Chapter Six: Allies
The red haired girl took a few steps back again, her hat tipping and falling to the side. Her eyes opened in bewilderment. "You're the..." She paused, because he wasn't really a 'thing.' He was a person, just like she use to be, just like she still pretended to be. Her eyes locked his, though her glassy, doll eyes couldn't match the untamed soul of the Jabberwocky. "Person. The person. I'm supposed to kill you..." Her fingertips tightened around the handle of the marionette.
The Jabberwocky sighed and palmed his forehead. "If you must. I won't fight you, you're a good soul. Misguided by that wretched child, but good." He stepped backwards a bit. "Just be careful around here, I already found a few more of those spiders. Had to finish them off, and let me tell you they were stronger than this one was."
As Gio spoke with the Jabberwocky, Gregor slowly got himself back to his feet and recovered from the shock of the spider attack. Spotting the Jabberwocky, he poised his knife. His arrogance was back in full force, and he called out. "You have made a folly, foul beast, and shown yourself! Now you shall die by my blade!"
Gregor was frozen for a moment. "He... He... You saw what he did to that spider! He's a threat to all the good people of this world!" he announced, not wanting to lose his ally by telling her he didn't know.
"Yes, Gregor. Spider bad. Spider smashed Gregor a bit too hard on his soft little fleshy skull." Gio said in a mocking manner. To emphasize, she reached out and knocked on her own skull, which due to being made of wood, made an eerie hollow noise. "Or maybe little Gregor was already messed up to begin with."
Gregor sputtered. "Imagine what he could do to you if he felt like it!"
The Jabberwocky just glared at Gregor. "I killed that spider because it tried to hurt both this young lady here and you, though I would have been glad to let it eat you. It was evil."
Gregor had to blink for a moment. "Lady?" The Jabberwocky just sighed at the young man's ignorance.
Normally, Gio liked kids. They were okay, even funny and they usually got along well enough. Of course, there will always be one exception. "Yeah, in case you haven't noticed..." She flipped off her hat once again, revealing the unruly red locks of her hair. "I'm female." She took off one of her gloves, revealing a ball-jointed hand that was made of polished wood. She smacked the boy with the glove on either side of his face--she was tempted to do more, perhaps throw him out of the tower windows, but he was only a child--and then smiled. "Nor am I human. I think it's best you leave, Gregor."
Gregor got huffy. "I apologize profusely, ma'am, but I have no choice but to slay this beast! You had best not endanger yourself and allow me to complete my work!" he announced, raising his blade.
The Jabberwocky sighed. "I hate to beat up on the stupid..."
"This battle will be won just like all the others! I shall slay you and take back your head as proof of your death!"
"You don't get it, do you? Your advantage is gone now that we're out of the book," the Jabberwocky informed him. "If we fight, I will win."
"With or without my assistance," Gio added, smiling at the Jabberwocky.
The Jabberwocky took a look at Gio, before returning his attention to Gregor. "What do you say?"
Gregor was getting upset and started to cry a bit. "Just shut up and die already!" With that, he ran for the Jabberwocky, his blade poised. The fight lasted less than the battle with the spider. In a mere three seconds, Gregor's knife was knocked from his hand, and he was sprawled forward on the stone floor, the Jabberwocky's foot on his back to hold him down. "I warned you," he said simply.
Gio waited for a few minutes, biting her lower lip, before tucking her hat back on as she approached the two. "Let him go. Take him back to the book and let him go."
The Jabberwocky looked towards Gio, his foot still pinning the boy to the floor. "I'm not going to kill him. He doesn't deserve it. He's just an ignorant child trying to prove to his father that he's all grown up by slaying the "terrible beast" that rumors say destroyed an entire village."
"We've all been there," Gio said softly. "That's why I think you should take him back to the book. Let him prove the end of his boyhood otherwise. Perhaps, next time, Gregor, the best bet would be understanding, since your lack of it has gotten you in trouble this time. But...sir," She paused, and looked to the Jabberwocky, because there was a lack to call him otherwise, "If you don't take him back to the book, what else is there to do of him?"
"We could drop him somewhere in this world and let him fend for himself. But while I do hate him, I wouldn't feel right doing that to his father," the Jabberwocky explained. "We can take him back to the book. But... I don't want to go with him."
"Of course you don't. No one wants to spend their life like that," Gio replied quietly. "We'll take him back. Let him write his own ending."
"Thank you," he said, as he removed his foot long enough to pick Gregor up by the back of his shirt. Gregor, it seems, wasn't content to let him do that, and tried to slash at him with his dagger. The Jabberwocky quickly grabbed the boy's arm with his free hand and twisted his wrist. Gregor yelped in pain and dropped the dagger, pouting. The Jabberwocky looked down at the dagger and hesitated for a moment, before slowly picking it up. He quickly slipped it into his belt, without taking another look at it, and glared at Gregor. "I'm keeping this so you can never use it against another innocent life again."
In the meanwhile, Gio was heading back to the library, kicking away rubble with her shoes. "I certainly hope Alice is doing something worth while. We've been gone so long and we still haven't found Sailorneptune.." She mumbled to herself as she opened the door to the library.
And indeed, Alice had been doing something worthwhile. At least she thought so. During their absence she had spent time pilfering the moldy shelves, seeking information on any legendary soldiers. Not that she was completely ignorant. It seemed that her transformation into Sailorpluto breached a memory block, and each moment she spent idle was filled with a memory. Albeit those memories were not hers. By the now she knew the complete tale of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms, the fairy tales and location of each Kingdom and a few lines worth on each sailor senshi. Not to mention she had aced her mythology and astronomy classes.
As for actual by-the-hand research, she had found very little besides some maps of trade routes through the kingdoms. This library was ancient by any means, and as far as she could tell, hadn't been updated since Queen Snow White's reign.
Anyways, at the moment Gio found her, Alice was pilfering a file on Jack and the Beanstalk.
"The 'evil beast' has been defeated." Gio said after a few minutes of sitting in the silence, waiting for Alice to notice her. She cleared her throat. "Er.. well, sort of."
From behind Gio, the Jabberwocky entered the room, dropping Gregor to the floor of the library. "I believe this whining little pus bag is your friend."
Gregor was whining and complaining the whole time. "It's not supposed to end like this! Lady Alice, your manservant has betrayed us and sided with the beast! You are in danger!"
The Jabberwocky just shook his head. "Learn to keep your fool mouth shut, kid."
"Manservant?" Alice sniggered in a most unpleasant way. "Gio is a companion in a shared mission. As for this beast," she eyed Jabberwocky, "the only threat he poses is to Fundamentalist Christians. Now get up."
The Jabberwocky raised his eyebrow. "Thanks, I think." Gregor pushed himself to his feet, looking rather shaken up and upset. "You don't believe me? He's a menace! He has to be destroyed!"
"Can I put him back in the book now?" the Jabberwocky asked.
Gio held out the book in question, in a flourished bow. "By all means, be my guest." She flashed a last, mischieveous grin at Gregor. "Have a nice trip, sonny."
With a smirk, the Jabberwocky picked up Gregor again. "Time to say goodbye to you for good, kid. I'd say it's been fun, but..." Suddenly, he stopped talking. He was quiet for a moment as he looked around the room. Quickly, he looked back at Gio and Alice. "Get away from the walls, NOW!" As soon as he finished saying this, the brick started to crumble near and behind one of the bookcases. "We've got company!" he shouted, as a large, hairy arachnid leg started to poke through one of the new holes.
Gio knew better than to take them on in civilian form this time. Throwing her marionette out of her jacket pocket, she called her transformation phrase and felt herself rise not out of her own accord. When her transformation stopped, Sailoruranus stood in the place where Gio Gepetto had moments before.
"The balance of our world is delicate, like the strings of a marionette!" The figure said as the last of her fuku appeared, flits of energy floating to the ground as gravity took hold of her again. "I won't let you hurt my friends! I am Sailoruranus!"
Alice took her cue and transformed into Sailorpluto, frilly bloomers and all. "The card spread has predicted-oh shit!" A very large, rude and furry leg tried to stomp Pluto mid-speech. Leaping out of the way, she pulled the Queen card from her apron pocket.
"Royal Flush!" Pluto flung the card at the spider, wishing she had something more effective than guillotine cards. The spread severed the offending leg and returned to Pluto in a graceful boomerang curve.
As all this happened, the Jabberwocky and Gregor watched, stunned and surprised. "What the hell is going on here?!" Gregor shouted, looking as if he was about to soil himself.
The Jabberwocky, however, turned to Gregor, said "Stay here or die," and got up. The spiders had finally broken through the wall, and started to emerge in the room. He grabbed one of the bookcases, and with a heave, flung it and its contents onto the lead spider, crushing it under its weight. That didn't help much, as from behind it even more started to take its place.
Sailoruranus ran forward with her marionette swinging in front of her. "Don't these things ever give up?!" Leaping into the air, she brought the marionette above her head before bringing it down onto a spider's midsection and sent it crashing to the ground as the marionette impaled it. It began to go through convulsions, once again sending Uranus on a ride not unlike a bucking bronco.
Pluto jackknifed over a smaller spider, razing it with her cards. "I think it's time for a hasty retreat!" she shouted, "There's too many!"
The Jabberwocky quickly went for more bookcases. "You two push them back, I'll barricade the entrance! That should buy us some time to get out of here!" With that, he flung another bookcase on top of the first one, causing some spiders to scramble a few feet back.
"If you say so!" replied Pluto, attempting to drive back the spiders.
Sailoruranus frowned at the situation. Retreat? What was the sense in that-- if they didn't destroy them now, it'd be the spiders destroying them later. At that moment, though, the spider that had been giving the red haired puppet soldier the ride of her life died, and another, much more healthy and menacing spider continued the onslaught on the two senshi and newcomer. Uranus sighed, before swinging her marionette to the side.
"Here goes nothing!" She acknowledged his request before diving back into the spiders again, almost disappearing in the sea of black movement. However, this time there was some progress--it was much easier to push them back, rather than kill them all together. Bits of spider legs flew by as Sailoruranus hacked into them feverishly, shouting at them to move.
"Hmm..." hummed Pluto, throwing single cards in a line across the spiders, making her own electric fence. At the same time, she moved back. It seemed to work, at least until a spider got behind her and decided to avenge all the spiders she had squashes with a newspaper. The black, hairy leg slammed down on her back, knocking the air out of her in a single explative.
The Jabberwocky was quick to come to Pluto's aid, grabbing the offending arachnid leg, and with a mighty heave and a roar, he flung the beast into the rest of the spiders at the entryway, knocking them back. Grabbing a nearby bookcase, he then proceeded to topple it into the path of the spiders, further hindering their process.
In the meantime, Gregor sat huddled in a nearby corner of the room, clutching the book to his chest as he both hoped that the heroes could succeed in stopping the spiders, and that he would not wet himself in fear and further embarrass himself.
Pluto heaved herself more or less upright, coughing and trying to suck air into her lungs. Ohhh, she was going to feel that in the morning. "I'm going now!" she shouted to the others, hobbling towards the windows. Tears stung at her eyes, one arm gripping her pained torso, the other throwing her cards one more time before she escaped. She looked down at the ground, which suddenly seemed very far away. Pluto looked back at her fighting comrads, and gulped. She guessed the pains in her ribcage were probably cracked ribs, and fighting would only aggravate the issue.
"JUMP, YA WENCH!" shouted the card, returning to Pluto's free hand.
"EEP!" Pluto did jump, out of sheer shock, plummeting out of the window. Her scream soon followed.
But rather than becoming a pettifore-clad pancake, Pluto's skirt ballooned in an umbrella-like way, slowing her fall to a gentle waft.
"One down, two more of us to go," Uranus said, disturbingly cheerful. She smiled defiantely as she kicked a spider carcass away from her, before looking around. There were just too many--even if she and the stranger managed to kill another dozen, they would still be on tonight's menu. With that realization and the Jabberwocky's words, Uranus' loud sigh gave her sign of resignation. Her smile faded.
The Jabberwocky was in a close distance of her. That would make her next move easier. She waited until he was pulled away from the spiders for air, before running towards him in a mad paced-circle. The bottom arm of the marionette lengthend to the height of Sailoruranus, and when she had completed the circle, she jumped into the air. The marionette's arm impaled the ground not four inches from the Jabberwocky.
"PUPPET CIRCLE!" Sailoruranus cried as she hung in midair. The ground rumbled, before a neat circle cut its way into the stone floor. For a moment, everything paused, before the ground surrounding Uranus and her alley crumbled, sending them to the next floor. "Going down!"
