Chapter II

The hulking, lizard-like creature shoved the small a'ladon male forward to his paws and knees in front of the dais in the throne room of his people. The Saurian's long tongue flickered out to taste the air as it leered down at the other. "Linger here," it hissed, a twisted smirk on its ugly reptilian face.

"How dare you!" protested the smaller creature from the ground, looking up at his 'escort'. "Do you know who I am?"

The saurian creature responded with little more than a baring of its teeth, then exhaled a low gurgle that might have passed as a laugh from a civilized creature. There was nothing but disdain in its eyes as it turned its back on the smaller a'ladon and trudged in its loping gate from the room. It certainly had no wish to see what was in store for this traitor.

The small mammalian creature was left on his own for a few minutes, until a trumpet fanfare and the sound of clawed toes clicking on the stone floor at his back announced the arrival of his 'host'. He clenched his teeth firmly together at the thought of what he was doing, but he'd made this decision long ago. It was to be for the best...

King Uriah of the Saurians entered the room, surrounded by his troupe of elite soldiers, and without even a glance in the other's direction mounted the stone steps to his throne. He turned and sat and then, as if seemingly from nowhere, a tall, darkly shrouded figure appeared at his side. Uriah's thin eyes narrowed even further as they peered at the cowering a'ladon before him. "What," he asked slowly, his voice coarse in its sibilance, "do you want?"

The smaller creature resisted the urge to blow the stench out of his nostrils with a snort, and he bowed his head just a fraction as he addressed the other."Your Majesty demanded that I enlighten you if ever anything monumental or out of the ordinary should occur amongst my people. Or specifically, if any sort of foreign creature should arrive under inexplicable circumstances?"

The king glanced at the cloaked figure at his side, who gave a curt nod with its cowled head in response. Obviously this directive was from the mouth of the Saurian king's advisor, and not his own. "Yes?" the lizard-like monarch demanded.

The prostate creature coughed. "By some magic of one sort or another, inexplicable to me, it seems that our priesthood has conjured up likenesses of our ancient gods."

The king gave a very slight and indifferent shrug of his shoulders, this meaning less than nothing to him. Religion of any sort was a crutch for the weak and feebleminded. But the hooded being at his side came instantly to attention. "What?" it demanded, the voice emanating from beneath the cowl the stuff of nightmares.

The a'ladon shuddered at the sound. He had never heard the thing actually speak before, and never hoped to again. The voice was coarse, rough… almost unnatural in a way. It brought back to him thoughts of vague terrors from his childhood years, fears that he thought that he had banished long ago. He swallowed before continuing. "Lord Takeru the Oathkeeper and Lady Hikari Lightbringer. They look similar to the creatures depicted in the artwork of my people, but--"

The hooded creature at the king's side grasped the back of the throne, as if to support itself. "How...? How did they find me... here?" it rasped, seemingly to itself.

The king's face, as he turned to look at his advisor, suppressed the surprise that he was feeling. He had never heard of anything catching the other off its guard. If all counts were correct, this same creature had been the counselor of the Saurian monarchy for well over a century now, and its advice was considered infallible. Implicit faith in it had been passed from father to son, and if any record existed as to what manner of creature was hidden beneath the mounds of cloth, neither he nor his archivists could find any record of it. Now, for the first time ever during his rule, he had heard fear in the voice.

And then the being actually seemed to be pacing, moving with its limping stride around the king's throne. It moved around the chair and lowered its head at Uriah's side. "Tell your captains to make ready," it hissed to him, a bitter tone in its voice. "They return to the a'ladon village tomorrow on the dawn."

"No!" the a'ladon shouted angrily, standing up and glaring at the two.

The king silenced the a'ladon with cold, reptilian eyes. "What? Again?" he demanded of his counselor. His eyes narrowed across his snout. "I understand well the need to reestablish our authority from time to time to preclude such sedition as those creatures might muster, and have committed such power as is necessary to do so. But those soldiers assigned to that duty are exhausted now, and must be given time to rest." He paused. "To say nothing of the fact that harsher sanction might well foster a complete rebellion by them."

"You do not understand what this forebodes, Uriah," the other returned. "This is the greatest peril that could ever fall upon you. If this creature speaks true, then the justification for such a rebellion is upon us. Have the a'ladon priests any reason to bring forward their gods but to crown their boy prince a king? And then to give birth to a religious revival among their people? Fanatics of any sort are dangerous, Majesty, and if each a'ladon is willing to fight to the death at the word of their god, it may well be that your dominion over them shall fail."

