Strength
"Quit sulking, we'll go back!" Maven said. He was getting quite annoyed with the inconsolable girl.
"Come on Raven! Talk to us!" Sanga pleaded. Raven's lips stayed stuck in a frown. Her spirit sank lower with every great wing beat Sanga took.
"Okay lady, listen! We'll go back to see your little friend after you become a summoner." Maven said angrily. Raven looked back at Maven curiously.
"How did you know that I wanted to be a summoner?" Raven asked.
"I have my sources." Maven said.
"So, I'm really going to be a summoner? You expect me to trust your word?" Raven asked.
"Only if you want it, and if you're prepared. Linda's been instructing you behind your father's back, right? So it should be no problem." Maven said.
"You sure know a lot about me. That's really freaky." Raven said.
"Hey! We're almost there! Hold on tight!" Sanga said. Raven nearly stopped breathing as Sanga started to descend to the ground. She couldn't help but scream as they fell from the sky. Maven laughed at her reaction, which earned him an elbow to the ribcage. When Sanga touched the ground, Raven fell off of his back onto the grass trying to dismount. Maven gracefully hopped off of Sanga's back and looked down at the fallen girl.
"Ouch! That was…wow…" Raven said. She looked up at Maven, who was still laughing at her.
"What's so funny, you gun-slinging meanie?" Raven shouted. Maven's laughter softened as he bent over and extended a hand to her.
"Poor you! You never really got out much, did you?" Maven said. Still tired and grumpy, Raven took his hand cautiously. Maven pulled her up and put an arm around her shoulders.
"What the heck?" Raven shouted. Maven smiled and motioned to a village behind a few trees. Sanga gave a toothy grin and stretched his limbs out.
"Well, I'm going to go get some rest with the other dragons. It was nice meeting you, Raven. Goodnight!" Sanga said. He started to trot off towards the forest.
"Okay, goodnight Sanga!" Maven shouted.
"Goodnight." Raven said.
"Shall we, milady?" Maven asked.
"Wow, that was almost gentlemanlike." Raven said.
"Wait, before we go, let's clean your face off. You're a bloody mess." Maven said. Raven touched her hand to her cheek and was embarrassed to feel dry blood. Maven opened his pack and took out a white box. He pulled a white cloth from the box, and handed it to Raven.
"It might sting like ten thousand needles." Maven said.
"What?" Raven asked nervously.
"Nothing." Maven said. Raven reluctantly cleaned her face off with the cloth, staining it a rusty color.
"Wow, dad really hit me hard…" Raven said.
"Wait, your dad did that to you?" Maven asked.
"Yeah, but he smacks everyone around. Even the Chocobos." Raven said. Maven had heard that the King was an aggressive man, but that kind of behavior was just not right.
"So…" Raven said. She wanted to change the subject as soon as possible.
"Let's go to my house. You must be cold." Maven said. He led Raven into the heart of the small village. Not many people were out and about at this hour. One man however, was sitting on his front porch smoking a long pipe.
"Good evening Maven. Who's your new lady friend?" The old man said.
"Hey Shroy. This is Raven, the one Roa told me to go get." Maven said.
"Pleased to meet you Mister Shroy." Raven said before curtsying.
"Heh! Well ain't she something? You take good care of this one!" Shroy said.
"That's my job...Well, not always." Maven said. Raven smiled shyly at Shroy, who was smiling at her. Maven gave her a light push on the back.
"Take care you old coot. See you tomorrow!" Maven said.
"Heh! Goodnight you whippersnappers!" Shroy said. As they walked away, Maven started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Raven asked. She was getting a strong feeling that this wasn't going to be nice.
"Nothing…It's just…who curtsies these days? I've never seen anyone behave like that." Maven said while trying to refrain from laughing.
"Well, I'm sorry! It's how I was brought up!" Raven said. She gave Maven an angry look, causing him to quiet down.
Maven and Raven walked over to a dark red house across the road and walked up the steps.
"House sweet house." Maven said before opening the door. He lit a candle that was sitting on a nearby table, and led Raven to the bedroom. He opened his closet, pulled out two futons and unfolded them on the floor.
