Memoirs Chapter Two

By Spank the Gables

Edited 10/15/04 because one of us finally realized that this chapter was loused up. Thanks to our reviewers for taking the time to read and comment . Chapter three should be here within a week.

You would not expect the castle to be where it was.

It rose out of nowhere; there were no signs or roads betraying its position. But it was there, a rising behemoth of crystal and stone, reflecting sunlight high above the treeline. Its many towers were awash with blinding light, glancing off at all angles like a beacon of safety. One of the lucent spikes was wrapped in glory-flower vines; their small, bell-shaped red flowers a striking contrast against the pale crystal. It was a place of beauty, surrounded by birds and a fair periwinkle sky.

"Wow," gasped Lantis, who had said nothing else before then.

"It is a lovely place, isn't it?" concurred Clef, who was using his staff as a sort of walking stick as they reached the last leg of their travels. He stopped a moment-it was then that Zagato realized they were on a very crude trail-to wipe sweat from his brow.

Lantis reached into his satchel and pulled out a piece of jerked meat. Always polite, he offered some first to the Guru, then to his older brother.

"Oh...oh, no thank you," Clef said sounding mildly surprised. He ruffled Lantis' hair suddenly, a tickling sight as Lantis was nearly as tall as he was, and Zagato almost a head taller. Lantis made an awful, disgruntled face, hating to be ruffled (it made him feel like a baby). /p

"Fine," he grumbled moodily, stuffing the rest of the meat into his mouth in one sulky bite. The meat had been part of the lunch their mother had packed them. She had been crying, but smiling as she pushed her way around the kitchen.

"Oh, my dear boys," she had said over and over again as she piled more than they would need into the bag.

Clef was acting as a talent scout of sorts, and the boys were an unlikely source of will and power in this world. Strength was needed to protect Cephiro and its Pillar, and so Clef would need to take them back to the castle for training.

Their father had been very proud. He had touched them both on the shoulder as Guru Clef explained himself and then rung his still-dirty hands for the remainder of the afternoon. They would need to leave very soon, but there would be no need to pack anything (they had very little to take anyway). It was pertinent that no time be wasted awakening the young boys' talents.

"I don't know if I want to leave," Lantis had said. He was young yet, and got homesick easily.

Their father had chuckled softly in his throat. "Oh come now, my son, it will be a wonderful adventure. Guru Clef, would you like to come to our house?" He had opened the door and said, "I am so humble," in a somewhat grateful, yielding voice. "Would you like to stay for supper?"

"Oh no," Clef had declined, "I'm afraid I can't. It is a long a way back." He had however stayed in the kitchen with their parents for quite some time, detailing the power he had sensed from the children and how astonishingly great it had been. Zagato felt his chest swell a bit with boyish pride. After all, none of the other village children had been asked to come.

But all the village children were there when they said their good-byes. Lantis had been sniffling, his lower lip torn up between his teeth. Their mother had stopped crying a long while ago, and she stood stone-faced behind their father, who still looked very proud. They had hugged (their father instead opted to shake their hands), causing Lantis to whimper.

"Well then," Clef, who looked very uncomfortable, had said, "we should go." And then they had walked away from their home.

Zagato wondered why his mother had been so wistful. It wasn't as though he was leaving for good. He was going to train, not to die.

Perhaps it was a mother thing.

Zagato turned to consult Clef. His mouth was half-open when a loud crash came from inside the forest.

A small, scruffy looking white beast, dog-like in appearance, scrambled out onto the path. It was pudgy and almost translucent; what Zagato had thought was white fur was in reality an icy cloud material. On the side of its neck, a large patch of spikes had grown, like a cluster of quartz. The cluster had a pinkish center: it looked almost as though the canine beast was wounded. It yipped at them and snorted up Lantis' leg, making a soft whuffling noise.

"No no no no!" a high-pitched female voice cried from inside the trees. "Come back! I'm never letting you out again if you don't come back!" A thud, then, "Damn it!"

The voice, and the loud rustling in the underbrush, grew closer.

