing smoke she knew was rising from the forest. The turtle came up alongside the bank to do as she was told. Auroree bent over her son and pressed her forehead gently against his. She closed her eyes and her face wrinkled with pain as she lock-sent her memories into Kenshin's mind. She pushed the memories of this day deep into a hidden part of his mind that would not be unlocked until the time had come. She gave him his identity, the faces of his father, sisters, and herself. The way Grandia looked before this war and the history of their world. But most of all, that he needed to hide... and to live. Once she broke contact, she had another coughing fit. Clutching her chest, she kissed Kenshin's nose for the last time before placing him on the great turtle's back. Kenshin blinked as the turtle pushed off from the bank, separating him from his mother. She stretched out her hand toward him as Luca moved downstream. Kenshin started to cry as Auroree lay on the ground and watched her son go. Tears poured freely from her eyes and she smiled.
"Wail, my cubling, and live," she whispered.
"You must live for me."
And with the last of her strength she sent one last time.
"Promtheus…"
Farther down the stream a large form moved amongst the swamp willows. A great white and red mantle flowed from his shoulders. The mantle of the Paladins. The legendary guardians of Grandia. They were elite soldiers. A race of elf all their own. They actually wore the mantles as weights in battles to give them a challenge. No enemy had a chance. They used both sword and magic. The first king of the Wolf Clan had been taught the sword by one of the Paladins. They could talk with any animal, land, air, or sea. And spells were useless on them. They could see right through the strongest magic. There were four at one time, but after the War of Legend there was no use for them anymore. They had disappeared into isolation thousands of years ago. They became a legend themselves. A myth. Forgotten.
Until now.
A sake jug dangled from his hand and swung with his every step. As he came up to the stream he brought the jug to his lips to drink.
"It's no use!" he grumbled to himself. "No matter how much I have, I just cannot get drunk anymore."
His musings were interrupted when he heard an unfamiliar sound from upstream. His eyes narrowed as he struggled to identify the sound. As it came within range, his eyes widened. A baby. He watched as strange form came into view and he made out what seemed to be a small child on a turtle's back.
'What's a sea turtle doing in the Forbidden swamp? And why the hell is there a baby on it?' he thought. The stream led into the sea, but sea creatures did not like to live in swamps. As the odd pair drew closer he sent to the turtle.
"What business brings you here, sea dweller?"
The turtle started at his words and looked for the source of the message.
"Who calls? Tell me and I might answer."
"Hiko Seijuro. This is my swamp."
The turtle froze. It took her several moments to recover and respond.
"You are the Paladin, aren't you. I knew you still lived. I am Luca. It is precious cargo I carry. You must listen and help."
Hiko nodded and bent down as Luca brought the still sobbing baby within his reach. He lifted him from Luca's back and instantly felt the spell on the baby. It was a weak spell and recently set.
'There is much grief surrounding this child,' her thought as tried to calm the wailing baby. He felt anger when he saw the cross-scar on the baby's cheek. His eyes narrowed when he saw the small fangs protruding from the pink gums. Then his gaze fell on the red hair and the glowing yellow eyes.
"The Wolf Clan heir. The only hope for this crumbling world."
He stated matter of factly. Luca was silent. No answer was needed. The warmth from Hiko's body began to calm to baby, had his sobbing softened. Soon he was just whimpering and as Hiko watched, his golden eyes faded into a violet.
"Tell me everything," he commanded. And the sea turtle lock-sent the images of that day. Hiko nodded after several minutes and looked down at the child now sleeping in his arms.
"Do not worry, my friend. I will raise this boy to be the king he is. He will learn my sword and he will be the best. And tell no one of this. Kenshin Adain Amadeas is dead, understood?"
"Of course." Luca hesitated. "And on behalf of the world that has forgotten you... thank you." And then Luca pushed off from the bank and headed towards the sea. Hiko gazed down at Kenshin and tenderness crept into his chiseled features for the first time since he could remember.
"You will live, Kenshin, because your family died for you. Now you must carry their memories with you and it will make you stronger. You will need this strength to save this world," Hiko spoke to the sleeping baby. Then he turned to walk back into the willows.
"I have found a pupil. Consider yourself fortunate."
Prologue is FINISHED!!!!!!! So what did you all think?? I hope it all made sense! Now I get to do the Kenshin (Battousai) and Kaoru goodness and some butt-whoopin!! Kenshin is not going to be a guilt-laden, polite boy. He's gonna be COOL! Well, thank you for reading and review PLEASE!! I love you all!
Sabrina-star: Thank you hun! I can't wait to put Kaoru in there!
Hitokiri X: I'm glad you liked it! I'm trying to get my dad to buy a scanner so I can send those pictures! Kaoru will be coming soon, don't worry! This IS mainly a romance story.
Ann-dono: Well I hope you understood this chappie! Hehe. Write back!!!
MP: Thanks! I'll try out that book! Isn't it a whole series? My older brother read it, I think, and he liked it too!
LittleDragon5: Man, are they really that confusing? I hope this one was easier to understand. The main story will be happier I PROMISE!!
Val: It is sad isn't it. But it HAD to be something dramatic. Not just some random bad guy.
Laie Himura de Fanel: Thank you so much! I try to be a good writer! It makes me happy you liked it!!! I hope you liked this chapter!
Jason M. Lee: Well, she couldn't help it when she had the baby! You can't just hold them in you know! ;) The armor did partially stop the sword, but it injured him pretty bad. Then Moritheus stabbed him in the throat.
Aku-chan: Well, Kenshin made it! I'm trying to make all the main characters the same as the series. And you seriously need to go get a better copy of Lord of the Rings! It's worth it!
Nikki: Thanks! I like all original pairings too, don't worry. I'm kind of a stickler for those things. Thanks, I that's what I meant! I am the author, but I do like to have help and get ideas I probably wouldn't have thought of! :)
Gros minou #1: I hope this answered your questions! I think the same way you do with this stuff. You'll see!!
Tsuki-sama: It was sad, wasn't it. And this one was too, but its only the prologue! Don't worry!
Kriska: Well, Kaoru will be in the main story! She's one of the main characters! It's a romance after all!! :)
Love ya! Drea-chan