CHAPTER 12
Tristen stares angrily down on the soldiers that had failed to retrieve Riana and Luanda. Feeling his rage burning down on them, the first Gaimeleth pilot throws himself to the floor, spluttering out apologies.
" My King, please forgive us. The girl from the Mystic Moon had amazing fighting skills! She knew how to pilot a simple Gaimeleth like it was her own body. She didn't even use her sword, just her hands and feet!"
Tristen sits heatedly in his thrown, gripping the thrown's arms tighter and tighter with every word the pitiful soldier mutters.
The second and third pilots kneel also, making their contribution to the grovelling.
" Your Highness, her wrath was out worldly." Whimpers the second soldier. The third beaten pilot simply remains silent with terror.
" I have no time for you three, report yourselves to the Dungeon immediately. I suggest you do this quickly." Tristen utters.
The three soldiers bow and rush out of the thrown room, straight to the Dungeons as ordered. Darken moves over to the King's side, as Tristen motions him to come closer.
" And that girl told me she had no power whatsoever. I hate being lied to Darken."
Darken bows in acknowledgment.
" My King, may I suggest something?"
Tristen nods and leans back into his thrown to listen.
" The boy that appeared also had a strange fighting technique that involved his feet and hands. Maybe we should persuade him to join with us?"
King Tristen turns to Darken with a smile. He had forgotten about the boy.
" Very well Darken, the girl from the Mystic Moon may have slipped through my fingers for now, but the boy certainly shall not!"
**************************************
It was night once again. The stars twinkle and glimmer in the sky, only a few clouds breaking up the clear atmosphere above them.
" So that big planet up there is Earth? The Mystic Moon??" Riana asks Luanda, pointing up to the night's sky.
Throwing another piece of wood into the campfire he had made, Luanda looks up also, admiring the view of the two Moons.
" That's right." He sighs, leaning back against the tree.
Riana stares longingly at Earth. She had a huge sense of helplessness inside her that kept growing and growing the longer she looked at her home planet.
" Now I understand the phrase ' So near and yet so far'." Riana sighs, pulling her skewer from the fire.
Peering at the fish on the other end of the wooded skewer, she shoves it in front of Luanda's face and asks if it is ready to eat.
Inspecting the crispy brown flesh of the fish, Luanda gives Riana the thumbs up and tells her to leave it to cool for a few minutes, pulling his own fish from the fire.
" Don't hate me for prying," Luanda begins suddenly,
" But, how did you pick up how to pilot the Gaimeleth so fluently?"
Riana shrugs to herself.
" I guess it was because I had to. My instructor, Mr. Chung always told me that as long as you will yourself to, you can accomplish anything."
" A very wise man, this Mr. Chung?"
Riana smiles.
" A very wise man. The only person I trusted."
Feeling heartache within his friend, Luanda decides to leave that matter alone for now and turns to his fish.
Carefully, he slides the skewered fish off its stick and places it on a leaf he had prepared earlier. Riana tries to do the same but accidentally drops hers and watches it in dismay as it rolls back into the fire.
" Maybe I didn't have enough will to eat that fish." Riana mumbles. Laughing warmly, Luanda coaxes the burning fish out of the fire with his stick and hands her his own food.
" Thanks..." Riana says kindly, offering Luanda half of the fish.
" No it's ok, I like my fish extra crispy!"
Nearly chocking with laughter, the two humbly eat their food, lapsing into a silence that only the crackles of the fire interrupts.
" Where," Riana swallows. " Where are we going to go now?"
Luanda takes a crunch out of his fish and wipes his mouth to answer.
" The position of the stars tells me so far that we are heading south. I think if we follow this river we will find a village soon."
" Good! I can get new clothes then!"
Luanda turns to his friend with a frown.
" Why would you need clothes? The garments you are wearing now are very beautiful!"
Riana looks down at her traditional Chinese outfit and sighs. She missed Mr. Chung and his Wife...
" King Tristen knows what clothes I'm wearing and will probably send word out to find a girl with my description. Really, I need to disguise myself!"
" You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Luanda asks, throwing the remains of his charcoal fish away.
Riana frowns.
" Enjoying what?"
" This! Camping out, the chase, the fighting!" Luanda tells her, sitting up, his tail twitching side to side.
Riana frowns again.
" I don't enjoy it. What gives you that impression?"
Luanda cocks his head to the side with interest.
