AN: Thank you for leaving reviews, they make my day when I read them. I hope you're all ready for the long journey ahead. I hope you all had happy holidays!
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Lenna had already spent several hours aboard the pirate ship and she was already bored.
The blue sea stretched on for miles and she could barely see the outline of the coast on each side of the ship. The strait they traveled through had mountains along all of its shores. Mountains seemed to follow Lenna wherever she went, forever trapping her from the rest of the world.
She had tried to pass the time on the ship by making conversation with the pirates around her, but she soon grew tired of their brief grunts and smelly odor. They didn't seem to be very good at making conversation.
When she had tried talking to the captain of the ship, whom she learned was named Faris, his sentences and responses were also brief.
"Captain Faris?" she approached.
"Faris is just fine, lass," he told her without looking up from the map in front of him and his first mate. They were navigating their route through the narrow strait. "Can I help ya?"
Lenna's mind drew a blank. She had come to make small conversation, to get to know their new traveling companion better, but now she grew nervous. The captain and the first mate turned to look at her when she had not spoken.
"Well?"
She swallowed, trying to quickly come up with something to say. "Do you have an estimate on when we will arrive at the shrine?"
Faris raised a brow at her and glanced back to the map, then out to sea.
"Another hour or so," he told her. Both he and the first mate turned their attention to the map. "Hopefully."
"Thank you, Captain," she said quietly, retreating to the other side of the boat.
After the missed social catastrophe with the captain and his fellow pirates, she found Galuf, hanging over the side of the ship, his feet stuck between the openings in the railings. She approached quietly, so not to scare him and fall overboard. As she drew near, she noticed that he was spitting off the side of the ship, watching the saliva disappear into the waves. It was such an odd sight, to see an old man leaning a little too far over the edge, acting like a child.
"Galuf," she said it softly but he still jumped at the sound of her voice, "what are you doing?"
He hopped back from the railing and bounced on his feet. He seemed to be full of energy despite his age. He broke out into a grin.
"Just seeing if it was the same," he replied simply. He leaned his head over the railing again, looking deep into the waters. "It is."
"What is the same?"
"Spitting into the sea," he answered as if it was obvious.
"Why would it be different? And when have you done it before?"
He suddenly scrunched his face up as if the question hurt him. "I can't remember."
"Sorry," she supplied, once again defeated by her own words.
"I'm gonna have a word with the captain," he told her instead, paying no heed to her apology. "See when we'll be arriving."
"I've already asked."
"Well I'm asking again." He pushed himself from the railing and strode past the princess. She winced.
"Do you know where Bartz is?" she had one more shot at finding an agreeable conversational companion.
"Somewhere below deck," he called over his shoulder while dismissively waving his hands.
Lenna watched Galuf walk up to the helm and start to argue with the captain as she made her way below deck, hoping to find the young man.
As she climbed down the stairs to where they had been kept the previous day. The wooden ship below deck was not in as pristine condition as above. Buckets filled with dirty water were strewn about the tight corridor. Light sconces hung haphazardly from the walls, only one of them lit. At the end of the corridor was two crates stacked on one another, and Bartz, the man she had been looking for was perched atop them.
Lenna felt a small smile spread across her lips as she crossed the hall towards him. He was slouched against the wall, his head almost touching the ceiling from the height of the crates. His broadsword lay across his lap, his grey eyes studying it intensely. His leg was crossed underneath his thigh, the other swinging absently.
"What are you looking at?" It was a weak conversation starter but it was something.
Instead of jumping, like her previous talk with a certain older man, he looked up quickly, then back down at his lap with a smile.
"Just this old sword," he said picking it up and swinging it a little too wildly. It scraped the ceiling, causing splinters to rain on the floor. His eyes widened as he broke out in to a bewildered grin.
Lenna stared in shock, and then burst into laughter. Bartz followed suit also unable to suppress his amusement at the sudden mishap. He dropped the sword off the side of the crate and onto the floor. She walked up to the crates and rested her chin on the surface of the top one, looking up at Bartz. She placed her arms behind her back as he stared back at her.
