Wind and Water Chapter VI: The Silver Tempest of White Hold, Bearer of the Lady's Name, Schizophrenia

Disclaimer: Mabinogi belongs to Nexon and whoever else developed it... enough said.

A/N: Thanks for the review gom (godofmadness), since you're my first reviewer other than Tae (she's a relative- doesn't count), I'll grant your request and base a character off Shaosu... Though it seems, in hindsight after I've finished the profile, that I had another character already that could fit the description. Oh well. Once again, I'd like to ask those of you who like this story to either review or add it to alert/favorite story so I know you like it. It's nice to know if people actually enjoy the fruits of your labor... it's why cooks sometimes don't eat their own food and watch others eat it instead.

Ne?- Right?

"Speaking" "Reading Aloud"

Narration- Describing off-screen events (When it appears in story)
Exposition- Restating the most recent events of the prior chapter.

'Thinking' '-Telepathy-'

Underlined text is written on paper/wood/etc.

Flashback, Memory, and Similar.

"While in flashback, this is speaking."

'While in flashback, this is thinking.'

I sighed, lowering my blade and leaving my stance to acknowledge my defeat. Aranwen lowered her own blade and exited her stance as well, her eyes focused, analyzing our fight. Finally, she spoke, "You have some talent, there... Only eleven years old, and you lasted three rounds with me." A brief pause, "Alright, I'll train you. Be here tomorrow at five, I'll explain the day's schedule then. Use the time to find some lodgings and buy supplies... get a feel for the city."

I nodded, and stepped back as she resumed her own practice. I had already found a place to stay, but as far as supplies and knowledge of the area went, I was lacking.

"That was amazing, Aeria!" I nodded, pulling out my conversation journal and writing,

'Would you mind helping my learn about Dunbarton's layout?'

"Of course not!" He smiled, "We have a map in storage..."

And so Sert took led me home, pulling a yellowed, aging map from its place, rolled up on the top shelf of the closet next to his room. Dunbarton's layout was rather simplistic. It was a town in a valley, surrounded by a square wall, with a single road running north to south through its eastern side and another road that branched off that one in the center of town, heading west. A large portion of space was dedicated to the square, which confused me, as one would think a city enclosed in such a small space would use as much as possible. To the northwest of the town was Rabbie Dungeon, and to the Northeast was Math. Dugauld Aisle was in the north, and south was Gairech. West was Osna Snail.

Afterward, he escorted me about the town, showing my the location of the bank, tailor, general goods store, grocery, etc. and introducing my to their owners. The rest of the day after that was uneventful, and I retired early, still weary from the long trek yesterday, and the unusual dungeon run before it. That night, I dreamed again. It was longer than usual this time.

"Aeria! Guess what?" Amaranthe shouted from behind me, light reflecting from the window onto her golden hair wreathing an white aura about her... and she was wearing a leather jerkin and boots.

"Lady! Where have you been? Why are you dressed in such a manner?" 'How on earth did you get behind me without me noticing?'

She smiled, answering nonchalantly, "I was inspecting the city... And guess what? I made a friend!"

I wanted to lecture her, to send a scathing rebuke to her, but, seeing her face, and the twinkle in her crimson eyes, I decided it would not be worth it... she was expecting a lecture.

I sighed, "Who? And how?"

"An orphan-girl named Duriel... She helped me get away from you," Here she giggled, and I massaged my forehead in exasperation, "And then I studied magical theory with her."

I blinked, she was studying magical theory? So THAT was how she got behind me... And then I realized exactly what she just said, "You were teaching a commoner about magic?"

Amaranthe nodded, unfazed by my expected exclamation, "She had a really heavy, powerful aura, and she was working out when I met her, so... I decided to give her a few tips. And I left her with a book on the basics."

"I see..." My brow furrowed, 'Powerful, heavy aura? It sounds like... but there's no way one of them could be in this city.' Wait... "You left her with a book from the royal library!"

And Amaranthe nodded again, enjoying my irritation and her success in knocking me off balance. This, of course, only irritated me more, but I couldn't act on that irritation. Not yet anyway. "And I have a favor to ask... Could you help my send a recommendation to the knights on her behalf?"

My eyebrow twitched, but her face was serious now, all amusement gone, and so my irritation faded as well. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"I want her to be my bodyguard!" Amaranthe said, smiling, before her face turned serious once more, "But, more than that... she has such a powerful aura. Didn't mother say in one of my theory lessons... 'Those who wield magic are cursed.' Won't something bad happen if she doesn't learn how to control it?"