" I could tell by the glint in your eyes, when you climbed into the Gaimeleth, the way you were so eager to do it by yourself. The way you fought, the way your whole body was shaking with excitement after the fight with the Trian Gaimeleths. You do enjoy this Riana!"
Riana looks away a little angered by Luanda's conclusion. Why should she enjoy fighting, why should she enjoy being taken away from her home, and have her very life threatened by a psychotic King. Suddenly though, it hits her. All that was a lie because deep down, she did enjoy this. She did enjoy the freedom and the adventure, and what she felt the guiltiest about was the fact she didn't truly miss Earth. She didn't miss her family...
" Riana? Have I upset you?" Luanda asks her apologetically.
Slowly shaking her head, Riana feels the need to explain her sudden silence.
" Back on Earth, the Mystic Moon, my life was miserable. My parents divorced when I was 13, and ever since, they have used me as a fuel for argument."
" Riana, I didn't know..."
Riana continues.
" The only thing that kept me sane was Mr. Chung, and the Kung Fu he taught me. Only now do I realise how much I have grown to love him as if he was my father. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't of minded being brought here; I probably would have wished it a long time ago... Am I a bad person for thinking like this? To hate my parents that much?"
Before Luanda could even think of anything to say to her, Riana continues with a chuckle.
" Actually I tell a lie. The one other her person I love is my Grandfather. You know, he used to tell me stories about how his sister came to Gaia? I never actually believed that it was a real place... but I wished it was, and now I'm here..."
Riana looks up at Luanda's face.
" I guess I am enjoying it here. Is that wrong?"
Luanda takes Riana's hand comfortingly.
" It isn't wrong Riana. I know what it is to feel unloved by your parents, so I understand. You see," Luanda begins to explain.
" My parents abandoned me when I was a child, after that I was found by a travelling warrior who taught me many things, but sadly never showed me the love that I desired. I felt alone for many years..."
Riana wipes her eyes with her sleeve and puts her arm around the beastman.
" Well it looks like we've got a lot of things in common, you and I!"
Luanda smiles warmly at her and looks up at the sky.
" It will be morning in a few hours. If we are to make it to the village tomorrow, we'd better get some sleep."
Riana agrees and makes herself comfortable on the soft ground. Wishing Luanda a 'good night', she drifts into a soft sleep, wondering what her future would bring her.
Tristen stares angrily down on the soldiers that had failed to retrieve Riana and Luanda. Feeling his rage burning down on them, the first Gaimeleth pilot throws himself to the floor, spluttering out apologies.
" My King, please forgive us. The girl from the Mystic Moon had amazing fighting skills! She knew how to pilot a simple Gaimeleth like it was her own body. She didn't even use her sword, just her hands and feet!"
Tristen sits heatedly in his thrown, gripping the thrown's arms tighter and tighter with every word the pitiful soldier mutters.
The second and third pilots kneel also, making their contribution to the grovelling.
" Your Highness, her wrath was out worldly." Whimpers the second soldier. The third beaten pilot simply remains silent with terror.
" I have no time for you three, report yourselves to the Dungeon immediately. I suggest you do this quickly." Tristen utters.
The three soldiers bow and rush out of the thrown room, straight to the Dungeons as ordered. Darken moves over to the King's side, as Tristen motions him to come closer.
" And that girl told me she had no power whatsoever. I hate being lied to Darken."
Darken bows in acknowledgment.
" My King, may I suggest something?"
Tristen nods and leans back into his thrown to listen.
" The boy that appeared also had a strange fighting technique that involved his feet and hands. Maybe we should persuade him to join with us?"
King Tristen turns to Darken with a smile. He had forgotten about the boy.
" Very well Darken, the girl from the Mystic Moon may have slipped through my fingers for now, but the boy certainly shall not!"
**************************************
It was night once again. The stars twinkle and glimmer in the sky, only a few clouds breaking up the clear atmosphere above them.
" So that big planet up there is Earth? The Mystic Moon??" Riana asks Luanda, pointing up to the night's sky.
Throwing another piece of wood into the campfire he had made, Luanda looks up also, admiring the view of the two Moons.
" That's right." He sighs, leaning back against the tree.
Riana stares longingly at Earth. She had a huge sense of helplessness inside her that kept growing and growing the longer she looked at her home planet.
" Now I understand the phrase ' So near and yet so far'." Riana sighs, pulling her skewer from the fire.
Peering at the fish on the other end of the wooded skewer, she shoves it in front of Luanda's face and asks if it is ready to eat.
