Quest for the Ten GemsBy: Cathy Bloom
Status: complete
Category: Alternate Universe, Romance
Pairings: Midii Une and Trowa Barton
Rating: PG since it gets a little graphic here and there
Content Warnings: 2% violence not too much but just enough
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing under any circumstances, but I
do own this fic. Please do not steal my stories or ideas on any intention
whatsoever. If you want to feature this story on your own site, e-mail
me and I'll grant you permission, but only if you ask me.
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Chapter One: The Beginning of a Quest
There once lived a girl named Midii Une.
She was a wandering peasant, too young to be alone. Behind this girl
lived a forbidden past that she only knew of, but never told anyone. She
wasn't a mistral, but a journey activist, looking for adventure when she
had the chance, but none ever crossed her way. She was, indeed, strange,
for no one knew of such a person (especially a girl) to withdraw such courage
when she had nothing to draw it from.
Her wishes were to be granted on a normal night, upon which she was
wandering in a familiar town, Champagne. She was deep in the forest, exploring
for she had nothing else to do, when she heard low voices coming from a
lighted area. No one ever camped in the middle of the forest at night unless
they had something to say or do important. This made the peasant curious,
and she hid behind the bushes, watching the mysterious men talk.
"I've heard," said one deeply, "That just the other day, a powerful
wizard died from natural causes. But some people say he boasted about having
the power to live forever, which makes no sense since he died. Also," he
continued rather fondly, "it is said that when he died, some people noticed
he died without his powers."
"Oh that story, about the Ten Gems? Yes, it is rather strange, but
everyone knows it's just a fake story."
Midii's curiosity kicked into a rapid mode, hoping to hear more. But
there was only silence, for the fire was put out and the voices lingered
away, fading into the darkness. Midii was left in the shadows, but the
stillness shattered a few minutes later, when a voice said, "Don't move."
Midii, ignoring the command, turned around, but immediately felt something
sharp poke her back. "Are you without hearing? I told you to not move.
You thought you could get away from spying on them, huh?" There was silence
as he tied her hands behind her back. But before he could finish, Midii
kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a tree. Then she took
off running, hoping he wouldn't come to right away. "Hey stop!" he yelled,
but she didn't. Her head racing with frantic thoughts, she jumped between
trees, pushing low branches out of her way. Suddenly, she tripped, sending
her body to the ground. As she struggled to get up, she felt something
scrap her leg harshly, but she ignored it. Before she could run though,
a blue light shone through the bushes, and she was forced to turn around.
Her eyes made out a blue pigment hidden behind the trees, which engulfed
her whole being. She tried springing forward, but the blue boundary wouldn't
permit it. Instead, it closed in on her leg, and what was once bleeding,
turned into a normal state. After that, the blue light dispersed, and Midii
was once again left in the dark. The soldier had seemed to give up trying
to find her, so it was now safe to look at what had healed her leg. It
seemed impossible, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a faint
blue light just beginning to fade. She hauled herself into that direction
and found a shining blue gem, half hidden in the dirt. She enclosed it
around her fingers, and pulled - so hard, she went stumbling backwards
with it. When she finally got herself straightened, the gem had suddenly
begun to glow again, and this time, Midii stood to watch what it was going
to do. The gem had turned into a necklace, a blue opal embracing the gold
underneath. Midii put it around her neck, and the glowing stopped. "Just
a fake story? I think not," she said to herself, and continued to walk
deep into the dark forest.
No, this can't be. He pulled back his bow and arrow, and leaned forward
to read the map he was holding. Yes, the Blue Gem was found, and it wasn't
by him. He winched in pain from the blow he had received from finding his
last gem, and put the map away. Blood had clotted under his belt, and he
could feel himself go dizzy again. Whoever found this Gem, he was going
to find, and since the person was very far, it wouldn't be too hard to
get.
Morning had dawned on the face of the forest, and Midii was just coming
out of the wooded land. It hadn't been a hard journey, since she explored
the forest many times before. She decided to rest, for she had been on
her feet all night, and it was hard to maintain her balance. She sat on
a rock, grasping the Gem and examining it. "I wonder how you work this
thing," she asked herself, and before she could say anything else, an arrow
whizzed out of nowhere, just missing her arm. Midii looked up, pulling
the arrow that had pinned her to the tree, and held it fearlessly in the
air. "Show yourself, coward! Can't even face me to kill!" The forest was
empty from her point of view, but when she turned around, she was faced
with the sharp end of an arrow, ready to be launched. "Give me the gem,"
the person said, making Midii look at the death she was going to face.
"You want the gem, you come get it." The person dropped his bow and arrow
and threw a fist that almost knocked Midii to the ground, if she had not
blocked it with her arm. She then kicked him hard in the stomach, which
he could no control over. He grabbed him stomach and fell to his knees.
Midii took the bow and arrow, pointing it carefully at the person's head,
but she noticed he was suffering a bit too much, for her kick wasn't that
hard. She let him fall to the ground, and seeing blood, got to her knees
to see if he was still alive. Indeed he was, but hardly, so she took the
gem from her neck and placed it on his stomach, for she didn't know what
else to do. The gem suddenly glittered, and the familiar blue ray appeared,
healing the man's stomach. The ray dispersed, and the man was yet again
faced with the arrow. "Give me a good reason for me not to kill you," Midii
said in a low voice. "I needed the gem to help me heal my wound. I never
intended to hurt you; I just used the arrow to deceive you so you would
give the gem up without a fight. I guess I judged too quickly." Midii held
back the arrow, then put it down. "Good reason," she mumbled, and stuffed
the gem into her small sack that she carried by her. She began to walk
away from the person, when she heard him say, "That's it? You aren't going
to hurt me?" Midii turned around, wearing her satisfied look. "You gave
me a good reason, which saved your life." The person got to his feet and
straightened his tunic. "I see you are interested in finding the ten gems
too. Trowa Barton," he said, coming closer to the peasant. "Midii Une,"
she answered, but there was no courtesy on her face. There was no trust
in this meeting anyway. "What's this I hear, you are finding the gems too?
And how did you know I had found a gem?" Midii asked and Trowa smirked,
his green eyes glittering mysteriously. "That I will tell you if you come
along with me." "And exactly why?" Midii challenged, crossing her arms
over her chest. "Because I already have two." Midii's eyes opened wide,
and she pressed her lips together. Trowa reached into his sack and brought
out two gems as big as his hands, shining brightly and beautifully. Midii
reached out, and Trowa turned so that the gems were out of her reach. "Only
if you come with me." Midii hesitated, thinking it over. If she came with
him, she was risking her trust and her life, but if she didn't then would
be turning down the greatest adventure ever. Finally, she said, "I'll come
with you. No lies about this journey though." Trowa patted her shoulder.
"No lies."
A hand reached out, stroking the snake comfortingly. "Where's the map?"
the figure asked a goblin, who came hobbling in. "Gone sir, with I think,
the apprentice." The figure shook his head in dismay. "Well, then, you
know what that means." The figure reached for a book on the shelf, pulling
it out and blowing the dust off. The cover read of Spells, courtesy of
Dragons' Books. "If the map is with the apprentice, then we must track
him down. Send the bridge goblins out while I find a potion," it ordered,
and the hobbling goblin bowed before closing the door behind him. "If that
brat gets his hands on the gems before I do, there's no hope in me ruling
the whole world," the figure pondered to itself and returned to looking
for a spell.
Chapter Two: Mermaids’ Cove
"Now this gem," Trowa said, pulling out a gem with black and red mixing
together in favorable swirls, "is called Dragonsblood. The wizard created
this one for understanding dragons and controlling them." He set it down,
and Midii reached for it. "It's really pretty," she commented, feeling
its weight between her fingers. "You seem to know the wizard very much.
Were you his son?" "Apprentice," Trowa corrected, resting against a lone
rock and crossing his legs. "He taught me until his death. He also told
me of the map where you could find the area in which the gems are found."
"So that's how you knew I had the gem," Midii said, fascinated. "That's
right. The wizard created the map right after he sent the gems out all
over England. He wanted me to find them so that it was fair, and word got
out. The gems are true, the stories aren't." Trowa leaned over to get a
drink from the river, and was surprised when Midii gave him a cup. "You
might as well have manners when I'm around." Trowa looked at the cup, and,
taking it, scooped some water from the stream. As he drank, Midii looked
at his map, studying it silently. "Did you know there's a gem at the bottom
of this stream?" she asked, and Trowa stopped drinking. "You're not kidding,"
he said, taking the map. Sure enough in black and white, it said there
was surely a gem at the bottom of the stream. "It's one of the most powerful
ones," he muttered, and took a look at the blond peasant who was watching
her partner carefully. "The purple gem is there. You can become invisible
when you hold it." Midii reached into Trowa's sack and took out the other
gem he had - the White Gem. "You said this one could make you invincible,
right? Let it make you breathe in water." Trowa took it, and, holding out,
thought hard. Suddenly, the forces encircled him, and just as he was going
to receive the power, Midii touched the gem too. "Think about breathing
under water," Trowa whispered, and Midii closed her eyes, thinking and
thinking... and found herself underneath the freezing water, breathing
as if she was living on earth's air.
Trowa pointed downward, and they dived, the water whizzing around them.
Just as they reached the bottom though, something tough brought Midii spinning
out of control. "What was that?" she asked, but the blow came again, and
she saw a vicious face behind her. "Vercelin's Goblins!" she heard Trowa
interject, but the blow came again, almost hitting her head. Finally coming
to her senses, she kicked her opponent, and swam to Trowa's side. There
were five goblins to the most, all of them large and wearing tough armor.
Trowa had taken out the White Gem, but before he could activate it, a goblin
charged, and the Gem fell out of Trowa's hands. Midii dived to get it,
but something caught her, and she was reeled back. "Let go!" she screamed,
but could feel the grip tighten. She noticed that Trowa was in another
goblin's hands, so she felt around herself and took out her small dagger.
She stabbed her holder and the grip lessened. Her chance was taken, and
she leaped to Trowa's goblin, stabbing him in the eyes. As Trowa and she
swam away, the goblins had gotten angrier, so they followed close behind.
"My God, they're fast!" Midii exclaimed, and Trowa nodded. "Search over
there, we'll try to find it while we look for the gem. Try to distract
them!" Trowa said, and swam away from the girl. The goblins were close
on her trail, so Midii swam deeper. The river had gotten darker, and it
was hard to see, but her feet touched ground earlier than she expected.
Tired but still breathing, she walked on the riverbed, looking around for
anything that could seem shiny. She caught sight of two glowing eyes, and
dashed up, too frightened to know what it was. But whatever it was, saw
her, and was close behind. She swam past the goblins, which had caught
sight of the thing too, making a swim for it. Midii, her limbs tired and
beat, stopped wading and dropped to the bottom. She lay close, and noticing
that nothing was chasing her, began to walk again, slower and steadier.
She suddenly stopped, noticing the ground was melting under her. "Trowa!"
she yelled, but was caught into the sand before he could hear or see her.
Sinking, sinking, she went, the air in her throat tightening. If only
she had the White Gem with her... She finally touched the seabed again,
but it was only for a moment. Water keep her from feeling the tightness
she was in, and she soon found out that she was in a hidden cove underneath
the riverbed! "How strange," she said, rising to her feet. There was no
limit to the water, so she walked forward, hoping nothing was bad up ahead.
Suddenly, she stumbled upon a sign, saying in bold letters: Mermaid's Cove.
"Mermaids?!" Midii cried, and suddenly found herself begin to rise, her
body lifted by air bubbles. Soon, she was above the surface, breathing
on normal air and could feel herself turn very tired. She swam to a mere
log, grasping on to the wood. Sprays of water drops grasped Midii's face,
making her look away, and once she looked back, she saw a spear being held
to her face. "Who are you and why have you disturbed the mermaids in their
secret cove?" Midii could see green hair flowing behind the spear, and
so she answered, "I stumbled on this by pure accident. I'm sorry if I have
disturbed your people, er, merpeople," Midii apologized, and the spear
was lowered. "You seem very honest about the situation, come with me,"
the mermaid said, taking Midii's arm and swimming across the waves that
appalled the very being of the peasant. Finally they stopped, and Midii
could feel land again. "I am Aragona," the mermaid introduced, and sat
on a rock. "This is the Cove of the Green Seas' Mermaids," she continued.
"Total accident, miss. You see, I was looking for this gem, and these goblins
were chasing me and a friend of mine..." "A man?" Aragona asked, smiling
interested. "Um, yes. Anyway, I see these two red eyes, and start swimming
away, when I fall to the sea bed again and find myself sinking into this
cove." The mermaid smiled; glitter hanging from her hair and arms. "Very
amusing story you have come with," she praised, and dived into the water.
"Is your friend by any chance, Trowa Barton?" Midii flushed, getting curious
again. "Why, yes. How did you know?" "I didn't, but if he doesn't find
you in the river, then he'll come down here." Aragona disappeared into
the water, and Midii was left in silence, which made her observe the cove.
It was made of mother-of-the-pearl, its walls glittering with the reflection
of the water. Corrals stood lifted above the surface while fish swam by.
