I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
by Corycian Muse
I know, I haven't updated in a while! I'm very sorry! I have edited a couple of chapters for mistakes, though, and now I've completed Chapter Six! Again, sorry for the wait, but I'm pleased with this chapter, so I hope you'll like it.
CombatWombat: Thank you for your 'short' review. This story was actually going to start of as a humor crossover, but it turned right away from those catagories.
Jupiter Vixen: Well, you'll find out in this chapter! Thanks for the review.
Naomi Irving: Thankyou for the review!
PyroDragon88: Yep, they're all pretty evil guys at the moment! As you'll see, there's a bit of Aquashipping in this chappy, and don't worry 'cos there'll be more! And update Demonic Wars! It's great and original!
abstractmind: Feizhi IS manipulative. That is the perfect word to describe her. And as for the Saturos/Menardi part, well, I'm planning that for the next chappy, so wait and see, matey! lol!
Meneil: Yay! I'm so glad you're reviewing! And I'm glad you like Ivan as a Warlord (It sounds quite... humorous! ). And thank you too for pointing out that I'd literally repeated a whole paragraph in Chapter 4. I really don't know how that happened!
Thank yourrr (It's in 'You've Got Mail') for all your reviews!
Please, Read, Review, and Enjoy!...
Chapter Six: Promise
Isaac stood, paralysed.
He watched as fear stabbed through him, and his emotions continued to swell. But, for all that he felt, he could not move. "Jenna…" he muttered, as his eyes grew wide.
He watched, immobilised, as they dragged her limp body away. He watched as they disappeared from sight. He had never felt more useless in his life… And yet, he could have done something, if only he hadn't missed that opportune moment. He had failed to save her, and it was no one else's fault, but his.
Then it struck him.
Isaac turned, shaking slightly, staring at the ground. He brought his vision up, and his eyes rested upon the girl who stood before him with a smug grin upon her face. That grin slowly disappeared as she stared into the contracted pupils of Isaac.
Suddenly those pupils dilated, and Isaac snarled. Taking a furious step forward, he grabbed hold of Feizhi's shoulders and shook her. "Where have they taken her! Where!" he yelled, making her gasp. Then his voice dipped so it was seething in anger and frustration. "You know them, don't you? This was your plan, to set me up, to take her away for an unknown reason… tell me everything." His lip quivered.
"I don't know… what you mean," she said tensely, clutching at his arms as he held her. "Get off me now!"
"Yes, you do know what I mean!" Isaac shouted back. "Tell me - !"
"What's this? What are you doing Isaac?"
He let go off Feizhi and instead took a tight hold upon her lower arm as if she might run away. Quickly, he turned to see Piers hurriedly walking towards them.
"Are you in this conspiracy too?" Isaac yelled at him, furious. "You know this girl? Planning to team up with all those – foreigners who took Jenna away!"
"Isaac..?" Piers muttered, bewildered. "What… what are you talking… what happened?" He looked from Isaac who was breathing heavily to Feizhi standing quietly next to him.
"They took Jenna," Isaac snarled, letting go of her arm and turning to face Piers full-on.
"Who did?" Piers asked, suddenly trying to suppress the anxiety and fear that was growing inside of him.
Isaac held up a shaking finger and pointed it at Feizhi who was now standing mutely before them, distant and calm. "Her… friends!" he spat, taking a step towards her. Piers immediately grabbed onto his arm, holding him back.
"Whatever happened, violence isn't going to sort it out!" he said hurriedly. "And nothing is going to get done if we stand here on the beach -"
"- She'll know where they've taken Jenna!" Isaac said scornfully, still not taking his eyes from Feizhi's passive face. "It's her you should be confronting, interrogating – whatever you want to call it!" He roughly pulled his arm from Piers' grip, and stood, breathing heavily, eyebrows furrowed.
There was a moment of silence.
Piers heaved a sigh and moved his gaze onto Feizhi. "I take it you're not planning on running away," he said. "Seeing as you are still here, and haven't made any moves to…"
Feizhi nodded mildly. "There would be no sense in me escaping," she said. "My job is done; I have no home to go to. I think I'll stay here for a while."
Piers frowned, suddenly feeling very lost. "Please, Isaac," he said. "For now, forget who's done this, and concentrate on Jenna. Does Felix know? Where is he?"
"How the hell do I know?" Isaac said, voice rising once more. The very thought of Jenna's older brother was downright pissing him off.