"You stupid beast! You deserve to be sent to Chizeta to melt! You stupid fu-"

A dark-haired girl, looking to be in her teens, poked her head out into the path. There was a very small cut on her cheek, and a twig stuck in her hair. She stuttered off, straightening her shoulders.

"Oh," she said, "you've found my spirit beast, have you? Very well; make sure he doesn't move, if you please." She pulled out a staff then, a dark onyx monstrosity with a pointed head and a dark ruby inset. "Return!"

The dog turned to wispy strands, pulled back into the end of her staff. It's tail disappeared first, than the distorted shape of its canine head. The young girl sighed, pushed a hand to her temple, and left the thicket. She stood tall, mostly a result of perfect posture and very high boots, her white robes were a bit muddy from traipsing through the woods. Her hair was pulled back in a braid, or had been before. Now it was a scraggly, static mess of loose strands and dead foliage.

She looked awful. Lantis let out a snicker, and Zagato barely managed to conceal his. They were alike in many ways; Zagato had just had longer to adapt.

The girl fixed them with the dirtiest glare either of the boys had ever seen, her dark eyes narrowed into slits.

"What?" She spat, sounding completely ungrateful for their help retrieving her animal, what little help it had been.

"N-nothing!' Lantis stuttered, folding his hands behind his back.

The girl 'hmph'ed rudely, "What are children doing out alone, anyway?"

"Alcione." Clef had finally spoken up. The girl (who Zagato presumed was Alcione) jumped right around, hand tightening white-knuckled on her staff nervously.

"G-guru!" she gasped, and she was the one stuttering now. "I let Cerberus out, and he ran into the forest, so I had to come after him, you see, and-"

Clef had closed his eyes and was shaking his head (Lantis was in fits: "Its name is Cerberus? Ha!"). "Yes, I saw you. You should learn to be more responsible. Have more faith in your will, Alcione; your staff does not do your magic." He stared at her intently and said, "Cerberus will certainly grow more accustomed to you with time. Please remember, you are still a student."

"Yes, Guru." The corner of Alcione's left eye twitched irritably. "Wait," she said suddenly, "why did you walk back to the palace? Honestly Guru Clef, what good is magic if you don't use it? Surely you could manage two…little boys…along with yourself."

Clef sighed, "Exercise is good for you. Come, I'll take you back to the castle."

Alcione strode ahead of them very quickly; she was long-legged and rather fast. As she turned a corner at the forest borders, Clef turned to the elder of his two new students.

"That girl will be a wonderful sorcerer one day," he said to Zagato, "if only she would pay more attention to the rules of magic. Children her age are always harder to work with, I've found. I'm afraid I don't relate to them at all." He smiled and ruffled Zagato's hair, which looked even more comical than before.

"You were a kid once, too," said Lantis, who pointed a finger at him. This was a phrase commonly employed by their mother, who often had to explain her sons' antics to their father.

"Oh," Clef laughed softly, "oh, that was a very long time ago. Let's get you to the castle, shall we."

The crystalline goliath was even more stunning up close. It was not as tall as the high towers would have one believe, but still it was of impressive size. There was no sign of foundation or mortar; it was simply a smooth, immaculately carved figure, like a statue. It did not look at all like a place where people would want to live.

Clef let out a heavy breath and stretched. "Yes, it is a lovely place," he whispered though Zagato did not hear him.

"Guru!"

"Oh, spirits," said Clef, loud enough to hear this time, shutting his eyes and beginning to twitch.

"Guru Clef, you're so irresponsible! Going all that way and then coming back! On foot no less! You really should be watching out for your health, because I'm sure not going to look after you when you drop dead of exhaustion and that little horn evaporates because you've overheated!"

Clef said "pffft" but nothing else. He walked past the woman berating him, a thin, delicate-looking lady with long blonde hair. "Come along Lantis, Zagato. I believe I'll introduce you to the reason you are here." Without even looking at his accuser, and still using his staff like a walking stick, the short mage walked in the palace doors, gaping like a large black mouth in the pristine white stone. He walked without hesitation down the castle's many halls, and Zagato was continuously pulling his awestruck brother along by the elbow to prevent them from being lost.

