Irma's Tale
By Lost Prince
Disclaimer: I don't own W.I.T.C.H
A.N : I know this is somewhat late, but to give some idea to the format and point of view of this fic.
In the real life, it will be in third person. For Caleb's writing (notes and records of his interviews), you can picture them as old hand writing on that yellow old paper. For the main story, instead of making it in the person/persons wording, it is written in third person (again).
And if there scene change, I will write where the destination will be to lesser any confusion.
Hope this makes more clear. (Thanks for the suggestion Starwin). On to the story.
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"Okay, I'm back, sorry for the delay. Umm, where did Ahmed go?" Jenny asked as she sat back at the table.
"The usual, he got a call from his father and went outside to answer it." Alex replied nonchalantly.
After awhile Ahmed retuned, he sat down and looked at the smiling faces of his friends.
"I have to watch over my little brother tonight, so I need to be home before seven." Then he opened the book, "Come on, I want to know what happens next".
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Continue Chapter Three : Her Past ( part3)
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Duke Hale walked up to a black-haired Chinese man, "What's the meaning of this General? You are supposed to be at Heatherfield right now, stopping the demons attack". The man didn't even salute; he stood there in silence, his gaze on the ground, and then said in a defeated tone, "There is no Heatherfield to defend Sir. By the time we reached the village, it was too late".
"Elaborate, General".
"There is nothing to say really. When we reached it, there was nothing. No demons, soldiers or houses, there was no village. It was as if it never existed. The only thing that proved that there was a village is the remnants of the high walls that surrounded it and this". He gave him a sealed letter tainted in red.
"How did you get this Lee?" Harold said as he took the letter, looking at it pensively.
"It was attached to an impaled body on top of the walls. A letter from Phobos". Harold looked at his general for a while, and then he turned, "First we have to deal with the people from Heatherfield village. I want you to issue the order for the soldiers. After that, I want you to come to my office". He bowed, "At once my lord". Lee returned to the Duke after doing as told. He saw him standing near the big windows. He wasn't staring at anything in particular. Lee gave a cough to announce his presence.
"It's on the desk. Read it." He replied in a defeated tone, still facing the window. Lee took the letter in his hands and read it silently:
To my unfaithful follower Duke Hale,
News has reached my ears that an army is gathering in my city Arkhanta, disturbing the peace there and affecting my tax money collection, which is not acceptable at all. I'm not pleased with your performance up till now Hale, in fact I'm very disappointed with you only leaving half of the knights under my disposal to act as my Death Lords. I won't accept anything less than the whole knights under my command.
I will give you no longer than three days to correct your mistake or Raythor and the rest will make sure that another Heatherfield incident will occur.
It is great to be surrounded by those who have complete trust in you, don't you think so, Hale?
Meridian's Ruler, Necromancer Phobos
Lee put the letter on the desk and turned to face the man, who was still looking out the window. "Your Excellency. In less than one week, the rest of the troops will have gathered and when that happens, we will show Phobos who is in command. We outnumber him and have more battle experience". Lee heard the Duke give a sigh.
"Lee. Did you read it carefully?" He turned around and walked to his fancy, brown, wooden desk in the center of the room, "The last line Lee. The last line is my defeat".
"It is great to be surrounded by those who have complete trust in you, don't you think so, Hale". His general re-read the last line. He looked at the Duke and said in disbelieving tone "But he can't possibly control everyone".
"Lee." Harold began to rub his temples as he sat on the red cushioned chair, "It's not as hard as you think it is. To put it bluntly, aside from the knights, not a lot have any trust or faith in me. Rumors have been going around for ages, implying that I want to be the king…that the Knights are planning to take over Meridian". He then looked at the Chinese man in front of him "And now with four of my generals siding with Phobos, these rumors have the ground it needed to stand on. Meaning even if we now go and march to him with this army of collected troops-"
"He would use these rumors, break the forces apart and turn them against us." Lee finished for him then added, "He'd finish us without lifting a finger". Harold nodded his head silently. "So what's the plan then?"
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Later that day, the barracks were open for the refuges and they were given food for the time being, until they could manage on their own. Before the moon settled in the sky, most of them slept very fast due to their tiredness, though a lot of them cried themselves to sleep.