Piers quickly raised his hand, in an attempt to calm him. After staying in the village for a few days now, he had not once seen Isaac act like this. "You're normally so positive, Isaac," he said, saying his thoughts. "Try and be optimistic about the situation now. Jenna's not dead; otherwise they would have killed her on the beach. And more importantly, why did they do it in the first place?"
"Well, I'm sure she would know," Isaac said moodily, nodding towards Feizhi.
"Actually, I don't," she answered breezily.
Piers sighed, close to exasperation. "Well let us return to the village then," he said. "Standing around here all day, won't solve any problems, will it?"
He was right… about everything. This wasn't like Isaac to act out like this. He sighed, and turned to Piers, nodding, and still close to disbelief of whether this was happening or not. It was all too much of a coincidence…
It was reaching twilight. The dusk was settling in, and the noises that came only at night were starting to awaken. The soft moon hung low in the dying azure sky, as the Sun made its way slowly to the horizon.
Felix brought the reigns further under Isatis' jaw, and carried on along the dusted path. The horse's hooves kicked up dust clouds every time they were placed on the ground, while Felix's own footsteps were quiet.
He knew Sheba had come here; it was the place she had been brought up in – the only connection she had to where her family might have come from. And he had seen her leaving in the night.
It was a question to them all where Sheba had gone, but Felix had merely said that she had returned home. He said nothing else, and he knew Sheba wouldn't have wanted him to. But now he had to see her, and he had to see the man who might just have an idea about what was going on. The one who had cared for Sheba.
Isatis snorted, bringing Felix out of his thoughts. He patted her neck. "Not long now," he murmured, seeing the rise of buildings ahead of him. First he would go to the Inn and get Isatis into a stable with some decent food and water, but then he would have to see Sheba, and hope that she was with Faran.
It wasn't as busy as it might have been throughout the morning, but there were people around. They glanced slightly furtively at Felix as he walked past, eyes down and his long bangs shadowing his features, but they kept their distance, and carried on with their business as usual.
Felix tied Isatis up and slipped into the Inn, coming out soon afterwards with a stable for the mare and a room for the night. He took up Isatis' reigns once more and led her through the arch before bringing her into the designated stable. Once he had sorted her tack, and settled her in, he gave her strong neck a lost stroke before leaving, and feeling suddenly, strangely, alone.
"Excuse me?" Felix asked, walking carefully up to a young lady who was sweeping the area around her small white-washed house. She turned, and eyed him speculatively.
"Yes?" she said flatly.
Despite the disappearance of the Sun, the heat still hung uncomfortably in the air, and Felix felt his own perspiration trickle down his temple, his long hair making it all the more hot for him. "Do you know where the man Faran lives?" he asked, adjusting his cloak.
"Yes, he lives further down this road, by the river," she said coldly, still eying him. Felix gulped, and gave her his best smile.
"Thank you," he said, and turned away, happy to get out of her presence. He could still feel her eyes boring into his back as he walked away down the road.
"They what!" Garet slammed his fist on the table, causing it to shake dangerously. He jumped to his feet, which also happened to nearly topple the table over. It certainly wasn't having a good day today.
"You heard," Isaac muttered. "Jenna's gone, and it's my fault that they got her in the first place."
Garet was silent for a few seconds, thinking it over in his head. "Don't go blaming yourself, Isaac. That's not going to make anything better, and it's not true anyway."
"He's right," Piers said, nodding. He looked at them seriously. "Does Ivan know yet? And Felix, more importantly… where is he? Does he know?"
"I haven't seen Felix for two days," Isaac said, feeling miserable. Garet patted him on the back comfortingly.
Just then, Mia hurried into the room, causing everyone to look up, surprised. She seemed rushed, and out of breath, and she came to a stop before them, looking around as if she were waiting for something.
"So Jenna's gone," she said in a tone that was strange to her.
Piers' eyes softened at the sight of her. Her presence was strange – familiar to him, as if he had known her for a long time, but there was another feeling there too, that he couldn't quiet explain. It was something he had never felt before, and yet, he felt more secure. "You heard then," he said quietly.
She nodded, not taking her eyes from him. She seemed almost oblivious to the others in the room. "I've just been comforting Jenna's mother, but that's not the point," she said, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes.
Isaac's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward.
Mia sighed exasperatedly. "Don't you see?" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "Don't you see the coincidence? Don't you see what it all means?" She was near hysterical, and it unnerved everyone in the room. This certainly wasn't like Mia either.
