August 06, 2008
Disclaimer: I don't own Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
Title: The Forest of Purity
Author: PurificationArrow
Rated: Teen
Genre: Romance/General
Summary: In the time spent together, Nausicaä and Asbel's feelings for each other start to grow. They also find a strange tree that is protected by an electric barrier. Suddenly, new problems begins to stir: someone is also after Nausicaä's heart, but who?
Notes: I'm soooo sorry for the hiatus! Please don't kill me!
Italics - Thoughts
Bold - Emphasis on a word
Bold and Underline - author's note
Chapter 11: Sacrifice
-- Nausicaä's POV --
I feel hot all over.
Why?
This doesn't feel right. I can feel my blood pulsing through my veins, and it feels like the breath is being squeezed out of me.
I don't like it.
And...
The lights are too bright.
But something is too dark.
My heart is...
I can hear something. Like a drum.
Pounding.
Mito? Lord Yupa? Aden?
I'm afraid.
Where are you?
...
...Asbel?
"Asbel, she will be all right! The Princess needs her rest."
I was tired and I felt heavy. I wanted to tell the voice to be quiet. It was deep and slightly raspy.
"Please listen to reason, Prince Asbel. You are exhausted as well. Mito, please prepare a bed in the Princess's room."
This voice was older. It was craggly, but it was wise and kind.
"But did you check her all over, Obaba? They might have done something to her!"
I could feel the drowsy cloud beginning to lift off of me. This voice made my mind wake up. It made my heart flutter. It made me want to remember.
My eyelids struggled with the exhaustion that kept them glued shut.
I wanted to see the owner of this voice.
I know this person.
"You said she collapsed after she got to the edge of the village! What if--"
"Calm yourself!"
I opened my eyes.
Things seemed blurry and unfocused. Nevertheless, I still wanted to search for the owner to that familiar voice.
"But Lord Yupa!"
Lord Yupa? When I thought of that name, I saw an old man with grey hair and a fuzzy mustache. He had battle-hardened eyes, but they were kind and understanding.
"Asbel, I assure you. She is merely exhausted. Allow her to sleep for a few days, and then when she wakes up, we will give her time to recuperate. After that, we can ask her what happened while in that mysterious kingdom."
This answer seemed to satisfy the person with the familiar voice.
My eyes wandered the room and came to rest on the back of someone's head.
This person had dark brown hair, was of medium height, and was garbed in a dark treal shirt and beige pants.
Asbel...
That was what Lord Yupa had said.
Asbel.
I thought this name over, and began to formulate a face.
Dark brown hair, a handsome face, and the kindest eyes I had ever seen.
... Asbel!
My throat was dry, but I wanted to call out to him.
"Asbel..." I managed to croak out.
This single word managed to gain the attention of the quarreling people in the room.
They all whirled around and saw me, with my eyes open, staring at Asbel. He, of course, was the first to react. Asbel flew to my side, and my face was instantly buried into his shoulder.
"Nausicaä!" he whispered into my hair.
I reached my arms up, and held him to me.
I remembered what had happened the past few days. It had seemed like weeks, but I knew that in reality, it had been a week at the most.
Then he brought my head back and looked at me.
I almost winced.
His face had cuts on it, his lips were chapped, and he had bags under his eyes. "Asbel, are you all right?" Was the first thing I managed to ask.
A bitter, almost angry look came over his face.
"I'm fine." he grunted.
This surprised me. Asbel had never been a person to be so bitter.
"Asb--"
"Princess!"
"Thank goodness you're all right!"
"We were so worried!"
"Thank God you're safe!"
A great multitude of voices filled the room where it had once been quiet.
There was a large crowd taking up space inside the bedroom, which I soon identified to be mine. The voices belonged to the people of the Valley of the Wind. I had no doubt in my mind that they had been waiting outside the room and had been listening in.
My lap was being taken up by the three little girls whom I had been teaching to wind glide. In their arms was Teito. I smiled and stroke his soft fur. I was so glad he was safe.
By my side were to familiar faces. The first was of the baby girl that had been born last year, and had thankfully managed to survive her infanthood. She had been named Candace, for her temper which had emerged quite soon after she could speak, despite her only being a year old. Even so, I could see myself in this child. She had fierce beliefs, but was just as capable of empathy. The other woman was her mother, holding her.
"Everyone..." I whispered, feeling a smile come across my face.
Several of the women were crying, and the little girls had tears in their eyes. The men were gritting their teeth together in an effort not to make a sound, and the little boys were wiping furiously at their eyes to dispel all tears.
"Princess, are you really all right?" Someone in the crowd asked.
I smiled at them. "I'm fine." I assured them.