"Her mana might begin to leak out and alter the weather patterns nearby... or go wildly out of control and level the entire city. She might level half the country." The expression on Amaranthe's face took me aback, and I was beginning to worry when she smiled and skipped back, "Or something like that!" She said, changing the mood completely. "I'm going to go change before the servants see me and have a heart-attack. I trust you to write the letter of recommendation, Aeria!"

Before I could speak, she vanished in a shower of golden light, and my eyebrow twitched in frustration. She was using her magic so capriciously... Truly, she was her father's daughter...

I woke up to see the sun filtering through my open blinds, a silent alarm. I dressed, musing over my most recent dream. So Amaranthe was a noble of some kind... and I was her protector, or maybe one of her estate's guards. But, for Nao to choose me specifically, and for the events of my other dreams to make any sense... There had to have been more. I shook my head, sheathing Eiry at her usual place in me belt, which reminded me that I still needed a scabbard for her.

There was another concern. I had used Eiry for a year now, and become accustomed to her grip and weight, but something felt... off. I could wield Eiry very well, but it felt as if, though I was deft with them, my hands were not made for swords... Which made me wonder.

I shook my head again, causing Eiry's brow to furrow from her position in front of me and two my left, "What's wrong, master?"

I shook my head and she took it as a sign I didn't want to talk about it. I passed through the rooms to find that Sert was still asleep, and Syra was awake and probably cooking downstairs. Descending the worn, but sturdy wooden steps, I found my guess was correct.

Syra turned to me as I stepped onto the floor and waved, "Morning Aeria! Want anything particular?"

I shook my head and pointed upstairs, and she caught on quickly. Apparently she learned faster than her brother. "Let Sert sleep until the food's done, there's no point in waking him up beforehand."

I nodded and sat at the table, pulling out my sketch-book. Syra turned to finish cooking, and I began to draw. My hand moved across the page, producing circles and lines that then became joints and limbs, and then a person. But it was not Syra, as was my original attention. The hair-style, outfit, and build were different. The person I drew was most certainly female, judging from her face and hair, but she was wearing armor and carrying a sword. Her hair was black, or at least very dark (1), and it was braided, not held in a ponytail. Her eyes, while I could not tell their color, were light, and despite the smile on her face, her eyes gave the impression she was sad.

She reminded me of myself.

"Who's this?" Syra asked, and I looked up to see the domestic girl had already finished breakfast, dished out food, and cleaned the pots and pans. Apparently she had decided to let me finish my sketch.

I shrugged, pulling out my journal, 'This happens often... It was supposed to be you, but ended up being someone else entirely. My room in Tir Chonail is full of sketches like this.'

"You think it's someone you knew?"

'Maybe. I should go wake Sert up.'

And so I went upstairs, leaving Syra with the sketch of the girl I might have known. "Don't worry, master's drawn many things, but none of them were bad." Eiry reassured her as I left.

I found Sert in the same position I had found him before, laying on his side beneath the covers, breathing quietly. I looked to Eiry and stepped back a few steps. Eiry smiled a mischievous smile that promised Sert misfortune.

Outside, a trio of birds flew from a tree as Eiry shouted what would soon become Sert's customary wake-up call, "WAKE UP, SECOND!" Out the window, I think I saw a few people stop and stare too, and I smiled. My vocal cords were unable to produce a laugh, but I could still smile.

Predictably, Sert flew from his bed, "Where's the fire?" He landed on his feet, but tripped on his blanket, and ended up on the floor, giving Eiry time to retreat behind me as he swore, "Dang it, Eiry!"

"Breakfast is done." She said smilingly, with an amused tone in her voice as I waved and walked downstairs to the sound of Sert grumbling as he dressed. As much as he preached about getting Eiry back, he couldn't do anything to the spirit... and the exuberant sprite knew it, which was why she teased him so much.

When I came downstairs, I found Syra hanging the sketch on the wall next to the family portrait. I raised my brow as she finished and turned around to see me standing there, "Ah, well now we have a picture of, or from, everybody."

"Hm?" Sert said from behind me before inspecting the picture, "Wait! You drew this?" He said, pointing at me.

I nodded, and he went on by himself, "Wow, that's pretty good. I mean, occasionally Nora or Piaras would mention how often you sketch but..."

I shrugged as Sert trailed off. "Master doesn't just draw often... Whenever she's not training, sleeping, or running an errand, Master is sketching."