All but a seven year old girl who kept staring at the stars, sometime she would grasp the silver trinket that hung around her neck, other time she would hold the twin daggers that she trained with. Though they belonged to her mother, it was her last gift she received from her father on her birthday.
Flashback
They walked to the open hill and instead of the usual training with a wooden sword. Her father moved to a shade of a big tree.
"Irma, come here please". She sat beside him on the grass. He had a far away gaze in the horizon. He then turned to his daughter with a sad smile and opened a small box he had been carrying with him. She looked inside and saw her mother's twin daggers, wedding ring, as well as a sketch of her mother and father at what seemed to be their weeding day.
"She was supposed to give you these daggers when you reach the age of seven along with the speech that I'm about to give". He turned his face to the sky, "Irma do you know what your name means?" She shook her head in response. "Irma is the name of a water spirit that has the sea under her command. You remember the stories we told you about the sea? What it represents?" She nodded her head.
"Strength. Just like how the sun is the greatest symbol of hope, the sea is the greatest symbol of strength." Then she started to count on her fingers "The sea caries the big ships, breaks the rocks and flood the land, right?" Tom smiled at her.
"Let's say them in a different way shall we?" He started with her index finger.
"The Sea's forgiveness is the strongest. No matter how much the people throw at it, not only does it takes them and their ships from one place to the other, the sea also supplies them with food and treasures like pearls." Then he went to her middle finger.
"The Sea's will is the strongest as well. No matter how many sharp rocks breaks its currents, it never stops the sea from coming back again until it makes all the sharp rock smooth and even breaks them apart in the end." Then he finished with her ring finger.
"The Sea's might is the strongest; it can sink islands, with all of its lands, mountains and forests." He then looked his daughter in the eye, "You are a sea spirit Irma, you must have all three. I know it sounds hard but you must find it in your heart to be forgiving, even to those who hurt you. I don't want you to hold grudges on those who call you demon. One day, the truth will shine brighter than the sun. However, your will must be strong enough so that you won't fall from the obstacles in your way. You have to keep moving forward, keep hoping for that day. But hope alone can't do anything." He took out the twin daggers and placed them in her hands, "You have to be strong to be able to protect your beliefs, hopes and dreams. Protect yourself and those you care for".
She looked at him as he counted on her fingers again, "Strong in forgiveness, will and might. Just like the sea Irma, just like the sea". He then ruffled her hair "Enough of this talk. Time to see how you do with real weapons".
End of Flashback
"Just like the sea." She repeated to herself. She closed her eyes as sleep finally took over her, hoping the next day would better than this one. However, it looks like the worst has yet to come. Before midday, the news of Arkhanta's surrender spread out.
To the city's inhabitants, mainly the nobles and the rich, it was a good call and they supported it. A town disappeared with its inhabitants in less than two hours had shaken any will they had to resist, not to mention the war would affect their business.
But for the rest of the nation, it wasn't like that. Only a few clans of the ninja's joined Arkhanta, whereas the rest named the Duke, a compliance of Phobos. They withdrew their troops to their respective origins and each group started to fight on its own, fearing betrayal from the other as well as trying to protect their own land first.
There was another group of people that didn't agree to the decision but for different reasons, some wanted revenge for their fallen comrades or loved ones, others wanted their little village back. Though they had different reasons for hatred, the receiving end was one. They blamed the demon girl for it.
"That devil must've done something for the Duke to make him act this way. He never would've surrendered without a fight."
"She really is cursed. In less than a day she brought this city to its knees and thrown the country in chaos." Those were some of the talk the soldiers had among themselves, and with Mrs. Cole fueling their anger, adding salt in the wounds, things aren't looking bright and sunny as they circled around the Lair family of mother and daughter.
"SHUT UP. ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT THE HELL UP AND LEAVE US ALONE." Shouted an angry Anna as she stood in front of her stepdaughter protectively. She turned fiery brown eyes at the angry mob "You think you're the cursed ones here? Well think again. We've had it rough from day one. Our house was burned to the ground and Tom…" She chocked his name out as she shook violently "He-"
"He got what he deserved for helping a demon." A black haired soldier in full uniform of blue cloth interrupted her talk.
