"Dreams are the touchstones of our characters,"-Henry David Thoreau
Princess Fabia sighed, resting her hands on the railing of the balcony. A gentle breeze played over her oddly pale lavender skin, and as she stared into the cool, starry night, some of the color began to return. Her green eyes stared down at the dark expanse of her kingdom, and at the slightly lighter shadows that marked the ruble littering the ground. Buildings had started to rise again, but the sight of her ravaged homeland hadn't yet been repaired. She knew it would take months, maybe even years, before the former beauty and glory of Nethia was restored, and even though she knew none of her people had been harmed, the knowledge of homelessness while she lived in luxury bothered her. But she hadn't just decided to step out onto her balcony to ponder the difference between their social classes.
Fabia had woken only minutes ago from a disturbing nightmare. She had awoken, shaking and sweaty, with white filling all of her vision. She had looked around wildly, half expecting to find herself in Barodius's throne room, from which she had just escaped. But when she realized that she was sitting safely in her room, the skylight above her couch repaired from Dan's fall and showing the glittering stars above, she slowly began to relax. Her dream had disturbed her greatly though, and now, as she stared up at the millions of constellations swirling across the sky above her, she recalled it so vividly that she could have been experiencing it right then.
Fabia found herself in a dark hallway, running from an unseen enemy. The light in the hall was dim, provided by numerous lamps every thirty feet in the halls. There was just barely enough to see by, and she once again wondered how the Gundalians could see on their dismal planet. Of course, this explained why they had sought the Element, or at least, an understandable reason for why they had sought it.
Fabia could feel herself rapidly tiring, her legs tightening with exertion. Her throat and lungs burned, and all she wanted to do was sink to her knees and rest. Aranaut provided her with the resolve to keep going, to keep from being taken. Alive or dead she didn't know, and she didn't plan to stick around to find out.
Suddenly, light appeared behind her, and her shadow was flung out onto the ground in front of her. She gasped as the lightning bolt slammed into her back, sending her forward a few feet. Aranaut was hurled from his shoulder perch and bounced away from Fabia, who was groaning on the ground. Thankfully, she was in her human form, so her Castle Knight uniform had protected her from the worst of the blast.
"Princess, are you alright?" Aranaut asked, bouncing over to her. Fabia nodded, and then strong, clawed hands grabbed her arms. She was pulled upright, but she didn't say a word. She didn't dare. Then she was turned to face her captor, who turned out to be none other than the deceitful Kazarian. Both of their eyes widened as they locked, and then Fabia's face returned to her defiant glare. Kazarina's mouth twisted into the most evil expression Fabia had ever seen, and the grip on the princess's arm tightened. Kazarina's other blue hand snatched up Aranaut, and she began to pull the Nethian princess forward.
The walk through the hallways were short, but Kazarina didn't just walk in silence.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? Has the little princess strayed too far from her pretty, safe, meadow dreamland?" she drawled. Fabia was silent, now aware that this dream was a Prophet Dream.
"Do you honestly think that you'll get information from me?" Kazarina asked.
"To be honest, it was an accident," Fabia snarled. Kazarina scoffed, suddenly whipping Fabia around and pressing her forcefully against the wall. Fabia grunted at the impact and was slightly thankful Aranaut hadn't seen that.
"Don't think you can lie to me in my own dream, Princess," she hissed. Fabia glared at her defiantly. "I know that you Nethians can invade dreams. And when you do that, you can control what goes on. Who you talk to. The information you get out of whoever you'd invaded." Fabia squinted at the crafty Gundalian, then grimaced and gasped when Kazarina grabbed a fistful of her hair and pinned her head to the wall with it. "But let me tell you, Princess Fabia..." She leaned forward so that her nose and Fabia's nose were almost touching. "You miscalculated when you chose me."
Then the woman seemed to freeze, thinking. Fabia tried to lash out with her arms and legs, but found them bound by an unseen force. She tried to kick, but her limbs had gone numb. Her fingers tingled, as did her toes and feet. Kazarina's facial expression slowly changed, calculating, considering, and then she smirked. "But on second thought, your pointless little intrusion might have some use..."
