Once Upon a Time
by Hotaru
Disclaimer I don't own Slayers. I am just borrowing them to tell a story... ^.^ Anyway, please don't sue or kill me. Thank you very much.
Chapter 3
Merlina woke up very early. She sat up in bed and gave a huge yawn. Then she just sat there. Her mother should have woken her up already. Thoughts about her mother triggered the lock that her mother had cast on her yesterday. And in a rush, everything her mother had said yesterday that she couldn't remember rushed back to her. And Merlina looked straight ahead: the only evidence of emotion being two diamond tears falling from her eyes.
*****
Xellos woke up. He had a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his room. Why did he have such a huge headache? Oh yeah... last night. Some idiot had started to sing really loudly, and a few of the guests had been slightly on the drunken side. He had to go and help them get home all night long, walking them towards their homes. How... annoying. So, he had finally gotten home and decided that he could care less about the festivities and went to sleep.
He stood up and stretched slowly. He opened the curtains and saw that it was a cloudy day. It also looked like it would rain. He got dressed and fixed himself and then went downstairs to see if breakfast was done yet. Once down, he looked about him... he froze.
*****
Later on in the day,
Merlina Quertwen was walking through the forests. It was raining very lightly, but she didn't care. The rain fit her mood quite well. It would fit her mood even better if there were some lightning, thunder and a flood of some sort. Oh, and a strong fire somewhere. Must not forget a huge and devastating fire.
She was wearing very simple clothes and over it, she wore her black cloak, the hood drawn up. Her feet were in warm, sturdy and comfortable boots that kept the water off. She was warm, but she didn't care about that either. Her belongings were in a satchel hidden under her cloak. The Sword of Light, was at her hip, the Jeweled Staff in her hand. All in all, she was prepared. She could take on anyone who came to her. And she had a mission and a destination in mind. One of the things her mother had told her before locking it was to search for her father when she died. But to do that, she had to first get stronger to face her father. After all, father or not, Mazoku were hard to deal with. So, she was on a journey to the next town. All of a sudden she stopped. There was only the wet pattering of raindrops as they fell on the forest floor.
"You can come out, you know." she said, seemingly to no one. There was a soft rustle behind her. "And now, be a good little boy and go away." She started walking once more. The footsteps hesitated before following her. Merlina stopped again. "I said, go away." It sounded harsh in the cold of the woods.
"No." said the voice. "Not until you explain to me."
"You're too curious for your own good, boy." she said. "I have nothing to say to you. For the last time, go away."
"You know, you can't order me." said the boy, haughtily. "I order you to tell me."
"We're not at the village anymore." said Merlina in the same voice. "Besides, what do you care?" She began to walk again, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Please.... tell me." said the voice. Merlina debated whether to brain him with her staff or to just cut off his head and get it over with. But she did neither. She found herself turning and looking at her schoolmate. Ruby eyes stared into amethysts.
"What do you want to know." said Merlina, not really asking. "What makes you think I know what is going on?"
"If there is anyone who knows, that would be you, I'd think." he said, with a small smirk. Merlina's face was set in stone. "Last night... what happened?"
"You should know. Why rub my face in it?" asked Merlina coldly. "Or are you so blind to what is happening?"
"OK, OK.,.. I know what happened." said Xellos. "That is why I'm here. I want to know why."
"There is no reason why." said Merlina. "At least, no reasonable or logical one you'll like. Let's just say our mothers had some differences to settle." She started to leave. He walked beside her.
"Where are you going?" he asked. He looked forward. For the first time, Merlina noticed his attire. Although it was obviously made of finer cloth than hers, they looked about the same. That is, he was wearing traveling clothes. His black cape with purple lining covered a black clad priest. He wore a haversack, but held no weapon.
"Not back." she said. She eyed him. "How come?"
"Just to see if we are going the same direction. After all, it's better to travel in groups than by yourself." he said. He kept looking straight ahead. Merlina did too, her hand gripping her staff.
"I don't need protection," said Merlina with a dry smile. "I can take care of anyone who comes my way."
"Probably true." said Xellos. "But I know white. It's more efficient than using ointment." Merlina was silent. "Besides, so far, we are going the same way."
"Why are you leaving?" asked Merlina.
"For almost the same reason you are." said Xellos. "Well, I'm guessing."
"You aren't leaving with the same reason I have." said Merlina. "Perhaps part, but not totally."
"So, are we going to the next village?" he asked.
"Who said anything about 'we'?" asked Merlina.
"I did." said Xellos.
"Well, get that out of your mind because there is no we. Now, I have a destination and you are in the way. Good day." said Merlina and she walked around him and walked off. Xellos sighed. He took off on another trail.
