Alright, sorry I had to think of an idea before trying to write the next chapter in this little saga thing. But here it is, sorry it took so long, I had no inspiration for some reason.
Sunlight filtered in through the window in Asbel's room. His eyes opened and he pushed the covers back. Sitting on his bed, Asbel stretched, and with his mouth wide open he yawned. After that was done, he looked out the window and saw the windmill blowing at a steady pace which was a good sign.
The wind seems to be up. I wonder if Nausicaä is awake yet.
He slipped on his boots and put his tunic on; he then stepped out of the room and closed it behind him; Turning around to face Nausicaä's room, he raised his fist and knocked.
The knock echoed around the room when Asbel turned the knob and poked his head in. "Nausicaä? Are you in here?" He asked. When there was no answer, Asbel went inside her room and looked around.
A little squeak alerted him that Tato was in the room. He knelt and put a hand out to the tiny fox-squirrel. "Tato, where's Nausicaä?" He asked in a gentle voice, so as not to frighten the baby pet.
The animal squeaked and started pushing against the door he had come through.
Asbel sighed, "Well, I guess that means she's out already. Tato, let's go." He called to the fox-squirrel who jumped up on his shoulder and clung on as Asbel left Nausicaä's room to go find her.
The prince walked through the hallways and pushed the door open leading to the outdoors. As soon as he left the shelter of indoors, he was buffeted by the wind that had been blowing the windmill. He automatically put a hand up to help steady Tato on his shoulder. The little animal was pressed to his neck with its tiny green eyes squeezed shut. Asbel stroked Tato comfortingly.
Looking around, Asbel saw no sign of the Valley of the Wind's princess.
At the base of the steps he saw one of the village women walking by carrying a basket. He ran down the stairs heading towards her which got her attention. "Good morning Prince Asbel." She said with a gracious bow.
He chuckled in slight embaressment, "Please, call me Asbel. But, have you seen Nausicaä?" He asked.
The woman put a finger to her chin in thought, she smiled and nodded. "Yes,I have Pri- er, Asbel." She fixed hastily. Asbel smiled, "Can you tell me where?" He politely asked her. She turned and pointed to the sea cliffs. "She headed out there early this morning with her glider." The woman explained. The prince of Pejite smiled and headed off in the direction where he had left his own glider.
Before he rushed off, Asbel looked back at the woman, "Thank you." He called to her before leaving in the direction of his glider.
Climbing to the top of a watchout tower, he spied his glider, hooked on to a catapault looking device. Thankfully, there was a village man at the top of the tower, watching over the valley.
When he saw Asbel coming towards him he bowed, "Good morning Asbel." He greeted. Asbel bowed back, "Can you get the catapault ready to launch? I'm going to meet Nausicaä at the sea cliffs." He told the man. Nodding, the man grabbed ahold of the lever which would send the glider shooting into the air. Asbel climbed up and positioned himself on his glider, ready to take off.
The man gave him the 1, 2, 3, "Ready, now!" He shouted as the lever was pulled, and Asbel and Tato were thrust up into the clean air.
Asbel stood on the glider and pressed a button which let out a burst from the engine, and sent him towards the cliffs. Tato on his shoulder had burrowed behind his neck to try and escape the roaring winds.
The seacliffs were approaching fast, and at the top of them he could see a figure, kneeling in front of a slab of rock.
Narrowing his eyes, Asbel identified the figure to be Nausicaä. He shouted to her, waving his arm to and fro. Nausicaä looked up, and then stood. She waved back with a small smile on her face.
Carefully, Asbel landed his glider next to Nausicaä's, this time remembering put up the kickstand. He jumped off the glider and walked towards her, feeling Tato on his shoulder jump off to rush to Nausicaä.
Nausicaä caught the fox-squirrel in her arms and let him climb up onto her shoulder. "Asbel, what are you doing here?" She asked, while cocking her head. Asbel laughed, "What do you mean? I came to find you because you left so early in the morning Nausicaä."
She smiled back and turned to the rock, "I'm sorry. I came up here, to pray." She murmured while looking at the engraving on the rock. Asbel looked too, and his eyes fell sadly when he saw that, that was the place where they had buried his dear twin sister, Lastelle, who had been taken by the Tolumekians. Here at the top of the seacliffs was her final resting place, for the place she had died at was far too close to where the Valley of the Wind had found the Giant Warrior, the spawn of evil.
