Author's note: Thank you to my reviewers.
In the glow of two moons, Syaoran and his two companions ran. Wet snow had been steadily falling for the past hour and they needed to find food, shelter, and most importantly, less attention-calling clothes. It was because of him and Hiyoshi that they were taking the long course around the woods, in order to avoid the nearby village. They both knew that they stood out like giant beacons saying, come get me, I want to be killed!
Hiyoshi had on the latest fashion, which happened to be a bright red sweater, making their guide swear out loud when he saw it. Syaoran was not much better, with tan cargo pants and a blue hoodie. To make matters worse, they were in a forest, so everything around them was a dark green. Their guide spent ten minutes mumbling before they were ready to leave the clearing they landed in. Syaoran assumed the mumblings were directed at him and Hiyoshi but said nothing.
Their guide was an odd person. He had not spoken more then four sentences to them, half of them being complaints about the clothes. When Syaoran had woken up, having passed out again for some reason after going through the portal, he was standing in front of him, still covered from head to toe in dust.
He placed his fore finger on his lips and said in a hushed voice, "We need to hurry, make no noise, and don't talk."
Syaoran nodded his head, and then proceeded to get Hiyoshi up. It was early morning than, and the sun was out. They followed their guide for the rest of the morning in silence, both Syaoran and Hiyoshi having enough sense in their heads not to ask questions until they were safe. Safe, however, was something only their guide could recognize.
It was not until they passed a small river that one of them spoke. Hiyoshi looked at the sparkling water, a certain longing in his eyes.
"Can we stop and rest for a bit?" he asked, trying to mask his panting.
The guide shook his head, sending bits of rock into the wind. "No, not until we reach my hut." Something in Hiyoshi's eyes must have snagged his attention for the guide then said, "There is food and water there. Warm water."
As they continued their run, Syaoran glanced between Hiyoshi and their guide, who was in the lead. Their guide was obviously used to the cold climate and very well conditioned; his pace was even and steady. Hiyoshi, on the other hand, lagged behind considerably, and Syaoran was tempted to say something, but decided against it. It was no wonder that Hiyoshi was tired; he, unlike Syaoran and their guide, was not used to this kind of exertion and he could not keep his breathing calm, thus making his lungs take in too much or too little oxygen.
The wind picked up and blinded Syaoran's vision momentarily. Ahead of him, he heard their guide's voice.
"I can see my hut! Just a little bit further."
This prompted Syaoran and Hiyoshi to speed up, stomping through the snow as fast as their feet would allow them. When they reached their destination, their guide shuffled them in, placing them in front of a small fire. He picked up logs and threw them onto the fire, making the flames lick the wood eagerly.
"Not to worry, lads," he said, "It'll be warm in here in no time."
He did not take his blue eyes off them however, looking at them with an unusual air of awe. "You're them, aren't you?" he sat down in front on the floor, looking at them like a child waiting for a story. "You have come to save my world, right?"
He did not wait for their answer, instead jumping straight up and grabbing Hiyoshi in a tight hug. This sudden movement, the look on his face one of horror, took Hiyoshi back. He quickly put his hands on the guide's shoulders and gave him a push back.
The guide took no notice of Hiyoshi's rudeness, too happy to care. He took a step back and bowed low to the teens. Then he straightened his back, making himself seem as tall as he possibly could, and opened his arms.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my good sirs," he said, "I am Sir Arutha Langdon Ragnar Magne, of the late Kingdom of Havvar, crowned prince and last surviving member of the royal family, and your most humble servant." With this he made another low bow. "And what are the names of my young saviors?"
Hiyoshi glanced at Syaoran. "I am Bohdan Hiyoshi and this is Li Syaoran." Hiyoshi said.
Arutha's brow dipped. "Your names are Li and Bohdan? How odd."
Hiyoshi shook his head, somewhat annoyed to explain to this simpleton. "No, those are our last names."
