The six Guardians walked slowly into a room that would hopefully lead them to the Queen's room in the main part of the castle. It looked like a palace or something similar to that. This was why it was a unanimous vote that that had to be the place where Queen Rin could be found. Even Damon agreed.
"Look at all those fancy flowers. This has to be it," he would mutter from time to time. It was almost like he was trying to make himself believe that he was going to meet the fair Queen of Rota.
Siegfried remained silent. He listened to the sounds of their feet hitting the marble floor and the sound of his own heart beating in his ears. Siegfried wasn't scared, but he was ready if someone showed up around a corner that was an enemy. His instinct for caution didn't stop him from admiring the paintings on the walls, though. "Hmmmm…" He noticed one picture that showed a man next to a Salamence.
Sarah noticed him showing an interest in the painting and touched his arm. "One day that will be you," she said with a gentle smile.
It was a well known fact that Siegfried had always wanted to be a hero. The very fact that he had been chosen by Latios to become a Guardian was proof enough for him that he was destined to be a hero. He smiled, "You really think so?"
She nodded and smiled slowly. "I do. I honestly think that you will become a hero. A powerful hero who defends the weak."
Damon ruined the mood by muttering, "Please. Stop the romance before I vomit." He was in the very back of the group. His long black robe hung loosely over his red tunic and in his left hand was his sickle.
Rudolf, Bianca, and Jean shot him a dirty look. They all knew that one day Siegfried and Sarah were expected to marry. Apparently Damon had no clue about that. After that, the Guardians continued their journey down the hall. Finally, after much walking, the group reached the door. "Well then, who wants to knock?" Rudolf joked.
Jean stepped forward slowly and her eyes locked on his. "I can," she said softly. Her hand reached for the door knob. With a squeak, the door opened. Inside, like they had predicted, was the queen with a handmaiden.
Queen Rin turned to face the intruders. "Who are you?" She asked in a soft voice. Her long blonde hair hung down loosely behind her. In her hands was a staff.
Jean and Sarah recognized the staff. "Excuse me, but can you tell us where you got that staff?" Sarah asked. She tried to sound like she couldn't care less about the staff, but that was extremely difficult. The staff looked like Aaron's staff.
Rin lowered her head and sighed heavily in sorrow. "A Pidgeot came to me and gave this to me. It belonged to Sir Aaron, a knight of my court," she answered.
Jean and Sarah exchanged looks. After a moment or two, Jean asked, "And Sir Aaron? Where is he?"
"Gone," the Queen replied.
"And Lucario?"
"Gone."
Rudolf, who decided to break the tension, asked, "Are those velvet curtains or silk?" He was trying to lighten the mood.
Jean ignored him and asked, "Do you believe that they are dead?"
Rin's eyes began to water. "I…believe so. Aaron would have returned to me if he had survived. And Lucario…." She began to cry.
Sarah, who wanted to keep up the hope that Aaron had survived, said, "Maybe Mew has him protected?"
"No," Jean said quietly. "If Mew had him, I would know."
Damon looked at her. He said nothing, but he did feel sorry for her. If what Queen Rin had said was true, then Jean's fiancée was dead. And so was Sarah's brother. What a rotten day, he thought.
Rin looked at the women and asked, "How did you know Aaron? Were you his family?"
"I was his elder sister," Sarah said. She lowered her head and closed her eyes.
Jean, who wanted to know the truth about the relationship between Queen Rin and Aaron, asked, "And how were you involved with Aaron?"
"Besides him being my knight, I had always wanted him to be my husband. He seemed to like the idea, but he always resisted me. Aaron never said if he had a wife or anything. Do you know if he did?"
Jean growled slightly, but remained calm. "No. Aaron was a man of few earthly ties. He was courageous and bold. He would have never taken on a wife. But he did have friends that cared for him," she answered softly.
Rudolf, Damon, and Siegfried all gasped. They had no idea why Jean would lie about her connections with Aaron. She was to be his wife and yet she chose not to mention that to Rin. The question was why. Why would she lie?
Bianca, deciding to change the subject, said, "But we are here to protect you. We know about the two armies that were massing in order to destroy themselves. We also know that your army doesn't have enough force to defend themselves in case of another attack. You need assistance. And that's why we are here. To defend the castle and Rota."
Rin, though she was sobbing over Aaron's death, asked, "Who are you people? And what can you do to help us?"
Siegfried stepped forward and answered, "We are Guardians, the loyal servants of Pokemon."
Damon muttered to himself, "Like that's a good answer…"
Bianca decided to discuss why they were at the castle. "Our Elders believe that you might be in further danger. They sent us here to keep an eye out and prevent anything else from happening."
"How?" Rin asked. She still had the staff in her hand. Her handmaiden watched with great curiosity in the background.
Jean, who had somehow prevented herself from crying, replied, "We have our ways. Trust us, Queen Rin. Everything will be fine. All we ask of you is that you do not allow your guards to know who we really are and that you allow us to have a place to stay. We will not interfere with everyday workings and you will be free to do what you will."
Rin nodded, "I understand. Very well. You six can stay here and assist my guards in keeping the castle safe. I will provide you with shelter and food."