"What are you doing?!" The Jabberwocky shouted, as they both fell to the ground below. When he landed, the Jabberwocky quickly sprouted his wings and used them to shield himself and his friend from the rest of the falling debris that removing a large chunk of floor had dislodged. He looked up and saw the rest of the spiders peering down the hole and preparing to follow them down. The fall would be nothing for them.
The Jabberwocky decided he had one more chance left. He reeled back, lifted his head, and from his mouth shot a blast of flames, torching the spiders around the hole, and forcing them to back away.
Back upstairs, Gregor had quickly managed to open the book and scramble back inside before the spiders could reach him. Let them deal with the beast for him.
"We're getting out of here," the beast turned boy announced, scooping Uranus up in his arms and dashing for the window. He took a leap out, and flapped his wings wide, gliding down to the ground outside the castle where Alice had landed.
Sailoruranus, however, had a situation that was deemed far worse than spiders. For you see, being a puppet she was composed entirely out of wood. So, not only was she scared out of her mind now, but as she caught her breath still being held by the Jabberwock, a single piece of her wild red hair fell in her face. And then she realized something: it was on fire.
"Nnnnergh--ugh--aaagh--!!" She swatted frantically at the strand of her hair, her eyes wide as saucers. "Did you have to use FIRE?!?!" Her voice was noticably higher than usual, deft with frantic energy. She tore herself from his arm and tumbled over, flapping against the ground like a fish out of water. Water! Oh, why couldn't they have landed in a puddle?
"Sorry about that," the Jabberwocky apologized, grabbing Uranus and holding her still. "Hang on." He took another deep breath, and this time, he let out another stream of air, that unlike his flaming breath of before, was cold and chilling. The fire was quickly put out, and little bits of snow were now present in her hair, but that was quickly being melted by the warmer air.
Sailoruranus took a big sigh of relief. "I'mokaynow." She turned and looked at the Jabberwock, her eyes blazing. "Don't EVER do that again!"
"I already said I was sorry. At least we got away from the spiders," he reasoned, looking around to find Pluto, and to ensure that no spiders had decided to join them down on the ground. "What now?"
"I personally-hfft-suggest we get the hell away from the Castle of Count Tarantula and find Sailorneptune," Alice's, she had returned to normal form, voice echoed across the hall. "Maybe suggest to King Wendell to hire a few royal exterminators." Her shrug was minute, her arms wrapped around her aching ribcage.
Sailoruranus spun her marionette like a baton before tucking it under her arm, her sailor uniform turning into thousands of strings, before falling to her feet and disappearing entirely, leaving her civilian clothes behind. "Sounds like a good idea." Gio turned to their new ally, her glass eyes focusing on him, before turning away and beginning to walk towards the carriage. "Come on. Alice needs to get some help into the carriage, and you and I need to talk, Jabberwocky." Her voice was commanding, but far from cold.
"Whatever," the Jabberwocky responded, proceeding to help Alice into the carriage.
Well, this beats dying every day, the Jabberwocky reasoned to himself.
Alice batted Jabberwocky. "I'm fine!" she growled, albeit it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more than him, "I can... un... get into this-carriage!-myself!" She made various noises as she tried to heave herself into the passenger seat. Just as she almost made it, her foot slipped and she fell to the ground with a resounding cry.
"Okay... Maybe I'm not fine," Alice admitted grumpily.
*******
She didn't have to turn around to know that Wolf was gone, hearing his hurried, fleeting footsteps moving through the open doorway and to the carriage. Backing up to block the passage between her companion's escape and the dangerous girl trying to stop them, Cécile positioned her body so that she could stand her ground. Lips pulling back in a snarl to reveal fang-like canines, she leaned forward with her fists up in preparation for a fight, one hand wavering close to her neck. The high pitched neigh of the horses and the clamber of hooves was the final notice that Wolf was out of harm's way. She didn't want to have to, but the tension was mounting and she could just smell the powerful magic radiating off of Richelle's body. Cécile growled again, "Who the hell are you, and why are you after the Four?"
"The Four?" Richelle repeated stupidly, for the moment completely at a loss as to what was happening. "I'm not after anyone! Why are you two so evasive and obviously lying?" Richelle asked backing away and calmly placing her cup onto the table, then shoving it away. She stood up straight and met the snarling girl's eyes. "I was being a good hostess despite your 'Uncle' and your own rude behavior. I was *trying* to be civil and courteous as my parents would wish." she gave the girl a cold glare. "Obviously I was wrong and should have done this the first time."
"Me? Rude? What did I do to you? I even offered to pay you back!" was the first thing that came to Cécile's mind, shouting indignantly at her. It wasn't as though she had been the thief -- certainly Wolf had gotten out of control, but she hadn't done a single thing but behaved like a courteous guest. Digressing, her behavior was hardly the point. "And if you're so innocent, why wouldn't you let us go?" She didn't move a muscle, continuing to block the doorway so that Wolf could get even further away from the house. She couldn't risk him getting caught, even if it wasn't clear whether this girl was lying or not. Cécile met Richelle's glare with one of her own, "Is that a *threat*?"
"Who's threatening, you're the one blocking *my* front door!" Richelle pointed out. "I wouldn't let you go because you were lying. Grandma's house? Puh-lease! Even I'm not that trusting...wolves and grandma's and highly suspicious behavior... I've heard *that* before," Richelle told her, rolling her eyes.
Rolling her sleeves up, as she didn't wish to dirty the cuffs while fighting, Richelle fervently hoped that she wouldn't need to transform. The whole process was rather indecent in her opinion and she didn't have her curtain to transform behind either. "Now please step aside so that I can find your so-called Uncle, drag him back here and call the law upon both of you."
Cécile scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl, "Tch, sure! Like I'd do that because you asked me oh-so-very kindly?" She was sure by now that Wolf would be a safe distance away, but trying to follow him with Richelle watching her was going to be difficult. The baker had to snort at the comment of 'highly suspicious behavior'. "And here I was, thinking that somehow, the Fourth Kingdom was *nicer* to wolves! Typical." She told herself that she didn't really want to hurt the girl if she didn't have to, but she was getting annoyed at her and wouldn't have any qualms if she caused an injury or two. "You dumb humans... All the same! So unreasonable and so judgmental," Cécile spat at the girl.
Slowly, Cécile took a step back, preparing to turn and make a run for it. Hopefully, Richelle would chase her instead of the carriage, and if not, Wolf would have the common sense to stay off the main road as best as possible. "But, you see, if you want to 'call the law' upon us, then you'll have to stop us first, girly!" With those words, Cécile lunged for a nearby vase and threw it towards Richelle. Not waiting to see whether the girl caught it or it smashed on the ground, the she turned and ran through the
parlor.
Richelle's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Cécile had picked up her mother's grandmother's empty urn (the ashes being deemed too dirty to keep in such a public place) and tossed it. For only the briefest moment she hesitated then dove for the urn, falling hard on her side and rolling with it protectively held in her embrace. Placing the urn safely on the cushions she got up, dusted herself off and ran to the door.
"No way I can catch up with that girl..." she muttered watching Cécile disappear around a bend in the road. "No choice...blast!" whipping her hairpins out she screamed "In the name of Mercury...I will cleanse you of your impurities and make you pay for your cruelty!" and tried to banish the belief that she was twirling about nude.
Standing straighter, Richelle crossed her hairsticks in front of her face (momentarily distracted by how dull the ends were getting of course) and watched as the room disappeared into an endless blue. Spinning backwards, her silhouette lengthened and turned midnight blue, while threads of ice covered her body to become her fuku. Her right knee curled to her chest, the ice exploding and showering the endless blue with shimmering shattered ice crystals. With a final assessing look, she spun back around, brandishing her hairsticks like glowing batons, and replaced them in her hair with a smile and momentary pose.
After she had successfully changed and carefully checked the hairsticks in her hair, she ran out again and took a shortcut she knew would take her ahead of Cécile. "If all goes well, I will tie this girl up like a Christmas hog and have her fake uncle back before I'm due at the Widow's." Richelle muttered hopefully.
*******
She ran as fast and as far as her legs would take her, praying that the muscles wouldn't seize up from disuse before she was at least well into a forest or someplace she could take cover. Luckily, Cécile was an avid sprinter and had gotten a few good yards ahead of her pursuer. Needless to say, wearing a bright red coat wouldn't help her blend into the greenery, either. Reluctantly, she tossed it aside as she ran, hoping that she would get a chance to come back for it later. The girl eventually had to slow
down, unused to the terrain and suddenly afraid of getting too deep into the woods. She had no idea where she was in the first place, and straying from the road was only going to inconvenience her further.
Which meant that her only solution was to try and circle back -- even if that meant running into Richelle again.
Out of breath, Cécile slowed down and stumbled a few feet further, moving towards a large tree with a conveniently large root to rest upon. After plopping herself down on the rough bark, hunched over in exhaustion, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Silence surrounded her, save for the occasional chirp of several birds perched above. She continued to listen, her own breath now soft and slow, the chattering of animals growing louder. Her ears twitched, picking up sounds from afar.
A rustle of underbrush and the snap of a small twig being crushed beneath a foot caught her attention. Cécile had to give the other girl some credit for her determination, however foolish it was. Raising a hand to hover over her throat again, she opened her eyes and looked around. Her vision was acute, especially when she was in hunting mode. It wasn't difficult to sense the girl coming -- Richelle was so loud in comparison to the serene quietness of the forest creatures, and smelled of indoor cleanliness, a distinct odor against the earthy air. Turning the tables, Cécile was now the predator.
She pulled the soft and worn strip of cloth from her neck, the material sliding free without ripping as she raised it above her head. Closing her eyes, she embraced the warmth of gentle flames wrapping around and licking at her flesh. But everything about this transformation felt so natural, and she resisted it far less than she had the first time -- this was *meant* to happen. Her eyes sprung open again as a heavy red cloak settled over her head and fell down her back.
"The song of the wolves calls for me to condemn you, and so flames of justice will strike you down! I am Sailormars!" she heard someone shout out, and realized that it was her own voice, though it held a power within it that was unfamiliar. Reality soon came back into place and she took a moment to examine her outfit. After a few seconds of tilting her head at the peculiar get up, Sailormars turned around to face the direction that her prey-- Richelle, was coming from.
*******
Stumbling through some underbrush, Mercury stood straighter and dusted off her skirt. "This is ridiculous. She shouldn't know where she is, let alone how to get out of this forest. I should have just waited along the main road and surprised her." Mercury muttered.
Pushing aside another branch, she paused, staring at the ground. A small smile lit her face up for a moment while she examined the obviously larger foot of that infernal girl. "Right. She went this way...careful now..." she whispered, doing the very un-soldier like thing by entering an enemy's known lair without so much as a wisp of plan.
And what a foolish decision it was. As Mercury passed by a thick, looming oak, a rustling sound came from behind her. Several bushes shook gently, breaking her focus and causing the girl to turn and look at the source. Though hesitant to investigate, she warily took a step towards it, making as little noise of her own as possible. The bushes were still, and as Mercury was about to dismiss the movement as a small animal, the branches came to life again. She readied herself for attack, scanning the shuddering leaves with a cautious eye.
The rustling began to changes its position, receding into another patch of underbrush in the direction that she came from. Confused, Mercury held her ground despite worrying that she might be letting her enemy get away. But instead of a girl, a couple of squirrels dashed out of the bushes and chased each other up a tree. She shook her head with a frustrated sigh.
Turning back around to continue through the woods, suddenly a gloved fist came swinging at her face. Barely missing impact, Sailormercury stumbled backwards, foot sliding on fallen leaves and causing her to fall flat on her back. Dizzied, she looked upwards, seeing the red-edged silhouette of a cloaked figure. The light filtering in between the canopy of the trees blocked a face out, except for one, eerily familiar glowing golden eye.
"Well, well, you just don't know when to give up, do you?" the transformed baker grinned, head tilted as she stood over her prey. Mars concealed her confusion at Richelle's outfit underneath a smug expression, her distrust increasing now that her fears were confirmed: Richelle was a wielder of strong, dangerous magic.
"No, I don't!" Mercury retorted, managing to kick out and sweep Mars off her feet. The other soldier landed on the ground across from Mercury, though caught herself with her hands. Upper body propped up, as Mercury scrambled to get back to her feet, Mars quickly managed to spring forward and capture one of Mercury's legs. She yanked the girl back to the ground, Mercury letting out a quiet shout of surprise. But it wasn't just that she had fallen again that caused the shout, but she was still shocked over Cécile's appearance.