"What?" Both Lairs had shocked faces.
The thin man continued, "Guess his master finished him off after Tom finished his duties. That's the fitting end for a demon lover I'd sa-"
He got slapped in the face by an angry Anna as she narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Tom was more honorable than you ever would be. He sacrificed his life saving our village. Don't you dare dishonor my husband's memory in front of me".
"Now…" The soldier said in a low voice, his left on his redden cheek, "You've really done it". He quickly pulled her by the hair and drew her close "I'll make you wish you hadn't done that". He threw her to the ground, then turned and ordered two bulky soldiers behind him "Hold her down".
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY MOTHER." Exploded the small girl. She bolted to the soldier, who raised his sword and slashed at her. She sidestepped avoiding the hit, then in one swift motion, pulled one of her daggers and jumped beyond him, slashing his side. He fell to one knee, clutching his side. Irma took out her other dagger and stood in a fighting stance in front of her stepmother.
"Don't you dare touch my mother." She repeated, fire dancing in her eyes, her trinket glowing a faint blue. The man noticed the glow and smirked "My mistake is that I underestimated you, I didn't think that you were trained. That trinket, you used the silver to enhance your speed eh? You live up to your name demon. Come on, let's finish this." He indicated to his companions. They moved closer with their weapons, one axe and two swords ready to strike.
Although she had three years of training, she didn't have any real experience and was no match for true soldiers. Taking advantage of her speed, she rushed to the nearest one, the biggest of them. She sent slashed aimed for his side, but he blocked it with ease. He slashed at her, which she dodged and dashed for a fast counter, but the handle of his axe found its way to her abdomen. She jumped back, clutched her middle. As soon as she looked up, she saw the axe coming down at her. She tried to block it, but got thrown away from the force of the blow, her daggers on the ground, out of her reach. Anna rushed to her side, but got knocked to the ground by other bulky man.
"Take a look at your precious demon." He said after pinning her to the ground, holding her head with his hand. She opened her eyes and saw the soldier kick her stepdaughter once, twice. Anna shouted at them to stop, struggled to break free but to no avail. The soldier then raised Irma by her hair with one hand and turned to Anna with a sick smile on his face. "Any last words for her woman?" Anna doubled her efforts and strained her voice at them, at the people gathered around to stop this, but all her cries went unanswered.
Irma was clawing at her captive's hand, but with him wearing leather gloves, it had no effect. She tried to kick him but he slammed her to the ground in response, she tried to scramble away but he pinned her with his boot. The soldier then raised his sword and posed to strike. A maniacal laugh sounded from the right. All of Arkhanta's residents froze in their places, fear evident in their features. A thin woman in a yellow dress appeared from the crowd. Her greenish blond hair covering half of her pale face, the other half reveled a crazy grin and a piercing green eye. She walked to them in slow, elegant, overconfident steps. With every step she took, people parted away from her path till she stopped in front of the soldier who started all of this.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." She said in sing a song voice. Then her looks got crazier as she added, "Unless you want to see what your insides look like, if you do, then oh please do continue." She vanished and appeared behind him holding his neck in a blue glowing hand and whispered in his ear "It's been a long time since I heard a man scream his soul out. I'll make sure to savor your every scream".
The man jumped away and slashed at her but she vanished before his sword connected. He started to swing his sword around himself. "Stay away from me Banshee. Stay away or I'll chop your head off." Just as he finished his words, he got imprisoned in an ice cage. The Banshee's laughter echoed all around him.
"You think your toy can hurt me?" She appeared in front of him and grabbed his sword, which shattered in her grasp as small pieces of ice fell to the ground, "As if". The other two ran toward the Banshee to strike her from behind. Without turning back, she raised her hands and an ice wall came out of nowhere and took the blunt of their attack. She lowered her hands and the ice wall instantly melted, water spilled on their weapons. She looked at them with glee as she snapped her finger; the water instantly froze up, freezing their hands with their weapons to the ground.
"I wonder if the ice is going to shatter like his sword did." She stopped in front of them and traced her fingers on their frozen hands slowly. "Though I'm sure this ice will be red in color this time." She then gave a small laugh and snapped her fingers in the air. The men panicked, cried out and tried to pull away but couldn't, and the crazy laughter grow higher.