Suddenly, Midii saw something rise above the surface, and she put her feet
behind her. "Trowa!" she said with relief. The young man waded to the rock
Midii was sitting on. "Missed me? I was only gone for ten moments," he
joked, climbing unto the rock. Aragona appeared again with a couple of
other mermaids, smiling and giggling. "Something tells me, they only came
because of you," Midii muttered, and Trowa smirked. "It seems you are right,"
he replied. "Welcome back, Sir Barton! We have just heard of the terrible
news that the wizard died," said one. "We thought you would never come
back!" another interjected, and was shushed by Aragona. "Who's she?" someone
said, and Midii's eyes opened wide. "A friend. You ladies still serve seaweed?"
Trowa tried to distract, but the mermaids had climbed unto the rock and
started examining the blond peasant. "Well, this is really sight! A girl
adventuring to our cove!" A mermaid laughed mockingly, and Midii gave Trowa
a pleading face. He just shrugged his shoulders and started talking to
Aragona. "Can you catch? You look so pale and thin!" the same mermaid asked.
"Maybe it's because I am pale and thin?!" Midii practically screamed. Suddenly,
something swatted her face, and due to the impact, fell into the sea with
a loud -splash! -. She recovered, hearing the loud laughs as she wiped
the seaweed off her face. "That was some catch!" she heard, and there were
more laughs. Disgusted and had enough mocking, Midii walked on the shore,
almost wishing she hadn't been there at all.
Her icy blue-green eyes blurred with angry tears as Trowa came to sit
next to her on the strong corral. "You all right?" he asked, dangling his
legs into the warm water. "How could you let them do that? I thought mermaids
were supposed to be nice," she asked, her voice cracking slowly. "You have
to remember this is their cove, their place. I can't boss them around,
telling them what to do," Trowa said, quietly. There was silence as two
tears streaked Midii's face without shame. "Hey, it's okay," Trowa said,
putting an arm around her. "You can always show them how it's done." Midii
looked at Trowa, growing inquisitive. "What are you trying to say?" she
finally asked, and Trowa just smiled. "The purple gem - Aragona told me
that it was around, is surely in the sea monster's cave. You see, their
trouble is that when the sea monster appeared, the mermaids weren't able
to get out of the cove, so they've been starving for some time lately.
And if you kill the sea monster, you'll earn both the purple gem and the
mermaids' respects. And I also did manage to find the white gem," Trowa
said, and Midii had to fall for it. "Give me a knife, and I'll show those
mermaids how it's done." Trowa nodded, and it was settled that she, Midii
Une, was to slay the sea monster.
The ground above was let loose, and Midii appeared, holding a heavy
sword and her breath. "I'll be here when you need help," Trowa said, but
Midii shook her head. "No, this is my fight. If I get hurt or even die,
it was worth it." Trowa wasn't allowed to say anymore because Midii had
entered the cave. She held the sword firmly in one hand while trying to
see in the dark with her eyes, but it was hard to make out anything. Suddenly,
something slithered past her, and her hands grazed scales as large as her
head. Trying not to fear, she started poking the dark with the sword, but
nothing happened. She was suddenly pushed out of the cave, and dragged
in a merciless crush. She finally broke free, squirming freely in the water.
Purple scales surrounded the poor girl, and she swam out of the thing’s
reach as quick as she could. Two red eyes glowed in front of the girl,
and she had just enough time to escape the jaws of the enormous thing.
She started swimming in one direction, and it followed in close pursuit.
I can't keep swimming like this, she thought, and plunged the sword right
between the eyes of the sea monster. It squirmed away, giving Midii enough
time to take the sword and drag it down the sea monster's body, cutting
it in two. Instead of blood, purple ooze stained the water, making Midii
turn away. She was just about to spring into the cave, when something held
her back. It was Aragona, her eyes glistening in the frayed water. "Look,"
she whispered, and Midii had to look up. What she saw really baffled her,
for the purple ooze was suddenly taking the shape of a gem. The sea monster
had suddenly completely changed into the gem, and it floated in the water
above their heads. Midii swam up and caught the gem, immediately sending
purple swirls around her and her neck. When all was cleared, she was suddenly
raised to the surface, and floating down the river. Grabbing unto a lone
branch, she swung herself to the ground and lay on her back, gasping for
air which came to her rapidly, making her choke. Then she passed out, and
all went black.
"So, you're telling me, that the goblins are suddenly gone?" asked
the figure, letting the snake wrap around his arm. "There was a mysterious
sea monster, as I was told," answered the small goblin, his head down.
"You know I don't want to get mad, right Ore?" the figure asked, giving
the Spells book to Ore. "No sire. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Ore
said, and looked at the book with a curious face. "Make the potion I marked
right away," the figure said, holding out a bony finger. "Yes sir, I'll
have it done quickly." "You better, or I'll have to replace you - literally,"
the figure added, and Ore went out of the room hurriedly. "If he fails
on this, you'll be having a nice feast," the figure said to his snake,
which hissed loudly and sounding satisfied. "It will be soon... it will
be soon."
"Midii."
The voice seemed stronger than the pain that was circulating through
her body at the moment. She winched once, then twice, then did nothing
more. "Are you all right?" She was in someone's arms, but when she finally
opened her eyes, she saw two familiar green eyes shining down on her with
care. It was surely Trowa Barton. "I think, ow, my head hurts and I'm wet,"
she said, sitting up and resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, aren't
we all?" Midii opened her eyes wide, as she saw the mermaids surrounding
her and Trowa in the river. "Thought we should say good-bye and thank you
for saving us all before you move on in your journey," Aragona said, and
the mermaids in return nodded. Then, they all dived back into the water,
not intending to come above again. "Where are going next?" Midii asked,
her head still resting on Trowa's shoulder. "Where ever the next gem is.
And next time, I'll find it." "Yeah, you do that," Midii said, and closed
her eyes again.
Chapter Three: The Maze of Secret Avalon
The princess sat on her throne, rather uncomfortably. She had been
waiting for the old sorcerer to come down any moment now, but no one showed.
Finally, she stood, her eyes dancing with impatience. "Sorcerer Vercelin!
Are you coming down or not?" There was a shuffling of feet, and a tall,
dark figure came down the spiral staircase. "Your apologies, your majesty,
something came up." The princess fell back on her throne, watching the
old man fall on one knee. "What is it that you want to talk about?" the
sorcerer asked, looking at the princess with intense boldness. "The people,
they're soon going to riot over the castle, generally trying to get me
off the throne, all because of you." "But it is not my fault you let your
brother glee your own court, it is your own responsibility to take care
of the brat!" The princess stood, but said not a word. Finally she said,
"Triton only left because he didn't like you, so I couldn't stop him."
The sorcerer neared the brunette, smiling. "Don't worry, Princess Cathrin,
everything is going to be all right. Your kingdom will be saved right after
your coronation of being Queen." The princess nodded, and dropped a few
gold coins into the sorcerer’s hands. "Do all you can, Vercelin, or else
I'll have to go with my brother request to have you hanged in the gallows,"
Cathrin said, sending him off with a wave of her hand. "Your my last hope
on this," she added quietly, but Vercelin heard all the same. He knew being
evil had its advantages, and this was really going to be sweet. They just
wait and see.
The sun had begun to set, so Midii and Trowa built a fire so they could
study where they were. Once the sky had completely changed into a darkish
blue, Midii had the fire going smoothly. "So, have you found what gem is
in this area?" she asked Trowa, studying his fallen face. "Yeah, but it
isn't a very easy one to get," he answered, and Midii snorted. "Which gem
isn't hard to get?" she asked mockingly, and Trowa had to smile. "None.
Now, this is the orange gem, the gem of confusion. You see, its powers
make the person have the ability to confuse another, making them most invincible
to almost anything." Midii listened with great interest. "So trying to
finding it takes great mastering, as what the wizard had told me," he continued,
and stared into the burning ember. Midii watched it too, thinking of what
the gem would do to confuse the two. She turned back to Trowa, and finding
him asleep, smiled and laid down, soon drifting off into deep slumber.
Midii soon awoke by Trowa shaking her arm roughly. She lifted her upper
body to sit upright, making Trowa move back a little. "What is it?" she
asked harshly, trying to see in the dark night. "Sorry, I didn't mean to,
but I saw an orange light come from over there." Midii leaned forward,
seeing a glimpse of orange. "Let's go, we don't have much time until the
light fades," Trowa said, helping Midii to her feet. Now Midii was fully
awake, so she had no trouble keeping up with Trowa in the dark. Finally
he stopped walking, and Midii was forced to stop too. "There," Trowa whispered,
almost silent to the wind that was blowing. There was an orange light for
sure, but instead of a gem, low and behold, right in front of them stood
a brick maze, almost hidden behind the trees. "We have to go through that
before reaching the gem?!" Midii asked, and Trowa slowly nodded. "Come.
There isn't much time before the gem closes its rays again." They walked
into the labyrinth, and were immediately surrounded by stonewalls. "The
wizard said that this is the confusion it would build upon a person, but
the deception can be turned around by knowing the walls with care." Midii
didn't understand what Trowa was trying to say, so she kept quiet to make
him not ask whether she knew or not of what he was telling her. Then, taking
his hand followed him past the walls that were building their way through.
After what seemed like forever, Trowa stopped walking and Midii peered
in front of him. "What? Why are we stopping?" Midii asked, immediately
panicking. "Don't worry, we've come to a ladder." Ladder? Sure enough,
there was one, but it hardly reached the height of the walls that it was
leaning against. Being unable to move it, Midii volunteered to get up upon
the wall. Trowa gave her a jump-start, and she finally made it on top of
the hedge. It was narrow, but big enough to let the girl stand, so she
took a look around, surveying the maze with amazement. "There are other
ladders and some stairs are evolving around a black hole in the center
of it all!" Midii said, and right away the walls grew higher. Midii fell
from the shock of the sudden movement, and was caught before she could
reach the ground. Trowa let her down from his grip, releasing her to make
her reach the ground once again. "I guess the gem knew we were cheating,"
she said, looking at the height the walls had grown. "Well, it is supposed
to confuse us, and if we keep this up, we'll be running around into dead
ends," Trowa said, and Midii suddenly grabbed unto his arm. "How's about
we try using the purple gem to go through these walls?" she suggested,
and Trowa took out the gem. "Let's do so." He chanted a few words, and
light dispersed from the center of the gem. In moments, they were invisible
and could go through the walls with ease. But something didn't feel right.
"Trowa, did you hear that?" Midii asked, stopping in between walls. "Oh
no," was all Trowa said before a hideous came into view. Half-centaur,
half-beast, the creature started charging towards them. "It sees us!" Midii
said, running past walls and walls of solid concrete. Trowa, instead, just
stood there, looking at the beast with gleaming eyes. "Don't just stand
there, Trowa! You're going to get killed!" Midii screamed, but could only
watch Trowa shake his head. The creature suddenly went through Trowa, making
him crash into the wall behind the archer. "How-?" Midii started as Trowa
came back into regular view. "Simple. Everything here is for the purpose
of confusion. If you play along with it, you're going to get yourself more
confused. When you act like you're not confused, you will be reared near
the end where the orange gem is placed." Midii smiled at her wise partner,
knowing he was right. "Where should we go next?" she asked, coming closer
and into view. Trowa took her arm and led her past some gorges and plants.
Calmness had flooded into the maze as soon as the sun rose high in
the blue sky. Midii watched the back of Trowa' head in dismay and fatigue.
She had kept quiet during the times when Trowa had to stop and look at
the map to see where he was going, but this was becoming too much to handle.
"Have you noticed that we are going in circles?" asked Trowa suddenly.
"More like the maze is turning around over and over again," Midii replied,
too hot to be angry. "And it is also shrinking," Trowa said, and Midii
could think of nothing more terrible at the moment. "How long do we have
until this darn maze shrinks out of view?" she asked, a little too roughly.
"We have until dawn, it says so on the map," Trowa said, and Midii groaned.
"We're never going to get out!" she screamed, and collapsed on the grass.
Trowa sighed and got Midii back on her feet. "Please Midii! This is not
the time to be resting!" Midii groaned again, but continued to walk behind
her partner. "I still say we should have..." Suddenly the sound of water
made Midii's mouth water. "Do you hear what I hear?" she asked, running
to the sound. "Water? Is that what you hear?" she heard Trowa asked, and
she shouted a yes. Trowa followed the peasant until she stopped. "Stairs,"
she whispered, and immediately started to climb them. Trowa suddenly knew
that this was a trap and pulled Midii back. Before Midii could complain,
the stairs immediately disappeared, turning into another wall. "Impossible!"
was all the peasant could say. "Very clever, this gem is, but there is
always another way out," Trowa said, and walked around the place a bit.
They were surely in the middle of the maze, for the space was wide and
roomy. "We've been going around in circles! What are you looking for?"
Midii asked, but before Trowa could answer, Midii had yelped and disappeared
out of view. "Midii?" Trowa asked, and he too was warped into another place
far beyond where they were.
Trowa tumbled into the place, but was able to land on his feet. The
first thing he heard was running water and Midii stir in the blue-lit space.