As Mars was getting to her feet, Mercury began to sit up again, and barely managed to stand up and jump back as Mars took another swing at her. "Wait!" Sailormercury protested, holding her arms up to protect herself as Sailormars continued to try to land a punch on her opponent.
"Stop that!" Mercury protested, stumbling back as she tried to deflect, or at the least, dodge Cécile's (she was laboring under the assumption that it was Cécile in front of her now) attacks. Whipping out her hairsticks, Mercury stood and started 'knitting' (she had no other name for it) the one attack she knew. "ICE WALL!" she screamed severing the icicle threads and casting the wall in front of her while Mars prepared to punch her once more.
Waiting a split second to see if the 'wall' held or not, Mercury sighed a breath of relief and started running for all her might to the main road. *Okay let's think about this rationally, what do I know? Cécile seems to have extraordinary powers too, she seems to be a much better fighter and most likely doesn't like me too greatly at this moment.* Mercury paused, barely having to look up to find her way through the trees and shrubbery. She had grown up in these woods, after all. *Enemy? Hmm...most of the monsters I've met with want to kill me, not beat me blue. So maybe...* the end of the thought made her freeze and turn around to stare down the path to where she had left Cécile.
"She's like me...." she murmured. "She's a-a-a whatever I am also!" Eyes widening, she absently thought that at any other time this would have overjoyed her. As of this moment, her so-called 'comrade' wanted her bleeding -- badly. "Regrets are for the dead..." she muttered grimly jogging back the way she came. "Convince her and things'll be better. Simple. I mean, what else could she possibly think I am?" With that semi- reassuring platitude in mind she slowed her pace and worked out what to say to a probably very angry girl.
Caught off guard by the attack, Sailormars took a step back from the chilly barrier that came forth from the other soldier. Her head spun round warily like a wild animal, and she sniffed the air. The ice was laced with the familiar, but undetectable with a human nose, scent of magic. With a snarl, Sailormars began to attack it directly, punching and clawing. When that seemed hopeless, she rammed her full weight into the clear blockade to see if it would weaken with pure physical brutality. However, the 'ice wall' was well-constructed, and far less fragile than it looked. But she wasn't beaten just yet -- not only was she unwilling to be trapped and unable to help Wolf, she was unwilling to lose to the girl. Closing her eyes, she reached into the power that was given to her.
Clasping her hands together, Mars felt heat growing between her palms, painless and soothing against the cold that the wall was radiating. Soon, she felt a rough stone between her fingers. In what little room to move that there was, she bent over and the rock was engulfed in a small flame. Rearing back, she swiftly moved her body and threw the stone, shouting, "Asteroid HAIL!" Each little fragment struck the ice wall with a loud sizzle, passing through with ease. The holes made the ice look as thin and delicate as a spider's web, leaving it easy to break through.
Swinging her arm, Mars' punch landed right in the middle of the ice, breaking a hole large enough for her to walk through. She didn't bother to look back at what she had done, feral instinct driving her forward to her enemy. Standing not but a couple of meters away was Sailormercury. The two bruised and slightly battered soldiers stood still, neither moving any closer or any farther from each other. A deathly silence hung in the air. It was as though the entire forest was holding its breath.
"Stop," said Mercury calmly, somewhat out of breath, holding up her hands in peace.
Mars flinched at her movement, though no attack came as she had expected. She tilted her head, a growl slipping into her voice, "Why should I? For more of your tricks?"
"No! We're not...we're not supposed to be fighting each other!" Mercury shouted back. Their voices echoed in the trees, shouts going back and forth.
"Says who? You're after Wolf and I can't allow that to happen!"
"I never said I was after him!"
"Liar!" Mars lunged forward and Mercury jumped back in surprise, the distance between remaining the same.
"I was only after you because you were behaving suspiciously! Like a pair of criminals!" Richelle protested in defense of her own actions, trying to reason as best as possible. But at this rate, it seemed as though Cécile would never listen to her.
"Well, you assumed wrong!" Cécile retorted, her body tense to the point of shaking slightly. She clenched and unclenched her fists and sighed, turning her head away for a moment. Through grit teeth, she muttered, "Huff puff... Just because we're wolves... Everyone -- EVERYONE thinks we're out to kill, maim, steal, poach -- well, I've never done any of that! I've been a good person all my life!" The anger seemed to flare up in the girl's eyes, the golden one seemingly more threatening than the other. Then, her look softened, now more hurt than malicious.
"It wasn't because you were wolves," Mercury said with a slightly defensive tone. "My parents didn't raise me to be prejudiced against people just because they are a certain type," she told her.
"I just wanted to ask you about..." Mercury waved her hand towards her outfit. "Don't you notice something a little familiar?" she asked pointing to her own. "Perhaps -- and please don't hit me again -- there is a reason behind it?" When Cécile didn't comment, Richelle tried another tact. "How exactly did you find out?" Richelle tried to remember how she found out and then pushed the memory away. Not exactly the best of circumstances, she admitted ruefully to herself.
Cécile turned away again at recalling how she 'found out', as Richelle had put it. Her body seemed to seize up convulsively, expression stiff and grim as she was lost in thought of the past. A past she wanted to bury, though it seemed to haunt her all the time. Suddenly, she spoke sharply, "That," as she looked back at Richelle, "Is none of your business." Biting her lip, she looked the girl over, revealing little reaction to the statement. They were alike, more than Cécile wanted them to be. "And...if you're implying what I think you're implying... Why should I believe it?"
"Well, it is a logical assumption," Richelle insisted under her breath. "We have similar powers, semi-similar outfits, and if I miss my guess, do you often find the urge to fight monsters bent on destruction?" Richelle guessed trying to find reasons why they were comrades. Even she doubted it, but maybe Cécile was on the side of good. "I fight for good...well more precisely honor and the prevention of cruelty." As a last ditch effort she said, "My name is Sailormercury."
"Sailormars. Or at least that's what I've been calling myself when I transform... Not that I had a choice in the title, though," added Cécile as an afterthought. She seemed to have calmed down, poise no longer rigid and on the offense. "I don't exactly fight for anything... At least, I'm not sure yet. All I know is that...I should use my powers to protect," her eyes looked to the ground, as though searching the ground for answers. She turned her gaze up again. "But I certainly am *not* some crime fighting vigilante," she murmured coolly, poking a bit of sarcasm at Richelle. Still full of wary skepticism, the baker-turned-fighter was not yet fully convinced that they were allies. After all, not moments before the two girls had been fighting vigorously, and all of a sudden Richelle had a change of heart. Perhaps it was cynical of her, but Cécile had every reason to lack faith in people these days...
Feeling a little better -- at least she assumed she wouldn't be attacked again -- Richelle sighed. "Let's get back to my house. Neither of us want to be caught out in these...outfits, if a villager sees us. We can discuss this while we clean up the mess we both made."
*******
Retreating to Richelle's house, which had been in a messy state as Cécile whipped through it in her escape, the two girls worked together to clean it up before settling down in the kitchen. Nursing tender spots with packets of ice, Richelle and Cécile sat in silence. Three half-eaten meals sat cold on the table (though the plate belonging to Wolf held less than half), glaring up at the two as they sat across the table from each other. A treaty had been formed, decidedly temporary at the moment, as neither one was completely used to the idea that they were meant to be allies. Trust was difficult to bridge when you were attempting to kill each other less than a half hour ago.
The quarter wolf pressed the bundle close to her sore knuckles, cubes contained within the cloth rattling against each other. The fight had left both of the girls weary and in a disarray. Even though they had transformed, that still didn't prevent some of the wounds from staying after they returned to their normal states and shed their peculiar garments. During the travel back and the fixing of Richelle's parlor, Cécile had managed to make herself explain the situation with Wolf. Though she wasn't entirely sure if it was a wise choice, she needed all of the help she could get at this rate. Carriage-less and without any knowledge of where her protectee was at, it was clear that the baker wasn't going to get far on her own.
"So... What are we going to do?" Cécile asked hesitantly, especially when it came to using the pronoun 'we'. She still didn't know what to think of Richelle, or what Richelle thought of her.
Richelle chewed her lower lip, relieved to be in her everyday clothes once more, but hesitant as to what to do about Cécile -- Sailormars. Her apparent ally against whatever those things were. "We need to catch up with Wolf. Explain things to him and then get to the castle." Richelle mused, talking mostly out loud to organize her thoughts and actions easily. "He's a long way off by now..."
"Some sort of transportation?" Cécile suggested, as wary as Richelle herself was.
Richelle nodded. "Once at the castle it will be easy enough to gain entrance-- my parents are after all famous and go there quite often. We need horses...and a cart. Definitely a cart. Be easier to travel if we're not conspicuous by just riding along the road." Thinking for a moment, she realized the only place she could get the horses and cart without too much trouble--and questions about her appearance, Cécile's sudden appearance, her traveling to the castle...--was Maya's.
Sighing she stood and looked resignedly at Cécile. "We'll go to my friend's house. I can easily get us whatever we need there," throwing on a cloak, she motioned to Cécile to follow her. "Wear mother's old cloak-- we need to cover up as much as we can of our...injuries." Nodding in agreement, Cécile gingerly took the cloak into her hands, though hesitated to put it on. She had retrieved her trusty old jacket in the woods, now covered with rotted bark and leaves, on their way back to the house. It seemed to cover up the marks, but it was too unclean to hide that there had been some sort of rough and tumble. Reluctantly, she draped the article over her shoulders and followed Richelle.
Once settled, Richelle lead the way briskly towards Maya's home. Slipping through the garden wall, Richelle was both relieved and bemused to find Maya and two of her brothers out and about. "Maya! I have a need of a favor!" she called waving to the two boys -- two of the semi-older ones. Taking note of the new people, Cécile subtly slipped a hand through her hair to conceal her left eye again.
Whatever Maya said she got over to Richelle and Cécile quickly enough. "What? Richen, you're--" Richelle slapped a hand over Maya's mouth and made a quiet motion. "Not a word. I don't need your brothers worrying over me. This is Cécile...a friend after a fashion. Cécile, my best friend Maya." The baker nodded politely, muttering a friendly greeting with a forced smile. Introductions done, Richelle dragged Maya a bit away from Cécile. "I need your brother's cart and draft horses."
Maya blinked, tried to look at Cécile then stared at Richelle with something close to astonishment. "What are you doing Richelle?" Maya asked. "You hate the horses--and that girl...did you two get into a *physical* fight?"
Once again, Cécile had been left out of the conversation regarding the means by which they were traveling. First with Wolf, and now with Richelle. A part of her disliked this not knowing what was going on. For all she knew, the other girl could've been getting them into trouble just as Wolf had done in the tavern. Remembering her hometown, a foreign sense of longing and nostalgia washed over her. She had very rarely gone outside of the Second Kingdom in her short lifespan, and Richelle's introduction of her 'best friend' made her feel even more lonely. Not that Cécile ever had a best friend to miss at the moment, but the fact that she had left behind virtually all that she ever knew to go on some crazy quest. She quickly shrugged the feeling off, however, and watched the friends speak to each other.
"Maya! Enough! We both merely fell while searching for her uncle...that is why we need the cart and horses. Cécile mentioned he wanted to go to the Castle and what with the recent rumors I thought it would be better if we found him first." Richelle snapped irritated. In a softer tone she said, "I promise its nothing dangerous. I just want to see if my parents are at the castle...Cécile and her uncle need to go for a similar reason, so we agreed to travel together." Lies, lies, lies...the word danced around in Richelle's head, making her cringe.
Maya searched Richelle for a moment, knowing she was lying, but unable to face the truth of what that would mean. Maya realized Richelle seemed to 'fall' a lot lately and her absence from the house was becoming more frequent too... "All right Richen. I will get the horses and cart for you," she murmured, turning away and trudging back to her brothers.
"Maya..." Richelle called, but when her friend didn't turn, Richelle bit her lip and moved back towards Cécile. "She's getting the horses and cart. Come on." Richelle muttered to Cécile. Following the other girl, the baker sighed, "I hope Wolf's all right..." Even if he wasn't really her uncle, she still felt a strong responsibility for him -- after all, someone *did* try to assassinate him and his family, and even King Wendell was in trouble. Meanwhile, she had fought the wrong person and if she was lucky, there wouldn't be consequences for getting thrown off course. Every minute counted, especially since they had no idea exactly who or what was after the Four, and when they would strike next.
