Disclaimer: I'm here on chapter EIGHTEEN. Do you REALLY need to ask?
The first thing Will noticed as she opened her eyes was that someone was looking down at her curiously. The figure, a little boy of no more than eight or nine years old at most, was looking at her as though she was just some sort of museum exhibit. His hair was a scruffy mass of dirty-blond and his fairly high quality clothes looked slightly dishevelled, as though he had crawled through several bushes recently.
"Are you an angel?" the boy asked curiously. "My mummy said that we needed an angel to save us from Nerissa," he paused for a moment and tilted his head slightly. "Did you defeat Nerissa? I'm sure she wouldn't like swords lying on the Throne room floor like this."
Will looked at the strange multi-faceted heart shaped crystal that had been Nerissa and back at the boy. She reached forward and picked it up, still unable to believe what she had seen happen to Nerissa. She stood up and picked up the Sword of Candracar and examined the new, intricate patterns on the blade. She looked at the boy.
"Nerissa isn't going to bother anyone again," Will said, examining the crystal once more with a puzzled frown. She pocketed the jewel and turned to face the boy, who was looking at her curiously.
"You don't look like an angel," he said, tilting his head slightly and Will raised an eyebrow. "You don't have wings."
"I'm a swordswoman," Will said as she stood up and picked up the sword of Candracar. "Umm…do you know how to get out of here? I'm kind of lost."
"You go through the door silly," the boy said to her with apparent amusement, pointing to the large ornate double doors at the far end of the room. He tilted his head slightly. "Are you sure you're not an angel?"
"Yes, I'm positive," Will said, before looking at the boy once more. The boy gave her a disappointed look.
"It's just that it would be really, really awesome to see an angel and as you don't know where the door is I thought you must have fallen out of the sky and you look pretty," the boy told her earnestly. "But sword fighters? They're practically two a penny."
"I defeated Nerissa. Think about it," Will said and the boy's eyes widened.
"Wow, you really are an angel!" he said with a gasp. "Why did you say you weren't?" Then a look of realisation crossed his face. "You're here in disguise, aren't you? That's why you pretended to be an ordinary swordswoman," he gave her a furtive look and whispered. "You can trust me, I'm good with secrets."
Will opened her mouth to tell him that she was not an angel once more and decided not to waste her breath. This boy clearly believed she was an angel and no amount of denials would convince him otherwise.
"I'm looking for some friends of mine," she told him abruptly. She paused for a moment. She had no idea what to do with the Sword of Candracar and no idea how to release the queen within. She needed magical expertise to do that, or at least someone with an understanding of the subject. "I need to know how to get to the central courtyard gardens. Can you show me the way please?"
"How come angels can't find their way around on their own?" the boy asked curiously and Will said nothing. "I mean, surely as agents of a higher power, you would know this stuff in advance."
Will examined the Sword of Candracar once more and smiled grimly. 'Agent of a higher power' was probably as good a description as any until she found out more about what the Guardian title was supposed to mean. If it meant anything at all. She still had her doubts as to whether anything had even happened or whether it had been all in her mind.
She looked at the sword once more and frowned. If it was not for the way the sword sported new patterns across it's blade, she would be almost certain that what she had seen was nothing more than a dream. It seemed so…unbelievable. Then again, she had seen a lot of things that seemed unbelievable recently.
"So what do you have to do to become an angel?" the little boy asked, interrupting Will's thoughts as he opened the doors of the Throne room and led her out.
"Pardon?"
"What do you have to do to become an angel?" the boy asked again as he led her down the hallway. "I really want to know. Becoming an angel would be really cool. You get to go to new places and you get to fly and everything!"
"I wouldn't know, I'm not an angel," Will said once more, but the boy didn't seem to notice.
"My mummy says that people don't become angels. I'm going to be the first. They're going to be so impressed they'll let me join right away!" the boy explained excitedly and Will smiled.
"Will! Will, over here!" Taranee shouted over to her friend, dashing towards them.
"That's right boys and girls, I'm back and as awesome as ever," Irma said with a smirk. "I'm guessing that you won, judging by the fact we're still alive and everything."
"Talking of Nerissa, why isn't she with you?" Taranee asked with a frown. Will pulled out the jewel that had been Nerissa.
"She's right here," she explained as she held out the jewel. Taranee looked at her puzzled and opened her mouth to say more, but Will shook her head.
"You know that's a LOT smaller than Nerissa, right?" Irma pointed out with a smirk. "You sure you didn't hit your head?"
"I'll explain later," Will replied with a slight frown. "It's…a little weird."
"That wasn't the only thing that was weird," Taranee said with a slight frown. "Did you see that place as well? With the hooded figure?" she gestured to her sword. "He called us Guardians and when we awoke our wounds were healed and we had these new blades. Do you know what he meant by that?"
"I was hoping you would know," Will replied. "You're the smart one out of us two."
"Wish I did," Taranee said with a frown. "I'm sure I've heard that term used somewhere before though, but what it means I don't know."
"Excuse me, are you an angel as well?" the little boy asked, breaking Taranee out of her reverie.
"No, I'm a swordswoman," Taranee replied, looking as though she was noticing the boy for the first time. "Just like my friend."
"This is my angel," the boy declared proudly, grabbing Will by the hand. "She's going to help me become an angel too!"
Taranee raised an eyebrow at Will, who flushed red with embarrassment. Irma smirked.
"You know, I knew you shoulda left ya wings stay hidden," she said with a grin and Will glared at her. Irma ignored her and continued. "And your halo is a real mess. Clean it up."
"I knew it!" the boy exclaimed excitedly. "I knew you were an angel!"
"I'm not an angel," Will said with a slight growl, but the boy ignored her. Irma just stayed smirking.
