Ch 9: Inner Strength

Smoke rose up around the city limits. A number of buildings were ablaze with red and orange flames; several of the fires began to spread throughout the city streets. Tye jumped around the courtyard, dodging random icebergs erupting from the earth underneath him. His eyes caught a glimpse of a rather lanky man standing near the rear of the courtyard. A black book was in his grasp, and his gaze darted about the yard. There you are! Tye kicked off the ground, launching himself into the air. He landed gracefully on the ground behind the newest ice tower. The boy darted for the mage. He gave a sharp whistle, which immediately caught the mage off guard. Giving Tye a slight scream, the magician ran down the hallway. "Oh no you don't!" Tye's speed picked up incredibly. He reached the mage within a second, and shoved his sword through the man's chest. He in turn shrieked out in pain and toppled over onto the ground. Blood gushed from the new hole that covered the middle of his torso. Tye tugged the blade out of the body. He withdrew a cloth and wiped off his weapon, returning it to the sheath hat his side. "Little fucker.."

XxXxXx

"Alex, where are we going?" "To the throne room. You'll be safe there." Still in his arms, Marissa clung tightly to the boy's sleeve. The shouting of the the nearby fight grew as he bolted past the windows. I don't get it. Why the hell are they attacking us? Rounding a corner, Alex slowed his pace. He had reached the large wooden door that enclosed the entrance to the throne room. He was a little concerned about just waltzing in, but he didn't have time to worry about that. Alex kicked the door open, relieved to see the empty room. He set Marissa down and nudged her forward. "Go hide over there under the table. I need to lock this door." "Um...ok.." The girl walked to the large closest to the throne and took a seat underneath it. Alex, meanwhile, grabbed any heavy piece of furniture within his grasp and pushed it against the door. Since dead-bolt locks didn't exist in this world, he had to make due with whatever he could get his hands on. "You ok Marissa!" "Uh-huh.." The twenty year old continued to stuff all the furniture in front of the door, hoping this would hold off any of the thugs that had made their way into the castle. He forgot one very important detail though. The windows.

Glass shattered, spraying out along the room. A group of bandits climbed through the windows, their weapons at the ready. "Shit!" Refusing to give them a chance to draw their weapons, Alex tugged off his bow and, loading the first arrow onto the string, fired. The closest bandit dropped, catching the others off guard. "Get 'em!" A second later, another two dropped to the floor. The last handful of men hesitantly crept closer to the bowman. Alex decided to give them a fighting chance, even though it wouldn't save them, and tossed the bow behind him. He then reached for the sheathed daggers at his hip. Grasping the leather, he withdrew the two weapons. "I'll give ya one chance. Surrender and I won't hurt you." One of the men burst out laughing before nodding to Alex. "Rip him apart boys." "Welp, I warned ya." Alex spun the twin daggers in his hands and began to walk towards them. A whistle escaped his lips, and he eyed the group curiously. I think I'm gonna have some fun with these guys. The whistle grew into a song, which no one would recognize except for Alex. The closest thug whipped out the axe that rested on his back, swinging it for Alex's head. The boy dropped down onto his knees and jabbed the dagger into his opponent's gut. His foot slid out, knocking the assailant to the ground. Spinning back up, Alex did a small dance in front of them. "What the...Hey buddy what's wrong with you?" The boy gave them a wink and slid away. "Hey! Stop him!" Another thug tugged the dual axes he wore on his back. He jabbed and swung the weapons at Alex, who ducked and rolled away; all the while whistling a song.

"Damn it hold still you freak!" He continued to dance around, dodging the onslaught of attacks. He was having fun for a change. While he danced and fought, the bandit farthest from him snuck away to the back of the throne room. The boy slid back, his lips silencing themselves for a brief moment. He had caught sight of Marissa. She was still hiding under the table, scared stiff. The thug that had creeped away had spotted the small girl. "Ok fun's over." Alex straightened up and cracked his neck. He sheathed his daggers and threw his bow into the air. Jumping up after it, he fitted an arrow onto the string and released it. One after the other, Alex fired each arrow into one of the bandits while he fell. By the time he landed back onto the ground, only one thug remained. The boy froze where he stood. His grip on the bow tightened and he gritted his teeth. He had her. He had Marissa.

