Updated: 11/22/16

Chapter 23: Guide

Merida hunched over her garden, her gloved fingers expertly prodding away the dirt and forging trifling mounds for seeding. With a huff she straightened herself up and yanked her wrinkled hand out of her soiled glove to erase the sweat gathering across her brow. She'd been hard at work since dawn, preparing every inch of her enormous garden for future planting. A look of pride crossed her face as she examined each row of soil thoroughly, nodding her head in satisfaction. Gardening was what the aged fairy had turned to after the curse had happened and she'd ended up alone. It was a hobby she practically thrived on; her plants were her pride and joy, not just a food source. If anyone were to ruin even a speck of dirt, she'd kill them in a heart beat, regardless of how the other fairies would scorn at her.

"Merida! You have to see this!"

Eyebrows questionably raised, the white-haired woman turned to her left and noticed two figures running towards her. Upon recognizing Brook and Liara, she gave a small wave and smile to greet her new friends. The young brunette slowed to a halt as she noted the garden, but Brook, unfortunately, didn't really take the hint or heed what was below him. He decelerated his running down to a brisk stride, but nevertheless stepped all over Merida's work.

Liara seemed to not detect what he did. She took deep breaths to calm her racing heart as she shrugged off her back pack and unzipped it to pull out the jewel.

"Merida, something incredible happened! I was told to talk to you about this and...Merida?" Liara's brows furrowed in concern as she observed the old woman's cheerful exterior transform into that of something terrifying. An aura of seething rage enveloped the fairy as she took in the sight of her freshly planted soil trampled and ruined. Brook followed her gaze, his head spinning a perfect 360 degrees before a ghastly look crossed his face as he finally registered what he had done. Before he could even utter an apology, Merida let out a scream and chased after the skeleton man. Brook let out a yelp as he took off running, the two of them continuously circling around the field and bellowing out a mixture of yelling and frightened laughter.

"I must say, she has me feeling scared for my life...though I'm no longer alive! Yo-ho-ho-ho!"

"Get back here you good-for-nothing sack of bones!"

"Yo-ho-ho! I dress my bones quite nicely, and certainly not in a sack!"

Liara disregarded the insults and jokes that piled on top of each other, shaking her head in amusement and focusing on the orb's glowing presence. She monitored the green lines as they danced around each other, like they were engaged in a private waltz. There was something elegant about it, and yet eerie at the same time.

Merida had discarded chasing the skeleton, determining that it just wasn't worth her time to shoot threats at somebody who was already dead in the first place. She detained herself and gripped her knees to catch her breath, but she still shot him a look that fully let him know he hadn't won. If saliva had still existed in his mouth, he would've swallowed it all in a giant gulp.

A radiance in the corner of Merida's eye drew her attention away from the nervous musician and instead focused on the circular object in Liara's hands. Curious, she made her way over to the younger woman and peered into the object responsible for emitting the olive green rays. A feeling of familiarity blanketed her without warning, inducing her to nearly stagger off her feet.

"Are you okay?!" Liara exclaimed as she grabbed onto her friend's arm to steady her, her grip firm but gentle.

Merida nodded, her attention consumed by the orb. "Where-where did you get that?"

Satisfied that the older woman would be able to maintain her balance, the Artist let go of the aged faerie's arm and displayed the jewel to her. "I was told to show this to you by a woman. I think she was one of the souls you told us about."

Merida delicately grasped the ball and examined it closely while Liara studied her face, hoping for some answers. She licked her dried lips."You actually talked to one of them?"

"I saw so many of them. They were in the village. A little boy gave this to me..." she gestured at the orb, "and his mother told me to ask you what it was."

Brook advanced over to the two ladies, marveling at what words they could be exchanging. He made sure to position himself next to Liara though, in case Merida had any desire to wreck his skull.

"This is the secret to discovering the wishing lake," Merida breathed out

Liara had to cover her mouth to conceal her overwhelming excitement. She couldn't believe that she was so close to discovering the most magical part of the whole island, and to think it was in the palms of her hands!

Merida thoughtfully tapped the jewel. "Let's all meet in front of my house tonight; I'll explain everything then."

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The day dragged by.

Brook and Liara had resumed exploring their surroundings, but made sure to stay close to the guest house. Brook knew he wasn't as desirous about discovering the lake like Liara was, but he was still fascinated by the whole concept. He was just content that he could be by her side as he witnessed even more of her dream coming true.

Liara had eventually requested stopping and eating for a little bit so she could have an opportunity to do a few sketches. Brook paid attention to her the entire time, entranced by how skillfully her thin fingers held the pencil and swiped it across the page. Outlines took form, and eventually detail and shading followed. They sat there for about an hour in silence, enjoying each others company and the sounds of nature echoing around them.

After a decent amount of progress in the drawing, the pair returned to the village to explore a little more to get an idea of what had occurred. Unfortunately, no diaries or paper with helpful information were lying out in the open, which only led to guesswork and slumped shoulders. Liara simply couldn't even fathom what sort of curse involved so many people dying. No bodies were around, nor any stains of blood. She continuously worried if they even had a shot at fighting such a powerful force.

Finally, the sun started to set, and the pair retreated back to their complex to meet up with everybody else. The crew had gradually returned, with Usopp and Luffy being the last ones to show up. Sanji had already been preparing dinner when Liara and Brook arrived, and finished serving it by the time they were all seated. Liara informed them of the meeting at Merida's house, and were quite taken back by her story involving the souls. Like Brook, they all unhesitatingly believed her, proving to her once again that their trust was unwavering.

