Okay. I am finally back. Rianne thought I died. (Ooops. . .) Well, would you look at that! (faints)
Quill clicks on a link in Scarabsi's profile, and his eyes almost pop out of his head. "That's almost. . . Nine reviews! Ten if you count the two Lady Lyndis sent! Wow. . ." His hands drop to his sides, as he gapes at the screen in shock and almost horror.
Point comes over and waves his hand in front of Quills face. There was no response. "Whatever happened to, 'Where there's an action there's a response' from the authoress' seventh grade science textbook?" He turns to look at what the young shaman was staring at, and stepped back in horror. "That. . . that. . ." He rubs his eyes, then looks at it again, just to make sure he hadn't hallucinated. "Are. . . are my comrades that popular? Wow. . ."
Cylt is somewhere in the castle, banging his head against the wall. Nobody knows why.
Page sneaks noiselessly out of a Mona Lisa duplicate in the hall, then slams it so loudly and so hard the picture breaks. "What's going on? Why is everyone crowded in front of the computer?"
Point points to the computer screen, no pun intended. Page looks at it and scoffs. "Well, obviously it was a typo. I mean, there's no way someone as lame as Scarsi could get nine reviews for just one chapter." And, always the pessimist, clicks 'refresh' on the Internet browser and climbs back into the no longer hidden passageway behind the Mona Lisa duplicate. "We'll see if the site fixed the problem by then." Then she looks at the ruined painting, and randomly wonders, "Where did this picture come from anyway?" And slams it again as she disappears.
Well. . . I'm being appreciated. . . and I really respect all you readers and reviewers. I especially thank Koriku. . . She really made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And I could have sworn I wrote a review exactly like that before. She's stuck on Chapter Eighteen, just like I was for the last few months. (nods) And she's a rambler. Just like lil' Normal Writer #3.
Uh. . . there's lotsa jumping around in this chapter, so. . . sorry if it gets confusing. . . (sweatdrop)
Disclaimer: Uh, well. . . it IS a fanfiction, right? If it mentions Nintendo characters, I'm not going to say they're mine. I'm not that dumb. I hope.
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Chapter Ten
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Lyn looked at the young man that stood in front of the door. He had short blue hair. . . but his eyes were that same shade of burgundy, and that uniform. . . he was a magic user, definitely. The tome in his hand clarified that he was a mage. But, the way he was holding it. . . Lyn squinted, and leaned a little forward. She couldn't tell what tome it was. . . the book had been covered with paper, as a sort of book jacket. Well, this person definitely cared about his tomes. So this was Point, Quill's brother.
Point smiled and opened the door, holding out his hand in a gentlemanly manner. "Please, make yourselves at home."
Hesitantly, the mercenary band walked into the room. It looked like the dining room- there was a long table, and many chairs lined the sides of it. Candles were placed at the ends, and in the middle, and there were plates in front of every chair. There were about fifteen chairs, which surprised all three young lords, for they had expected the dining room to have only four chairs, one for every person in their small group.
We have to be careful, thought ever-cautious Lyn. This could still be a trap to gain our trust.
This doesn't look good, was Eliwood's thought. I better be careful; one wrong move may result in death.
Folly, why all the manners? Hector wondered. One would think to be rude and cruel to their enemies!
Slowly and carefully, the three lords found a seat at the table, and the rest of the band settled down as well. There were two extra chairs, which Point carried away with a friendly smile.
"Rade will arrive in a few moments to discuss the matters of those captured," Point explained as he walked out of the room, leaving the attack team to wonder what was going on.
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"Where do we go now?" Wil wondered as he walked from one hall to another, from one room to the next. "Oh, no. . . I don't know which place will hide me better!"
"Just pick a spot already!" Serra said impatiently, pushing past the worried archer and picking a room. "Look, there's a big closet right here!" She walked into the closet and shut it, making sure the doors looked naturally shut.
"We'll remain calm." Lucius' voice was barely a whisper, and he sounded as if he were talking more to himself rather than his friends. "We will find a safe place to hide. We will live. We will not get hurt. We will not kill any innocent souls." He tightened his grip on his Aura tome. "Unless. . . unless they attack first. Violence should only be used as a self-defense."