Asbel made his way past Nausicaä and knelt in front of his sister's grave. Placing his hands together, he made a prayer to God.
Dear sister, please be happy and safe where ever you are. The Tolumekians shall bother you no longer, and you are finally in a place where no one can harm you. Dear God, please hear my prayer, please help my sister to be happy. Watch over her, and keep her safe.
Opening his eyes, and turning around, he saw Nausicaä looking at him with sadness and regret.
He let a smile escape his lips, "Nausicaä, you know that it wasn't your fault that Lastelle died. It couldn't be helped, and she died knowing that her last wish had been granted." The princess tilted her head forward to prevent tears from leaking in the corners of her eyes.
"Yes." She whispered, half to herself, and half to Asbel.
Asbel smiled and walked over to his glider and mounted it. "Nausicaä, let's go check out the Toxic Jungle." He said to her. Nausicaä looked at him in confusion, "Asbel, why do you want to go to the Toxic Jungle?" She asked.
He chuckled in amusement, "Nausicaä, I know you well enough that because of yesterday you want to go and find out the true cause of it." Nausicaä sighed and smiled, "I suppose you really do know me that well Asbel." She smiled. Nausicaä moved over to her own glider, and fired the engine which sent her into the air. Shortly after, Asbel followed her, and soon both of them took off, heading towards the Acid Lake which was a barricade to the Jungle.
The wind whipped in their faces, and Asbel held onto his glider tightly. He risked a glance over at Nausicaä who appeared to be deep in thought, he could only guess why.
Flashback
Nausicaä and Asbel both lay on the ground next to a flashlight. Asbel with his jacket overtop of him, and Nausicaä facing towards the top of the cavern. Asbel looked at the princess, "The origin of the Toxic Jungle? You sure spend a lot of time thinking about strange things." He said to her.
End Flashback
There could only be so many things that Nausicaä would be thinking about, and only she knew what she wanted. But that was something that could not be helped, Nausicaä was Nausicaä, no matter what would happen. And that's the young woman he had come to be so affectionate about. Asbel froze,
When did those thoughts come into my head?
He asked himself with a stupified look on his face. Nausicaä glanced over at Asbel whose eyes were wide circles of confusion, "Asbel, are you alright? Should we wait until tomorrow?" Nausicaä's voice was apparent with concern.
Upon hearing the concern in her voice, Asbel wiped the look of his face and put a smile on it instead. "Yes, I'm fine. Let's go Nausicaä." Nausicaä sighed thankfully and smiled at him. She reached into the knapsack she had hanging at her waist and pulled out her mask, "Asbel, can you hold my glider steady? I can't hold on when I'm putting my mask on." She asked.
Asbel smiled and nodded, carefully steering his glider side by side with hers, and gripped the handlebar tightly. "Go ahead." He said with a nod showing that he had a firm grip on the glider. Nausicaä gave him a smile in return, and released her hold on the handle bars. She balanced herself on the glider and moved her hands back to fasten the mask.
Finally, it was on, and Nausicaä was able to hold the glider again.
The prince let go of it, and hooked a gloved finger around his own thin mask, and pulled it up over his nose and mouth, and just in time. Several second after he had put his mask on, the Toxic Jungle came into view, and all its spore-ish glory. Nausicaä dipped the nose of her glider downwards, speeding towards the Jungle's depth. Asbel on the other hand took his time following Nausicaä into the jungle.
When both landed, they grabbed their flare guns and proceeded forth with caution. Giant dragonflies flew overhead,making clicking noises to each other. Nausicaä turned to Asbel, "Remember, flare guns used for signaling for help, they aren't weapons. We don't want a repeat of last time, right?"
Last time, Asbel had seen the larvae insects again (A/N: In the movie those were the insects who chased Asbel after his plane crashed) and fired. Thus causing a nearby Ohmu to become frightened and start to stampede. Nausicaä had to calm it down with her flash grenades and turn it deeper into the forest. Asbel blushed at the embaressing memory and sighed, "Alright." He said in a defeated tone.
Nausicaä chuckled and looked around at the different spores growing on the trees. She looked at Tato who had a little mask, made just for him, put on his face and laughed.