"Ah," said Arutha, nodding his head. "In this country, it is custumary to say the first name, then middle, then your father's name, then surname. What, then, shall I call you sirs?"
Hiyoshi opened his mouth to respond, but Syaoran beat him to it. "It doesn't matter right now! What I want to know is, what is going on here?"
Arutha sighed. "The guardian told you nothing, then? Well, I might as well get some food for you to eat, I'll be talking for a while." He got up and went to the back of the room, gathering items from off the walls and a hidden storage area.
While Arutha was busy, Syaoran looked around the hut. There were only two rooms, both very small. Animal skins hung draped over the walls and windows, making the room seem only smaller. There was a bed, a chest, and two chairs in one corner, along with a few large (and hopefully warm) blankets.
Syaoran got up and walked around the hut, not bothering to ask permission. He walked into the other room. It was just as bare as the first one, only with a table in it. The table had been pushed to the side of the room and in its place was a large tub. On the other side of the room in a well-organized display stood a sword, arrows, a large bag, rope, and other oddities.
'So he is a fighter.' Syaoran thought as the picked up on of the knives, picking at its blade with his fingers. "What is the tub for?" he asked when he walked back into the room.
Arutha looked up from his cooking. "That's for me. While you two eat, I make myself presentable." He then handed them their food and went into the other room.
Hiyoshi began to eat as soon as he was handed the food. Syaoran poked at the meal, finding his stomach strangely empty.
"He will be back in ten minutes." Hiyoshi said suddenly.
Syaoran looked up at him with a hawk's eye. "How do you know that?"
Hiyoshi did not return Syaoran's glaze, only looking down at his food as though it was interesting. "I just do." he said, his tone of voice telling Syoaran it was useless to ask anything else.
The conversation turned to silence after that, only the sounds of splashing water coming from the second room. It was a tense, uncomfortable silence in Syaoran's opinion. The words of Messenger hung over his head like a cloud; a weight hung in his chest. They repeated themselves over and over in his head, no matter how much Syaoran pushed them away.
He could not think straight. Though he had a clear goal in his mind, destory the portal, there was too much that had gone unanswered in his conversation with Messenger. There was a nagging thought at the edge of his mind, a thought that told him something was wrong. But what?
He was ripped out of his musings when Prince Arutha emerged from the second room. Not covered in dust and debris anymore, Syaoran got his first good look at the prince. As it turned out, Arutha was not the boy Syaoran thought him of earlier, but a man of his early twenties.
He was by no means a handsome man, yet Syaoran would not have placed him as ugly either. Arutha could have passed for almost anyone; from a workman, all the way to a spoiled noble's son. Syaoran just realized this was most likely another reason why Messenger had chosen the price to accompany him on the mission. It seemed to him that Arutha could place himself among any company and fit in; he did not have any features that could truly set him apart from others.
Arutha was not tall, only a little bit above Syaoran had a small build and an expression of too much use, as though he were spread too thin. On top of Arutha's head was a mop of brown curly hair outlining his thin face. High cheekbones and blue eyes accompanied his brown hair, which went down to a long, pale neck. He looked almost like a dear, with his large eyes.
Yet Syaoran could not take his eyes off Arutha the moment the prince entered the room. His composure, the bounce of his step, and the graceful way he moved demanded a certain amount of attention and respect - as though the bath and being at home had invigorated him. He stood up straight, never slouching, and his arms lay relaxed at his sides. Arutha radiated power to a point were Syaoran wondered if he had been born with it.
This was the future King.
Arutha sat down on a chair covered in an animal hyde, reaching for the plate of food.
"So what did the guardian tell you?" he asked.
"We must destroy a demon portal to this world." Syaoran said, "But something else is going on, isn't there? That's why we could not talk while we were running here, right?"
Arutha nodded his head. "Yes." He looked from Syaoran to Hiyoshi before he continued. "Better make yourselves comfortable, it will take time to explain." Syaoran settled himself on the cot while Hiyoshi sat next to him on a wooden chair.