********
But she heard the words. She heard those words and she heard a million other words too, but she couldn't remember them. They were foreign to her, another language, one that was beautiful to the ear. She could speak it, but couldn't understand it. And words fell from her mouth, like song, but she didn't know what she was saying.Shadows danced along an overwhelming light, like Eulalia was trying to stare down the sun. Slowly, things darkened and focused. The noblelady regained conscious. Doll like eyes blinked several times as she tried to collect her thoughts, but it hurt to think. She perked up though, as something caught her eye.
Eulalia had woken inside of a humble room, warm now with a docile fire curled in the fireplace. It popped and roared quietly, casting orange light and dancing shadows around the tiny room. The area was complete with disorganized and very overstuffed bookshelves, a set of chairs (one of which was occupied), a small desk, and a bed with an array of quilts, under which the lady had been tucked, wounds properly wrapped. The bed sat under a window, which was challenging the fire's light with it's own signs of morning peeking over the trees of a small orchard.
A small trail of discarded items, such as an overcoat, hair tie and pair of glasses, led up to the figure sitting in one of the chairs, in a position where the young man would supposedly be able to watch both fire and girl. However, the assumed rescuer was doubled over in his chair, long neck bent with his chin resting on his chest and arms folded weakly. The rescuer was tall and very thin, though long curly hair that had the crease of locks used to being pulled back obscured all of his face but a slightly protruding large nose.
As soon as she saw him, whoever he was, Eulalia sat up--or rather, tried to. She was rewarded with a stab of pain from one of her shoulders, and thus fell back on an elbow with a tiny gasp. Though things were beginning to make sense now, she was still full of questions. For a moment, she didn't know how to say them, for another language took her lips, and that brought her back to the night before. Viator was much braver than Eulalia was, and the newly painted memories shook her. Finally, words came to her and she spoke, though it was little and labored.
"Oh ..oh dear... where...?"
At the sound of the young woman's voice, the man in the chair quickly jolted awake, startled out of his light slumber. Within a moment of waking, he had managed to jump forward just slightly in the chair, enough to send himselfoff of it's seat and onto the hardwood floor, which was hardly a satisfactory replacement for sleep and a nice piece of furniture.
He groaned slightly while pulling his uncooperative body into a sitting position, looking up through unclear eyes and unkempt hair. Squinting at first, his eyes widened when he remembered who it was that had spoken, and how she had come to be there.
"M-my lady, you're awake!" He stammered, standing hurriedly and reaching for his glasses.
Ignoring the pain in her shoulder now, she moved forward, casting the blankets aside. Eulalia sat down on her knees on the edge of the bed, his glasses between her bare fingers. She looked up at him cautiously, her curiosity apparent on her pretty face. "Who are you, if I can pry...?" Her absinthe colored eyes blinked as unnaturally dark eyelashes brushed against her face, as Eulalia studied her supposed savior.
"Please, lie down... You were hurt when I found you and..." he stopped, realizing a question had been directed at him. He fumbled for his glasses, avoiding her pretty stare shyly while he slipped them on his thin face. "T-terribly sorry, I am Icabod Crane. The schoolmaster here in Sleepy Hollow." He smiled just slightly and risked a glance at her. "Now that you know who I am... who are you? Why were you in that forest? It isn't... it isn't safe, you know..."
"My name is..." She began as she draped her legs over the side of the bed, unpurposefully denying his half-spoken request to lie back down. The brown-haired girl looked up to him with renewed confidence. "My name is Eulalia Camilla." For some reason she didn't expect him to know her name, though she was a part of the elite aristocracy, and so she went on without a pause. She stood up, planting her tiny feet firmly on the ground--only for it to register how tall the man was. He was over a foot taller than her, and she wasn't sure if she should feel intimidated or not. The man was obviously gentile from as far as she had seen of him, but one could never be completely sure of these things.
This obvious realization left her staring at him for a few moments without words, before her manners returned and she looked away quickly, alerting herself to the rumpled mess she had made of what she assumed was his bed, or at least a guest chamber in his home. With an almost automatic response she began to fold the bedclothes neatly back over surface of the bed, like a servant. Though, unlike a sevant, she went about the task with a smile onher face and a lightness in her feet. The new sunrise glinted through the windows, and made highlights in her hair shine like strands of frost on an early winter's morning. However, the most peculair thing about this Eulalia was that she cast no shadow, but this was probably just a trick of the morning light.
"I was traveling," She began quietly, trying to think of a good, but not completely untrue explaination of why she had been out in the forest. "With my companion, Lady Dido, when our carriage was overturned by bandits. Before they could rob us, however, we escaped and ran as fast as we could..."
So there was no carriage, but certainly someone had tried to rob them...of their heads, perhaps. She looked up and turned her head to the side, studying him to see if he believed her. Oh bother. Eulalia had never been the best of liars. "The rest is rather fuzzy... I ... must've hit my head against a tree limb, or tripped over a root of an old tree and went unconscious. But Lady Dido must've went on without me--perhaps she went to get help." She bit her lip, going over the explaination once more in her head. It seemed fair enough.
"So I see... Bandits, that's horrible. I pray for your friend's safety." He muttered, wringing his hands with a desire to usher her back into bed, but was at the moment unsure as to how polite that would be. However, at seeing her begin to fold the bedding, he took one long-legged step that likened him to the bird of his namesake, bearing himself over to the bed. He gently moved to take the blankets from her to fold them himself, and while Icabod was not nearly as neat and delicate as the petite Eulalia, the intent was there.
"Lady Camilla, I beg that you at least sit. You've been hurt, and thank God you're still alive and well. When I saw you..." He faltered and failed to complete the thought verbally. Instead, his eyes flickered to her face and then down once more, and the rings under his eyes from a lack of sleep seemed to deepen. "Those woods are not to be trusted at night, or even in daytime. Terrible things are in them... I've heard all the stories."
"One cannot live their life in fear," replied Lady Camilla. Without missing a beat she did indeed sit down--on the floor, to avoid rumpling the freshly made bed. She showed little defiance about this, though, tilting her head upwards to rest on her bare knuckles as she studied him. "'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil...'" She quoted.
He was obviously a Christian man, Eulalia noted, which was something of a rarity in the nine kingdoms, though not entirely unheard of. Eulalia frowned as she studied him, not disapprovingly though it could've been taken that way, but concerned. Were the rings under his eyes from the burden of taking her from the forest?
Upon hearing the passage she recited, he turned and smiled softly at her. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Tempting fate can be a risky business, though." He finished straightening the bed, smoothing it out slowly. He then turned to Eulalia and extended a hand to her to help her stand.
"Take one of the chairs, please. I assure you, they're much more comfortable than the floor." He was slightly confused and distressed at his lady guest's quiet denials to rest for her wound's sake. The thought of her being hurt any further, even is such a minimal matter, was a worry that clawed the back of his mind. "I can bring you breakfast if you're hungry," he added as an afterthought, "since I'm sure you're still tired from what happened last night."
To be honest, Eulalia hadn't thought about breakfast between waking up in a stranger's room and her concern for Dido. Poor Dido. Where would she be, without 'Lala' to lead her by the hand? Was she safe? Did the mission fail, or did Miss Adrienne find her in time...? With new found worry, Eulalia shook her head. "I couldn't dream of eating right now..." But she did take his hand and stood up, and found herself sitting in a chair he had offered. That was only polite.
Once settled and done with brushing the wrinkles from her dress, she folded her hands over themselves, unaware the wounds inflicted on them. Tilting her head to look at him, a strand of her hair fell in her face before she realized her lack of consideration. Of course, he probably wouldn't eat unless she did, and she had just declined. He was so thin, too, and so her eyes dropped to the side, looking at a corner again. "Of.. of course...Master Crane, if you're hungry...of course, that is to say...I-I don't mind, I mean.." She froze and fumbled for the words.
"O-oh, n-no, Lady Camilla, I'm fine as is. I... just had to ask... to make sure..." He struggled to find something accurately polite and convincing to say to her. "If you're not hungry, then the next thing we can do is see if your friend arrived... L-lady Dido, correct?" He fidgeted with his glasses, feeling entirely embarrassed and awkward as he avoided looking at Eulalia's face. He honestly had no idea where Dido could have gone off to, imagining apetite looking young lady like his guest, appearing more or less helpless. He strained his memory, but found only guesses and possibilities that led to the worst of ends.
"Yes, that would be the most logical thing to do," Eulalia said as she regained her composure. "Yes. We were on important business, dear Dido and I, so perhaps she went to deliver the message without me. Or to get help. Dido is... well, she's a bit more intimidating than I am physically, but if someone would find her and take advantage of her..." Her eyes clouded up with tears. "Oh, oh dear. My poor friend Dido. To think, I was supposed to help you.."
Icabod creased his eyebrows, showing deep concern. "Please, do not worry Lady Camilla. I promise I'll help you find your friend if it is at all possible." He wrung his hands quietly, wondering where the could even begin to look. If she was lost in the woods, she could have easily just ran off further into it's depths, or perhaps never made it at all. The young man shuddered slightly, looking strained once more. "Do you have any idea where Lady Dido might have gone..? It might help in our search..."
"We were supposed to arrive at King Wendell's castle this morning to discuss the decorations for the moon princess b...all." Eulalia clamped her hand over her mouth as if she had let out a dire secret, a single tear streaming down her cheek. "Oh dear. I wasn't supposed to mention that."
"Moon princess ball..?" He repeated slowly, not understanding the significance of this. Upon seeing the tear and hearing the distressed toneof her voice, however, he immediately jumped to amend what he had heard. "Oh, lady, no, please... Do not cry. I don't understand what it exactly means anyway, so you needn't worry. I swear I won't utter a word to anyone if that's what you wish..." Icabod was confused and flustered by her reaction, truly befuddled as to why anyone would be overly concerned about the King holding another ball, as he didn't feel they were uncommon. Still, Eulalia's reaction did make him curious if nothing else, and perhaps it was special after all.
"Oh, please, do that for me." She replied, dabbing her hand at the tear that touched her lips now. "I'm...I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet. I would be very much obliged. I'm so sorry. Terribly sorry.. it's just... I'm horribly shook up." Eulalia have laughed, half sobbed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "This isn't how a lady should be acting at all."
"The secret is safe with me, I swear..." He replied quickly, eager to calm her. He fumbled for a handkerchief, swiftly pulling it out of his vest pocket, and handed it to her shakily. "I won't utter a word about it, I promise. You have my word." Icabod silently pondered the meaning of the occasion, and had it not been for how heartbroken Eulalia seemed, he might have been tempted to ask further. But as things stood, he could not bear to upset her anymore, and vowed to keep his promise.
The brown haired girl took the hankerchief and dabbed at her eyes with it, sniffling to herself. "Th-thank you. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be so upset over this.. but everything has been go..going wrong lately. F-first the wolf g-got away...now I've lost Dido...I've disappointed everyone!" Eulalia paused to sob into the hankerchief. "Oh, just listen to me. I'm so sorry, Master crane. M-maybe I should just go... I've been such a bother."
"No, lady, please, don't blame yourself. I think you've gone through a terrible lot lately, and it was beyond your powers, what happened." He tried to smile in the most reassuring way possible, though had the distinct feeling he just looked awkward. At the very least he was feeling awkward. "You're not a bother at all. And if you leave, Lady Eulalia, I'll feel it's my duty to come with you. I absolutely can't let you wander off on your own... especially after what happened to you last night. I'll help you get to the palace and find your friend. She must have continued that way..."
"Oh, I do hope you're right," Eulalia said. "And..and thank you, Master Crane. I appreciate it so much..." She smiled through her tears, wringing his hankerchief in her delicate hands. "It's very kind of you."
"You're very welcome. I feel it's the very least I could do." He smiled back at her, relaxing since she seemed now better than before. "Just tell me when you'd like to leave, and I'll make arrangements."
Broken Fairy Tales: Soldiers of the Ten Kingdoms.
Who is your favorite Broken Fairy Tale senshi? What do you think will happen next? Any input on our story is appreciated :D
The chapters of this story are taken directly from a play-by-email by the same name. Each of the writers, including myself, have given consent to having their work published under this name, with due credit.
'Allies', chapter six of Broken Fairy Tales, was written by Gena, Sushi, Jeff, Koi, Alex, and Ryu. Love you guys! 3
This is a crossover between 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon', and the NBC/Hallmark miniseries 'The Tenth Kingdom', that aired in 1998/1999. 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon' and 'The Tenth Kingdom' do not belong to the people who wrote Broken Fairy tales and we do not claim rights to any of the aforementioned television shows. We do, however, claim rights to our original characters, the Soldiers of the Ten Kingdoms. They are copyrighted to their creators.