That night, Merlina started to set up a small camp in a clearing she had found. She had just started to form a ring of stones for her fire. Suddenly, she heard a muffled voices off to her left. Immediately, she kicked the rocks away and tried her best to make the camp unsettled. She grabbed her bag and her staff and jumped up on a tree. Into view came three figures.
"Look!" said the tallest one. "This seems like the perfect place for our camp!"
"Perfect!" said the shortest one. He pulled the third figure and kicked him down. The figure landed with and 'umph'. "We can camp here and leave for the next town at daybreak."
"And here's a tree to tie the kid to." said the tall one.
"Good job." said the short one. He grabbed the other and lugged him to the tree where they started to tie him up. Merlina narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus on them. Whoever they were, they had gold and money, things she would need for her journey. And they seemed like crooks of some kind.
"Yo, go and find something to eat!" said the short one. "I'll start us a nice warm fire. Won't that be nice, kid?" The one that was tied to the tree just groaned but didn't answer.
"Sure boss!" said the tall one, and he left. Merlina smiled as a plan began to form in her head. She'd wait until they were together and she'd attack, and then, she'd take their treasure. Besides, this was her clearing.
A few minutes later, the tall one returned with a rabbit he had killed. The fire was roaring nicely by then. They gutted it and skinned it, before they washed it a bit with water they had and began to roast it. The figure by the tree moved a bit.
"Hey boss!" said the tall one. "Looks like the kid wants some."
"Well, let him get his own." said the short one. And they laughed. The figure slumped. Merlina smiled. Perfect. They had even brought her supper. How considerate of them.
The figure stared groggily at the two men. He had been walking and trudging after them for half the afternoon. And to say that he was hungry was underestimating him. He was starving, and tired and in a very bad mood. Problem was,... he couldn't really do much about it. His hands struggled vainly as they tried to loosen up the knots that bound his wrists together. He finally gave up and slumped in defeat. He was doomed, for sure. He looked up and saw them cook. He really wanted to eat. All of a sudden, a ball of light illuminated the whole area. He closed his eyes against the brightness. He heard pandemonium and chaos all around him and only hoped that he wouldn't be caught in any of the blasts that were flying around the whole camp. Finally, he heard a shout that seemed to dwindle. He opened his eyes cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a teenage girl with long hair in a braid dust off her hands and pants. To his surprise, she walked in calmly and methodically raided the bandit's loot. She took a stick of fried rabbit that was just right after all the fireballs that had flown around the place. He made a groaning sound to try to catch her attention. The girl looked up and then, he saw her eyes.
Merlina looked up. Oh yeah, there had been a poor idiot who had gotten trapped by the silly bandits. Oh well, might as well free the poor kid. She walked there and then, her eyes widened in surprise.
"It's... you again." she said. He couldn't really say much since he was gagged. She removed it and started to work on his bonds. When she couldn't get them untied, she muttered and took out a small blade from a secret pocket and sliced them.
"Thank you." he said as he got up and rubbed his wrists to get the circulation going once more.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Duh!" he said. "What do you think?"
"Oh well. I don't care." she said. She walked over to the bandit's belongings and methodically started to go through them to see if there was anything worth selling.
"What are you doing?" asked Xellos as he watched her.
"What do you think?" she asked contemptuously. "Or did you also have a servant to look for you?" He flushed. There was a bit of silence. "Look. For your information, I am seeing if there is anything worth selling in here." Xellos was surprised. He hadn't expected her to be so... open about it.
"But... that's wrong!" he said. "You can't go around stealing people's things!"
"Says the kid who was just about to be sold into slavery by some bandits when they got to the next town." said Merlina. He bristled at the word... kid. She looked up and stared at him straight into his purple eyes. "Look, the world isn't a nice place to idiots who have no idea what they are doing and see walking into the woods as a walk in the town park with little signs telling you where you are included. Go on home. You will only get hurt out here." She found a gold watch and started to appraise it. Her hand grabbed a piece of roast rabbit on a stick and absently started to eat. Xellos found out that he was very hungry. The bandits had eaten his food. Fortunately, he hadn't brought anything of importance with him. As if reading his mind, Merlina threw a shish ka bob in his directing. "Catch." she said. He fumbled it but managed to catch it before it hit the ground.
"Thank you." he said. He got closer to the fire and started to eat hungrily.
"You can stay in the camp tonight." said Merlina. She had finished and indicated for him to keep on eating. "Once daylight strikes you can walk home. It's off to the east. Not many people will hit while in broad daylight."
"I'm not going back." he said as he grabbed another stick and began to eat.
"Don't be stupid." she said harshly. She unslung a pack she had on under her cloak and took out her staff and absentmindedly began twirling it. "You wouldn't survive a day out here. You belong in the city or a town."