'I have no voice to speak with anyone, so I couldn't play with the other children. And it's not like I'm an ordinary child in the first place so... I sketched the things going on outside my window.'

"I see..." Sert said, apparently trying to brighten the conversation again, and failing.

"You brood too much." Syra cut in, "You're just a kid, weird dreams, missing memories, or otherwise. You're just a kid, so you have the right to act like a kid... Don't waste it while you're young, it'll be gone when you're older."

I shrugged, it wasn't like I had time to be a child. Not anymore, at least, if I ever did.

I pointed out the door, and Eiry gasped, "Ah! Master has to meet Aranwen, she's going to be late!"

"Ah, don't let us hold you up." I looked to Sert and he spoke hastily, "Ah, don't worry. I'll be by later, you'd better hurry up."

I nodded, and I was out the door, racing to the school. It was fortunate for my that I woke up with the dawn, which was about four o'clock in summer, because it meant that I made it on time, albeit barely, to my meeting with Aranwen.

"Just on time, try to be here a bit earlier next time." She spoke with her arms crossed, and I nodded, noticing that there wasn't anyone else around. As I looked to her questioningly, she continued, "My other students will be by later."

Well, that made sense, but... she was singling me out?

"Since I know drills would be useless at this point, I have a question for you."

I shrugged, pulling out my journal as a sign for her to speak.

"Why do you wield your blade like that?" I blinked, and she elaborated, "You hold the sword correctly, but the way you move and fight with it, it seems like you're used to a longer weapon. And, you might not notice, but your free hand twitches every time you swing one-handed."

I blinked again, I really didn't have an answer for that. I just... wielded Eiry, I didn't have any particular style. I wrote as much in my journal, and Aranwen nodded,

"My suspicions are correct. You're acting on instinct... whatever 'feels right'. But, you're not used to using one-handed weapons, or at least to having one hand free. Because of this... you're not fighting as effectively as you should. So, I'm going to have you try using various weapons and combinations of weapons until we find your true proficiency. Another voice... my own voice, suddenly spoke, as if in my ear.

"You wouldn't know, being new and all but... The blade is only my third choice as far as weapons go."

I blinked and nodded, filing the brief memory away for later. Aranwen tossed me a shield, "Get into position for a spar."

And so began a long string of single-round spars, during which Aranwen would stay on the defensive and watch my movements to judge how natural they were.

We had had little success when we came to the two final combinations, "There are two possibilities left." She spoke, "You either used a pole-arm, or you used a bow."

And so she handed me a staff a few inches taller than I was, and I took a stance with it. Before the spar even began, I could feel that this was the one. The weight was a bit off, but the feeling of my hands around the shaft and the space between them was familiar. I charged Aranwen with the staff, my left hand in a reverse grip (thumb down and pointed to the right), while my right was in a standard grip (thumb up and pointed to the left). I moved in, keeping my hands close to me and striking out with the staff. Aranwen knocked the staff aside and jumped back, but I continued to advance, sweeping the staff's end over her just as she was going to stand up, and she rolled out of the way in response. I followed her and swung again, and she, faced with no other choice, parried my blow. My wooden staff met her wooden sword with a solid crack, and the construct flew across the courtyard. For a few moments, both of us stared at her sword, and then she smiled.

"It looks like we found your preferred weapon, but," She spoke as she took the staff from me and pulled a bow from the rack, "We should still test the bow."

I nodded, and I took the bow from her, as well as a trio of arrows.

"That was amazing Aeria! Why don't you use the bow more often?"

I blinked again, another memory fragment being filed away. I took the bow in my right hand, and the arrow in my left and drew back the string, aiming for a target at the edge of the courtyard. For a moment, everything disappeared except for me, the center of the target, and the things between us. "A knight must close in with their opponent. To attack from afar is a sign of one of three things: Weakness, cowardice, or arrogance." I let the arrow fly, and it flew. At first, the arrow was off course and would have missed the target, but the wind picked up at that moment, causing my hair to flap wildly and, had I not bound it, it would have blocked my sight. The wind altered the arrow's course, and it landed in the center of the target.

Aranwen whistled, "A perfect shot, can you do it again?"

And so I did, releasing another arrow, and then another soon afterward. They each hit the center of a target... one on the left of the first target, and another to the right. Both times the wind either stopped blowing, or blew my arrow into a proper place, as if it had a will of its own and wanted me to succeed. Aranwen spoke, but my eyes gazed into the distance and lost focus.

I was sitting in a stone room, and there was a small fire in the hearth nearby.