The red haired girl took a few steps back again, her hat tipping and falling to the side. Her eyes opened in bewilderment. "You're the..." She paused, because he wasn't really a 'thing.' He was a person, just like she use to be, just like she still pretended to be. Her eyes locked his, though her glassy, doll eyes couldn't match the untamed soul of the Jabberwocky. "Person. The person. I'm supposed to kill you..." Her fingertips tightened around the handle of the marionette.
The Jabberwocky sighed and palmed his forehead. "If you must. I won't fight you, you're a good soul. Misguided by that wretched child, but good." He stepped backwards a bit. "Just be careful around here, I already found a few more of those spiders. Had to finish them off, and let me tell you they were stronger than this one was."
As Gio spoke with the Jabberwocky, Gregor slowly got himself back to his feet and recovered from the shock of the spider attack. Spotting the Jabberwocky, he poised his knife. His arrogance was back in full force, and he called out. "You have made a folly, foul beast, and shown yourself! Now you shall die by my blade!"
Gregor was frozen for a moment. "He... He... You saw what he did to that spider! He's a threat to all the good people of this world!" he announced, not wanting to lose his ally by telling her he didn't know.
"Yes, Gregor. Spider bad. Spider smashed Gregor a bit too hard on his soft little fleshy skull." Gio said in a mocking manner. To emphasize, she reached out and knocked on her own skull, which due to being made of wood, made an eerie hollow noise. "Or maybe little Gregor was already messed up to begin with."
Gregor sputtered. "Imagine what he could do to you if he felt like it!"
The Jabberwocky just glared at Gregor. "I killed that spider because it tried to hurt both this young lady here and you, though I would have been glad to let it eat you. It was evil."
Gregor had to blink for a moment. "Lady?" The Jabberwocky just sighed at the young man's ignorance.
Normally, Gio liked kids. They were okay, even funny and they usually got along well enough. Of course, there will always be one exception. "Yeah, in case you haven't noticed..." She flipped off her hat once again, revealing the unruly red locks of her hair. "I'm female." She took off one of her gloves, revealing a ball-jointed hand that was made of polished wood. She smacked the boy with the glove on either side of his face--she was tempted to do more, perhaps throw him out of the tower windows, but he was only a child--and then smiled. "Nor am I human. I think it's best you leave, Gregor."
Gregor got huffy. "I apologize profusely, ma'am, but I have no choice but to slay this beast! You had best not endanger yourself and allow me to complete my work!" he announced, raising his blade.
The Jabberwocky sighed. "I hate to beat up on the stupid..."
"This battle will be won just like all the others! I shall slay you and take back your head as proof of your death!"
"You don't get it, do you? Your advantage is gone now that we're out of the book," the Jabberwocky informed him. "If we fight, I will win."
"With or without my assistance," Gio added, smiling at the Jabberwocky.
The Jabberwocky took a look at Gio, before returning his attention to Gregor. "What do you say?"
Gregor was getting upset and started to cry a bit. "Just shut up and die already!" With that, he ran for the Jabberwocky, his blade poised. The fight lasted less than the battle with the spider. In a mere three seconds, Gregor's knife was knocked from his hand, and he was sprawled forward on the stone floor, the Jabberwocky's foot on his back to hold him down. "I warned you," he said simply.
Gio waited for a few minutes, biting her lower lip, before tucking her hat back on as she approached the two. "Let him go. Take him back to the book and let him go."
The Jabberwocky looked towards Gio, his foot still pinning the boy to the floor. "I'm not going to kill him. He doesn't deserve it. He's just an ignorant child trying to prove to his father that he's all grown up by slaying the "terrible beast" that rumors say destroyed an entire village."
"We've all been there," Gio said softly. "That's why I think you should take him back to the book. Let him prove the end of his boyhood otherwise. Perhaps, next time, Gregor, the best bet would be understanding, since your lack of it has gotten you in trouble this time. But...sir," She paused, and looked to the Jabberwocky, because there was a lack to call him otherwise, "If you don't take him back to the book, what else is there to do of him?"
"We could drop him somewhere in this world and let him fend for himself. But while I do hate him, I wouldn't feel right doing that to his father," the Jabberwocky explained. "We can take him back to the book. But... I don't want to go with him."
"Of course you don't. No one wants to spend their life like that," Gio replied quietly. "We'll take him back. Let him write his own ending."
"Thank you," he said, as he removed his foot long enough to pick Gregor up by the back of his shirt. Gregor, it seems, wasn't content to let him do that, and tried to slash at him with his dagger. The Jabberwocky quickly grabbed the boy's arm with his free hand and twisted his wrist. Gregor yelped in pain and dropped the dagger, pouting. The Jabberwocky looked down at the dagger and hesitated for a moment, before slowly picking it up. He quickly slipped it into his belt, without taking another look at it, and glared at Gregor. "I'm keeping this so you can never use it against another innocent life again."
In the meanwhile, Gio was heading back to the library, kicking away rubble with her shoes. "I certainly hope Alice is doing something worth while. We've been gone so long and we still haven't found Sailorneptune.." She mumbled to herself as she opened the door to the library.
And indeed, Alice had been doing something worthwhile. At least she thought so. During their absence she had spent time pilfering the moldy shelves, seeking information on any legendary soldiers. Not that she was completely ignorant. It seemed that her transformation into Sailorpluto breached a memory block, and each moment she spent idle was filled with a memory. Albeit those memories were not hers. By the now she knew the complete tale of the Four Who Saved the Nine Kingdoms, the fairy tales and location of each Kingdom and a few lines worth on each sailor senshi. Not to mention she had aced her mythology and astronomy classes.
As for actual by-the-hand research, she had found very little besides some maps of trade routes through the kingdoms. This library was ancient by any means, and as far as she could tell, hadn't been updated since Queen Snow White's reign.
Anyways, at the moment Gio found her, Alice was pilfering a file on Jack and the Beanstalk.
"The 'evil beast' has been defeated." Gio said after a few minutes of sitting in the silence, waiting for Alice to notice her. She cleared her throat. "Er.. well, sort of."
From behind Gio, the Jabberwocky entered the room, dropping Gregor to the floor of the library. "I believe this whining little pus bag is your friend."
Gregor was whining and complaining the whole time. "It's not supposed to end like this! Lady Alice, your manservant has betrayed us and sided with the beast! You are in danger!"
The Jabberwocky just shook his head. "Learn to keep your fool mouth shut, kid."
"Manservant?" Alice sniggered in a most unpleasant way. "Gio is a companion in a shared mission. As for this beast," she eyed Jabberwocky, "the only threat he poses is to Fundamentalist Christians. Now get up."
The Jabberwocky raised his eyebrow. "Thanks, I think." Gregor pushed himself to his feet, looking rather shaken up and upset. "You don't believe me? He's a menace! He has to be destroyed!"
"Can I put him back in the book now?" the Jabberwocky asked.
Gio held out the book in question, in a flourished bow. "By all means, be my guest." She flashed a last, mischieveous grin at Gregor. "Have a nice trip, sonny."
With a smirk, the Jabberwocky picked up Gregor again. "Time to say goodbye to you for good, kid. I'd say it's been fun, but..." Suddenly, he stopped talking. He was quiet for a moment as he looked around the room. Quickly, he looked back at Gio and Alice. "Get away from the walls, NOW!" As soon as he finished saying this, the brick started to crumble near and behind one of the bookcases. "We've got company!" he shouted, as a large, hairy arachnid leg started to poke through one of the new holes.
Gio knew better than to take them on in civilian form this time. Throwing her marionette out of her jacket pocket, she called her transformation phrase and felt herself rise not out of her own accord. When her transformation stopped, Sailoruranus stood in the place where Gio Gepetto had moments before.
"The balance of our world is delicate, like the strings of a marionette!" The figure said as the last of her fuku appeared, flits of energy floating to the ground as gravity took hold of her again. "I won't let you hurt my friends! I am Sailoruranus!"
Alice took her cue and transformed into Sailorpluto, frilly bloomers and all. "The card spread has predicted-oh shit!" A very large, rude and furry leg tried to stomp Pluto mid-speech. Leaping out of the way, she pulled the Queen card from her apron pocket.
"Royal Flush!" Pluto flung the card at the spider, wishing she had something more effective than guillotine cards. The spread severed the offending leg and returned to Pluto in a graceful boomerang curve.
As all this happened, the Jabberwocky and Gregor watched, stunned and surprised. "What the hell is going on here?!" Gregor shouted, looking as if he was about to soil himself.
The Jabberwocky, however, turned to Gregor, said "Stay here or die," and got up. The spiders had finally broken through the wall, and started to emerge in the room. He grabbed one of the bookcases, and with a heave, flung it and its contents onto the lead spider, crushing it under its weight. That didn't help much, as from behind it even more started to take its place.
Sailoruranus ran forward with her marionette swinging in front of her. "Don't these things ever give up?!" Leaping into the air, she brought the marionette above her head before bringing it down onto a spider's midsection and sent it crashing to the ground as the marionette impaled it. It began to go through convulsions, once again sending Uranus on a ride not unlike a bucking bronco.
Pluto jackknifed over a smaller spider, razing it with her cards. "I think it's time for a hasty retreat!" she shouted, "There's too many!"
The Jabberwocky quickly went for more bookcases. "You two push them back, I'll barricade the entrance! That should buy us some time to get out of here!" With that, he flung another bookcase on top of the first one, causing some spiders to scramble a few feet back.
"If you say so!" replied Pluto, attempting to drive back the spiders.
Sailoruranus frowned at the situation. Retreat? What was the sense in that-- if they didn't destroy them now, it'd be the spiders destroying them later. At that moment, though, the spider that had been giving the red haired puppet soldier the ride of her life died, and another, much more healthy and menacing spider continued the onslaught on the two senshi and newcomer. Uranus sighed, before swinging her marionette to the side.
"Here goes nothing!" She acknowledged his request before diving back into the spiders again, almost disappearing in the sea of black movement. However, this time there was some progress--it was much easier to push them back, rather than kill them all together. Bits of spider legs flew by as Sailoruranus hacked into them feverishly, shouting at them to move.
"Hmm..." hummed Pluto, throwing single cards in a line across the spiders, making her own electric fence. At the same time, she moved back. It seemed to work, at least until a spider got behind her and decided to avenge all the spiders she had squashes with a newspaper. The black, hairy leg slammed down on her back, knocking the air out of her in a single explative.
The Jabberwocky was quick to come to Pluto's aid, grabbing the offending arachnid leg, and with a mighty heave and a roar, he flung the beast into the rest of the spiders at the entryway, knocking them back. Grabbing a nearby bookcase, he then proceeded to topple it into the path of the spiders, further hindering their process.
In the meantime, Gregor sat huddled in a nearby corner of the room, clutching the book to his chest as he both hoped that the heroes could succeed in stopping the spiders, and that he would not wet himself in fear and further embarrass himself.
Pluto heaved herself more or less upright, coughing and trying to suck air into her lungs. Ohhh, she was going to feel that in the morning. "I'm going now!" she shouted to the others, hobbling towards the windows. Tears stung at her eyes, one arm gripping her pained torso, the other throwing her cards one more time before she escaped. She looked down at the ground, which suddenly seemed very far away. Pluto looked back at her fighting comrads, and gulped. She guessed the pains in her ribcage were probably cracked ribs, and fighting would only aggravate the issue.
"JUMP, YA WENCH!" shouted the card, returning to Pluto's free hand.
"EEP!" Pluto did jump, out of sheer shock, plummeting out of the window. Her scream soon followed.
But rather than becoming a pettifore-clad pancake, Pluto's skirt ballooned in an umbrella-like way, slowing her fall to a gentle waft.
"One down, two more of us to go," Uranus said, disturbingly cheerful. She smiled defiantely as she kicked a spider carcass away from her, before looking around. There were just too many--even if she and the stranger managed to kill another dozen, they would still be on tonight's menu. With that realization and the Jabberwocky's words, Uranus' loud sigh gave her sign of resignation. Her smile faded.
The Jabberwocky was in a close distance of her. That would make her next move easier. She waited until he was pulled away from the spiders for air, before running towards him in a mad paced-circle. The bottom arm of the marionette lengthend to the height of Sailoruranus, and when she had completed the circle, she jumped into the air. The marionette's arm impaled the ground not four inches from the Jabberwocky.
"PUPPET CIRCLE!" Sailoruranus cried as she hung in midair. The ground rumbled, before a neat circle cut its way into the stone floor. For a moment, everything paused, before the ground surrounding Uranus and her alley crumbled, sending them to the next floor. "Going down!"