Clef stopped before a large set of pearly doors somewhere around the middle of the palace, intricately carved slabs of stone rising high above their heads. There were words and patterns etched out all over them, as though once they had been a blank canvas waiting to be filled. The guru raised his staff and touched them at their center, and the doors swung open on their own.

"Princess," he said, kneeling at the landing of low marble stairs.

"Clef, please do not do that. It makes me feel awkward." It was only after she spoke that Zagato realized there was a woman in the room with them (if Clef saying "Princess" had not clued him in earlier). In fact, this was not even a woman; it was a girl. She was small and very pale, and she knelt on the floor with her white skirts billowing out around her like rose petals. If one did not look closely enough, they would have dismissed her as part of the marble; she certainly looked the part. In fact, Zagato was almost certain she was a part of the marble. She had her back to them; and though her hair was long and beautiful and golden, it seemed to blend seamlessly with the ivory fabric of her dress.

And then she turned around to face them, and she opened her eyes. Zagato wondered how he ever could have missed her.

"Oh!" she said, in the lovely lilting voice that all little girls have, "And who are these fine young gentleman?"

"These are my new students," Clef smiled brightly, "Zagato and Lantis. They both have wonderful potential. This is Emeraude, Pillar of all Cephiro."

Oh. It was no wonder she was so beautiful, then. Zagato knew of the Pillar, his parents especially had talked of her often. It was said that she was the most beautiful person in the world simply because she had the power to be so. He felt a bit of quiet distaste stir in his chest, that she was not truly as lovely as he had first thought, and she had tricked him.

Emeraude stood, her skirts rising off the floor and straightening. Even she, it seemed, was taller than Clef.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," she said as she offered her hand to both of them. Zagato, though brooding, did not hesitate to shake it. She had a gentle but firm, mature touch, smiling and nodding her head as they shook hands. Zagato noticed up close that there was a light sheen of sweat on her forehead, and that her bright eyes seemed just a little tired. Instead of shaking, Lantis kissed the back of her hand, and she broke out into soft, bell-like laughter. "Oh, Clef, they're so polite!" Zagato was sure his eyes were about to roll back into his head. He'd give Lantis a kicking when the time was right.

Clef cleared his throat: "I hate to take too much of your time, Princess. I'll take my leave now." She smiled at him, perhaps a bit sadly, and nodded.

"Good day, Clef. I trust I'll see you later." And then she turned around, walked up the platforms, and dropped to her knees with her back to them once more.

"Come, boys," Clef said and grabbed them, pulling them both back out the gaping doors and into the hallway. Lantis waved shyly at the princess over his shoulder, though she faced the back wall and could not see it.

"Idiot," Zagato snapped moodily under his breath as the guru released their arms.

"Your room is right down this hall," said Clef, who had heard them but did not know what to do. "You'll have to share. Is that all right?"

The brothers shrugged in unison. They had shared a room back home; this was nothing new.

Using his staff yet again to assist him, Clef rapped on the door to their room a few times. It swung open, revealing a spacious dwelling, painted blue with pillows and blankets strewn about. There were two beds, small but tidy, with clean, impeccably white sheets. The west wall was covered in full bookshelves, the tomes dusty and unused and probably useless, and the east wall held a few prettily abstract paintings. There was no real wall to the back, it was one very large window, and the setting sun poured in through the gently faceted glass. It was a work of neat, untouched art.

"It's a big castle," Clef said awkwardly-he said many things awkwardly, for such a wise, wise man. "I'll have your supper brought up to you, shall I, and come to wake you in the morning. I'll bring the local tailor to make you some new garments, as well." And then he was gone, shutting the door with a hollow, echoing thud behind him.

Zagato suddenly missed his father very much. He flopped on the bed nearest the door, claiming it as his with that one simple motion. He sunk right into the mattress. Lantis, who was giddy with disbelief and adrenaline, rushed to the window and stared out at the people below in the courtyard.

