Chapter 4: The Yggdrasill

After we went shopping, we both rested at the infamous Shakhan Square. It wasn't that heavily crowded like the streets. There were some people, though, browsing through the stands and paying people to blow fire and other assorted tricks. I looked at a stand that was selling some pies and cakes. Those look delicious that I should buy one, but I'm all out of money!, I grimly thought. Oh well, at least I have some supplies.

We sat and rested on a bench watching the people walk past. I sighed and began to think. I wonder if Bart will take me up to the palace. I'm sure that it would be easy for him, considering that he is the prince and all. I smiled.

"What's that smile all about?"

I looked up at Bart in surprise. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I was just. . . .thinking."

"Oh. . .okay. Well, I was thinking of headin' back to the ship."

"Ship?" I blinked, confused. He's a sailor, too?

Bart laughed as he saw my confused face. "I know what you're thinkin'. He's a prince and a sailor, too! But, I don't sail on water. Goin' to sea is not my fortè, you know?"

Even though I didn't understand him, I nodded anyway. "So. . . .you sail on the desert?"

"You got it! It's a large sand cruiser that acts like a submarine. You can go under the sand and everything. My favorite place to be is the bar!"

I smirked. "So, what is this ship called?"

"The Yggdrasill. It's a mighty fine ship if you ask me. I love sailin' the thing!" Bart exclaimed, seemingly very proud of it.

"I'd love to see it," I replied, eager to see the reason why Bart loved the machine.

"That would be great! I'd love to give you a tour and you can meet the crew!"

~*~

We both walked down the crowded street and out of the city. The hot, red sun beaded down on us as we walked through the sand. It had to be around ninety or one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. But no matter how hot it was, the black cloak that I wore helped keep the heat away. I bought the cloak a year or so from an old shopkeeper. He said that it would come handy for me down the road. So far, it has. I saw ahead of us a long, dark shape. It looked to be a large, black whale beached on the sand, but coming closer proved to be something else.

"That's the Yggdrasill you see ahead of you. It's greater on the inside," Bart said.

I nodded and continued to walk beside Bart, his fast-paced strides bringing us ever closer to the ship.

Looking ahead of me, it looked to be about a half of a mile or more. The great, black shape seemed to grow larger, like it was coming towards us, instead of the other way around.

I turned to Bart with a questioning look, "Bart, why do you park your ship so far away from the city? Wouldn't it be much easier to park closer?"

He smiled. "So it's not in the way of travelers coming through. Lots of people visit Aveh and we wouldn't want to be in their way. Most people traveling here have sand cars they use to get places. Besides, the palace doesn't want a huge ship right outside of their city."

We walked a bit farther and finally arrived at the Yggdrasill. Looking up, it seemed to be at least forty feet high and one hundred feet long or more. It's gray, metal covering looked to be impenetrable by any type of weapon. It seemed it was carefully crafted. No wonder Bart loves it, I thought.

A door opened in front of us and we stepped inside a small, enclosed space. Cool air encircled me and I felt better already. At least it has air conditioning. The only thing in the room was the door ahead of us.

"We are in the elevator if you wanted to know. We will be going to the bar for our first stop."

I nodded and asked, "This ship is so huge. What else do you hold here?"

He smiled as the elevator started its way up. "There's a bar, sleeping quarters for the crew, a clinic, a gear shop and a large hanger that takes up most of the ship."

I looked at him. "Really? No wonder you feel so proud of it."

He smiled. "Yep. But I think the best part of any ship has to be her crew." He turned to look at me. "You'll like my crew, Kyoko. They can be silly and wild people sometimes, but they are very likeable."

The door opened and more metal walls and floor appeared. The short hallway turned right and most likely led to the rooms that Bart had mentioned earlier. In the gray hallway, there was a bit of green. A potted plant sat by a door, which was guarded by a young man. He stared straight ahead, obviously not noticing our entrance.

I followed Bart as he stepped out of the elevator and we walked down the metal hallway and came to a door. He turned to me, smiled, and said, "Most likely, Maison will be here. You can meet the rest after this."

I nodded and entered the room behind him. I never noticed how tall he was. From the time in Shakhan Square, he just seemed to be a regular guy helping a girl in distress, until he said that he was a prince. Boy, was that a surprise. I would have never dreamed of actually meeting the famous Bart Fatima. If only my friends back home could see me now!