"Are you okay?" he asked approaching her. "I think so," she said, as Trowa
lifted her into his arms. They listened in silence as the water continued
to fall down rocks around them. "What do you think that is?" Midii asked,
almost in a whisper. "If I'm not mistaken, we're in the Secret Avalon,
the garden of many secrets." Midii rose to her feet, feeling Trowa's hands
let go of her. "Gosh, it's beautiful," Midii said, watching the reflection
of the water glow on the rocks above her. Suddenly, the water sounds stopped,
and the ground started to rotate. "Ask where the orange gem is," Trowa
told the peasant. "Why me? Couldn't you do it?" "That would throw the whole
rotation off. You arrived here first, you ask." Midii pressed her lips
together, then bellowed, "Secret Avalon, where is the orange gem, may I
ask?" The rotation suddenly halted, and the water started to run again.
Suddenly, Midii could hear whispers among the sounds of water, and she
heard, "Upon the end of this garden my dear." Midii suddenly caught sight
of Trowa's sack, which was glowing brightly with the gems containing it.
Trowa also saw it and knew it meant that something was reacting on the
power of the gems. He took out the purple gem, since it was glowing the
most, and did the chant of the Purple Gem. Once they were both invisible,
Trowa and Midii could see four ladies, all dressed in different shades
of blue. "The wizard has spoken," said one of them, and they stood, hovering
over the water. "Wizard Telone has said that his apprentice would be here,
he just didn't say when," another said, and they smiled. "Welcome to the
Secret Avalon, where all secrets and futures are to be revealed," they
said in unison, "we are the four Stars of Avalon." Trowa, who thought it
was a good time to speak, said, "We are honored to be in your presence.
But we must ask, are you truthful to your predictions?" "Surely, always
accurate," they said, and Midii smiled. "Well then could you tell us exactly
where the orange gem is?" she asked. One lady came nearer to them. "The
orange gem is beyond this river, which leads outside the maze, but there
you will meet the most feared challenge yet. Since the "creature" has been
there, we have found no peace within this Garden. Could you help us be
free again?" Midii perked at this, and turned to Trowa. "You don't have
to find this gem, I know you wouldn't like it finding it anyway," Midii
said playfully, but Trowa, being his same self, said, "We could do that,
in return for your help." The Stars smiled and wished them luck.
Trowa and Midii had followed the stream for about three miles or so,
watching the water that looked tempting to drink. Twice, Midii tried to
sneak a sip, but Trowa wouldn't permit it. The water changed from blue
to green to black before they suddenly caught of sunlight peeking through
the cracks above them. "Sunset!" Trowa said harshly, and he started to
run, making Midii scamper after him. "We're running out of time! If we
don't..." Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and a familiar shape took
place outside of the exit to the maze. "The creature!" Midii yelped, and
she and Trowa tried to get out of its way, making them both panic. Trowa,
in his rush, dropped the sack containing the gems, and its contents spilled
out. Midii pounced after them, throwing them aside before they could be
smashed. But because they began to shine, the creature tried to get to
them before Midii did. "Get out!" Trowa yelled, but the warning came a
bit too late. Midii was rammed into a far wall, the impact making the side
of her head start to bleed. She lay there, holding her head and moaning.
The creature began to charge again, but Trowa had taken hold of its horns,
and wasn't going to let go. At first he was surprised that he could feel
the creature, but he remembered the wizard telling him that when you play
along with the orange gem's power you will be sucked right into it. So,
Trowa let the thing go and started avoiding it, picking up the blue gem
and making his way to Midii. He heard the creature's hooves pounding on
dirt floor, and instead of trying to run away, he placed the gem beside
Midii, making it start to glow. Just when the rays had appeared, the creature
neared the light, only to be eliminated into small particles that went
into thin air from the rays itself. When the blue waves dispersed, Midii
was still holding her head, but no blood or wound was to be found. "Well,"
Trowa said, picking her up, and holding her in his arms, "that was certainly
an event." Midii nodded, dazed. "Let's just find the gem and get out,"
she said, and Trowa helped her up the rock steps leading to the maze.
Midii and Trowa searched the whole night, but found nothing. "I guess
the orange gem knows we're confused, so it is just making us try harder,"
Midii said, hopelessly. "Don't worry. If at least one of us isn’t confused,
it won't work its powers on us too hard.” "How could you say that? We've
just -" Before Midii could finish, she tripped, and landed hard on the
dirt ground. "What was that," she said, scowling and frowning a bit too
much. "A rock, not a gem," Trowa said, and helped Midii up. "I didn't see
no rock before, and we have searched this ground about a thousand times!
How could it have gotten into the center of the road?" "The rotation! This
is the only rock that was actually rotating with the land, right? So..."
"The orange gem!" Midii said, and picked up the rock. Sure enough, the
orange gem was underneath it, half buried in the dirt with its barriers
shining. "This little thing got us into so much trouble in one day," Midii
said, as Trowa picked it up. Swirls of orange exited from the barriers,
making the walls surrounding them disappear into the gem. When all was
clear, Trowa was still holding the gem firmly in his hands. Putting it
into his sack, he smiled down at his partner. "Too much trouble, but it
means so much," he said, and taking Midii's hand, continued on their way
through the plains.
Chapter Four: Troubled Anticipation
Trowa and Midii had been traveling for some time, and when they found
they were in Northern France, determined that they were in trouble. "Midii,"
said Trowa one day, after sitting down on a log, "It seems that the Moors
have invaded this part of Europe, and if they find that we are Franks,
they are most likely to kill, if not, torture us." Midii listened, her
eyes growing wide. Trowa nodded, feeling the gems inside his sack. Five
was what he felt, and after what seemed like forever, looked up at Midii
again. "Why don't we go to a nearby town for food?" Midii smiled, knowing
Trowa wasn't going to buy anything, just borrow. "Why don't we?"
On their way there, Midii picked a flower, pulling its petals off with
interest. "You never told me anything about yourself," Trowa said, making
Midii drag her mind away from the flower. "Truth is, I never told anyone
about me," she said, throwing the flower to the ground. "You think you
could tell me?" Midii looked at Trowa with curiosity. "Yes, sure." She
quieted herself, looking at her feet as they continued to walk down the
road. "My father was a poor noble, hardly owning any land. If he didn't,
it was because he had to sell it. My father married my mother who was a
peasant. She later died after giving birth to my second brother. After
six years, my brothers were kidnapped and found dead by the roadside. No
one found their murderer, but everyone suspects it to be a Moor. My father
died of a broken heart, but everyone thought he had left town for a business
trip or something. I had my ways in telling that story, and managed by
myself, making some people understand what I was going through but never
really telling the truth." She stopped talking, and they continued down
the road in silence. "So how about you?" Midii asked, picking up her head
and eyeing Trowa's green eyes that looked vague. "I, well, um..." He stammered,
clueless in what to say. Suddenly, a cart zoomed by, almost running them
over. Trowa shook his fist at the person, but the man never turned around.
It was if he were trying to get away. "Something's wrong," Trowa said,
frowning, and before Midii could ask any questions, he was flying down
the street.
"The Moors are once again in Northern France," a personal post boy
told the princess, and she frowned bitterly. "I thought the forces were
supposed to drive them out," Cathrin said. "I guess many people didn't
like the way you ruled, and they joined the Moors." Princess Cathrin's
patience shattered, and she had just enough steadinesses to tell the boy
to get out now. Once outside, the doors were closed, and the sorcerer suddenly
snapped into the room, clouds of smoke foaming as he did so. "That was
really nice," the sorcerer, and the princess took that as an insult. "You
would lose patience too if you are losing your people to the enemy," Cathrin
said, folding her arms. "I can gather as many soldiers as you want, but
the journey to northern France would be about two days," the sorcerer said,
and Cathrin pondered a bit. "Yes," she finally said, looking up at the
sorcerer, "I will allow you to do so. Prepare the army and drive the Moors
out the best you could. Martel will do the rest." And with this the sorcerer
disappeared, making Cathrin alone again.
Midii ran as fast as she could, making her lungs work harder than usual.
"Trowa! What's the matter?" she asked finally, almost missing the bit of
air she intended to take in. Trowa suddenly stopped, and Midii could see
that looking ahead was already answering her question. The whole village
was burned; dead bodies lying on the ground, some hanging in nearby gallows,
burning with the flames that lit the air and polluted the sky with smoke.
"My God... the Moors?" Midii asked, standing by Trowa's side. "No doubt,"
he said, staring hard into the flames. Suddenly from behind, yells of murderous
people filled the air, making them turn around. Horses' hooves stomped
the ground, creating grappling smokes of dust surround them. Without hesitation,
both of the wanderers were lifted unto the horses' backs, their hands held
behind their backs. "Let us be off," Midii heard one of them say, and the
rest obeyed. She feared the worst for both Trowa and her, for there was
no telling what these savage men would do to them.
They took them to their fortress, which was just plain and shallow
compared to the other European castles. "This way," one person said, forcing
Trowa and Midii to move forward, and leading them to a nearby brick room.
Inside stood the caliph, the highest ruler of the Moors. "Well, what have
we here? I can tell by their faces that they are not willing to join our
clan." Trowa frowned at this, but Midii remained expressionless. It was
better not to look excited or bored as she felt inside, since she didn't
trust these people. "We could let them suffer humiliation before killing
them," one suggested to the caliph, and he nodded. "Very well said. You,"
he said to Trowa, giving him a sword that everyone could see was blunt.
"Show your skill." Trowa took the sword, ignoring the blunt tip and faced
his competitor, a broad, tall knight with a pale and evil face. He held
a sword that seemed to cut even the heaviest metal, since it glimmered
with the same evil light like its possessor’s eyes. Seeing the blunt sword
in Trowa’s hand, the knight smiled crookedly, showing Trowa he was going
to either kill or injure him badly. He took the first thrust, which missed
Trowa since he jumped away, giving him enough time to graze the top of
the knight's head. The knight heaved a blow, still missing Trowa, who in
turn, drove the sword into the side of the knight. Though wearing chain
mail and the sword being blunt, the dull sword stabbed the knight thoroughly,
making him fall to Trowa's feet, dying. Two guards seized Trowa, but the
caliph merely laughed haughtily. "Take the dying knight out, this one will
be better to keep for our jousting match. I'm sure the rest of the knights
will gladly fight you." Then, still smiling, the caliph turned to the maidens.
"Take this one," he said, and it was clear he was talking about Midii,
"and dress her as a lady. She will be the prize for the knight who wins."
With doing so, he dismissed the others out of the room. The two wanderers
were given separate rooms that night, and nothing else was said until later
on in the night.
No, he thought, sweat clinging to his bangs. "Ready to give up?" the
knight asked, halting his horse. "No, its just that -" "Don't give me excuses
or complaints, Barton. You want to win this, you got to act like it." Trowa
frowned, but didn't make his mood apparent to the knight. He just simply
threw the sword in the air, and catching it, flung it at the knight who
was lucky enough not to get stabbed. "Hey, that's cheating!" the knight
laughed and Trowa shook his head. "You said no excuses or complaints,"
he said, and dropped the shield he was holding. "That's enough for tonight,
thanks." The knight walked behind Trowa in quiet steps. "Cloudy night,
is it not?" the knight asked, and Trowa shrugged. "Possibly, but I doubt
that it would be." The knight suddenly grabbed Trowa by the shirt. "You,
your name isn't Trowa Barton, is it?" The question stunned Trowa, but he
just slowly nodded. "My name is as pure as you see me." "And that can be
just as a pure lie." Trowa frowned, studying the knight's face. Suddenly
it caught him that he was strangely familiar, his smiling face and deep
dimples... "Dei? Dei Gratica, is that really you?" The knight let go of
Trowa, his hands and knees shaking uncontrollably. "Yes, that’s my name,
and may I ask, Triton Bloom, are you he? For you fight and act in similar
ways." Trowa frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "What ever happened
to that young chap anyway?" Dei asked, while thinking, "He was such a lively
person in Cathrin's court..." The sound of Cathrin's name made Trowa winch.
"Triton grew up," he finally said, and the knight locked eyes with him
in shock. "So you are the Triton Bloom that everyone is looking for! Why
haven't you gone back?" Dei asked, his eyes bulging. "Why haven't you?
I'm surprised you turned to the enemy instead of your friends," Trowa said,
and Dei bit his tongue, realizing Trowa had beaten him in his own game.
"Because everyone else was. They named me the youthful Blue Knight when
I joined, and it was that I had remained for so long. I haven't returned
to Cathrin's court because I knew only Triton actually was the leader,
and when he left, everything fell apart." Trowa smiled at this, and watched
as Dei ran a hand through his black hair. "But the Moors happily accepted
us as we were, and everyone is now happy." Trowa picked at his chain mail,
still feeling the weight of the sword in his hand. "You haven't changed,
that's for sure. You were always quiet but stubborn, and still you are.
I'm actually surprised you still remember the moves I had taught you when
you merely eight." Dei stopped talking, his pause looking back at hard
memories. "Funny I don't see the same in you," Trowa said back, darkly.
He stared into the orange sky, brimming with cool air. "I'll meet back
with you here at exactly dawn. Don't be late, or else they'll get mad and
store you with the fiercest hounds," Dei said, and started to walk away.