"Let her go!" "Why? She's my leverage." Chuckling, the man held the tip of a short sword to the girl's throat. "I'm warning you!" "If you want her to live then drop your weapons." Alex hesitated for a moment. His mind whirled, desperately trying to think up some way to stop this guy. Drawing a blank, he tossed the bow onto the ground. "The daggers too." Alex unsheathed the short blades at his side and threw them down next to the bow. "Now let her go." "Heh. Not yet." The thug darted for the window. He jumped through the opening, Marissa still in his arms, and ran off down the street. "Fuck!" Alex hurriedly jumped out after him. He kept a short gap between them, staying close on the man. The thug bolted around a corner, with Alex right on his heels. A surge of adrenaline gave Alex the edge he needed. The boy ran past the kidnapper, clothes-lining him a few feet ahead. Marissa flew out of the man's arms and safely into Alex's. "You ok?" She nodded, holding back a few tears. "Good." Setting the girl down, he patted her head. "Now I need you to hide here for me, ok?" "..ok." Alex turned towards the bandit. He was mad now. "You've got some nerve taking her like that." The boy cracked his knuckles. A dark aura grew around him while he walked towards the thug. As the man stood, a fist collided with the side of his head. Another punched him in the gut, followed by a third to the face. He put up his arm to block a fourth hit, but Alex countered with a hard kick to the ribs. A second kick smashed into the man's neck, knocking him several yards back. "I'm gonna break every bone in your fucking body!"

For what seemed like seconds, Alex beat the life out of the thug. Grasping his shirt and holding him off the ground, Alex glared at him. He had never gotten this mad before. He could feel the anger boiling up inside him. He wanted to kill the bastard. On his last breath, the assailant stared at the boy and laughed. Alex screamed out and punched the man in the throat, killing him instantly. He clenched his blood covered fist as he dropped the body. The boy stumbled back and fell on his bottom, gritting his teeth. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. "..Alex?" "Hm?" The boy looked up, seeing a slightly happy Marissa staring at him. "If you're so tired then you should get more sleep silly." Alex blinked a couple times, a look of confusion stuck on his face, then burst out laughing. The girl smiled and giggled. The two seemed so peaceful together.

Suddenly, Marissa stopped smiling. She cocked her head to the side and stared at Alex. He stared back, wide eyed. His gaze then traveled down to his chest. An arrow was lodged inside him. But when he glanced to Marissa, his body froze. The arrow had hit her also, completely going through her. A good distance away, an archer glared at the two. He had missed the girl's heart, but the amount of blood loss would have to do. Plus, he had hit the man in the chest, so they should be dead within the hour. He packed up his equipment and walked away, leaving the two. Alex couldn't move. His mind was blank, his heart cold. "..A..lex. What's...wrong.." Holding back tears, he shook his head and gave her a weak smile. "It's nothing. Come on.." He stood and scooped her up into his arms. "Why...are..you bleeding.." She was bleeding heavily, and Alex knew he only had a few minutes. "Alex...there's..an arrow.." Don't worry about it..We need to take care of you first." He ran off towards the castle, ignoring the jabs of pain from his chest. "You'll be alright..don't worry.."

XxXxX

Alex stood at the side of a large bed. His arm was bandaged up, and he was shirtless. He stared down at the little girl sleeping. She looked pale, mostly from the wound. It had been four days since that horrible night. So much has happened since then.. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to the bed. Luckily, the arrow had missed her organs. But due to the large amount of blood loss, Marissa would need several weeks to recover. A scar was branded on Alex's chest, his hand grazing it as his mind flashed back. The girl moved around, yawning a little. A smile swept over Alex as he watched her sleep. He cracked his neck and leaned back in the chair. Sleep came over him, shutting his eyes and relaxing his body. Images played along in his mind, sending him to a peaceful place while he slept next to the little girl.