Once dinner had been finished, they transitioned over to Merida's house. The elder waited for them beneath one of the hefty trees looming over her home. Once she revealed the orb, Luffy and Nami immediately ran towards it with their eyes lit up, though Luffy's were from excitement and Nami's was, well, from greed.

"Ooo how lovely!" Nami sung out, her pupils flashing into berri signs. Merida shook her head and pulled it away from Nami's money-hungry eyes.

"My dear, this is not some pile of money waiting to be snatched. This is something needed to show you where Cerulean Lake is, or the wishing lake, as it is known to you."

Zoro smirked. "Cerulean Lake? Really? Couldn't come up with a more creative name?"

Merida shot him a nasty glare. "Green hair? Really? Moss-head much?"

The entire group burst out laughing while Zoro gave them all a death-stare. Once the laughter had subsided, Merida resumed her speech.

"Anyways, this orb is needed to show you all where it is. There is a cave nearby with a hidden cavern inside it. However, the cave will not open unless it detects the presence of the orb. Once inside, set the orb down on a round stone table in the back. After you do that, you should be able to figure out where to go." She eyed the group. "I would only recommend three of you going in, with the obvious one being Liara." She handed the jewel over to Liara carefully. The brunette rubbed it thoughtfully, butterflies fluttering like crazy in her stomach. This was all she needed to find Cerulean Lake, and the only one who could activate it was her. She wasn't exactly sure why she'd been the one chosen for the task, but it was one she happily accepted.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why can't you show us where the lake is?" Usopp questioned. He found it odd that somebody who had lived on the island for such a long time didn't even know where this magical water was located.

The faerie sighed sadly. " I used to, but once the curse was placed the lake was suddenly hidden. I know for a fact it's here, but it won't show itself until the orb needed to seek it has been entrusted by the souls onto somebody with a pure heart. Whether it's because of the curse or the lake actually having a spirit is beyond me, but either way I have no clue as to where it is." She turned around and began walking, motioning the pirates to follow her. Chattering excitedly, they obeyed. Liara had to keep re-gripping the jewel a few times to make sure her sweaty palms didn't drop it.

After parading around for a few minutes, they arrived at a cave with writing written on the entrance to it. Robin was instantly fascinated and ran her fingers over the foreign words.

"What does it say?" Franky asked as he lifted up his sunglasses.

"This...will open...to the one...who has been...chosen," the Archaeologist casually read. She placed a hand on her hip and nodded at Liara. "Guess that means you, Miss Artist."

With cheeks crimson from pride and embarrassment, Liara stepped towards the entrance. The letters glowed a light green before dimming. The stone then rolled away, revealing a very dark and narrow tunnel. She turned around and observed her anxious crew mates. Merida waved her hand at the Straw Hats. "Choose two to enter in with you, my dear."

Liara had thought about it on the way over, and felt satisfied with her decision. She believed her friends would understand and support her choice. "I choose Brooke and Robin."

She had expected to see a disappointed face or two, but luckily nobody gave her a hard time. If anything, she was given a few nods of approval, and a skeletal grin from Brook.

"Are you ready?" Robin urged with a pleased smile. She already expected to have been chosen, but was still pleased with the outcome. After all, nobody was more resourceful about ruins than her, so she was a very obvious choice. Brook being chosen as well was also unsurprising, as the whole group had noticed just how close the two had become.

Liara nodded and turned to face the dark tunnel.

[Mass Effect 2- The Normandy Reborn]

The moment the three of them infiltrated the cave, emerald lights flashed across rocky walls. Like protracted fingers, the beacons stretched ahead to expose a cramped space with a circular stone table in the center. Liara ambled past her two friends and closely studied the surface until she found a round dent in the middle of the surface. She glanced down at the orb as it blazed even brighter, and set it down carefully in the little indent. Green sparks suddenly shot out from the orb, and her eyes brightened as she beheld it spinning at an accelerated rate. The three of them gasped in unison as the jewel levitated off the table while still maintaining its rotation, with waves of light bouncing off of it. The pirates hastily turned their heads as they observed the light reflecting out of the cave, as if beckoning to be followed. Without asking questions, the three of them took off running.

Upon exiting the cave, Liara noticed Luffy had already bolted after the light, and the others weren't far behind him. "This way, my dears!" Sanji cooed out as he ran only a little ahead of the three ladies, who were sprinting as fast as they could; Merida merely walked behind with a knowing grin on her face. She'd catch up to them eventually.

Liara sprinted alongside Brook as fast as she'd ever run before. She bounded over fallen branches and dodged pesky bushes and trees that were erected in her way. Her breaths started coming out in pants and her heart pounded against her rib cage but she didn't care. All she knew was that she was finally going to see Cerulean Lake and she didn't want to wait another moment.

She finally entered into a clearing, but almost crashed into the back of Franky. The harmony of cascading water suffused her hearing, but the sound wasn't the least bit unpleasant. She gulped and closed her eyes, knowing that what she was about to view was none other than the fabled Cerulean Lake, the place she'd read about in all those books she'd memorized as a kid. She felt bones encasing her fingers, blushing and smiling as she gave Brook's hand a squeeze. She understood he was letting her know that he was there for her, and she appreciated it. He gently guided her to the side and nudged her forward.

"Open your eyes," he whispered. He pulled away, and watched as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes.

Blue pupils widened at the sight before her, and her lips spread apart in awe. "Oh my..."

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