"Oh, how you scream even when I don't do a thing." She then hunched down so that she was whispering in their ears, "You do know that I didn't break the ice, right?" Both men looked to their hands, and true to her words, the ice that encased their hands was still intact. It took them a moment to understand this, and then they almost cried from happiness knowing they still had their hands. But the joy of this discovery was soon replaced by terror once again, when they looked in front of them to that maniacal face. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Priceless. If this is only from fear, I can't imagine what the real thing would make you do." She tilted her head to one side and said with a small smile, "Do you know why nothing happened when I snapped my fingers a moment ago?" They shook their head no. Her small smile turned to a grin. "Because I got a better idea. One that I'm sure we all are gonna enjoy." She then turned her face and sang, "O Demon Girl. This is your lucky day".
Irma knotted her brows at the mention of her 'nickname'; she looked at the woman in front of her.
"I'm not a demon and I have a name. Irma". The Banshee raised an eyebrow.
"We have a feisty one here." She then asked, "Aren't you the little bit scared of me?"
"Why would I be? You just saved me from them." Irma stated. The woman's face broke into a huge grin, she patted Irma on the head, and then she put a hand on Irma's shoulders and pushed her to the trapped men.
"Anyway, back to our subject of the day." She waved a hand in front of her, "How are you going to kill them? You can just say how and I'll do the rest".
Irma saw the fear evident in their eyes; she even noticed one had wet himself.
"Have mercy please. I have a wife and two kids waiting for me at home." One of them pleaded. The Blond woman narrowed her eyes dangerously and hissed, "You should've thought of that before attacking someone's daughter." Her hands and eyes glowed an eerie blue as she took a step toward him, "Killing you a thousand time won't be enough".
The man's face went white as chalk and he whimpered "N-No, ple-please n-no".
"STOP. DON'T HURT HIM." To everyone's shock, it was Irma who shouted as she stood in the path of the older woman, arms rose in front of the trapped men. The woman's glow died down and she tilted her head to the right.
"You're protecting them? They tried to kill you and that woman. Don't tell me you don't feel anger? That you don't want to them suffer what you suffered?"
"I do feel anger." Irma said clenching her fists, her head low. "I do want them to suffer, to hurt them like they hurt my mom, to kill them like they wanted to kill me, but…but I can't."
"Because…?" The old woman asked intrigued to hear her reasons.
Irma raised her head and said firmly, "Because I'm not a demon, it would be an insult to my parents' memory if I turned out to be a killer." She then lowered her head and added in a low voice, "I also know what it feels like to lose a father".
A smirk found its way on the Banshee's face. She walked silently past Irma and placed her hands on the ice the imprisoned the men. It instantly melted to water, freeing them. "This should've been your last day. You're lucky that she is a kind girl." Then her eyes narrowed as she whispered, "However, I'm not as forgiving as she is. Just try and do something to her or that woman. I promise you and your loved ones, a world of pain you never knew before".
"Alright everyone, shows over." She turned around and clapped her hands. "Nothing more to see here. Go on, get lost before I go on you instead." She started to shoo them away.
When the banshee went to free the men, Anna rushed to her daughter's side "Irma honey, are you all right?" She started to run her hand all over Irma face and body. Irma's face flushed with embarrassment
"ANNA. I'm fin-" She hissed when Anna touched her side. Anna lifted her shirt and winced when she saw a bruise from when Irma got kicked before.
"Irma." She said faintly.
Irma shook her head "Anna, don't. It's not your fault. It's me, I wasn't stro-" Suddenly the Banshee came from behind and put a glowing hand on the affected side. At first Irma winced and Anna was about to shout at the woman, when Irma features relaxed visibly.
"All magic has some healing properties. Don't worry, I won't harm her." The Banshee said with a smirk. Then the blue glow encased Irma whole and made her hover a little over the ground. It was as if Irma was in a water bubble. However, her features seemed more relaxed than before as if she was having a pleasant dream.