"What does my name mean, mother?"

The woman before me, whose face I couldn't quite make out, smiled.

"You have a special name. You're named for Aeria, the goddess of storms and travel, and the patron deity of the bow. You're blessed, Aeria. Your silver hair is proof of it. The Lady of the Skies(3) has chosen to mark you, who bears her name. Hold that name with pride, and take her gifts gratefully. Remember that, Aeria. The Lady loves you, as do I."

I nodded.

The memory was warm, but left me feeling saddened, for some reason. Something must have happened to that woman... my mother.

"Aeria? Are you alright?" I heard Arawnen's concerned voice and blinked, before taking stock of the situation and realizing I had just gone off into my own world in the middle of training. I nodded, turning to her face, and she examined me for a few moments more before stepping back and speaking, "Well... It seems that, while you're good with a sword, your real talent is with the bow and pole-arm." Aranwen paused as she saw me writing,

'I think that I'd prefer not to use the bow... And the weight of the staff felt... off.'

"So you don't want to use the bow, and it's a pole-arm, but not a staff, that you have a preference for? Why don't you want to use the bow? That was amazing, for never having touched one before.

"Take her gifts gratefully..." My mother's voice whispered in my ear as I shrugged, unsure myself why I wouldn't use the bow.

"Well, we'll leave narrowing the exact weapon down to another day." The sound of voices reached my ears, "It sounds like my other students are coming."

And her other students filtered in, wearing the same long-sleeved shirts with matching pants, and the same chest-piece and shoulder guards, though the color of their clothes varied. As they finished filtering in, Aranwen got their attention with a shout, "Alright, form up into a single row across the courtyard! Arrange yourselves right to left in order of higher level to lower level!"

They did as instructed, the sound of conversation fading immediately. After they finished, Aranwen inspected the line and nodded in approval. I noticed Sert was standing six people away from the left end, and he waved at me when he noticed my inspection, and confirmed Aranwen was looking at the other end of the line. "This is Aeria. She's come to me from Ranald in Tir Chonail because he has nothing more to teach her." She pointed to the person on the far right, "Caderyn(4)! I want you to spar with her."

The disbelief was readily apparent on the faces of the students. Everyone except for Sert found it hard to believe I had already advanced past Ranald's ability to teach. Sert, however, stood, fading into the line of students with a confident smile on his face. He uncrossed his arms long enough to give me a thumbs-up before returning to his previous posture.

I nodded to him as Caederyn stepped forward, confidence in his stride and his eyes. I looked to Aranwen and gestured to my sword, and then to the staff, and she answered my unspoken question, "You can use either, Aeria. Just try not to bruise him too badly, if you decide to use the staff."

Caederyn's confidence diminished a little, but returned full force shortly thereafter. Apparently he had decided that I couldn't be much of a threat to him. "Beat him up Master!" Eiry shouted, "He's getting on my nerves, looking down on you like that!"

I nodded, and looked to her, then the staff, as if to say, 'Do you mind?'

She shook her head, and I took the staff, shifting into my stance easily as Caederyn stood with his arms crossed.

"Caederyn!"Aranwen called out with authority, "Take her seriously, or you'll get hurt!"

Briefly, I wondered why she was having me spar with her student when I had already disarmed her using the staff... and then I realized that she was using me to make an example. "Begin!"

The moment Aranwen signaled the start of the match and stepped out of the way, the field became empty aside from me, and my opponent. I took a defensive posture, and Caederyn obliged to take an offensive posture in recognition, though he was still apparently miffed at having to fight a child. He charged, and before he could get within five feet of me, he had to step back in order to avoid the tip of my staff, which I pulled back quickly. He frowned, and charged again. This time I waited a second, and, as expected, he lowered his guard. My staff met the side of his right knee with a painful sounding thud, and he stumbled. As he fell, catching himself on his left knee, I moved forward and brought my staff down across the back of his neck. Lightly, because I didn't want to knock him out.

"End!"Aranwen called out, and I stepped back as Caederyn stood, wincing as he bent his injured knee. The disbelief and mocking expressions of the other students were gone, replaced with shock. "Let this be a lesson to you. Never underestimate your opponent. I warned Caederyn to take her seriously, but instead he charges in like a fool, and here is the result."

"You should have known better than to underestimate the Silver Tempest of White Hold, Bradrick." A man's voice spoke after Aranwen's.

Caederyn limped off to the side as another student picked up the conversation, "Come on, there's no way. You said he wasn't taking her seriously, right? So if he wasn't holding back..."