The Saurian king frowned as he seemed to ponder this point for a moment, then nodded and motioned to the soldier nearest the throne. "Make ready, then. But the shock troops only, if at all possible. I want this stopped before it spreads, but I do not want open warfare in their streets." He turned his eyes on his informant. "You will go to advise them. I want both the leadership and these 'gods' removed by any means necessary."

*****

T.K. and Kari had seen and enjoyed parties aplenty in their own world, but never anything to compare to the energetic celebration that the squirrel-like creatures threw for them that night. The music was foreign and wild, captivating to their ears, and before long they found themselves drawn into the jubilant dance that accompanied it.

"But I don't know how to dan--" T.K. began to stammer, before his protest was cut short as Kari snatched his hand and pulled him into the celebratory fray of the creatures.

The wild music was almost infectious, and it wasn't long before T.K. was caught up in the enthusiastic mood of the crowd. It was true that they had been taken away from their home, and possibly even their world suddenly and without explanation by these strange creatures that seemed to revere them in some way. But for some reason, as he listened to the music and caught a glimpse of the happiness within Kari's eyes, it didn't seem to matter as much... not quite.

Both humans lost track of a great deal of time until the frantic harmony finally stopped, the musicians appearing very nearly as exhausted as the dancers. T.K. wiped the sweat from his brow and rested his hands on his knees. "Okay... okay, it was fun," he admitted, smiling upwards at the girl. "But I still don't know how to dance."

Kari returned the smile and cupped his face in her hands, brushing his lips with a very quick kiss. Several 'ohs' were heard from the small creatures surrounding them, and a few of the more scholarly types set to scribbling notes in little paper books that they had brought with them. The boy even thought that he heard the clinking sound of coins being exchanged somewhere behind his back.

A path was cleared to the two humans by the creatures and a somewhat younger one approached them, female by her dress. The young prince atop the dais who had been introduced to them as 'Mylam' suddenly appeared interested in events and sat up straight. The small female creature made her way to Kari's side and fell to her knees, taking the girl's hand in her tiny paws and pressing it to her furry face. "Lady Hikari," she whispered, her young voice breaking with emotion. "Your coming is a blessing to us all. Thank you my Lady... thank you…" The creature looked up then, and Kari was both surprised and moved to see the tears in her eyes and moistening her furry cheeks.

Kari gave the other's paws a light squeeze. "Please, get up… umm--"

"Perrin, my lady."

"Perrin," Kari finished, assisting the female back to her feet. She smiled at the young creature. "You're lovely."

Perrin returned the smile, shyly. "I was going to say the same of you, my lady."

In another moment a rather plump, graying creature joined them. "Please," he said, addressing both T.K. and Kari, "join us at the tables and let us feast. Rather... that is, if you will consent to eat with us?" he asked hopefully.

"Absolutely!" T.K. exclaimed, then blushed as Kari raised her eyebrows at him.

They were taken to a long table at the end of the hall and, were seated at its head on opposite sides to face one another. Two chairs which were large enough (and actually somewhat too large) for them to sit in were already there. Evidently only the most important of the creatures were to be allowed to eat there, as the ones who had been introduced to them as the High Priest Genel and Prince Mylam were placed at their sides while several other older and distinguished-looking individuals hastened for seats nearby.

The girl Perrin removed her paw from Kari's hand and was evidently prepared to leave when Kari stopped her. "But aren't you going to sit with me?"

The remainder of the gathered creatures stopped and looked at one another, then almost fell over themselves rushing to clear a place for Perrin to sit next to Kari.

Across the table from the new friends, T.K. and Mylam were also seated next to one another. The prince was peering hard at the boy, as if he were trying to resolve some sort of mystery by looking at him. T.K., however, didn't seem to notice, and certainly didn't mind if he did, for once the food was brought his attention was entirely on the meal.

Kari very nearly cringed as T.K. attacked the meal in front of him, his table manners just slightly better than a half-starved dog's. She herself picked at the rich food delicately, much more interested in the conversation that she was having with Perrin. Once the young creature's obvious tendency towards bashfulness was overcome, she was simply fascinating to listen to and had a great deal of insight.

Kari learned that her companion was actually older than she herself was, by a good three years or so. She was apparently an orphan, as the great majority of her family had been killed in some sort of catastrophe some time ago. But about the nature of the catastrophe, the girl was much less forthcoming. It was obviously a subject of much distress to her.

"But… but why all of this," Kari waved her hand at the grand celebration, "just for the two of us?"

Perrin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why... because we love you, my lady," she replied, as if unprepared for the question.

"Lord Takeru?" stammered one of the nervous, older creatures further down the table.