"What brings you down here?" he asked her. It was obvious he was trying to be nonchalant about it. His hands fidgeted nervously in his lap.
"I was looking for you."
"Me?"
"Yes. I needed someone to talk to and while the captain seems like a decent fellow, neither he, nor his pirate crew, are very good at making conversation."
Bartz made a face. "What about Galuf?"
"When I found him, he was leaning off the side of the ship, spitting."
"Spitting?" he asked incredulously.
Lenna laughed. "Yes, spitting. He then took off to speak with our captain, but last I saw them they were arguing."
"Huh," he turned to look at the only lit sconce. "What a weirdo."
"Indeed," Lenna agreed.
"So, am I your last choice then?" he feigned hurt.
Lenna was taken aback at first but realized he was joking. "Well of course, you must save the best for last."
Bartz gave her a grin. He had a nice smile. It reached his eyes, never fake, always full of light. She enjoyed it.
He suddenly moved over, patting the small space on the crate next to him. Lenna extended her right hand, using the other to lift up her dress and trailing veil, carefully placing her foot on the bottom box. Bartz grabbed her hand and hoisted her up next to him. She involuntarily blushed at their new proximity.
"So," he started, "You told me you never left Tycoon before yesterday."
"Yes. It's true."
"Well, how do you like it so far? The world I mean."
She looked down at her hands. It was quite spectacular to see the world. But the circumstances were unfavorable.
"It's different than I expected," she told him. "A lot more…dangerous."
"Yeah, the world is cruel in that way." He gave her a sidelong glance.
"Tell me this, Sir Wanderer," she said instead, bumping his shoulder, "how is it that you are so experienced in the world? How do you know how to wield a sword? Were you a soldier for some kingdom? You can't possibly be that old."
He chuckled. "My father taught me when I was young. He was skilled in many things." He paused, then spoke again. "You ask a lot of questions."
"I'm just curious. I've never met someone like you before."
"Like me?" he asked with a contemplative tone. "What do you mean?"
"Well," she began. How could she phrase it without sounding like a star struck little girl? "You're so…well versed in the way of things. You're nothing like the castle workers at home. You're much more exciting."
"I'm sure some of them could be just as exciting if you gave them the chance."
"I suppose, but how many of them have offered to personally escort me to the Wind Shrine."
Bartz gave her that incredible grin again. They sat in silence for a few minutes, soaking in the comfort of having a companion.
"Where are you from?" she found herself wanting to know more about the lone wanderer. He was almost enchanting in a way.
"Lix," he seemed lost in thought, a faint smile with him.
"I've never heard of it."
"You haven't heard of a lot of things," he reminded her.
"Right," she said. How could she forget?
"It's not actually that well-known," he confessed. "It's a very small town, very hard to get to. You wouldn't be the first to not know about it. It's probably not even on most maps."
The comment made her feel a little better, but nonetheless she was still embarrassed. She was naïve, blessedly so, and she wondered what Bartz thought about it. Was he starting to rethink coming along with her? Maybe he thought it was a mistake, to take on such a task; escorting a princess who has never seen past her own kingdom. She was probably a child in his eyes, a little girl that got lost on the way home, and he just happened to find her. He just wanted to help; it was after all the right thing to do.
She shook the thought from her head. "Well, where is it then?"
He thought for a moment then spoke. "North from where we are right now. Not that far from the Wind Shrine."
"So you've been there before?" Was that why he was escorting her? It was just a stop on the way home?
"No, I've never been there before. But my dad might've been, I'm not sure."
Lenna took the information in. Maybe their fathers had met before at the Wind Shrine; her father visited it often enough to check on things. He was the self-proclaimed guardian of the Wind Crystal, taking much pride in the way things were at his shrine and how he ran things as opposed to the other three kingdoms looking after their respective elements.
"If Lix is so small," she continued to prod, "what is it like? Compared to the many big places I'm sure you've seen."