Then she pulled Fabia from the wall, causing the girl to gasp at the sudden forceful movement. Feeling returned to her limbs and she was able to move fairly freely, but with enough lethargy to have trouble resisting. Kazarina dragged her through the hall, Fabia stumbling along beside her. She was forced to bend over, grunting whenever Kazarina yanked on her hair. After a moment, the blue-skinned Gundalian opened the hand that Aranaut was held in, and he faded out of existence.
"Aranaut," Fabia growled, resisting despite the grip on her midnight blue hair. Kazarina yanked her toward her and Fabia yelped softly, stumbling at the sudden, painful motion. Kazarina allowed a satisfied, yet sadistic, grin overtake her features at the sight of Fabia's discomfort.
And then they were in a dark but open room, with a two red staircases heading upward in the center. In the middle of the two staircases there was a platform about eight feet wide and wrapped around the base of the circular platform above it. Standing on the center platform were Gill, Airzel, and Stoica, and seated at the top was none other than the cause for the war that had ravaged her home. At first his expression was cold and slightly puzzled, but then he seemed to realize the reasoning behind Kazarina's actions. He smiled cruelly and Fabia bit her lip. She wondered how Kazarina had summoned them, or if they were just part of her dream. The Prophet side of her announced that these characters were the real deal, that by some means, the Gundalians were communicating through dreams.
"I trust you have a reason for bringing Princess Fabia here," he said to Kazarina, his expression returning to one of mild puzzlement and irritation. Kazarina smirked and pulled Fabia back, then pushed her down, causing her to land, surprised, on her hands and knees on the cold metal floor.
She lifted her head and glared up at Barodius. She knew that he couldn't seriously harm her here, for she would wake up if she were about to die, but being in the presence of one that would kill even one of his own-
Then Fabia's eyes widened, and her head snapped up. She stared in shock and horror at the Gundalian leader, suddenly aware that there was no possible way he was still alive. He smirked, and Kazarina stepped into Fabia's line of view. Fabia licked her lips nervously, her eyes flicking from her to Gill, and Airzel and then Stoica. She had witnessed Barodius shoot at Gill's ship, and Airzel rush in an attempt at giving him aid, and then watched as the two were killed. And then Dan told her that Dragonoid Collosus, Lytherius, and Stoica had all been killed by a blast from Dharak in an attempt at wiping Dan and said Dragonoid out. And Kazarina... Fabia had witnessed Kazarina's dead body herself! It didn't make any sense that these people were still alive. No sense at all, and Fabia began to wonder if this really was a Prophetic Dream.
"Of course I do, Sire," Kazarina smirked. Fabia wondered if she was the only one that noticed Gill's expression darken, and then Kazarina continued. "You see, I found this little insect running through the halls, like a rat in a maze." Fabia shot her a nasty glare and Kazarina frowned at her. "Of course, she ran from me, but I managed to... how shall we say, immobilize her." Fabia glanced at Gill, noticing his steadily darkening expression, and then at Barodius, who was watching both girls with a close, calculating gaze. She started to get to her feet, but Kazarina turned on her. "Don't move!" she snarled, and Fabia placed her hands back on the floor, feeling absolutely murderous.
"I asked her what she was doing here, of course, and she told me that it was an accident that she ended up here, of all places." Barodius raised an eyebrow at the Nethian princess, who glared back at him defiantly. "And then I realized the opportunity that came with a Nethian Prophet invading your dreams," Kazarina continued, kneeling in front of Fabia. She cupped her chin in her hand, earning an angered hiss from the girl.
"Shall we give her the insight, Sire?" Kazarina asked, standing and bowing to her emperor. Barodius was sitting in his throne leisurely, resting his head on his left hand. He frowned at Fabia, an expression that she found somewhat irritating because it was hard to read. He was silent for a few moments, and Kazarina's smirk faded. "Sire?" He turned his head toward her, closing his eyes.