"Hmm?" T.K. replied through a large bite of food, at the same time wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Kari cringed in embarrassment, wishing that she could sink beneath the table. He was definitely going to learn some dinner etiquette the next time she got him alone.

"We of the priesthood have long wondered: just what is your connection to the creature seen atop your helm at the shrine?"

"Who... Patamon?" the boy asked, and again dozens of tiny paws scrambled for scraps of paper and writing utensils. Several of the creatures called out for him to spell the name, and to pronounce it again for their records. T.K. did so, then continued. "He's my friend. Probably my best friend… present company excluded," he finished, catching Kari's eye. More wild scribbling by the scholars.

Mylam continued to peer suspiciously at the blond-haired boy, and now spoke for the first time. "And you have fought against demons, and evil spirits?"

T.K. gave a short nod. "Well, kind of… yes, I guess we have." Then he looked up at the entire group. "And we've been wondering, just how do you all--"

A shrieking racket of some sort interrupted the boy's question, and the gathering turned their attention to the far end of the table. There sat one of the musicians, and he had in his hands a type of instrument that the humans had never seen before. The sound that stemmed from it was initially loud and oppressive, but as the noise tapered off to a more tolerable volume the two children could discern a type of melody disguised within it. The music had a somber and melancholy feeling, and gradually their thoughts were drawn into the tale that the offered song had to tell.

Then the creatures at the table raised their soft voices to sing along with the sound, their words telling tales of woe and the enslavement of their people at the hands of an immoral and oppressive enemy. Kari looked entranced by the sound, tears staining her eyes, but as T.K. listened to the words of the story a vague concern started to percolate in his thoughts.

Finally, mercifully, the tragic song came to an end. Kari patted at her eyes to dry them as she clutched at Perrin's paw with her other hand. A rumbling at the far end of the table by the older creatures suggested that the questioning would once again be started, but then the same creature that had led them to the table in the first place reappeared and silenced the gathering with a gesture. "Please, all of you. It has been a long day for all of us, and I believe that the time has come to retire for the night. Particularly for our younger ones."

Mylam stood, his forepaws on the table to protest. "Grandfather-"

"Yes, for you too Mylam," the other answered, though it was now a rather moot point. Most of the other creatures, including Kari's friend Perrin, were already their feet and leaving the table at the first announcement. Several were still glancing over their shoulders in wonder at the two visitors.

"I will see you again, won't I, Perrin?" Kari asked, once again taking the other's paw.

The adolescent gave a warm, genuine smile. "I'd like that, Lady Hikari."

"Please," Mylam's grandfather said to the two humans, stepping between the pair. "There is a room at my manor that has been prepared in anticipation of your coming for many years now. That is, if you will remain with us tonight?"

T.K. and Kari glanced at one another, the same thoughts going through each of their heads. They had already been away from their world for most of the day, and certainly the others would be worried about them if they didn't come back for the entire night. Matt, Tai and the others might have an idea of what had happened, but it seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, they really had no way to get back to their homes or even an idea of how they came to be here in the first place, so…

"We'd love to," said Kari, and T.K. nodded his agreement.

"Wonderful," he said, his aged voice sounding cheerful. "Mylam--" he started, but the prince was already gone. Murmuring something about the general flightiness of the young, he shrugged and led the humans from the great hall.

The walk on the way to the manor house was pleasant, though the old creature (who the two learned was named Killian) was not particularly talkative, and seemed to be almost afraid of them. He took them along a forested path which he assured them went to his home when suddenly he stopped as they heard whispered voices coming from a nearby grove, just slightly off the path that they were taking.

"Mylam?" Killian queried softly, peering off the path and into the grove. T.K. and Kari, not knowing what else to do, followed their host.

It was the prince, as well as Kari's friend Perrin that they had heard speaking in the grove. The three of them were still somewhat concealed by the thick trees around them, so that the young pair of creatures had apparently not noticed their approach yet.

"Perrin, please," said Mylam, taking the girl's small paws in his own and pulling her towards his furry chest. He seemed quite solicitous of the girl, and sounded far from the standoffish child that they'd met at the celebration. "At least take a moment to talk to me. Why've you been running away from me lately? I've got something that I must say to you."

The other's eyes were downcast as she sighed, but she did not turn away. "Mylam, I... I know what you want to say, because it has been in my heart as well. But it cannot be that way between us. If I have been seeing less of you, you must already know the reason. You know as well as I that your grandfather and uncle will not allow this… allow us… to happen."