She was staring at Isaac now, eyes wide, waiting for him to say something. Her breathing was shallow, and her hands rested on the table as she leant into it. Isaac didn't know what to say, so he frowned.
"Tell us Mia," came a quiet voice right next to her. She gasped and stepped back, surprised at her lack of control in herself. Her eyes flickered towards the person who had spoken, and they rested on the golden orbs that were watching her intently. "Tell us what you know," Piers said.
He could not take his eyes from her soft blue ones. The sensation that had been fluttering through his body was growing stronger – it was bursting with energy inside him, and he had an overpowering urge to reach out and touch her creamy-white cheek, or run his fingers through her flowing, soft hair. It was becoming too overpowering…
Piers broke their gaze, and looked to the floor. "Tell us what you know," he repeated, his muscles feeling tense.
Mia furrowed her eyebrows, mentally shaking her head. "Well…" she said slowly, trying to get herself back on track. "It's his doing. I know it; I've known him almost all of my life."
"Who's doing?" Isaac asked, fearing the answer. His fear was acknowledged.
"…Alex," came the quiet reply.
Surprised, everyone gazed over to the new person to talk. Feizhi leaned against the wall, arms folded, her eyes closed. She opened them and looked about the room, and there was no malice in her eyes this time.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.
It must have been a river once, but Felix wasn't quite sure what it would be called now. There was no water in it, only a few patches of scrub amongst the cracked ground of the bed.
Still, there were no other 'rivers' around the area, and it was at the bottom of the road the woman had told him to stay on. There was a small cottage further along by the riverbank, and seeing as there were no other houses around, it could only be Faran's house. If it wasn't, then Felix would have to continue looking.
He made his way towards the cottage, keeping to the edge of the bank, and tugged at his cloak around his neck. It was making things unbelievably hot for him, and he hadn't drunk for a while now.
But before he could reach the cottage, the door started to open, surprising him. Felix stopped in his tracks, and watched.
"Don't worry, I won't be long!" came the voice, almost annoyed. After a moment's pause, she said, "Yes, I know," and then shut the door behind her. She looked up, straight ahead of her.
And their eyes met.
Sheba blinked. "Felix?" she said, sounding quite confused. "What are you doing here? How did you know...?" Her voice trailed off, and she scratched her head, looking rather bemused. "You came here for me?" she asked finally, sounding too pleased for Felix's liking.
"Uh, I suppose," Felix said, walking slowly towards her. "But I do need to speak to Faran as well. Is that where he lives then?" he asked, nodding to the cottage behind the 14-year old.
"Yeah," Sheba answered, her smile fading. There was an awkward silence.
Maybe Felix had got to the point a bit too quickly. He decided to turn the subject back to Sheba. "So, how are you?" he asked, shrugging slightly.
"Oh I'm fine, thanks," she said, not looking at him. "And… thanks for saving me that day…" Before Felix could reply (rather uncomfortably), she turned away from him, and opened the door of the cottage.
"Faran!" she called in. "There's someone here to see you…"
A distinct grunt of annoyance emanated from the doorway, and then the gruff reply of, "I'm in here," followed.
Sheba left the door open and turned to Felix. "He's in there," she repeated, pointing over her shoulder. Then, she walked straight past Felix, and carried on up the road, not looking back.
Felix watched her, frowning, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides. Did I hurt her feelings as well? He asked himself, although the answer was blatantly obvious to him, and anyone who might have been watching.
Suddenly, a strong voice called out of the house again, making him jump. "Are you coming in, or are you just going to leave the door open!"
Well, he couldn't go after Sheba now, and his first purpose to come here had been to see Faran. Felix turned, and walked into the cool darkness of the house. He walked through the first door, to find himself in a room centred by a large table, sat at by one person. He looked up.
"Why hello, Felix," he said almost immediately. "I haven't seen you in a good four years…"
Night was quickly settling in over the village and the sea. The stars were faintly twinkling in the sky, and the moon hung ethereally in its crescent.
Garet had since disappeared, saying that he had to stay responsible to his family. It was around this time, after all, when Aaron started to sleepwalk into the forest, and the 'mayor' hadn't been seen for a good few days – by Garet or anyone else.
In Garet's place, Ivan had arrived, and he, along with Isaac, Mia and Piers, had sat around the table with Feizhi, either falling into strong conversations, or lapses of silence and deep thought.
Feizhi had admitted it, straight out. She had told them everything she knew, and they had all listened intently to her words.