As they departed, Trowa looked back at the well-developed young man who
had been his personal trainer decades before and smiled. The memories flooded
back and Trowa suddenly felt himself become Triton Bloom again, and that
suspended his feelings a bit. Then he started back to his tent, the morning
sun peeking behind the mountains.
Midii Une took her seat next to the Duchess Mirana, wife of the caliph,
Duke of White Bearings. Midii’s lavender outfit was but the fittest of
beauty, and since her face was already pretty, it was apparent she didn't
need the dress to be anymore prettier than she was. Even from this fact,
she was to wear something other than her wandering clothes, which they
had certainly burned in the furnace. The seats were the highest in the
committee, and since the jousting was about to start, she had no chance
in getting away. It was of this that she had no choice but to sit and stare
at the dirt below. Soon, the knights entered, carrying their lances and
sitting proudly on their steeds. It was not until she saw Trowa's bangs
that she became relieved, watching him on his horse colored a lovely shade
of brown. He was the red and black knight, on which the Duke received gratefully.
"Let us cheer for the newest of our jousting knights," he had said moments
before, "he has proved himself well and fit for our clan." And then tournaments
began, boring Midii as she was served a chicken that she didn't touch.
Her mind was only dwelling on Trowa to win the match and leave, but when
the Yellow Knight threw her a carnation, she bit back her thoughts and
smiled at him. Then, the jousting began more sooner than was expected.
First, the yellow knight challenged the green, winning the first round.
Since bloodshed was forbidden on that tournament, Midii sat back, her body
relaxing, for then Trowa wouldn't have to die or get hurt. Then the blue
knight fought the red, but just as if it turned out he was going to win,
he injured the red knight by slashing his stomach, which looked like he
did that on purpose. The caliph then let the guards take the blue knight
out, making the stadium boo and taunt the already humiliated knight. Midii
sat back, watching, her eyes on Trowa's outfit that followed his movement.
He was fighting the yellow knight, the winner and the last competitor.
If he won this, then he would take Midii out of this dreaded place of bloodshed
and grief.
Trowa lifted his sword once he got to the ground. Only seconds before,
he had knocked the yellow knight off his steed, and was racing to pick
up a sword from his Paige. "You shall surrender to me, Barton," the yellow
knight grinned. Trowa shook his head at this and made the first thrust.
The yellow knight jumped back, his hood falling and a blond ponytail toppling
over as it did so. "You are not going to tell me what to do," Trowa muttered,
grimacing his teeth. The yellow knight smirked, thrusting his sword forward,
but Trowa blocked the point by his shield. Then he kicked the sword out
of the yellow knight's hands, pointing the tip at his neck. The yellow
knight looked up in shame, knowing everyone's eyes were on him. But Trowa
noticed he was looking only at one individual, and looking in the same
direction, saw Midii, her eyes riveted on Trowa only. Knowing what the
yellow knight wanted, Trowa kicked the sword, making it land by the feet
of the yellow knight. "You want to show yourself, am I right? Prove your
strength," he said, as if reading the knight's mind. The knight picked
up his sword with a questioning look, but that face turned into a fierce
frown. He finally did a thrust, and the jousting continued. Trowa, blocking
the blows from above, noticed his strength fade from his body. Finally
he couldn't take it anymore, and making it seem as if the yellow knight
hit the sword out of his hands, made the sword fly out of his hold and
land somewhere near the grounds. Surprised at this, the yellow knight jumped
back, facing his opponent with questions in his head. "I surrender," Trowa
yelled, and the crowd stood up and cheered. And to the yellow knight personally,
"I trust you will take good care of her, ne?" The yellow knight stood back,
his eyes bulging in shock for letting it be apparent he wanted Midii all
along, but before he could say anything to Trowa, the red and black knight
was up and walking to the door that lead out of the stadium.
Midii couldn't believe it. She had seen it, but it couldn't be true.
Trowa had purposely let the yellow knight win, but for what reason? The
knight would be arriving by her side to take her down, but she would have
none of it. The Duke and Duchess were smiling at her, and she could feel
herself go red. "All is well, Lady Une, don't you agree?" the Duchess asked,
her gray eyes staring into the peasant. "I could agree, but that would
be lying. I enjoyed it, but I do not like the idea of being won off like
a toy at a festival. I am not a doll, but a girl and a human being. I wish
you people would understand that," Midii said, and caught sight of the
yellow knight leaning on the side of the wooden beam holding up the tent.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm supposed to be a prize, so the winner has
come to take me." Midii got up, and holding her dress, walked down the
steps, avoiding the yellow knight the whole way down.
Trowa raced into the forest, feeling the horse jump hurriedly through.
He knew that he could trust the yellow knight with Midii, though he knew
that the yellow knight wouldn't give a damn to help him in any way. He
knew Midii would really hate him for it, but he also knew it was for good
reason. Just moments before, he had seen the other gems glow, telling him
there was another gem nearby, but where? There was only one way to find
out... suddenly, Trowa caught sight of a band of soldiers from a far distance.
They wore the same symbol of Cathrin's Court, making Trowa's eyes darken
a bit. The horse had stopped jittering, so Trowa could see who was leading
them... "Vercelin!" Trowa hissed, seeing the old sorcerer’s face behind
the thick dark cloth he was wearing. They certainly were going to attack
the Moors, for their chant of war was being said everywhere. Trowa realized
he had left Midii in danger, making him turn the horse back to the camp.
Forget the gem, it won't go anywhere. His only priority was Midii and her
safety, and he was risking it all for her at each step he came closer to
the camp.
"Dei? Where are you going? And so poorly dressed?" Midii heard the
yellow knight stop his sharpening of the sword in his hands and ask someone.
She turned, and seeing a Spanish face, observed the two as they chatted.
"The Duke exiled me from the camp." "But you can't go! You're one of the
best knights he has!" "Ah, but you are also forgetting I cheated in the
jousting match." There was silence, and Midii followed the ex-knight with
curious eyes. Suddenly, she saw something glow beneath his clothing. "Hey!
Stop!" she cried, and Dei took one look at her and started to run. She
tried to follow, but the dress slowed her down, making her stop as she
watched him run into a nearby forest. "Coward!" she yelled, and heard someone
chuckle behind her. She turned, her eyes flaring. "Exactly what do you
think is funny?" she asked the yellow knight, who automatically shut up.
"I just thought-" "Just thought? Ha! I know you didn't really win me, Trowa
let you for some reason." The knight frowned and turned back to sharpening
his sword. Midii leaned back on the tree, watching him do so, her eyes
watching how frustrated and tired he looked. "If he let me win, then he
will come back," the yellow knight suddenly said, making Midii turn her
head to him. "Is that so? Then I guess I should wait, huh?" she replied,
and was surprised to see him by her side. "That could be, since there's
nothing else to do." He towered over her and she tried to turn, but his
eyes were mesmerized on her, so there was no use in trying to. He hovered
above her head, but before he could come any closer, she caught sight of
Trowa, riding like the world was coming to an end. "Trowa!" she cried,
running to him, totally relieved for getting out of the yellow knight's
area. Trowa reared the horse, climbed down, and received Midii gratefully
in his arms. "Midii, you have to get out of here, right now!" Trowa said
as he released her, and Midii riveted her gaze to the yellow knight who
wasn't watching the two at the moment. "I guess so..." Before she could
say yes, there was shout and Trowa fell, an arrow pinning him to the ground.
Arrows showered the air, and Midii just barely made it before getting hit.
Trowa pulled at the arrow that only skimmed his skin, climbed back unto
his horse, took out his sword and started riding at a high speed. Midii
felt herself thrown against the ground by someone, and her head was pulled
back, a knife gleaming in the hand of her murderer. But before it could
slice her throat, someone came from behind and stabbed the man, pulling
Midii away. It was the yellow knight, his green eyes burning with deep
ember. "Go find Trowa! He will get you out of here..." He was suddenly
hit from behind, and Midii was dragged again, making her struggle to break
free from his grasp. The soldier suddenly pulled out a long sword, holding
it in the air. He finally let it down, but instead of hitting Midii, it
hit the yellow knight, who had come between the weapon and the peasant.
As he fell, his murderer also followed - Trowa had shot him with an arrow
from behind. "Come on!" he yelled, after seeing the dead body of the yellow
knight. Midii obeyed, her body shaking and hard to stabilize. They then
started off to the woods, but before reaching the edge of the forest, a
soldier took out his sword and sliced the horses' legs off as it passed
him. The horse fell, and the wanders also did so. As they rolled on the
ground, the soldier forced them to their feet. Taking a swift look at Trowa,
the soldier suddenly gasped and fell to his knees. Soldiers also seeing
Trowa fell to their knees, which didn't effect the fight since the Moors
were gone by now. "What are they doing?" Midii asked her partner, who was
also horrified. "Prince Bloom has finally returned to his courtiers," one
said, and Trowa bit his lip at this. "Who is this Bloom you talk about?
I am no such person," he replied, but everyone could tell he was lying.
"You must return to the castle with us, Princess Cathrin..." At the sound
of this name, Trowa ran away into the woods, Midii close behind. Whatever
he was hiding was going to be discovered, for he could not hide it forever.
Chapter Five: Unfolded
It was not until noon when Midii had found Trowa, who was sitting by
a creek. As she came closer, he began to speak. "Ten years ago, I was once
known as a prince, a great and wise prince that everyone loved. But my
sister thought of only herself and brought in a sorcerer who drew all evil
into the court, making most of our people flee to enemy forces. I too did
not agree with hiring this man, and threatened to leave if my sister didn't
rid of him. But she never did. Finally, I slipped out of the castle and
out of her life, not intending to be a man and face my real enemy.
"For once, I was alone and free. I then met a wizard who taught me
to know most of the magical world, introducing to mermaids and dragons
and magic. When he died, I decided to be a wanderer and archer, for my
sister would surely find me if I didn't abandoned the cottage I shared
with the late wizard."
Midii listened to what he had to say, shaking her head slowly. "But
you were a prince..." "A prince with no one to rule over. So why don't
I just become a common? It's a much easier life anyway." "No, actually
it isn't." Midii rested on the grass next to him, looking up at the sky
that was covered by branches. "It's living for yourself in the real world..."
"Exactly how I want it," Trowa said, suddenly getting up. He helped Midii
to her feet and they continued out of the woods and into a clearing. "Where's
the next gem?" Midii asked, trying to get Trowa's mind off the subject.
"Dragon Mountains, the most deadliest of the mountains around. There are
only a few villages there, and the dragons usually sweep by to pay the
villages a visit for cattle and livestock. But if that's where the next
gem is, that's where we will go." Midii nodded, following Trowa up a path
through the mountains. All of a sudden, boulders came rolling down, and
they had to walk along the sides of the mountain. When finally reaching
a waterfall, Midii stopped to wash her hands while Trowa overlooked the
plains below. He observed Cathrin's castle, painful memories cascading
his mind. He abruptly felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see the
concerned eyes of the peasant, who looked at him in a hurtful way.
"Listen," she said, and they both made their breathing silent. There
were movements behind the waterfall, and a horned head appeared through
the falling water, making Trowa reach for his sword. "Show yourself you
cowardly dragon, or else I shall stab you right now without a fight!" The
dragon replied, "I am not looking for a fight. I plan to stay here until
you two pass, but I will only let you go if you promise not to tell anyone
about my hiding place." Trowa growled, but Midii stood forward, courage
painted on her face. "Why hide when you are utmost bigger than us in every
way, dear dragon?" she asked, and the dragon came forward through the water.
The wanderers could see that the dragon had been starving itself for many
weeks at a time before getting a small snack. "I am sorry if you don't
understand, but I am hiding from you humans, since dragon slayers are all
around this place. Just yesterday, they captured three dragons, drowning
them in the lake just overlooking that castle. I'm afraid that if I leave
my place, they will surely see and kill me." "You shant be afraid, for
we are also in danger of being caught. So come out, no one will see," Midii
said, and the dragon sat on the sunny slope. "It has been a very long time
since I have seen the sun, it's been a terrible year for me," the Dragon
continued, and Trowa came closer, still not trusting the huge dragon. Its
scales were of the finest black pearl, eyes as red and yellow as the pigment
of the sunset, and its fangs long and fierce. "My name is Brigs, and my
ancestors are known to have been the best dragons of stealers in all of
Europe, but that was before the dragon slayers came to live in these mountains.
Dragons now live in fear because of them, and I doubt if they do not find
us, then we should surely die from hunger." Midii was just about to say
something, when the gems started to glow again, and Trowa reached for his
map, which was stuck in his pocket. He unfolded it, and seeing there was
a gem in the Mountains, put the map away. "Brigs, do you know of the gems
of the Wizard Telone?" he asked the dragon, and the beast nodded. "But
since I carved a back way to escape in my cave, I have no room for gems
or gold. So, I don't even bother collecting." The wanderers’ faces fell,
and they said their good-byes to the kind dragon while starting down the
mountain.
