Disclaimer: The one downside to not writing original fiction. Alright, you win. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! It's only in my dreams…leave me alone.
Chapter 14: Rescuing Celton! Part 2
Another Witty Phantom fell down with a thud, probably the fifteenth in that hallway.
"You have good aim!" Hufanse complimented, taking a deep breath. The red-haired woman was dazzling, in both beauty and talent. Out of all the guards they had trampled, most of the knockouts were by the young woman. And she was using apples!
The woman looked back at Hufanse with a grin. He blushed slightly under her gaze.
"Well, I'm often bored back home. There's nothing like good old target practice!" Hufanse grinned too. He really liked this girl. She was daring, talented, fun… and did he mention beautiful? She had a great smile too. But she must have known he liked her already due to all his stammering, blushing, and tripping every time she merely looked at him. She must have caught on by now… oh well, one thing's for sure: Cy was long gone from his thoughts now, which was good. She did have her own boyfriend after all.
"I believe that we have struck down all the guards in this hallway," Aundren observed, taking a careful look around him. It was a narrow path, barely enough for the three of them to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. It wasn't very tall either. Aundren could touch the cold stone ceiling by merely extending his hand above his head. The walls were dark blue and freezing to the touch, even though every few paces a torch sat blazing in its fixture. Luckily, the flames created brightnessin the area.
"Let's keep going," Hufanse suggested, taking a slight lead in front of the others. He wanted to appear at least a little brave and impressive for the woman that accompanied them, even though she had done most of the impressing so far. After all, it was she who had brought them over to the Dragon Chamber, taking them through a special portal that connected with the far side of a place named Shadow Town. Even though Hufanse and Aundren had both lived in the Dark Kingdom for most of their lives, they had never heard of the place.
It was there thatshe had shot down the first few guards with the apples so she could magically unlock the gate and slip them inside. Fromthen on,it had been easy access. All they needed were a few apples, followed by the quicktakeout of the guards, and they were in.
"How much farther is it?" Aundren asked anxiously as the three continued their walk. "I amnot sure exactly how Celtonis doing currently, and I would like to figure it out soon."
"There's no way to know how he's doing. We just gotta hope that he ain't in trouble already." Hufanse crinkled his eyebrows.
"Wait." He stopped, and the others stopped walking to turn and look at him. "Let's say the Dragons are already out. What can we do? Three of us against even one Dragon is pretty tough, especially if it's a Blue-Eyes. And if it's a full-grown, let's not even bother. Remember, the ones those attackers of ours had used were only children compared to most of the ones in the army. What will we do?"
"Leave the Dragon to me…" the red-haired one assured him. Strangely, Hufanse knew he could trust her. It might have come from the fact that she had amazed them so far. "I'm not head of the Clandestine for nothing."
"The what?" Hufanse queried.
"Nothing. It's just what I call it, because it describes it pretty good."
"What's it?"
"Maybe I'll tell you eventually. For now, let's stick to our plan. We're looking for a pair of double sliding doors, not just the single ones we've been passing lately. Can we move on?" Hufanse realized he'd made them stop. He thought for a moment. Then, out of curiosity, he voiced one more question.
"How come you know so much about this place? Isn't it secret?" The red-haired girl smiled, bowing her head.
"I've…I'm…well, it's not important now. I'll just tell you, it's got something to do with my parents. They've been planning this for years, way before they came into power."
"Wow, slow down," Aundren interrupted, turning around to face the woman directly. "Came into…power?" The redhead took a deep breath.
"Oh well. I can clearly tell I've put it off for too long. Hufanse…Aundren. I'm the only daughter of Cosmo Queen and King Jinzo…" She looked pleadingly up at the two astonished men. "I'm the Dark Kingdom Princess, the one that's been missing for years!"
………
Celton panicked and tried to scoot backwards, but he didn't have much energy left. Moreover, every single part of his body seared with pain from the bruises and broken bones that had been the result of Harsh's torture. He could feel the dread looming in his thoughts as the realization struck him. He could not escape from the Dragons.
