"The Slumber"
Chapter 2
~Strangers From Time~
By: Willow Mae
The forest was black, the earth red. Amidst the dense trees, five men ran blindly,
leaving their comrades behind to let their lifeblood soak the ground as the rain washed their wounds.
"Kunzite!" a man with long strawberry blonde hair called. "How many dead?" The one with white
hair called back, not stopping his run.
"All of them. We're the only ones left." The first man stopped momentarily in shock. -All…dead?
"Zoisite! Keep moving!" another voice called out. The first man began to move again. The five men came
to an abrupt halt as the shadows of the forest began to move, twisted and molding themselves in the dim rays of
sunlight. "Be alert." They said to each other. With a snap, the canopy of leaves above them closed, leaving
the forest black. The evil that entwined itself into this darkness rolled through the shadows, twisting, turning,
molding, shaping. Where there once was nothing, a woman stood. Her hair was long and auburn and her eyes a piercing
violet. On her head rested what might be considered a crown of sorts, but it tangled itself in her hair and looked
far to gruesome to be anything of royal value. She laughed, her voice echoing deep in her bosom and piercing the
five to their hearts.
"Your petty resistance is futile." She told them. A young man in his early twenties stood forward. His
jet black hair was a tangled mess from running and fighting, yet he held himself regally and his brilliant blue
eyes flashed with anger.
"I will fight you to the end Beryl. Your reign will finish, mark my words." The woman looked at the young
man coyly, and approached him. Her long fingers caressed his face and wrapped themselves in his hair. He flinched
inwardly, but stood his ground and glared at her, his eyes following her movements. The woman smiled, revealing
pointed teeth that glistened in the darkness.
"Prince Endymion…" she slurred as she walked around him. "You're so headstrong, yet so incredibly
foolish. I have ruled our beloved Dark Kingdom for over three hundred years, did you honestly believe you could
beat me? I have had FAR too much experience in warfare young man." She cast a critical eye in his direction
and her smile broadened. "I have so much to offer the people, why do you wish to free them? They are happy
this way, and you could be too. Stay, and rule by my side." At this, Endymion removed her hand from where
it rested on his chest and pushed her away in disgust.
"I would never consent to that, you know this fact all too well." He turned back to her and drew his
sword. "Leave now Beryl, or I shall run you through." Her violet eyes flashed angrily. Hissing, she slapped
the weapon away.
"You do not have much of a choice, Lord Prince." She hissed. From the darkness, four of her minions stepped
and imprisoned the four companions of the young prince. "You only have two choices. Wed me and live forever,
or refuse and watch your friends die. Of course, I'd have to kill you too…" The young prince looked at his
friends, but they're faces were unreadable.
Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite, Jadeite? the prince called into their minds. What should I
do?
Kill her. A voice spat in his mind. He turned to the man with short blonde hair. His face was neutral,
but his light blue eyes gleamed with hatred.
Jadeite is being too rash. Refuse her for now, we can win the battle in better shape He cast a
glance at the man with strawberry hair, noting the same malice in his mind-voice as he could see in his companion's
eyes.
But you'll be killed… Endymion thought-spoke to them.
Don't worry yourself friend. We can take care of ourselves. The man with silver hair nodded ever
so slightly in the prince's direction. His face too was neutral, but Endymion heard the friendship and warmth in
his mind voice that was not evident through the hard mask he wore.
Thank you Kunzite. His face twisted in disgust as Beryl's face inched closer to his own. He spat,
making her recoil as his warm saliva oozed into her eyes.
"So be it then." She said calmly. "Come, my minions, my youma! There are those who would oppose
me!" she turned to Endymion as monsters and humans alike poured through the darkness. "Farewell Lord
Prince. Had you not been so foolishly stubborn, we might have come to an agreement." With that, she disappeared
into the black veil of the forest. Moments later, her forces attacked the small band. Creatures and people alike
clamored for the blood of the five. The men tried their best to stay alert throughout the onslaught. Endymion looked
about him, seeing a grotesque youma stealthily approaching the man with chestnut hair.
"Nephrite! Behind you!" he called out. Nephrite swirled, slicing the youma in two. He turned once more
to thank Endymion only to see his lord sinking to his knees, an arrow protruding from his shoulder. The archer
stood feet away, dagger poised to deliver the deathblow.
"Endymion!" Nephrite screamed, tearing through the enemy in hopes of reaching his friend. Suddenly another
figure tackled the grinning archer. Nephrite sighed in relief. Zoisite could handle the youma.
"Jadeite, Nephrite! Protect the prince!" Kunzite called out to the guardsmen. The three created a semi-circle
around the fallen lord, Jadeite joining them as he wiped the youma's blood from his sword. As the small group gathered
to protect Endymion, Beryl's minion's heightened their attack. The men fought to the best of their ability, but
already weak from the previous battle the tides were quickly turned against them. They were barely able to stay
alive, while their stricken friend lay unconscious behind them.
"We have to do something!" Jadeite called. "We can't hold them off much longer and Endymion has
lost quite a bit of blood." The others voiced their agreement in a series of nods and grunts.
"Teleport…" the thought came unexpected to Zoisite's mind. He quickly told the others his idea.
"We can't risk it." Kunzite said gravely. "Our magic isn't strong enough now. We're tired and too
much could go wrong, especially since we don't have enough experience. It would be too risky to take someone with
us…"
"We don't have much of a choice Kunzite." Zoisite told his friend quietly. "Endymion has lost an
abnormal amount of blood, if we don't get him medical treatment soon we could loose him."
The generals fell silent at the news, the only sounds ringing through the forest were the clanking of swords as
they beat back the youma. They couldn't lose Endymion. Now only was he their friend, he was their lord and leader
to whom they had sworn loyalty. They had to protect him. Finally, Kunzite spoke again.
"Alright…we cannot continue this futile battle. Concentrate all of your energy. We don't know where we will
end up, and if we lose concentration we could be separated and become helpless to Beryl." The men curtly nodded
their understanding. Four weapons were lowered and four sets of eyes closed as they focused the last of their energy
on teleporting. They youma, slightly taken aback by this apparent surrender, halted their slaughter momentarily.
It was all the time the generals needed. The moonlight broke through the dense canopy and in a shimmer of silver,
the four warriors and their fallen companion had disappeared.
Shaken, the four men began to pull themselves up from the ground. The journey had been more wearing than anticipated
and had knocked them to the ground when they landed. At least we made it together and in one piece was
all Kunzite could think at the moment.
"Where are we?" Jadeite finally asked, only half to himself. They lay among a garden of flowers, each
with a brilliant variety of fragrance and color. A few yards away was a beautiful palace. It shimmered in the light
like a pearl, it's pillars rising to support the magnificent arches and crystalline dome. The marble steps were
polished and shining. The sky contrasted the building with a crisp cornflower blue and the air was clean and pure,
as though it had never been breathed before.
"The bleeding has slowed, but we need some bandages…" Zoisite commented, drawing the others out of their
awe of the new surroundings. Zoisite reached into his belt pocket and retrieved a small square of cloth and a vile
of ointment. "Will you explore the area and see if there is anything I can use?"
"But.." Zoisite held up his hand, not bothering to look at the speaker.
"Wherever we are, it appears safe enough. As the only licensed healer in this group, I must insist that you
find what I need while I tend to Endymion." The others nodded and quickly spilt up to search.
"The Slumber"
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