A/N: Sorry if I confused anyone with the last chapter. Here's what's goin' on. While Tomoyo and Eriol are in this strange place, all Sakura's and other residences' memories of the two had been erased. It's as if E & T didn't really exist at all. Hope that didn't make anyone any more confused. Now on with the show.
Disclaimer: The usual legal jargon applies.
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Part IV: Tribulations: Que Sera Sera
During the last few days they spent in Tradeth, Eriol resolved that when time didn't like him, it went into hyper drive. It felt as if their entire stay in that magical realm was no more than a very detailed, very realistic and very beautiful dream. Dread and something bordering close to depression clutched his stomach muscles. He even thought about feigning sickness so they would have an excuse to stay longer -- even if for a day -- with the elves.
Throughout those few, solemn days, Tomoyo kept to herself. Eriol worried about that. Ever since the time he woke up to discover himself in a very questionable position (on her lap ^____^) on the morning after the bon fire, he had rarely seen the dark-haired girl. That was a mystery on itself. Where did she go? She had the same ground limitations he had; he knew all the possible places for her to be and her schedule. Yet somehow, she had found a way to not only elude his company to the bare minimum, but to practically disappear from existence.
A part, a large part with furry underlining, missed her. He needed, craved, her company, her attention. All Eriol wanted at that moment was a late breakfast, a grand lunch and to look into Tomoyo's eyes and assure himself that she was all right. The last time he'd seen her, she was walking back to her suite; before that she looked deathly pale and ill. He felt giddy, that day he would finally have a chance to speak with her.
Sighing frustratedly and racking a slightly shaky hand through his already dishevelled locks, he sat down on the shore of Arihel. He felt lost. It was as if someone has draped a dark cloth over his logic. At times he felt like he was being too protective of his friend, but could she really blame him? At other times he felt so angry with her; why was she so withdrawn from him, didn't she trust him? He didn't even know why he was experiencing these things.
Sniffing irritably at the fresh air, he got up, dusting himself off while doing so, and walked back to the city. He saw Tomoyo standing not far from their horses (apparently they were grazing in a nearby meadow the entire time), her arms wrapped around her protectively. His chest tightened and his stomach did little pirouettes. Eriol wondered why this happened; it was definitely a new experience for him. He resolved to ponder on the feeling on the next opportunity, right now he had a girl to catch up with.
Striding briskly towards her, he recited the little speech he prepared for that occasion. I know your going through difficult times. Hell; he saw it in her eyes whenever he looked at her. But so are we and we think that it's best if we deal with the problems together. We need you. Stifling a nervous sigh, which was another surprise -- Eriol was never nervous --he tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned to him, her eyes looking more distant and weary than he could ever remember them being. He gulped slightly; was it just him or was his palms sweaty? Clearing his throat, he began, "Tomoyo...we.... that is the guardians and I...well, we know that you've been going through some difficult times..." he stammered. Beginning to sweat profoundly, Eriol felt an urge to tug at his collar.
Looking questioningly at him, Tomoyo gestured him to continue. "Well, we...I...am concerned -- though there's no need to worry! I just wanted to tell you that...that I think...that...um.."
Tomoyo giggled slightly at his loss of word; it was the first time she expressed any sort of emotion since the bon fire and the mirth in her voice brought a warm feeling to his heart. He liked when she laughed; it lighted up her face, making her look even more breathtaking than she already was. And whenever he saw the happiness in her eyes (which wasn't too often nowadays) it always made him content.
"You were saying?" Tomoyo presently said.
Shaking his head form his reverie, he continued with new resolve. "I just wanted to tell you that you're not alone; we're here for you. I'm here for you." 'Oh Hell,' he thought. Taking in a sharp breath, he blurted in a small voice, "I just want to see that smile on your face. I missed you."
At that moment he could have sworn that he saw the corners of her mouth lift in an airy smile, but it could also have been the wind or his overly taxed imagination. He felt as if something revolutionary happened between them at that moment. Grinning crookedly, he began to retell her everything that happened during the past few days. He could still sense the worry in her, but he was in too good a mood to pay attention to that.