Studying his back frame, I also noticed how his white pants perfectly fitted his well-toned legs. I blushed. The black, sleeveless shirt he wore under his red coat also was a tight fit on him, making his muscles show at every glance I took at him. Too bad he wears that coat to cover that body...What am I thinking?? I just met him a while ago and I am already checking him out?? My cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red as I looked up at his long, braided hair. I wonder what he looks like without that hair done up like that..I shook my head, trying to rid the embarrassing thoughts out of my mind. Stay focused, Kyoko. This is no time to be checking out guys.

The room we entered was beautifully furnished. There were potted plants lined against the wall. To my left was a long and nice-looking wooden table, which seemed to be mahogany. Plates and silverware were set in front of each chair, as if dinner was just about to start.

In front of me was a bar and some small, circular tables. In short, I was impressed. No wonder Bart likes to go in here.

"Hi, Young Master," an old voice said.

Bart waved and we sat at the bar. I looked at the bartender, who stood behind the bar, wearing a blue coat with a white shirt under it. He was an old man, probably around in his late sixties or early seventies. He seemed to be a polite and wise person with how he greeted Bart.

"And who is this? A girlfriend?"

Bart laughed. I blushed.

"No," Bart corrected. "Her name is Kyoko and she sort of got into a bit trouble back in town. Good thing I was there to help her out."

"I see," the bartender said. He turned to me and asked politely, "So, why are you here with the Young Master, miss?"

I sighed and began my long story about my grandfather, the beatings and hurt feelings, the plan of running away and then, the robbery.

"Ah.Now I understand. Today must have been a troubling day for you, young lady. And I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Maison, the bartender for the Yggdrasill."

I smiled and nodded in greeting. What a nice old man, I thought. I would give anything to have a grandfather like him.

"So, would you like a drink? I have plenty of kinds here. Bart loves to have variety."

"Hey, what's the problem with that? It gets kinda old with the same tastes all the time. Always good to have somethin' a bit different, right, Kyoko?"

"I suppose so..I guess my situation now would be kind of like that..Running away and trying to do something different. A different life."

Maison smiled cheerfully. "Well, where do you want to start your new life? I presume Aveh?"

I blinked and looked down at my hands that rested on my lap. "No.My grandfather would come looking for me here when I don't show up. Even though he doesn't care for me, he wants me back home. Most likely, to do things for him everyday.." I looked back up, my face contorted in anger. "He doesn't even let me hang out with my friends! He thinks they are all thieves, since things have been disappearing lately." Tears welled up in my eyes. "He tells me that my parents shouldn't have had me.That I would just be a nuisance and no one would ever acknowledge me..that everyone living on Ignas wouldn't give a crap about me!"

I gasped and tears spilled down my cheeks. I cried, sobbing, screaming, of the pain that I had gone through my life. Why me? What is so bad about me that no one would ever care? My own grandfather! Even my own parents! They abandoned me! I'm just a normal girl who wants to be with her friends, to have a family.to be happy!

Throughout my burst of crying, Bart and Maison consoled me. A strong, warm hand caressed my back and soft, kind words were spoken. It feels nice here. Bart.Maison.So kind. So nice.

I want to stay here.

Please let me stay here.

~*~

Kyoko.

Where am I? It's so dark..

Kyoko.Speak to me.

Who is talking? Where is this voice coming from?

Kyoko.Say my name.

Your name? But I don't know who you are.

I am the person who witnessed your birth..

My birth? Could you be my..?

Yes..Your father.

But how? I thought you and mother disappeared..

Yes, we did..But, we are still here.

Still here? But how?

We are what you would call spirits.

But that means that both you and mother died!

Yes..Murdered..By evil..

Murdered.? By who? Why!?

Father?? Mother?? You couldn't have been..

"Kyoko!"

Murdered! "Kyoko! Wake up!"

Instantly, my eyes fluttered open. Light filled the room from a window to the right and right in front of me was Bart, leaning over with concern etched over his face. I blinked a couple of times and shook my head, as if trying to rid the remnants of the dream away. A dream..It was just a dream. No, it was a nightmare!

Bart slowly sat on the edge of the bed, his face still holding that look of concern.