The twin Blue-Eyes, Erkth and Mitirk by name, advanced upon him with great interest. Rarely did they get anything to eat that was as delicious as fresh meat. And what made this situation far better was that Celton was injured. The Dragons were intelligent. They knew he would not struggle long and that they would not need to use much of their energy. The only problem was sharing. Erkth roared and voiced her complaint. It was only a mere boy that lay sprawled before them. If she and her brother had to share this, why…it would barely be a mouthful.
However, Mitirk didn't seem to mind. His thoughts were that if he reached Celton first, he would have the first taste. Broken bones and bruises meant nothing to him. It was a living creature, and however small he was, Celton would provide quite a tasty treat.Mitirk remembered once upon a time that he never ate any meat, and neither did his sister. They were vegetarians just like all the other Dragons had been. He paused for a moment, reflecting upon this sudden memory.
Suddenly, the sliding doors burst open in an explosion of blue fire. The Dragons reared up and roared, blinded by the sudden light. A Lord of Dragons and a Dragon Master Knight charged in, fists up and ready to fight, but a red-haired woman pushed them aside and ran to the Dragons.
"Are you crazy?" Hufanse yelled after her, but Aundren held him back. He swiftly pointed to Celton, but Hufanse refused to peel his eyes away from the young princess as she hurried to the Dragons. "She's gone mad! She won't survive two full grown Blue-Eyes…mmmmm…" Aundren placed his hand over Hufanse's mouth. Forced into silence, the Lord had no choice but to watch. Soon, he realized he was doing the right thing.
The young woman did not need to fight or even appear threatening. She merely whistled and the Dragons dropped their heads close to hers. She grinned and nuzzled them both, much to the surprise of the three that watched from the other side of the chamber. The young woman walked back with both Dragons on her heels. However, both beasts looked happy, even though they hid a pang of annoyance of being robbed of their snack.
"Are you alright?" the redhead asked, leaning down next to Celton. He opened his jaw, stared at her, and closed it again. His eyes remained as wide as ever. The young woman rolled her eyes. She expected it as she had that effect on all men.
"Man!" Hufanse exclaimed, pulling off some of Celton's outfit to reveal his upper shoulders. "Look what they did to him!"
"It hurts!" Celton explained with a moan. The young woman sighed, looking back at the Dragons.
"Erkth…Mitirk…well?" she asked expectantly. They lightly roared and murmured something the three young men could not understand. The young woman, however, was nodding patiently.
"I see," she concluded, looking back at Celton. "Well, it won't do him no good till he's healed." The young red-haired woman placed both hands on Celton's head and hummed slightly. Both Dragons rested a claw on her shoulder.
Hufanse and Aundren watched in awe as a faint blue glow surrounded Celton. One by one, each and every bruise shrunk until it vanished completely, replaced by unbroken skin. Every broken bone in his body healed until there wasn't a crack left. All his tiredness and hunger melted away in an instant. When the blue shimmer faded away, Celton looked as good as new. Aundren smiled at Celton, happy for his recovery. Hufanse gaped at the woman. But he recovered quickly enough to point an accusing finger at her.
"You!" he cried. The woman cringed. Aundren, who was in the middle of helping Celton stand up, stared at the two.
"I'm sorry!" she pleaded. "I should've told you earlier…"
"You didn't finish!" Hufanse stated. "You left off at the missing for years part. We had no choice but to follow you as you walked away in silence. We depended on you for Celton…but now you have to tell us what is going on."
"What is going on?" Celton asked, confused, as he stood and tested his legs. They were working fine. Aundren took this time to explain.
"This young woman has been most kind in helping us find you, Celton. However, it was revealed just a while ago that she has some secret. If we can believe what she is telling us, she is the princess of the Dark Kingdom!" Celton gaped at her for the second time. The young woman lowered her eyes.
"You can start with your name," Hufanse said.
"Well…" the woman started slowly. "When I was born, I was given the name Faiya. However, when I escaped from the castle, I used the name Silhouette. You don't understand how much I've gone through, Hufanse. I had to change my lifestyle, my name, the way I walked, the way I talked, everything…I couldn't be found, not after I heard my parents talking." Faiya stopped suddenly, sighing and looking away to the side. Hufanse stepped up behind her and put an assuring arm on her shoulder.
