The Young Girl's Wish
You… you there. Who are you? An… an Umbreon? Oh… so you are not so different from me after all.
"Clearly." Lloyd crossed his arms. "I've heard your story, princess. So many years ago… so long a lot have forgotten. But I haven't."
Is that so? It's quite impressive for one to be able to hear me, let alone talk back to me. You seem very confident, young boy.
"I'm young, huh? You left the world of the living when you were 15. I'm older than you right now."
Ha, all of you… you should be doing something worthwhile with your life rather than worrying about me.
"You are a cursed demon blade now." Lloyd closed his eyes. "Show yourself." The Umbreon's entire body glowed purple, eyes flashing red. "Let me see you."
Huh. That's not going to… wait… I… "I'm back…" Lloyd's eyes stopped glowing, his black hair sitting down again. In front of him stood another Umbreon; this one female wearing a frilly black and red dress. Her long black hair floated a little unnaturally, but she was extremely pretty in a cute way. She blinked. "How… you brought me back?"
"I don't have the power to keep you here for a long. It's extremely difficult to keep this power up."
She walked up to Lloyd, her face uncomfortably close to his. Her red irises stared into his. "You've seen death before, haven't you?" she murmured softly.
"I could have told myself that. Despite the fact that you died many years ago, I can say the same."
"You've got spunk, Umbreon." Her hands touched his face. They were warmer than he had anticipated. "How did you manage to summon me?"
"I am currently being trained. I've worked up the ability to summon souls… but only from demonic bodies like you."
"I see. That is impressive." The younger Umbreon pulled his face towards hers and kissed him on the lips. Then she slowly ended it. "You wish to use my power for vengeance. I can feel your anger towards the legendries. It rivals my hatred of them."
Lloyd clenched his fist. "I know what they did to you, princess Persephone. Killed your family in front of you… then they… humiliated… tortured… beat… raped… then sealed…"
"I know what they did to me. You don't need to say it…" Her voice was soft.
Lloyd pushed her hands off his face gently. "I'm sorry. But I will make them pay… I may not be able to kill them, but they will pay."
"How much longer do you think I can keep this physical form?" asked the female Umbreon.
"A little while. How do you seal the pact between us? Do we need to battle each other? A dance?"
She tilted her head. "You don't know?"
"Should I? I never thought it would be something I would need to prepare for. There weren't any documents regarding that."
She slowly slipped off her dress, though there was only a hint of embarrassment on her face. "You're a handsome child… I will show you how to form bonds."
Then she kissed Lloyd again.
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"Lloyd? Are you up yet?"
His eyes flashed open. Next to him, he felt the soft curves of Sharl's slim belly. "Ngh… I was just…"
"Stop that, it tickles. You were squeezing my stomach like it was a piece of bread," she murmured.
"Sorry…"
She sighed. "It's a shame your hands aren't higher up on my body."
"You're indecent for a princess, you know?" He exhaled. "Do you think he found Elaine?"
"I don't know… but I've seen enough to know that he likely did."
"So you felt it too. We've got to find them. I… I must learn who he is! Nobody defeats me and gets away with it."
"Calm down, Lloyd. We've got to get out of this damn chasm first."
Lloyd exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry…"
"Were you having a nightmare?" she asked.
"No. Just a memory." He picked up Persephone. Should I introduce them to one another? No… Lloyd did feel bad he had not conjured Persephone's body in about a week, and she had been extremely quiet as well… Soon.
"You look worried," murmured the Espeon. "Are you sure?" There was concern in her eyes.
Lloyd let go of her, and crawled out of the blanket, despite being almost naked. The cold made him shiver. "I need some alone time," he murmured, throwing on his cloak and pants haphazardly, and walked around a bend in the chasm.
"Wait, where…" The Espeon looked ready to chase him, but realized she was half naked. "Be careful, okay?"
Lloyd didn't answer. I'm sorry, I haven't been able to communicate with the princess around. She'd read my mind.
Huh. She's got bigger breasts than me.
As she should. Your body is only 15. She's two years older than you appearance wise.
