Heir to the Throne
By: Datenma
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun. I do own Kyuhi!
Warning: Shounen-ai hints! Don't like, don't read.
Steeple333 – Kyuhi is an original character of mine. He has a bigger role in my "Golden Sun: Water + Wind" story but I'm not sure how big of a role he should get in this story XD Kyuhi is a bit of a freak.
Midnyte Wolf – Another very sweet review. Thank you so much! You're the best reviewer I have ever had If you ever want to request a story, feel free to do so. I love writing stories for other people. :laughs: Don't worry, I'm a bit of an idiot myself, especially when I'm playing video games. :laughs: With reviews like those, I'm surprised my head hasn't inflated to the size of…:looks around: …my dad's ego XD Thank you so much, you make writing worth it
Azalee – Because of what you said, I'm thinking about making a little spin-off of what Robin was talking about Because I know there are a lot of Garcia/Picard fans out there and I like the couple too. Picard will show up a little later. I have the later parts of the story planned out…just not how I'm going to get there XD It's a work in progress and I do better when things are planned out. I know, isn't he:tickles Ivan:
Thank you so much for the reviews, I really love getting them. They brighten my day each time I read them. I love to write and I love it when people like what I write. I really appreciate all your kind words. 3 I'll keep the stories coming just for you
I would have gotten this out sooner by I haven't had time to get on the computer long enough before now. I'll work on the 5th chapter as soon as I can and get it up once it's done.
Read and review please!
Chapter 4: The Sanctum
One more day of rest before Robin begins my training. I roll over in my bed with that thought floating around in my brain. The sun has not come up yet but I know that I have been sleeping for a couple of hours now, ever since Robin carried me back to my room.
A loud snore carries in the air and attacks my ears. I shift slightly and see Kite out of the corner of my eye, hanging off the edge of the bed, head tossed back as he lets out another snore, a sound too big to belong to someone of his statue. I smile to myself and roll over again, burrowing into the warm sheets to try to fall asleep again.
Before I can fall asleep, though, the door creaks open and my eyes snap open, my body tensing. An assassin? I hold my hand against my chest; preparing to summon an attack and hold my breath, ready to scream at the top of my lungs at the same time. Light, careful footsteps reach my ears, hinting at a person with great skill and grace. I wet my lips and swallow.
The air around me grows thick as the person nears the side of my bed. I open my mouth and breathe in deeply but before I can scream, a cool hand is over my mouth and the sound is muffled. Another hand wraps around me, preventing me from summoning an attack, or directing it for that matter. The person pulls me to the side so that I am lying on my back and in the dim light I can see that it is Robin, leaning over me, his hair slightly disheveled and a weary look on his face.
I try to say his name but it only comes out as a muffled gasp under his hand. He leans forward and whispers right into my ear, his warm breath sending chills down my spine. "Do not talk. There is something I wish to show you before the others wake up." I blink at him but nod and he pulls away slowly. He stands at the edge of my bed as I climb out and remove my pajamas, pulling my pants on.
"I—" He turns to say something to me as I am pulling my tunic on over my head but he turns away, and I can see his flushed cheeks even in the poor lighting. I turn my head to the side and smile to myself as I tie my belt around my waist. I know that I should not think so about someone older than me, but Robin is cute when he acts this way.
"All right." I whisper to him, running a hand through my hair to try to comb the tangles out of it and flatten any wild strands. He looks back at me and smiles softly, his normal smile that I have grown used to but never tire seeing.
Instead of walking over to the door, he crosses the room and goes to the window, unlatching it and pushing it open. He steps onto the sill, only glancing at me once before he pushes off the ledge and jumps through the window. I run to the window and lean out, trying my best not to cry out for me. It is not that far to the ground, I could have made it, but still…
Looking up at me from where he landed, he motions with his hands for me to follow him. "Are you crazy?" I mouth to me, shaking my head. He smirks.
