Lauraena: Aw... sorry it made you cry. Very glad you liked it. I can't
believe I haven't updated in almost 3 weeks, seeing as I have had it
written the entire time. You need to update your fic too! When are you
going to e-mail that file to me?
* * means thought
- -
~~~Gates and Gunshots~~~
I awaken when my shoulder is roughly shaken. "What?" I ask, rubbing my bleary eyes.
"Get up, and get dressed. We're leaving in ten minutes." I roll out of bed and onto the floor. A slight chuckle meets my ear. I whirl around and see the door snick shut.
I grab my clothes that I had been wearing prior to, and during, the kidnapping. I had been wearing my normal outfit, the one I always wear; I had changed back into it before lunch. I strip off the clothes I slept in and pull on what I had grabbed. I run a brush through my hair.
There is a light rap on my door. I set the brush down and open it. "Is it time to go already?" I ask.
"Yes, follow me. No fighting either." Cid smiles. "You're stronger than I expected a summoner to be, or are you still an apprentice summoner?"
The bright light momentarily blinds me as we step outside. I pause in the doorway, blinking and trying to adjust my gaze. Once my vision is regained, I walk over to where Cid is. "What do you mean, 'a summoner'? I am no summoner and I never will be." I blink as several chocobos are lead out. Several meaning two.
Cid grunts. "Can your ride?" I nod. "Then mount up."
I stay where I am. "I... I'd rather ride my own chocobo. I pause and whistle. No one comes. I whistle again, this time Shiva appears. "Shiva, please get Fortune for me, and if you would get some of my clothes from my room for me?" Shiva nods and minutes later she reappears with the desired objects. "Thank you Shiva, oh, and where is Behey?" Shiva just puts her fingers to her lips and disappears.
I mount Fortune, "shall we go?"
Cid jumps onto his chocobo and grabs my arm. "What was that foolish stunt you just pulled? I'm only going to give you this one warning. Don't ever do that again."
I look calmly over at him. "Had I wished to escape I would have, and I do not appreciate being told what I can and can not do. I did not even allow my mother to do that, except for on certain occasions. I do not believe that I need to point out that you are not my mother."
Cid lets go of my arm. "You're a captive, girl, you don't have a choice. He grins, "Come on, my cousin is waiting for us." He nudges his chocobo into a slow walk and circles to me until I give orders to Fortune and he too starts walking.
*I might as well try.* I send Fortune into a run and hum the tune required to go to the Land of the Aeons. Within seconds an object whistles by my side. Seconds later another one, a bullet, pierces my skin, just as the gate opens. I fall off Fortune, clutching my arm. Before I strike the ground I have gotten my feet under me. The minute they touch the ground I take off running to the gate, only to be tackled by Cid.
"That was stupid." He pours a few drops of potion on my arm. Fortune walks over and gently butts his head against my arm. My unhurt arm, he's smart for a chocobo. "You're lucky that your chocobo likes you so much. Most would have fled when a bullet comes whistling at them. Close that thing." He points to the gate. I whistle a sharp, piercing sound, and the gate collapses. "Good, on you chocobo. I slowly climb on and bury my hand in Fortune's feathers. Cid ties a rope around my waist and attaches it to my saddle. He clips a lead rope to Fortune's halter and wraps it around his pommel and ties it before mounting and urging his chocobo into a walk. "I trusted you."
I shrug, "What did you expect me to do, sit there and be kidnapped without even trying to escape?" He shakes his head. "Then why are you so upset? If it was nothing that you didn't expect..."
"Because, I know where that gate lead." I twist around on my chocobo and stare at him. "The Land of the Aeons is very dangerous. I take it you don't know the dangers of it, otherwise I doubt you would have tried to go. Do you know what would have happened to you if you had stepped through that gate? Obliteration, never being alive again, your soul would never make it to the farplane. Never. You would have no chance of survival. You would be worse than dead. You would be worse than a fiend, you would not exist."
"I am quite aware of the dangers it presents to most people. I am not one of the most people though. My safety is of key importance to the Aeons, so they will let nothing happen to me. They were the ones who first brought me there, they were the ones who taught me the ways of the Land, they were the ones who taught me how to get there, they were the ones who gave me the means of traveling safely through there. Have you heard of a Talisman?" He shakes his head. "The bearer of a Talisman can safely travel through the Land; it poses no dangers to them. It is something that is only given to a select few though. I believe that Behey said that the last one to receive a Talisman died nearly a hundred years ago."
"May I see this talisman of yours?" he asks.
I shake my head, "A Talisman is not something you can hold, or see. It's a part of me." I sigh, sensing that he doesn't believe me. "I'm telling the truth."
"Since you say it is a part of you... I take it that it can't be lost?" he asks. I nod. "Very well, what happens if it wears off then?" Seeing my shocked expression he says, "What, never though that your talisman might only be temporary?"
I sigh, "No, it's not that, I was just surprised that you thought of the same questions I did. According to the Aeons it will last until the day I die, and even then... well, never mind. That's one of the first questions I asked when I received the Talisman."
"Cid!" his cousin calls, "what took you so long? Why's the girl tied, I thought you weren't going to tie her up. You didn't want to abuse your sister-in-law-to-be or something like that. And where'd you get the chocobo, I've never seen it before."
"Certain difficulties arose, and the chocobo is her ladyships. Now let's go." We ride until well after full dark.
- -
Sorry about the long wait, I've had it typed. I just (stupidly) decided that I wasn't going to type up this chapter until I had another chapter of one of my other fics ready to upload. I haven't even written chapter 12 yet, I'll try and do that soon. Sorry again!