"We'll sleep on these in here. Is that okay?" Maven asked. He looked up at Raven for approval. As soon as she opened her mouth to say it was just fine, Maven spoke again.
"Or, we could just share one futon!" Maven said, grinning.
"You pervert!" Raven shrieked. She picked up her pack and swung it at Maven.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for? I was just kidding!" Maven shouted. He rubbed his head and sat down on his futon. Raven sat down on her futon, but she didn't answer Maven.
"What's in that bag? It felt like a brick." Maven asked. He watched curiously as Raven took out a silver box and opened it. She pulled out a colorful doll the size of her hand, a silver necklace, two feathers, and a flute.
"These are things that are very special to me." Raven said proudly.
"Special? This stuff? How?" Maven asked. Raven smiled and picked up the flute.
"This was a gift that my stepmother, Queen Rena gave to me when we first met." Raven said. She put the flute down, and then picked up the feathers and the doll.
"Linda gave me these feathers on the day of a town festival. She said that they have magical powers. My real mother made this doll for me before she died. It's a guardian knight, see the fighting suit...?" Raven said. She got a hazy, distant look in her eyes as she looked at the little doll.
"Hey, are you alright?" Maven said. He looked at her, concerned.
"Hm? Oh, this necklace…" Raven said as she picked up the silver chain necklace with the symbol pendant.
"Linda gave this to me on my birthday this year. She said that it's from someone she hopes that I'll meet someday soon." Raven said.
"Can I see it?" Maven asked. Raven put all of the items back into the box except the necklace, which she handed to Maven. He held it up and examined it.
"Put it on." Maven said. Raven gave him a quizzical look as she took the necklace from him and hung it around her neck.
"It looks good on you. Maybe if you wear it when you travel around, you can find that person Linda wants you to meet." Maven said. Raven gave him a smile of appreciation.
"Thank you. So, when do we get my summoning rod?" Raven said. Maven kicked off his boots and tossed his jacket onto a dresser.
"Tomorrow. Is that okay? Can your highness wait that long?" Maven said.
"Very funny mister. Don't call me 'your highness,' I hate that." Raven said.
"Don't call me 'mister,' I hate that." Maven said. Raven laughed as Maven took his glasses and hat off, and then put them onto a small desk.
"By the way, can I change into my nightgown somewhere?" Raven asked.
"Yeah, I have a bathroom right across the hall." Maven said. Raven took her nightgown out of her pack and walked across the hall into the bathroom. After she changed, she went back into the bedroom where Maven was already sleeping. She laid down on the futon, pulled the quilt over her and slowly fell asleep. That night, she had an unusually vivid dream. Raven found herself standing waist-deep in water. In front of her was a man with flipped out blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He smiled, and extended a closed hand to her. Raven touched his hand with hers, curious to see what was inside. He opened his hand and revealed the same silver necklace Linda had given her. He took the necklace, hung it around her neck, and then stepped back.
"See..." The man said. He slowly started to fade away with the surroundings.
"No! Don't go!" Raven yelled. She bolted upright, covered in a cold sweat. Maven followed soon after, gun in hand.
"Alright! Who's there? Show yourself!" Maven demanded, waving around his weapon.
"Woah! Calm down! It's just me!" Raven said. Both of them were breathing heavily. Maven turned to face Raven and gave her a deranged look.
"Okay lady, I've got two questions for you! One: Do you always scream like that early in the morning? Two: Did anyone ever tell you how fabulous that night gown looks on you?" Maven said. Raven grabbed one of her shoes and flung it at his head. Maven easily dodged the flying shoe.
"Hah! You missed!" Maven said. Raven clenched her teeth and let out an aggravated growl.
"I assume you are hungry right now." Maven said.
"Yes." Raven said. Maven stood up and tied back his long black hair.
"Okay then, I'll make breakfast." Maven said.
"Wait, would you mind if I made breakfast? You did save me from my father, and you even let me stay in your house." Raven said.
"Suit yourself. The kitchen is down the hall; you can use whatever I have in there. I'll be out picking some berries. Have fun." Maven said.
"Okay." Raven said. She got up and walked down the hall and into the kitchen.