"For you." He mouths back to me, jokingly. My cheeks redden at this and I make a motion to pull away and close the window. For a moment he looks panicked, but then I second guess myself and jump out the window. A minute later I land in his waiting arms.
"And here I thought you were going to leave me waiting all night." He whispers, setting me on the ground. I smile up at him playfully.
"I could have, but I'm not that mean." We stand there for a long moment, just watching each other, the only sound aside from our breathing the gentle song of crickets hiding somewhere in the nearby bushes. Finally, I lean towards him and whisper just loudly enough for him to hear. "So, what did you want to show me that you could not show me when the sun was actually up?"
He snaps out of whatever daze he had fallen into and smiles at me quickly, "Well…I'll tell you why I had to do that when we get there, but I'm sure you'll like it. We have to hurry before anyone wakes up." He takes my hand, almost without thinking and leads me away from the castle, towards the main village.
Instead of heading into the town, he turns and heads past a small sanctum and up the face of the mountain Haidia Village was built around. It takes us awhile but eventually we reach a cliff base where the ground levels out. The base is circular, a strange pattern in the middle set before a platform that leads to an important looking set of sapphire doors.
Robin pauses but only for a moment before taking me up one side of the stairs and to the front of the doors. Now that we are standing so close to the doors I can see that they look heavy, too heavy for just one person to push open. I turn to look at him, "Where are we?" It is the first thing either of us has said since we left the palace.
"This is Sol Sanctum, only a few of the villagers have been to this doorstep, and even less have entered because the Elders have forbidden all from entry." He looks at the doors with a mixture of awe and something else I cannot place.
I blink at him, "Is it dangerous?" He turns away from the doors and looks at me carefully for a long moment before kneeling on the ground at my feet, still holding my hand in his. Taken by surprise by his actions, I take a half step back, as much as he will allow me.
"On my life, Prince Ivan, I swear to you that I will never willingly put you in a dangerous situation if it is in my power to prevent myself from doing so. I am the White Knight, guardian to the Heirs of the Throne to Heaven. I serve all royals in Weyard, however, I feel a special connection to you and so I shall protect you at any cost." He speaks with conviction before bowing his head and kissing my hand lightly. "It is selfish of me, I know, but I am only human. Even if you ask me not to, I shall still protect you."
"It is not that I do not want you to protect me, it is just as I have said before, I haven't really done anything to earn your respect or protection." Robin stands and smiles at me gently, pensively.
"I know, I think that is why I want to protect you so much." He turns away and pushes against one of the doors. To my surprise, it opens for him, revealing a stone room, lit only by torches lining the walls. It is a small room and there is only one other doorway, aside from the one that we have just come through. The doorway is at the far end of the room and hidden by shadows, the light from the flames on either side of it unable to shed light on the doorway.
"I haven't been here much myself because I have to ask for permission each time and it's much more fun sneaking around." He says, grinning at me. I am seeing the reckless side of him more and more, or maybe it is just that he is more carefree on the outside and a little more cautious on the inside because he is trying to put up a front for me. Or I could be over analyzing things again.
He releases his hold on my hand as he opens the door leading out of the entryway and slips through it, not taking up my hand again. As I step through the door to follow after him, I lean down and quickly take hold of his hand. It is not that I am scared…I just do not want to let him get too far ahead of me. He does not turn around to look at me but he squeezes my hand lightly in response.
"This sanctum has been around since the first Heirs were created." He says softly, just enough for me to hear over the sound of our footsteps on the stone floor. "At first it did not house anything of great importance, it was merely the meeting grounds for the four Heirs. When they died, the light of the elemental lighthouses was extinguished and in the heart of this sanctum, the souls of the lighthouses were placed to be protected until new Heirs could be born.
"Everything in this world has a purpose, regardless of how influential it is. The choices we make decide which paths we travel down." He adds, glancing back at me.
"And it's dangerous to just rush into things without thinking about them carefully." I say to him, for both of us. He nods and laughs.
"Exactly."