He laughed. "Well, there's not much to do, but we made it work. I hung out with the few other kids that lived there and we played games and whatnot. Our favorite was always hide and seek."
"Hide and seek?" the princess asked with a raised brow. "I'll have you know I am quite the expert at hide and seek."
"I imagine you would be with an entire castle to hide in."
Lenna gave him a pout but soon broke into a giggle and he followed suit. She felt relief that she had not royally screwed up with this conversation. Not yet at least.
But she did not have to worry about ruining it as Galuf came down the stairs.
"We're about to dock," he announced, clomping down the steps.
Lenna looked to him surprised at his announcement. "But that was not nearly an hour."
Galuf rolled his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest, annoyed. "Well it seems the captain was wrong, we're here. Now."
"The captain was wrong," Bartz mused as he hopped off the crates. He stooped down to pick up his broadsword.
"He blamed it on the first mate," Galuf told him turning over his shoulder, already walking back up to the deck.
Bartz turned towards the crates to help Lenna back down but she had already hopped down like he had done before. She brushed off her dress, flashing him a smile before turning to ascend the stairs.
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The Wind Shrine was big and bold and beautiful. It looked extremely ancient and old, giant marble pillars held the roof above their heads, but it was in the best condition. The roof was blue and pristine, every shingle where it should be, no sign of wear and tear. It was surrounded by a large forest, its dark greens and leafy textures a stark contrast to the brilliant shrine.
Lenna was starting to grow anxious; she was finally here. After two days of travel and an unsavory sequence of unfortunate events, she was here. So close to her father now, she could only hope that he was still here and he had not already hopped aboard his drake to fly back home. She had not seen the drake outside, her heart growing heavy with fear.
Inside was even grander. The white marble pillars remained but the floors were now dark stone, smooth and cold. The walls were intricately designed with ancient runes, runes said to hold the power of an ancient magic.
The four of them, the pirate captain had come along after telling his crew to stay aboard the ship, entered the room where the shrine's scientists and keepers worked. There were many of them, all bustling about, frantically waving papers in the air and yelling diagnostics. A man in the midst of the chaos spotted them and walked up.
"Princess Lenna!" he exclaimed, the worry in his eyes becoming deeper.
Lenna straightened as she recognized him as one of her father's advisors, trying to keep her voice clear and calm. "What's happened? What's the matter?"
"The wind's suddenly stopped," his voice was tight, "and there are monsters in the shrine."
Lenna felt the color drain from her face, the worried heart already working too hard. A question pecked at her mind, begging her to ask it.
"What about Father?" she dared to ask it.
It was the advisors turn to lose color, tearing his look away from her and dropping it to the floor. "The king went up to the top floor…he has yet to return."
Lenna's heart constricted even further, she felt as though it was now a helpless cause.
Faris stepped forward, standing next to the princess. "The crystal's up on the top floor, right?" He had a gleam in his eye. "Won't hurt to go up and take a look."
"Faris…" Lenna smiled, he was just trying to reassure her. The captain was a much different man than the first impression he had made. "Come on."
She turned and pushed through the workers, she had a job to do and she was not about to stop now.
The other three followed, climbing up stairs and working their way through the endless maze of corridors. It seemed around every corner was a fiend, trying to prevent them from reaching the floor where the king was.
On one particular floor, a white serpent creature blocked their path. Faris and Bartz drew their swords and Galuf readied his hands. They circled the creature, waiting for it to strike.
Bartz looked over his shoulder at Lenna. "Stay here," he told her.
Before Lenna could respond, she was ready to fight, Faris gave out a huff.
"This is a waste of time," and with that, he swiftly brought down his sword on the foe. It fell limply to the floor, its head gone.
He walked up to Bartz. "That girl is more than capable of fighting."
Bartz seathed his sword, shocked. "What? But you weren't there when-"
"Ah!" the captain held up his hand. "Any man, or women I suppose," he said glancing at Lenna, "With capable hands is capable of fighting."
He left it at that and left the others to follow.