"You know what's funny? The gem we are looking for is the same gem
that the other gems had sensed back in the Moors’ camp. Only this time,
somebody has gotten hold of it." Midii then remembered the knight named
Dei, whom she saw had something shining underneath his clothing. After
telling Trowa this, the archer pondered for a bit. "Dei, you say? Your
thought of him having the gem may be correct, but first we must find him."
Suddenly, there was a yell, and something that looked like a spear was
thrown, startling both the wanderers. Midii, who was at the edge of the
pathway, lost her balance and went falling down to the ground below. She
managed to scream and heard Trowa call her name before she cracked some
branches and fell into a small pit below, where she was knocked out cold.
Trowa raced back up the pathway, trying to see Midii through the trees.
Finding this useless, he continued to scamper up the mountain until he
reached the waterfall. "Brigs! I need your help!" The dragon's head peeked
from behind the falling water. "Ah, the fearless archer has returned, but
where is thou's partner who was so gentle and kind to me, appears to be
missing from thou's side." "That's what I came to talk about, "Trowa said,
trying to keep calm. "She fell from the edge of the pathway, and there
was not enough time to climb down and find her. Could you swoop down and
call me if you see anything?" Trowa asked, and the dragon stirred. "Of
course," he said, and off he went into the common sunset.
Midi awoke soon afterwards with a beeping headache and her body covered
in bruises. She then saw someone stir in the dark and asked, "Trowa?" She
heard the figure reply no, and into the sunlight appeared a hideous figure
with eyes steep and its mouth slobbering. Midii coiled in fear, but before
screaming for help, noticed that the face was really a mask. She reached
out, taking the mask away and noticing recognizable features. "Dei?" she
asked, and the person dropped his jaw. "Lady Une! What are you doing in
my cottage?" he asked, as Midii got herself in a sitting position. "Something
startled me, making me fall down here," she said, rubbing her neck. "Oh,
that would be me. I was practicing my throwing arm, and I guess a spear
slipped." He paused a bit before saying, "I am just a bit curious, Lady
Une, about Trowa Barton. How is he?" Midii was stunned by the question,
for it came a bit soon, but answered anyway, "Silent. Stubborn I guess.
Why?" The ex-knight shrugged. "I don't know. I guess he looks a bit familiar."
Midii remembered that Trowa was really a prince, and said, "Maybe because
he is someone else?" "So he's told you, but I bet not the whole story."
Midii riveted her gaze at the Spaniard. "Did he tell you I was his personal
trainer many years before?" Dei asked, and Midii shook her head slowly.
"He was Prince Triton Bloom, brother of the haughty Cathrin. He was one
of the wisest rulers, but when their parents died in a carriage accident,
Cathrin became the ruler of France, making most of the townspeople angry.
She had hired a sorcerer named Vercelin, and he either fired or killed
anyone lower than he was. Triton remained Cathrin's successor, but one
night he ran away, I guess to a wizard that lived in northern France, where
he changed his name to a dead soldier's and became an archer. Other soldiers,
like myself, changed their names as well and fled to the enemy. I'm surprised
he has only told you he was only a prince." Midii frowned, biting back
words of hatred. "Where's the young lad now?" Dei asked, making Midii's
frown wider. "I don't know. Maybe he got lost finding me, or he's not looking
at all. But whatever he's doing, I hope he gets it in his head I only fell
a couple feet, so I'm okay." "And lucky too. You could have broken your
back, and it appears you haven't, since your sitting up," Dei said, and
Midii flushed deep red. They then gathered bundles of sticks and repaired
the roof of the small cottage since Midii made a hole in it when she went
through the roof. Afterwards, Dei made a small fire to sit by, as the sky
grew dark with gathering clouds.
Brigs returned minutes later, saying he had made a thorough search,
but had found nothing. "Do you mind if you search again, with me in your
claws, so that I can see if she's around?" asked Trowa, not giving up hope.
"There is not a doubt in my mind that you shouldn't but it would be best
if we flew low so that the dragon slayers will not see us." "Good idea.
I fear time is against us for it is the other gems I need help finding."
They then were off into the fading orange sky not turning back for them,
even if it was dangerous.
"I have come here to take up the sport of hunting dragons," Dei said,
holding a warm glass of water to his mouth. Midii watched as he held the
cup to his lips, immediately thinking of Brigs. "Why such a sport when
you get nothing out of it except the deaths of a very endangered species?"
she asked. Dei put his cup down, thinking about the question. "I am not
a fool, Lady Une, but a very experienced person. I know what is right from
wrong." "Then you would know it is wrong to kill dragons," Midii said soberly,
and Dei frowned. "It seems that you have met a dragon along the way, for
a damsel would never say such things about a dragon without being manipulated
with thoughts of dragons being good," Dei argued. "They are not all bad!
You just have to know who you are dealing with!" Midii practically yelled.
"Tell me where this dragon is, for he manipulates minds as naive as yours
into thinking he is good," Dei said, making Midii rise to her feet. "Monster!"
she yelled angrily, and in a quieter tone, said, "If you want the dragon,
you are going to have to find him yourself." Suddenly, there came a loud
noise outside that rattled the trees, making Dei rush to his window. "I
guess I don't have to look far," he said, grabbing his spear and large
bow before running outside. Midii followed, looking at the dragon that
soared in the unlimited sky. She suddenly caught sight of someone riding
in its claws, and figured it was Trowa. She rushed over to Dei who was
fixing the spear into the bow. "Stop!" Midii cried, pulling the bow upward.
Dei released it, and the spear missed the dragon, but made it see where
the weapon came from. "My God - run!" Dei screamed grabbing Midii's hand
and dragging her away from the cottage. The dragon sent massive breaths
of fire in every direction while chasing the two, making the trees burn
rapidly. Burning embers fell from the foliage, blocking their way and giving
enough time for the dragon to completely surround them with its tail and
body. The dragon then released the person it was holding, and he came running
to them. "Midii and - Dei?" he said, and Midii stood up, smiling at seeing
her friend. "Aren't you surprised that Dei found me first?" she asked,
and Trowa bit his lip. They all turned to him, who had flushed red. "Strange
how people meet, eh? Many apologies for firing the spear. I was trying..."
"To kill me," the dragon finished flatly. "It's always the same thing with
every dragon slayer. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, just don't hurt me
or my species ever again." At this, Dei relaxed, and invited them all to
spend the night at his cottage.
Trowa was awakened by a snort from Brigs, who was dreaming deeply.
Trowa got up, and taking his blanket, went inside the cottage, because
he didn't want to be awakened again by the dragon. Once inside, the archer
laid his blanket next to Dei, who was also snoring away. Midii was on the
floor far away from Dei, but she wasn't asleep. Instead, she was moving
a few floorboards to see if there was anything underneath them. Trowa watched
for several minutes, wondering what she was looking for. "Midii," he finally
said, making the girl jump and drop a floorboard with a bang. The noise
was big, but miraculously, it didn't wake Dei or the dragon outside. "Don't
scare me like that again!" Midii hissed, and Trowa threw up his hands letting
the peasant continue her work. It was only after several minutes when Trowa
spoke up once again. "What exactly are you looking for?" Midii frowned,
putting the floorboards back in place. "Remember I told you that Dei had
the yellow gem? Well, I'm looking for it right now." Trowa pulled out the
sack of gems, which were glowing in the bag. "Why don't we just let the
gems tell us where it is? I'm sure it will work." So they brought out the
gems, laying them on the ground while Trowa chanted a bit. The gems glowed
furiously, sending off trails of light that combined together to form a
yellow path. But once it did, the color dispersed, and the gems stopped
glowing. "Why are they doing?" Midii asked her partner, who studied the
gems for a while. "Something's blocking the yellow gem's power. It will
react on its victim soon." Trowa proved correct, for he was its victim.
Trowa disappeared from view, making Midii panic. She rushed the dragon
and Dei, kicking them continuously until they woke up. Brigs, being annoyed
and seeing it was dawn, got up and flew away. "So much for him helping
us," Midii said, and turned to Dei who was rubbing his eyes. "What is it?"
the ex-knight spat, looking at Midii lazily. "Where's the yellow gem?"
she asked, not wanting him to get her mad. "It's mine, young damsel. I
doubt I even want to give it to you," Dei answered, and rolled on his side.
"But the gem reacted its power on Trowa, making him disappear!" At this
Dei got up and looked around. "You shouldn't play with things you are not
sure of!" he scolded, and taking out the yellow gem from his bosom, held
it out. When it glowed, he said to Midii, "Don't worry. Trowa's okay, but
he's invisible. We can only get to him through someone's dreams." "And
I suspect that this is the gem's power?" Midii asked, hoping to learn more.
"Oh sure. The power deals with contradicting the forces of imagination
and dreams together to distract a person from the world. If you are just
reacting to its power, you become part of someone's dream. If you find
the gem, then you have the power to see the future and know what someone
is thinking. I found the gem in the forest near the Moors' camp one day.
I learned its chant from it projecting the words in front of me during
its power, and I have learned to control it. If I'm not mistaken, this
gem is the second strongest gem the wizard had created." Midii nodded,
and said, "Well, since your gem has brought us misfortune..." "From your
carelessness," Dei interrupted, and Midii shot him a look. "You will enter
my dreams and get Trowa," the girl continued. Midii then lied down and
fell asleep for she was tired of last night’s work. Dei held out the gem
above Midii, and said, "The power of the yellow gem, the power of light.
Guard me through Lady Une's dreams, for my quest is my plight!" At this,
the forces ignited, and the gem sucked Dei into Midii's dream.
Dei arrived in the peasant's dream as a flaw. Trowa was standing alone
in the foggy dream, watching and waiting as someone came into view. "Vercelin!"
Dei said, taking a step back. Trowa suddenly took out a sword and charged
at Vercelin, but the sorcerer fought back as he cast a spell on the archer.
When Trowa was fully under the spell, Midii came from behind, striking
Vercelin with the bag of gems. As he fell, Dei caught sight of another
face - Cathrin. But the girl he saw was a mere ten years of age; the same
age Triton had left Cathrin's Court. Dei suddenly realized he wasn't only
witnessing Midii's dream, but Trowa's memories as well. He dropped the
gem on purpose, which sent him falling back to the real world, and awaking
Midii from her dream. "Did you find him?" she asked dreamily, her eyes
half open. "Yes, but I will not retrieve him. You will," Dei said. Midii
gave him a curious look that made Dei continue, "And in return I will give
you the yellow gem." Midii pushed out her hands and took the gem from Dei.
"It shall be done."
Now at this time, Brigs had returned to his lodge, still tired and
sleepy. He didn't know that people were below the cliffs, watching and
waiting. Brigs then began to enter his cave, when there came a shower of
spears and deathly weapons, making Brigs retreat into his cave. Before
the dragonslayers could follow, Brigs blew out a current of fire, which
mixed with the water and set off a loud of smoke that drowned out his image
as he escaped through the back way of the cave.
Midii was the fist to catch sight of the wounded dragon. "Dei, it's
Brigs," she whispered to the ex-knight, and letting go of the gem, said
in her loudest voice, "Brigs! Down here!" The dragon heard and dived, landing
close to the cottage. Seeing the wounds of the dragon, Midii got some water
and dressed his wounds. As she did so, Dei held the gem, watching the peasant
work carefully. "Triton, I hope you know that we are risking our lives
for you," he said, knowing that Trowa was certainly listening. When Midii
was done, she came over to him, saying," Brigs is asleep, and he'll be
sleeping for quite a bit. We might as well work through his dreams." She
took the gem from Dei, and said, "Are you coming with me?" Making Dei snapped
to the question. "Uh yeah sure. They both held the gem, and Dei chanted
the same chant he said before. Immediately, yellow ties broke through,
sucking them into Brigs's dream.
Swirls of blue and shades of purple surrounded the ex-knight and peasant
as they stepped through the fogged space. Seeing Trowa, Midii started to
walk to him, but Dei held her back. "You don't want to assume in dreams,
because if we end up dying in one, you will never return to the real world
in true form." Midii frowned at this, but picked up her courage and walked
to Trowa with Dei close behind. Right in front of Trowa was a withering
body, possible dead. "It's the wizard," Dei told Midii, and she noticed
that there were ten gems by his side. They suddenly lit, and were cast
in different directions. One Trowa caught, the white gem, and seeing a
map, took it before there was a loud, clashing from outside, making Trowa
get up and leave. "Let's follow him, for this is surely a memory of Trowa's,"
Dei said, and Midii obeyed. Trowa suddenly turned, and Midii noticed another
Midii enter the dream. "This is certainly Brigs dream, but the yellow gem
is reacting upon his imagination. There are things here that could hurt
us, so watch out." Brigs then appeared, and the clone of Midii and Trowa
got on his back. They then took off, and Midii and Dei had to run to keep
up. Next, they found themselves in an archers' pallet, arrows and bows
being lifted. Midii caught sight of Trowa, who was practicing his aim and
target. He suddenly turned to Dei and shot an arrow. Midii pulled him away,
and they were suddenly standing in a shower of arrows and spears. "Get
out of here!" Dei yelled, pushing Midii away, and running for his life.