In no time at all, and too soon for Eriol, their time of departure arrived. He didn't understand why they had to leave. Sure they had to find a way to get back home, but the elf country was already like a home to him. It surprised him on the morning after the bon fire when Ruminar himself came to him and inquired about it. He chose not to question it though; he trusted Tomoyo with the decision that she made, whatever the reason for it was.
Standing beside the freshly fed and groomed horses, Eriol and the rest of the company took their last look of the generous people of Tradeth. Eriol gazed pitifully at Nakuru who was crying, big blobs of fake tears spouting from his eyes. Nakuru was going to miss all the pretty male elves. Spinel was going to miss all the ancient runes and all the elven history; thus he sulked in the crook of Nakuru's arm, refusing to give in to sadness.
Eriol took one last whiff of the intoxicating air, letting it calm the calamity in his heart. He was going to miss the breathtaking beauty of this place. He branded the memories of the trees, the sky, the city and the feelings they stirred in him on his heart; he swore that he would remember this place for the rest of his life.
He could tell that Tomoyo, who was standing beside him, was restless to leave. With another sigh, he mounted Vive Maria, reaching a hand to help Tomoyo mount the mare as well. The girl hesitated, taking one last look around, her brows creasing slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Eriol saw four figures robed in pale colours. He wondered who they were; he knew all the inhabitants of Tradeth and he certainly never met the quartet in white.
Eriol noted with some concern that Tomoyo was frowning slightly, something crossing in her eyes. He reached a hand to her shoulder, trying to catch her attention, but she stepped away, heading towards the strangers. He saw with a fiery pang in his chest -- which befuddled him -- as Tomoyo stopped in front of the three men, saying something too quietly for him to follow. The tall woman nodded her head at something Tomoyo said, and Eriol was overcome with sudden curiosity.
Their entire conversation lasted mere minutes, tiny prickles of time that grated on Eriol's nerves. Scowling darkly, he placed a façade on his features and turned away. Snatching at a leaf irritably, Eriol looked ahead. He didn't even noticed shredding the poor little leaf to miniscule pieces, he was so absorbed in his seething emotions. When Tomoyo finally ambled over to him, holding a delicate white flower -- 'No doubt from one of the pretty elves', he thought -- Eriol merely grunted in acknowledgement and helped her mount in front of him.
With sorrow in their heart, the company set off for the road ahead...
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The road seemed endless, though it *must* have had an end somewhere, Eriol reasoned. The company has been traveling for close to a week, and all they saw were stretches of dreary marshes and an occasional tree. Grey, in varying stages and tones, a chiaroscuro of sorts, surrounded them. The air was humid and thick, reaching chilling temperatures by nightfall. The sounds amplified in volume, filling the monotonous landscape with eerily distorted noises. Eriol felt depresses by simply looking into the dense haze ahead of them.
Before they left, Eriol was told by Elrad that this surrounding area was once a human metropolis. That tall spires and arches welcomed travellers in. Then buildings with small windows and red tiled roofs lined the streets, before giving way to a magnificent palace. Now the land was nothing more than a barren wasteland. Ancient wars destroyed the city and the palace of light; the people left scattered about the world. Nothing remained for miles, except for the realm of Ruminar to the south and the River Arihel to the west, the Great Mountains to the far north.
Lack of shelter forced them to sleep in open ground, sometimes under the gnarled roots of an upturned tree. The elves gave them cloaks that were made from a light material that shimmered with patterns of vines if looked at a certain angle. They were also provided with elven food and trinkets, all of which made the journeying easier. Even so, Eriol found it difficult to keep a brave front.
Tensions were running high, at one point reaching a maddening stage. One frosty night, as the group was bundled uncomfortably into their new cloaks, trying hard not to listen to the spine-chilling sounds, Spinel exclaimed, "Oh for Clow's sake, Nakuru! Will you stop breathing! It's irritating me!"
"The fact *you're* alive at all is irritating *me*!" Nakuru retorted angrily, his voice sounding more shrill in the night.
That set off a row between the two guardians, which included harsh retorts and almost reached an outright brawl. The guardians only stopped squabbling when the night was pierced by an alien sound. With a high pitched squeal, Nakuru lunged for the lapels of his cloak and pulled them over his head, whimpering while doing so. They spent the rest of the night listening to the sounds of the moors.