"Hey you're alive! Did you win? Is Nerissa gone? Did you stay in control? Tell me everything!" Hay Lin squealed excitedly as she dashed up to them with Cornelia walking in behind them nonchantly, her sword resting on her shoulder.
"She's still here and we're still alive. I think the answer is pretty obvious," Cornelia said with amusement. She looked at Will's sword. "I see you guys got new swords as well."
"You were there Corny, you saw it happen," Irma said, a smile spreading across her face. "Maybe you're as dense as the earth you claim to be."
"Don't call me Corny!" Cornelia snapped angrily. "And just because I saw it in that dream-"
"Convergence," Taranee pointed out. "That figure called it a convergence. And what did he mean when he called us Guardians?"
"Why should it matter? It wasn't real!" Cornelia snapped and Irma raised an eyebrow.
"You do know you're holding the same damn sword they gave you blondie?" Irma asked as a bemused smile crossed her face. Cornelia snorted her contempt.
"That just means that I received a sword!" Cornelia snapped back, while the little boy looked on with eyes wide.
"No," Will said quietly, her voice loaded with authority. "No, it was real. And we were there."
"But-but-" Cornelia stuttered slightly, but then Hay Lin cut in.
"Oooh, we get to save the world and go on great adventures and-"
"And there was me thinking this was a 'great adventure' I think I'll pass thanks" Irma drawled with amusement. Hay Lin simply ignored her.
"-we could be like those characters in legends and-"
"Cornelia, do you know how to get her Majesty out of this sword?" Will asked, cutting Hay Lin off mid sentence. "I don't really know how to make this magic stuff work."
"You won the sword Will. Ask it to release the Queen and it will do so," Taranee said softly. Will and Cornelia looked at her in surprise. "I did some research into the sword when I was asked to come. Honestly, am I the only one who bothered to research the matter we're actually involved with?"
"Magical Swords are not exactly common items," Cornelia pointed out with a hint of annoyance. "And I was about to say that!"
"Sure you were Corny," Irma drawled, smirking.
"Don't call me CORNY!" Cornelia snapped, her face turning red with rage. A sword blade swung between the two of them.
"Do we have to separate you two?" Will asked dryly. She looked at Taranee. "So I just ask the sword to release the Queen? Nothing else?"
"Magical swords are semi-sentient," Taranee explained calmly. "They have a code of honourable behaviour that they subscribe to at all time, unlike humans who are more…pragmatic. By earning the sword, it will follow you until you are defeated," she looked at Will. "The sword will do precisely what you mean it to do."
"Of course, semi-sentient objects have their code of honour decided by their creators," Cornelia cut in and Taranee gave her a glare. "They're incredibly difficult to make, requiring vast amounts of magic and skill just to assemble, which is part of the reason they're so rare."
Will nervously licked her lips. She had no magic, she was sure of that. What if she got it wrong? What if she managed to make things worse? Nerissa had been skilled in magic as well as swordsmanship. Will's magical knowledge was little more than that of a spectator, watching it happen and take effect without knowing how. What if-
A comforting hand was placed on her shoulder and Will was surprised to see that it was Cornelia's hand. The northern woman gave her a gentle smile.
"I know I haven't been your biggest supporter," she said, "but now I would follow you to the ends of the Earth and beyond. You can do this."
Will smiled back at Cornelia, her spirits lifting. Closing her eyes, she pulled the blade close to her lips and whispered.
"Release the Queen. Release Elyon."
For a moment there was a dazzling glare of light from the sword and for a moment they were blind. Then, as their vision returned, they heard a voice.
"Cornelia?" a woman asked uncertainly and Cornelia leapt forward to embrace the owner.
"Elyon!" she said excitedly and Will let out a sigh of relief. Irma however let out a chuckle.
"Someone's pleased to see her," she said with amusement. Cornelia ignored her and instead turned to Will.
"Your majesty," she started and placed her arm on Will's shoulder. "May I present Swordmistress Will Vandom, our leader and the woman who saved both you and all of Meridian."
"Well not just me-" Will began, blushing slightly, but Elyon cut her off.
"It appears I owe you thanks," Elyon said as she gave Will a warm smile. "Thank you. All of you. Meridian and I owe you a great debt."
"What can I say, I'm just awesome like that?" Irma replied with a smirk and Cornelia snickered. Irma just ignored her.
"Your Majesty," Will began, slightly hesitantly. This was something of a long shot, instinct really if she was honest, but she had a feeling she was on the right track. "Have you ever heard of something called the Guardians?"
Elyon looked at Will in surprise and her eyes widened.
"Guardians?" she said, her voice disbelieving. "Yes, I've heard of the Guardians," she waved her hands and an image of a dark-skinned woman, dark hair tied up in a topknot and purple robes swirling with a fierce look on her face appeared. She appeared to be in the middle of a battle against an unseen enemy. "The Guardians are…practically a legend," she paused for a moment and looked thoughtful.
"The Guardians are individuals who have become more than human. It is a title awarded to those who…overcome challenges beyond those of mere humans and transcend to something else. Precisely what is unknown, but it is known that they appear in times of great need," she paused and gestured to the image in front of them. "The last Guardian was before my time, a sorceress by the name of Kadma. She faced off against a magical foe more powerful than any in Meridian's history and earned the title Guardian. And now it seems that you have too."
"But what does it mean?" Will asked and Elyon shrugged.
"I'm not sure. It could be a recognition of what you have achieved or a preparation for something else, something bigger. There is very little known about Kadma. I know she founded the Kyoto Academy of High Magic, but little is known about whether she ever had to fight again," she gestured to Will's sword. "These weapons are symbolic of your success, but what the future holds, I know not."
"So how will we know?" Will asked and Elyon smiled.
"You will know when the time is right," she replied. "When the time is right."