Midii kept looking over her shoulder to see if Dei was still in sight,
and suddenly bumped into someone. She riveted her gaze and found herself
staring at herself! The other Midii suddenly disappeared, and the background
turned deep green like a jungle. Midii caught sight of Dei, and was just
about to walk to him, when she heard her name being called. When she whirled
around, she came face to face with another Dei, and another, and soon there
were about ten Deis in all, screaming that they were the real Dei. Midii,
though confused, threw the yellow gem to one Dei, and the body was suddenly
sucked into the gem. With this, the other Deis were sucked in too, except
one. "Dei! I hope I did what should have been done," Midii said, picking
up the yellow gem and rushing to him. "Of course, and very wise as well,"
the ex-knight praised. "Now," Midii said, letting the gem glow, "to find
Trowa."
They didn't have to look far, because from behind, someone jumped on
top of Midii making the gem fly out of her hands. As Midii struggled to
get her attacker off her, Dei picked up the gem, saying, "Upon this gem,
from this dream devour, show us the person that's within the yellow gem's
power!" The attacker of Midii was her clone, and since Dei said these words,
the clone disappeared into the gem, and Trowa suddenly appeared next to
Midii. She helped the archer to his feet and Dei dropped the gem on purpose,
sending the three back to Brigs's side. "I'm so glad I'm out of there,"
Midii said, holding her forehead. "You speak for all of us," Dei said,
and gave the gem to Midii. As they said their good-byes, Dei vowed to help
Brigs get better and find food. "Best wishes in seeking the gems," Dei
said, and to Midii, "I will not let a soul hurt Brigs and I will always
remind myself of the damsel who taught me to care and not to judge right
away. "Midii blushed, and as she and Trowa started off into another clearing,
he asked, "What exactly did you change in him?" "Oh, nothing, you wouldn't
know," Midii replied, and they continued the rest of the way in silence.
Chapter Six: Carelessness of the Peasant
It was a hazy day to be wandering. Midii knocked off the petals of
a flower she had picked moments before, and said, "Trowa. I've been wondering."
Trowa took out his map and said, "The next gem is..." "No, it's not that,"
Midii said, and Trowa put the map away. "Oh, so what is it?" "Well, do
you ever miss being a prince?" Midii asked, and Trowa was silent for a
while. "Not really. When you are well known, everyone expects you to be
perfect. I can't live that way." There was a long pause before anyone said
anything. "I-" Midii started, before a fluttering of wings and glitter
littered the air. "Fairies!" Trowa stood upright, his eyes flying open.
Midii smiled, noticing their childish features. "Hello, can you tell us
where we are?" she asked them. "Dream Forest, miss. You must not drink
the river water, for it is full of magic and can turn you into a frog,
but go ahead and risk what you have, for it is worth going in and never
coming out." The fairies then flew away, leaving a trail of pixie dust
and glitter. "Well, we might as well go in," Midii said, but Trowa held
her back. "I don't trust these woods, even if they do have gems. I don't
think it's worth it." Midii dropped her jaw. "We didn't travel this far
to wither back as cowards now! You can stay here, I'm going in," and with
that, stepped over a log and entered the forest. Trowa rolled his eyes
and reluctantly followed close behind.
"Strange," Trowa said, observing the ground. Midii stopped walking,
her eyes on her partner. "What is it?" "These tracks are of animals, but
none that I know of. There can be a gem nearby." Midii gasped in excitement,
for in the bushes, she saw something stir. "Could it be...?" Midii pulled
apart the leaves and branches and saw... "Unicorns!" she said in amazement.
Seeing the humans, the unicorns made a run for it, galloping away at a
very fast speed. "Did you see them?" she asked, awed. "Yes, but what caught
me was that they were colored other than white, meaning..." "A gem!" Midii
said eagerly. "So how do we find them? They are much too fast for us to
get our hands on," she continued. "Good point. But since we aren't fast,
there must be some hoof-prints to take their place." Trowa studied the
ground and found the trail, which they followed until they reached a river,
where the trail disappeared, making the two wanderers lost in the forest
which they knew nothing of.
Cathrin sat down to her usual cup of tea at precisely noon. While drinking
the hot liquid, she stared off at a far corner, where the breeze was ruffling
a curtain. But the breeze turned out to be Vercelin, who approached the
princess rather uncomfortably. "We chased the Moors out, and we also came
with a surprise. Your brother is alive. One soldier reported him denying
his identity, and he escaped through a forest with a girl." Cathrin frowned,
and after a few minutes, said, "Find him, I want him alive. If you do what
he says, it will be much easier to coax him into coming." Vercelin frowned,
but bowed and disappeared from the room, leaving a cloud of magic dust
behind.
Midii finally sat on the grass, frustrated in finding no trace of the
unicorns' tracks. Trowa had made a fire and was watching the flames flicker
in the wind. The sky was getting dark as Midii put her numb feet by the
warm fire. "We can't go anywhere until morning, it's dangerous during night,"
Trowa said, dragging his eyes from the flames. "Telone always wanted to
see this forest, but there were many cautions to be able by. So he ended
up never seeing it, but intended anyone who was looking for the gems, go
through it." Trowa stopped, and seeing Midii asleep, curled up and dozed
off himself.
Trowa woke at the crack of dawn, just as the smoke of the burnt fire
rose. Trowa nudged Midii, who stirred peacefully but didn’t get up. He
was about to nudge her again, when he saw a bright green light peek from
behind the bushes. He pulled the shrubbery back, and seeing the green unicorn,
picked up his bow and arrow. He crouched under the bushes, and pulling
back the arrow, shot the unicorn. Suddenly from behind, a stampeding of
feet occurred, and Trowa turned to see the pink unicorn prance up, holding
itself in the air as if threatening to trample him to the ground. Before
it could come down though, Midii came from behind and knocked the unicorn
to the ground away from Trowa with the sack of gems. Then the green unicorn
jumped through the trees, startling the two wanderers. There was a great
tangle of legs and screams, rampaging and running, yelling and jumbling.
Finally, Midii and Trowa managed to get the unicorns on the ground. They
lay there, half-beaten, but still breathing in the worst state anything
could be in. Suddenly, the unicorns disappeared, meaning the power of the
gems were concealing. Midii frowned and got up, her hands red with exit
wounds. "All that work for nothing," she said, her mood cranky and flat.
Trowa shook his head. "For now it is. We will eventually see them again,
and when we do, it will be worth it." Then he started back into the forest
for a second time, letting Midii follow him closely.
Noon passed, and the whole forest was silent except for a few moans
from a creature that occurred occasionally. The two wanderers had not spoken
to each other for some time now, but they were focusing on one thing alone
- finding the unicorns and getting the gems. Out of nowhere, a dash from
something rustled the leaves of bushes and trees, and Trowa, with his swift
eyes, took out his arrow and bow. He then shot the weapon, and it hit its
target. A unicorn came into view, struggling to run despite its pain. Trowa
rushed to its side, and chanting a few words, transformed it into the green
gem. Midii rushed over to pick it up, making Trowa yell not to do so, but
the warning came too late. The power of the green gem was already reacting
on Midii, turning her into a unicorn and leaving her body to lie on the
ground. "You weren't supposed to touch the green gem until it stops glowing,
for it has the power to make you into any animal it wishes," Trowa said,
calming the beautiful unicorn as it pranced around him. "This is just great,"
the unicorn said, and seeing her motionless body, neighed mournfully. "The
only gem that can change you back is the pink gem, but because the green
and pink gem are crystallized together, the pink gem senses that we've
already found its twin. Come," Trowa said, and sitting aloof the unicorn,
made it run into the forsaken trees of Dream Forest.
"Has anyone told you that you're really heavy?" the unicorn asked,
after slowing down. Trowa held on to Midii's body, not intending to let
it fall from his arms. "Even when they're animals, you'd think they'd shut
up, but no," Trowa teased, and Midii stood on her hind legs, threatening
to make Trowa fall off her back. She did this ineffectively, since Trowa
was a skilled horseman from a young age. "Excuse you, but aren't you forgetting
I'm holding your body?" Trowa asked, and the unicorn stopped standing.
"How unpleasant; you try to make them pay and instead they beat you in
your own game," she said, and continued to walk, when a twinkling of glitter
came into view, and the same three fairies they had seen the day before,
appeared. "Oh dear, look what the humans have gotten into," one fairy said,
making the unicorn frown. "It's not a mistake, it was out of carelessness,"
Midii admitted, and the fairies giggled. "You are certainly bold to acknowledge
your own mistakes, miss," another replied. "Very unusual," another said,
and the others nodded. Trowa, trying to break the conversation, said, "Have
you by any chance, seen a light pink unicorn around?" The fairies nodded.
"On the river bank. Other unicorns are there, intending to do some sort
of punishment. Better catch the show before it's finished," they said and
were off once again. Trowa and the unicorn continued onward, seeking for
the riverbank that the fairies were talking about.
"Okay, that's it. Get off," the unicorn finally said, making Trowa
jump off her back with Midii's body. "Be careful!" The unicorn stammered,
and with a pressured look, headed past the roaring stream. But at the end
was not of land, but of unicorns crowding around the water. Silence befell
the crowd, and the unicorn and Trowa were met with evil stares. Suddenly,
the crowd of unicorns came and pushed the unicorn from Trowa into the river,
making her reach the end of the bank. She suddenly caught sight of the
pink unicorn, which was also under the other unicorns watch. Suddenly,
Midii in the unicorn’s body understood what they were going to do: drown
both the pink unicorn and her into the waterfall that ended in jagged rocks
at the bottom. Was it out of jealousy? Or maybe discrimination? Whatever
the reason was, it was too farfetched to think about. But before the unicorns
could push either of them to their deaths, the pink unicorn began circling
Midii, making the spell reverse on both of them. The pink unicorn turned
into the pink gem, and Midii returned to her body, which Trowa had laid
on the ground. Seeing no point of being there anymore, the unicorns left,
and Midii could only watch as Trowa returned with the pink gem in his hands.
"Another gem found. I told you it was worth it," he said, and Midii slapped
him on the arm. "Spare me the thought. If we ever have to go through another
experience like that again, you be its victim," she said, and Trowa smiled.
"That is, if you don't become the victim first."
Chapter Seven: The Island in the Sky
There were many stories going around during the peasant's time, and
one of the most famous tales was the Island in the Sky. It was the story
of many mountains being moved into the atmosphere, forming an island floating
weightlessly in the air. No one had ever heard anything more bizarre than
that, but some people believed it.
Now, Midii and Trowa had been traveling for another week or so, and
they finally stumbled across a fork in the road. "Let's go right, the map
says the red gem is hidden in there," Trowa said, after rolling the map
up and putting it away. Midii frowned at the right side, seeing nothing
but black darkness. "Come on Midii, we don't know what will happen if we
don't go in," Trowa said, pulling her into the pathway leading right. The
dirt road became narrower and narrower until there was no sign of the road
at all. The wanderers suddenly caught sight of thousands of red eyes glowing
behind the trees as they neared the end of the road. "Run!" Midii yelled,
as thousands upon thousands of bats began to swoop down, screeching and
grabbing at the wanderers. They were huge, black, and ugly - predators
to the rest of the world. Suddenly, two giant bats grabbed at Midii, and
they flew away, clinging to her. Trowa saw, but was unable to help her,
for the bats were also attacking him. They then grabbed him, flying away
as Trowa struggled in their huge claws. The sack of gems fell from his
hands, and he could barely make out where they fell before he was taken
up into the boundless sky.
Before long, Midii and Trowa caught sight of something ahead of them,
but clouds covered the image until the wanderers were close enough to see
it. It was an island, floating weightless in the sky as if God put it there
and forgot about it. Midii knew that they were in for trouble, for it isn't
natural that an island can be just there in the sky. They neared it in
a very short time, being yielded among the bats as they entered the fortress.
The bats then released them from their claws and flew away, leaving the
wanderers on the island that they knew nothing of. "Midii, I think this
is the island that the townspeople were talking about,” Trowa whispered,
eyeing the dark. Midii nodded, unexpectedly hearing a sound behind her.
Suddenly, torches were lit, and something that sounded like a feast went
on in the forest behind them. Peering through the trees, Midii and Trowa
watched as short people, possibly gnomes or dwarves, began to dance around
the fire, possibly doing a ceremonial performance. "What do you think they
are trying to do?" Midii asked, and Trowa shrugged. Suddenly the party
disappeared, and the wanderers were once again alone in the dark. "Now
what?" Trowa managed, before he was met with a spear to his back. "Move
and there will be no more of ye." Trowa waited for the right moment to
turn and take the spear, which he did and pointed it to his attacker. It
was a mere dwarf, who seemed helpless for he was alone. "What is your business
here on the Island in the Sky? We dwarves just want peace," the dwarf said,
fearlessly. "We had no business here on any circumstances. Huge bats came
swooping down on us, taking and stranding us in the middle of this island,"
Trowa said, and the dwarf held up his hands. "Is that always the case you
humans always come up with? You shall die tonight, once the other dwarves
come..." At that, Midii turned around, and nudged Trowa. Standing around
them were thousands of dwarves pointing arrows at the wanderers, threatening
to pin their flesh to the ground. The travelers then surrendered, letting
the dwarves take them to the gallows that were really tall trees with hanging
rope. Without a minute to delay, the dwarves began working the rope around
the prisoners’ necks, fastening it to a point in which they would helplessly
hang there without air. As the ropes were raised, punishment inflicted
through the dwarves, watching the wanderers as they dangled their feet
in the air, as if waiting to be executed. Before they could though, someone
shouted, "Prince Triton Bloom! Is that Prince Bloom I see? Can this be
true?" The dwarves stared at Trowa, who had flushed deep red from hearing
his former name. Without letting the chance question slip away, Midii yelled,
"Yes! Yes it is! I have brought him here to, um, help your kingdom from
conflicts!" The dwarves began to whisper among themselves, and they finally
set the humans down, encircling them and blocking out the option of letting
them run away. "So the wise Prince Bloom has returned to help us fight
these disastrous Bats, who have been bringing humans here to our land?"
one dwarf asked, and Midii nodded. "Of course. They have sent us misfortune
as well, since they brought us here. Thanks to Prince Bloom's planning,
we escaped them, but we weren't aware of you dwarves.” "Ah, then come with
us to our castle, Prince Bloom. We will discuss this manner over there,"
another dwarf said, and the small but fearless dwarves led the two travelers
out of the dark forest.