Hmph. I'm still annoyed you're all horny over her.
I'm not.
Shut up. The spirit of the sword sighed. Can you summon me my body? Please?
"Fine," he muttered. He held out the sword in his left hand, and clenched his right fist. He closed his eyes, his black hair beginning to stand straight. Then he turned the blade, holding the blade in his right hand, his left hand still grasping the handle. "Come to be, Persephone. Use my soul as part of your body." Then his eyes flashed red. "Now."
Crouching in front of him was the young Umbreon princess. She stood up, and stretched. "Ah, thank you Lloyd. It's been far too long. You try being trapped in a piece of metal."
"Yeah, no thanks." He stuck the blade into the snow, and hid his hands in his pockets. "How do you feel about our progress?"
"I'm happy." She smiled wickedly; Lloyd imagined they both looked similar when they grinned like that. "They'll pay soon." Then she did a cute giggle. "Alright, I'm just getting giddy over some revenge, hehe." She stood up straight. "Now… about Sharl…"
"What?" Lloyd sat on a large stone. "What about her?"
"You should be careful about getting close to others. It's a recipe for disaster."
"Oh be quiet. You're just envious."
"Hmph." She looked away. "Whatever… don't forget, I was your first."
Lloyd didn't blush or anything, but simply crossed his arms. "I think of it as more of a ritual than actually having sex."
"We both enjoyed it though…" She sighed. "Alright, Espeon. Come out from behind that rock."
The Espeon stepped out. "Uh… Lloyd? Who is this girl who claims to be your first?"
Persephone walked up to Sharl, and looked up at the taller Espeon. "You… you've got a lot of nerve to be hitting on my master."
"M-master?" The Espeon's face was suddenly horrified. "You've got an underage sex slave, Lloyd?"
Lloyd groaned, then pushed the two of them apart. "This is the spirit of my sword, Persephone. While I am in fact her master, we both came together as we have similar interests."
"And because Lloyd and I made love once too…"
"Is this true?" The Espeon's face was reddish.
Lloyd sighed. "It's part of a ritual, since Persephone was sealed within the demonic blade. Only once though."
"Just once? That's like say-"
"Calm down. While she prefers to keep bringing it up, I view it as a ritual. I think of myself as still-"
"I'll be going, Lloyd. Hmph." The female Umbreon quickly dissolved into the sword.
"Eh…" Sharl glared at Lloyd, who was still sitting on the rock. "What the hell was that?"
"That's my sword spirit." Lloyd sighed, jumping down. "She doesn't even have a real body, so I don't think much of it."
"It…" She looked away. "It's still sex…"
Lloyd patted her on the back. "Calm down. It's nothing more than a ritual to combine our spirits into a stronger, more synchronized force."
"B-but-"
He put his hands to her cheeks. "Relax. Let's find a way out now since we're both awake."
Sharl glared at him. "Hmph… you still have to pick up all your stuff though."
Lloyd's arm was hurting a little, but seeing how the Espeon was upset, he huffed. "Fine. I'll do it alone."
Lloyd packed up efficiently, with Sharl ignoring him. They got moving, but the crack in the ground was very generic. The snow slowly turned to ice on the floor. As they went on, it slowly began melting. There was tension between the two of them. It made Lloyd uncomfortable. A few times, he had tried starting up a conversation, but he wasn't sure what to say, and she ignored him for the most part.
There was nothing notable within it, and the sun had risen by the time they encountered the frozen waterfall.
It looked as if it had immediately frozen once the cold hit it. Sharl's hostility had halted immediately, as if she herself had been frozen. "Wow…"
The frozen waterfall was impressive. The sunlight glinted off of it. "Huh…" Lloyd felt as if he should have noticed something, but couldn't. The waterfall didn't seem like necessarily a way out.
Sharl sighed. Lloyd suspected that the sunlight was calming her. The sunlight really did highlight her beauty, even though she was covered in cloaks.
"Sharl… listen… I was inconsiderate towards your feelings…" She didn't look at him, but he sensed she was listening. "So… anyways… I'm sorry."