Nino whined. "I should have left with Uncle Legault and Unc- I mean, Heath earlier! The bedrooms sound really safe now compared to this West Wing. . ." She opened a door and peered inside. "There's nothing. . . wait! Is that painting. . . hanging off the wall on a hinge?" She closed the door to the room and swung the painting open, revealing a small cubicle just barely big enough for her to squeeze inside. "This will do. After all, it's not as tight as those bars in the dungeon." She lifted herself into the cubicle and swung the painting quietly shut, hoping she wouldn't accidentally push it open again.
Wil finally decided to hide in a suit of armor in the hall, and laid his Longbow beside his now steel-clad feet, deciding that nobody other than the one who had given it to him would give it a second glance, and that having his weapon by his feet will encourage him not to move, as doing so would cause damage to it.
Lucius watched as everyone slowly chose hiding places, and if he had spun around three times, he wouldn't have been able to find them again. Which was a good thing, because that meant that the enemy couldn't find them either. He grabbed Priscilla's wrist and almost dragged her down the hall. "There has to be somewhere we can hide. . ."
He finally found a room with a lock, and stashed Priscilla in it. Then he looked around for a place to hide in himself, but the only places left to hide were suits of armor, and none of them would fit him. He looked from one end of the hall to another, panicked.
The Aura tome was starting to slip out of his sweaty hands. When he finally noticed this, the tome had slipped and hit the ground, falling open. Lucius wiped his hands on his hip-scarf and bent down to pick the book back up, but paused.
For Lucius; With Love From RavenHe read this short line over and over again, the panic disappearing from his face, replaced by determination. "Well, if I can't find somewhere to hide, then I won't!" He picked up the tome and hugged it close to his chest. "You've always protected me. I cannot hide forever." Now more determined than ever, he took confident steps down the hall to where he hoped the enemies, or Lord Raymond, were. "This time, I will find you. And I will not allow myself to be captured again."
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Meanwhile, a flash of lavender, green, and sky blue, with a little of white in the green, rushed up the stairs, though only one set of footsteps could be heard. Heath frowned as he tried to be quiet, but it was hard to run soundlessly up the stairs and keep up with his companion at the same time. He wasn't trained as well for this kind of thing as the thief was. How he managed to be so fast, so silent, while carrying another person, the wyvern rider wouldn't know, but he was envious nonetheless.
"Could you please slow down a little?" He whispered to the dark blue cape that was tickling his nose. He obviously hadn't spoken loudly enough, or else Legault was ruder than he had thought, because that dark blue cape kept going at the same, fast pace.
Heath grabbed onto the slightly torn material and tugged lightly, so as to alert the thief but not send him tumbling down the stairs they were climbing. "Legault?"
Finally stopping, the man turned around, the corners of his mouth turned down. "Please, darling Heath, don't pester me. It is hard to run up these stairs quietly as it is, but now you're asking me to slow down. . . you whisper so loudly, too. If there is anybody up here, they could find us easily and trap us on the stairs, while we're helpless to do anything. If you want to be slow, fine, because we're going to the same place, anyway. See you at the top, darling Heath." His voice was so soft, Heath could barely hear it, but the point came across. Regretfully, he let go of the cape, and Legault continued running silently up the stairs.
"And stop calling me 'darling Heath' already. I don't know why you're calling me that, but whatever the reason, it's not funny."
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"We don't all have to stay here," Raven grumbled as he sat at the table, eying it like a piece of spoiled pork that he should cut up into tiny little pieces and burn in a bonfire. "Only some of us were going to talk to them, remember? I only came along to look for Lucius and Priscilla."
Others at the table nodded in agreement and looked over at Eliwood expectantly. He shrugged. "Well. . . if you can find your way around the fort. . ."
"It won't matter," Erk said, peering at the redhead lord through his hair. "We need to get anywhere we can to look for those captured, and after we find them, we will head back. If we can't find a way back. . ."
". . . We go through the emergency escape door," Matthew finished.
Eliwood arched an eyebrow. "Emergency door? I don't think they have an emergency door."
". . .I know." The blonde assassin cracked his knuckles rather loudly. "We're going to make one."
"Ah." The lord nodded. "Then you can go look for them."
Just after he said this, most of the party got up and left, while the ones remaining put their faces in their hands and waited for the thief named Rade to come and 'discuss the matters of those captured,' as that sage had said.
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Oops. . .
That looked like a wrong turn. And so did the other three he had taken before. . . the fort was even more confusing than he had previously thought. Several times he had come across a place he thought had been the fountain room, but a quick opening of doors and taking a quick peek inside told him otherwise.
