Disclaimer: I…do…not…own…CHEESE! Just kidding, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Now go bother someone else.
Chapter 11: To the Rescue! Part 2
A rush of light met Cy's view as she slowly moaned and opened her eyes. Sunlight filtered in through the canopy of trees that had at night created the illusion of a starless sky. Now, amidst their tightly knit leaves, a large patch of bright light shone through. Cy realized a hole as large as a Dragon had been blasted through.
A hole as large as a Dragon…
Cy sat up, her breath quickening. She looked around her. As vague memories of the previous day's battle entered her mind, she tried to find her friends. The battlefield was now a charred black section of the earth that quickly faded into dense bushes and trees. The morning light had brought out a few creatures from their homes and the scene was once again alive with small animals that started searching for lunch. The light danced upon bright flowers and vivid green leaves as it left not a corner untouched. Cy closed her eyes and smelled in the fresh scent of the different fruits that hung bountifully on the outstretched branches of the plants.
Suddenly the voices of two men caught her ears. Cautiously, she struggled to her feet and supported herself by leaning on the tree trunk behind her. As she looked around, only the streams of sunlight around the dense trees were clear in her view. After straining to hear anything else, she caught a faint spark in the corner of her eye. She pushed herself a little further and kept only a few fingers still touching the tree. When she was assured she could support herself, she slowly tiptoed through the maze of roots that covered the forest floor.
"Celton?" She called out into the forest, her voice shaking. "Hufanse? Aundren… Svrion?" She made her way toward the section of the woods where she saw the flicker of light. She began to wonder where the others were. The only sounds she heard at the moment were her soft footsteps mixed with the occasional snap of a twig and her breathing. She felt really alone.
"Are you positive it shall taste good?" Cy whipped around, recognizing Aundren's voice immediately.
"Aundren!" she called out. "Hufanse!"
"She's awake!" Footsteps and rustling leaves announced that Hufanse and Aundren were coming to the rescue. Sure enough, the pushed back a dense curtain of branches to reveal to Cy their makeshift camp.
"I was so worried," Cy sighed, running over to them and nearly falling into Hufanse's arms. "What are you two doing?"
"Well… Hufanse was apparently trying to make some sort of breakfast but I unfortunately must admit that the only idea he was able to produce ended up in flames, quite literally." Hufanse grinned sheepishly.
"I thought I would see if berries worked the same as marshmallows…" Cy chuckled at Hufanse's excuse.
"Evidently berries in this forest are too flammable for that purpose." Cy shook her head and took Hufanse and Aundren back to the fire that had been left dying. Suddenly, something dawned on her.
"Celton! Where's Celton?" Hufanse and Aundren looked at each other. Cy looked at each of them in turn, searching their eyes for an answer. Since her sudden unconsciousness last night, she had not been able to remember what had happened in great detail.
"Sit down, and we'll tell you." Hufanse took her hand and led her to a clear patch of space next to the burned sticks used for the campfire. Aundren sat down next to the two of them as well.
"Do you remember we were attacked last night?" Hufanse started softly. "Those warriors from the Dark Kingdom and the Dragons? Do you remember them?"
"Yes… it is coming back to me now. Harsh and Randren, your brothers. They were there too. One of the Dragons was hurt, and a warrior had fallen as well. And then we had a fight. Svrion was injured – oh, oh no! Where's Svrion… is he okay?"
"Calm down. He's fine." Hufanse pointed to a tree a little distance away where Svrion was sleeping, most of his Dark Magician outfit sprawled around him. He had a few bruises where the bullet spell had made contact with his skin through the protection of the armor. "We let him sleep because he has had some major recovery from that attack. It hit a weak spot in his protection." Cy nodded.
"Okay, continue about Celton."
"Yes, as I was saying, those warriors and Dragons had a huge fight with us. In the end, you did something the two of us couldn't understand."
"You conjured up some sort of sword of unimaginable strength, and the power needed by that attack would have only been possible with a hundred times your energy. How you obtained that energy, we do not know."
"Anyway, as we got distracted and came to help you, your brother Celton was surrounded by the other warriors and captured. The warriors left just as you lost conscious. We do not know where they have taken your brother." Hufanse looked at Aundren as the Dragon Master Knight quickly shook his head to stop the other from continuing his story. Cy was already devastated.
"Oh no! The Dark Kingdom's captured him!" she cried, burying her head in her hands. "And it's my fault! What will they do to him?"
"Nothing," Aundren lied, hoping to keep Cy's worries down. "They will keep him safe at least until the attack is complete. Don't worry!" Hufanse looked at Aundren with a confused look, but the Knight only nodded seriously before turned his attention back on Cy.