They continued on, more stairs and more halls, until they came to the big chamber doors. More runes were spread intricately across them. Lenna noticed that they were slightly ajar, a soft blue light spilling into the hallway.
The princess approached extending her arm to the handle, but a blast of air pushed her back. She covered her eyes as they started to dry, eventually the wind gave out and was dying down. A giant bird stood in their way, purple and orange. Its feathers made it look like flames.
"Incoming!" Bartz shouted, all drawing their weapons.
The bird let out a magnificent caw! loud enough to make them cover their ears. It flapped its wings, the largest gust of wind blowing them further and further back.
"Stand your ground!" Lenna heard though she wasn't sure who had said it.
All at once, they leapt into action. Faris swung his sword, clipping its wing. Bartz dove his into its chest, earning him a cry of pain. Galuf swung his fists, barely making a dent but he gave a valiant effort.
Lenna stood to the side, grasping her knife with uneasy hands. She caught the captain's eye who had stopped to catch his breath.
"Lenna!" he called above the chaos. "You can do it. It's a fight for survival."
Lenna nodded, looking back to the bird. It would've been beautiful- if it was not out for blood.
She stared at it, fear once again working into her heart. Her mind raced, images of her companions, her home, her family- her family! Her father, he was supposedly just beyond those doors. All she had to do was get past this damned bird.
She stared at the knife in her hands, then back at the bird. She did the only logical thing she could do; she prayed and then promptly threw it.
It whizzed past her friends, hitting the bird dead in the eye. The fighters turned towards her, surprised.
Faris gave her a reassuring smile, pride beaming in his eyes.
They hacked and sawed at it until it screamed a blood curdling scream that sounded almost human. It fell to the floor in a lifeless heap.
Lenna took the lead, turning back towards the chamber, pulling the door open with shaking hands. She stood in the open doorway, her mouth wide open, expecting to see her father or the crystal or something. But nothing was there, nothing but bits of glass on the cold dark floor.
But she soon realized that it was not glass it was-
"The crystal-" she sputtered.
"It's shattered," Bartz said softly.
Before anyone could say anything else the room flashed, bright lights coming from the shards.
"The crystals," a ghostly whisper. It had come from none of them.
"Let us guide you," another supplied.
"Take our light," each was a different voice, each echoing throughout the chamber.
Bartz eyebrows scrunched together. "What the-"
His words were cut short by an unearthly red glow.
"Courage, the essence of flame," came a woman's voice.
A cry came from the pirate captain as he fell to his knees, clutching his abdomen. It glowed bright, the red glow coming from within. Lenna reached out a hand but quickly retracted it as she soon felt nauseous. She dropped to the floor, cradling her head.
"Devotion, the essence of water…" a man's voice, strong and firm.
Galuf took a step towards the two. "What in blazes-"
His thought also interrupted as he stumbled backwards, grasping for the floor. He fell to his side, gasping for air.
"Hope, the essence of earth," This, a child's voice.
Lenna looked to her companions; the only one standing was Bartz. He stood there staring at where the crystal had been, almost as if he was in a trance. A soft light still resided in the crystal's holding, light and blue. The wanderer held out his hands, cupped together as if he were beckoning it towards him.
The light grew brighter, lifting out of its cradle, making its way towards Bartz and landing safely in his hands.
"Passion, the essence of wind…" The voice was indistinguishable between a man and woman.
Bartz closed his eyes and his hands, the twinkling light disappearing.
"What's happening?" Faris gruffed out, shaking as he tried to push himself off the floor.
Galuf stood and brushed off his trousers, swaying a little as he place a hand to his head. "Feels warm…"
Lenna also stood, regaining her composure. "Are these the crystals'…essences?"
They all shuffled in uncomfortable silence as they pondered the thought.
"Le… nna…" a rough voice came from in the room.
She gasped, she knew that voice.
They all turned back to the crystal's former place, a flashing figure standing in its spot. Blue robes adorned it, a giant horned helm on its head.
"Father!"