In the meantime, Maven had started climbing the berry tree growing in his backyard.
"Good morning Maven." A serious female voice spoke from below.
"Hey Roa." Maven said. He plucked a cluster of red berries from the branches of the tree and put them in the basket.
"Shroy told me that you have succeeded in bringing us the girl." Roa said.
"Yeah, that's right. For Auturn's wealthiest royal family, the security sure sucks." Maven said.
"I'm not surprised. You will take her to get her summoning rod today, correct?" Roa said.
"Yeah, don't get your knickers in a knot." Maven said. He finished picking the berries and stepped down the ladder leaning against the tree. He turned around and saw Roa standing there. She was about a foot taller than he was, dressed in some kind of faux leopard skin, and had eerilyglossybrown eyes and sandy blond hair.
"You always were an odd one." Roa said.
"If by odd, you mean getting the job done exceptionally well, then thank you." Maven said. Roa smiled brightly at Maven and patted him on the shoulder.
"You did good, kid. Oh, there's one more thing I needed to talk to you about. You do know that if she's going to be a summoner, she needs a guardian, right?" Roa said. Maven's eyes widened, and he could feel his stomach doing somersaults.
"You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking, because if that's what you're thinking, forget it!" Maven said.
"You are assigned the position of temporary guardian! Congratulations!" Roa said.
"What? Why can't we just hire someone else?" Maven said. He was feeling extremely pissed off right now.
"Normally summoners have guardians that they have known for a long time. Up until this point, Raven has only had Linda to rely on. Linda isn't capable of fighting, and she is still at the castle. Now, I've seen how you two interact with each other. Over time, I just know that you'll get used to each other." Roa said.
"I have plans, and they don't involve becoming a lousy guardian." Maven said.
"What plans? Sleeping around?" Roa said.
"Will you stop using that against me?" Maven asked angrily.
"You're the best we have Maven." Roa said.
"Coming from you, that's saying something." Maven said. He started to walk away, but Roa stopped him.
"Please Maven?" Roa asked. Maven looked from Roa to the berry tree, then back to Roa.
"All right, but only if-" Maven said before noticing a tuft of blue smoke coming from his kitchen window. He yelled and started to run to his house.
"Bye Maven!" Roa yelled. Her form slowly became transparent, and disappeared.
Maven threw open the front door of his house and sprinted into the kitchen. Raven was standing there with a skillet in her hand.
"Oh! Hello! I'm almost done with the food!" Raven said proudly.
"What the bloody hell are you doing? What was all that smoke from!" Maven shouted. Raven shrunk back, holding a wooden spoon in front of her face.
"Well…A chef at the castle told me if you put in a half cup of potion with the eggs when you scramble them, it's very healthy. See? It helps you get energized, and it's a butter substitute!" Raven said. She tried to appear innocent as Maven took the skillet from her and put it on the stove. He placed the basket of berries in the middle of the table and pulled out plates and silverware.
"I'm sorry…" Raven said timidly. She poured water into two cups and placed them on opposite sides of the table.
"It's okay. Just tell me before you cook up something weird like that again." Maven said.
"Yes sir." Raven said.
"Don't call me 'sir,' its just Maven. I'm not that old." Maven said.
"How old are you?" Raven asked.
"Eighteen. What about you? Eleven?" Maven asked.
"Very funny wise guy. I'm sixteen." Raven said.
"Really? You don't act it." Maven said.
"Really." Raven said. They sat down and started to eat. Maven looked doubtfully at the blue eggs Raven made.
"Don't worry, it's only the egg whites." Raven said. She smiled reassuringly at Maven.
"Right." Maven said before taking a cautious bite.
"Is it good?" Raven asked. Maven swallowed and looked up at Raven.
"Yeah. This is good." Maven said.
"Thanks." Raven said. She picked up her fork and took a bite of the eggs. When they had both finished, Raven helped Maven wash the dishes.
"Raven, how long have you practiced and prepared yourself to be a summoner?" Maven asked.
"As long as I can remember, Linda gave me lessons and took me to pray under my father's nose. Ever since I was little we would go and have summoning lessons along with my other schooling." Raven said.
"You still are little." Maven said.