"What did they say?" he asked.
"Well…this war…it's been planned for years. Even before my parents were in power, they had dreamed of conquering the whole Realm. They wanted both sides to be theirs. They wanted this to be the Dark Realm, not just the Dark Kingdom. They decided in secret how they would accomplish this. They collected a few select warriors that would be loyal to them at all costs. Most of the population they left alone. They figured the only way they would gain enough support is if they made the war seem like the fault of the Light Kingdom.
"Well, I heard them plan everything one night. I had gone to ask them about something and stopped outside their door. That was the night I received the shocking news… I didn't believe it at first. Planning such an attack made my parents…evil!" Faiya shuddered, pausing her story. Hufanse let his arm encircle her shoulders. Celton and Aundren had also surrounded her. She looked at all of them and smiled.
"They had been talking of creating a secret place…Shadow Town. Of course, it's not so secret anymore. A year ago, I think, a few people started figuring out about the Town. Few Light Kingdom residents know, though important people were allowed the knowledge to lessen the suspicion that hovered over the Dark Kingdom. The King and Queen of the Light Kingdom knew, and they told their most trusted subjects as to not scare their people. I remember meeting up with a Dark Sage once, in all my efforts. I gave him a map of the place that Clandestine members had managed to acquire, along with some other information.
"Well, anyway, most of the Dark Kingdom residents have no idea. Or else, they might realize this attack was planned by none other than Cosmo Queen and Jinzo. Anyway, my parents were slowly building an army. They raised their own Dragons and bred them. You might not know this, but most Dragons are herbivores. They don't like meat, until my parents came and screwed up their diet. They bred an entire army of savage creatures." Faiya turned and looked sadly at her Dragons. "These two were mine, before I escaped. Their names are really Tara and Tarent. They were nice Dragons. Now they've been reduced to savage creatures…I don't know how many of the original Dragons are left."
"So, then, what now?" Celton asked, surprised to hear his own voice. Faiya had been talking for a while. "I mean, now we know the war has been established by your parents to get rid of the Light Kingdom, the Dragons are now in it, and you…what have you been doing?"
"Well…I'm part of Clandestine." Faiya looked at Hufanse, remembering that she had mentioned it once. "It's really called the Clandestine Organization of the Liberated Dark, or COLD. I'm the leader of it. COLD is a group of select individuals - which sadly is too little a number - that are trying to stop this war. The thing is… most of the residents are under a spell. They are unswervingly obedient to the King and Queen. You two know this, of course." Faiya took a breath and pointed at Hufanse and Aundren. "You two are part of the few that have escaped the spell, somehow. You two managed to run for it, but the ones that stayed behind like me joined together. We are not blind to the truth; we are free from the spell. We're trying to free others as well."
"I'm now getting it," Celton remarked. "Wow! I can't believe Cy got me into all of this!"
"Who is Cy?" Faiya asked.
"She's our friend," Hufanse replied.
"And my little sister!" Celton added. "She started this whole thing when she accidentally gave away Hufanse and Aundren. Before we knew it, saving the two of them has turned into an attempt to stop this giant war." Faiya nodded sadly.
"Where is she?"
"Um…she's…OH NO!" Celton put both hands to his head. "I don't remember! Last I checked…"
"Don't worry!" Hufanse assured him. "She's with Svrion and they are heading to the Flute."
"The what?" Faiya exclaimed. "Why…that's in the Castle of Dark Illusions! They can't do that alone!" Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton gasped.
"I can't believe it!" Hufanse said. "We've been standing here the whole time…we need to get to Cy and Svrion fast!"
"You guys must have been crazy!" Faiya scolded, hands on her hips. "How can you send them up there alone? Did they fly on a normal aircraft? Well…even then… the Castle will sense them! Hurry…we must get to them. I'll help you three find a craft…but you three must go up there alone. This is horrible! The King and Queen will be alerted by the lightning attacks…"
"Lightning attacks…" Hufanse paled.
"Well…do you think the Castle was just going to float there while intruders advanced into its interior? Would you just stand there if someone were trying to dig their way into your heart? We must go now if there is any chance to save their lives!"