"I don't think so. These things take time. Fear increases as time goes by, after all. The longer inaction is prolonged, the longer confusion and not knowing is enforced, the easier it will be for us to gain what we desire. Is that not correct... Kazarina?" Fabia glanced at the blue-skinned Gundalian woman and smirked at the expression of embarrassment upon her face. She looked lost and quite flustered, and Fabia was sure that she wasn't the only one that noticed the color rising to her cheeks. That gave her the tiniest bit of satisfaction, however fleeting it might be.
"So what should we do with her Sire?" Gill asked, looking down on Kazarina with an impertinent expression. Kazarina curled her lip at him and Gill composed himself, looking at her cooly.
"Yeah, what do you do with a princess who strayed too far from her kingdom?" Stoica smirked.
"Perhaps we should simply... give her a warning?" Airzel suggested. Barodius shook his head.
"How about I just tell her that my price is the same. The powers of the Sacred Orb," Barodius growled. "Now, send her away. Quickly."
"Y-yes, Emperor Barodius," Kazarina stammered, then turned a face of pure rage and hatred toward the princess. She glared at Kazarina, even though she was slightly taken aback at the intensity of the anger. "Begone!" she commanded, raising her hand toward the Nethian princess. Fabia gasped, and then the room was filled with light. And then, she had found herself in her bed, sweaty and shaking.
Fabia sighed, lowering her gaze from the stars to the kingdom below. The breeze had dried most of the sweat on her face, and now she could feel the chill the dream had wrapped her in slowly fading away. She breathed in deeply, taking in the clean, potent night air. Its effects were brilliant, and she easily felt herself relaxing. She would ponder the meaning of the dream later. Now, she decided, she would head back to bed. She turned to go back inside, yawning, and when she opened her eyes, yelped in surprise.
Commander Elright stood there, flanked by two castle knights, in the doorway to the balcony. He was standing up straight, looking at her with an intensity in his gaze that told Fabia that he had something important to tell her. The two knights behind him, Linus and one she recognized as the talented Haos brawler, Rafe, were standing at rapt attention. Rafe's purple eyes were trained on Fabia, as were Linus'. Rubinoid floated over Linus' shoulder, just like Wolfurio on Rafe's. Raptorix rested on Elright's shoulder, and Fabia held out her hand to Aranaut as he flew over to her.
"My lady," Linus sank to one knee, an action mimicked by Rafe.
"You may rise. What's going on?" Fabia asked after grinning at Aranaut. Rafe and Linus rose, standing respectfully behind Commander Elright.
"We've received an emergency transmission from Earth, more specifically Bakugan Interspace," Elright told her. Fabia's eyes widened.
"Oh no, is everyone alright?" she asked, Aranaut floating over her shoulder as she placed a fisted hand over her heart.
"We're not sure," Linus told her. "It was a recorded message from Marucho saying that two envoys would be arriving within the hour."
"Really?" Fabia asked, blinking. Just then, a bright glow started up from Fabia's body, and Elright, Linus, and Rafe all hurried to shield their eyes. When the glow died down, Fabia stood there in her Castle Knight uniform, looking nervous but happy that she was getting a visit from her friends so soon. She started to push past the three Castle Knights, but Elright grabbed her arm.
"Pardon me, Princess Fabia, but are you sure that you want to go and meet them?" Elright asked. Fabia looked at him, realizing that he knew her well. His eyes weren't cold, but they weren't worried either. They were calm and wise, worn from battle, and showed that he knew the dangers of this world well. Fabia glanced at Rafe as he began to speak.
"Yeah, Princess," he said. "It might not be safe for you to go out and meet them, even if you do know them. We're reconstructing right now, and it's dangerous."
"Thank you for your concern, but it is unnecessary," Fabia told them, slightly annoyed. "I've infiltrated Gundalia with them, and I've gone to Earth on my own, other than with Aranaut." Then she smiled and Elright let go of her. "I don't think I need to worry very much. They're my friends. But if it makes you feel any better, you can come along with me."
"That's not the point, Princess," Elright told her, looking determined. "You're coronation is in a week. We can afford for our future-"
"Elright, I said I'm going," Fabia snapped forcefully. Elright blinked at her, clearly surprised, and she sighed, taking a deep breath. When she exhaled, she looked at him again, stubborn as ever. "Sorry, I'm irritated. But, I'm going," she repeated, more calmly. "If what you say is true, and that the transmission was an emergency, it's all the more reason for me to get involved. Let's go."