"This all started years back, when I was but a lad in the palace. My father, King Ragnar Magne, was ruler of the country bordering the sea, and because of our natural borders, we were rarely troubled by outside forces. However, around ten summers back, an unknown enemy besieged the neighboring kingdoms. It was in due time that my father learned of a plan to attack the capital."
"Thousands upon thousands of black creatures showed up, and within days the castle was taken. I was sent away to across the river to a fortress and from there taken deep into the country. Sadly, my family was not able to escape as quickly as I was and was taken over before they manage to reach the boat."
"It was later that we learned that the black creatures were things we call 'Svartr Alfr'." Arutha said, rolling his' rs.
"What?" interrupted Hiyoshi.
"In the ancient language of my people, Black Elf. They are cousins of the elves, only they have a dark blue tone to their skin while a true blood elf has anywhere from fair skin to dark brown. Black Elves were banned from the continent of man generations ago, for they are Dark Creatures. They live for nothing, only thriving on battles and blood. They take everything from the land, and give nothing back! No sense of duty or honor." Arutha spat out this last sentence, his voice becoming angry as he talked.
"A new country emerged after my father died. A place where all Dark Creatures dwell, waiting until they would have enough numbers to take over this world. Sumarr, is what they call it. A place of fire and ash, of murder and vengeance." Arutha's eyes drifted off to some spot on the wall, deep in memory. His food lay forgotten on the table, the heat slowly evaporating into the air.
He continued, his voice heavy and slow, "For ten years, they have waged war on mankind." Arutha paused once more and bore his blue eyes into Syaoran's. "Ten years of battle and bloodshed. They have numbers now, and my people, mankind, is slowly being wiped out. Unless something can stop them, we won't survive more than a few years."
Syaoran sat quietly. This did explain the quietness of the forest and Arutha needing to get them all to safety. Yet what did it have to do with the portal? He asked Arutha this.
"If there is anything I know about Black Elves, is that they are good fighters, but they are lazy and unorganized. Someone, or something, must have somehow managed to gather all of them up into one group. Now, bands of a dozen or two dozen elves can make enough damage all by themselves, but thousands? Who on Earth could have had the power to do that?"
Syaoran still did not understand. What did one have to do with the other? His only goal was the portal, and the Black Elves were only a mere complication. A difficult complication, but nothing that could not be dealt with if given time.
"That is when the guardian came to me," continued Arutha, "The guardian said a demon portal had been opened on this world, around ten years ago!"
Suddenly, it clicked. "You think that a demon slipped through the portal and gathered up the Dark Creatures." Syaoran said, piecing everything together.
"Right!" Arutha said, "And now you, my saviors, have come to correct everything!" He jumped up into the air again, his excitement barely contained. "No more war, no more starvation, no more Dark Creatures! My heroes have come!"
There was something in the prince's over joyous voice that set Syaoran on his awareness. Something that had a deeper and darker tone to it. He pushed aside the thought quickly, decided it would not help to bring it up now, not when he knew so little.
Hiyoshi seemed to be in no talkative mood. His eyes were shut tightly and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Syaoran could feel a bit of magical energy seeping through the cracks in Hiyoshi's defense. Though he could not feel the full force of the boy's magic, the energy that escaped Hiyoshi made Syaoran wonder what he was doing. Syaoran could feel Hiyoshi's aura was stronger than before, and he knew that the tall boy was using magic. As to what type of magic, he was unsure, and turned his attention to the prince.
"So what do you want us to do?" Syaoran said, trying to keep his voice calm and level.
Arutha looked up. "What do you mean?"
"How are we going to destroy the portal?" he asked, seeing Arutha's confused expression. The magic energy coming from Hiyoshi stopped and he opened his eyes, glancing from Syaoran to Arutha.
Even before Arutha opened his mouth, Syaoran knew what he was going to say.
"I don't know, young sir,... I don't know."