"Asbel, do you remember where that strange tree was?" Nausicaä asked, looking around to see if there were any familiar paths. Asbel too looked around, but saw nothing peculiar, and shook his head. "Sorry Nausicaä, I don't see anything, wait." The princess looked at the Pejite prince, "What is it?" She asked, going to his side.
Pointing to a dirt path, he frowned, "Nausicaä, I don't remember that ever being there, do you?" Nausicaä looked at the path and shook her head, "No. That never was here before, let's follow it." Asbel agreed, and fought his itching hand from grasping the gun at his hip. Asbel noticed something from out of the corner of his eye, Tato was quivering, and his little green eyes were filled with fear.
He stopped and put a hand out to Tato, "Nausicaä, something's wrong with Tato." He warned her.
Upon hearing that, Nausicaä stopped and turned her head to look at the striped animal. Still, Tato appeared scared, and wouldn't stop shaking. The princess put a hand up to Tato which Tato tried to hide behind.
Nausicaä and Asbel looked at each other, each with a frown on their faces. Asbel but a hand on Nausicaä's shoulder and looked her in the eye, "Why don't you go back to the glider with Tato? I'll scout on ahead and look for anything suspicious, alright Nausicaä?" The princess's brown eyes shook, "What? Asbel no, this place is dangerous. I'm getting a really bad feeling from this place. You can't go on by yourself, you could get hurt, or-"
Her rant stopped when Asbel wrapped her body in his with a hug. "I'll be alright Nausicaä." Asbel assured her.
Despite his calming words, Asbel himself was not sure that everything would be alright like he said it would be. Also, there was another reason why Asbel didn't want Nausicaä going any furthur into the Jungle.
The traumitizing scene of Nausicaä being shocked by some unknown force right in front of his eyes wouldn't leave. And Asbel didn't want the same thing to repeat itself again. Asbel released Nausicaä and looked at her with a smile on his face underneath his mask. "Alright?" He asked, trying to let her know that he would be ok. The young princess looked at the trembling animal in her hands and nervously looked at Asbel.
Asbel turned around and looked back at Nausicaä, "Go." He said gently, half asking and half ordering.
Finally Nausicaä nodded and turned around and started walking through the Jungle back to where their gliders were. Before she vanished into the thick jungle she looked back, her eyes trying to hold back frightened tears, "Be careful Asbel." And with that, she was gone, cuddling Tato to her chest.
The prince sighed, thankful that Nausicaä was getting farther and farther away from danger.
The path was right there, in front of him, beckoning as if were a trap. Even if it were a trap, it was better if he was caught rather than Nausicaä. He continued on walking through the path, his flare gun held in front of him in case he desperately needed help.
Then, as if called there suddenly, there was that same tree that had sent the painful electrical shocks through Nausicaä's body. Asbel bit his lip underneath his tan mask and approached the tree carefully. His eyes scanned the base of the tree, looking for anything that would grant him safe passage. Looking up, Asbel still saw nothing and felt his teeth clench in impatience.
Taking a deep breath, Asbel put a hand out in front of his and placed it onto the tree.
He began to experience what Nausicaä had that past day. He shut his eyes, and felt the area in front of his become watery for a split second, then solidify.
S-somethings in there, I gotta find out what... for...Nausicaä!
Asbel bit his lip and pressed on, despite the electricity that crackled around his fingertips and face, sending painful jolts throughout his entire body. Then, it happened, Asbel could hear a strange voice speaking outloud.
Opening his eyes, though with great difficulty, he glanced through the watery looking bark and saw a grand throne room in front of him. Filled with people, but their eyes were as blank as the water of the Acid Lake. Asbel listened carefully, trying to ignore the sound of elecctricity buzzing in his ears, "Go for her. She is in the Forest, find her companion and kill him. Send clones in their places, their people must not know they have been taken. Go, for Princess Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind."
Asbel's eyes widened, and he broke away from the tree with a cry of pain.
He lay on the ground of the Toxic Jungle, his fingers twitching as the last bits of electricity left his body. He took gulps of air and panted hard while trying to climb to his feet. "N-nausicaä..."
Mehehehe! I win! . But hope you liked this chapter, I worked hard on it. Oh, and sorry for the long wait. I had a lot of other stories to take care of. Leave reviews, and like my story, thank you!
-PurificationArrow