"Oh, stop it!" Raven said. She splashed Maven with the soapy water from the sink. Maven laughed sadistically and splashed her back.
"Never! Besides, you better get used to it, milady. From now on we're going to be spending a lot of time together." Maven said.
"What do you mean?" Raven asked.
"Roa, the one that sent me to get you, has assigned me the position of your temporary guardian." Maven said. Raven's jaw dropped and she nearly dropped the plate she was holding. Maven saw her expression and faked disappointment.
"What? Don't you like me?" Maven asked. Raven turned around and put the last dish away. Maven crossed his arms and walked in front of Raven.
"Look, if this is about Linda, I already told you that we'll go back. Right now we have more important things to do. Today we're going to get you your summoning rod. Now go get dressed so we can leave." Maven said. Raven walked out of the kitchen without a word. Maven growled in irritation. Out of all of the women that he'd known throughout the years, she was the most emotional.
"Women…" He muttered to himself.
Raven grabbed her robes, walked into the washroom, and shut the door. Part of her was happier than she'd ever been because she knew that she was going to be a summoner. On the other hand, she missed Linda terribly, and was very scared of the situation she was in. Maven was different from all of the men she had known. He was strong both mentally and physically, and it kind of intimidated her. She knew that this was what she wanted. She knew that this was the right thing to do. What she didn't know was why she was so sad. When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw Maven pacing in the hallway, ready to go.
"Are we coming back?" Raven asked.
"Does a Shoupuff have big feet?" Maven asked.
"Just wondering." Raven said as she and Maven approached the door. Maven opened the door for her and motioned for her to go.
"Ladies first." Maven said.
"No, guardians first. What if a Chimera is waiting outside, ready to pounce on me?" Raven said.
"Then…when it swallows you whole, I'll cut it's stomach open and pull you out. Or, if it attacks you, I'll laugh, then kill it! Now go!" Maven said. Raven looked at Maven and hesitated before stepping outside.
"How sweet." Raven said sarcastically. Maven walked out after her and shut the door behind him. They walked through the town until the cobblestone road turned into a dirt path leading into the dense forest.
"We're going to go through here. Stay close to me because there are monsters in here." Maven said.
"I have my knife." Raven said.
"Oh? You mean the one you tried to stab me with?" Maven asked teasingly.
"Yes guardian, this is the one." Raven said. The two walked cautiously down the forest path. In the distance, a large stone building was visible.
"Maven, what is that?" Raven asked, pointing it out.
"That would be where you get your rod." Maven said. After a few uncomfortably quiet minutes, Raven tried to make conversation.
"So…how long have you lived in that village?" Raven asked.
"About fifteen years." Maven said.
"What do you do for a living?" Raven asked.
"I shoot things." Maven said with a fancy twirl of his gun. Raven watched in amusement as Maven continued to twirl the gun around his finger. A rustle of leaves broke their concentration.
"Maven?" Raven asked as she backed into her guardian.
"Raven, remember what I said about the Chimera?" Maven asked.
"Y-yes." Raven said.
"Keep that in mind as we run, okay?" Maven said. Raven was too frightened to respond. Three large, ugly, black heads popped out of the foliage. One was some kind of bird, the other a drooling hound, and the last one was of a bull with large horns. Maven grabbed Raven's arm and pulled. They sprinted as fast as they could, the howling Chimera behind them. Maven looked back several times and fired well-aimed shots at each of the heads.
"Don't stop!" Maven shouted.
"You think I want to!" Raven said.
The Chimera was nearly upon them as they reached the steps of the building. It lunged at Raven, baring it's teeth. Raven thought she was a goner until she felt Maven pull her out of the way and push her behind him. The Chimera landed on Maven and pinned him to the steps.
"Maven!" Raven shrieked. She pulled out her knife and plunged it into the neck of the hound head. There was a roar and a violent spray of blood as the Chimera flailed around in pain, releasing Maven. Raven grabbed her knife from the Chimera while it was distracted. She ran over to Maven and pulled him up. They ran up the stairs and opened the doors to the building, then slammed them shut. They looked at each other, dotted with Chimera blood and breathing hard.
"Thanks." They said in unison.