"How would you know?" he asked. "You can't say much about me. It's not like we ever had a decent conversation since the day I met you." To his surprise, he saw Merlina smile a bit, even though the smile was slightly on the bitter side.
"How it all started, huh?" she said. "I remember that day. You were an obnoxious little kid." She looked at him and then smirked. "You still are."
"Am not." he said. "You were the annoying brat who tried to fit in. You haven't succeeded yet by the way."
"I know that. I'm not the clueless idiot who wanders for a picnic into the woods with out knowing how to defend themselves." she said.
"Well, at least I'm not running away."
"So why are you here?"
"Cause I wanted to ask you something."
"Well, I already told you my answers. Too bad you're too stupid to understand."
"Says the one who doesn't even try to understand what happened."
"Jerk!"
"Stupid!"
"Spoiled brat!"
"Violent!"
"Coward!"
They kept this up for a few minutes until they both ran out of names to call each other. They stared at each other and glared.
"Well, you can stay here for the night if you want." said Merlina. "I'll keep watch. You sleep." She stood up and stretched and leaned against a tree.
"Thanks." muttered Xellos. He took his cape and folded it so that it was like a thin mattress and covers. Merlina sighed.
"You didn't even bring a bedroll?" she asked. "What in the world where you thinking of?" She sighed and walked over to where her belongings where thrown on the floor. After moving a few things aside, she threw a pack at him. "Here." The look on her face clearly stated, "Don't you dare say a thing."
"Thank you." he said, doing the wise thing and not questioning. It was only later on that Xellos would think and realize that Merlina had eaten hardly anything and that she had kept watch the whole night.
The next day dawned brightly on two figures. It was a crisp dawn, the air fresh from the light rain that fell the day before. Xellos woke up and stretched as he yawned.
"Morning." said a feminine voice as he got up. That startled him and he quickly rubbed his eyes. His eyes focused on Merlina, who was boiling some water and roasting something.
"Good morning." he said. He stood up and stretched some more.
"Here's breakfast." She handed him some sticks with roasted meat on them. At his inquiring look she said, "Beef. I brought it with me."
"Thanks." he said. He had been saying that a lot lately. More than he had said in a long time. But when dealing with Merlina, one started to feel awkward when no one talked, and Merlina wasn't one to strike up a conversation with people. Then again, she was probably used to being silent, what with everyone ignoring her like the plague.
She kept an eye on the boiling water the whole time. As soon as it was ready, she took it off the fire and left it on a patch of earth to cool down. After breakfast was over, she cleaned up everything and put out the fire. Xellos folded up the bedroll and gave it back. She wordlessly took it.
"You can go now." she said as she started to put her things away.
"I was thinking last night." said Xellos, as if oblivious to her obvious hint.
"Oh." she said. She kicked the stones that formed the fire ring and scattered the ashes.
"And I decided that it was probably very dangerous to walk around by myself." said Xellos.
"Wow, you're so smart. I can easily see how you also managed t graduate." she said sarcastically. She took out her sword and cleaned it to make sure it was in sterling conditions.
"So, I was thinking... walking off by myself would probably cause me to get lost or get caught again." he continued. She put her sword in its sheath. "And I thought... what abilities do I have?"
"None." said Merlina slightly under her breath. She brought up her staff that was at the base of her feet.
"And the only one I could think off was that I know white magic, which means I can heal." said Xellos.
"Wow, aren't you special." said Merlina sarcastically. She picked up her bag.
"So, I decided that I was going to follow you." said Xellos.
"Yeah.... WHAT????" screamed Merlina. "Nope, no way you're following me. I won't have you tagging along."
"Why ever not?" asked Xellos. He picked up his bag and looked pretty ready to travel.
"Because I said so." said Merlina. "And that's that." There was an understood 'Go Away.'
"Well, I'm following you." said Xellos. "So come on. Where are we going?"
"We aren't going anywhere." said Merlina, emphasizing the 'We". "I am leaving."
"We are leaving then." said Xellos. "Well, that's a good idea. The earlier we start the sooner we get there. How smart."
"Oh shut up." mumbled Merlina. She walked off. When she heard footsteps behind her, she made a Diem Wing and started to fly as fast as she could. Normally, she preferred not to fly as it wasted energies and you ended up missing quite a few things on the road, such as herbs and such, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Right? Right!
She felt a magic inflection behind her and she grinned. So, he thought that he could keep up with her? She was planning on testing it.
They flew the rest of the day, Merlina purposefully taking the most complicate passage through the woods, and leading him on a wild goose chase. She skipped Lunch, too preoccupied with keeping him lost. Finally, she had too stop. She was too tired to do anything else. She sat against a tree and got her breath as she controlled her speeding heart and tried to save her magical resources. Two minutes later, Xellos came crashing through the woods, his face all red and panting like crazy. There was sweat dripping from his face. He landed at her feet as he too struggled to catch his breath.