I could feel my hand still in Asbel's. It was a little embarassing, but it was so warm. I didn't want it to leave. I couldn't even begin to describe how thankful I was that he hadn't been seriously harmed.
Above the heads of the crowd of people, I saw two brown, leathered hands wave in the air. "Come on now! Let's let the Princess have her rest." Mito called.
The people of the valley made muttering noises, none of them being very partial to the idea of leaving me.
Lord Yupa's head appeared above everyone's else's. "All right, come now everyone. We know what happened, and Mito and I will take care of explaning it to the Princess and Prince Asbel."
I couldn't help but smile at them. "Thank you for your concern. I'll be all right. Mito and Lord Yupa will tell us what happened while we were gone; have no fear."
The Valley of the Wind's people smiled back.
But despite my smiles and goodbye's as they left, I couldn't resist wondering what exactly had taken place when Asbel and I had been in the kingdom of Harasa. It gave me a chill, just thinking of it. None of the villagers seemed injured or shaken, so I was assuming that a battle hadn't taken place. I could only hope so, though.
Finally, when the last citizen of the valley was gone, and the door was shut, the smile left my face.
"Mito, Lord Yupa, what happened here?" I asked.
Lord Yupa and Mito were sitting down on the ground, and I sat up. I had a very bad feeling that this was something I needed to listen very carefully to.
"The day you left, the duties of the Valley resumed as usual. You had given us instructions not to go into the jungle while you were away, so we did as we were told. But later that evening, when you returned, we knew something was wrong." Mito explained. "You had returned without the Prince, and you hadn't brought back any materials as you had said you hoped to do."
I nodded. I remembered giving Mito and Lord Yupa these instructions.
Lord Yupa took over. "You went straight to bed, without visiting that place."
By 'that place' Lord Yupa meant my secret room where I still held all of the experiments with the Toxic Jungle plants that I had conducted.
"Also, Teito was missing, even through the following morning." Lord Yupa said.
I felt the warm ball of fur in my lap that was Teito.
The poor thing. I thought in my mind. He must have been through so much, and I wasn't there to help him.
"You were gone for a total of five days, Princess."
I let out a breath.
"Five days," I murmured. "It seems so much longer than that."
Asbel nodded beside me. "Yeah. While we were in there, it is like we lost all sense of time."
"Yeah..." I mumbled to myself.
Mito shrugged his broad shoulders. "And well, after that, everyone in the valley noticed that there was something very... off about you, Princess. We were worried, so after a while, we took matters into our own hands."
Instantly, I became suspicious. "Meaning what?"
"We're holding the person who we thought to be impersonating you in one of the extra rooms in the palace."
I nodded and hoisted myself up. Teito leapt onto my shoulder, and Asbel moved aside. He stood and held a hand out to me, which I accepted gratefully. When my feet hit the floor, and I finally stood upright, I thought I saw stars in my vision.
I must have looked as though I were about to fall over, because Asbel grabbed a firm hold on my arm.
He let me lean on him, and I felt one of his hands wrap protectively around my waist. "Are you all right, Nausicaä? Maybe you should wait until tomorrow to see this person." He suggested.
His concern was flattering, and made me even more aware of his arm around my waist.
"I'm fine, Asbel. Thank you, but I have a feeling that I need to settle this quickly." I said, smiling up at him, despite my throbbing temples. "I've neglected the people of the valley for far too long. At the very least, it would help ease their minds if I could tell them something comforting."
Asbel made a slight face. "We were captured. You couldn't have helped it. And besides, they all know how to handle themselves. They're strong, Nausicaä. You taught them that." His face broke out into the sweet, heart-melting smile that I had come to know so well. His eyelids lowered gently, and the corners of his mouth tipped upwards in a slight slope and his warm eyes glowed.
I heard my heart thunder in my ears.
As quickly as I was able, I looked away. The pounding of my heart made me nervous every time I heard it. But this time, I sensed no danger, just... an uncomfortable and fluttering feeling in my chest.
Mito pointed down the hallway. "The imposter is being held down there."
I took a deep breath and released it.
I had almost no doubt in my mind that whoever had come to the valley as an imposter was from the kingdom of Harasa. Naturally, my people would be worried if Asbel and I had not come back after the designated time. Teito too. A search would be issued, which would most likely have meant trouble. Even so...
How could Than just carelessly send one of his own people out into such unfamiliar territory? Especially surrounded by people he or she did not know. It was clear that he cared very little for the people he was supposed to be taking care of. It made my heart shatter when I saw the decimated kingdom. Everything had seemed gray and dead. And fell winds swept through the empty streets.
All my life I had known that the wind was a blessing. Especially in our valley. It kept a great deal of the disease away from my people and it allowed us to live without the terrible conditions that had befallen the other kingdoms.