"Or would I? After all, I am a Banshee you know." She said the last part in such a way, it sent chills down Anna's spine. This didn't go unnoticed by the Banshee and she gave a small laugh. It was then that Anna noticed that the woman in front of her had a few fangs in her mouth, like a vampire of some sort, though they weren't protruding out. She also noticed that not all of her face was made from skin; there were some patches of gray stone on it here and there. "I'm not exactly like how it's written in your books now, am I Anna?" Said the Banshee after a moment, taking pleasure in how wide Anna's eyes are getting by the second. She then took her hand from Irma "There. That should be enough". As the bubble began to vanish, she took a few steps back, taking in Irma's features as the said girl started to wake up.
"It's like I'm looking at Sarah all over again." She said amused then she added darkly," Only this time, the possibilities now…" She left her sentence hang open and her eyes shone with something Anna couldn't place her finger on, but knew it wasn't in their favor, at all.
"Who, Who are you? How do you know my name? How do you know so much about us? What do you want from us?" Anna blurted all of this at once. The Banshee looked at her with a smirk, one eyebrow raised in amusement "Is this how you treat those who saves your life?" She taunted.
"Who are you?" Anna repeated getting more anxious.
"My lord awaits you at the castle." With that, the Banshee turned around and began to walk.
"What? Why? We're not going anywhere till we get some answers." Anna said defiantly.
The Banshee stopped still for a second. She then turned around with a sharp gaze and repeated in a slow and dangerous tone, "My lord awaits you at the castle". Anna noticed all the signs of danger in that posture, she knew that they can't escape from her and beating her was out of the question, that left her with only one option. She nodded her head and grabbed Irma, who wasn't fully awaken yet and followed the Banshee.
They walked past the guards at the gate, who hurriedly saluted her as "Lady Yue". Said Lady didn't even bother to look at them and went straight ahead, Anna noticed the guards relax and give a sigh of relief. The group made its way around the main building of the castle. They passed a lot of soldiers and officers, the later didn't even dare to spare a glance in their direction, where as the first looked at Yue with such hatred, more than what Irma gets by ten folds at least. Anna thought they would attack them, but they didn't.
'Do they let anybody move around the castle like this? Not a single soldier asked who we are or what we're doing here? Is all of this fear from Lady Yue? What's her role here? Why this much hatred?' Anna was deep in thoughts; she almost crashed into the Banshee if it weren't for Irma tugging her arm at the last second. They stopped in front one of the training grounds.
"Wait here." Order Yue. She then went ahead where Anna saw the back of a dark haired man. He was roughly in his late forties, clad in a cape made of blue fur. Yue approached the man and whispered to him for a few seconds. He nodded his head once, dismissing her. She turned back to Anna. "I have a few things I need to take care of. Once Ari finishes his…play with them, he'll have a word with you." She then pointed towards Irma, "And be sure she, remembers her place when addressing him. As a Lord, Ari tends to get angry to those who forget this." She then vanished from their sight.
Ari was hunched over his cane, watching over a group of people, who seemed to be training. They didn't wear the knights armor, nor did they train with any. Even their training ground was different from what Anna saw before. She heard Ari gave a bored sigh followed by, "Pathetic." Suddenly he turned to a blue blur as he dashed in, and what Anna thought was a cane, turned out to be a broad sword. He raised his sword up and slashed down, sending a fast energy shot at the training people. Two managed to get away in time while the rest got knocked down.
"You have to be alert to all that happens around you. If this was a real fight, you'd be dead." He sheathed his sword "For now, I want you all practice your sword skills all over again. Next time, the least I expect from you is to block if you can't dodge." Then he faced the two who dodged, "Good work you two. Keep it up." Both men saluted and went back to training.
After giving his final instructions, Ari turned around to the Lairs. As he approached them, he stopped right in front of Irma and gazed intently at her, which she didn't like. Irma wasn't known for her patience or her politeness but since her stepmother asked her to be at her best behavior to this man, she restrained herself, to an extent. She started to move her feet a little, then she looked at him.
"What?" He just kept his stare on her.
Anna saw that Irma was about to give him one of her witty remarks, so she quickly held Irma's shoulder and scolded. "Irma, behave". The little girl said something under her breath and folded her arms in front of her. "I'm sorry, you'd have to excuse my daughter, she tends to-" Anna said to the man in front of her but he interrupted her.