"Well our story is this. The Bats have been bringing humans to our
land from many months before. We could never see the Bats, but their victims
are the ones we hang. Humans these days can be brutal," the head dwarf,
who they called Dadlin, said. "Yes, and they've disturbed us as well,"
Trowa said, shooting Midii a smile. "How's 'bout this: you help us get
rid of the Bats, and we promise you all jewels," Dadlin said, and Midii
nodded. "Of course, we will gladly get this done." They then were released,
and in the forest, Trowa scolded the peasant. "Exactly what were you trying
to get at? We have no gems, no power, no chance of living through this!"
Midii bit back her insults at him, and calmly said, "Well, think about
it. We should prove ourselves worth wanderers without the help of the gems,
since it is not our effort that we receive these gems. And the reward just
might be the red gem," Midii added, making Trowa ponder a bit. "Let's hear
your plan," he finally said, and Midii smiled. "The whole reason of this
is to get the Bats away from the island." "And how exactly are we supposed
to do this?" Trowa asked, frowning. "Simple. Think of a sonic boom," Midii
said, and Trowa raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening," he said, and Midii
continued to explain what she had in her mind.
When she was done, Trowa was already set to work her plan. "It seems
risky, but there is always the possibility of it working," he finally concluded,
and disappeared into the forest to get as many cannons as he could get
from the dwarves. When he put twelve cannons in a circle, Midii lit them
all, and they all went off at the same time, making the air shake with
vibrations. "Any moment now," Midii whispered, and just as she expected,
the Bats appeared, dragging behind them the sack of gems that Trowa had
dropped. Then Midii started shooting cannonballs at the Bats as they reared
the island. Some Bats who made it into the island territory started to
retreat, but Midii and Trowa jumped on them, not permitting them to do
so. When most of them were cleared, Trowa took up the sack of gems that
the Bats had dropped, and hurled them into the air. They then formed a
rainbow of color, blinding the remaining Bats, and killing them within
miles of the twisted colors since they fell from a great distance to the
earth. When the rainbow dispersed, Trowa gathered the gems and made a fire
to cremate the bodies of the Bats in which they could find. When the island
was clear of the troublesome Bats, Midii and Trowa went to the dwarves'
castle to collect their reward.
But when they reached the castle, Dadlin acted as if they did nothing
to help the dwarves. "You call yourselves saviors? I laugh at your names!
You did nothing to help our castle, and to expect a part of our treasure
in return! We should have hanged you when we had the chance." They were
then pushed out on the castle's courtyard, and the doors were shut in their
faces. Midii turned red with anger while Trowa remained silent as he always
was. "They are hiding their treasure from us, but that doesn't mean we
can't raid it," Trowa said, and lifting the purple gem, transformed Midii
and himself into invisible forces who entered the castle without letting
the dwarves know of such a thing. As they explored the walls and rooms,
they learned that the dwarves were rich with all kinds of gold and gems
that anyone could dream of. This angered Trowa, and when a dwarf entered,
he'd take a bit of gold coins from a nearby mound and throw it at their
puny heads. Finally, Trowa and Midii entered Dadlin's room, which was enormous
with rolling marble and pearls. "Look over there," Midii whispered, and
they both stared as Dadlin sat in the corner, watching something glow in
front of him. "The red gem!" Trowa whispered, but he had to bite his tongue
when Dadlin said, "I know you two are in here, and I know what you came
for." Midii gasped quietly while Trowa frowned. How could he have known?
"The red gem can grant wishes, you know, and I wish you to be gone from..."
Before Dadlin could finish, Trowa tackled him, and Dadlin looked foolish
trying to tear away the invisible force that held him to the ground. "Grab
the gem!" Trowa yelled, keeping his hand over Dadlin's mouth, but the dwarf
cried, "I wish Midii would turn into stone!" And she did. Trowa then picked
up the dwarf and held him outside the window, which was above the ground
three stories. "Take the wish back, you fiend, or perish!" Trowa said,
holding the dwarf over the windowsill. Reluctantly, the dwarf called, "I
wish that Midii would not be stone anymore!" and she weren’t. She then
took hold of the red gem, which shone through her fingers. Circling her
neck, the red gem necklace was placed, and Midii cried, "I wish that Trowa
and I are once again in France, where we will never see these horrible
dwarves again!" And as fast as an eye could blink, the peasant and archer
were once again on the grounds of Cathrin, where they put the red gem to
rest in Trowa's pouch. "I dare say, Miss Une, you are one remarkable girl
with little experience you have," Trowa said, and they started to walk
deeper on the fiefs belonging to the feudal nobles of Cathrin's Court.
Chapter Eight: Trouble in the Castle
It was mid-April when the peasant and archer had reached the village.
The small town was buzzing in its usual mode: working people everywhere
and market-goers crowding the dense streets. "It's been a long time since
I've seen a town," Midii said, observing the goods that the people were
selling. Trowa nodded, staring straight ahead. He seemed his usual cold
and inner self, but there was something different about the way he was
taking things, almost carefree, and it scared Midii. But she denied this
feeling and avoided making eye contact with her partner, who never met
her eyes either. After a while, they came to the bridge that led to Cathrin's
castle, which was sitting on top of the hills that overlooked the town.
At the sight of his former home, Trowa frowned, and was about to turn away,
when he saw something blink out of the corner of his eye. "Did you-?" he
asked, looking around, while skimming the water that circled around the
castle. "What? Another gem?" Midii asked, pulling out the map from Trowa's
sack. "I think so, it was of a glittering black light..." Midii glanced
sideways at her partner. "Well, the last gem is the black gem, but it is
the gem that seems to not be on the map. Maybe somebody's already found
it," she said, handing the map to Trowa. The color had drained from his
face, making Midii understand that this wasn't a very good situation. "There's
only one way to find out," Trowa finally said, and dusted off the dirt
on his vest and blue sleeves. He then crossed the bridge and knocked on
the big, oak door, where he was met with a guard and told to wait while
the watchman went to go tell Cathrin.
Cathrin stood up after hearing her name being called. "Yes?" she said,
opening the door and seeing a guard, flung it open. "Is something wrong?"
she continued, raising her voice a little. "No, miss. There is someone
here that claims to be Triton..." At the sound of his name, Cathrin raced
to the door, only to be beaten there by Vercelin. "No, Cathrin, there must
be a mistake," he cried, but another voice joined in before the sorcerer
could say another word. "Cathrin! Can't even open the door to your brother!"
The princess looked over Vercelin's shoulder and her face broke into a
wide grin. She then slipped away from Vercelin's grasp and embraced Trowa.
"Don't crush me, Cathrin, I've only been away for..." "So long! I thought
you were dead!" Trowa cocked an eyebrow at Vercelin, who disappeared into
the shadows. "Well, you know how I love to surprise you," he said, and
broke away from Cathrin's hold around him to open the door, which he held
open for Midii. Cathrin's faced grew curious as she observed the girl that
entered the castle with Trowa's permit. "Cathrin, this is Midii Une. She's
my partner from the start of my expedition from Champagne, and I obviously
only want you and your courtiers to be especially kind to her," Trowa introduced,
and Cathrin smiled. "I'll show you your room. You two must tell me about
your adventures, for I'm sure you've had many from your time away from
home," she said, pulling them upstairs.
Vercelin watched as they walked up the stairs while disappearing into
his secret lair underneath the castle. It was dark and gloomy, but that
was the way Vercelin liked to live. He pulled out the potion Ore had made
many weeks before; the time giving it enough time to form into the formula
it was supposed to. Mixing it into roses, he packed them into a small basket
in which he planned to give later. Right now, he needed to get Trowa out
of the castle, for he surely was going to find out what the sorcerer was
up to, which made Vercelin really nervous. The young prince had returned,
not to restore his name, but to get rid of the sorcerer who in turn wanted
the prince dead. The potion was supposed to knock its victim out for years
until the seal was broken, making it perfect for Trowa. Remedies weren't
known back then, so it was useless to find something to break the seal.
Taking chances were risky, and Vercelin wasn't about to perform anything
like that. At least, not for now.
"...And can you believe we ran into Dei Gratica with the Moors?" Trowa
said, biting into a crumpet that tasted sour with the tea that Cathrin
served. They were on the courtyard, talking about the adventures they had
gone through to end up at Cathrin castle. Midii was upstairs, possibly
sleeping off the many restless nights she had been walking around with
Trowa in the past couple of months. "Trowa," Cathrin said, putting down
her teacup and looking at her brother in the eye, "who is that girl? Sure
you said she was your partner, but it seems she is a little more than what
you tell me." Trowa almost spat out his tea. "What ideas are spreading
inside your mind? Midii is just a mere girl in my life, don't make it too
personal," he replied, coughing a bit to calm himself. "Is that so? It
seems a little more deeper than you say," Cathrin said, and Trowa threw
his crumpet at her. "Please Cathrin! Think about what you are saying to
me! I’m just glad she’s not here to hear this," he said loudly, and Cathrin
burst out laughing. "Really? Isn't that her sitting on that window sill?"
Trowa turned, and sure enough saw Midii, her head turned slightly at a
comfortable position while watching the siblings with satisfaction. "This
is just great, Cathrin, just great," Trowa said, and Cathrin continued
to laugh while sipping her tea.
Midii pulled herself back inside, brushing her hair with the small
comb she found on her dresser. She had dressed into a comfortable fabric
after washing in cold water, and had heard voices outside. Seeing the two
siblings together, thoughts of what it would be like having her two brothers
back rushed through her head. They were interrupted when suddenly a noise
from the other side of her door. She peeped through the small door opening
just in time to get a glimpse of someone sneaking something into a bedroom
next to hers. When the coast was clear, she crept into that room to see
roses stacked on the dresser next to the bed, with a note that said, "Welcome
back." She was about to pick up a rose to smell when she felt something
strike her head, making her fall unconscious to the ground. "Little girls
shouldn't play with dangerous things," someone said and dragged her body
into her own room, locking the girl in the small trunk at the foot of her
bed without anyone noticing.
Cathrin and Trowa retreated into the castle after their little conversation
outside. "Oh, don't forget to tell Midii that there will be a special dinner
tonight," Cathrin said, and Trowa nodded, going into Midii's room, only
to return outside with a look of confusion. "Where's Midii? She appears
to be missing, for she's not in her room," Trowa said, and Cathrin shrugged
her shoulders. "Maybe she went out or explored the castle. We'll wait until
she comes back," Cathrin said, and Trowa bit his lip. "I hope you're right,
because if she's lost..." Cathrin shook her head, and continued on into
her room. After twenty minutes, Trowa opened the door to the study, where
he was surprised to see Vercelin already there. "Ah, Triton, I knew you
would be here sometime today," Vercelin said, pushing back a book into
the space it took up. There was silence before Trowa asked, "The girl that
was with me - did you see her by any chance?" Vercelin shook his head as
his read a bit from a book he had just opened. "I'm sure the girl is just
in a tight spot right now. She'll be fine when you find her," he said,
and closed the book with a bang. "Well, I better be off, see you later
Triton," he continued, and left the study with the book in his hands. Trowa
looked after him with a quizzical look, but left shortly after, not intending
that Midii would be here anyway.
As night drew on, there was still no sign of Midii, making Trowa worry.
"Something's happened to her," he said, to his sister, who was pinning
up her hair. "What makes you so sure?" she asked, putting down a clip.
"What else? She would never leave that long, and if she did, I would have
known about it," Trowa said, but Cathrin just shook her head. "God Triton,
you're too..." "Shh. do you hear that?" Trowa interrupted, as the silence
flooded the room. "It sounds like someone is calling for help," he sustained,
and drawing open the curtain that led to the balcony, entered the hall
that led to all the bedrooms. Cathrin followed soon after, curious of what
her brother was hearing. He then entered Midii's room, and pulling open
the dresser's drawers, began to look all over the area. "Trowa, Midii's
not in here, you and I know that!" Cathrin said, but Trowa persisted on.