She brushed past the three Castle Knights, leaving all three of them looking bewildered. Aranaut sighed, but followed her toward the door. Rafe glanced at Linus and then at Commander Elright, hoping for an explanation, but he received none. Elright started forward, as did Linus, so Rafe followed. The door rose before Fabia, and she led the way out of the room.
"Did the transmission specify where the envoys would arrive?" Fabia asked as they walked.
"No Ma'am," Elright told her, easily matching her brisk pace. "I assumed that they would be transported directly to the castle-"
"-but the third shield prevents that, unless we are transporting people," Fabia finished. "Right. How quickly can you disable the third shield?"
"With the adjustments Linus made...?" Elright trailed off, glancing at Linus.
"It should take at least ten minutes," Linus told her. "But the message was received about a half hour ago, so it might be easier to just bounce their transporter signal to just outside the third shield."
"What shall we do, Princess?" Aranaut asked. Fabia glanced at him, then turned a corner.
"Let's have the signal diverted. Commander Elright, can you do that for me?" she asked.
"Of course, Princess," he told her. "Rafe and Linus shall accompany you to the edge of the third shield where I will have the signal bounced. Will that work?"
"Yes, that should be fine. Thank you Commander," Fabia said formally.
The walked in silence for a few more moments, and then they arrived at the transporter room, as well as the shield control room. The door lifted easily and with several metal bangs, and then rose up enough for them to pass thorugh. Fabia led the way of course, and was then followed by Commander Elright, Linus, and Rafe. Several Castle Knights on duty glanced at her, then stood out of respect. They sank to one knee as she passed, and she smiled kindly at them. They took their seats again.
Fabia and Elright separated, Elright stopping in the center of the room to give orders while Fabia continued forward, heading toward the transporter platform. Rafe glanced at Elright nervously, who nodded to him. Linus followed Fabia to the platform, and then noticed that Rafe hung back. He beckoned to the young castle knight with his hand, and Rafe jumped forward, bounding up onto the platform.
Fabia made sure that Rafe was in the center of the platform, within range of the transporter, and then she nodded at Elright. Elright returned the nod and then barked out a command. "Begin transport to the outside of Sector K."
"Mark. Begin translation," a Castle Knight at a computer announced. Fabia lifted her head proudly and professionally, staring at the wall as her form disintegrated. Rafe and Linus were equally relaxed as they were transported, and then the scenery changed.
Now, the three of them were standing on the top of a large pillar of stone. It was dark, too dark to make out anything other than the constellations high above. A powerful, cool breeze blasted the three Castle Knights with a strength that surprised Princess Fabia, but she didn't show it. No one would have been able to see even if she had shown her emotion though.
"Don't move, any of you," Rafe warned. "I don't know how close we are to the edge."
"Rafe is right," Fabia agreed after a moment. "If we're not careful, we'll fall."
"Right. Hold on," Linus said, and then a bright glow appeared to Fabia's left. One also illuminated her right, alerting her that Rafe and Linus were changing into their human forms. She blinked, taking the opportunity to search for the edge of the cliff. Her eyes widened, noticing it not three inches from her right foot. She stumbled back from the edge in surprise, but in doing so, her foot slipped.
The next thing she knew, there was nothing beneath her, and she was falling. A horrified scream escaped her lips, and Rafe and Linus shouted in shock. "Princess!" they both yelled, and Aranaut began to glow. "Princess Fabia!" he shouted in a blind panic. His large white form appeared in front of the cliff, but he still couldn't see Fabia. Fabia squeezed her eyes shut in horror, expecting to feel herself slam into the ground at any moment, but just then, strong arms encased her, bridal style.
Fabia didn't allow herself sight until she felt the vibrations of her savior's feet on solid ground. Her eyes opened in surprise, and she blinked, trying to see through the nearly impenetrable darkness. After a few moments, and with the aid of a powerful beam of light, she was able to make out the face of the one who risked his live to save hers.
"Shun?" she exclaimed as he placed her on her feet. He smirked at her, amused.