"I see.... you made it..." said Merlina between deep breaths.
"Yeah." said Xellos as he tried to stand up. To his surprise, he saw a pale and slender hand enter his view. He held her hand and she helped pull him up. "You... are the.... fastest flyer... I've seen..." he admitted grudgingly.
"You too." said Merlina. Already, she was starting to feel better and more relaxed. She had to admit, she was impressed. She hadn't seen anyone with that much stamina except for her mother. Xellos let go of her hand and leaned against the tree also, standing beside her.
"So, will you let me... accompany you?" he asked. He was breathing heavily, but doing better.
"I guess." she said. She stretched and then began to walk, her staff appearing in her hand as she took it out from her cape. She walked a few steps and turned to look at him. "Well? Are you coming or not?" Xellos didn't need a second bidding and followed her.
That night, two very tired people crashed in a camp that Merlina had hastily made. There was a cheery fire in the middle, and some meat being cooked over it. Merlina had told him to go straight ahead and she'd catch up with him. At first, he hadn't trusted her, but seeing her eyes, he asked no questions. Fifteen minutes later, she appeared from a few bushes carrying a dead rabbit. So that was what they were eating that night.
"Man,... I'm so sore...." said Xellos as he sat down on a log. Merlina sat across from him.
"Stretch." she said. She was putting away her knives and had packed up the rabbit fur.
"Huh?" asked Xellos as he looked at her. She sighed.
"Lesson Number One." she said. "If you are going to follow me, there are some instructions you should learn. One of them is to stretch and walk out the stiffness after doing lots of walking or running. After using lots of magic, you eat lots to build up your lost energy. Understood?"
"Yeah." said Xellos. When he still didn't do anything, Merlina realized that he had no idea how to stretch. So she stood up and started to stretch. Xellos imitated her.
"You've never stretched before?" asked Merlina, a little surprised.
"Well, I was never into sports and stuff." said Xellos keeping an eye on her. "I mean... in school, I just skipped it. Or if I did, it was small stuff. Definitely not walking fast the whole day after a grueling flight." Merlina nodded and continued. First arms, legs, back...
"OK." she said. "That should do it. Now, have some to eat." They shared her bedroll that night. Merlina stayed up for the first watch while Xellos slept and then they switched so that Merlina could get some sleep also. And they wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassing thought of having to sleep together.
The next day, as they were walking and munching on a few berries that Merlina had found, she began to talk, much to Xellos's surprise.
"Xellos?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"Out of curiosity..." she started. Then she shut up for a while before continuing.
"Out of curiosity what?" asked Xellos. If Merlina had started the conversation, then he really wanted to know what it was about. It wasn't everyday that Merlina spoke first.
"Nothing..." she said. "Don't worry about it." She looked straight ahead the whole time.
"Well.. it must have been something that worries you since you hardly ever speak, yet you asked." said Xellos.
"Very observant." said Merlina. But she didn't volunteer much information. A few minutes later, Merlina spoke again. "If you really want to know..."
"Yes." said Xellos.
"Well..." started Merlina. At that moment, it was woefully clear to Xellos that Merlina was really and truly a shy and pensive girl under the tough facade she usually wore. She blushed a bit and finally took a deep breath and spoke. "Howlongdidittakeyoutolearnwhitemagic?" And she could speak quickly when she was uncomfortable.
"Um... run that by me again?" he asked. He smiled at her and tried to encourage her to take a calming breath without actually saying anything.
"I was wondering... um... how long... did it... um... you know... take you to learn?" she asked. Xellos almost pretended he didn't know what she was talking about and ask, but he held himself in check. No need to antagonize the girl who he was traveling with.
"White magic?" he asked, to make sure that was what she was speaking about. She nodded. He absently noted that she was beet red. "Well... not too long. I mean, the simple stuff took me about a week. Some spells are simple, like Shield, but the time you can keep it up depends on how strong and experienced you are." Merlina nodded and kept on looking ahead. "Why did you want to know?"
"Cause." said Merlina, and once more, the mask had covered her face. And they kept on walking to the next city.
End of Chapter Three
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy you guys like this story!!!!! *weeps with joy* Thank you all sooooooo much! Every time I got depressed I would read your reviews and I'd feel all smiley! ^^ Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and that it measured up to your standards. Any comments or criticisms are extremely welcome!!! So, if your mind tells you... "Look, she wrote a chapter! Maybe I should thank her with a review..." do so!!!! ^^ And if you hated it, feel free to yell at me. I can take it, as long as you tell me why. ^^ So, that's about it. Thank you all for reading!