"Here, this will make you feel better. Since Hufanse ruined the last of our collected berries, I suggest you go bring some more. If you take a step or two to our right, you will see a very big berry tree. A couple of trips should be enough to get a sufficient amount of berries. Hufanse and I will get something to drink. Keep an eye on Svrion too, will you?" Cy nodded and promptly got up to do her chore. As soon as she was out of earshot, Hufanse turned to Aundren who was already ready with an explanation for the obvious question.
"Hufanse, whatever we do, we must not tell Cy of the torture they might put Celton through. They will most likely kill him, but Cy cannot be told or it would devastate her far beyond her state now." Hufanse sighed.
"I just don't want to lie to her, and then see the expression on her face if we are too late." Aundren shook his head.
"We will notbe too late."
………
"Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six…" Cy grimaced as she held one berry up to the light. It was barely a millimeter wide. By the time I finish picking for the five of us, it'll be noon…
…Wait; there are only four of us now. Oh Celton! What have I done? Cy sniffled and gathered up some more berries. When she had gathered all she could possible hold in her hand, she took it back to the campsite. This time, Aundren was ready with a basket made from large leaves and twigs. Again when Cy went back to the tree, it did take longer, but she was sure she had gotten all the berries she needed.
On the way back, basket in one arm and the other carelessly brushing over the different plants, Cy took a path around the campsite so she could go see Svrion. He was still lying down, though he had shifted from when Cy had last seen him and his hands were now clasped over his stomach.
"Hungry?" Svrion opened one eye and moaned. Cy shook his shoulders until he yelled and pushed her hands away.
"Okay, okay, I'm fine!" he protested, groaning and sitting up a little straighter. Cy reached into her basket and pulled out a handful of the small berries.
"You want some?" Svrion shrugged and opened his mouth wide like a toddler waiting for his food to come to the rescue on a little vehicle that could fly right into his throat. Cy laughed and threw some berries through Svrion's open mouth. Not expecting this, Svrion coughed and sputtered as some managed to slide right down his throat.
Cy giggled. Svrion no longer looked like a Dark Magician-to-be in only his pants and sweater. Without his purple armor, he looked like a normal teenager anyone could find in the Mortal Realm. Now, with him choking and aiming for a comeback, he looked like he couldn't be any more out of place than he already seemed on this adventure.
"What are you staring at?" Svrion demanded, grabbing a bunch of berries from the basket and throwing it at Cy. She gasped, looking away and shielding herself as the berries landed in her hair and dress.
"That's not fair!" she grabbed a handful and threw it back, and that started the whole war. When the basket was finally emptied, most of the berries had not been successful in finding their way to the stomachs of the teenagers. Instead, they lay splattered on the ground or lodged in Cy's wavy blonde hair. Also, Svrion and Cy looked at their hands and laughed as they saw it was painted with berry juice.
"Yummy!" Svrion liked off his hands and dried them on the grass around him.
"Svrion, gross!" Cy tried to get up but Svrion quickly grabbed her wrist, kissing the inside of her hand. He licked his lips.
"Yours has even more," he said and Cy pushed him back. Then, she sat down on his lap and shook her head.
"You are so weird. Oh my gosh, look at your face!" Cy ran her hand down his cheek and pulled back to reveal more splattered berries. Svrion frowned and rubbed his hands around his face.
"Is it all gone?" Cy grinned mischievously.
"No, you missed a spot!" As Svrion put on a questioning look and tried to feel around, Cy bent over and kissed his lips briefly. Then she pulled back and licked her own.
"Delicious…" Svrion laughed as he caught what she meant. The two stared at each other happily for a few moments, eyes sparkling from their kiss, when Hufanse's voice suddenly penetrated the air.
"Hey Cy! We're hungry! Did you finish picking those darn berries?" Cy and Svrion glanced worriedly at the empty basket.
"Uh…oops!"
………
Half an hour later, the berries were picked and eaten. Just for the fun of it, Hufanse lit the campfire and the four of them gathered around it. However, the streaming sunlight around them was too bright for them to pretend it was dark. Plus, small animals had started to play all around them, and the liveliness of their surrounding could not be confused with the haunting silence of a midnight forest.
"Okay, now we must make a plan… what is our next move?" Svrion started the discussion. For a moment, only silence met his query. Hufanse, Aundren, and Cy were all deep in thought. They had come too far to turn back, and Celton was captured. Not only that, but they all had heard the news: the Dark Kingdom was preparing for war. This threat could not be concealed any longer. They had to get up and fight.
"Well, we must remember we have two things to do," Cy answered. "Rescue Celton and stop the threat of war. Neither is easy."
"If we were to prioritize, I would suggest Celton would be the obvious first choice. His safety lies in our hands, and furthermore, we know little of the Dark Kingdom's plans and therefore cannot think of a strategy to beat them."