The rest of the night was sadly uninformative and Syaoran and Hiyoshi were not able to keep their eyes open for much longer. Arutha laid out blankets and furs for the boys, who were too tired to care what they were sleeping on. Within seconds after putting his head down on a makeshift pillow, Syaoran was asleep.
The next morning Syaoran woke once more to an unfamiliar ceiling. His muscles tensed up under the blankets before the events of the other day abruptly reminded him where he was. A dull throbbing pain pounded in his head.
He lay there for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of nature. Had it been one week or two since he was taken from his training ground in the jungles of China? Syaoran wished he knew. At this point, it really made no difference where he was a few weeks ago before Messenger took over his body, he was on a totally different planet altogether and that was all that mattered, yet he still wanted to know.
It was a sense of possession and pride, he figured. Messenger took over his body, and he did not know what the guardian did with it, or how long he had it. Since Syaoran could not remember how far into training he was, he did not know whether Messenger had his body for one week, for two, or more. Since Syaoran had succumbed so quickly to Messenger, his pride had been terribly wounded. At least if he knew how long the stupid alien had it, it might repair some of the damage.
'I may never find out' Syaoran thought as he watched Arutha come into the room from the outside. A blast of cold air steamed into the room, plowing over Syaoran and Hiyoshi. Syaoran shivered, clutching the blanket closer to his body.
"Good morning, young sirs!" Arutha's cheery voice greeted. "We best get a move on if we want to make good time today." He said on his way into the second room.
Sighing, Syaoran got up from the bed and followed the prince, still holding the blanket close to him. He tripped over Hiyoshi's long legs, who had not moved an inch. Hiyoshi yawned and pulled his arms above his head, stretching, then rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
The second room had changed since last night. Where there had stood a large tub, now sat a table, covered to the edges with some of the things Syaoran observed the night before. Among the knives and other weapons, there were large masses of green cloth and chain mail.
"Come on, sir," Arutha motioned with his hand to a pile of things, grabbing the top of the pile and shoving it into Syaoran's arms. "These were mine a year or two back, so I believe they will fit you."
Syaoran looked at the material. It was a thin, soft shirt with long sleeves. It was very plain, with two strings at the open neck of the shirt. Syaoran looked at the other things he had to wear and grimaced; besides the shirt and a pair of pants, it looked as though nothing else would be comfortable.
"I shall wake the other sir." Arutha said, not having noticed Syaoran pained expression. "You should change now. We need to catch breakfast." He left the room with the same bounce he had walked in with.
Syaoran gritted his teeth and began to undress himself, shivering as his feet touched the cold, dirt floor.
"I feel like an idiot." Hiyoshi grumbled. "Isn't there anything else you could have found?"
"No. A man your size is not too common around here, so I had to make do." Arutha replied, not looking back.
Hiyoshi was once again a man of style and fashion. Only the style and fashion happened to be very, very old. Syaoran grinned at Hiyoshi, whose eyes shot draggers back at him.
Hiyoshi was fitted with a long black robe with a large leather belt. The robe seemed much more like a dress than a robe, Syaoran thought. It had long sleeves that went far past the tips of Hiyoshi's fingertips. The shoulders were padded, making Hiyoshi seem like an American football star. To top it off, a black and red hat with feathers protruding out of it at an odd angle was added as a "finishing touch." In all, Hiyoshi looked like an idiot.
"Besides," Arutha continued, "Ladies consider this kind of clothing the height of present gentlemanly fashion."
Syaoran tried to suppress his smile, but no luck. It was now close to midday and the sun was out. Despite the cold air, he was surprisingly warm, probably due to walking at such a steady pace for the past hour.
Now it was Syaoran who was dragging behind. Though he did not look as ridiculous as Hiyoshi, the price he paid for fashion was comfort. Besides the undergarments and shirts he wore, the rest was stiff and itchy. The riding boots he wore were worn but thankfully easy to move his feet in. He had on terrible pants and a jacket reeking of horse.