Hotaru
Disclaimer I don't own Slayers. I am just borrowing them to tell a story... ^.^ Anyway, please don't sue or kill me. Thank you very much.
Chapter 3
Merlina woke up very early. She sat up in bed and gave a huge yawn. Then she just sat there. Her mother should have woken her up already. Thoughts about her mother triggered the lock that her mother had cast on her yesterday. And in a rush, everything her mother had said yesterday that she couldn't remember rushed back to her. And Merlina looked straight ahead: the only evidence of emotion being two diamond tears falling from her eyes.
*****
Xellos woke up. He had a splitting headache. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling of his room. Why did he have such a huge headache? Oh yeah... last night. Some idiot had started to sing really loudly, and a few of the guests had been slightly on the drunken side. He had to go and help them get home all night long, walking them towards their homes. How... annoying. So, he had finally gotten home and decided that he could care less about the festivities and went to sleep.
He stood up and stretched slowly. He opened the curtains and saw that it was a cloudy day. It also looked like it would rain. He got dressed and fixed himself and then went downstairs to see if breakfast was done yet. Once down, he looked about him... he froze.
*****
Later on in the day,
Merlina Quertwen was walking through the forests. It was raining very lightly, but she didn't care. The rain fit her mood quite well. It would fit her mood even better if there were some lightning, thunder and a flood of some sort. Oh, and a strong fire somewhere. Must not forget a huge and devastating fire.
She was wearing very simple clothes and over it, she wore her black cloak, the hood drawn up. Her feet were in warm, sturdy and comfortable boots that kept the water off. She was warm, but she didn't care about that either. Her belongings were in a satchel hidden under her cloak. The Sword of Light, was at her hip, the Jeweled Staff in her hand. All in all, she was prepared. She could take on anyone who came to her. And she had a mission and a destination in mind. One of the things her mother had told her before locking it was to search for her father when she died. But to do that, she had to first get stronger to face her father. After all, father or not, Mazoku were hard to deal with. So, she was on a journey to the next town. All of a sudden she stopped. There was only the wet pattering of raindrops as they fell on the forest floor.
"You can come out, you know." she said, seemingly to no one. There was a soft rustle behind her. "And now, be a good little boy and go away." She started walking once more. The footsteps hesitated before following her. Merlina stopped again. "I said, go away." It sounded harsh in the cold of the woods.
"No." said the voice. "Not until you explain to me."
"You're too curious for your own good, boy." she said. "I have nothing to say to you. For the last time, go away."
"You know, you can't order me." said the boy, haughtily. "I order you to tell me."
"We're not at the village anymore." said Merlina in the same voice. "Besides, what do you care?" She began to walk again, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"Please.... tell me." said the voice. Merlina debated whether to brain him with her staff or to just cut off his head and get it over with. But she did neither. She found herself turning and looking at her schoolmate. Ruby eyes stared into amethysts.
"What do you want to know." said Merlina, not really asking. "What makes you think I know what is going on?"
"If there is anyone who knows, that would be you, I'd think." he said, with a small smirk. Merlina's face was set in stone. "Last night... what happened?"
"You should know. Why rub my face in it?" asked Merlina coldly. "Or are you so blind to what is happening?"
"OK, OK.,.. I know what happened." said Xellos. "That is why I'm here. I want to know why."
"There is no reason why." said Merlina. "At least, no reasonable or logical one you'll like. Let's just say our mothers had some differences to settle." She started to leave. He walked beside her.
"Where are you going?" he asked. He looked forward. For the first time, Merlina noticed his attire. Although it was obviously made of finer cloth than hers, they looked about the same. That is, he was wearing traveling clothes. His black cape with purple lining covered a black clad priest. He wore a haversack, but held no weapon.
"Not back." she said. She eyed him. "How come?"
"Just to see if we are going the same direction. After all, it's better to travel in groups than by yourself." he said. He kept looking straight ahead. Merlina did too, her hand gripping her staff.
"I don't need protection," said Merlina with a dry smile. "I can take care of anyone who comes my way."
"Probably true." said Xellos. "But I know white. It's more efficient than using ointment." Merlina was silent. "Besides, so far, we are going the same way."
"Why are you leaving?" asked Merlina.
"For almost the same reason you are." said Xellos. "Well, I'm guessing."
"You aren't leaving with the same reason I have." said Merlina. "Perhaps part, but not totally."
"So, are we going to the next village?" he asked.
"Who said anything about 'we'?" asked Merlina.
"I did." said Xellos.
"Well, get that out of your mind because there is no we. Now, I have a destination and you are in the way. Good day." said Merlina and she walked around him and walked off. Xellos sighed. He took off on another trail.