"First of all, she's not your daughter." He said in a calm voice, his gaze still fixed on Irma.
"I beg your pardon?"Anna looked taken aback.
He turned his eyes on her, "This girl is the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Lair, the colonel and the sword dancer respectively".
"How do you know my parents?" Irma's anger was now replaced by curiosity. He ignored the little girl and continued, "We also knew that the cursed girl would be attacked, that's why I made Yue tail her from a far and bring the both of you here".
"I'm not a cursed." The small girl argued. Like before, he ignored her as he took a few steps into the field, "This brings me to the second point. Living in the Duke's barracks isn't safe anymore for the demon girl, I'm sure you know that by now. And I don't think you're going to find anyone who is going to offer you any kind of job as long as you are associated with her".
"Here is my proposal Anna." He turned around, "I will offer you a home and a job. As long as you work for me, I can protect you and that girl from harm. I need someone with good knowledge and can charm people with words. From what I heard, you're blessed with both". Just then, Yue appeared in front of them. Ari nodded his head to her then finished his talk with Anna.
"I expect your answer no later than tomorrow. For now, Yue will take you to your place. That is all". Yue gave Ari two daggers and turned to lead the Lairs' with a knowing smirk.
"If you would follow me-" Irma's hands quickly went to her side then shouted,
"Hey, those are my twin daggers. Give them back. That's stealing".
Yue's smirk was a grin now and Anna's fast reply was, "Irma. Behave".
Ari replied calmly, "These are very fine daggers that belonged to Sarah. They are dangerous, not for a child to play with".
Irma, barely containing her anger, said "My mother passed away a year and half ago. She left those for me to train in the water dance style. They are very precious to me and I want them back." She demanded, hands out stretched. Instead of giving her daggers back, he started to laugh, a real loud and obnoxious laugh in Irma's opinion. A vein in Irma's temple's pulsated. Yue was enjoying every moment of this. Ari composed himself after awhile and looked at her amused.
"That was a really good one. But if you want to lie, think of a more believable story".
"That wasn't a lie." She shouted at him.
He studied her for a moment then smirked, "Tell you what? If you want me to believe you, you'll have to prove it. If you lose, I shall keep them as punishment for your lying. But if you win, I'll give the daggers back and even supervise your training like I did for your parents".
"Huh? What?" The last sentence caught Irma of guard.
"Do you accept the challenge or are you gonna admit that you're just a little liar?" Taunted the Banshee.
"Bring it on. I'll show you all that I'm not a liar." She shot back with determination.
'Hook, line and sinker. This is gonna be soo good.' The Banshee thought with delight. Opposed to her was Anna's reaction. She put hand on her face and sighed.
"Clear the training ground." Ari said to his servant. Yue nodded, vanished for a moment, then came back smiling. He faced Irma with a smirk, "If you would follow me".
'I'll show you. I'll wipe that smug out of your face. Just wait.' She thought angrily as she followed him into the training area, the floor made of dirt, with some target boards and straw dummies for practice scattered here and there, as well as some big trees with ropes hanging from the branches. It seemed that Yue had made an announcement of some sort when she went to clear the grounds. All of the troops have gathered around trying to get the best view. Even some soldiers and knights came to see what's going to happen. Ari took his position and ordered Irma to stand in front of him a few feet away. She did as told. She stood there with her chin held high, a confidante and determined look on her face. He turned to those near him, "Hand me two swords".
Two guys gave him two steel swords, their length about Irma's height. He held each with a hand and gave an experimental swing. He then held one sword and pointed its tip on her, his eyes fixed on her eyes. Though Irma's feature didn't falter, her heart was racing, just like her thoughts. 'What's he planning on doing? There's no way I can beat him. He's the one who trained my parents. Not to mention that I'm unarmed'.
"Here we go." He said coldly and raised his sword high.
Irma's eye went wide with fear but made her trinket glow in anticipation, her speed was the only thing that can save her now. Just as his arm moved, she jumped to the right and turned around ready to jump again, when she heard the crowd all around her laugh. She felt confused and embarrassed as if she had done something wrong. She turned her gaze and noticed that Ari was standing in his spot, one arm held high, but no sword in his hand. He pointed his finger up. She followed where he pointed and saw the sword fixed in a big branch above him. She felt more confused than before. He gave her a smile.