They had hired Feizhi because she had the appearance of someone from the village's land. They had met Alex, who had consequently joined with them in their aid to control this land, though it was possible that Alex wanted something else. And through Alex, they had ordered Feizhi to frame Isaac before they captured her. Once Feizhi's job was complete, it did not matter whether she remained in the village or not; her information was 'worthless', and their priority of capturing Jenna was complete.
Now the only question was who 'they' were.
"They are people of the North," Feizhi said, trying to explain. "And they are strong in the element of Fire." She paused. "I don't know what they were planning, and are still planning to do, but I'm pretty sure this land that you live on is worth more than you think… and that 'worth' is not in money."
"So, they may have been planning to attack our land and gain whatever this special thing is," Ivan said thoughtfully. "But they were probably made to believe, that by completing that objection, they had to first… weaken the people who lived there."
"Are you saying that's why they captured Jenna and framed me?" Isaac asked, beginning to understand. "So now Jenna thinks that I'm a two-timing womanizer or something?"
Ivan chuckled, while Piers smiled at his comment.
"Maybe," said Mia suddenly to Isaac, "You were framed, so Jenna felt betrayed. It would weaken her and they might be able to get some information out of it."
They were silent.
"I never saw it like that," Ivan said at last, impressed.
"But what information would Jenna know?" Isaac asked incredulously. "Up until Piers arrived here, this was a completely normal village on the coast of our land! And we don't even know what this 'special' thing is!"
Ivan coughed. "That's not entirely true," he said. "I was aware that there was always something… alchemic in our soil, but what that means is unknown to me."
Isaac stared at him. "You never said anything?" he said in a questioning tone.
"I never thought it was important, Isaac," Ivan said flatly. He turned to Feizhi. "What are these people called?" he asked. "These – people from the North?"
"The Proxians," she replied.
"The Proxians…" Faran said thoughtfully, lifting the water jug and refilling Felix's small mug. "They were the ones who tried to take her away four years ago. She was ten then, and she ended up living in your village from then on."
Felix nodded. "That's right," he said. "There was an incident on the cliffs by our village a couple of days ago, when Sheba noticed something out at sea. That led to her falling of the cliff, but she didn't get hurt – that's all that matters."
Faran didn't say anything. Instead, he penetrated Felix with an unblinking stare, and a stern expression. Felix gulped, for the second time feeling he was getting burnt by the fiery gaze of someone else.
"You're too modest," Faran said at last.
"I am?"
Faran sat back, and heaved a sigh. "You saved her, and yet you say nothing about it. Do you consider what you do not important? You've just spent an hour explaining the past three or four days of your village to me – is that not important?"
Felix was at a loss for words, and feeling rather confused. Faran however, carried on.
"The thing is Felix," he said. "You might not feel it necessary to say some things, like whether you saved Sheba or not, but don't you think of the consequences of what you do and don't say?"
Felix opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again, suddenly remembering Sheba's expression after what he had said to her not long before. She had looked… disappointed, and hurt. She had looked hurt like Jenna was when she had learnt what Felix had said about Isaac.
"I'm… not good with people," Felix answered, shrugging. Faran, to his surprise, nodded understandingly.
"It seems you don't say the right things," he said. "You're rash with your words, without understanding the consequences. Perhaps you should work on that, and you might find that people around you aren't so hurt."
Felix stared at his mug sourly. This man had the amazing talent of making him feel small and stupid; but… His face softened. Faran was right, as usual.
"Thank you," he said, at last to Faran, looking up.
There was one thing though; whether Faran had given him advice or not (more like a good telling off, he thought), the subject had gone way off line. This conversation wasn't meant to be about himself – it was meant to be about the recent comings and goings of his village, considering that something cataclysmic was supposedly going to happen.
"Well, there's nothing else that can be said on the matter," Faran suddenly said. "You've told me everything about your village, right? There's nothing else to be said?"
"What...? No," Felix said, again being caught off guard by Faran's incessant jump from one subject to another. "No, there is nothing else I have to say. I would, however, like your opinion."
"My opinion on what?" Faran asked loudly, almost causing Felix to fall off his seat in disbelief. He couldn't remember the man being this difficult.
"Well… what do you think is going on?" he asked, determined to get an answer from Sheba's foster father. "The arrival of the Lemurian, and the news he brought with him; and then the arrival of the girl, Feizhi. Why was she so touchy about where she came from? Not to mention her all-out attack on us when she first arrived. We don't often get foreigners visiting our part, Faran, and for two to come in a matter of days seems more than a coincidence."