That night, Merlina started to set up a small camp in a clearing she had found. She had just started to form a ring of stones for her fire. Suddenly, she heard a muffled voices off to her left. Immediately, she kicked the rocks away and tried her best to make the camp unsettled. She grabbed her bag and her staff and jumped up on a tree. Into view came three figures.
"Look!" said the tallest one. "This seems like the perfect place for our camp!"
"Perfect!" said the shortest one. He pulled the third figure and kicked him down. The figure landed with and 'umph'. "We can camp here and leave for the next town at daybreak."
"And here's a tree to tie the kid to." said the tall one.
"Good job." said the short one. He grabbed the other and lugged him to the tree where they started to tie him up. Merlina narrowed her eyes as she tried to focus on them. Whoever they were, they had gold and money, things she would need for her journey. And they seemed like crooks of some kind.
"Yo, go and find something to eat!" said the short one. "I'll start us a nice warm fire. Won't that be nice, kid?" The one that was tied to the tree just groaned but didn't answer.
"Sure boss!" said the tall one, and he left. Merlina smiled as a plan began to form in her head. She'd wait until they were together and she'd attack, and then, she'd take their treasure. Besides, this was her clearing.
A few minutes later, the tall one returned with a rabbit he had killed. The fire was roaring nicely by then. They gutted it and skinned it, before they washed it a bit with water they had and began to roast it. The figure by the tree moved a bit.
"Hey boss!" said the tall one. "Looks like the kid wants some."
"Well, let him get his own." said the short one. And they laughed. The figure slumped. Merlina smiled. Perfect. They had even brought her supper. How considerate of them.
The figure stared groggily at the two men. He had been walking and trudging after them for half the afternoon. And to say that he was hungry was underestimating him. He was starving, and tired and in a very bad mood. Problem was,... he couldn't really do much about it. His hands struggled vainly as they tried to loosen up the knots that bound his wrists together. He finally gave up and slumped in defeat. He was doomed, for sure. He looked up and saw them cook. He really wanted to eat. All of a sudden, a ball of light illuminated the whole area. He closed his eyes against the brightness. He heard pandemonium and chaos all around him and only hoped that he wouldn't be caught in any of the blasts that were flying around the whole camp. Finally, he heard a shout that seemed to dwindle. He opened his eyes cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a teenage girl with long hair in a braid dust off her hands and pants. To his surprise, she walked in calmly and methodically raided the bandit's loot. She took a stick of fried rabbit that was just right after all the fireballs that had flown around the place. He made a groaning sound to try to catch her attention. The girl looked up and then, he saw her eyes.
Merlina looked up. Oh yeah, there had been a poor idiot who had gotten trapped by the silly bandits. Oh well, might as well free the poor kid. She walked there and then, her eyes widened in surprise.
"It's... you again." she said. He couldn't really say much since he was gagged. She removed it and started to work on his bonds. When she couldn't get them untied, she muttered and took out a small blade from a secret pocket and sliced them.
"Thank you." he said as he got up and rubbed his wrists to get the circulation going once more.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Duh!" he said. "What do you think?"
"Oh well. I don't care." she said. She walked over to the bandit's belongings and methodically started to go through them to see if there was anything worth selling.
"What are you doing?" asked Xellos as he watched her.
"What do you think?" she asked contemptuously. "Or did you also have a servant to look for you?" He flushed. There was a bit of silence. "Look. For your information, I am seeing if there is anything worth selling in here." Xellos was surprised. He hadn't expected her to be so... open about it.
"But... that's wrong!" he said. "You can't go around stealing people's things!"
"Says the kid who was just about to be sold into slavery by some bandits when they got to the next town." said Merlina. He bristled at the word... kid. She looked up and stared at him straight into his purple eyes. "Look, the world isn't a nice place to idiots who have no idea what they are doing and see walking into the woods as a walk in the town park with little signs telling you where you are included. Go on home. You will only get hurt out here." She found a gold watch and started to appraise it. Her hand grabbed a piece of roast rabbit on a stick and absently started to eat. Xellos found out that he was very hungry. The bandits had eaten his food. Fortunately, he hadn't brought anything of importance with him. As if reading his mind, Merlina threw a shish ka bob in his directing. "Catch." she said. He fumbled it but managed to catch it before it hit the ground.
"Thank you." he said. He got closer to the fire and started to eat hungrily.
"You can stay in the camp tonight." said Merlina. She had finished and indicated for him to keep on eating. "Once daylight strikes you can walk home. It's off to the east. Not many people will hit while in broad daylight."
"I'm not going back." he said as he grabbed another stick and began to eat.
"Don't be stupid." she said harshly. She unslung a pack she had on under her cloak and took out her staff and absentmindedly began twirling it. "You wouldn't survive a day out here. You belong in the city or a town."