"You know…we left Kite behind." I whisper as we enter a long corridor, only loud enough for him to barely hear over our echoing footsteps. The floor is made of the same stone as the door to the entrance, a deep blue, easily reflecting the firelight from the torches lining the walls on either side of us. I can feel a mental pull at the back of my mind and the sense of missing something important. It was not too strong, just a numb feeling, something that would be easily overlooked.
"That's all right. He'll find his way out of your room eventually and probably stumble upon Gerald, which should prove very interesting." He smiles back at me and I can see that he is trying very hard not to laugh, "Kite can't stand Fire Energists, but he likes to attach himself to Earth and Air Energists. It's just the way he is. He didn't really like me at first but since I was the only person taking care of him…it was just a matter of time before he got attached to me."
"Who wouldn't get attached to you, Robin?"
"You'd be surprised." He does not add anything to that but he tightens his grip on my hand ever so slightly, maybe a little possessively (though I do read into things a little too much), and walks a little faster.
Before long, we reach a strange room with black and white tiles and a row of statues lined up against the back wall. "Is this it?" I ask, looking around. There are no doors or corridors leading from the room that I can see, aside from the one we had just walked through.
"No, this is just a precaution taken to make sure no one finds the real secrets of Sol Sanctum. It is this way." He pulls me towards the right side of the room and stops before one of the statues. It is a little menacing, standing around nine feet tall without the heavy marble stone base, a grim expression on the man's twisted face. Robin lifts his free hand in front of him and I feel a slight shock from our joined hands. A second later, a large hand appears in the air and moves the stone statue to the side. Robin lowers his arm and the hand that appeared in the air, disappears in a burst of colors.
"Was that…did you…?" He nods, "That was amazing, Robin." He blushes with embarrassment from the compliment, but smiles gently.
"You'll be able to do greater things, Prince Ivan. All you have to do is train, it will take time but most things in life do. If you are willing to work hard, you will be able to do whatever you want." I shake my head.
"I don't know what I want." He laughs, not at me, a little more at himself.
"Neither do I." He tilts his head to the side and looks at me thoughtfully, "Let's find out together. There is no telling how long your training will take, you would be better off if another Air Energist were to teach you. In that time…maybe we'll be able to figure out what we both want out of life, what do you say?"
I nod and hold out my free hand, extending my pinky to him, "Sure, let's pinky promise." He smiles and links his pinky with mine. "Now you can't break that promise, Robin."
"I'd never dream of breaking a promise to you, Prince Ivan." He keeps his pinky entwined with mine for a long moment before he slowly releases it and turns away, "Come on, there's still something I want to show you."
"Huh? But--?" I had not looked back at the statue since he moved it but now that I do, I see a corridor leading out of the room. A secret passageway.
He pulls me through the passageway and into a new hallway. This one is plain, much like the entrance to the sanctum. Torches line the walls, each one burning with their own flame. It must be Psynergy that keeps them lit. As if sensing my question, Robin touches the wood of one of the torches; "The Elders light these torches when they are inducted. The flame only goes out when one dies, so to make sure the Sanctum is always lit, before an elder is about to die, they take his or her replacement and have them light the previous elder's torches. That rarely happens, the elders have a special life force and so they live longer than normal people."
"It sounds sort of morbid." I murmur, pushing myself against Robin when I hear something scurry past. Robin catches it too and shifts slightly to look back at whatever it is.
"I suppose you're right, but…" He does not finish his sentence. Voices carry to us, drifting down the hall.
"Hurry, the elder grows weak, we must light his torches." Robin tenses visibly and freezes in his steps, looking back the way we had come. He mouths a curse and sucks in a breath through his clenched teeth.
"We're going to have to run, Prince Ivan. The Elemental Star room is just ahead. We should be able to make it before the elders reach us." He sighs, "I wasn't aware that his death was so near…I've been gone longer than I thought. Come now." He tightens his grip on my hand and I only get a seconds warning before he breaks out into a silent run. I struggle to match his pace at first but somehow manage.