………
"I didn't think it was possible to get here so fast!" Celton panted. Aundren and Hufanse bent down, palms on their knees, taking hard breathes to restore their energy. Faiya had made them sprint from one end of the Town to the other. She had done the same with them, but she seemed to be untouched by the physical effort.
"I have my family's gift," Faiya explained as she gave them ten seconds to catch up. "None of us tire easily, and we have unexplainable powers. However, to even out that bargain, we are equally cursed. I never used to know what it was. Now I know…it is the evil that controls my parents. There always has to be some good and evil in this world to balance each other. It is my family that has to pay for the universe's equilibrium."
"Then…you too…" Hufanse said, straightening up. Faiya turned and looked at him.
"Yes…me too. I'm strong, I'm talented, I have good looks…but one day I'll be evil too. I can sense your sorrow, and I know why." Faiya looked down, keeping her eyes as far away from his as possible. "I'm not blind. But I warn you; I'm not the one for you. I do not know the circumstances, but one day I will not be on your side. Then, you will need to learn to forget me." Hufanse shook his head.
"No…you…I…but…"
"The Shadow Town Base, Castle Guard Fortress…" Faiya interrupted, though her voice was a whisper. She spread her hand out to reveal the buildings all around them. The foursome had stopped behind the largest of them all, a five-story structure built to house many aircrafts. Everywhere, Witty Phantoms and Lords of Dragons jogged about, preparing as if the war was starting right above their heads. Sure enough, it seemed as if it was. Either that, or the Castle was having a mood swing.
"Look at that!" Celton exclaimed, staring up at the sky. It was overcast, and dark clouds poured in from all around. The fiercest and darkest cloud that surrounded the top tower of the Castle mysteriously loomed in its place, sending out random thunderbolts that split the sky with a deafening crack. None of them actually made it to the ground. They just vanished, suspended in the air.
"As I thought," Faiya said. "Your friends have gone in there." She squinted up in the sky. "Do you see that other structure? At the bottom of the Castle?"
"It looks like a very strange aircraft," Aundren informed. Faiya gasped.
"It's my parents! The King and Queen are there!"
"What are we waiting for?" Hufanse said. "We need to go up there!"
"Are you crazy? The lightning is flashing like wild. You'll get us all killed."
"Celton! Don't be unreasonable! Your sister is up there!"
"The two of you must calm down. Let us listen to Faiya. Perhaps she has already thought of a way that we may safely approach the Castle." Aundren's suggestion seemed to be most reasonable. Faiya thought for a moment.
"We'll need to steal a craft," she said. "I can hold down the lightning, but you three still need a way to get up there."
"Sure, and getting an aircraft is going to be so easy," Hufanse said sarcastically, frowning at Faiya. She looked at him with a scowl.
"Now don't go getting angry at me cause I told you to stay away for your own safety."
"Yeah. Tell me to stay away after you've charmed me. Perfect timing, I couldn't love you more." Hufanse's voice still remained sarcastic. Celton wanted to interfere, but Aundren held him back.
"It is required that they settle this," he whispered to Celton. They turned back to the pair.
"You forget that I have a heart too! Don't think I'm doing this on purpose! It's not my fault I look attractive to men. It's your fault, if anyone's, for falling for it."
"Now blame it on me? You could have thrown your charm on someone else, like those guards, instead of-," Faiya cut him off by putting a finger to his lips.
"That is the best idea I have ever heard." Hufanse raised his eyebrows, confused, while Celton and Aundren stared at each other.
………
"My…the Castle is mad at something." The Lord of Dragons that was originally supposed to go up the Castle shook his head lightly as he wiped the last spot on the aircraft. It was his pride and joy, the first one that was actually his own and not a rental from the flying academy.
"Are you ready partner?" a blonde Lord of Dragons asked as he clapped a hand on his brown-haired friend that was finishing cleaning the plane. "Well, what a fury that Castle is in. Let's just hope it stops when we get near."
"Didn't that start when the temporary guards went up?" the brunette asked. The other nodded.