She started walking away, then paused, and turned around. She huffed. "You really are clueless for a guy as smart as you."
"What does that mean?"
The Espeon looked down. "Well, you know how I feel about you. I asked you to marry me just a few days ago… so… just try think before you say things, you dumb Umbreon." She turned around and continued moving.
Lloyd wasn't too sure whether to be insulted or happy. "Wait, Sharl…"
"Hurry up, will you?"
He huffed, then caught up to her. "Why are you in such a rush?"
She pointed at the waterfall. "I don't know about you, but the temperature is clearly rising. We don't want to drown in this crevice."
Shit. That's what I was missing. "That's a good point. We don't want to get wet either. It's warmer, but it's still damn cold."
"Obviously." The Espeon snapped her fingers. "You're not the only smart one. Let's go."
"Hmph." Lloyd followed behind her. "Well, it looks as if we have about half a day still, so-"
Then they heard a loud cracking noise. "What the-" Sharl turned around. "Oh… oh…"
Lloyd turned around. Normally, he would have tried making a smart comment, but when there is a lake's worth of water rushing towards you… well… "Run!"
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The two of them were standing on a rock that was just above the raging current of water. Most other Pokemon would be prepared to drown and die. But obviously not these two.
They were both deep in thought; this was the first time either of them had been in a truly life threatening situation together… well, a situation where they had time to think.
Sharl cannot use her psychic powers to lift us up, as she cannot lift herself, or me high enough for that matter. Neither of us can fly, neither of us are designed to swim, and neither of us can refreeze the water. But… hmm… shadow moving? No. It needs to be in sight, and I can see no shadows where I could safely move us.
He looked at Sharl, who was equally deep in thought. "Any ideas, princess?"
She didn't look up, but shook her head. "I've got nothing… my attacks… won't work at all. Neither will yours…"
He looked up. The sun was directly above the chasm now. "Shit…" Lloyd had trained to become immune to the weakening effects of sunlight on his species, but it still made him itchy.
Sharl, on the other hand, smiled. "Oh, this is so nice…" She stretched. "Ah well, maybe this sunlight will help me think better."
Lloyd looked down. "Hmm… you'd better hurry then, because we're in a lot of trouble. I hope you like wet feet…"
"Wet… kyaa!" She looked down, then calmed herself with the move of similar name. "Well, we'd better hurry…" She looked at the top, contemplating their options.
Lloyd bit his lip, then took a deep breath. Relax. You're better than this.
"Don't worry…" The Espeon was holding his arm. "I can sense your worry. We'll find a way out of this."
He smiled at her. "I know." He wrapped his arm around her. "We'll find a way out of this…"
She looked down. "I… I know…" Softly, she added, "I don't understand you…"
"Hey Lloyd, no touching my friend!" They both looked up from where the voice came from. On the top of the crevice was a figure. Lloyd recognized the voice.
"Elaine!"
"Hang on you two, we'll get you out of there." It was hard to see what she was doing, but in front of the rock spawned a neat platform of ice. "Hop on it!"
Lloyd and Sharl did as she said. "I don't really see how this is going to work… we'll still be trapped down-"
"You're not thinking. Together, if we both use psychic and aim it at the ice, it could work."
"You're right." Lloyd shook his head, then began using his move in conjunction with Sharl. "C'mon…" He grit his teeth, and the platform slowly started shaking.
"It's working!" said Sharl in a strained voice. "But… nghh…"
Lloyd felt it. They didn't have the strength in order to pull it all the way out. They had only moved it just above the water, and they were both really tired. "Shit…" hissed Lloyd. Then he lost concentration, and the ice they were on slowly started turning.
"Lloyd… uh, we're… turning." Sharl and Lloyd slowly started moving, and then the entire block started to fall as Sharl dropped her attack too.
Then Lloyd slipped first, followed immediately by Sharl. "No!"
They both splashed into the water. "I… I hate water!" shouted the Espeon.