"Sure didn't expect to find you falling," he told her, and she smiled.
"Princess Fabia!" Linus cried from above. He and Rafe had both thrown down their Bakugan and were standing on their shoulders, trying to find Fabia. Alive or dead they didn't know, for they had not heard Shun's voice. Rafe looked scared and Linus very worried, and Fabia now understood Elright's insistence at her safety. She hadn't even gotten involved in a battle, and yet she had almost died. She sighed.
"I'm fine!" she called, and she could clearly hear the sighs of relief from all of them.
"Are you okay, Princess?" Aranaut asked, kneeling down to make sure that she was in one piece despite her previous assurance.
"I'm fine, don't worry," she smiled.
"Shun! Don't do that, man, especially in the dark!" a deep, fearful voice called as a familiar bulky figure appeared behind the white-clad ninja.
"Sorry Jake," Shun apologized. Wolfurio and Rubanoid set their brawlers gently on the ground, just behind Fabia, and then began to glow, swirling into their Bakugan balls. Aranaut did the same thing, and the three Nethian Castle Knights easily caught them. Linus and Rafe seemed to be straining their eyes to see, and then a powerful beam of light cut through the darkness. Fabia closed her eyes instinctively, blinking to get used to the flashlight. It was then turned away from the Nethians and pointed at it's wielder, revealing none other than Shun and Jake of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers.
The two of them were clad in their Castle Knight uniforms, reflecting the light harshly off the white material. Fabia forced herself to meet their gazes despite the painful glare, as did Rafe and Linus. Linus smiled, and Rafe's eyes widened when he realized who he was looking at. Shun grinned, and then Jake smiled. "Hey Fabia!" he grinned.
"Hey!" she replied.
"Hi Linus," Shun greeted him.
"It's good to see you, my friend," Linus nodded with a friendly smile. Rafe stepped forward, reaching out a hand.
"Hello, I'm Rafe, a Haos Castle Knight," he saluted. "And this is my Guardian Bakugan, Haos Wolfurio."
"It's an honor to meet you," Wolfurio said politely from Rafe's shoulder. Shun and Jake grinned, and Shun took his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Rafe," he said solemnly. "My name is Shun. Shun Kazami. My partner Bakugan-"
"Ventus Hawktor, right?" Rafe interupted eagerly. Shun raised an eyebrow at him, and shook his head. Rafe's face fell. "Huh?"
"Hawktor and I parted a few days ago, when Princess Fabia sent me back to Earth," Shun told him.
"That's the same with me and Coredom," Jake supplied. "I'm Jake, by the way. Jake Vallorie. At this point, I don't have a partner Bakugan."
"It's an honor to meet you," Rafe repeated, nodding respectfully.
"My new partner," Shun said, holding out a closed hand, "is Ventus Taylean." He opened his fist and the ninja-like Bakugan popped out, nodding to Rafe, and then turning toward Princess Fabia.
"My lady," he nodded, then jumped out of Shun's hand to float toward her. She held out her hand, where he landed.
"I don't think I know you, Taylean, but I'm sure we'll get to know each other well in the next few weeks. Isn't that correct, Shun?" Fabia asked, her face suddenly quite grim. Linus and Rafe exchanged surprised glances, and even Shun looked taken aback.
"How did you know we were coming with a request for help?"
"Well the message we got was an emergency transmission from Marucho," Rubanoid pointed out. Linus's mouth quirked.
"Somehow, I don't think that's how she knew," Jake pointed out. Fabia shrugged, then looked at Shun seriously. She held out her hand and let Taylean join Shun again.
"What happened?" she asked. Shun glanced at Jake, who was looking at him nervously. Shun sighed, and returned her serious look.
"I'll explain in the throne room. It'll be easier than explaining twice," he said. Fabia nodded, then pressed a few buttons on her Baku-Meter. It began to glow then, and Elright's voice filtered through.
"I see you on the monitor," he told her. "Shun and Jake have arrived?"
"Yes," Fabia reported. "We're ready to be transported."
