I don't own Cyberchase. Max is mine.
Chapter Five
The Lullaby
Now Inez was curious. She had been too far away to hear what Max and Master Pi were talking about, so she didn't know what the deal was with the bowing and the forehead-touching and the sash. She wondered if it was part of a bizarre ceremony.
"Good morning."
Inez squeaked and turned around to find Dr. Marbles standing behind her. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed judging by the condition of his rumpled zip-up jacket. His posture was poor – shoulders rolled forward, head bent. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his jeans and there was a fish-bone comb poking out of one of the pockets.
"Good morning, Dr. Marbles." Inez said. "How are you doing this morning?"
Marbles shrugged. "Fine, I suppose. Now that Max is fine, that is."
"That's good." Inez said.
They stood there in awkward silence, waiting for the other to speak. Then, Marbles motioned to Max who was still sitting on the bridge.
"Did something interesting just happen?"
"You could say that." Inez said.
Marbles centered his gaze on Max. His eyes widened behind his red-rimmed glasses. "Is – is that the sash of a Shield-maiden?"
"I don't know." Inez said. "I only saw Master Pi give it to her after a lot of talking. What does it mean, anyway, Dr. Marbles? What the heck is a Shield-maiden?"
"It's an elite warrior from Shangri-La. Incredibly strong and powerful. Rules of normal warriors do not apply to them. Now, Shield-maidens are female warriors. Their male counterparts are called Sword-Thanes. Sword-Thanes are more common that Shield-maidens.
"When Max was a child, Motherboard used to rock her to sleep at night with tales of the Shield-maidens of Shangri-La. One day, when Max was three, she came to me and said 'Dad, I want to be a Shield-maiden. I want to go to Shangri-La and learn how to be a warrioress from Master Pi. Please, can I go, Dad?' She used to ask me that question a lot. I did not really know how to tell her no so I told her to ask me later. Finally, I gave in and gave her the go-ahead."
"How does one become a Shield-maiden or Sword-Thane?" Inez asked.
"Well, first you need to undergo basic training. Then, once you pass basic training, you are apprenticed to someone who is trained in the elite art of Maiden or Thane." Said Max who – despite her size – managed to sneak up on her father and friend.
Once again, Inez squeaked in fright. Max lowered her head apologetically.
"Did I scare you?"
"A little. I seem to be a little on edge this morning. I didn't sleep very well last night." Inez told her.
"I don't blame you. Motherboard probably shouldn't have brought you guys into this. Watching someone try to kill me isn't something a kid should see." Max said. "And, I specifically asked Motherboard not to bring you into this either, Dad."
"Well, she involved me anyway." Marbles said.
He took the comb out of his pocket and motioned for Max to lay down so he could get to the snarls in her mane. She stretched out and laid her head on her paws.
"Why did she?" Max asked. "I told her I didn't want you coming to my rescue in case he tried to kidnap you. If both of us go, then there's a clear path to Motherboard and that's the last thing any of us wants."
Marbles picked at a knot with the edge of the comb. Max grimaced and let out a growl of warning. He tapped a spiraling horn as though to say "Stop it! I'm doing the best I can!"
"Well, Motherboard thought I would be needed. And she was right. You-know-who took your replacements off and I spent a good half-hour checking them to make sure they were functioning properly." Marbles said. "Besides, she could not have prevented me from coming after you even if she wanted to. You're my daughter and you mean a lot to me, Max."
Max lifted her head and gave Marbles' face a slobbery lick. Marbles wiped his face off on his sleeve then rubbed Max's scarred muzzle. "Quit that." He said, playfully.
"You mean a lot to me too, Dad." Max said.
"Besides, Max, you came out to rescue me even though doing so could have been a trap. Therefore, we are even." Marbles pointed out.
Max hissed through her fangs as Marbles' comb snagged on a snarl and pulled at her scalp. "Okay. I guess we are."
Inez yawning caught Max's eye. The gargoyle's barbed tail shifted away from her stomach. "You know, if you're really tired, you can lean against me if you want."
"You sure?" Inez asked, apprehensively. "Isn't there something in the gargoyle rules about fraternizing with humans or borgs?"
"I suppose you could say that." Max said. "But, I'm not really a gargoyle and I've just given you permission to lean on me."