I was certain that the castle in which Than resided was not plagued by the terrible winds. If he would simply allow the remaining citizens of Harasa to take refuge within his castle, so many of them could be saved. But he did not. Than took no initiative what so ever to protect his people.
It was the complete opposite of Asbel and I, and Kushana for that matter.
I always had interacted and led my people the way I knew my father would want me to. With kindness, generosity, fairness, strictness, and love. And above all, to lead them with the appearance and mannerisms of a true leader. My father had done all those things, and it had made him revered among my people. I had followed his example, and my people soon came to love me as well. Despite what others say, these things came easily to my father and I. We loved our people as much as we loved life, water, and the air we breathed. This applied to Asbel as well.
Asbel was, by nature, a pure and kind-hearted soul, kinder than anyone else. He was still a firm and strong person. He loved his people enough to fight for them, and even follow through with the most drastic and insane of plans if it meant the safety of his people. He was admired by the people of Pejite as well as the people of the valley. I knew that he reminded my people of my father; he was a gentle person, but if the need arose, he would pass his judgement fairly. That is the kind of person he was. Just like Princess Kushana of Tolumekia.
I knew from the information that Mito and Lord Yupa had provided for me that Kushana's soul was a tortured one. Her kingdom had so many issues clouding it, and she was alone in her attempts to bring Tolumekia back to its former glory, in addition to leading their military force as its commander, general, and leader. Her heart was cold and bitter from the attack she had suffered as a child from an insect of the jungle. But underneath her cold, fighting exterior, was the heart of someone who was incredibly strong. Kushana was so much stronger than anyone else I had ever known. To bear the weight and hopes and fears of her people all at once was a terrible, yet fufilling task. It had not taken me long to realize that Kushana, under her tough, golden armor, was the golden heart of a strong young woman. The way she behaved proved this.
But Than... I shook my head sadly.
He had seemed so incredibly obsessed with a ridiculous goal. Throughout the entire time that Asbel and I were trapped there, the focus of his purpose never seemed to dim. He had told me that his plan was my becoming his bride. But I doubted that was the entire truth. There was a more sinister motive behind all his actions and words.
What other reason would he have had to send an imposter to my valley?
And how could he treat his people in such a manner? According to Aden, their sister, Adena, had been scheduled to rule the kingdom of Harasa. Just by looking at her, I was instantly able to tell that she had been beautiful, kind, and a warm person. There were people who emitted the kind of radiance that drew people to them, like butterflies to nectar-filled blossoms. She had been one such person.
However, an ill turn of events had befallen the kingdom, causing Adena, heir to the throne, to lose her life.
Because of that, the next in line had been Aden.
Aden cared much more for his kingdom than his younger brother did. The battalion of men he told me about, which he led, respected him. They were loyal to him, and not to Than. His voice was lower than Than's was, but it resonated when he spoke, which gave me a warm feeling. It was like Asbel's voice, expect lower. Likewise, it was like Lord Yupa's voice - the kind of voice that had a constant strong, comforting tone to it.
But he had told me that he refused the position of the throne after Adena had died - which all led back to Prince Than.
"Here they are, Princess." Mito said, a gloved hand on the door handle.
I breathed deeply. For some reason, despite my strong words earlier, I could feel my hands shake as I thought about confronting my imposter. I was not afraid of what I would see, or what the imposter would say, but rather what or who was the one acting as me. The more I thought about it, the more I shook.
Something was definitely wrong about this person.
I stepped into the dark room with Asbel right by my heels. There was a low whirring sound as the lights flickered on.
There were metal bars stretching vertically in front of me, creating a cage.
And on the other side of the bars was a huddled shape in the corner. The shape shivered and shook, and did not raise their head, even when the lights clicked on. The air felt strangely thick and suffocating. I stepped closer to the bars, and then the shape's head was picked up.
Quickly, the head whirled around. The body in the corner on the bed leapt up off of its perch and hurriedly approached the bars.
I stopped where I was, just an arm's length away from the person on the other side of the metal.
I was shocked at what I saw. This person was a young man! The young man had pale skin, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. This in itself, was similar to me. But otherwise, there was no resemblance. How could he have been mistaken as me?
"Y-you..." he said in a small voice.
Instantly, I felt pity for him. The trembling in his barely mature voice showed me that he was terrified out of his mind. The choice to come here had not been his own.
Slowly, fluidly, I approached the bars, ignoring Asbel and Mito's startled gasps and protests. I was vaguely aware that Lord Yupa was quietly hushing them. My attention was focused on the young man in the bars before me.
He was my height, I noticed as I got closer.