His body was flickering as if in and out of existence. He was not truly there.
"Listen, and listen well." His voice sounded metallically. "You four are the chosen ones," he extended his fingers towards them. "The warriors of light…bearers of the four crystals' essences."
Lenna felt tears start to form in her eyes. There he was, the man she had been searching for, but he was not really there. Was this all that was left of him? Was he only a spirit now?
"Father," her voice was shaking, the tears threatening to fall, "what do you mean?"
"The wind crystal has already shattered," he went on, "The other three crystals are in danger. You must protect them!"
Faris stepped up next to her, enamored by the ghostly image. He reached out a hand to the king.
"An evil presence is awakening," the king warned. "One that wishes to return everything to darkness."
Just as quickly as he had appeared, King Tycoon had begun to glow. Fluorescent blue, he slowly ascended above them.
Lenna ran up the few steps of the altar. "Father!" she shouted. The tears had started to fall.
He disappeared, but his voice remained. "Go forth, Light Warriors! Save the crystals."
The crystal shards on the floor began to vibrate, moving slowly across the floor to the newly named warriors.
"What are these?" Lenna asked, wiping away her tears.
"Guess they're pieces of the crystal," Bartz suggested. His eyes were darker now, not as lively as they had been a few hours before.
They began to shake even more violently as they too ascended in the air. They flew into the hands of each warrior.
"Crystal fragments," the ghostly voices were back.
"And stored within, the power of the warriors of legend." Another claimed.
Lenna rolled the two she had received over in her hands. They were jagged and hard and cold, but they sparkled brilliantly in her hands.
Bartz raised his, inspecting them in the absence of light. It glistened, then sparked. He promptly dropped it and stepped away with a fearful face.
It popped and cracked until a figure stood before him, transparent. He wore a battered helmet, and gauntlets adorned him. A billowing red cape held its home across his back. His face was hard to make out, it was like a fog constantly moving and hard to place.
He stepped forward and bowed.
"I am Agro, the great knight." He spoke with a soft voice, one that sounded like that of a fourteen year old boy. "Please accept my light."
Before Bartz could reply, the warrior faded into mist, but he was soon replaced by the other crystal in Bartz's hand. It flew to the same spot, another figure appearing.
This one stood tall and proud, he was clad in leather armlets and cotton pants and flats.
"I am Dal, the grand monk," his voice was deep. "Please take my guidance."
And just as the warrior had before. He dissipated into a mist. And once again he was replaced by one of Faris's crystals.
"I am Talibah, the blue mage," this warrior was a woman, dressed in pauldrons and a blue mask. "Accept my guidance."
As she faded, the next crystal jumped.
"I am Gavril, the diligent theif," this man had a bandana around his head and a smirk on his face. "Let me help you."
The next crystal came from Lenna's hand. A face covered by a big pointy hat and dark blue robes stood before her.
"I am Chantla, the brave black mage," came a woman's voice from beneath the hat. "I will guide you."
The last crystal shard jumped from her hands, skittering across the floor. A woman with a braid and white robes held out her hands towards Lenna. The princess shivered, feeling as if she was under a stern gaze even if she couldn't see her eyes.
"I am Deidre, the courageous white mage," her voice was soft and gentle. "Take my light."
Instead of falling to the floor in a cloud of mist, mist swarmed around her. It swirled and swirled, five times in total, revealing the other spirits of the crystal shards.
"Accept our light," the knight said from under his helm.
"We will guide you when you need it most," the thief told them.
"Call upon us and we shall shed the light upon your path," the white mage called to them.
One by one, they disappeared, each saying "Take our light."
"Take our light."
"Take our light."
The room was quiet once again. No one spoke, no one moved, all they did was stand in their spots, lamenting their new found fate.
Was the world really in their hands?
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AN: WHEW! I decided to try and go more in depth with the whole "spirits of the warriors inside the crystal shards" thing. I hope it goes well.
It took me forever to try and write this chapter and although it's not in the place I want it to be, I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for reading!