The worst was the bit of chain mail he wore; it was heavy and dragged him down, plus his movement was very limited. "Not to worry, young sir," Arutha had said when Syaoran showed him, "You will be able to move about soon enough. It'll only take a while, then you'll be quick as a flash!"
"When we get to the town, what are we going to do?" Hiyoshi asked.
"There is an old drunk who owns the local tavern. His name is Grimalf, though he can't remember it half the time, so we all call him 'Alf'." Arutha said. "From there, we'll be able to get a some supplies and, with some luck, horses."
"Does that mean you know how we are going to destroy the portal?" Syaoran asked.
"No, I'm still working on that." Arutha turned around. "And you best not mention that until we are out of this woods and on our way from this place."
"Why?"
"There are Dark Creatures all around." On that gloomy note, the trio went the rest of the way to village in silence.
They found the tavern easily enough; it was one of only four large houses in the village. Syaoran found himself very disappointed with the inside of the building. From a combination of reading and his own imagination, Syaoran had imagined a tavern to be filled with loud noisy men all drinking ale, knights and women, and lots of music.
What he got was one man laying in a corner, passed out, and a large man at the front of the main, wiping a table. The man was very short and fat, with double chins that wobbled when he talked.
"Aye! Look who we have 'er." the man bawled, his words slurred. "If it ain't ol' Arutha. Get out! Haven't you caused a poor ol' man enough trouble?"
Arutha strutted in, waving a bag in front of the man's ugly face. "Good morning, Alf! I have a deal to make with you!"
Alf's biddy eyes widened and he shook his head violently, sending the chins to wobble so much it looked as though they were going to take flight. "Last time I made a deal with the likes of you, I had two Svartr Alfrs come n' knockin' at meh door!"
"Those were two pirates who wore black clothing, and you know it. Also, no one got badly hurt in that fight, now did they?" The man seemed unconvinced, his chins wobbling again. "I know you don't like me much Alf, but I have one last favor for you to do for me. I am leaving town."
At this Alf's eyes narrowed and he stared at Arutha for a minute. "What yer mean, 'leaving town'?"
"I am heading south to warmer climate." Arutha said. "We need food for four days and three horses."
Alf's large jaw dropped; a string of drool dangled from one yellow tooth. "Horses! Yer want horses!" he roared, shaking his head again. "I'll be a fool to give yer horses, aye, that's what I'll be!" He puffed his chest up and waddled over to the counter.
"Now, Alf," Arutha said, his voice dripping with amusement, "I have not been so bad, now have I? I've paid you quiet well for all your wonderful services. Very well," Arutha waved the bag once more in the man's face.
Alf's eyes followed the bag's moment as his face scrunched up in concentration. It was a hard decision, whether or not to help Arutha. Arutha was a pain in the neck and Alf would be glad to get rid of him. The man caused more trouble than he was worth, so helping Arutha get out of the village would make him very happy. No more pirates, for one.
He first met the lad a few years ago, helping him smuggle things up the coast. Though it had been harmless at the time, Arutha's schemes had grown increasingly dangerous and caused a bit of trouble for the man. Yet Arutha somehow always managed to pay what he owned. How he got ahold of such large sums of gold, Alf never bothered to ask.
Very slowly, Alf nodded his head. "Alright. I'll help yer and the-" he looked at Syaoran and Hiyoshi for the first time, "-laddies."
Arutha smiled. "Oh, you are a good, dear man, Alf. I shall never forget you!"
"Quit yer' shoutin'! Yeh'll wake the dead with that noise! Now get out, before I chase yer out!"
Arutha bowed his head low and turned on his heel out the door. "Have everything ready by dusk tonight. Good day, Alf"
Syaoran found it hard to believe it was almost four hours after the sun had gone down. Tonight there were three moons, all at different points in the sky. Yet the way it looked, you would have thought that it was early morning. He would have to ask Arutha about the moons later.
"Do you know how to use a sword, young sir?"Interupted someone.