He stopped by a torn painting of a lady with a nice smile, and wondered for a moment where it came from, and why the lady didn't have any eyebrows. Careless as he was, he continued walking with his gaze still fixed on the painting, which is why he hadn't heard or seen the other person down the hall until he walked into him.
Who is this kid? Guy wondered, his hand flying to his sword handle just in case it was an enemy. He must be part of this loony group. . . Canas is the only shaman in our mercenary band. . .
The boy picked himself up and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. It was entirely my fault; I should have paid attention to where I was going. . ."
Guy blinked. "That's. . . okay. . . look, do you know where to find the. . . uh. . ." He suddenly remembered that Cylt had never told him the name of the fountain room. "The. . . uh. . . well, it's this large room with a fountain in it, and I can't seem to find my way there, so if you can help me. . . ?" His hand was still on his sword handle.
The boy put a finger on his chin. "Now that I think about it, I think I've seen you somewhere before. . ." Guy started panicking, and prayed that whoever this was wouldn't remember that he was one of the former captives. His sigh of relief could barely be held back when the boy continued speaking. ". . . well, wherever I've seen you, I don't remember. . . I don't think it matters, though. It's not like I or anyone I know kidnapped you or something." He pointed in a direction. "Actually, I just passed a large room with a fountain a few moments ago. I think that's the place you were talking about."
Guy nodded, and patted the boy on the head. "Hey, thanks. Someday, if I ever see you again, maybe I'll buy you a tome. What's your name?"
Burgundy eyes widened. "My. . . name?"
"Oh, nevermind." Guy started toward the door. "I'll recognize you if I ever see you again anyway. Thanks again!"
He ran to the door and looked inside. Yes! This has to be it!
A fountain was in the center of the room. Large. . . it was HUGE. He locked every door he could see and walked up to the fountain. "Wow. . . it's so huge, I won't even be able to hear anything outside. . . Well, it is locked, so I shouldn't have much to worry about."
He started undoing the belt around his waist.
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Eliwood waited. . . and waited. . . and had a short spar with Hector. . . and waited. . . and waited. . . and talked to Lyn. . . and waited. . . and waited. . . and watched Ninian dance for the army. . . and waited. . . and waited. . . and wrote a letter to his mother. . . and waited. . . and waited. . . and waited. . .
The door slid open, and a dark blue-haired young man walked in. Half of his face was covered by his hair, but the side of his face that was showing had a scar that ran from and inch next to his left eye to the edge of his chin, with two more shorter slashes running through it. He wore a large cloak that concealed most of his body, so it was hard to tell what the young man was carrying.
The man pulled up one of the empty chairs and sat down. ". . . Good afternoon. I suppose my good friend Point led you to your seats already earlier and treated you to lunch already. Yes?"
"Um. . . actually," Eliwood looked at his empty plate. "We haven't touched a scrap of food all day."
The man placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head. "That irresponsible joker. . . I knew he'd forget." He snapped his fingers.
Several seconds later, Page rushed through the doors. The man looked around, but nobody else showed up. "Page, where is Quill?"
The only female kidnapper shrugged. "I don't know. I looked for him, but I haven't seen that useless moron anywhere. What do you need?"
Shaking his head again, the man sighed. "Well, it seems your other moron brother forgot to serve our. . . guests. . . lunch. May you please bring out the food?"
"I will." Page turned around, mumbling something that sounded like but Point has to carry all the heavy plates.
"Terribly sorry about that," the man apologized, though he didn't sound too sincere. "Having only three comrades, all of whom share the same lineage. . . you do tend to get irresponsibility and arguments more than necessary, do you understand what I mean?"
"Pardon me for asking, but. . . are you the thief Rade that Point mentioned?" Eliwood asked.
"I am." Rade held out a hand and Eliwood shook it stiffly. "I suppose you would like to know if we're returning your captured friends. Or at least what you can do to get them back."
"Actually," Lyn politely cut into the conversation. "We were really wondering why you took them to begin with."
Rade's gaze turned to the half-blood. "Funny that you are the one to ask," he said, his voice growing colder than usual. "Because, ironically enough, the reason we took them. . . is you."
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THERE!! (pants) It's been about a month since I posted, hasn't it? I hate myself. (kicks self) (stabs Renault with a silver spork)
The authoress braces herself for a long ramble from her head muse, but nothing comes.
Hmmm. That's odd. Uh. . . (looks around suspiciously for Quill) . . . REVIEW! Please! The last horde made me so happy. (grin) AMMY CAN UPDATE NOW!! PLEASE AMMY!! (grovels)