Timidly, the man reached a shaking hand through the bars, as if afraid I would electrocute him. Gently, I reached for his hand and took it. He seemed to relax underneath my hands, despite the fact that they were riddled with callouses and cuts.
"Y-you are the P-Princess Nausicaä, yes?" he asked, resting his forehead against the cold bars.
I nodded, patting his hand. "I am. Tell me, why are you here in the Valley of the Wind?"
The young man swallowed, though with great difficulty. He stepped back and bowed as low as he was able without his body toppling over. "Princess, m-my name is Cain. I hail from the kingdom of Harasa, l-located in the S-sea of Decay."
I could hear Mito gasp behind me. "The Toxic Jungle?!"
Cain seemed to shrink back.
"Mito, shh. Let him speak." I said quietly, as I began fiddling with the lock on the door.
"Princess, what are you doing?" Lord Yupa asked, taking a quick step forward.
Cain gave an animal-like whimper and toppled backwards onto the bed.
I opened the door and closed it behind me, moving as slowly and calmly as I could. "I'll be fine, Lord Yupa. Please, don't scare him any more than he already is. He won't hurt me. We have nothing to fear from him; believe me." I said, not turning to look at him.
I extended a hand out to Cain. He eyed it nervously and hesitantly, but with the hesitance that showed that he wanted to accept it.
"Everything will be all right, Cain. I won't hurt you, and you won't hurt me. I just want to talk to you and help you. Please?"
I saw Cain swallow, his adam's apple protruding from his thin throat. It sent a pang through my heart. He must be only twenty years old, if even that. He looked as though he were thirty. Slowly, nervously, he nodded. "Yes, Princess."
I smiled comfortingly at him, and lowered myself gingerly to the ground.
"Now, can you please tell me why Prince Than sent you here?"
(A/N:) I am sooooooo sorry for the wait! I never intended for this chapter to be so long. It is my fault, since I am both lazy and... well, lazy. The Princess and Asbel will be re-visiting the kingdom of Harasa in the next chapter, and will find some new changes in store for them both. So until I am able to update again, please read and review. Thank you.
--Next Chapter
I scanned with my finger through the long rows of small script in a thick book.
It had to be in here somewhere.
Asbel, Mito, and Lord Yupa were helping me look for it.
The story that Cain had told us when we had visited him in the cell explained that the kingdom of Harasa was well over 1000 years old, before the Seven Days of Fire. He also had told us that a spell had been cast over the entire kingdom, shielding it from outside and wandering eyes through use of a strange force called mana. Warlocks had performed this spell when Prince Than had taken the throne, shortly after his sister's death.
It was because of that spell that the kingdom was free of the Jungle's toxins.
However, there was one thing that Cain said that had bothered me, which led to the four of us searching the castle's oldest library files.
If the kingdom was free from the Jungle's poison, then how could the city be in such a state?
'"Prince Than! It was Prince Than that caused the diseases and ill fortune to befall our people; it was he who caused our children, women, men, elderly to fall ill and die! Because of him! It was all because of him!"'
That is what Cain had said.
What we were searching for was why, and how.
My eyes scanned the pages as I skimmed quickly and flipped pages every other second.
And suddenly, I stopped.
"Here." I said out loud.
The single word brought all three men to where I was sitting the pile of books. They followed my finger which was pointing to a picture of a mysterious figure, shrouded in light, whose hair was wreathed in light. Just as the prophecy Aden had showed me described. There was little doubt in my mind that the person in the picture was Adena.
I read through the passages quickly, halting when I found what I had been seeking. My throat felt dry, and dread filled every single bone in my body.
"This is why," I whispered in horror. "The reason why Harasa has stayed the way it has for the past 1,000 years. The reason why Prince Than had the spell cast over his kingdom."
Asbel leaned over my shoulder, unease creeping into his face as he saw the look on my own. "What does it say?" he asked quietly.
I swallowed hard and turned my eyes back to the book.
"It says, 'When the city lies eternal for 1,000 years, the one who had been sleeping since the dawn of her never-ending slumber shall once again open her eyes. She shall awaken, see the light, and at last bring peace to her people. The price paid shall be 10,000 for the 1,000 years of eternity. The reward given shall be she who leads the ones who have awaited her return for an eon; their peace shall be the reward for the lives paid.'"
I swallowed hard.
Mito's eyebrows were furrowed. "And what does that mean?"
Asbel and I shared a glance; we both nodded.
"It means that Prince Than is going to bring back Princess Adena using the lives of the people of Harasa."
A preview for those of you who thankfully waited for this chapter. I really am sorry for the tardiness. Please forgive me, and please review!
Sincerely,
-PurificationArrow