This question Arutha directed at Syaoran while he whipped a sword in circles above his head and around his body.
"Yeah." Syaoran said, without an ounce of pride in his voice. Since Syaoran had been instructed in the use of swords for years, he knew the weapon like it was his one of his own limbs. It was not a matter of pride that made Syaoran think he was a master when it came to swords, it was just the simple fact that he truly knew how to use a sword to the best of its abilities.
Arutha smiled as he watched the boy. "What about a bow and arrow?"
Syaoran stopped his exercise and looked at the table. "No." he said and turned around to Hiyoshi. "You have good eyes, do you know how to use them?"
Hiyoshi narrowed his eyes at Syaoran's chose of words, unresponsive. He picked up the bow, running his hands up and down the handle. "I think I might be able to." He finally growled.
"Why don't I show you?" asked Arutha, slinging the bag of arrows of his shoulder, "Syaoran sir, I'll take our tall friend here and show him the finer points of archery. Would you watch the horses?"
They had gotten three horses from the barman Alf just over two hours ago. Alf seemed thrilled as he watched Arutha climb on top of the mound, so much so that he hobbled around in circles, which Syaoran learned to mean he was dancing.
With the horses, they walked back to the hut and, with Arutha's instructions, began packing. Arutha had been very secretive and said that once they were far enough away; they would be free to talk about what their mission.
Syaoran's eye twitched when he heard his first name being used so freely, and with a bad accent. Since Arutha did not like the names Li and Bohdan, he had taken up using their first names. Syaoran figured it would be pointless to try and explain the reasons why he hated when people used his first name without his permission, thus allowed Arutha to do so.
"Sure." he said.
Syaoran continued to pack his bag; stuffing in as many warm clothes as could fit him. Though Arutha had told the barman they were heading to warmer climate, Syaoran suspected otherwise. From the look and feel of the heavy clothes, he knew he was right.
Hiyoshi and Arutha came back an hour later, Arutha grinning.
"You were right, Syaoran." He pointed toward Hiyoshi as the tall boy threw himself down on his small bed, "He does have good eyes. Best I have seen, heck, maybe as good as the elves!" He was still grinning when he went back into the second room to go to sleep.
Syaoran smirked at Hiyoshi, "I knew it. That's how you see in the future, isn't it?"
Hiyoshi looked at him, then nodded his head slowly.
"How does it work?" Syaoran asked.
Hiyoshi shrugged his shoulders. "I don't really know. When I close my eyes, if I concentrate, I get images and sounds of the future. Sometimes it just comes to me."
"How far can you see?"
Again, Hiyoshi shrugged his shoulders. "Now-a-days, I can barely see ten minutes into the future."
"Why?"
"I don't know." Hiyoshi said. "I guess, when there is a routine, it is easy and predictable. Now though, there is no routine so it will take me awhile to adjust." Hiyoshi said nothing else, the tone in his voice telling Syoran that the subject was over.
Syaoran nodded his head and rolled over onto his own bedding.
Again, he found doubt in his companions. Arutha was somewhat confusing to decipher. He had a good nature and an obvious skill in weapons, yet how he truly felt about the mission he kept very well hidden. Hiyoshi could not see to far into the future, which Syaoran felt was something they were going to need when the time came.
As for himself, he felt nothing but dread. The one thing no one in his group knew was that he was having difficulty in his magic. His spells were very effective and better than ever before, yet they left his body drained of all energy.
How was he supposed to destroy the portal when he could not case more than one or two simple spells?The dull throbbing pain from the morning returned. Before any more doubt plagued his mind, Syaoran close his eyes and fell into a troubled sleep.
Author's note:Not to worry, people, Sakura will be back in the next chapter. Please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome (andalways needed) flames not.
Author's note2: Please note that there will be some changes in the summery of the story. I feel that the current summery it has is not up to its standers and thus will be changed. Please mark this story. The name will not be changed; just the summery. Thank you.