"Kyoko, I heard you wailing and crying in your sleep, so I came right away. Are you alright?"

I nodded and sat up, brushing away the sweat that was running down my forehead. "It was nothing. Just a bad dream."

Bart sighed and patted my hand. "Well, that's good. But it looked like you were having a very bad nightmare. Care to talk about it?"

I shook my head and replied, "It was just a bad dream. Nothing special. Everyone has nightmares once and awhile."

He smiled. "I guess. But hey, whenever something happens to one of our crew, like a bad dream for example, we'll always be there for them."

"You mean, I am one of your crew?"

His grin widened. "Would you like to be one of us, Kyoko? We're really not that special, though. Just some lowly men out for a little treasure huntin' and adventure."

I smiled. "Treasure hunting and adventure sounds great to me. I think it would be better than living in one place all your life."

"Right you are! Ya gotta be spontaneous in your life or everything gets boring!"

I laughed.

When was the last time I laughed? It seemed so long ago I was able to walk with my friends, tell jokes and laugh. As Bart went about all of the adventures he and his crew had, I thought of my life before. Younger, my childhood imagination was what made life interesting in Dazil. The older kids that I played with made up all kinds of stories back then about pirates that searched for gold and would raid any house they found to the adventures of dragon slayers and princesses who ruled a whole world. To a child mind, those stories were amazing. Play-acting was the highlight of every day. When school was not in, my friends and I got together to role- play as knights, kings and queens.

But as I got older, restrictions were made. My grandfather said that playing was for the weak and that I should grow up strong. That time was when he introduced me to the long sword. It was a weapon that I had only seen in museums and weaponry shops. The prices astounded me. Who would buy something that would cost so much? But as I grew up, I realized why.

At 10, I was stronger than most of the boys in my school classes. I could easily hold a broadsword and still swing it. My training was perilous. I constantly questioned my grandfather of the reason behind the training. All he said was that I needed it.

When I hit my teen years was when things started turning to the worst. My grandfather told me that when I married I should be respectable and do everything for my husband. He said when a woman marries a man, she should always do what he says for that is the way of a wife. And if I didn't, there were punishments. He ordered me around, saying that it's for my own good; that when I married, I would be ready. At that age, I took that for the truth.

But turning 17, I realized that all my grandfather wanted was a slave. He never had his wife around to do his bidding, so it was me he picked on. Now that I think about it, what happened to my grandmother?

"Kyoko? You listening?"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Looks like I was losing you there for a second. Was it a boring story? I could make it more exciting, then. I mean, going bar-hopping and then coming back drunk naked is not a story for a lady, I guess."

I shook my head. "No, no. It wasn't your story. I got kinda lost in my thoughts, is all."

He smiled. "Well, that's good. For a second, I thought it was my story."

I smiled back. "What time is it?"

Bart looked toward the window. "It looks like it is almost noon. Wanna get a bite to eat?

"Sure."

He stood up and stretched, his stomach muscles showing through his black shirt. I blushed. "I'll meet you in the bar then. There's gonna be a feast, I think. Maybe celebrating your arrival." He grinned, showing white, almost fang-like, teeth.

"My arrival?"

"You're part of the crew now. Why not celebrate?"

I closed my eyes and then opened them, smiling. "I guess I'll be down in a bit, then."

"Okay. See ya in a bit." Bart waved and left the room.

I sighed. Part of the crew, huh? Never expected this to happen.

I stretched, my muscles worn from yesterday. Slipping out of the bed, I casually looked around the small room. It was bare, except for a desk, chair, dresser and the window. A nicely woven rug layed across the floor, bearing the colors red, blue and green. A candle sat on the desk showing the remnants of once being lit. Turning around, the bed itself was small, but proved to be comfortable. I fixed the covers, wanting to at least make the room feel clean.

I guess this is my room from now on, I thought. It has a nice homey feeling considering it's inside a large ship. I smiled. Walking towards the dresser, I undressed from my cloak and threw it on the chair.

Better change into something more comfortable. I wouldn't want to wear the same thing from yesterday.

Getting dressed, I continually thought of my new life aboard the Yggdrasill, wondering about the adventures I will experience and the treasure that I will find. In my younger days, I would have never thought I would live to experience the stories that were continually told. Now all I need to fulfill those stories is my very own personal Gear.