We skid around a corner and after dashing down a short hall; enter a beautiful room filled with a pale blue light, a tile picture of a crescent moon on the floor in the middle of the room. I look up at the ceiling and see that the light is coming from there, silver waves of light dancing around the room. "Wow…Robin, it's…"
I turn to him but he is not smiling, or admiring the room's arcane beauty. He looks panicked almost. "I didn't leave the room like this…I returned everything to how it had been so no one could get to the Elemental Stars…even if they are dormant…Venus, Mars, and Mercury still have some of their power, though…"
"Clever boy." We turn and see a man coming towards us from another room. The bottom half of his face is hidden by a blue turtleneck, but even so, Robin seems to know him by his voice alone. He steps in front of me and draws his sword. "Nice to see you are still as impatient as ever, White Knight. It would be a pity if you somehow managed to learn to wait until you got all the details before rushing into things."
"Don't patronize me, Alex. You turned your back on us, not the other way around." The man's eyes darkened.
"I should be the one with the power, Robin, not you. You don't deserve it, you don't know the true extent of its greatness, and you're too pure to ever test the limits of the power."
"Alex…" His eyes slant slightly as he smirks.
"I've found a new master now and he's better than the old man. He's taught me more than that man ever did." He laughs, "You have no idea what is taking place around you as we speak. That boy there plays a greater role in this than you think."
"If you or your master lay a hand on him, I'll kill the both of you, mark my words."
"Empty threats, Robin, empty threats."
"You'll say anything to assure your own safety." Robin hisses angrily. He lifts his hand and three sharp spires of earth form above his head, each point directed at the man. "I swore to protect Prince Ivan with my life and that is a promise I intent to keep." He sends the spires flying at Alex but the man disappears before they can tear through him.
"Don't be in such a hurry to die, Robin. You're still quite young. What you seek is just around the corner, my old friend." The voice fades and Robin relaxes gradually.
"That…guy…" I whisper, tugging at Robin's hand. He sheathes his sword and turns his head to the side, avoiding my gaze.
"We were students, taught by the same master. We were pitted against each other for the title of guardian of the Heirs. As I told you before, I got the title and he hated me because of it. I didn't want it in the first place, all I wanted was to go home and be normal. That hope died the day I became the White Knight." He shakes his head, "Alex wants all of this so badly, he thinks that it's all about the power, he's so blinded by that that he cannot see the truth…People expect so much of me, they forget that I'm still only seventeen, that I'm still learning things about myself."
"Robin…" He takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness. I was complaining, I know I shouldn't. There are good things about being the White Knight." His eyes lock with mine for a moment before he looks away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "The people I meet, the friends I make along the way…I'd never trade that for a normal life, not in a million years. If I was given the chance to, I'd do it all over again, exactly the same way."
"You wouldn't change a thing?"
"Not a thing." I smile lightly to myself. Somehow it felt as if that had been directed at me, though that might just be wishful thinking.
He moves away from the entrance, brining me with him. As he steps over the image of the crescent moon, the room beings to shake and he stops so that I do not lose my balance. There is a strange 'whooshing' sound and across from us, as a bluish light shines on the wall; a golden-framed door appears there, a curtain of blue light glowing in the doorway.
"Since the door wasn't here…maybe Alex didn't go in." He looks down at me, "Maybe you should stay here. If Alex somehow managed to remove the Stars, it could be dangerous in there. I don't want to take any chances."
I try not to pout but I can tell by his expression that I failed. "But Robin, what if he comes back and you're gone? Wouldn't it be more dangerous if I were to stay behind on my own?" He frowns at me now.
"All right, Prince Ivan." He pulls me towards the strange door and steps in. It was as if an invisible force was pulling me through the doorway, too strong for me to fight against.