Arcander
* * means thought
- -
~~~Gates and Gunshots~~~
I awaken when my shoulder is roughly shaken. "What?" I ask, rubbing my bleary eyes.
"Get up, and get dressed. We're leaving in ten minutes." I roll out of bed and onto the floor. A slight chuckle meets my ear. I whirl around and see the door snick shut.
I grab my clothes that I had been wearing prior to, and during, the kidnapping. I had been wearing my normal outfit, the one I always wear; I had changed back into it before lunch. I strip off the clothes I slept in and pull on what I had grabbed. I run a brush through my hair.
There is a light rap on my door. I set the brush down and open it. "Is it time to go already?" I ask.
"Yes, follow me. No fighting either." Cid smiles. "You're stronger than I expected a summoner to be, or are you still an apprentice summoner?"
The bright light momentarily blinds me as we step outside. I pause in the doorway, blinking and trying to adjust my gaze. Once my vision is regained, I walk over to where Cid is. "What do you mean, 'a summoner'? I am no summoner and I never will be." I blink as several chocobos are lead out. Several meaning two.
Cid grunts. "Can your ride?" I nod. "Then mount up."
I stay where I am. "I... I'd rather ride my own chocobo. I pause and whistle. No one comes. I whistle again, this time Shiva appears. "Shiva, please get Fortune for me, and if you would get some of my clothes from my room for me?" Shiva nods and minutes later she reappears with the desired objects. "Thank you Shiva, oh, and where is Behey?" Shiva just puts her fingers to her lips and disappears.
I mount Fortune, "shall we go?"
Cid jumps onto his chocobo and grabs my arm. "What was that foolish stunt you just pulled? I'm only going to give you this one warning. Don't ever do that again."
I look calmly over at him. "Had I wished to escape I would have, and I do not appreciate being told what I can and can not do. I did not even allow my mother to do that, except for on certain occasions. I do not believe that I need to point out that you are not my mother."
Cid lets go of my arm. "You're a captive, girl, you don't have a choice. He grins, "Come on, my cousin is waiting for us." He nudges his chocobo into a slow walk and circles to me until I give orders to Fortune and he too starts walking.
*I might as well try.* I send Fortune into a run and hum the tune required to go to the Land of the Aeons. Within seconds an object whistles by my side. Seconds later another one, a bullet, pierces my skin, just as the gate opens. I fall off Fortune, clutching my arm. Before I strike the ground I have gotten my feet under me. The minute they touch the ground I take off running to the gate, only to be tackled by Cid.
"That was stupid." He pours a few drops of potion on my arm. Fortune walks over and gently butts his head against my arm. My unhurt arm, he's smart for a chocobo. "You're lucky that your chocobo likes you so much. Most would have fled when a bullet comes whistling at them. Close that thing." He points to the gate. I whistle a sharp, piercing sound, and the gate collapses. "Good, on you chocobo. I slowly climb on and bury my hand in Fortune's feathers. Cid ties a rope around my waist and attaches it to my saddle. He clips a lead rope to Fortune's halter and wraps it around his pommel and ties it before mounting and urging his chocobo into a walk. "I trusted you."
I shrug, "What did you expect me to do, sit there and be kidnapped without even trying to escape?" He shakes his head. "Then why are you so upset? If it was nothing that you didn't expect..."
"Because, I know where that gate lead." I twist around on my chocobo and stare at him. "The Land of the Aeons is very dangerous. I take it you don't know the dangers of it, otherwise I doubt you would have tried to go. Do you know what would have happened to you if you had stepped through that gate? Obliteration, never being alive again, your soul would never make it to the farplane. Never. You would have no chance of survival. You would be worse than dead. You would be worse than a fiend, you would not exist."
"I am quite aware of the dangers it presents to most people. I am not one of the most people though. My safety is of key importance to the Aeons, so they will let nothing happen to me. They were the ones who first brought me there, they were the ones who taught me the ways of the Land, they were the ones who taught me how to get there, they were the ones who gave me the means of traveling safely through there. Have you heard of a Talisman?" He shakes his head. "The bearer of a Talisman can safely travel through the Land; it poses no dangers to them. It is something that is only given to a select few though. I believe that Behey said that the last one to receive a Talisman died nearly a hundred years ago."
"May I see this talisman of yours?" he asks.
I shake my head, "A Talisman is not something you can hold, or see. It's a part of me." I sigh, sensing that he doesn't believe me. "I'm telling the truth."
"Since you say it is a part of you... I take it that it can't be lost?" he asks. I nod. "Very well, what happens if it wears off then?" Seeing my shocked expression he says, "What, never though that your talisman might only be temporary?"
I sigh, "No, it's not that, I was just surprised that you thought of the same questions I did. According to the Aeons it will last until the day I die, and even then... well, never mind. That's one of the first questions I asked when I received the Talisman."
"Cid!" his cousin calls, "what took you so long? Why's the girl tied, I thought you weren't going to tie her up. You didn't want to abuse your sister-in-law-to-be or something like that. And where'd you get the chocobo, I've never seen it before."
"Certain difficulties arose, and the chocobo is her ladyships. Now let's go." We ride until well after full dark.
- -
Sorry about the long wait, I've had it typed. I just (stupidly) decided that I wasn't going to type up this chapter until I had another chapter of one of my other fics ready to upload. I haven't even written chapter 12 yet, I'll try and do that soon. Sorry again!
Arcander