Natwat Crow: I'm thrilled, I'm writing this kind of in a ranting mode so there are actually probably going to get lots of those little Ana-definition-thoughts. And chapter three was confusing for me, I should probably do a re-post, eh, it's only a fanfic…
MistyFox14: I would have updated much sooner except I was on vacation with absolutely no computer acsess! How cruel and unusual is that?!
Basest-8: No seriously, I'm thrilled with your reviews they make me think about what I"m writing and you are completely right about the whole legend thing, I'm working on fixing it. Please keep reviewing in the same form, you help make the story better! Love ya.
A/n: Okay, the chapter is up late because I was on vacation which, really, was not that much fun, two and a half weeks with no computer and a smelly, horrible, twelve-year-old brother. I am so glad to be back! Read on, Ta!
She froze, he was so close, his eyes were so furious, and she realized instantly what this was about. It was the age-old fight to belong. She herself had felt it as a girl, but she had accepted that she would never truly be accepted, and then she had found that she didn't want to be accepted, that acceptance was conformity, and she didn't want to conform. She wanted to be herself to the fullest.
"Is that really what you want?" She asked quietly. "To become the same?" She asked quietly and he hung his head.
"More than anything." He said quietly, especially now. He thought before spiraling into the world of mixed emotions. Not five minutes ago he had despised her, now he wanted her again, he was turning into a human, and she had yet to even tap into her magic.
She nodded. "Okay then, which way?" She asked as she stepped back and looked around.
"Here." He said, lifting vines of ivy, revealing a stone passageway, looking at him once she stepped into it and walked down it, He followed her in and the hall lit up with mushrooms that appeared to be glowing faintly, illuminating cracks in the ground. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before continuing. As they traveled, the walls seemed to close in around them, her eyes watered. It was close, cold, damp, and dark, and it was getting smaller. Seconds before she started yelling their path came to an end and Raiden reached around her and lifter a curtain, light flooded the cave and she blinked rapidly before taking in the sight around her.
They were in another cave, this one however, was one hundred thousand times larger however, an entire city was nestled in it quite comfortably, a little snug, but still comfortable. People moved all throughout it, on the upper layers, across stone or wood bridges, some flew, some walked on solid ground, she looked over at Raiden who was watching those on bridges with a skeptical eye, she grinned as he shuddered.
"You don't like heights." She observed quietly as she watched the city life, it was brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
"Not at all, it's the whole half horse thing." He said sardonically. She grinned and headed for a set of steep stairs that were cut out of the stone. Raiden pulled her back. "We aren't going into the city." He said, pulling her left along a very narrow path that was open to thin air on one side and a sheer cliff face on the other. Emma watched nervously as Raiden made his way along it carelessly. Taking a deep breath she followed at a much more subdued pace.
He ducked into another hall and turned around carefully before sticking his head out. She was only halfway across the silly girl. "Come on, you won't fall." He called; she merely glared at him and continued her leisurely pace across the thin, eroding, not-really-a-path path. He rolled his eyes; adolescent centaurs could pull that trick without getting too many frowns. As she reached the opening he picked her up by her arms and moved her, she was so slow, not slow, graceful. Part of him said and the other part maintained that the other had leapt off the deep end.
He reached over and grabbed her bicep, guiding her along the completely dark hall; she stumbled on a loose rock and would have fallen, were it not for his grip on her arm. "Careful now," he said as she steadied herself. She nodded and they moved along. He stopped as they met up with a stone wall, and knocked thrice in succession. Emma raised an eyebrow but refrained from commenting. The wall swung away from them and Emma followed Raiden in, acting as if stone walls moved every day, which they might here, she didn't really know.
"Balder!" Raiden called as he raced through what appeared to be someone's living quarters. Emma was standing near the door on a russet red rug, looking a little sheepish as she examined her surroundings. It was cozy, bookshelves lined the crooked walls, rugs in worn yellow, green, and red covered the stone floors. It wasn't cold like you would expect a cave to be, it was actually quite pleasant. Through the door Raiden had disappeared through, she could see a short wood table and she guessed it was the kitchen.
"She's not harmed?" She heard a deeper, more mature voiced man asked.