As I moved through the doorway, it was almost as if time lost all meaning. A second, a minute, an hour. How much time had passed before I reached the other side? It was quick but at the same time, it seemed to drag on for countless seconds. However much time had passed when I reached the other side, my feet final touch solid ground. And I slip.
Robin catches me at the last second and helps me to my feet, holding onto my hand and my waist to keep me balanced. I look around and my breath catches in my throat. I would say something like 'words could not explain the surreal beauty before my eyes' but that would be a lie and only poetic, lovesick fools would say something like that. I am not that old or that in love—though I cannot say that I have ever fallen in love.
But this room…if you could even call it that…was absolutely beautiful. The sound of gentle waves reaches my ears and I lean over a ledge to see clear water far below. "Amazing…"
Robin smiles as he extends a hand to catch a bit of glittering light falling from the ceiling. To my surprise, it remains in his hand. He holds that hand out to me and I see a small gem lying in the palm of his bare hand, sparkling even in the poor light.
"It's a Psynergy Crystal." He explains as I continue to stare at the gem with wide eyes. "Mt. Aleph is just one big Psynergy Crystal, not to mention a volcano…" I tear my eyes away from his hand and look up at him.
"Vo-volcano? This is…"
"There's no need to panic. The Elemental Stars are preventing the volcano from erupting, not that it is active at the moment." I swallow nervously, even with his words of attempted comfort.
"It seems a bit dangerous, don't you think? Building a large village at the base of a volcano—active or not." Robin smiles.
"Sort of like we're tempting fate, I guess." He laughs and shakes his head, "I suppose you're right but…we've been here for the longest time—protecting the Sanctum and the Elemental Stars. Anything else would just be…abnormal, and it wouldn't feel like home to me. Though, I have to admit that Haidia doesn't really feel like 'home' now, but it's where my parents are, so that's good enough for me."
He slips the gem into my hand before pointing off into a direction across from us. I follow his hand and see a bright crimson orb of light in the distance. "The Mars Star." He turns me around and points again, "The Mercury Star." A pale blue orb of light and I can see this one a little more clearly. It is a clear orb of some kind and in its depths is a storm of blue light, dancing about as if being played with by the wind. It is seated in the hands of a statue of a woman, lightly cradled in her arms, enough so not to break the delicate looking orb. Down from that and a little closer to us, Robin points towards a golden orb of light. "The Venus Star." This is also cradled in the hands of a woman, but her appearance is a little different from that of the woman holding the Mercury Star.
He turns me around one last time and points a little ways down from the Mars Star. I can barely see this one; it is just a faint glow, not nearly as bright as the other ones. "And that is the Jupiter Star, it is not as strong as the others because the Jupiter Heir has yet to awaken, but once he does…the Jupiter Star will return to its former glory and the four elemental lighthouse will be lit and everything we be protected by the Heirs, just as it should be."
"You have a lot of confidence in that." I say softly, glancing at him. He turns to me and nods.
"Though I was not around when the former Heirs were alive, my parents were and they told me about how wonderful it was. If it is true, then I won't have to be the White Knight anymore. I just have to guard the Heirs and they are going to be just fine. There won't be anyone willing to harm them. I can travel like I really want to. I want to see the world without any incentive aside from just going out and seeing everything there is to see." He smiles at me honestly, "I want everyone I love to feel safe."
I blush at the comment, almost as if it were directed at me and turn my head to the side. I drop his hand and walk over to the path leading to the Jupiter Star. "I want to get a closer look, is that all right?" His eyes widen slightly as I turn on my heel to call back to him. I feel the ground slip under my feet and a sinking feeling as I loose my balance; my arms wind milling about as I try to get my regain my balance.
Just as Robin is about to reach me, he slips as well and falls flat on his face. Thankfully, the edge of the platform was far enough that I did not fall over and merely landed on the ground with a hard thud, wincing at the jolt of pain that ran up my spine. I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and let out a little gasp before I realize that Robin is the one holding onto me. "Don't make a habit of this, Prince Ivan, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep it up." He groans, lifting his head and looking at me. There is a read mark on his forehead from his fall.
