Training
"Wait, what happened exactly?" Liber asked. Bane, Celtic, Andy, Frost, and Robo had gone to the Main Island.
"We were taking a walk when Justin attacked us." Celtic answered.
"Then what happened?" Dt asked. "I understand why you've told us that Justin attacked, but Robo could have brought that news back."
"I can command the forces of nature." Bane stated. Silence filled the room. "I've been feeling the change but it hadn't manifested until now."
"Legend says that when the true 'Enchantress of the Elements' awakens so will her guardian." Master Argyos spoke up.
"What are you saying?" Dt questioned.
"I'm saying that this explains the connection between them. They've been close since the beginning and now I know why." Argyos replied.
"What do you mean by 'true Enchantress of the Elements'?" Nate hadn't missed that phrase.
"I've been reading over the legends and prophecies again. Yes, Dt was able to control all eight elements, but the 'true' Enchantress is a lot more." Argyos answered.
"Like the visions?" Celtic brought up. The thought had been that the poison had affected the visions but Celtic hadn't been so sure of that.
"Yes, the visions are definitely part of it." Argyos explained. "Visions come with the change in power, but the true Enchantress will not lose them once the change is complete. She will also have a guardian who can command the forces of nature."
"So Bane's her guardian?" Frost thought a moment. "That could explain things..."
"My feelings for Celtic run deeper than my need to protect her." Bane hadn't missed the implication.
"I wasn't trying..." Frost started.
"Frost..." Celtic cut him off. "What Argyos says makes sense. It explains a lot."
"Yeah." Bane said. Celtic looked at him and saw the hurt flicker in his eyes.
"Let's just take some time and think about this." Nate spoke when he noticed Bane's expression. The others nodded in agreement. Bane was the first to leave the room. "Go talk to him. I know you didn't mean it the way it came out."
"Thanks, Nate." Celtic smiled and then went to find Bane.
"Do you think...?" Bane asked when Celtic approached him. She stood in front of him and took his hands in hers.
"No." Celtic said without hesitation. "I know my heart. I know that I'd feel this way about you regardless."
"Are you sure?" Bane looked at her.
"'Doubt thou the stars are fire; doubt that the sun doth move; doubt truth be a liar; but never doubt I love.'"* Celtic reached up and kissed him gently. "Never doubt my feelings for you."
"..." Bane wasn't sure what to say. "I'm sorry."
"For?" Celtic wasn't sure what he meant.
"For doubting." Bane pulled her closer. "For doubting your feelings... but mostly for doubting mine."
"But you said..." Celtic pulled back a little in surprise.
"And I meant it... but I hesitated. For a brief moment I thought maybe I had confused myself... that it was because I'm your guardian..." Bane wasn't sure how Celtic would react to that confession. "And then with what you said..."
"Bane, this is new. We're in uncharted territory. I'm not going to hold hesitation and doubt against you. My feelings for you deepen and strengthen my want to protect you."
"I have more selfish reasons to make sure you're safe, Enchantress." Bane brushed her hair out of her face before kissing her softly.
"Seriously? Those two?" Dt said. She was standing with Liber and Nate by the window.
"You didn't see that coming?" Liber replied. "I saw that three years ago. I'm just surprised it took them this long."
"That right there..." Nate pointed at Bane and Celtic. "Is a good thing."
"How so?" Dt asked. "We're in the middle of preparing for battle and they're out there being like... that."
"So?" Liber questioned. "Their feelings for each other will help them. Bane has more reasons to protect her than any of us."
"But they should be focusing on battle, not each other." Dt stated.
"Dt, relax. I'm happy for them. They have more reason to want victory than most of us. If we lose, do you think Kululu is going to let any of us live?"
"No, but..." Dt was losing the argument. "She should be preparing for the road ahead..."
"She is, in her own way." Liber agreed with Nate. "This is good for them... and ultimately the Kingdom."
"You three really should keep your voices down." Celtic and Bane entered the room.
"I'm glad some approve." Bane stated.
"It's not that I disapprove..." Dt started.
"Now is not the time to worry about who approves or not." Celtic interrupted. "There are bigger, and definitely more important, things to worry about. We don't need anyone's approval but we do need to work together."
"Celt's right." Frost and Andy entered the room. "They don't need approval from any of us. If they want to be together that's their choice. Robo has already sent for the others. It's time to prepare."
"Agreed." Bane said. They met up with the others on the Training Island.
"'If he ever tries to kill Celtic again, he won't live another day.'" Justin relayed Bane's message to Kululu.