"How would you know?" he asked. "You can't say much about me. It's not like we ever had a decent conversation since the day I met you." To his surprise, he saw Merlina smile a bit, even though the smile was slightly on the bitter side.
"How it all started, huh?" she said. "I remember that day. You were an obnoxious little kid." She looked at him and then smirked. "You still are."
"Am not." he said. "You were the annoying brat who tried to fit in. You haven't succeeded yet by the way."
"I know that. I'm not the clueless idiot who wanders for a picnic into the woods with out knowing how to defend themselves." she said.
"Well, at least I'm not running away."
"So why are you here?"
"Cause I wanted to ask you something."
"Well, I already told you my answers. Too bad you're too stupid to understand."
"Says the one who doesn't even try to understand what happened."
"Jerk!"
"Stupid!"
"Spoiled brat!"
"Violent!"
"Coward!"
They kept this up for a few minutes until they both ran out of names to call each other. They stared at each other and glared.
"Well, you can stay here for the night if you want." said Merlina. "I'll keep watch. You sleep." She stood up and stretched and leaned against a tree.
"Thanks." muttered Xellos. He took his cape and folded it so that it was like a thin mattress and covers. Merlina sighed.
"You didn't even bring a bedroll?" she asked. "What in the world where you thinking of?" She sighed and walked over to where her belongings where thrown on the floor. After moving a few things aside, she threw a pack at him. "Here." The look on her face clearly stated, "Don't you dare say a thing."
"Thank you." he said, doing the wise thing and not questioning. It was only later on that Xellos would think and realize that Merlina had eaten hardly anything and that she had kept watch the whole night.
The next day dawned brightly on two figures. It was a crisp dawn, the air fresh from the light rain that fell the day before. Xellos woke up and stretched as he yawned.
"Morning." said a feminine voice as he got up. That startled him and he quickly rubbed his eyes. His eyes focused on Merlina, who was boiling some water and roasting something.
"Good morning." he said. He stood up and stretched some more.
"Here's breakfast." She handed him some sticks with roasted meat on them. At his inquiring look she said, "Beef. I brought it with me."
"Thanks." he said. He had been saying that a lot lately. More than he had said in a long time. But when dealing with Merlina, one started to feel awkward when no one talked, and Merlina wasn't one to strike up a conversation with people. Then again, she was probably used to being silent, what with everyone ignoring her like the plague.
She kept an eye on the boiling water the whole time. As soon as it was ready, she took it off the fire and left it on a patch of earth to cool down. After breakfast was over, she cleaned up everything and put out the fire. Xellos folded up the bedroll and gave it back. She wordlessly took it.
"You can go now." she said as she started to put her things away.
"I was thinking last night." said Xellos, as if oblivious to her obvious hint.
"Oh." she said. She kicked the stones that formed the fire ring and scattered the ashes.
"And I decided that it was probably very dangerous to walk around by myself." said Xellos.
"Wow, you're so smart. I can easily see how you also managed t graduate." she said sarcastically. She took out her sword and cleaned it to make sure it was in sterling conditions.
"So, I was thinking... walking off by myself would probably cause me to get lost or get caught again." he continued. She put her sword in its sheath. "And I thought... what abilities do I have?"
"None." said Merlina slightly under her breath. She brought up her staff that was at the base of her feet.
"And the only one I could think off was that I know white magic, which means I can heal." said Xellos.
"Wow, aren't you special." said Merlina sarcastically. She picked up her bag.
"So, I decided that I was going to follow you." said Xellos.
"Yeah.... WHAT????" screamed Merlina. "Nope, no way you're following me. I won't have you tagging along."
"Why ever not?" asked Xellos. He picked up his bag and looked pretty ready to travel.
"Because I said so." said Merlina. "And that's that." There was an understood 'Go Away.'
"Well, I'm following you." said Xellos. "So come on. Where are we going?"
"We aren't going anywhere." said Merlina, emphasizing the 'We". "I am leaving."
"We are leaving then." said Xellos. "Well, that's a good idea. The earlier we start the sooner we get there. How smart."
"Oh shut up." mumbled Merlina. She walked off. When she heard footsteps behind her, she made a Diem Wing and started to fly as fast as she could. Normally, she preferred not to fly as it wasted energies and you ended up missing quite a few things on the road, such as herbs and such, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Right? Right!
She felt a magic inflection behind her and she grinned. So, he thought that he could keep up with her? She was planning on testing it.
They flew the rest of the day, Merlina purposefully taking the most complicate passage through the woods, and leading him on a wild goose chase. She skipped Lunch, too preoccupied with keeping him lost. Finally, she had too stop. She was too tired to do anything else. She sat against a tree and got her breath as she controlled her speeding heart and tried to save her magical resources. Two minutes later, Xellos came crashing through the woods, his face all red and panting like crazy. There was sweat dripping from his face. He landed at her feet as he too struggled to catch his breath.