"I'm sorry. I forgot that the ground was so slippery." If he was mad at me, it disappeared with that and he pulls on my ankle, bringing me away from the edge and closer to him.
"It's all right, I'm just worried about you." He pushes himself up onto his knees and places his hands on my hips for a moment before he seems to realize something, his cheeks reddening with embarrassment. He looks up at me but does not remove his hands from my hips. "D-do you hurt anywhere?" I blink at him for a moment, not sure what he means and then I realize what it is and blush as well.
"Uh…er…no…I'm all right, thank you for worrying about me, though." He seems a little relieved by this and removes his hands from my hips, getting to his feet before helping me up as well.
"You can look at the Jupiter Star but be careful." I smile and nod, turning carefully and walking over to the path of small pillars leading to the Star's platform. I jump carefully from one to another, Robin's words carrying over to me from the main platform. "Since you're an Air Energist, it's only natural that you would want to be closer to the Jupiter Star. It holds the secrets to the true power of the Jupiter Lighthouse—which is in Contigo." I pause at this and look back at him.
"Contigo? My home?" He nods.
"Yes. If you want, I could probably convince Lord Hammet or the King to let me take you there one day, if not," He smirks, "I could just kidnap you."
"That sounds very romantic." I laugh at him, turning away and jumping onto the platform with the Jupiter Star on it.
"I know." He watches me carefully as I step towards the Jupiter Star, extending my hand to touch it. When he does not say anything I touch it gingerly. At first nothing happens but then the orb flashes once and begins to glow as brightly as the other orbs. I remove my hand quickly and as soon as I do, the light dies down again to a solemn glow.
I back away from the orb and look down at my hand. On the palm of my hand is a strange marking of a dark violet bird but it is gradually fading, losing its color. I blink at it and look over to where Robin is. He is making his way towards me, a worried expression on his face. "Prince Ivan, are you all right?" He asks once he reaches me.
"Yes, I just touched it and…"
"Give me your hand." He takes my hand when I raise it up to him and he frowns, letting out a sigh, "For a second…I thought…" His eyes pass over my body a couple of times before locking eyes with me again. "Did you anything strange on your hand?"
I should tell him. I want to tell him, it is Robin after all, though I have not known him for long, I feel that I can trust him with everything, more than anyone else that I know. So why… "I didn't see anything strange…" Did I have to lie to him about this?
He seems a little disappointed but the moment passes and he places a hand on my cheek, brushing the pad of his thumb lightly on my cheek. "Good, I do not want you dragged into anything dangerous. Come on, we should be getting back to the palace before anyone finds out that we are missing."
We return to the main room inside the inner Sanctum and Robin resets the trap, the door disappearing once he is done. "If you want to come back, tell me. Next time I'll ask for permission so that I don't get you into any trouble with the Elders."
"Robin, you're such a trouble maker." I laugh teasingly at him, playfully bumping into his arm as we walk down the hall together.
"Is it that big of a surprise?"
"Just a little." He smiles at me, shaking his head.
Everything is going just fine. Until we round the corner and come face to face with…
"The Elders. Shit." Robin mutters. The three old men give him a dirty look and I duck behind Robin.
"Sir Robin, Prince Ivan, you are both in very big trouble."
Oh man…
TBCInteresting little note, the pinky thing done between Robin and Ivan was purposely done on my part (of course), for other reasons than just a cute way to make a promise. The pinky symbolizes "lover" (according to Shinobu from Yukie Nasu's 'Here is Greenwood' a great manga—I suggest reading it if you get the chance. Shounen-ai) and I wanted to foreshadow Robin and Ivan's relationship a little. XD Not too big of a giveaway considering I love that couple.
:sighs: I hate Travis XD :whomps Trent if he ever reads this: Don't tell him though! Yeah. I'm random. I hope this chapter was everything is should be
Have a great summer, everyone! Until next time!