There. He had given Faran the information in a nutshell, minus a few points. He was an intelligent man, and his opinions were well respected, not least by Felix himself. Faran remained still for a moment, and the two watched each other; Felix, tense and waiting, and Faran, quiet and discerning. At last, the older man spoke.
"Where are you sleeping for the night? You can stay here if you want."
This time, Felix did balk and fall forward, almost knocking his mug over. He laughed nervously, and sat back in his chair, while internally fuming with frustration. "Thanks, but I have a room at the Inn for the night," he said. "And on a more important matter, you're never going to give me your opinion, are you?"
Faran was about to retaliate when the front door opened, and Sheba entered into the room. She sighed tiredly and flopped down into one of the chairs at the table. "Hi," she said breathlessly, smiling. She did not even glance at Felix.
Faran watched her, and then turned his gaze onto Felix who had his eyes down on the table sadly. Deciding it was the time, he yawned and got up from his seat.
"Well," Faran said, stretching. "I think I'll go for an evening walk and get some fresh air. Felix," he said, looking at the 18-year old sitting before him. "My opinion doesn't count. You have to rely on friendships with other people, and your own abilities to sort any problems out, and most importantly, remember what I told you."
Felix stared at him, but he felt his grudges for the man subside. He was clever, just… thoroughly annoying.
"Goodnight, Sheba," Faran said to the teenager.
"Goodnight," she answered, before the man walked out of the door, and the house, disappearing into the darkness. He left behind him the uncomfortable silence that always seemed inevitable when Felix was around.
Sheba sighed again, and leaned back in her chair, while Felix watched her tensely. He's not going to say anything, she thought angrily while trying to keep her expression calm. She mentally huffed. What was I expecting of Felix anyway? It's not like he's going to apologise – he's so deluded. He thinks he's always right…
She had had enough of waiting is silence. Sheba got abruptly to her feet and pushed her chair under the table. "I'm tired," she said touchily. "I'm going to bed." Whether she saw Felix the next day or not, she didn't care. No… I do care… If only he realised how much he's hurting me…
She turned on her heel determinedly and began to walk out of the room.
"Wait!"
Sheba found herself being held back, Felix's hand around her wrist. She turned slowly, and glared at him. "Yes, I'm waiting," she said.
"I'm… sorry, for earlier," Felix muttered, letting go of her arm now he had her attention. "Sometimes, I just like to get to the point, without thinking for others' feelings. I'm sorry, Sheba," he said again.
She made a noise in her throat, her face softening. "Apology accepted," she said, folding her arms.
Felix scratched the back of his neck. "I'm, err, leaving, tomorrow morning," he stammered slightly. "Are you going to stay here, or will you…?"
"Be going back?" Sheba finished for him. She hadn't actually decided whether she would be returning or not. She had come here at first, to visit Faran after not seeing him for a while, but returning back to the village hadn't appeared in her train of thoughts yet. She thought for a moment. "I will go back," she answered finally. "But I don't know whether it will be tomorrow morning, or if I'll stay here for a little bit longer."
"I'll be leaving early tomorrow," Felix said tersely. "If you want, I'll come here in the morning for you, and then you can decide if you want to come home or not."
Home… Sheba blinked, the word echoing through her mind. Home… "Okay then," she said, her voice cracking. What was her home anyway? She'd never had a proper home – never.
She suddenly wanted to get away, and be on her own. Company was not what she wanted at the moment, only the quiet darkness of her bedroom where she could think properly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then," she said, and gave Felix a small wave before walking out and disappearing to her own quarters in the cottage.
Baffled, Felix sat in a house that wasn't his own. He couldn't even think properly. Slowly, he too got to his feet, clearing away the mug and water jug, before picking up his few belongings he had taken with him, and walking out of the cottage.
Quietly, he made his way up to the Inn, the cool night breeze refreshing him. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm, and as he walked up the dusty road, he came to realise the promise he had made. I will take Sheba home, he thought, just as the wind picked up once more. I will take her home…
Ah, like I think I said in an earlier chapter, it's not going to be heavy lighthouseshipping. I think that there will just be a special relationship between Sheba and Felix - as friends. The romance part will focus more on Isaac and Jenna, and Piers and Mia.
Thanks for reading! (If you got this far)
You know what to do next! ... ...