"Alright. Prepare for transport." She heard him call out an order to transport them into the castle then, and the next thing she knew, she was standing in a brightly lit blue and white room. She and the others blinked several times, taking a few moments to adjust and blink the flashbulbs away. In that time, Commander Elright joined them on the platform, grabbing Shun and Jake's hands in greeting.
"My greetings to you, Brawlers," he said respectfully, bowing. Rafe and Linus watched with mild interest as Shun and Jake returned his handshakes. Shun looked at him seriously.
"We need to see the queen. It's very important," he told him. Elright blinked at him, and stepped to the side to let them step down.
"Of course," he permitted. "I'll join you."
"Thank you, Sir," Jake nodded. Elright grinned at him, and then three blurs of color shot over to their position.
"Jake!"
"Shun!"
"Where's my Marucho?"
Shun grinned at Hawktor as he floated in front of his face, while Jake let out a loud, "COREDOM!" and grabbed the Sub-Terra Bakugan out of the air. Akwimos looked around wildly, clearly trying to figure out where his previous brawler was.
"Is little Marucho with you? Come on, Maruch! Come on out, little guy!"
Fabia giggled as she watched the runion between Jake and his Bakugan, as well as Akwimos's attempts to get Marucho to pop out from behind Linus or Rafe yelling "Surprise!" Then Akwimos turned to her, bouncing around in front of her face.
"Come on, Princess! Where's Marucho?"
"He's not here," she told him, but he didn't seem to want to take no for an answer.
"Aw, come on, I can keep a secret! Promise! Pretty please?" Shun glanced over at the hyper Bakugan as Fabia struggled to follow his energetic aerodynamics and shook his head.
"Akwimos," he said. Akwimos turned around to look at him. "Marucho went to Gundalia to go fetch Ren and the others. But we'll be needing all the help we can get, so would you mind-"
"Of course I'll help you, if that means I get to see my ol' pal Marucho!" Akwimos cried, and Shun allowed a small smile.
"I'll help you as well, Shun," Hawktor promised.
"And I as well," Coredom called over Jake's sobbing. "Someone has to keep Jake in line."
"Aw, thanks man!" Jake shouted, earning another fit of giggles from Fabia and causing Rafe to double over, struggling to hold back his fit of laughter. Linus was silent, standing stiffly while focusing on the wall. Elright glanced at him and sighed, and when Fabia glanced at Linus, she felt pity fill her up as well. Linus must have been remembering good times with Neo, his previous Bakugan. Her face fell, memories of her fiance berating her, and Aranaut popped out on her shoulder.
"Linus. Rubanoid," he said, and Linus and his Bakugan glanced at Aranaut. "Fabia. Remember: "To live in hearts we leave behind, Is not to die"(Thomas Campbell, "Hallowed Ground")". Fabia smiled at the quote, as did Linus. Rubanoid perked up then, and Jake's tears of joy subsided.
"Shall we go to the throne room now?" Elright asked, impressed by Aranaut's wisdom.
"Yes," Shun nodded. And with that, the group filed out of the room. Fabia led the way to her sister's throne room, the room that would soon become her own. They walked in silence, but before long, they had reached the guarded door to Serena's throne room.
"We wish to speak to my sister," Fabia told them, and the guards saluted her.
"Of course, Princess Fabia," they replied in unison. The door to the throne room lifted, revealing a rather tired looking Queen Serena in a white robe sitting on the throne. Her eyes widened when she saw Shun and Jake, both of which dropped to one knee in respect before her. Rafe and Linus mimicked this action, but a flick of the wrist from the queen permitted them to rise again.
"My goodness," she exclaimed. "This is an unexpected surprise. What can I do for you, Brawlers?"
"Good evening," Shun greeted, stepping forward. "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour of the night, but its an emergency." Serena blinked in surprise, and straightened in her seat, glancing at her younger sister. Fabia shrugged and Serena turned back to Shun. "We need a favor," he continued.
"Anything for the group who saved our homeland," Serena replied. Shun opened his mouth to speak, but Jake beat him to it.
"Dan-the-Man's disappeared, and we think it's got something to do with some baddies!"
Thank you for your previous reviews guys, I really appreciate it.
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