"He would have still lost." Aranwen finished, and stilled the following comments with a raised hand, "At least, if she was still using a staff, he would have lost. With a sword, the match would have been even. With a staff, there would be no competition at all."

"But..." Again, Aranwen silenced him with a hand, "She's disarmed me before, using that staff."

That dispelled all of their remaining belief in their superiority. I looked to Aranwen, and she gestured to the rack. I nodded and replaced the staff as she continued, "I want you to find a partner and spar with them. Every five rounds, find a new partner."

"Caederyn! You're doing drills as punishment for failing to heed my advice."

As the students moved to their positions, some of them glancing over at me with incredulous expressions, I turned to Aranwen. "You're done for now, take a break. Get some water, you have to be tired."

I nodded, I was tired. Skill or not, I was still a child, and I had little stamina. It was growing higher, but I was still weary. I sat on the bench overlooking the courtyard and took a sip of water from my flask, before replacing the lid. I watched them run drills for a while, until eventually I fell asleep.

I was standing behind a high-backed chair situated on a platform overlooking a large coliseum. Below, in a large, circular field of dust were two people. One of them had blue hair and blue eyes, and the other black and purple. "She might actually make it, Aeria!" A girl, Amaranthe, spoke from the chair. I nodded, "It seems so, but wait for the end of the match..."

And what a match it was, between the two of them... the girl I had saved, Marin, and the girl my lady was saving... The dark one, Duriel. They matched each-other blow for blow, the entire fight, even though one had trained her entire life, and the other for a single week. Their natural talent with the blade almost struck me with awe, as it far exceeded my own. They moved back and forth, receiving bruises in spades, but neither overwhelming the other. And that was when it happened, Duriel's sword met her opponent's neck, but at the same time Marin's found its way to her opponent's gut.

It was a perfect draw... something that hadn't happened in decades. The judge looked to the box, and, after a moment of seeing Amaranthe and her parents looking at me expectantly, I nodded. The judge turned and shouted, "Draw! Both combatants are accepted and approved by the Captain...!" And my vision faded to black, the judge's words echoing in my ears.

I head voices as I awoke to someone gently shaking my shoulder. "I guess she's just a kid after all." Someone said, and another spoke up in turn, "Well, who knows what kind of drills Aranwen was putting her through. And she had to have sparred with her at least once..."

I tuned them out as I heard Sert's voice in my ear, "Hey Aeria, wake up."

"Wake up! Please... Wake up!"

I turned, banishing the memory from my mind as I turned to Sert, tilting my head questioningly. "School's over for the day," He explained, "We're going home."

I nodded and stood up, brushing dust off of my dress. "Hey Master." I looked to Eiry, "For once, your expression was peaceful while you slept. Did you have a good dream?"

I nodded. For once, my dream didn't leave me with any concerns. I looked to the various students standing behind Sert and he straightened up, scratching the back of his head nervously, "Ah, I don't really know why they're here either." He turned around, and the student closest to me spoke up, "We wanted to ask a few questions to her."

Sert looked to me, and I nodded, so he said, "Okay, shoot."

"Why doesn't she say anything?" The same student asked.

"She's mute." Sert responded.

"How long has she practiced martial arts?" Another student.

"A year."

"What? No way!" The first student exclaimed.

"It's true, she's really talented..."

It was several hours before Sert and I managed to escape their questions and go home. That night, I didn't dream.

Ending Author's Note: A bit shorter than usual, I know, but that's just the way it worked out this time, as I can't figure out anything else to add to the chapter.

(1): The sketch is in black and white, obviously.

(2): Sadly, there a no pole-arms in game.

(3): Aeria, the Lady of the Skies, is one of seven major gods in the pantheon of Aura. The other six are Aquaria, Lady of the Waters, Noctourna, Lady of the Night, Terra, Lord of the Mountains, Ignis, Lord of Fire, Lumos, Lord of the Fields, and Levis, Lord of the Heavens. Aquaria and Aeria are twins, and one is always inactive while the other is asleep- They trade dominion over storms, and it's said that while Aquaria is asleep, the weather will be fair and chill, and that while Aquaria is asleep the weather will be rainy and moist. Additionally, if one goddess blesses someone, the other does as well, but the benefits of the blessing vary depending on which goddess is awake. The only responsibilities the two don't trade is Prophecy (Aquaria), and Archery (Aeria).

(4): Caederyn is an ancient celtic name meaning 'Battle King'. He's most likely going to be a cameo character.