Killian frowned, and was moving to interrupt the two when Mylam cleared his voice. The sound of his voice was now much more expressive, and despite the dim light from the moon and their distance from the pair they could see his paws trembling; his eyes set in a determined fashion. "Perrin?" He paused for a breath, then dropped to a knee and looked up at the girl. With an uncertainty in his voice that told them that he was unready for this, but more unwilling to wait any longer, he spoke. "Perrin... I… I promise to set your life above my own, and shall in all things defend you. This... this is my vow."

"M... Mylam?" the girl gasped, her eyes wide. "You... you can't--"

Killian's mouth hung open. "Oh, dear. Oh my. I… I had no idea things had progressed this far…"

"Uhm... I think this might be private," T.K. whispered before Kari silenced him with a glance and turned to look again.

"Please, greatest Lord," Killian muttered to the boy. "I… I must hear this…"

The prince was no longer stammering, and the words that now flowed from his lips to her ears had an evident, heartfelt meaning for the boy. "When night falls upon you, in your darkest hour, I will sustain you with all that I am. This is my vow." Killian was now mouthing the words along with his grandson, as if he would ensure by will alone that the other could complete the poetic declaration. "My own life I shall guard in your honor. Your maiden's virtue shall I cherish the most, and neither I nor any other shall compromise it until we are bound as one. These are my vows, Perrin, for you are my light, and I will have no other."

Perrin's eyes were wide, and her lips trembled wordlessly now. Mylam looked up at her from bended knee, and leaned his cheek against her paw in a gentle caress. "The law may legislate whom I may marry, Perrin, but it cannot tell me who to love."

Perrin managed a faltering nod, then pulled the boy from his knee and embraced him tightly. Tears were in her eyes now, and evidence of many more were damp upon her furry cheeks. Mylam nodded once, aware that she understood and that there were no more words to be spoken at the moment. The moon shown down on them in a blessing as they left the grove together, paws still bound tightly together. Shortly, T.K. and Kari followed a bemused Killian back to their own path. "Oh! That was so beautiful," the girl exclaimed, clutching her hands together in excitement.

"Takeru's Vows," Killian murmured to himself, head bowed in astonishment. "It cannot have become this serious without my knowing. I didn't think that he… that they were old enough…"

T.K. glanced sideways to their host. "My what?"

"The Vows. Your oaths to Lady Hikari that bind you to her. The most sacred words that can be spoken from male to female."

T.K. flushed a dark red as he glanced over at Kari. And as he thought back, he discovered that he could find in his memories the foundation of the a'ladon's words in his own. If he'd not said them quite as well, the promises were still the same.

Kari looked somewhat less flustered than the boy. "But why should their age make that great a difference? If he does love her, I think he was right to tell her so. They do make a lovely couple."

Killian's brow furrowed. "My grandson is our prince, My Lady, but he is still little more than a boy. He is often rash, and speaks without considering the consequences of his words. He knows well the words of the Vow, but I fear he cannot grasp the commitment that is needed to fulfill them. He is not ready to be wed."

A sputtering cough broke from T.K.'s throat. "What?"

Killian was grave. "He has spoken Takeru's Vows. For us it is as good as a proposal... in many ways, it is more. He has now promised himself to her, with no assurance that she will accept. If it were simply a proposal, she could decline with little harm done. That is no longer the case. He has given her his vow, and if they are not wed then it may well be that Mylam shall never take a bride. That is often the case among our people."

The grove through which the three we walking was beginning to thin now. "Perrin is a sensible girl. She cares for Mylam, but also understands that, as our prince, he has a greater duty to his people than to himself. Or to her. No matter how she responds to him when it is time for her reply... I fear nothing good can come from this."

The trio completed their remainder of the short walk to the manor house in a thoughtful silence. Both children were forced to duck as they entered the small doorway, but once inside found that it was definitely big enough to be comfortable. Killian led them down a long hallway, at the end of which he stopped and opened a much larger door. "This room has been prepared for your coming since this house has been in existence, my Lord," he bowed his head in T.K.'s direction. "And but for the builders and the priests who cleanse it, none have ever set foot inside."

"There is also a manuscript inside that was left in anticipation of your coming by the first of our greater seers." He removed a chain from about his neck, at the end of which dangled a small golden key. "The lock has not been opened since his passing, but has been kept well oiled." He handed the key to Kari, then bowed deeply before the girl.

"There is a bellpull for your use should you desire anything at all," he told the two with his head still bowed. "Please make use of it if I may attend to you in anything." Grave concern was still evident in his aged voice, and the humans wondered just how badly he had been shaken by his grandson's words.