He finally came to the trunk, which was the last place he expected to find
her. As he flung open the lid, he and Cathrin gasped as Midii's head came
out, her cheeks turning blue from lack of oxygen. Trowa then pulled her
out, and Cathrin flung cold water unto the peasant's face as she continued
to take in large breaths of air. "Not here, eh?" Trowa asked his sister,
feeling Midii's body weaken in his arms. He then raised her head while
carrying her unto her bed, laying and covering the girl with a blanket.
"Trowa," she said weakly, but Trowa shushed her softly. "Rest, tell me
what you can remember later," he said, and smoothed out the pillow before
leaving the girl alone in her room. Trowa then said he would stay outside
Midii's door until he knew she was safe. The night continued to bleak out
the sunset, and soon all was dark and peaceful once again; at least, for
the hour.
Vercelin frowned as his crystal ball showed the image of the sleeping
peasant and Trowa just outside her door. "At least I know that if I get
rid of the peasant, I can get rid of Triton," he said, after grabbing the
book he had taken from the study. Turning it a specific page, Vercelin
read out loud a chant that drove out black shadows from his crystal ball.
"Shadows of the evil force, you know what I want: kill the girl and get
the prince out. I'll take care of the princess myself," he said, and watched
as the demons left through the window. He knew that he only had a short
amount of time before Cathrin became queen, so he would have to watch the
prince and peasant intensively. Too bad they didn't have the black gem,
he thought, looking over his shoulder at the brilliant gem sitting on a
table. If they found the gem, then Vercelin would lose his magic, for the
gem was secretly making the sorcerer stronger with its power and magic.
At that moment, Ore walked in, and Vercelin had to close the door to keep
him from seeing what he was hiding. Chances were the wanderers were going
to find out what was happening, so Vercelin had to be very careful, knowing
he was risking his own reputation and possibly even his life.
Midii was in her room, the red of her cheeks blushing as she slept.
The window latch suddenly lifted, and the wind blew in, making Midii swiftly
get up and close it. But before she could return to her bed, something
like a wall blocked her path. She tried moving away, but it boxed her in,
making the peasant trapped. Before she could call for help, something picked
her up by the throat and threw her across the room, making her bang against
the far wall. She laid there, trying to regain strength, but was met with
another force that picked her up as well and threw he unto the bed, making
her hit the head rest and immediately cutting her arm. She twisted back
in pain, unable to scream. She could only watch as something was lifted
into the air and thrown towards her. She was then knocked off the bed,
her whole left side paralyzed with pain. A new wound opened, making her
howl from her injury. Another force shut her up as it hit her against the
vanity, breaking the glass that shattered and fell upon her already limp
body. Cuts raced up and down her torso, and she crusted her eyes as she
saw the blood run down her arms and sides. Finally, she collapsed feeling
her body float weightlessly in the air. With a final scream, she was thrown
unto the floor, and the forces left the room for her to die alone.
Trowa got up from his bed, unable to sleep from all the commotion coming
from next door. He went out and opened the door to Midii's room, taking
a look around. Horror painted his face as he saw Midii on the floor bruised
and battered, cut and bleeding helplessly. He rushed to her side, feeling
the warm blood brush his skin. "Don't worry, I'm here," he whispered softly,
raising her into his arms and putting her on the bed. After getting Cathrin,
three maids were rushed into the room to dress the peasant's wounds. Trowa
forced himself not to watch, for it was terrible seeing the cruel beating
marks this girl took. He walked out of the room, and was confronted with
Vercelin himself. "What are you doing here?" Trowa asked roughly, his eyes
narrowing. "Why else? I'm just here to do my job," he said and walked into
Midii's room. Curious, Trowa followed, watching as Vercelin said a spell
to heal her wounds and take the pain away. But instead of doing so, Midii
just moaned louder, painful tears sweeping her face. Standing it no longer,
Trowa pushed Vercelin away, making the spell break, and rushed to Midii.
"You fiend! What are you trying to do; you are hurting her even more!"
"I am not, you stupid prince, I am trying to help her heal." "Lies! You
were burning her!" Trowa yelled after glimpsing at new wounds that covered
the peasant’s skin. At this, the sorcerer drew back as everyone in the
room looked at him. "Guards! Seize the sorcerer!" Trowa yelled, and two
guards dressed in navy blue entered and grabbed the sorcerer’s arms. "This
isn't the last of me! I'll be back, and when I do, you’ll all perish!"
the sorcerer yelled, and disappeared from view. Cathrin, who was speechless,
looked from Trowa to Midii in amazement. "I don't believe this," she muttered,
and walked out of the room. Trowa stayed by Midii's side the rest of the
night until the sun rose behind the rolling hills.
Chapter Nine: After All
It was obvious they were all due for trouble now, since Vercelin was
known to be evil when he was mad. Trowa didn't worry much about this, since
he knew that Vercelin was afraid of him. Now, just three weeks later after
the travelers’ arrival at the castle, the coronation of Cathrin was about
to take place, so the castle was renovated for a touch of bliss. Midii,
who was healed from all her wounds, sat on the grass that was sweet with
sunrays and late spring air. May was certainly blooming, but when it suddenly
rained on the day of Cathrin's coronation, everyone was just about doubtful,
as was when Vercelin came into Cathrin's court. "Triton, I think you should
wear the indigo cape instead of that ugly brown one," Cathrin suggested,
after doing her hair for the fourth time that day. "Fine, I'll wear anything,
just as long as I wear something," he replied, throwing the brown cape
in for the indigo one. "Come, we are supposed to meet Midii at the stairs
at this time," Cathrin said, fastening Trowa’s clip around his neck and
tugged him out of the room. They then climbed down the staircase to meet
Midii, who was dressed in a flowing pink dress. The prince then placed
her hand in his, and they strolled into the great hall where everyone was
seated. The pope and King Martel was seated on the two highest chairs,
overlooking the council as Midii and Trowa sat away from them by the windows.
Cathrin sat before the King and pope, and the coronation was about to begin
when all the lights flickered off and the only thing lighting the room
was large bolts of lightning shining through the windows. Then, a cloud
of magic dust appeared, and out stepped a shaky figure that made everyone
gasp. "Vercelin!" Cathrin hissed, standing up and backing away. "I told
you I would be back, so don't be so surprised," he said, picking up two
ropes with his magic and tying them around the pope and King Martel, making
them helpless. "Don't even try to help them," Vercelin said, making the
people around scamper and escape through the back door. Cathrin stood by
herself, hopeless to the crowd. Trowa charged towards the evil sorcerer,
who flung him back with a wave from his hand. Midii tried afterwards, but
she too was thrown to the floor. Then, the sorcerer said a spell, and the
two wanderers were flung far into the mountains, leaving the sorcerer to
do away with the princess.
Dei took a step back as he heard the sound of cracking branches and
twigs. He leapt to his feet, trying to find what had fallen into the forest.
As he neared the spot, he jumped back in surprise. "Trowa! Midii! What
a surprise!" he said, helping them up. "What are you two doing back in
Dragon Mountains?" Trowa dusted off the dirt on his cloak and looked at
the ex-knight. "Vercelin threw us out of the castle - literally." Dei looked
at them in shock. "Vercelin?! What's he doing back at the castle?" "Well,
he came as a surprise," Midii said, and pouted. "I have a feeling that
Vercelin's cooking up a plan which will get him to be in charge of all
of Europe," Trowa said, and suddenly they all heard someone rustle the
trees from behind. "Is that his plan?" Midii asked as a goblin appeared
from the forest. "Run!" Dei yelled, grabbing them both and running away.
Goblins are very swift despite their size, so before they could go anywhere
out of a mile, the goblin had grabbed them all and was holding them tight
to his chest. "Stupid humans thinking they can get away," the goblin muttered
and brought them to his camp. As they neared the site, Trowa kicked the
goblin, making the humans fall out of his reach. In anger, he snatched
Dei and Trowa, missing Midii because she was too quick to get. "Forget
the girl," Trowa, yelled, and kicked the goblin again, which made him angrier.
The goblin then took them to a pit and lit a fire. Trowa and Dei were tied
to a tree as the goblin waited to heat the pit thoroughly. Midii, not eventually
thinking, threw a rock at the goblin's head, and it hit its target but
that didn't knock him out. He simply turned around and reached for Midii,
who ran away. The goblin chased her into the forest, and while they were
gone, Trowa and Dei slipped out of the ropes that tied them together. When
the goblin returned with Midii in his hands, he was outraged to find Dei
and Trowa gone. Suddenly from the sky, a dragon appeared, opening its mouth
and breathing out fire that burned the whole camp. The goblin ran and Midii
managed to wiggle from his grasp to escape and land on the ground. There
she met Trowa and Dei, who called the dragon down to meet with them. "Good
thing I was in the area; you could have been dinner for that goblin," Brigs
said once he was down, and Midii nodded. "I got an idea like that, and
thanks for saving me," she said, before Trowa told them, "We should head
back to the castle, Cathrin is in great danger there." And she was.
Back at the castle, Cathrin was refusing to give up the gems that Trowa
had told her about, even if the sorcerer was pointing a sword at her. "Please
don't make me ask you again - where are the gems?" Vercelin, asked. Cathrin
refused to say a word, making Vercelin say, "Fine. Ore," and the miniature
goblin hobbled in with a potion bottle. "The potion I hold is of forever
to be sleeping, and nothing will ever wake the person from his dreams.
This will be put on the pope if you don't tell me now," Vercelin said,
and Cathrin bit her lip. "The gems..." she said, but was interrupted by
a loud crashing that resulted in the doors flying wide open. "You're not
going to win that easily!" Trowa said, and he charged at the sorcerer with
his bow and arrow, but missed once again, since Vercelin moved away. Dei
and Midii followed, but were drawn back by a huge, long snake that coiled
around them. Trowa tried again to stab the evil sorcerer, but was hit in
the back with the sorcerer’s long sword. Trowa then managed to kick the
bottle out of the sorcerer’s hands, making it shatter all over the floor.
"No!" Vercelin cried, and raised his blade to strike at Trowa. "You will
pay for this," the sorcerer said, and started to say a spell that he had
memorized long ago. Instantly, Trowa was hypnotized, and he stood his ground
with a bow and arrow in his hand. Lifting it, he shot an arrow that just
missed Cathrin's head. Midii, sensing trouble, pulled at the snake's head
that made it loosen its hold, making it easier to yank herself free. While
Dei stopped Trowa, Midii broke the necklace from her neck and flung it
at the sorcerer, who in turn was struck in shock. After a bit of struggling,
the necklaces turned into the gems, gleaming and shining. Dei then grabbed
the necklace from Trowa and threw it to Midii, who in turn put them around
Vercelin. As the sorcerer bent over in shock, the gems shone their power,
which started melting the wizard, since he was using the black gem to make
himself more powerful. All at once, he was sucked into the gems, and the
gems dispersed, turning back into the necklaces they once were. The castle
was once again restored to a normal mode, and once the pope and King Martel
were free from the ropes around them, they crowned Cathrin as queen and
Trowa as Duke.
In the courtyard, Midii and Trowa said good-bye to Brigs and Dei, who
turned down the offer to be a knight again. "I am much too happy to lose
a friend and become what I had been again. Thank you anyway," Dei said,
and left on Brigs's back. As they turned back, Midii cleared her throat
and said, "Then I guess I should be going too." Trowa's glee left him,
and he turned to Midii wearing a stoned face. "Why? Nobody said you should,"
he said, and Midii looked away. "You are forgetting I am a peasant. Please
don't tell me I'm worth being a maiden, because I'm not. I'm much too of
an wanderer to be cooped inside of a castle, and I'm sorry to disappoint
you if you wanted me to stay." At this Trowa turned away, not knowing what
to tell the girl. "Maybe," he said, taking her hands in his, “It is best
that you should stay a peasant.” Midii’s face fell as he said these words,
but the duke silently raised the peasant’s chin to look at him in the eyes.
“But being a peasant doesn’t mean you should be alone.”
In the banquet hall, Cathrin was sitting at the far end of the table
laughing over something, when she caught sight of Trowa and Midii coming
towards her. "What is it?" she asked pleasantly, and Trowa paused before
saying, "I am giving up my position as Duke." Everyone stopped chatting
and asked why. "Well, I've come to realize that I cannot give up the one
that I love for this life of luxury and royalty. I love you Cathrin, but
my heart just cannot stay here, where I do not really belong. After all
this time, I've thought I knew what I wanted, but I guess I was wrong,
so," he said, turning to Midii, "this is my decision, and I will stay with
it and never regret it. I choose to stay as a wanderer; a peasant, for
Midii might think she is one, but I will prove that she will never be in
my heart, but a princess for that matter." With tears, Cathrin nodded them
off, and Midii, who could never be proper, kissed Trowa in a romantic way,
as you might say. So it was that the once Prince Triton Bloom stayed Trowa
Barton, marrying the peasant, Midii Une and together sharing a simpleton
life. You could say that this trip would have never been worth traveling
for, but if it had never been made, then Midii would have never found love
to be sought after and cared by. So you might say that Trowa and Midii
lived happily ever after all, for it turned out to be a quest for finding
love in the terms of finding the gems.