Damon spoke up, "Shall someone remain in your quarters in order to keep you safe?"
Bianca glared at him. "If she wants someone to stay, it will be a girl!" She scolded angrily.
"Okay. Sheesh." Damon raised both his hands, allowing his sickle to rest against his arm. "I meant no harm."
Rin smiled at Damon, "That is okay. I think that I will be safe. Thank you." Then she turned to her handmaiden, "This is Alaina, my friend. She will show you to your quarters." With that, Queen Rin turned back toward the window, leaving the others to be dismissed.
Alaina approached the Guardians. She wore a light tan dress with brown shoes that were made from Stantler hide. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail so it wouldn't fall in front of her face. "Follow me," she said softly. The group left the Queen's quarters and went back into a hallway. "Since this place is so large, I have assistance when navigating," she explained, pressing her pointer and middle fingers against her lips. She blew hard, creating a soft flute-like sound. "My friend is coming," she smiled.
After seven seconds, a four-winged Crobat flew down the hall. That caught Damon's interest. "Hey! A Crobat!" He said, genuinely excited.
The large bat flew around the group. Alaina looked up and said, "Crobat, I would like you to reveal the way to the room where we keep our guests." The bat took off at full speed, causing the humans to run down the hall. Alaina looked over her shoulder and said, "It has been a while since we've had visitors. Were you close to Sir Aaron?"
When Sarah looked like she wanted to cry again, Siegfried replied, "Yes, but please do not bring him up again." He looked at Sarah. She was holding strong. Then he glanced at Jean. She didn't even budge when Aaron's name was mentioned.
Rudolf noticed Jean's emotionless nature as well. He wondered why she wasn't upset. She should be. Her fiancée is most likely dead. That's good enough reason to cry for me. Maybe it was learning that Aaron never mentioned her to Queen Rin that made her not cry? And why did she say that Aaron was a man of no earthly ties? He had her and Sarah! He remained puzzled. I'll have to ask her later on why she said what she said.
Alaina and Crobat continued to lead the way down the castle hallway and would point out the various painting and statues of famous heroes or kings of old. "Y'know, I would bet that one day, Sir Aaron will be remembered as a hero. He did use aura and taught Lucario how to see and use aura as well. Maybe he'll be called the Guardian of Aura. Was he one of you?" She asked, glancing back.
"Aaron was not one of us," Damon answered.
Alaina looked surprised, "That's a shame. Well, maybe he shouldn't be called a Guardian. Maybe he is a guardian, but not one of the Guardians. He could have the name, but not the title."
Sarah glanced at her and said, "You're not helping the situation any."
Alaina shrugged and continued to point out the various statues. "Now that one over there is the late king, Neil. He was the great-great-great-great grandfather of Queen Rin. It was documented that he used to ride into battles on a black Charizard."
"So interesting…" Rudolf muttered. His mind was still focused on Jean. She was looking at the statues with what appeared to be mild interest.
Siegfried, on the other hand, was absolutely fascinated with the statues. "A black Charizard? Are there such things? They'd have to be rare," he pointed out.
"That's why King Neil used to be called the Black King. See the painting?" Alaina pointed to the painting above the statue. The painting showed a main dressed in pure black armor holding a sword. A black Charizard stood in the background. "You can see why he had such a title."
"Nice outfit," Damon commented.
Alaina smiled at Damon. "I can see why you would like such an outfit. Black seems to be your style too." She looked at him up and down.
He laughed, "That's true, but one mustn't forget to wear red."
Bianca noticed another painting. This one showed a woman sitting next to a lake. A Dratini was leaping out of the water. "Who's that?" She asked.
"That is King Neil's wife. As you can see, they were two different beings. He was a hungry warlord. She was a peaceful and kind. But they say that opposites attract. Her name was Queen Angela."
"Wow. And the woman in the next painting?" Siegfried asked. The painting next to Angela was a woman dressed in a long green dress. In her hands was a dagger.
"That is Neil's second wife," Alaina answered.
Bianca blinked and asked, "What happened to Angela?"
"She was killed during an attack. Neil grieved for her, but married Angela's sister. That is Queen Nila."
"And which one is Rin's ancestor?" Damon asked.
Alaina pointed to Angela and answered, "The children of Angela were not pleased with their father's decision to remarry."
"I don't blame them," Sarah muttered.
They continued walking down the hall. "Ah! Here we are! This is where you will be staying," Alaina opened the door. Inside were at least ten beds. "It is rather roomy. Make yourselves at home," she said.
Jean grabbed a torch from the wall and walked inside. One by one, she lit all the lights. Once the room was illuminated, the beds could be seen. There were five on each wall. Two large dressers could be found next to the end of the bed rows. At the very back of the room was a massive window. Curtains blocked the light, but when Bianca pulled them to the sides, it was seen that it was night. The full moon's reflection shimmered on the lake outside of the room. "This is nice," Bianca commented.
"It is," Jean agreed, sitting down on a bed.
Rudolf walked to the window and said, "When do you think we should send out a carrier Pidgey? Inform the Elders that we have made it to the castle and wait for their orders."
"Only Noctowl and Hoot-hoot will be found at night. We will send out our message in the morning," Siegfried answered with a yawn.