Inspecting the crispy brown flesh of the fish, Luanda gives Riana the thumbs up and tells her to leave it to cool for a few minutes, pulling his own fish from the fire.
" Don't hate me for prying," Luanda begins suddenly,
" But, how did you pick up how to pilot the Gaimeleth so fluently?"
Riana shrugs to herself.
" I guess it was because I had to. My instructor, Mr. Chung always told me that as long as you will yourself to, you can accomplish anything."
" A very wise man, this Mr. Chung?"
Riana smiles.
" A very wise man. The only person I trusted."
Feeling heartache within his friend, Luanda decides to leave that matter alone for now and turns to his fish.
Carefully, he slides the skewered fish off its stick and places it on a leaf he had prepared earlier. Riana tries to do the same but accidentally drops hers and watches it in dismay as it rolls back into the fire.
" Maybe I didn't have enough will to eat that fish." Riana mumbles. Laughing warmly, Luanda coaxes the burning fish out of the fire with his stick and hands her his own food.
" Thanks..." Riana says kindly, offering Luanda half of the fish.
" No it's ok, I like my fish extra crispy!"
Nearly chocking with laughter, the two humbly eat their food, lapsing into a silence that only the crackles of the fire interrupts.
" Where," Riana swallows. " Where are we going to go now?"
Luanda takes a crunch out of his fish and wipes his mouth to answer.
" The position of the stars tells me so far that we are heading south. I think if we follow this river we will find a village soon."
" Good! I can get new clothes then!"
Luanda turns to his friend with a frown.
" Why would you need clothes? The garments you are wearing now are very beautiful!"
Riana looks down at her traditional Chinese outfit and sighs. She missed Mr. Chung and his Wife...
" King Tristen knows what clothes I'm wearing and will probably send word out to find a girl with my description. Really, I need to disguise myself!"
" You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Luanda asks, throwing the remains of his charcoal fish away.
Riana frowns.
" Enjoying what?"
" This! Camping out, the chase, the fighting!" Luanda tells her, sitting up, his tail twitching side to side.
Riana frowns again.
" I don't enjoy it. What gives you that impression?"
Luanda cocks his head to the side with interest.
" I could tell by the glint in your eyes, when you climbed into the Gaimeleth, the way you were so eager to do it by yourself. The way you fought, the way your whole body was shaking with excitement after the fight with the Trian Gaimeleths. You do enjoy this Riana!"
Riana looks away a little angered by Luanda's conclusion. Why should she enjoy fighting, why should she enjoy being taken away from her home, and have her very life threatened by a psychotic King. Suddenly though, it hits her. All that was a lie because deep down, she did enjoy this. She did enjoy the freedom and the adventure, and what she felt the guiltiest about was the fact she didn't truly miss Earth. She didn't miss her family...
" Riana? Have I upset you?" Luanda asks her apologetically.
Slowly shaking her head, Riana feels the need to explain her sudden silence.
" Back on Earth, the Mystic Moon, my life was miserable. My parents divorced when I was 13, and ever since, they have used me as a fuel for argument."
" Riana, I didn't know..."
Riana continues.
" The only thing that kept me sane was Mr. Chung, and the Kung Fu he taught me. Only now do I realise how much I have grown to love him as if he was my father. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't of minded being brought here; I probably would have wished it a long time ago... Am I a bad person for thinking like this? To hate my parents that much?"
Before Luanda could even think of anything to say to her, Riana continues with a chuckle.
" Actually I tell a lie. The one other her person I love is my Grandfather. You know, he used to tell me stories about how his sister came to Gaia? I never actually believed that it was a real place... but I wished it was, and now I'm here..."
Riana looks up at Luanda's face.
" I guess I am enjoying it here. Is that wrong?"
Luanda takes Riana's hand comfortingly.
" It isn't wrong Riana. I know what it is to feel unloved by your parents, so I understand. You see," Luanda begins to explain.
" My parents abandoned me when I was a child, after that I was found by a travelling warrior who taught me many things, but sadly never showed me the love that I desired. I felt alone for many years..."
Riana wipes her eyes with her sleeve and puts her arm around the beastman.
" Well it looks like we've got a lot of things in common, you and I!"
Luanda smiles warmly at her and looks up at the sky.
" It will be morning in a few hours. If we are to make it to the village tomorrow, we'd better get some sleep."
Riana agrees and makes herself comfortable on the soft ground. Wishing Luanda a 'good night', she drifts into a soft sleep, wondering what her future would bring her.