"Oh, Zagato! They look like ants from here! It makes me feel so...so big and strong!" Before he could say anything in reply, Lantis was at the bookcase, running his hands down the thick leather spines. "I wonder about these books. Do you think we're allowed to read them? I haven't read anything this big yet-do you think I'd be able to?" And then Lantis left the bookshelf for the table, on which there was an enchanted lamp; one that always burned until you willed it off. He ran his hands over the safe flame, so shocked and delighted that his hands did not burn. Zagato sighed, angry and low, in his throat, and rolled over, pulling a large cylindrical pillow over his face. It's pellet filling rolled uncomfortably between the grip of his fingers.

"Stop it, Lantis," he said, feeling the beginnings of what he would later identify as a headache.

"No," said his brother, who picked up his mood and instantly reflected it. "Why don't you come and look around with me? Surely you must be curious!"

"I'm not," Zagato spat into the dark blue satin of the pillowcase. "It's late, Lantis, lie down and go to sleep. We'll have to get up early in the morning, I'm sure."

Lantis snorted, "You're not my mother."

"No," said Zagato, who felt a horrible burning anger rising inside him. Sometimes he hated his brother; he was such a handful. "But mother isn't with us anymore, is she? Someone needs to make sure you do the right thing; you'd be awful stupid otherwise."

Lantis threw something at him and it bounced off the pillow. And then he heard the soft crinkling of sheets as his brother climbed obediently into bed.

"What about you?" his younger sibling asked in timid tones.

"I'm older, I shouldn't have to go to sleep at the same time." Nevertheless, Zagato threw the long pillow off his face and pulled the corner of the blankets back to slip in. He closed his eyes tight for a long, long time, and thought about the flame in the ever-burning lamp going out. After a few minutes, it did, and he fell dizzy into the nest of pristine blankets.

"Wow, " said Lantis, in awestruck shock, "that was wonderful." They lay silent until the sky was dark and the stars out, though both knew the other was awake. "Zagato?"

"Hm?"

"That girl sure was pretty, wasn't she? Prettier than mama, and I didn't think I'd ever see anyone prettier than her. She was like a bird come to life, I think. A songbird. I wonder if she sings, she'd be lovely at it."

Zagato made an angry noise, and he felt his earlier distaste rise like a bad feeling in his mouth.

"I don't think she was very pretty at all," he said honestly, for he was sure that before she had been Pillar, if there ever was a time, she had been as plain and unpretty as all the village girls. She had probably played with dolls.

Lantis scoffed, "You must be blind. Didn't you see her eyes? And her hair? It was like looking at the sky, only all inside out and different colors, but just as beautiful."

"You've been reading mother's novels again," Zagato said, dismissive.

"No!" His brother shouted back. "This all comes from what I saw! Come on, Zagato! She must have made you think that!"

The older boy made a sad noise and shook his head in pity at the terrible naivete of his brother.

"Listen to me, Lantis." He sat up on his elbow and looked over across the darkness to where he just knew the other child was sitting up as well. "That girl is the Pillar of Cephiro. Do you know what that means?"

"Well, sort of…"

"No, not nearly. It means that she's only that pretty because she wants to be. Everything here just isn't real, Lantis. Can't you see? Look at Guru Clef. We spent most of the day with him, and beneath all the robes and sorcery he's just a little man. He knows nothing about us, he doesn't know what to do with us. There's no place for us here." He swelled again, somewhere inside, for he sounded so mature and eloquent when he said these things. It was the first time he ever felt he had expressed himself properly.

Lantis snorted, "You're stupid, Zagato." And then he rolled over and started false-snoring. Their conversation was over and it would not continue anytime soon.

"You'll understand one day," said Zagato to his sleeping back, hunkering down under the blankets and hiding from the moonlight pouring in the massive window. He would eventually roll over, because the bright iridescence kept him awake far much longer.

He dreamed of little-boy things, of sports and ghosts, and of nothing remotely related to growing up.

To be continued.