"So, they know it was me." Kululu thought for a moment. "You failed, Justin. I sent you to kill Sir Bane and yet he lives."
"He's stronger than we thought." Justin defended his failure.
"I guess there is no other choice but to go into battle. If she dies, it's on you. If you had done what was asked of you... this wouldn't be happening." Kululu tried to blame Justin.
"I'll go prepare the troops." Justin said. His hands were clenched into tight fists. He was really starting to hate Kululu.
"So, they're together? Like together, together?" Bre asked during a break from training. Celtic and Bane were sitting together in the grass.
"Yes they are." Andy replied. Celtic's laughter drifted on the breeze.
"They can laugh in the middle of preparing for war?" Pickle said. He couldn't understand it.
"They're happy. That's a good thing." Lati replied.
"It's kind of sickening." Echo pretended to gag. "But, yeah, they're happy so who cares."
"I bet they're talking about us." Celtic said when she noticed the group keep looking over at her and Bane.
"Let them." Bane answered. "What they say doesn't affect us. Besides, it gives them something other than the war to talk about."
"True." Celtic smiled. Bane kissed her on the cheek.
"I swear I'm going to throw up if they start making out." Wiz said.
"Relax, Wiz. They're not like that." Nate joined the group. "Besides, it's about time to return to the Colosseum."
"Celt, can I talk to you for a minute?" Dt pulled Celtic aside. "Alone." She added when she saw Bane hovering.
"It's okay." Celtic said and watched Bane head into the Colosseum with the others. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I'm concerned about you?" Dt said.
"What about exactly?" Celtic remained calm even though she had a feeling she knew what this was about.
"I'm concerned that Bane is clouding your judgment... .that your relationship with him is distracting you from what's most important right now." Dt replied.
"What's most important? You mean the safety and happiness of the Kingdom? The battle that will happen any day now?" Celtic took a deep breath. "When we're training, Bane and I are focused one hundred percent. It seems to me, that you're the one who is distracted." She turned and headed into the Colosseum.
"Are you okay?" Bane asked when he noticed that Celtic seemed a little upset.
"Yeah... besides, it's nothing to worry about or discuss right now." Celtic reassured him with a smile.
"Okay." Bane wasn't convinced but he'd let it go for now.
"Fire Blast!" Celtic was using the training as a way to release some of the tension she was feeling towards Dt.
"Geez, Celt, ease up a little." Pickle said after getting knocked off his feet for the third time that session.
"Sorry, Pickle." Celtic replied. They all took a short break before continuing.
"Hurricane!" Bane called and a strong gust of wind deflected an attack aimed at Celtic.
"He's good." Wolfie said. The Generals were standing around watching Bane and Celtic train. The Mistresses were using their attacks.
"Gust!" Celtic deflected an attack aimed at Bane. "Water shroud!" She, then, blocked an attack aimed at her.
"They're both good. Look at that teamwork." Nate said. "They move as one without even thinking."
"Are you doing okay?" Bane asked Celtic as they were standing back to back.
"Yeah." Celtic said. Her breathing was heavy and Bane could tell.
"Maybe we should take a break?" Bane suggested.
"There are no breaks during battle." Celtic replied.
"Alright, Mistresses, use everything at once." Dt said. She thought she could see that the two were losing focus.
"Element Shroud!" Celtic felt the shift in the elements and knew the massive attack was coming. She grabbed Bane's hand and he, too, was shielded.
"Woah..." Echo said. "It's almost like she knew."
"She did." Liber replied. "She probably felt the shift in the elements."
"Ahh!" Celtic's cry froze everyone. The shield weakened, but the attacks were still coming.
"Keep going." Dt commanded.
"Back off! Can't you see she's weak?" Andy replied.
"Keep going." Dt repeated. "She needs to experience this. When she's weak in battle, the enemy won't back off."
"Ahh!" Bane used himself to shield Celtic.
"Enough!" Liber yelled. "They've had enough." The Mistresses stopped.
"But..." Dt started to protest.
"They need to regain their strength... we don't need them going into battle already weakened." Nate interrupted.
"Celtic, are you alright?" Bane got to his feet and then helped Celtic up.
"Ugh..." Celtic moaned. "It hurts all over..." She leaned into Bane.
"I've got you." Bane picked her up and carried her to where the others were standing.
"This is why she needs to be pushed." Dt said.
"If you ever pull something like that again..." Bane practically hissed.
"Come on, let's call it a day." Nate said. He understood what Dt was saying, but he didn't agree with it.
"Conditioning someone is not blasting them all at once and then continuing to blast them when they're down." Liber said when the Generals and Mistresses had left. "From now on, leave the training to Nate. We need to work together... breaking someone's trust in you is not the way to go."