"Yep…wonder what was wrong. You go report this to the Major. I'm not sure he wants us out there." The brunette nodded and walked away to the tall building as the other Lord kept staring up at the darkening clouds, not even noticing the subtle footsteps behind him until the intruder put her hand on the aircraft.
"Hello…" she greeted seductively. The Lord turned around and immediately gaped. Faiya leaned back on the aircraft, twirling a strand of her bright red hair in her fingers and giving him a slow smile. Several paces behind her, Hufanse, Aundren, and Celton peeked out from behind a pillar. Aundren smirked, Celton grinned, and Hufanse scowled.
"Who are you?" the blonde Lord of Dragons asked, hand on his blade. Faiya backed off from the aircraft and advanced upon him, eyelashes fluttering.
"I'm…someone…" Faiya whispered, wrapping an arm around the blonde's waist. "I might ask…who are you?" She drew out every word, making it slow and seducing. Lifting her hand, she traced his jaw with her finger. "Why, what handsome men this Kingdom has." The Lord grinned foolishly, but Faiya quickly drew away.
"And what a lovely aircraft." Faiya ran a hand along its surface. "May I borrow it?"
"Borrow…borrow…" The blonde suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "It's my friend's…I don't think he'd want you…to…" Faiya turned around, pouting. She pressed her lips together and heaved a sigh.
"Couldn't you do this one thing for me, please my dear?" She returned to the blonde Lord and put her arms around his shoulders, leaving him stuttering.
"Well…I could…I would…" Faiya didn't let him continue. Without warning, she pulled him down and closed the distance between their lips.
Quite a distance away, Aundren and Celton gagged, and Hufanse's jaw nearly hit the floor, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
Back at the aircraft, Faiya pulled away slowly, smiling devilishly up at the Lord who now had definitely lost it.
"I'll go ask my friend," he replied faintly, stumbling back to the building. As soon as he was gone, Faiya quickly ushered her friends to the scene.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Hufanse cried out, nearly about to attack Faiya. She placed a hand to her lips.
"I didn't mean to! I needed to accomplish that fast! That was the quickest way I could think of!" Hufanse looked away with a huff as Faiya glanced up at him. "I'm sorry…"
"Whatever…" Hufanse brushed her past, aiming to get onto the aircraft, but Faiya held his arm.
"Good luck. I won't be coming with you. I need to alert the other members of COLD." Hufanse gave her a hard glance. She sadly looked up at him. Hufanse placed his hand on top of hers, but only briefly as he removed her hold on his arm. Faiya hugged her shoulders.
"The lightning?" he asked quietly, not really looking at her while doing so.
"I can suppress it from down here, it's you three that have to go up there after all. Be careful, Hufanse." The Lord of Dragons gave a grunt and boarded the aircraft quickly. Faiya reached out to him, but pulled back her hand quickly. It was too late. But it was all for the better. He only had a crush on her anyway. The faster it went away, the better it was for him. Faiya had said that herself. Now why was she feeling bad?
"Let's go," Hufanse said. Aundren and Celton looked at each other, then back at him.
"Are you sure you are okay?" Celton asked, putting a hand on Hufanse's shoulder gently. He angrily swiped it off.
"Of course I am!" he snapped. The Knight and the Magician-to-be stared at each other.
"Well, then, we best be off!" Aundren announced with a fake smile, looking at Faiya and giving her a nod. "Thank you. We will meet again."
"Of course…" she looked at Hufanse who gave her one piercing look, "…once more at least…till I go evil." Hufanse looked away. Faiya wasn't sure, but she was almost positive she saw a tear run down his cheek.
The steering wheel started glowing a sickly black as soon as it sensed all its passengers were on board. Faiya backed away slowly and the craft took off, soaring towards the Castle in the sky. The red-haired woman waved at them until a blast of lightning shook the sky.
I must hurry and find a place to hide, and then, I must work on the lightning. Faiya hurried away, banishing the aircraft from her mind as she prepared the spell to control the storm. Above her, the dark cloud of the Castle almost seemed to grin as it showered six strong lightning bolts down upon the unsuspecting Realm that the five heroes were trying so desperately to save.