From then on, the two guardians refused to talk with each other. Spinel even relocated into the folds of Tomoyo's cloak as opposed to the crook of Nakuru's arm. Conversation ran scarce, with Nakuru's odd mutterings occasionally breaking the silence. Eriol noticed with a slight frown and a sigh into the back of her head that Tomoyo had withdrawn further into herself.
"What's wrong?" He presently said.
Tomoyo looked up at him from the flower in her hand (it was the same blossom given to her by the elves, it seemed as if it would never die). Running an elegant finger along one silky petal, Tomoyo just shook her head and looked to the road. Eriol understood. Tomoyo was bothered by the seemingly perpetual grey as much as he was. She simply distracted herself by her thoughts. He swore that one day he would get to the bottom of her sudden misery.
'Melancholy is contagious,' he thought gloomily. Eriol sighed and looked down to the mucky earth. He watched with boredom as the mare's hoofs drove into the soft ground, coming out an instance later with slimy grime. Tiny bits of muck separated and fell to the earth, mixing with the rest. This process continued, and each time, the dark mud grew in size around the horse's hoofs. Eriol shivered, the whole image, the situation repulsed him. It sent tremors of unease down his spine, and he wanted nothing more to see anything that did not match the greyness around him.
One such night, while they were searching for a good place to stay, Tomoyo stiffened in his arms and he wondered at it's source, glad that something happened besides the droning grey. Eriol watches with a fire going through his system, as the girl clutched the pale flower to her.
"Something's there," she whispered in what seemed to him like fright.
"Are you sure? Could it have been a shadow? A tree?" He asked just as quietly, trying to keep a nonchalant front.
"Yes," she confirmed. "I saw something moving."
Eriol bit his lip unknowingly. A thousand possibilities ran through his head. What should he do? Logic dictated that he stay clear, ignore any and all things that seemed out of place. Yet that part of him which screamed for him to take action, to appear the knight in gleaming armour to his frightened companions, propelled him forward. It felt almost like a challenge; Eriol never backed down from a challenge.
Letting dread wash over him in a wave of cold trepidation, he dismounted the mare. Tomoyo looked down at him; the look in her eyes seemed almost worried. Eriol shook off her concern, pulling a cheeky grin to his lips. He heard Nakuru's squeal of fright, and sent a reassuring word to him. His head held high, his shoulders square and his gait determined, he strode into the thick grey haze, trying desperately to ignore the fear clutching at his stomach muscles.
Eriol walked farther and farther into the mist, noticing only too late that he was too far from his companions. Panic began to shoot its way up his spine, but he quenched the feeling before it could seize him in a hysterical fit. He turned around on his spot on the muck filled earth; it would have looked like a crazy dance had he been in a dancing mood. Nothing! He saw nothing but a mass of grey.
Sucking in a long gulp of air, Eriol decided to move in a direction -- any direction. Stumbling through the uneven terrain, occasionally sinking knee high into pools of mud, Eriol walked on. In the dullness of his surroundings, he lost track of time, though he reckoned that no more than half an hour went by since he left his companions. He wondered if they were looking for him like he was looking for them.
Then a new fear began to nag at him: what if this was a set-up? What if he was purposely lured away? What if Tomoyo and the others were captured? Killed? He could not bare the thought so he turned all his concentration to the dense fog and all the knowledge he inherited from Clow. Surely with all his limitless wisdom and an ocean-full of experience Clow knew a way out of situations like these. All the mind racking and memory recollections came up nil, and Eriol couldn't help but feel his spirits dampen.
Suddenly, as if by some magic force, the mist and the soggy air that came with it lifted to reveal a starry sky and an open field. He stood in the grass -- when had it suddenly grown to mid-thigh level? -- breathless at the change in scenery. His companions rode into the clearing not far to his left. The way they suddenly appeared sent chills down his back, but he ignored it and ran up to them.
"You would not believe what happened to me!" He exclaimed once he reached them. Not waiting for them to ask him, he continued, "There I was, minding my own business, looking for that thing that you saw --" he gestures at Tomoyo, "-- and then I see something HUGE coming out of the fog. So I shrug it off, thinking it's just a tree. Oh, no, I was wrong. As I was walking, three -- no, four! -- trolls stepped out of the shadows! I began to run for it but they --"He was cut off when his companions' horses moving ahead.