"What are you doing?!" The Jabberwocky shouted, as they both fell to the ground below. When he landed, the Jabberwocky quickly sprouted his wings and used them to shield himself and his friend from the rest of the falling debris that removing a large chunk of floor had dislodged. He looked up and saw the rest of the spiders peering down the hole and preparing to follow them down. The fall would be nothing for them.
The Jabberwocky decided he had one more chance left. He reeled back, lifted his head, and from his mouth shot a blast of flames, torching the spiders around the hole, and forcing them to back away.
Back upstairs, Gregor had quickly managed to open the book and scramble back inside before the spiders could reach him. Let them deal with the beast for him.
"We're getting out of here," the beast turned boy announced, scooping Uranus up in his arms and dashing for the window. He took a leap out, and flapped his wings wide, gliding down to the ground outside the castle where Alice had landed.
Sailoruranus, however, had a situation that was deemed far worse than spiders. For you see, being a puppet she was composed entirely out of wood. So, not only was she scared out of her mind now, but as she caught her breath still being held by the Jabberwock, a single piece of her wild red hair fell in her face. And then she realized something: it was on fire.
"Nnnnergh--ugh--aaagh--!!" She swatted frantically at the strand of her hair, her eyes wide as saucers. "Did you have to use FIRE?!?!" Her voice was noticably higher than usual, deft with frantic energy. She tore herself from his arm and tumbled over, flapping against the ground like a fish out of water. Water! Oh, why couldn't they have landed in a puddle?
"Sorry about that," the Jabberwocky apologized, grabbing Uranus and holding her still. "Hang on." He took another deep breath, and this time, he let out another stream of air, that unlike his flaming breath of before, was cold and chilling. The fire was quickly put out, and little bits of snow were now present in her hair, but that was quickly being melted by the warmer air.
Sailoruranus took a big sigh of relief. "I'mokaynow." She turned and looked at the Jabberwock, her eyes blazing. "Don't EVER do that again!"
"I already said I was sorry. At least we got away from the spiders," he reasoned, looking around to find Pluto, and to ensure that no spiders had decided to join them down on the ground. "What now?"
"I personally-hfft-suggest we get the hell away from the Castle of Count Tarantula and find Sailorneptune," Alice's, she had returned to normal form, voice echoed across the hall. "Maybe suggest to King Wendell to hire a few royal exterminators." Her shrug was minute, her arms wrapped around her aching ribcage.
Sailoruranus spun her marionette like a baton before tucking it under her arm, her sailor uniform turning into thousands of strings, before falling to her feet and disappearing entirely, leaving her civilian clothes behind. "Sounds like a good idea." Gio turned to their new ally, her glass eyes focusing on him, before turning away and beginning to walk towards the carriage. "Come on. Alice needs to get some help into the carriage, and you and I need to talk, Jabberwocky." Her voice was commanding, but far from cold.
"Whatever," the Jabberwocky responded, proceeding to help Alice into the carriage.
Well, this beats dying every day, the Jabberwocky reasoned to himself.
Alice batted Jabberwocky. "I'm fine!" she growled, albeit it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself more than him, "I can... un... get into this-carriage!-myself!" She made various noises as she tried to heave herself into the passenger seat. Just as she almost made it, her foot slipped and she fell to the ground with a resounding cry.
"Okay... Maybe I'm not fine," Alice admitted grumpily.
*******
She didn't have to turn around to know that Wolf was gone, hearing his hurried, fleeting footsteps moving through the open doorway and to the carriage. Backing up to block the passage between her companion's escape and the dangerous girl trying to stop them, Cécile positioned her body so that she could stand her ground. Lips pulling back in a snarl to reveal fang-like canines, she leaned forward with her fists up in preparation for a fight, one hand wavering close to her neck. The high pitched neigh of the horses and the clamber of hooves was the final notice that Wolf was out of harm's way. She didn't want to have to, but the tension was mounting and she could just smell the powerful magic radiating off of Richelle's body. Cécile growled again, "Who the hell are you, and why are you after the Four?"
"The Four?" Richelle repeated stupidly, for the moment completely at a loss as to what was happening. "I'm not after anyone! Why are you two so evasive and obviously lying?" Richelle asked backing away and calmly placing her cup onto the table, then shoving it away. She stood up straight and met the snarling girl's eyes. "I was being a good hostess despite your 'Uncle' and your own rude behavior. I was *trying* to be civil and courteous as my parents would wish." she gave the girl a cold glare. "Obviously I was wrong and should have done this the first time."
"Me? Rude? What did I do to you? I even offered to pay you back!" was the first thing that came to Cécile's mind, shouting indignantly at her. It wasn't as though she had been the thief -- certainly Wolf had gotten out of control, but she hadn't done a single thing but behaved like a courteous guest. Digressing, her behavior was hardly the point. "And if you're so innocent, why wouldn't you let us go?" She didn't move a muscle, continuing to block the doorway so that Wolf could get even further away from the house. She couldn't risk him getting caught, even if it wasn't clear whether this girl was lying or not. Cécile met Richelle's glare with one of her own, "Is that a *threat*?"
"Who's threatening, you're the one blocking *my* front door!" Richelle pointed out. "I wouldn't let you go because you were lying. Grandma's house? Puh-lease! Even I'm not that trusting...wolves and grandma's and highly suspicious behavior... I've heard *that* before," Richelle told her, rolling her eyes.
Rolling her sleeves up, as she didn't wish to dirty the cuffs while fighting, Richelle fervently hoped that she wouldn't need to transform. The whole process was rather indecent in her opinion and she didn't have her curtain to transform behind either. "Now please step aside so that I can find your so-called Uncle, drag him back here and call the law upon both of you."
Cécile scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the younger girl, "Tch, sure! Like I'd do that because you asked me oh-so-very kindly?" She was sure by now that Wolf would be a safe distance away, but trying to follow him with Richelle watching her was going to be difficult. The baker had to snort at the comment of 'highly suspicious behavior'. "And here I was, thinking that somehow, the Fourth Kingdom was *nicer* to wolves! Typical." She told herself that she didn't really want to hurt the girl if she didn't have to, but she was getting annoyed at her and wouldn't have any qualms if she caused an injury or two. "You dumb humans... All the same! So unreasonable and so judgmental," Cécile spat at the girl.
Slowly, Cécile took a step back, preparing to turn and make a run for it. Hopefully, Richelle would chase her instead of the carriage, and if not, Wolf would have the common sense to stay off the main road as best as possible. "But, you see, if you want to 'call the law' upon us, then you'll have to stop us first, girly!" With those words, Cécile lunged for a nearby vase and threw it towards Richelle. Not waiting to see whether the girl caught it or it smashed on the ground, the she turned and ran through the
parlor.
Richelle's eyes nearly popped out of her head when Cécile had picked up her mother's grandmother's empty urn (the ashes being deemed too dirty to keep in such a public place) and tossed it. For only the briefest moment she hesitated then dove for the urn, falling hard on her side and rolling with it protectively held in her embrace. Placing the urn safely on the cushions she got up, dusted herself off and ran to the door.
"No way I can catch up with that girl..." she muttered watching Cécile disappear around a bend in the road. "No choice...blast!" whipping her hairpins out she screamed "In the name of Mercury...I will cleanse you of your impurities and make you pay for your cruelty!" and tried to banish the belief that she was twirling about nude.
Standing straighter, Richelle crossed her hairsticks in front of her face (momentarily distracted by how dull the ends were getting of course) and watched as the room disappeared into an endless blue. Spinning backwards, her silhouette lengthened and turned midnight blue, while threads of ice covered her body to become her fuku. Her right knee curled to her chest, the ice exploding and showering the endless blue with shimmering shattered ice crystals. With a final assessing look, she spun back around, brandishing her hairsticks like glowing batons, and replaced them in her hair with a smile and momentary pose.
After she had successfully changed and carefully checked the hairsticks in her hair, she ran out again and took a shortcut she knew would take her ahead of Cécile. "If all goes well, I will tie this girl up like a Christmas hog and have her fake uncle back before I'm due at the Widow's." Richelle muttered hopefully.
*******
She ran as fast and as far as her legs would take her, praying that the muscles wouldn't seize up from disuse before she was at least well into a forest or someplace she could take cover. Luckily, Cécile was an avid sprinter and had gotten a few good yards ahead of her pursuer. Needless to say, wearing a bright red coat wouldn't help her blend into the greenery, either. Reluctantly, she tossed it aside as she ran, hoping that she would get a chance to come back for it later. The girl eventually had to slow
down, unused to the terrain and suddenly afraid of getting too deep into the woods. She had no idea where she was in the first place, and straying from the road was only going to inconvenience her further.
Which meant that her only solution was to try and circle back -- even if that meant running into Richelle again.
Out of breath, Cécile slowed down and stumbled a few feet further, moving towards a large tree with a conveniently large root to rest upon. After plopping herself down on the rough bark, hunched over in exhaustion, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Silence surrounded her, save for the occasional chirp of several birds perched above. She continued to listen, her own breath now soft and slow, the chattering of animals growing louder. Her ears twitched, picking up sounds from afar.
A rustle of underbrush and the snap of a small twig being crushed beneath a foot caught her attention. Cécile had to give the other girl some credit for her determination, however foolish it was. Raising a hand to hover over her throat again, she opened her eyes and looked around. Her vision was acute, especially when she was in hunting mode. It wasn't difficult to sense the girl coming -- Richelle was so loud in comparison to the serene quietness of the forest creatures, and smelled of indoor cleanliness, a distinct odor against the earthy air. Turning the tables, Cécile was now the predator.
She pulled the soft and worn strip of cloth from her neck, the material sliding free without ripping as she raised it above her head. Closing her eyes, she embraced the warmth of gentle flames wrapping around and licking at her flesh. But everything about this transformation felt so natural, and she resisted it far less than she had the first time -- this was *meant* to happen. Her eyes sprung open again as a heavy red cloak settled over her head and fell down her back.
"The song of the wolves calls for me to condemn you, and so flames of justice will strike you down! I am Sailormars!" she heard someone shout out, and realized that it was her own voice, though it held a power within it that was unfamiliar. Reality soon came back into place and she took a moment to examine her outfit. After a few seconds of tilting her head at the peculiar get up, Sailormars turned around to face the direction that her prey-- Richelle, was coming from.
*******
Stumbling through some underbrush, Mercury stood straighter and dusted off her skirt. "This is ridiculous. She shouldn't know where she is, let alone how to get out of this forest. I should have just waited along the main road and surprised her." Mercury muttered.
Pushing aside another branch, she paused, staring at the ground. A small smile lit her face up for a moment while she examined the obviously larger foot of that infernal girl. "Right. She went this way...careful now..." she whispered, doing the very un-soldier like thing by entering an enemy's known lair without so much as a wisp of plan.
And what a foolish decision it was. As Mercury passed by a thick, looming oak, a rustling sound came from behind her. Several bushes shook gently, breaking her focus and causing the girl to turn and look at the source. Though hesitant to investigate, she warily took a step towards it, making as little noise of her own as possible. The bushes were still, and as Mercury was about to dismiss the movement as a small animal, the branches came to life again. She readied herself for attack, scanning the shuddering leaves with a cautious eye.
The rustling began to changes its position, receding into another patch of underbrush in the direction that she came from. Confused, Mercury held her ground despite worrying that she might be letting her enemy get away. But instead of a girl, a couple of squirrels dashed out of the bushes and chased each other up a tree. She shook her head with a frustrated sigh.
Turning back around to continue through the woods, suddenly a gloved fist came swinging at her face. Barely missing impact, Sailormercury stumbled backwards, foot sliding on fallen leaves and causing her to fall flat on her back. Dizzied, she looked upwards, seeing the red-edged silhouette of a cloaked figure. The light filtering in between the canopy of the trees blocked a face out, except for one, eerily familiar glowing golden eye.
"Well, well, you just don't know when to give up, do you?" the transformed baker grinned, head tilted as she stood over her prey. Mars concealed her confusion at Richelle's outfit underneath a smug expression, her distrust increasing now that her fears were confirmed: Richelle was a wielder of strong, dangerous magic.
"No, I don't!" Mercury retorted, managing to kick out and sweep Mars off her feet. The other soldier landed on the ground across from Mercury, though caught herself with her hands. Upper body propped up, as Mercury scrambled to get back to her feet, Mars quickly managed to spring forward and capture one of Mercury's legs. She yanked the girl back to the ground, Mercury letting out a quiet shout of surprise. But it wasn't just that she had fallen again that caused the shout, but she was still shocked over Cécile's appearance.