"I see.... you made it..." said Merlina between deep breaths.
"Yeah." said Xellos as he tried to stand up. To his surprise, he saw a pale and slender hand enter his view. He held her hand and she helped pull him up. "You... are the.... fastest flyer... I've seen..." he admitted grudgingly.
"You too." said Merlina. Already, she was starting to feel better and more relaxed. She had to admit, she was impressed. She hadn't seen anyone with that much stamina except for her mother. Xellos let go of her hand and leaned against the tree also, standing beside her.
"So, will you let me... accompany you?" he asked. He was breathing heavily, but doing better.
"I guess." she said. She stretched and then began to walk, her staff appearing in her hand as she took it out from her cape. She walked a few steps and turned to look at him. "Well? Are you coming or not?" Xellos didn't need a second bidding and followed her.
That night, two very tired people crashed in a camp that Merlina had hastily made. There was a cheery fire in the middle, and some meat being cooked over it. Merlina had told him to go straight ahead and she'd catch up with him. At first, he hadn't trusted her, but seeing her eyes, he asked no questions. Fifteen minutes later, she appeared from a few bushes carrying a dead rabbit. So that was what they were eating that night.
"Man,... I'm so sore...." said Xellos as he sat down on a log. Merlina sat across from him.
"Stretch." she said. She was putting away her knives and had packed up the rabbit fur.
"Huh?" asked Xellos as he looked at her. She sighed.
"Lesson Number One." she said. "If you are going to follow me, there are some instructions you should learn. One of them is to stretch and walk out the stiffness after doing lots of walking or running. After using lots of magic, you eat lots to build up your lost energy. Understood?"
"Yeah." said Xellos. When he still didn't do anything, Merlina realized that he had no idea how to stretch. So she stood up and started to stretch. Xellos imitated her.
"You've never stretched before?" asked Merlina, a little surprised.
"Well, I was never into sports and stuff." said Xellos keeping an eye on her. "I mean... in school, I just skipped it. Or if I did, it was small stuff. Definitely not walking fast the whole day after a grueling flight." Merlina nodded and continued. First arms, legs, back...
"OK." she said. "That should do it. Now, have some to eat." They shared her bedroll that night. Merlina stayed up for the first watch while Xellos slept and then they switched so that Merlina could get some sleep also. And they wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassing thought of having to sleep together.
The next day, as they were walking and munching on a few berries that Merlina had found, she began to talk, much to Xellos's surprise.
"Xellos?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"Out of curiosity..." she started. Then she shut up for a while before continuing.
"Out of curiosity what?" asked Xellos. If Merlina had started the conversation, then he really wanted to know what it was about. It wasn't everyday that Merlina spoke first.
"Nothing..." she said. "Don't worry about it." She looked straight ahead the whole time.
"Well.. it must have been something that worries you since you hardly ever speak, yet you asked." said Xellos.
"Very observant." said Merlina. But she didn't volunteer much information. A few minutes later, Merlina spoke again. "If you really want to know..."
"Yes." said Xellos.
"Well..." started Merlina. At that moment, it was woefully clear to Xellos that Merlina was really and truly a shy and pensive girl under the tough facade she usually wore. She blushed a bit and finally took a deep breath and spoke. "Howlongdidittakeyoutolearnwhitemagic?" And she could speak quickly when she was uncomfortable.
"Um... run that by me again?" he asked. He smiled at her and tried to encourage her to take a calming breath without actually saying anything.
"I was wondering... um... how long... did it... um... you know... take you to learn?" she asked. Xellos almost pretended he didn't know what she was talking about and ask, but he held himself in check. No need to antagonize the girl who he was traveling with.
"White magic?" he asked, to make sure that was what she was speaking about. She nodded. He absently noted that she was beet red. "Well... not too long. I mean, the simple stuff took me about a week. Some spells are simple, like Shield, but the time you can keep it up depends on how strong and experienced you are." Merlina nodded and kept on looking ahead. "Why did you want to know?"
"Cause." said Merlina, and once more, the mask had covered her face. And they kept on walking to the next city.
End of Chapter Three
Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy you guys like this story!!!!! *weeps with joy* Thank you all sooooooo much! Every time I got depressed I would read your reviews and I'd feel all smiley! ^^ Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and that it measured up to your standards. Any comments or criticisms are extremely welcome!!! So, if your mind tells you... "Look, she wrote a chapter! Maybe I should thank her with a review..." do so!!!! ^^ And if you hated it, feel free to yell at me. I can take it, as long as you tell me why. ^^ So, that's about it. Thank you all for reading!
Hotaru