"True, Aundren, rescuing my brother would be the first choice. But I'm not so sure we know nothing of their plan. Let's see… yesterday we found out they meant to surprise attack us with Dragons. They probably still have a similar plan."
"Then how do we beat them?" Svrion interrupted. "How can the four of us defeat an army of Dragons? What do we even know about them?"
"I doubt my flute is enough to control them," Hufanse put in. "It's not powerful enough…"
"Wait a minute!" Cy suddenly cried. "Something is coming back to me… something Randren said… oh, if only I could remember!" Cy closed her eyes and tried to remember what the Dragon Master Knight had said before the battle scene last night.
If you think this a pleasant family reunion, you are wrong. I'm here to wipe out the meager resistance you offer now so we may proceed to our plan. Already, you have injured one of my Lords and put his Dragon out of play. And you've destroyed that Flute, but it does not matter. First of all, the bond we share with our Dragons is what really controls them. Second, the Master Flute still lives, radiating its power throughout the land. Also, fear not, we still have seven Dragons and six more strong men where that came from
"That's it!" Cy said, smiling. "Second, the Master Flute still lives, radiating its power throughout the land. Hufanse, Aundren…do you guys know what that is?"
"Somewhat," Hufanse shrugged. "We touched upon it in Dragon School, but really only the more High Ranked Dragon Lords actually are experts. All I know is that it is a special version of the flute I carry, sealed away in the Castle of Dark Illusions."
"Isn't that a prison shared by both Kingdoms?" Svrion asked.
"Well, true, it is," Aundren replied. "And of course, both Kingdoms have agreed to keep the Castle neutral and all areas accessible by either side. However, the Dark Kingdom is known for its trickery. Little is taught in school, but I do know that the Dark Kingdom possesses a section of the Castle not known to exist by most people. It is there that the Flute is hidden."
"The flute is a lot more powerful than the one most of us Lord of Dragons carry. We were taught that it is the ultimate controller of all the Dragons, and if destroyed, could devastate the army. That is why we 'swore' to keep this info a secret."
"That solves the problem we have for the moment, then," Cy explained. "If we can destroy that flute, the Dragons will go haywire, and both Kingdoms will once again by equal in power. In fact, the Dark Kingdom will be weakened and the Light Kingdom will have a chance to end this war once and for all."
"I think the battle has messed up your brain a little," Svrion said. "Is it reasonable for us to walk into the Castle of Dark Illusions, find a secret area of the Castle that even the Light Kingdom patrollers aren't even aware of, sneak out the Flute, destroy it, and then go back home all in one piece."
"Well, did you think it was possible to get out of the Labyrinth alive?" Cy countered. "Think about it, no one said it was easy, but we have to do it. No one knows it yet, but the Light Kingdom is counting on us." Cy looked at each of the others across the flames of the campfire. Aundren was deeply contemplating the situation, the light dancing in unique patterns around his furrowed eyebrows and dark brown hair. Hufanse shrugged his cape back and looked at Svrion, who seemed most thoughtful.
"I suppose that is what we should do then…" Svrion concluded. "I think it would be best if we split into two groups. Aundren and Hufanse know most about the Dark Kingdom and can blend in well. They should be the ones to go there and get information about Celton. I'm sure he'll be held near the castle. They wouldn't want anyone who has the information we do to get out of their sight. As for Cy and me, we will go into the Castle of Dark Illusions. I have seen a map and I know where it is."
"I suppose we should start immediately," Aundren reasoned, getting up and smoothing down his outfit. "The sooner we are able to rescue Celton, the sooner we will be able to assure his safety." The others got up as well, realizing the urgency of the situation.
"We should not linger here in this forest any longer. Aundren… Hufanse… I wish the two of you luck in finding my brother."
"And I wish you two more luck in finding that flute. It will be a toughie, but you, Cy, can pull through… oh, and you too, Svrion." Hufanse kissed Cy's hand and she blushed. Svrion rolled his eyes.
"Well," he said. "We part ways… again. Hopefully this won't turn out like the Labyrinth episodes." Cy laughed nervously.
"Hopefully…" she added, and then out of the blue, gave both Aundren and Hufanse a hug. Svrion joined in and the four stood in a tight embrace for several minutes. Then, when the four were certain that their goodbyes were exchanged, they let go of each other and back up to their own paths.
"Think about this," Cy called as she and Svrion headed to the right. "Next time we meet, the war will be over!"
"We do hope your words come true!" Aundren called back, he and Hufanse already speeding down the path on the left. "Good luck! Farewell!" Within minutes, the two groups were already a considerable distance apart. And at the moment of their parting, the sky began to darken with clouds.