As Mars was getting to her feet, Mercury began to sit up again, and barely managed to stand up and jump back as Mars took another swing at her. "Wait!" Sailormercury protested, holding her arms up to protect herself as Sailormars continued to try to land a punch on her opponent.
"Stop that!" Mercury protested, stumbling back as she tried to deflect, or at the least, dodge Cécile's (she was laboring under the assumption that it was Cécile in front of her now) attacks. Whipping out her hairsticks, Mercury stood and started 'knitting' (she had no other name for it) the one attack she knew. "ICE WALL!" she screamed severing the icicle threads and casting the wall in front of her while Mars prepared to punch her once more.
Waiting a split second to see if the 'wall' held or not, Mercury sighed a breath of relief and started running for all her might to the main road. *Okay let's think about this rationally, what do I know? Cécile seems to have extraordinary powers too, she seems to be a much better fighter and most likely doesn't like me too greatly at this moment.* Mercury paused, barely having to look up to find her way through the trees and shrubbery. She had grown up in these woods, after all. *Enemy? Hmm...most of the monsters I've met with want to kill me, not beat me blue. So maybe...* the end of the thought made her freeze and turn around to stare down the path to where she had left Cécile.
"She's like me...." she murmured. "She's a-a-a whatever I am also!" Eyes widening, she absently thought that at any other time this would have overjoyed her. As of this moment, her so-called 'comrade' wanted her bleeding -- badly. "Regrets are for the dead..." she muttered grimly jogging back the way she came. "Convince her and things'll be better. Simple. I mean, what else could she possibly think I am?" With that semi- reassuring platitude in mind she slowed her pace and worked out what to say to a probably very angry girl.
Caught off guard by the attack, Sailormars took a step back from the chilly barrier that came forth from the other soldier. Her head spun round warily like a wild animal, and she sniffed the air. The ice was laced with the familiar, but undetectable with a human nose, scent of magic. With a snarl, Sailormars began to attack it directly, punching and clawing. When that seemed hopeless, she rammed her full weight into the clear blockade to see if it would weaken with pure physical brutality. However, the 'ice wall' was well-constructed, and far less fragile than it looked. But she wasn't beaten just yet -- not only was she unwilling to be trapped and unable to help Wolf, she was unwilling to lose to the girl. Closing her eyes, she reached into the power that was given to her.
Clasping her hands together, Mars felt heat growing between her palms, painless and soothing against the cold that the wall was radiating. Soon, she felt a rough stone between her fingers. In what little room to move that there was, she bent over and the rock was engulfed in a small flame. Rearing back, she swiftly moved her body and threw the stone, shouting, "Asteroid HAIL!" Each little fragment struck the ice wall with a loud sizzle, passing through with ease. The holes made the ice look as thin and delicate as a spider's web, leaving it easy to break through.
Swinging her arm, Mars' punch landed right in the middle of the ice, breaking a hole large enough for her to walk through. She didn't bother to look back at what she had done, feral instinct driving her forward to her enemy. Standing not but a couple of meters away was Sailormercury. The two bruised and slightly battered soldiers stood still, neither moving any closer or any farther from each other. A deathly silence hung in the air. It was as though the entire forest was holding its breath.
"Stop," said Mercury calmly, somewhat out of breath, holding up her hands in peace.
Mars flinched at her movement, though no attack came as she had expected. She tilted her head, a growl slipping into her voice, "Why should I? For more of your tricks?"
"No! We're not...we're not supposed to be fighting each other!" Mercury shouted back. Their voices echoed in the trees, shouts going back and forth.
"Says who? You're after Wolf and I can't allow that to happen!"
"I never said I was after him!"
"Liar!" Mars lunged forward and Mercury jumped back in surprise, the distance between remaining the same.
"I was only after you because you were behaving suspiciously! Like a pair of criminals!" Richelle protested in defense of her own actions, trying to reason as best as possible. But at this rate, it seemed as though Cécile would never listen to her.
"Well, you assumed wrong!" Cécile retorted, her body tense to the point of shaking slightly. She clenched and unclenched her fists and sighed, turning her head away for a moment. Through grit teeth, she muttered, "Huff puff... Just because we're wolves... Everyone -- EVERYONE thinks we're out to kill, maim, steal, poach -- well, I've never done any of that! I've been a good person all my life!" The anger seemed to flare up in the girl's eyes, the golden one seemingly more threatening than the other. Then, her look softened, now more hurt than malicious.
"It wasn't because you were wolves," Mercury said with a slightly defensive tone. "My parents didn't raise me to be prejudiced against people just because they are a certain type," she told her.
"I just wanted to ask you about..." Mercury waved her hand towards her outfit. "Don't you notice something a little familiar?" she asked pointing to her own. "Perhaps -- and please don't hit me again -- there is a reason behind it?" When Cécile didn't comment, Richelle tried another tact. "How exactly did you find out?" Richelle tried to remember how she found out and then pushed the memory away. Not exactly the best of circumstances, she admitted ruefully to herself.
Cécile turned away again at recalling how she 'found out', as Richelle had put it. Her body seemed to seize up convulsively, expression stiff and grim as she was lost in thought of the past. A past she wanted to bury, though it seemed to haunt her all the time. Suddenly, she spoke sharply, "That," as she looked back at Richelle, "Is none of your business." Biting her lip, she looked the girl over, revealing little reaction to the statement. They were alike, more than Cécile wanted them to be. "And...if you're implying what I think you're implying... Why should I believe it?"
"Well, it is a logical assumption," Richelle insisted under her breath. "We have similar powers, semi-similar outfits, and if I miss my guess, do you often find the urge to fight monsters bent on destruction?" Richelle guessed trying to find reasons why they were comrades. Even she doubted it, but maybe Cécile was on the side of good. "I fight for good...well more precisely honor and the prevention of cruelty." As a last ditch effort she said, "My name is Sailormercury."
"Sailormars. Or at least that's what I've been calling myself when I transform... Not that I had a choice in the title, though," added Cécile as an afterthought. She seemed to have calmed down, poise no longer rigid and on the offense. "I don't exactly fight for anything... At least, I'm not sure yet. All I know is that...I should use my powers to protect," her eyes looked to the ground, as though searching the ground for answers. She turned her gaze up again. "But I certainly am *not* some crime fighting vigilante," she murmured coolly, poking a bit of sarcasm at Richelle. Still full of wary skepticism, the baker-turned-fighter was not yet fully convinced that they were allies. After all, not moments before the two girls had been fighting vigorously, and all of a sudden Richelle had a change of heart. Perhaps it was cynical of her, but Cécile had every reason to lack faith in people these days...
Feeling a little better -- at least she assumed she wouldn't be attacked again -- Richelle sighed. "Let's get back to my house. Neither of us want to be caught out in these...outfits, if a villager sees us. We can discuss this while we clean up the mess we both made."
*******
Retreating to Richelle's house, which had been in a messy state as Cécile whipped through it in her escape, the two girls worked together to clean it up before settling down in the kitchen. Nursing tender spots with packets of ice, Richelle and Cécile sat in silence. Three half-eaten meals sat cold on the table (though the plate belonging to Wolf held less than half), glaring up at the two as they sat across the table from each other. A treaty had been formed, decidedly temporary at the moment, as neither one was completely used to the idea that they were meant to be allies. Trust was difficult to bridge when you were attempting to kill each other less than a half hour ago.
The quarter wolf pressed the bundle close to her sore knuckles, cubes contained within the cloth rattling against each other. The fight had left both of the girls weary and in a disarray. Even though they had transformed, that still didn't prevent some of the wounds from staying after they returned to their normal states and shed their peculiar garments. During the travel back and the fixing of Richelle's parlor, Cécile had managed to make herself explain the situation with Wolf. Though she wasn't entirely sure if it was a wise choice, she needed all of the help she could get at this rate. Carriage-less and without any knowledge of where her protectee was at, it was clear that the baker wasn't going to get far on her own.
"So... What are we going to do?" Cécile asked hesitantly, especially when it came to using the pronoun 'we'. She still didn't know what to think of Richelle, or what Richelle thought of her.
Richelle chewed her lower lip, relieved to be in her everyday clothes once more, but hesitant as to what to do about Cécile -- Sailormars. Her apparent ally against whatever those things were. "We need to catch up with Wolf. Explain things to him and then get to the castle." Richelle mused, talking mostly out loud to organize her thoughts and actions easily. "He's a long way off by now..."
"Some sort of transportation?" Cécile suggested, as wary as Richelle herself was.
Richelle nodded. "Once at the castle it will be easy enough to gain entrance-- my parents are after all famous and go there quite often. We need horses...and a cart. Definitely a cart. Be easier to travel if we're not conspicuous by just riding along the road." Thinking for a moment, she realized the only place she could get the horses and cart without too much trouble--and questions about her appearance, Cécile's sudden appearance, her traveling to the castle...--was Maya's.
Sighing she stood and looked resignedly at Cécile. "We'll go to my friend's house. I can easily get us whatever we need there," throwing on a cloak, she motioned to Cécile to follow her. "Wear mother's old cloak-- we need to cover up as much as we can of our...injuries." Nodding in agreement, Cécile gingerly took the cloak into her hands, though hesitated to put it on. She had retrieved her trusty old jacket in the woods, now covered with rotted bark and leaves, on their way back to the house. It seemed to cover up the marks, but it was too unclean to hide that there had been some sort of rough and tumble. Reluctantly, she draped the article over her shoulders and followed Richelle.
Once settled, Richelle lead the way briskly towards Maya's home. Slipping through the garden wall, Richelle was both relieved and bemused to find Maya and two of her brothers out and about. "Maya! I have a need of a favor!" she called waving to the two boys -- two of the semi-older ones. Taking note of the new people, Cécile subtly slipped a hand through her hair to conceal her left eye again.
Whatever Maya said she got over to Richelle and Cécile quickly enough. "What? Richen, you're--" Richelle slapped a hand over Maya's mouth and made a quiet motion. "Not a word. I don't need your brothers worrying over me. This is Cécile...a friend after a fashion. Cécile, my best friend Maya." The baker nodded politely, muttering a friendly greeting with a forced smile. Introductions done, Richelle dragged Maya a bit away from Cécile. "I need your brother's cart and draft horses."
Maya blinked, tried to look at Cécile then stared at Richelle with something close to astonishment. "What are you doing Richelle?" Maya asked. "You hate the horses--and that girl...did you two get into a *physical* fight?"
Once again, Cécile had been left out of the conversation regarding the means by which they were traveling. First with Wolf, and now with Richelle. A part of her disliked this not knowing what was going on. For all she knew, the other girl could've been getting them into trouble just as Wolf had done in the tavern. Remembering her hometown, a foreign sense of longing and nostalgia washed over her. She had very rarely gone outside of the Second Kingdom in her short lifespan, and Richelle's introduction of her 'best friend' made her feel even more lonely. Not that Cécile ever had a best friend to miss at the moment, but the fact that she had left behind virtually all that she ever knew to go on some crazy quest. She quickly shrugged the feeling off, however, and watched the friends speak to each other.
"Maya! Enough! We both merely fell while searching for her uncle...that is why we need the cart and horses. Cécile mentioned he wanted to go to the Castle and what with the recent rumors I thought it would be better if we found him first." Richelle snapped irritated. In a softer tone she said, "I promise its nothing dangerous. I just want to see if my parents are at the castle...Cécile and her uncle need to go for a similar reason, so we agreed to travel together." Lies, lies, lies...the word danced around in Richelle's head, making her cringe.
Maya searched Richelle for a moment, knowing she was lying, but unable to face the truth of what that would mean. Maya realized Richelle seemed to 'fall' a lot lately and her absence from the house was becoming more frequent too... "All right Richen. I will get the horses and cart for you," she murmured, turning away and trudging back to her brothers.
"Maya..." Richelle called, but when her friend didn't turn, Richelle bit her lip and moved back towards Cécile. "She's getting the horses and cart. Come on." Richelle muttered to Cécile. Following the other girl, the baker sighed, "I hope Wolf's all right..." Even if he wasn't really her uncle, she still felt a strong responsibility for him -- after all, someone *did* try to assassinate him and his family, and even King Wendell was in trouble. Meanwhile, she had fought the wrong person and if she was lucky, there wouldn't be consequences for getting thrown off course. Every minute counted, especially since they had no idea exactly who or what was after the Four, and when they would strike next.
