Chapter 4
Separation
When they left Bevelle the next morning, they went across the guarded pass and to a lake in the woods. A waterfall spilled into the lake, its crystal water reflecting the light into the trees. Atali smiled and removed her shoes. Setting them on the ground, she looked back to her guardians and then ran out into the shallow water. When she came to a section that was unusually deep, she stared down for a moment and then dove under.
Auron went to run after his summoner but the girl's mother stopped him and told him sternly to sit down until Atali came back. Rina didn't trust Auron like her daughter did. Truthfully, she hated him, and there was nothing in her lifetime that would change her feelings about the young man.
About an hour later, Atali returned from underwater. She walked over to her guardians and bowed. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Let's get going," said the summoner's mother, turning around and walking from the area.
Standing, Auron walked over to the girl he was protecting. He was quick to catch on that she was hiding something from both he and Rina. "Come on," he said. He figured that if she wanted to show him what it was, she would; and if she didn't, he would never know.
Atali looked at him puzzled; she wanted him to question her. But since he didn't say anything, she followed him as they trailed Rina.
Upon entering the Calm Lands, Atali glanced around and when Rina and Auron began walking down the slope to her left, she quickly climbed down the side of the ridge and ran all the way to a person standing near a chocobo. "Excuse me," she whispered to the tall man, the chocobo's owner. "May I please borrow your chocobo for a moment?"
The man quietly replied, "Summoner Atali? Of course you can." He handed her the reins of the chocobo and Atali quickly got onto its back.
The summoner's guardians watched in shock as she ran it past them, up the slope, and towards a bridge. The chocobo jumped the bridge and Atali kept going. The guardians ran after her, but when they came to the bridge the two stopped and Rina cursed at Auron, blaming him for her daughter's escape. The young man just ignored the older guardian and ran across the bridge after his first summoner.
Riding the chocobo, Atali went to Remiem Temple. A crowd of people stood at the temple, it was quite an amazing sight. Dismounting the chocobo, she swung the reins around a post and shoved her way through the crowd to enter the temple.
When she was finally inside, she went to the Cloister of Trials and was about to enter when she heard from behind her, "Your mother's very angry with you." Atali turned to see Auron standing a few feet behind her on the top step.
"She doesn't like this temple, I had to come alone," the girl said to him. She touched the door to the Cloister and it opened. Looking straightforward, she said to Auron, "Are you coming or not?" and walked inside.
A bit confused on his next move, the young guardian decided to follow his summoner as she entered. As they went through the Cloister, Auron was dreadfully confused. "What is this, some kind of puzzle gone wrong?" he muttered.
"I would say, that's exactly what it is," Atali replied still trudging onward.
Upon their arrival at the Chamber of the Fayth, a group of guardians were already there. It was a group of boys and men, about five of them all together. Quietly, Auron leaned to his summoner and whispered, "Are they guardians? Because they're acting like suitors..." Atali nodded slightly at that and then noticed how much her dark-haired guardian was stating the facts.
The boys were arguing with each other and the men spoke softly of sexual matters. When their summoner exited the chamber, all of her guardians watched intently as the female summoner walked down the steps and over to them. Auron wasn't one to be excluded from the staring, and Atali nudged him in the side for it. The summoner, a few years older than Atali, glanced at Auron and then back to her guardians.
Through clenched teeth, Atali grumbled, "I'll be happy if you defeat Sin, you damned whore..." Auron quickly turned his head to look at his summoner in disbelief. "What?"
He shook his head slightly. "I never thought I would hear you say something like that," he whispered.
"I'm not above suspicion," she said to him, just as softly.
The other female summoner, her light brown hair reaching her earlobes and going no farther, walked towards Atali. "Well, well, if it isn't the little brat," she said and then looked back to Auron. "And her guardian?" She seemed to take on the state of deep thought and Atali sighed, feeling irritated. "Cheer up, hun," the woman said, her voice a bit snobbish. "If he leaves you, you still have your mommy."
Ignoring the woman, Atali entered the Chamber of the Fayth and began to pray. When she was done and had gained the aeon of the Magus Sisters, she exited and looked around. Auron was not there. The first thought that popped into her mind was 'I still have my mom...'.
Auron, on the other hand, was dragged out of Remiem Temple against his will. The woman, Auron soon found out, was named Tara, and she was one of the most infamous summoners at the time. Her guardians consisted of male guardians she had stolen from other summoners.
Atali's mother watched as Auron was taken away by the group, and she seemed a bit happy. Until that is, her daughter walked up to her, fighting tears from her eyes.
Now far from the temple, near a stone bridge that lead to Mt. Gagazet, Tara stopped and looked to her 'new guardian', who was still fighting with the other men. "Oh calm down, hun," she said. Auron looked to her, his teeth clenched and his arms held behind his back. "You're quite the fighter."
"Burn in hell," Auron growled.
She watched the boy thrash a bit and then she laughed. Getting fed up with this strange, scary woman, Auron suddenly dropped onto his back, becoming free from the men, and he rolled backward and got to his feet. The ex-thief began to run but was struck with lightning by one of Tara's other guardians. He dropped to the ground like a sack of flour and was unconscious.
(AN: that's it for this chapter... I'll be working some more on it later! Bye bye for now!)