Lloyd was more shocked by the cold. He didn't even try swimming. He just let himself sink. It's my fault we fell into this canyon. It's my fault she's angry. It's my fault we fell off the ice. I should just… die… but Sharl… I cannot…
"So just like that, huh? I thought you were better than this, Umbreon." He heard a voice. Persephone?
He opened his eyes to see Sharl reaching to him. But they would both drown if she did that… Then he felt himself being pulled upwards. "Sharl… how did you become so strong…?" Then they were both launched out the water, and landed painfully on the frozen platform. Lloyd coughed up some frozen water. Next to him, Sharl was doing the same. "H-how did you…"
Standing over the two of them was none other than Elaine's master. His entire body was soaked with water, and he had covered his nose and mouth with a light blue cloth. "Are you two alright?"
Lloyd stood up. "I'm fine." He shook off some water; the cold made his body ache and shiver.
"Neither of you look fit enough right now."
Lloyd was going to argue, but Sharl didn't look so good either. She was doing worse than Lloyd. "How do you plan to get us out of here?"
He looked at them, then said, "Both of you… I would like to thank you for your help in finding Elaine. So don't think too much of this."
"What?" But it was too late. Lloyd felt a finger slam into the side of his neck, and fell to the ground unconscious.
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Why? Why would he come down to us just to kill us? It makes no sense. And Sharl… Sharl! No… she…
"Is he awake yet?"
"They'll be alright, stop worrying." The first voice was female, and a little worried. The second voice was male, but a little softer. Then Lloyd recognized the voices.
"I'm okay, umph…" He opened his eyes, and rubbed his sore neck. "What happened?"
The pretty Glaceon looked up from Lloyd to her master. "Master got you guys out of the sticky situation. You… you should be grateful." She smiled at Lloyd, and Lloyd groaned.
"You pressure pointed me… why?"
He looked down at them, then said, "If you knew how I had pulled you from the canyon, it would have put my identity at stake." He stood up. "My identity… well, Elaine has seen me now. But it is dangerous for anyone else to know now." He held out a hand, and helped pull Lloyd to his feet. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah… just… sore… in the arms… in the legs… actually, everywhere." He looked around. "Where is Sharl?"
They pointed to the small fire which Lloyd had not noticed earlier. On the other side was the unconscious Espeon. "She doesn't look so good. I actually didn't need to do anything to knock her out. She was unconscious by the time I disabled you."
Lloyd walked sorely over to her. She did look out of it. He waved over Elaine. "You know about the cold. Is this shock?"
"Likely. The sun was up, but the problem could be that she panicked. She was screaming when you were under the water."
"Really?"
The Glaceon glared at him. "You really are as dense as she says, huh? She obviously is infatuated with you."
"I know." Lloyd leaned over the Espeon. He felt the intense gaze of Elaine as she watched, while her master watched from the corner of his eye. Lloyd leaned over and kissed her on the lips, gently as possible. Please don't let her get hurt because of me. He pulled back.
Elaine watched, her face reddish. "Th-that was so adorable!"
The cloaked Pokemon crossed his arms. "Hmm… not something I would have tried first to wake someone, but that was sweet of you."
Elaine turned around. "So you do think romantically sometimes… I thought you hated that stuff."
"Romance and sex are facts of life. You… me… Lloyd… we all wouldn't be here without that stuff. It's something I respect."
"Hmm…" Suddenly, the mysterious Pokemon seemed a lot less scary. "Can I ask you something?" questioned Lloyd.
"Go ahead."
"I'm not going to ask about who you are, because I'm sure you get a lot of that. Rather… why did you decide to mentor Elaine? She's a very skilled Pokemon."
He turned around, then started speaking. "Lloyd… I know you better than anyone here. Not because I have past experience with you, but because I was you."
"You… were me?"
He pointed at Lloyd's chest. "Yes. You're wondering how I was able to defeat you so quickly earlier… I knew what you would do. When I was your age… 6 years ago or so… I was just like you. I just had to think about what I would have done."
"But…" Lloyd hated that he had been predictable. "What does that have to do with training?"
"I don't know your story. But I've quickly realized that, while I may be strong, there will always be others who are better at others. Elaine is very talented at a distance because of the nature of arrows. My whip is punishing at a moderately close range. We've trained together as a team."