"Heeeeey!! Where are you doing!?" Eriol half jogged to catch up.
"You aren't thinking of leaving me, are you?" He asked Tomoyo, who was perched atop Vive Maria.
The girl looked down her perky nose at him, her dark eyes gleaming with amusement. "It crossed my mind," she replied.
Grumbling mockingly, he mounted the mare and the company was on the way once again. Only too happy to get rid of the dreary greyness, the company was considerably more cheerful. Eriol could even note a sort of reconciliation between Spinel and Nakuru. Eriol was observing the star peppered sky when something leaped in the way of their horses. He was taken by surprise and nearly fell off his horse. Nakuru screeched and Tomoyo clutched at Eriol's tunic to keep him from falling.
"Aaaaah!" The creature mirrored Nakuru's wail. "Yer skarin' meh halfe ter deth!"
When the syllables left the creature's mouth, who sounded male in gender, silence reigned the open fields. Eriol could not see their opponent, so he reached into the folds of his cloak to grasp the handle of the elven sword. "What are you?" He asked the being.
"Ah ken shee yer not very friendlie," it said. "Yer passin' threwh meh lands, lad." The voice sounded friendly enough, with a very strange accent. Eriol reckoned it was a middle-aged man. Still, he kept a firm hand on his sword.
Eriol said to the stranger, "Come out of the shadows where we can see you."
The whole company stifled a gasp of wonder when the man came out of the horses' shadows into the moonlight. He was a little man, reaching to Eriol's waist, he reckoned. With messy brown hair sticking out on all sides and dark laughing eyes underneath bushy eyebrows. He wore a dust covered cloak, tweed trousers peeking from the opening. He looked like a creature from one of the Grimm's fairy tales.
"W-what are you?" Tomoyo asked, stammering slightly in her amazement.
The Lilliputian man seemed almost offended. "Goreneil is meh name, an' breedin' sheep is meh game." Reaching small limbs, Goreneil took Tomoyo's pale hand and kissed it in a gentlemanly fashion, pulling a crooked grin on his face. "Ah certainlie pleased to meet yeh."
The look in the little man's eyes reminded Eriol of a gremlin, he didn't like the way he kissed Tomoyo's hand. "You wouldn't know of a place for us to stay, would you?" Eriol asked.
"As a matter o' fakt Ah doo," Goreneil presently said. "Ah own a smalle farm not too far from 'ere. Yer good kids, welkome to stay if yer please."
That cheered him up. Opportunity knocked on your door only so often; there was no chance in Hell he was going to miss one if it came in the form of a dwarf-like man. Agreeing to spend the night in Goreneil's house, the company followed the man through the moon-bathed meadow. At one point, the man broke out into a merry song in a harsh sounding language, Tomoyo laughed at one of the words of the song. Grinning from ear to ear, Goreneil began to sing louder, filling the grassy expanse with jovial song and laughter.
When they reached the man's house, they were too weary and travel worn to bother noticing the furnishing or decorations. As soon as they were given rooms, they changed into their bedclothes and fell into snugly beds; Nakuru didn't even bother to take his clothes off.
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The creature grinned crookedly to itself, licking its lips while doing so. The little ones were exactly where it wanted them to be. Master would be happy. It looked into the fire, the warm light reflecting in its cold eyes. The creature fumbled for the well worn piece of paper, which it always stored on the inside pocket of its vest. Running its eyes through the well-known script, the creature settled into a comfortable silence. Once it had read the contents of the parchment half a dozen times or so, the being folded it neatly, being careful not to suddenly tear at the sensitive parts, and replaced it back into its pocket. Yes, Master would be happy.
(tbc)
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Finally done! Now all I need to do is tonnes of homework. This was a sucky chapter, hope you'll forgive me. Oi! I can't believe that some people actually like my writing. Wow! I'm touched, really! Thanks to all of ya *grovels in thankfulness on the muck-filled ground*! Without you I'd be a depressed heap laying on the floor *daubes at the corners of her eyes*