"No, would have been if she hadn't gotten off the horse though. Men, bandits, scum of the earth." He said, as if that explained why she had been in trouble. Evidently it was, Balder grunted and entered the room. Emma felt as if she was looking at a king of knowledge, graying brown hair covered his head in a wavy, unruly crown. Dark, knowing blue eyes were set under straight brows, and thin lips accented a strong jaw.
"Ah, hello." She said, hoping her voice didn't sound as timid as she thought it did. Balder frowned and exchanged a look with Raiden, who shrugged in reply.
"Hello, I am Balder. Welcome to Therosis, the only city of the immortals." He said gallantly, Emma smiled and curtsied.
"Thank you."
"I expect Raiden has explained why you're here." He said, bending his legs and lowering himself to the floor in front of the fireplace, Emma shook her head and walked to sit next to him.
"Not well enough no." She said. "What is exactly is the Empire?" She asked directly. He raised his eyebrows and settled back.
"Raiden, will you make tea?" He asked, Raiden frowned then nodded and left the room, she could hear him moving about in the kitchen. He had the look of a grandfather about to tell his grandson a thrilling tale. "The Empire is the fathest country north, we know this for fact because three years ago we sent an envoy of Stormwings there to check. Their buildings are made of steel and glass. If no one has ever explained to you how steel and glass are created it is an extremely difficult process and it drains the land of its value. Entire forests have been cut down, all vegetation burned, the wave of what they call progress has killed their land, so lately the idea has been that they plunder ours."
"Well we can't stop that." She said thoughtfully, "What if we can convince them to go east?" She asked, mind racing. "There are mountains east correct? There is Iron ore in mountains, that would be more beneficial to their 'progress' and the countries are smaller, with less people, easier to conquer." She said, glad she had figured it out so early, but Balder was just shaking his head.
"We cannot pawn them off on some other country." He said stubbornly and she frowned.
"Why not? There is no other solution but to slaughter them, and that, sir, is simply barbaric." She said, standing up and pacing,
"I realize that." He said, just as calmly.
"Then what do you suggest?" She asked, spinning to look at him.
"That we eliminate them." He said sadness in his eyes.
"We can't do that! What don't you understand, you cannot kill a group of people, simply because they are doing something you do not like. Maybe their progress is for the better. What do we know? It might be the future, we don't know since we haven't been there to try it out have we? You don't know anything about them except that you don't approve of their progress!" She yelled as Raiden entered the room again.
"It's childish! You have to understand the problem to deal with it properly." Raiden smiled, someone agreed with him. Someone understood what he had been trying to explain to Balder all along! The man was the closest thing to a father Raiden had ever had, and he loved him, but sometimes he only saw one solution, and sometimes that solution was not the best.
"I don't think you understand, we have to get rid of them, soon." He said with finality, Emma wasn't falling for that trick.
"Give me two months, I'll go talk with them, figure something else out, if I fail, you can do, whatever you have planned." She said, glaring at him as the moon rose. At the top of the room, a circular hole let light through. Wind traveled down through the opening, spinning around her. Outside, the city grew silent, everyone paused, and then they knew, the phoenix had arrived.
Her eyes grew in brilliance and the color in her hair faded and turned silver, raw, untamed power radiated from her and fear landed in Balder's heart.
"Two months." He said tiredly, he was old, too old to be dealing with teens. They were irrational, impulsive. "Two months after you have control over yourself." He said.
"I am controlling myself." She said with a frown. She hadn't even really yelled yet, what was his problem.
"Your magical control is lacking even if you may be physically in control." He explained. "Raiden, will you show her to her room? I need to sleep." He said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen and disappeared.
"This way Emma." He said, taking her hand and pulling her down a hallway hidden behind a rug. She didn't know about Centaur culture, but in human culture when people hold hands it usually means they care for one another. She knew this was not the case but she felt heat rising in her cheeks anyway. Ug, she thought I'm turning into one of those swoony type girls!
A/N: Originally I had this written were Balder and Emma really hate each other and Balder throws her out, but then I decided that that really would not work. Don't you agree? Review, flame, whichever you feel like just give me some kind of feedback please! Love ya, Ta.