"For what?"
Elaine looked down. "Master was kind enough to train me. When you were unconscious, he revealed to me who he was and his past. I… I cannot tell you anything. I am sorry."
Lloyd smirked at her master. "Huh, I guess you are determined. My parents were killed when I was a child. I would like revenge. Is your reason better?"
"More or less so." He turned around. "Revenge can blind you from what really matters. It blinded me for a decade." He slowly walked to the edge of the crevice and stared down. "You'll realize it."
"No need to be so cryptic…" Lloyd thought about what he had said. "You'll realize it." What the hell does that mean?
"He's always been that way." Elaine watched her master for a little bit, then turned back to Lloyd. "He saved me. I was lying on the snow, prepared to die. Then he rescued me." Softly, she added, "You will realize what I mean."
"Look who's being cryptic now," muttered Lloyd. "You and Sharl are best friends. Would… would you be okay with me… pursuing a…"
"Sexual relationship? Totally." Elaine shrugged. "Sheesh, it's like pulling teeth. She's the one who wants your babies or stuff." She rested a hand on Sharl's forehead. "Just let her know you're interested."
"Babies? Where to start… they're annoying, and-"
"You were one too at one time," pointed out the Glaceon.
Lloyd huffed. "I'll tell her. I'll tell her that I really like her."
The Glaceon smiled. "Oh Sharl, you lucky girl."
"Quiet." Lloyd sighed. "Shouldn't we be more worried about her?"
"She's getting up." Elaine frowned at Lloyd. "That's why I said she was lucky. Look."
"Ungh…" The Espeon's eyes opened. "I… Lloyd." She stared up at him. "We're alive."
Lloyd nodded happily. "We are."
"We'll spend the night here," said Elaine. "You two can regain your strength. We'll head back to the palace in the morning."
"Did he tell you about your mother?"
"The possession stone… I warned her…" murmured Elaine, then she brushed it off. "Rest up. I need to talk with my master." She stood up and headed near the chasm near her mentor.
"Are you okay?"
Sharl nodded. "I'm not weak… though I am cold right now…"
"I'm sorry… the blankets I keep are all wet."
"Hmph. You nearly killed us. And you got the blankets wet."
"Yeah."
"It's alright though."
He smiled. "Last night… when we kissed… well… I just wanted to say that I felt… more than just happy."
"I know… that's why… I thought you'd like it." She blushed. "I… I couldn't leave you. That's when I realized… well…"
Lloyd hugged her. "You don't need to say it. I feel the same way, princess."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, really."
She smiled cutely. "Then if you desire my body, don't ask. Just do…"
"Even in a time like this, you're still perverted, huh…"
The Espeon giggled, then said, "How was making love with that cute Umbreon? Was it enjoyable?"
"Yeah."
"Even with a girl with such a small bust?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I…" The Espeon looked down. "You've never shown any interest towards my body. Why is that?"
Lloyd blinked. "You've got a great body. I've stared at you numerous times."
"You can feel free to touch me whenever… only lucky Umbreons are allowed," she whispered.
"I know you're trying to seduce me, but I also know you'll become embarrassed and get mad at me if I try."
Softly, she murmured, "You don't know until you try."
"I don't? Hey…" She had grabbed his left hand and pushed it under her cloak. "See? I'm not hurting you…"
"I notice you get horny at night… that makes no sense, but…" He gently squeezed, and she blushed.
"Enjoying it?"
He moved his hand off. "The time is obviously not now. Sex isn't all there is, you know."
"I know. I was just teasing you." She blushed. "Do you want to cuddle again?"
"Maybe tomorrow." He stood up. "Love isn't something that can be rushed."
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"Well well, it's good to see you're all well." Kai stood near the entrance of the palace, tossing his mask. "Especially you, sister."
The Glaceon smiled. "How is mom? I heard what happened…"
"You can find out. She's back to her old self. Well, sort of. She's locked herself away once she found out she poisoned you and banished me. But she'll be pleased to find out you are all right."