The two entered the room side by side. It was extremely large and great care had obviously been taken in its design. On the far wall there was a lamp that produced a soft, quite pleasant light that burned with a substance that was unknown to the pair. It was clearly not fire, and seemed much too soft to be electricity.

The room was elegantly furnished, though everything seemed to be a bit large. There were lacquered tables, chairs and lace curtains. Stunningly elaborate artwork had been hung about the room, and together the children paused to stare at the paintings.

T.K. drew back just a bit as he came to the second of the paintings, and blinked in surprise. "I don't look anything like that," he protested.

The artwork was of the time when he and Angemon had defeated Devimon, though the a'ladon artist had downplayed the angel's role in the battle to a staggering degree. Angemon had been relegated to the background of the painting, while T.K. himself (whose clothes were in tatters, apparently to give the viewer a better appreciation of the rippling muscles in his arms and chest) was in the center, looking as though he could take on an army of Devimons.

Kari, meanwhile, examined the painting of herself. It depicted her as a great, beautiful and noble Queen encompassed by a soft white light; legions of Digimon-like creatures kneeling at her bare feet in evident worship. The scepter in her hand was crowned by the crest of Light, and a panther-like Gatomon stooped at her side.

Both children shook their heads slowly and turned around, then took notice of something that they'd somehow overlooked upon entering the room. T.K. blinked. "Umm, Kari? There's only one bed."

A sly, playful grin slowly came over the girl's face as she turned to face him, and the boy blushed a deep red beneath the smile and drew back just a bit. She allowed herself a giggle at the nervous look on his face before taking his hand and pulling him back to her side. She loved doing that to him. "I'm not going to bite, T.K. And we've been in the same bed before. I know you won't try anything... like that," she assured him. "Remember, Takeru's Vows."

The boy continued to blush nervously before his attention was drawn to something else. "Hey! The book!"

Kari looked to where the boy indicated, and together they walked over to an ornate pedestal in the corner which bore the large tome. The girl took the small key that Killian had given her and placed it into the lock, turning it to the right. She heard a small 'click' as the lock released, then T.K. unbound the clasp and started to thumb through the pages. There was so much inside that it was difficult to take in all at once.

Much of it was devoted to history, chronicling the culture of the a'ladon race for almost two hundred years. There were detailed maps of both this and the surrounding lands, as well as painstaking translations from the language of the a'ladon to that of the humans. Then they both stopped, coming to a section that dealt with religion...

The script on this page was more recent than the rest, and looked as though it had been meticulously drawn instead of written. Together, the pair read:

Hello, Lord Takeru, Lady Hikari--

My name is Orem, and I am, or from your point of view was, the first seer of my people, called a'ladon. Allow me to expedite matters by providing some elucidation, for by this point you almost certainly have been alarmed by the welcome you received from my people. You must be aware that, unless things have changed, they all regard the two of you as gods. The fact that you are reading this, now, indicate to me that they have not changed.

I am somewhat loath to confess to you that I am the cause of your sudden deification. I have experienced visions of both of you for years, and have therefore been witness to the heroic causes that you have undertaken. But I also know that the two of you are nothing divine, and instead come from a foreign race that is called "man". But it is to my great shame that my colleagues do not share in my reverence for the truth. Many of them have shared in my visions of you both, and in attempting to surpass one another have attributed to you greater and more extravagant achievements. In time, much of what my peers have said of you has lost any relation to the truth.

I do not know what to do, but plead for your forgiveness. You must understand that my people have been under a yolk of enslavement for some time now, and primarily in the interest of giving them hope I have allowed the rumors of your divinity to continue. Surely you, Takeru, understand the importance of such hope.

Today, one of our priests has finished construction of what he calls a "dimensional portal"; a pair of rather garish idols that he claims will cause you to appear on our plane of existence. He is an old eccentric but rather brilliant in many ways, and if you are reading this, it means that his outlandish claims were true.

I have asked our high priest to forbid anyone to use the device, indeed to dismantle it at once, but again if you are reading this it means that my words have failed with him as well.

It almost shames to write what I will next, but if you will grant this old fool who has helped in abducting you away from your homes a request I will be eternally grateful.

First, please do not let it become widely known that you are not, indeed, gods. I have seen that the enslavement of my people will last far beyond my passing, and if they have called you I can only assume that it must still be so. If you must tell anyone, please speak first to whoever rules now and then to the leaders of the priesthood.

And secondly, more importantly… You are not gods, but I have seen that you have performed wonders. I beg of you, if you can find a way, please deliver my people from the evil that enslaves us. I plead with you, beg of you, please, try to find a way.

Your erstwhile servant,

Orem