"You're reflexes were great, nice jump you did there. But you didn't really think that I would fight you now, did you? It wouldn't be fair for you in any way. I want you to do the minimum test for entering my guild. Plant a sword in that branch." He pointed there one more time. Irma's mind took it's time to reboot and catch up with what's going on. She turned to Ari, then to the branch, then to Ari once again.
"Huh?" Ari moved to the lost girl and offered her the other sword he was holding.
"Show me the results of your training Irma." He said softly, and then added with a smirk "Though if you fail, I will keep your daggers".
She looked at him with narrow eyes and said in a low voice, "I really hate you". She took the sword from him, "I'll show you my training alright". With the tip of the sword on the ground, she walked, dragging her sword to where Ari threw his own. With all her strength, she raised the sword high above her head…and fell backwards, earning her a new round of laughter from the audience. She mumbled something under her breath and looked at the sword with annoyance. The sword was too long and heavy for her small frame to swing around, so throwing it high with some aim towards that branch would be more of a challenge than what she first thought. But she wasn't about to give up and let him have her daggers. She lifted the sword again and fell backwards, again. She tried to throw it up from the start, but it didn't go high enough. She looked at the branch, which seemed a lot more higher than what it really was.
'I don't think I would reach it even If I jumped and throw it up. If only I can get super strong, or get tall enough then I would…'
Suddenly she looked up at the branch then to the sword on the ground, concentration evident on her face. She turned to Ari, "All I have to do is let the sword go through that branch, right?" She asked.
"Yes, that's all." He answered.
She quickly ran to the tree and started to climb it till she reached the branch. Carefully she walked over it. With every step she took, the branch gave a sound. She kept moving till she got near where the sword penetrated the branch. She then stomped over that area while steadying herself with a branch from above. She stomped again and a crack was heard, but didn't fall. She stomped one last time and the branch fell to the ground along with the sword that Ari threw in.
'Yes'. She thought in triumph as she quickly made her way to the ground. She then lifted her sword a little and planted it in the fallen branch. She turned to Ari with a smug. "There. The sword is in the branch, just like you wanted".
A round of laughter started again but it made an abrupt stop when Ari held his hand up. His face was unreadable expression, eyes closed as he talked in a stony tone. "Do you think this is some kind of a show? I feel very disappointed." Irma was about to reply but her mouth hung open when Ari looked at her with a smile. He then turned and faced the crowd, "This time I'll let it slip, but the next time any of you mock one of my guild members, there will be consequences".
"This is what makes a great warrior." He said pointing a finger to his head, "What ensures your survival and your win in the end. Strength, agility and such are good, but having a sharp and creative mind is better. It covers your weakness and let you take advantage of what's around you".
Ari walked to Irma - who was still in awe, mouth hung open – and placed the daggers in her hands. "Welcome to our guild Irma".
Anna's clapping sounded filling the silence that followed, which got accompanied later with all guild members, as well as few of the knights, but the majority of the official army walked away cursing Irma and who supported her under their breath. "She is the devil's child. It is no wonder he would take her in. He took that damn Banshee before".
The said Banshee suddenly appeared right next to Anna startling the young woman. She was clapping lazily with a small smile on her face. "Now that she's a member, I can have her to myself and we'll have all kinds of fun together. Though, I would need your blessing, sorry your permission for that. So when Ari asks, don't spoil it for me, kay?" False sugar coating her every word and she moved her hand across her neck in a slash motion then winked. As sudden as she appeared, she vanished, installing more fear into the poor lady.
"Wow, Lady Yue? You and your daughter got real guts to do that, you know." A bulky, bearded man near Anna gave her a slap on the back, "Wish you luck, you're damn gonna need it all, bowaa hahaha".
Anna watched as the man walked away laughing hard, along with a bunch of his friends. Before Anna could figure out what was going on, she saw her daughter coming to her in big over confidant strides, the twin daggers decorating her waist. Ari was moving behind her, chuckling at her exaggerated arm swings and strides. Anna shook her head, smiling at her daughter.