Lloyd was about to walk into the palace, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Elaine's master. "The family will sort it out themselves. In the meantime, you and I need to have a chat."
He looked to see Sharl, Kai, and Elaine all walking in. "What about Sharl…?" Lloyd turned back around. "What is it then?"
"You see it don't you?"
"What do you mean?"
"That revenge isn't the most important thing."
Lloyd thought about Sharl briefly, then pushed it away. "Perhaps. But you-"
"You thought about the Espeon. I know."
Lloyd held up a hand. "Impressive. But-"
"Anyone could have said that. No, you're wrong. Only someone who was previously as confident as you could have detected that."
Lloyd narrowed his eyes. "Not bad."
"I know you probably think I'm lecturing you. But I speak from experience." The other Pokemon turned around and crossed his arms. "When you're about to die… when you're in so much trouble you know you shouldn't escape… revenge won't fuel you. Revenge won't allow you to draw the most out of your spirit and body." He paused. "It's love. Not just romantic, but the kind you feel to your family. The desire to protect those closest to you. That is what will push you beyond what should be possible."
Lloyd thought of it. Anger… anger wasn't what he had felt when falling. He had thought of Sharl. Revenge wasn't what he had thought of when drowning. Sharl had been the one he had thought of. "You could be right…"
"Could I? I could. Losing oneself to revenge is a sickness. Pass me your sword."
"Huh?" Normally, Lloyd would not let anybody near his sword unless he was cutting, but… "Fine."
He passed the sword, and the masked Pokemon unsheathed Persephone. "As I thought. You've formed a pact with Persephone. Impressive… but dangerous."
"What do you mean?"
The Pokemon laughed. "I hear you, spirit. You don't like being wielded by someone who you have not formed a pact with. But I don't intend to use you. You've got a lot of hatred young girl."
Lloyd quickly realized this Pokemon had a way to understand Persephone. But how? Lloyd decided not to push. He didn't need to.
"How can I understand you? I've heard your story. The princess… you are similar to me. Someone with vengeance. But I've let go. You have not. Yet I understand your wish, young girl. Your wish for vengeance. That is why you agreed to join Lloyd. I'm sorry." He sheathed the sword, and handed it back to Lloyd.
"Uh, what did she say?"
Man, that guy is convincing. He nearly convinced me. Persephone snorted. Who the hell does he think he is?
"Persephone is an extremely powerful sword. But her rage… it may or may not be holding you back. I'm leaning towards her wish holding you back."
Damn masked man…
"Why is he a man and I'm still a boy?"
"Your sword is cute though. Her spirit at least. But she's little crazy too. Just look out."
"Persephone is good. She won't hurt anyone who doesn't deserve it."
The masked Pokemon turned around. "Tell Elaine I've got somewhere to be. I've got responsibilities to my other… students."
"What?"
But before Lloyd could say anything, the mysterious Pokemon asked one last question. "Who's to say you deserve to die and I don't? Who is the one who decides those things? Just remember that." Then he jumped down the side of the mountain, sliding down on his feet, until he was a small speck.
"Such a hasty retreat… hmph. Sorry he insulted you, Pesephone."
Don't worry about it. Now the spirit Umbreon sounded a little more confused than angry. Lloyd decided not to push it. "Let's go inside."
They walked past the snowy courtyard, and stopped at a staircase in the passage to the throne room. "This way, I think."
You don't need to talk aloud. I can't really do anything.
Lloyd walked up the stairs. He heard crying up above, and assumed it was from the royal family. He stopped briefly. Family… Then he walked up the stairs. Even these seemed to be made of ice, as did the hand rails.
Then he came to the door, a little open. He was hesitant; he didn't know exactly why, but…
Then it opened all the way. Inside, Elaine's mother was holding the jewel of possession. "Mother… you never told me why you used the jewel…"
"I had hopes of bringing back your father. As you know, he passed away when you were at a young age…"
Kai butted in. "But you knew the risks! You can lose yourself if you use those cursed stones!"