The clear moonlit sky stretched across the rolling hills. The full moon gave a bright light to the dark night. The castle stood magnificently in the eery light. Tye gazed out over the hills and oceans of grass. His trench coat blew wildly in the wind. A large white paw print had been painted onto the back of the coat, making sure everyone knew who he was. The white paw had become more infamous than famous. But Tye liked it that way. "What are you thinking about?" "Hm?" Glancing behind him, his crystal blue eyes gazed at the princess. She walked closer to the boy, her dress blowing with the wind. Tye stood there for several minutes before finally answering her. "There's something I need you to look at. I found it the first day I was here, but don't have a clue what to do with it." Tye nodded towards the object that rested near the wall. It was wrapped in a black cloth, and seemed rather bulky. The princess kneeled down next to the object and unwrapped it. Her eyes widened, a slight gasp escaping her lips. Turning his head, the boy stared at the princess with a look of confusion. "What?" "Where exactly did you find this?" "In a pile of hay if you can believe it." The girl picked up the axe and examined it carefully. "Tye..Do you know what this is.." "A weird axe?" "Not just an axe..This is the Stellix. The Axe of Rolburr." "Come again?" Tye hopped off the wall and tilted his side to the side. "I thought the axe was hidden away in the treasury." The girl shook her head, continuing to examine the weapon in her hands. "It was stolen almost fifty years ago. No one has seen it since then. Rumors spread that it had been broken down and forged into another weapon." She gazed up at Tye and handed him the axe. "It is yours now." "What?" Tye took a step back, studying the princess' serious expression. "Why is it mine?" "Because you are it's rightful owner. The reason you were able to find it was because it called out to you." "The axe...called out to me.." The girl nodded, motioning for him to take it. How the hell does that work? Grabbing the hilt, Tye loosely swung the axe around. "Damn it. I can't fight with this." "Why not?" "It's an axe. I hate axes." Sighing some, the princess stood and gazed out to the horizon. "..Regardless. It is yours Tye." The boy heaved a sigh himself and flopped onto the ground. "What makes this thing so special anyways?" Without turning, the princess giggled.

"The magic concealed within that axe is beyond any current magic. Because it's been dormant for so many years, the magic has built up, making it stronger." "..Right..So what do I do with it?" "You use it to fight." "But I just told you I hate axes and can't fight with them. They're too...I don't know, weird." Giggling again, the princess turned to Tye and extended her hand. "I think I have an idea. Give me the axe and come see me tomorrow in the castle garden." "Um...ok." He handed the weapon to her and watched the princess stroll through the wooden door that led into the castle. Shifting back to the scene outside the castle, Tye sighed again and shook the bangs out of his eyes. This'll be interesting..

XxXxX

"Ok! Who's ready for some training!" Kyrie excitedly jumped around the room, shoving Brissa and Aubrey out of their beds. "Ky, it's still early. Training doesn't start for another hour.." "I know. But I'm too excited to sleep." "Why don't you go find the boys. I'm sure they're already up." "Ohh good idea! Thanks B!" Pushing the two back into their beds, Kyrie ran out the door. She skipped along the corridors, aimlessly searching for one of the boys. Her ears caught the sound of a soft whistle coming from a room at the end of one of the corridors. That sounds like Alex. She ran off to the door, sliding up to it quietly and putting her ear to it. Inside, she could hear voices. One sounded like Alex, but she didn't recognize the other.

"How is she?" "Much better then yesterday. Her wounds are healing rapidly. She should be back to full health within the next week or so." "Thanks Doc. What do I owe you?" "This one's free." Hearing footsteps, the girl outside the room dashed behind the corner. She caught sight of Alex walking out of the room, followed by an older looking man with a briefcase. The two shook hands, and the older walked off down the hall, leaving Alex alone at the door. "Ky I know you're over there. ""Eh?" Poking her head out from behind the corner, she gave her friend a sheepish smile. "Sorry Alex. I was looking for you and overheard your conversation." The boy returned the smile with his own and motioned her over. "It's alright. There's someone I want you to meet." "Really?" Curiosity swept over the girl as she walked up to Alex and followed him into the dark room. The long purple curtains covered the windows, letting in only a tad bit of light. A big red couch rested snuggly against the wall. Across from that was another red couch; a table sat in between them. The two walked over to the bed, and Alex nodded to the small girl laying there. "This is Marissa." Kyrie looked from Alex to the little girl and back. "Is she from where we're from?" "No. She lives here in the city. A few days ago she got into an accident, and I've been kinda taking care of her since then." Marissa coughed, startling the two. "Big brother.." "I'm right here Marissa. And I have a friend I want you to meet." Kyrie stared at Alex, somewhat in shock. Big brother?