"Well, that was a bit of a scare, now wasn't it?" A voice said.
"Shroy, you jackass! Why didn't you help us!" Maven shouted. Raven looked up as the man from the night before approached them. Instead of normal clothes, he was dressed in a priest robe.
"Good work you two. Only those aspiring summoners and guardians with strong bonds can make it up here. Yes, good work indeed." Shroy said.
"Strong bonds? But we only met last night. How can we have a strong bond?" Raven said. Shroy just smiled at them.
"I can't answer that. Would you like to get your staff now, summoner-to-be?" Shroy said.
"Y-yes please." Raven said.
"Always trying to change the subject, eh Shroy?" Maven asked.
"You know it, Maven." Shroy said with a smile. He led them down a long hallway filled with colorful light from the stained glass windows on the wall. The end of the hallway opened up to a great room with a circular pool of water in the middle.
"Now, before we get started, I need you two to change into these." Shroy said while handing them a pair of plain white robes. After they changed, they walked back to the pool where Shroy was waiting near a podium with a scroll and a basket full of jars. Raven looked questioningly at Maven who shrugged.
"Alright now! Raven, will you please get into the pool and lie down?" Shroy said.
"Okay…" Raven said. She slowly waded into the crystal clear water of the pool and floated on her back.
"Now Maven, get in and hold her up so she doesn't drown." Shroy said. Maven got in and put his hands underneath Raven's head and ankles.
"This water is cold." Raven said.
"Really? It feels warm to me." Maven said.
"Okay kids, you have to be quiet for a moment." Shroy said. Maven and Raven fell silent. Shroy opened up a few of the jars in the basket, opened up the scroll and placed it on the podium.
"Raven, close your eyes and try to relax." Shroy said. Raven closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She felt her consciousness start to drift away. Shroy began to recite a passage from the scroll in another language. As he talked, the water in the pool started to swirl around like a whirlpool. Shroy picked up a jar and poured it's contents into the water, which created a flurry of white sparks. Maven squinted as the white sparks merged together to form a white rod suspended in mid-air above Raven's body. Shroy recited another verse and grabbed a handful of what looked like leaves from another jar, and dropped them into the water. A bunch of black sparks floated upward from the pool and created four black twisted wires that attached themselves an inch from the top of the rod. Maven looked at the rod that was forming in front of him, wondering how this whole ritual worked. The water started spinning faster, and it was becoming harder to stand. Maven looked down at Raven who was surprisingly still. Shroy paused for a moment, and then started singing a hymn. Shroy took a handful of a glittery powder from a jar and slowly let it fall from his hand into the pool. A spherical bright white light filled the room as Shroy's singing got louder. Maven looked up at it in awe at what was happening. The light fixed itself on the very top of the rod. Shroy's voice slowly got softer along with the light. In it's place was a small, thick, glass sphere with a black cross and small black stripes on it. The pool stopped swirling and the water once again became calm.
"Raven, do you understand the risks and accept the task of being a summoner?" Shroy said.
"Yes." Raven said, moving only her lips.
"Then from this day forward, you are now a summoner. Solidify." Shroy said. The summoning rod slowly descended onto Raven's body. Maven was about to poke her to see if she was awake, but her eyes snapped open as soon as the rod touched her. She clasped her hands around the staff and looked up at Maven. Shroy kneeled down and looked at the two in the pool.
"You're finished now you two, now you can get out." Shroy said.
"That was weird…" Maven said. He lifted Raven up and walked out of the pool.
"That was a good ceremony. You've made a wonderful rod." Shroy said.
"Thanks." Raven said.
"Raven, can you stand?" Maven asked.
"I'm fine, you can put me down now!" Raven said.
"Yes milady." Maven said right before he took her summoning rod and dropped her back into the pool. Shroy's eyes bugged out as he ran over to the pool. Raven surfaced, gasping for air. Maven laughed at the very angry girl.
"Maven! I'm going to kick your butt!" Raven said as she got out of the pool.
"I'd like to see you try!" Maven taunted.
Shroy shook his head with a smile on his face.
"Let's get you two changed and go to the temple. This is where the real fun begins." Shroy said.