Separation
When they left Bevelle the next morning, they went across the guarded pass and to a lake in the woods. A waterfall spilled into the lake, its crystal water reflecting the light into the trees. Atali smiled and removed her shoes. Setting them on the ground, she looked back to her guardians and then ran out into the shallow water. When she came to a section that was unusually deep, she stared down for a moment and then dove under.
Auron went to run after his summoner but the girl's mother stopped him and told him sternly to sit down until Atali came back. Rina didn't trust Auron like her daughter did. Truthfully, she hated him, and there was nothing in her lifetime that would change her feelings about the young man.
About an hour later, Atali returned from underwater. She walked over to her guardians and bowed. "I'm sorry," she said.
"Let's get going," said the summoner's mother, turning around and walking from the area.
Standing, Auron walked over to the girl he was protecting. He was quick to catch on that she was hiding something from both he and Rina. "Come on," he said. He figured that if she wanted to show him what it was, she would; and if she didn't, he would never know.
Atali looked at him puzzled; she wanted him to question her. But since he didn't say anything, she followed him as they trailed Rina.
Upon entering the Calm Lands, Atali glanced around and when Rina and Auron began walking down the slope to her left, she quickly climbed down the side of the ridge and ran all the way to a person standing near a chocobo. "Excuse me," she whispered to the tall man, the chocobo's owner. "May I please borrow your chocobo for a moment?"
The man quietly replied, "Summoner Atali? Of course you can." He handed her the reins of the chocobo and Atali quickly got onto its back.
The summoner's guardians watched in shock as she ran it past them, up the slope, and towards a bridge. The chocobo jumped the bridge and Atali kept going. The guardians ran after her, but when they came to the bridge the two stopped and Rina cursed at Auron, blaming him for her daughter's escape. The young man just ignored the older guardian and ran across the bridge after his first summoner.
Riding the chocobo, Atali went to Remiem Temple. A crowd of people stood at the temple, it was quite an amazing sight. Dismounting the chocobo, she swung the reins around a post and shoved her way through the crowd to enter the temple.
When she was finally inside, she went to the Cloister of Trials and was about to enter when she heard from behind her, "Your mother's very angry with you." Atali turned to see Auron standing a few feet behind her on the top step.
"She doesn't like this temple, I had to come alone," the girl said to him. She touched the door to the Cloister and it opened. Looking straightforward, she said to Auron, "Are you coming or not?" and walked inside.
A bit confused on his next move, the young guardian decided to follow his summoner as she entered. As they went through the Cloister, Auron was dreadfully confused. "What is this, some kind of puzzle gone wrong?" he muttered.
"I would say, that's exactly what it is," Atali replied still trudging onward.
Upon their arrival at the Chamber of the Fayth, a group of guardians were already there. It was a group of boys and men, about five of them all together. Quietly, Auron leaned to his summoner and whispered, "Are they guardians? Because they're acting like suitors..." Atali nodded slightly at that and then noticed how much her dark-haired guardian was stating the facts.
The boys were arguing with each other and the men spoke softly of sexual matters. When their summoner exited the chamber, all of her guardians watched intently as the female summoner walked down the steps and over to them. Auron wasn't one to be excluded from the staring, and Atali nudged him in the side for it. The summoner, a few years older than Atali, glanced at Auron and then back to her guardians.
Through clenched teeth, Atali grumbled, "I'll be happy if you defeat Sin, you damned whore..." Auron quickly turned his head to look at his summoner in disbelief. "What?"
He shook his head slightly. "I never thought I would hear you say something like that," he whispered.
"I'm not above suspicion," she said to him, just as softly.
The other female summoner, her light brown hair reaching her earlobes and going no farther, walked towards Atali. "Well, well, if it isn't the little brat," she said and then looked back to Auron. "And her guardian?" She seemed to take on the state of deep thought and Atali sighed, feeling irritated. "Cheer up, hun," the woman said, her voice a bit snobbish. "If he leaves you, you still have your mommy."
Ignoring the woman, Atali entered the Chamber of the Fayth and began to pray. When she was done and had gained the aeon of the Magus Sisters, she exited and looked around. Auron was not there. The first thought that popped into her mind was 'I still have my mom...'.
Auron, on the other hand, was dragged out of Remiem Temple against his will. The woman, Auron soon found out, was named Tara, and she was one of the most infamous summoners at the time. Her guardians consisted of male guardians she had stolen from other summoners.
Atali's mother watched as Auron was taken away by the group, and she seemed a bit happy. Until that is, her daughter walked up to her, fighting tears from her eyes.
Now far from the temple, near a stone bridge that lead to Mt. Gagazet, Tara stopped and looked to her 'new guardian', who was still fighting with the other men. "Oh calm down, hun," she said. Auron looked to her, his teeth clenched and his arms held behind his back. "You're quite the fighter."
"Burn in hell," Auron growled.
She watched the boy thrash a bit and then she laughed. Getting fed up with this strange, scary woman, Auron suddenly dropped onto his back, becoming free from the men, and he rolled backward and got to his feet. The ex-thief began to run but was struck with lightning by one of Tara's other guardians. He dropped to the ground like a sack of flour and was unconscious.
(AN: that's it for this chapter... I'll be working some more on it later! Bye bye for now!)