"Fine." Dt said. She headed out of the Colosseum. Nate, Liber, Bane, and Celtic remained.
"Celtic, are you sure you're okay?" Liber asked. She was leaning on Bane with her eyes closed.
"I'll be fine. I just need..." Celtic shot straight up; her eyes wide.
"What's wrong?" Bane felt her fear just as strongly as if it were his own.
"My... the... dragons... gone..." Celtic wasn't making any sense.
"Another visions?" Nate asked. Celtic nodded.
"What was it?" Liber wanted to know. Bane pulled Celtic into his arms.
"Celtic, show me." Bane said. Celtic looked at him. She shook her head. "Please." He placed his forehead against hers. He felt her relax and as he closed his eyes, the images of her latest vision flashed before him.
"That's new..." Nate said as he and Liber watch the two.
"It's just a vision." Bane pulled Celtic tighter as she released the tears that had built up. "Would you feel better if someone went to check?" He felt her nodded.
"Check what?" Liber asked.
"Can you send you send someone to check on..." Just then, the sound of a dragon's cry filled the air.
"Neon." Celtic took off running. Before anyone could stop her, she was on Claddagh and heading to her Opposite hybrids. Bane was right behind her.
"I knew this would draw you out." Celtic heard a man's voice come from where Neon and the others lived.
"What have you done?!" Celtic saw Neon laying on the ground; his breathing labored.
"This is just the beginning." The man replied.
"Opposite Shift!" Celtic blasted the man with a powerful fire and cold attack. She grabbed her halbred from Claddagh and pointed it at the man's throat.
"Celtic, I'll take care of him. Tend to Neon." Bane laid a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and headed over to the dragon.
"Bane?" Nate and Liber showed up.
"He attacked Neon." Bane said as he picked up the man. "He's unconscious, but he'll live."
"That's Eddie. My replacement." Shadow was asked to come along just in case.
"My dear friend..." Celtic's soft voice got the men's attention. She had knelt beside the injured dragon. "Opposite heal..." She laid a hand on the dragon's wound. The air around them shifted between hot and cold as her hand began to glow. After a few minutes, Celtic lifted her hand. The injury was healed, but Celtic was very weak.
"Celtic!" Bane rushed over to her when he saw her collapse.
"Get her back to the cottage. Nate and I will take this guy to the dungeons." Liber looked at Shadow. "Can I trust you?"
"What do you mean?" Shadow asked.
"Can I trust you?" Liber repeated the question.
"Yes." Shadow responded. He looked at Celtic who was passed out in Bane's arms.
"Can I trust you?" Bane asked the same question. He knew what Liber was getting at. He looked down at Celtic. "We both need to get rest... I can't stay up to protect her. Can I trust you to protect us both?"
"Yes." Shadow nodded. He'd seen the selflessness of Celtic... her care and concern for everyone over herself... he knew what side to stand on now. "You can trust me. She's the hope of the future."
"The Generals won't like this, but they'll get over it... so long as no harm comes to either of them." Nate said. They made their way to the cottage. Nate and Liber left with the prisoner.
"Bane, get some sleep." Shadow said when he noticed that Bane was still standing by Celtic. "Our dragons are blocking all entrances to the cottage. I'll stand guard as well."
"Thank you." Bane laid down on the couch and was fast asleep before too long.
"Good morning, Shadow." Celtic kept her voice soft as not to wake Bane.
"Morning." Shadow replied. "Sleep well?" Celtic nodded.
"Have you been up all night?" She noticed the tired look on his face. He nodded. "Thank you." She looked at Bane who was still asleep on the couch. "He needed to rest and you being here allowed that."
"It was the least I could do for you..." Shadow paused.
"What do you mean?" Celtic stood up and leaned against the bed.
"You saved my life... you've shown me a different side to people. I've only ever known bitterness and hate..." Shadow didn't want to go into any more detail about his past.
"People can be both evil and good. I choose to be good because it makes me a better person... even to those who seek evil." Celtic thought about Justin. There had been something in his eyes the last time she saw him... almost as if something had changed. "What clan do you come from?"
"Air. Why?" Shadow looked questioningly at the Enchantress.
"Just wondering..." Celtic thought for a moment. "When did your hair and eyes change?"
"The moment I chose to join Justin. Sometimes I forget what it used to look like..." Shadow trailed off.
"Maybe one day, you'll see it again." Celtic smiled.
*Author's Note:
"Doubt thou the stars are fire..." William Shakespeare, Hamlet. Act 2, Scene 2