"I'm now an official part of the guild." Irma said with pride, "Whatever that means".
"I was going to ask you about that lord Ari." Anna turned to the said man, "What does your guild do exactly?"
He held up his hand, "That will take some time and I'm sure you are tired and want to rest after all that excitement that happened today".
"But you promised to train me." Irma interrupted the talk, "Besides, I'm not tired at all".
"I can fix that." Yue said, walking toward the small group, "All he promised is supervising your training, which would be under me." She pointed at the field behind her, "I want three labs in less than three minutes".
"What?" Irma looked confused.
"You're not going to-" Anna glared at the other woman. Though her heart was pounding strongly in her chest, she wouldn't let her fear show in her face. The blond woman spared a look at Anna, then looked back at her pupil interrupting her mid sentence.
"Time is ticking." The Banshee said it in a way, accompanied with the look that promised such a sweet fate, Irma yelped and ran like a mad girl.
"Use the silver or you won't make it in time." Shouted a fellow members.
"Don't disturb my training." Yue sent a jet of water at the guy, blasting him off the ground.
She smirked, "That's better. Now for Irma's punishment…" Her hand under her chin in a thinking manner.
"I still didn't agree on this." Anna said to Ari with an angry expression.
He raised one eyebrow, "She is the only who trains that style." He raised his hands before she can object, "And I will be watching over her training like I promised. No harm will be done to Irma. That, I can assure you". He turned to the gleeful trainer, "Right Yue?"
"Of course my lord." She said with an obviously fake courtesy bow. Ari Turned to Anna, "See? That's settled then. Anyway, I have other business to attend to." And left, not waiting for her response. Not able to do a thing, Anna sat down watching the training, fuming. Yue smirked for a second.
"As long as you don't interfere, I don't mind you keep watch." Then focused on her captive target, "Few seconds." She shouted with delight. Irma yelped again and gave it her all.
'Oh I'm gonna enjoy this.' Was the only thing in Yue's mind at the moment, "You didn't make it in time..." She sang. Irma gulped.
'Not tired…Me and my big mouth.' Was her thought.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- (Caleb's interview) ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
'Anna Lair said
…even though I have lost Tom when I reached Arkhanta, I gained something else. Irma, calling me mom, doing her all to ensure no harm is done to me, that was something new to me. Of course I was protective of her too, but seeing that your child, a stepdaughter no less, have this kind of feelings for you…I can't explain in words what it means to me…'
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- (real life in the library) ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
"Ahmed?" Asked Alex when he saw his friend with a weird smile. Said friend turned to him, "I liked that Yue person, uh, thing, really knows how to get on your nerves." Then put a hand under his chin, as if thinking, "If only I can have that kind of effect on Alex, I could make him do all my homework".
"Ahmed?" The brown haired girl started, "He already does your homework".
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A.N : First of all, a shout of thank you to all the readers, and especially to XV-Dragon and Nadeer for reviewing the last chapter. No words express my gratitude for your support.
Also I welcome and thank all the new review people , Zero, DeathSound and Starwin. Hope you all will continue with us. Hope you can see improvement in this chapter Starwin.
Lastly I have to thank Girl of Light Writer for betareading this chapter. Thanks a lot.
Okay now for some notes and a few rambling,
I'm terribly sorry for the late update. Real life tends to get in the way sometimes and writing takes the backseat. I also promised XV-Dragon that Cornelia will have an appearance this chapter, which was in the initial plan. After some editing and new ideas, it got pushed to the next chapter. You will see Cornelia in the next one, that is for sure. Sorry XV-Dragon.
As to the name 'Irma', It is a German name that really means 'universe / whole'. I twisted the meaning a little to 'water universe'. Not too far away from the real meaning, is it :P
I have a weird look to the sea don't you think? Ever thought of the sea like that ^^
For those who didn't read the comics, Ari is the main villain in the third Arc (kinda) along with Yue (his Banshee slave). He announced war on the Oracle and the guardians were sent in response.
With my finals coming near -28 Feb-, I can't give a date for the next update, but will try to update as soon as I could. Leave a review please. Thanks.