"I knew the risks. I simply wanted… I wanted to make sure Nifrei agreed with how I was raising you…"
"Dad wouldn't have wanted you to do that though," argued Elaine. "But we've become strong now. You don't need to blame yourself."
"The bonds of a family are strong, aren't they?" He looked to his side in surprise. Sharl had snuck to his side.
"They are." He watched enviously. This was something that no matter how hard he trained, no matter how strong he became, would never be his. He would never experience family. "I never talked to you a lot about your mother."
"Yeah you did. I started crying though…"
"Still touchy?"
Sharl looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well… you looked up to your mother. She helped train you in magic, and you said she was stronger than you, no?"
"She was."
"Despite her being better than you, you still loved her unconditionally, right?"
Sharl nodded. "Obviously!"
Lloyd watched the family have a little argument, though he wasn't listening to their words. "Your father? You said he died after you were born. Do you remember him?"
Sharl sighed. "Elaine and Kai's father died due to some illness. My mother was in a battle against the South. My father… he…" She looked at Lloyd, then huffed. "Listen, there are some things… how do I put this?"
"Just tell me."
Sharl shook her head. "Lloyd. You know I trust you. And I know you trust me. But there are some things I just don't want to talk about. My father is one of them."
Lloyd had never pushed her father as an issue. She had given him a succinct answer earlier. But now… he decided not to pry. "I hardly remember my family. I remember the way they looked, and a few special memories… but I didn't know them. I don't remember their personalities at all." Wishfully, he added, "I hope they were nice Pokemon."
The two eons watched the others, who were now all hugging happily.
"Their bonds are stronger than I'll understand."
The older Glaceon looked at Lloyd and Sharl. "Princess Sharl… I'm sorry about your mother. She and I were good friends…"
"It's done for. I don't need sympathy for it." Sharl smiled. "When we return back, I can show you her grave."
"I'd like that." She smiled, then turned to Lloyd. "And you… thank you for helping return my daughter to me. I am in your debt."
Lloyd decided to be upfront. "I am aware of the tensions and lack of food making life difficult, especially for the Northern region. I would like your children to accompany me to confront the legendries."
The older Glaceon looked at them. "If they want to…"
"I would like to," said Elaine. "It's my responsibility as ruler."
"I as well. Stronger enemies, stronger me."
She blinked. "I have no right to keep that from you. I understand the risks… but… I can let you make the decisions. My daughter already has possession of the two stones you'll need. I demand you spend the night."
"Why is that?"
"You two are obviously not used to the cold. You'll need food to be warm and prepare for the trek to the Eastern capitol."
"You must tell me about Leviathan! The master Gyarados… I must beat him!"
"So excited," muttered Sharl.
The queen held up her hand. "Hang on. Leviathan is a difficult one to explain." She thought, then shook her head. "Leviathan obviously cannot walk on land. He's a serpent Pokemon. To battle him… you'd be crazy. He's caused flooding in his city due to his extraordinary strength. He winds and swirls like nothing, strangling enemies." Her eyes were wide, then she leaned back, patting her daughter on the head. "Or so I've heard. We always meet at neutral locations. You've been there, Elaine."
"Naturally, it's where all four regions intersect," pointed out the younger Glaceon, pushing off her mother's hand irritably. "But since Leviathan is a water type and cannot actually fly or anything, he can't meet us. So he normally sends whatever Pokemon he trusts to give us news and do agreements on his behalf."
Lloyd nodded. "I see how it is. May I ask a question that only rulers might understand?"
"Go on, Umbreon."
"Three of the four current rulers are based off of out species, starting at Eevee. There were four royal families of you, but what happened to the East?"
"That's a question whose answer even I cannot say." She pointed to the sword on his side. "That is one of the sacred weapons, and one with a spirit within it. I'd try asking her what happened."
Sorry Lloyd… that's crossing the line.
"What line?" he murmured.
The royal family of the East deserved what they got. They followed the legendries, and as such, my hatred is equal to them. What happened was only fair.
Man, I tried my best to flesh out and slow down the pace a little. You'll tune in for the next chapter, right? Please read and review!