********
But she heard the words. She heard those words and she heard a million other words too, but she couldn't remember them. They were foreign to her, another language, one that was beautiful to the ear. She could speak it, but couldn't understand it. And words fell from her mouth, like song, but she didn't know what she was saying.Shadows danced along an overwhelming light, like Eulalia was trying to stare down the sun. Slowly, things darkened and focused. The noblelady regained conscious. Doll like eyes blinked several times as she tried to collect her thoughts, but it hurt to think. She perked up though, as something caught her eye.
Eulalia had woken inside of a humble room, warm now with a docile fire curled in the fireplace. It popped and roared quietly, casting orange light and dancing shadows around the tiny room. The area was complete with disorganized and very overstuffed bookshelves, a set of chairs (one of which was occupied), a small desk, and a bed with an array of quilts, under which the lady had been tucked, wounds properly wrapped. The bed sat under a window, which was challenging the fire's light with it's own signs of morning peeking over the trees of a small orchard.
A small trail of discarded items, such as an overcoat, hair tie and pair of glasses, led up to the figure sitting in one of the chairs, in a position where the young man would supposedly be able to watch both fire and girl. However, the assumed rescuer was doubled over in his chair, long neck bent with his chin resting on his chest and arms folded weakly. The rescuer was tall and very thin, though long curly hair that had the crease of locks used to being pulled back obscured all of his face but a slightly protruding large nose.
As soon as she saw him, whoever he was, Eulalia sat up--or rather, tried to. She was rewarded with a stab of pain from one of her shoulders, and thus fell back on an elbow with a tiny gasp. Though things were beginning to make sense now, she was still full of questions. For a moment, she didn't know how to say them, for another language took her lips, and that brought her back to the night before. Viator was much braver than Eulalia was, and the newly painted memories shook her. Finally, words came to her and she spoke, though it was little and labored.
"Oh ..oh dear... where...?"
At the sound of the young woman's voice, the man in the chair quickly jolted awake, startled out of his light slumber. Within a moment of waking, he had managed to jump forward just slightly in the chair, enough to send himselfoff of it's seat and onto the hardwood floor, which was hardly a satisfactory replacement for sleep and a nice piece of furniture.
He groaned slightly while pulling his uncooperative body into a sitting position, looking up through unclear eyes and unkempt hair. Squinting at first, his eyes widened when he remembered who it was that had spoken, and how she had come to be there.
"M-my lady, you're awake!" He stammered, standing hurriedly and reaching for his glasses.
Ignoring the pain in her shoulder now, she moved forward, casting the blankets aside. Eulalia sat down on her knees on the edge of the bed, his glasses between her bare fingers. She looked up at him cautiously, her curiosity apparent on her pretty face. "Who are you, if I can pry...?" Her absinthe colored eyes blinked as unnaturally dark eyelashes brushed against her face, as Eulalia studied her supposed savior.
"Please, lie down... You were hurt when I found you and..." he stopped, realizing a question had been directed at him. He fumbled for his glasses, avoiding her pretty stare shyly while he slipped them on his thin face. "T-terribly sorry, I am Icabod Crane. The schoolmaster here in Sleepy Hollow." He smiled just slightly and risked a glance at her. "Now that you know who I am... who are you? Why were you in that forest? It isn't... it isn't safe, you know..."
"My name is..." She began as she draped her legs over the side of the bed, unpurposefully denying his half-spoken request to lie back down. The brown-haired girl looked up to him with renewed confidence. "My name is Eulalia Camilla." For some reason she didn't expect him to know her name, though she was a part of the elite aristocracy, and so she went on without a pause. She stood up, planting her tiny feet firmly on the ground--only for it to register how tall the man was. He was over a foot taller than her, and she wasn't sure if she should feel intimidated or not. The man was obviously gentile from as far as she had seen of him, but one could never be completely sure of these things.
This obvious realization left her staring at him for a few moments without words, before her manners returned and she looked away quickly, alerting herself to the rumpled mess she had made of what she assumed was his bed, or at least a guest chamber in his home. With an almost automatic response she began to fold the bedclothes neatly back over surface of the bed, like a servant. Though, unlike a sevant, she went about the task with a smile onher face and a lightness in her feet. The new sunrise glinted through the windows, and made highlights in her hair shine like strands of frost on an early winter's morning. However, the most peculair thing about this Eulalia was that she cast no shadow, but this was probably just a trick of the morning light.
"I was traveling," She began quietly, trying to think of a good, but not completely untrue explaination of why she had been out in the forest. "With my companion, Lady Dido, when our carriage was overturned by bandits. Before they could rob us, however, we escaped and ran as fast as we could..."
So there was no carriage, but certainly someone had tried to rob them...of their heads, perhaps. She looked up and turned her head to the side, studying him to see if he believed her. Oh bother. Eulalia had never been the best of liars. "The rest is rather fuzzy... I ... must've hit my head against a tree limb, or tripped over a root of an old tree and went unconscious. But Lady Dido must've went on without me--perhaps she went to get help." She bit her lip, going over the explaination once more in her head. It seemed fair enough.
"So I see... Bandits, that's horrible. I pray for your friend's safety." He muttered, wringing his hands with a desire to usher her back into bed, but was at the moment unsure as to how polite that would be. However, at seeing her begin to fold the bedding, he took one long-legged step that likened him to the bird of his namesake, bearing himself over to the bed. He gently moved to take the blankets from her to fold them himself, and while Icabod was not nearly as neat and delicate as the petite Eulalia, the intent was there.
"Lady Camilla, I beg that you at least sit. You've been hurt, and thank God you're still alive and well. When I saw you..." He faltered and failed to complete the thought verbally. Instead, his eyes flickered to her face and then down once more, and the rings under his eyes from a lack of sleep seemed to deepen. "Those woods are not to be trusted at night, or even in daytime. Terrible things are in them... I've heard all the stories."
"One cannot live their life in fear," replied Lady Camilla. Without missing a beat she did indeed sit down--on the floor, to avoid rumpling the freshly made bed. She showed little defiance about this, though, tilting her head upwards to rest on her bare knuckles as she studied him. "'Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil...'" She quoted.
He was obviously a Christian man, Eulalia noted, which was something of a rarity in the nine kingdoms, though not entirely unheard of. Eulalia frowned as she studied him, not disapprovingly though it could've been taken that way, but concerned. Were the rings under his eyes from the burden of taking her from the forest?
Upon hearing the passage she recited, he turned and smiled softly at her. "Yes, I suppose you are right. Tempting fate can be a risky business, though." He finished straightening the bed, smoothing it out slowly. He then turned to Eulalia and extended a hand to her to help her stand.
"Take one of the chairs, please. I assure you, they're much more comfortable than the floor." He was slightly confused and distressed at his lady guest's quiet denials to rest for her wound's sake. The thought of her being hurt any further, even is such a minimal matter, was a worry that clawed the back of his mind. "I can bring you breakfast if you're hungry," he added as an afterthought, "since I'm sure you're still tired from what happened last night."
To be honest, Eulalia hadn't thought about breakfast between waking up in a stranger's room and her concern for Dido. Poor Dido. Where would she be, without 'Lala' to lead her by the hand? Was she safe? Did the mission fail, or did Miss Adrienne find her in time...? With new found worry, Eulalia shook her head. "I couldn't dream of eating right now..." But she did take his hand and stood up, and found herself sitting in a chair he had offered. That was only polite.
Once settled and done with brushing the wrinkles from her dress, she folded her hands over themselves, unaware the wounds inflicted on them. Tilting her head to look at him, a strand of her hair fell in her face before she realized her lack of consideration. Of course, he probably wouldn't eat unless she did, and she had just declined. He was so thin, too, and so her eyes dropped to the side, looking at a corner again. "Of.. of course...Master Crane, if you're hungry...of course, that is to say...I-I don't mind, I mean.." She froze and fumbled for the words.
"O-oh, n-no, Lady Camilla, I'm fine as is. I... just had to ask... to make sure..." He struggled to find something accurately polite and convincing to say to her. "If you're not hungry, then the next thing we can do is see if your friend arrived... L-lady Dido, correct?" He fidgeted with his glasses, feeling entirely embarrassed and awkward as he avoided looking at Eulalia's face. He honestly had no idea where Dido could have gone off to, imagining apetite looking young lady like his guest, appearing more or less helpless. He strained his memory, but found only guesses and possibilities that led to the worst of ends.
"Yes, that would be the most logical thing to do," Eulalia said as she regained her composure. "Yes. We were on important business, dear Dido and I, so perhaps she went to deliver the message without me. Or to get help. Dido is... well, she's a bit more intimidating than I am physically, but if someone would find her and take advantage of her..." Her eyes clouded up with tears. "Oh, oh dear. My poor friend Dido. To think, I was supposed to help you.."
Icabod creased his eyebrows, showing deep concern. "Please, do not worry Lady Camilla. I promise I'll help you find your friend if it is at all possible." He wrung his hands quietly, wondering where the could even begin to look. If she was lost in the woods, she could have easily just ran off further into it's depths, or perhaps never made it at all. The young man shuddered slightly, looking strained once more. "Do you have any idea where Lady Dido might have gone..? It might help in our search..."
"We were supposed to arrive at King Wendell's castle this morning to discuss the decorations for the moon princess b...all." Eulalia clamped her hand over her mouth as if she had let out a dire secret, a single tear streaming down her cheek. "Oh dear. I wasn't supposed to mention that."
"Moon princess ball..?" He repeated slowly, not understanding the significance of this. Upon seeing the tear and hearing the distressed toneof her voice, however, he immediately jumped to amend what he had heard. "Oh, lady, no, please... Do not cry. I don't understand what it exactly means anyway, so you needn't worry. I swear I won't utter a word to anyone if that's what you wish..." Icabod was confused and flustered by her reaction, truly befuddled as to why anyone would be overly concerned about the King holding another ball, as he didn't feel they were uncommon. Still, Eulalia's reaction did make him curious if nothing else, and perhaps it was special after all.
"Oh, please, do that for me." She replied, dabbing her hand at the tear that touched her lips now. "I'm...I'm not supposed to tell anyone yet. I would be very much obliged. I'm so sorry. Terribly sorry.. it's just... I'm horribly shook up." Eulalia have laughed, half sobbed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "This isn't how a lady should be acting at all."
"The secret is safe with me, I swear..." He replied quickly, eager to calm her. He fumbled for a handkerchief, swiftly pulling it out of his vest pocket, and handed it to her shakily. "I won't utter a word about it, I promise. You have my word." Icabod silently pondered the meaning of the occasion, and had it not been for how heartbroken Eulalia seemed, he might have been tempted to ask further. But as things stood, he could not bear to upset her anymore, and vowed to keep his promise.
The brown haired girl took the hankerchief and dabbed at her eyes with it, sniffling to herself. "Th-thank you. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be so upset over this.. but everything has been go..going wrong lately. F-first the wolf g-got away...now I've lost Dido...I've disappointed everyone!" Eulalia paused to sob into the hankerchief. "Oh, just listen to me. I'm so sorry, Master crane. M-maybe I should just go... I've been such a bother."
"No, lady, please, don't blame yourself. I think you've gone through a terrible lot lately, and it was beyond your powers, what happened." He tried to smile in the most reassuring way possible, though had the distinct feeling he just looked awkward. At the very least he was feeling awkward. "You're not a bother at all. And if you leave, Lady Eulalia, I'll feel it's my duty to come with you. I absolutely can't let you wander off on your own... especially after what happened to you last night. I'll help you get to the palace and find your friend. She must have continued that way..."
"Oh, I do hope you're right," Eulalia said. "And..and thank you, Master Crane. I appreciate it so much..." She smiled through her tears, wringing his hankerchief in her delicate hands. "It's very kind of you."
"You're very welcome. I feel it's the very least I could do." He smiled back at her, relaxing since she seemed now better than before. "Just tell me when you'd like to leave, and I'll make arrangements."
Broken Fairy Tales: Soldiers of the Ten Kingdoms.
Who is your favorite Broken Fairy Tale senshi? What do you think will happen next? Any input on our story is appreciated :D
The chapters of this story are taken directly from a play-by-email by the same name. Each of the writers, including myself, have given consent to having their work published under this name, with due credit.
'Allies', chapter six of Broken Fairy Tales, was written by Gena, Sushi, Jeff, Koi, Alex, and Ryu. Love you guys! 3
This is a crossover between 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon', and the NBC/Hallmark miniseries 'The Tenth Kingdom', that aired in 1998/1999. 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon' and 'The Tenth Kingdom' do not belong to the people who wrote Broken Fairy tales and we do not claim rights to any of the aforementioned television shows. We do, however, claim rights to our original characters, the Soldiers of the Ten Kingdoms. They are copyrighted to their creators.