Inez leaned against Max's warm belly right between the metallic limbs. "Okay, can we go back to Maidens and Thanes?"
"Sure. What do you want to know?" Max said.
"Well, how many Maidens or Thanes are there?"
"Only one Maiden can exist be trained at a time every fifty eons. Thanes are the same way, only there can only be four at a time." Max said.
"Why so few?" Inez asked. "Shouldn't there be more?"
"Oh, there are. But they're more in the 'waiting' phase of their training. Once a spot opens up – a Maiden or a Thane expires – then one of the warriors steps in and accepts the title. After being trained, of course. A Thane or a Maiden becomes their teacher."
"So, who was your teacher?"
"The Red Warrior. He was the last Thane from the previous generation. And, since there wasn't a Maiden living right now, I got to step up and start my training right away. I just hadn't been named Shield-maiden yet, was all."
"Why? What happened?" Inez asked.
"I got impatient. Decided I didn't – YOW! Watch how you're pulling that!"
"Sorry." Marbles mumbled.
"Decided I couldn't wait to get my colors any more and left." Max continued.
Inez plucked at the sash which had settled between Max's wings. "Are these the Shield-maiden's colors?"
"Yep. Of course this one is only temporary. They revamped a sash to fit my gargoyle body. Once I get my borg body back, they'll give me a smaller one." Max said.
Marbles paused a moment in his combing to hug his kid around her neck. "I'm proud of you, Max." He said.
Max's right paw rose to gently pat him on the back. "Thanks, Dad." She said.
"I was wondering when you would come back and accept the colors." Marbles added.
The cyborg-gargoyle shrugged, nonchalantly. "Master Pi just gave it to me because, one, I earned it, and two, he thought it would help if I had something to show for my efforts. In a way, this is supposed to boost my confidence."
Marbles paused and pretended to scan the lock he had been working on when, in actuality, he was trying not to look Max quizzically in the eye.
"Why would your confidence need boosted?" Inez asked.
Max took a deep breath. Then, she told them about Foresteria and Absolem. She told them everything about her conversation with the Shangri-La deserter. Including his assumptions that her running off before accepting the Shield-maiden title meant she was not ready to follow the path of the warrior and, therefore, that meant she was not ready to face off her enemy.
"He basically said I was weak." Max added when her tale was done.
Marbles grabbed Max's face with both hands and pulled her head in his direction. "Max Marbles, you listen to me! You. Are. Not. Weak. You never were weak and you never will be weak. You refrain from destroying your enemy because it is not in your nature. For that, I am grateful. I do not want a killer for a daughter but this task is something that was appointed to you. You have the means, the power, and the aptitude to do it. If you need time away before doing this terrible thing, so be it. It's not cowardice. This is being smart. Remember this, Max."
Max licked her father's face again, much more gently and less slobbery this time. "Thanks Dad."
"Besides." Inez said, climbing up to Max's shoulders so she could help untangle to mats. "You've spent a few years learning how to be a warrior of Shangri-La, you've been a gargoyle for about that long, too. I'm sure you could win if you really wanted to. You have an advantage over you-know-who than you realize."
"That's true." Max said. "Still, it almost seems like an unfair fight. He's a borg and I'm a gargoyle. Two minutes in the ring with me and he wouldn't be worth selling for scrap."
Inez and Marbles shuddered.
Max heard Inez yawn.
"Look, if you want to take a nap, go ahead." The cyborg-gargoyle said.
"I don't think I could make it back to the Bogota at this point." Inez said.
Max's barbed tail gently touched Inez's shoulder. "Then rest here."
The ten-year-old human rolled back off Max's shoulder and leaned against the warm – very warm – gargoyle stomach. A stomach which was also surprisingly soft despite the rough, sharp scales. Inez placed her head gently against Max's ribs and fell asleep to a low song which vibrated through her chest.
"Natsuhiboshi why are you so red?
Because I had a sad dream last night
My eyes are red from the tears I've shed
Swollen as I cried.
"Natsuhiboshi why've you lost your way?
I'm searching for a child who's gone afar
He can't be found though I've searched all day
My sad dreams come once more."1
1"Natsuhiboshi" A lullaby from the Naruto Franchise; sung by Hoshigakure Kunoichi, Natsuhi, mother of Sumaru