Aurora Eos Rose auroraeosrose@heavensdawn.org http://heavensdawn.org Alternate Universe- Fantasy World PG- <> indicates thought [] indicates mind speaking A.S. = After Sealing +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chapter 5 – Seals Broken, Vows Renewed +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Earth Kingdom* Darius watched the ancient ceremony with a feeling of foreboding. He sat on the large stone throne, used by the Kings of Earth for countless centuries. His guard, the four princes of earth, stood waiting at the entrance to the great hall. The countless lesser noblemen were packed into the hall, dressed in their best clothing, swords at their sides. Dare glanced over at his mother. She lay on a low bench to the right of the couch. Her eyes were shining brightly today, alert and interested. It was a great difference from their usual dull sheen. Terra had not adapted will to the loss of her mind bond with Somnus, or to the terrible wound which had rendered her legs useless. She had retreated behind a mask of superficial politeness and spent long hours hiding in her room. Dare was glad that she had come to the ceremony, but he wished the uneasy feeling hadn't dug itself deep into his gut like a parasite. The herald banged the staff loudly, and the four walked forward in a straight line. Garrick's long platinum blonde hair was left hanging, as usual, and his steel gray eyes were solemn. He wasn't wearing armor or weapon, only a gray uniform edged in navy. On his right stood Baldwin, a confident cocky grin plastered on his face. His slightly shorter, wavy auburn hair was also loose. His deep brown eyes were twinkling. He was wearing a cream uniform edged in a pale rust color. To his right stood Eric, his short honey blonde hair slightly tousled, his mouth twisted into a wry grin. He wore a uniform the color of sand, edged in a red reminiscent of ripe tomatoes. Dare almost laughed when Eric winked one of his gray-blue eyes. Varian stood on Garrick's left. His coppery blonde curls were caught in a loose ponytail. He wore a dull blue uniform with sparkling white trim. His yellow-green eyes were twinkling with excitement. Dare almost groaned. Varian enjoyed these remnants of history far too much, and Dare knew a several hour lecture on the history and purpose of the bonding ceremony would be forthcoming. The four stopped at the foot of the dais and kneeled as if one person. Darius stood and walked forward to the base of the stairs. Terra watched her son through eyes that shimmered with tears. His black hair was short, and his sapphire blue eyes full of authority. He wore a uniform identical to the others, only in black and crimson. He turned and accepted a sword from a priest. Darius' eyes grew wide. Terra smiled at her son's astonished expression. Darius drew the weapon from the heavy silver scabbard. A ray of light from the upper windows of the hall reflected off the blade, scattering the beam around the room. Darius pulled his thoughts back in order. Garrick stood and took a step forward, then knelt again. "I, General Kunzite, Prince Garrick of the Southern Kingdom, Avatar of Auster, do pledge myself to thee King Darius Onyx the first, and to protect you and this kingdom from any harm." Darius held out the sword, and Garrick grasped the edge, slitting his palm open. "So I swear with my blood and soul." Darius sheathed the sword, then took a step forward and drew the dagger at Garrick's side. Dare sliced the blade across his right palm and grasped Garrick's injured palm. "I accept your pledge and give one of my own. I, King Darius, will protect the people and property of the Southern Kingdom with every resource I possess." There was a flash of light, and the two released hands. The wounds were gone, leaving only a small symbol, a circle with a cross running through it. (AN: In case you didn't know, that is the astrological symbol for earth, and this ceremony is based off of a mishmash of fealty ceremonies.) Garrick stepped back and knelt once more, and the other three princes repeated the ceremony. Varian was the last to repeat the pledge. Then the four stood and grasped hands. Darius stepped forward and laid his own hand upon Garrick and Baldwin's. Light filled the room, radiating from the point where the four had stood, and the earth began to shake. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Varian looked at the strange device once more. It had appeared from the ground, rising from the point where the great crest had once stood in the castle's atrium. The device seemed to be a large hollow sphere, with some sort of power source inside. No one had been able to discover what it was for, and Darius had forbidden anyone to go near it. Varian sighed and headed back to the library to look for more manuscripts on the time of the gods. Darius finished the last of the petitions and pushed himself out of his chair. The tingling in his mind was still present, it had started the moment he had grasped Garrick's hand at the ceremony. [I quite agree. ] Darius stood up quickly. There had been a voice in his mind, a very masculine voice. [Do not be alarmed; it is I, Somnus. ] The white creature landed gently on the table, folding his wings and curling up. [You gained a bond with me when you bonded with your men. You also have created a bond with that sword at your side. ] "How did I manage that?" Darius glanced down at the Earth Sword, which hung on his left side. He hadn't been able to take it off after the ceremony. [No need to speak, I can read your thoughts when they are directed. When you first drew the sword you immediately bonded with it, it called to you. I shall speak to you more later today, but there is another side effect of that archaic ceremony. You need to discover it. ] Darius stood stiffly, his brain trying to absorb the shock of hearing the creature speak in his mind. [By the Gods! ] Darius almost fell over again. The voice in his head this time was not Somus, it was definitely Varian. Darius fixed the silent creature with a scowl. [Side effects? ] Darius directed the thought at the animal, lacing it with sarcasm and anger. [I see you already have good control over your ability to communicate through thought but the others will have to be taught.] Darius sighed and went to search for whatever had Varian so excited. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ [It's a what?] "Darius, please, I'm not use to that yet." Varian paced around the circular device again, searching for an opening. "Sorry, Varian, it just seems to come naturally." The four princes and Dare stood in a circle around the huge device in the atrium. "It's a transportation device. Teleportation. There have been dozens more found all over the Kingdom. Somehow the ancient seals have been broken between the lands, but none of the other countries have broken their seals, so the doors remain closed. These devices haven't been used since the time of the gods!" Darius smiled at Varian's enthusiasm. Then his face hardened into a frown. "We don't know how they work, or what might come through them. I want guards sent to every device found, and I want the devices watched round the clock. We might have new allies come through them, or new enemies. I don't want to take any chances." Darius left the device after issuing orders, trying to suppress the feeling that the teleportation devices would bring trouble on his peaceful kingdom. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Sun Kingdom* Aura stood proudly in the training room of the castle. Her golden hair was very short and her cornflower blue eyes snapped. She was dressed in man's clothing, and held the hereditary sword of the sun kingdom in her left hand. It was a tulwar, a sword with a wicked curve to the blade. Alex, Merri, Sophie, and Nora stood a few feet away, their faces serious. The ceremony had been Sophie's idea; she had found it in one of the old manuscripts in the basement of the library. She had pressed for the ceremony to be public, but King Adnan still considered Aura to be a child, even at eighteen. Aura's penchant for keeping her hair short and wearing men's clothing didn't help either. The four had decided to continue with the ceremony in private, especially since the guardians had been pushing in favor of the old ritual. Alex stepped forward and knelt before Aura, and repeated the vow Sophie had them all memorize. Then Alex sliced her hand on Aura's blade. Aura spoke and used Alex's dagger on her own palm. The two grasped hands, briefly startled by the flash of light. Their palms had identical circles on them. Sophie went next, then Merri, and finally Nora. Then the five grasped hands and the ground began to shake. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Aura circled the device warily. Sophie had been unable to detect any opening, although she claimed the device had to be one of the old teleporters. [So if it's a teleporter, why isn't there an opening?] [I think the other seals need to be opened before the devices can be used.] Aura grimaced. The ability to speak to Sophie and the other's mind to mind was in some ways a great advantage, but right now it was giving her a headache. "I really wish you wouldn't do that." [Do what princess?] "Read my mind." [Actually, you are broadcasting your thoughts very loudly; you need to learn to shield yourself. Mind speaking doesn't mean mind reading; only projected thought can be heard.] Aura huffed and headed back to the training grounds. "Well, nothing is happening here so I'm going to go train. Dad won't let us use the teleporter even if it did work. At least he isn't mad at us for doing the ceremony." Sophie sighed as Aura stomped over to the training grounds. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Moon Kingdom* Sere giggled loudly as she held up the sword she'd just been given. "This thing is as big as I am!" "Shut up Sere, we're going to get caught if you don't knock it off." Rae slapped a hand over Sere's mouth. "Remind me again why we're doing this?" Rae glared at Ame. Ame fixed a cold stare on Rae. "This is the traditional fealty ceremony observed even in the time of the gods. Supposedly it bonds the souls of those who participate." Ame recited the line as though she'd said it a million times, which she had. "And why are we doing this in the dead of night in the garden?" Rae slowly removed her hand from Sere's mouth. "Hush up Rae, let's get this over with." Mina pushed Sere into place and then grabbed onto Rae. "Come on, we're supposed to kneel here." Mina knelt down and yanked Rae to her knees. "Are you sure this is a good idea Ame? What if this ceremony thing has unintended consequences." Lita knelt down beside Mina, a worried expression on her face. "According to the manuscript I read, the curse of the gods is placed on a sovereign who doesn't complete the ceremony." Ame furrowed her brow. "I don't exactly believe in curses, but there has to be a reason that the ceremony was so strongly encouraged." She knelt down beside the other three girls and looked up at a very nervous Sere. "The curse of the gods is the worst thing that could possibly happen in that time period. It's time Sere. We're ready when you are, and there are no witnesses to make you nervous, so you'll do fine." "Do I really have to do this?" Sere whined loudly. She glanced at the sharp daggers the other girls carried and the huge sword clutched in her own hands. "This thing is awfully sharp. What if I cut a finger off?" Mina scowled at Sere, and then she stood, took a step closer to where Sere stood clutching her sword, and knelt again. Mina repeated the words Ame had drilled into her head and grasped onto the blade. Mina jerked her hand back, and golden blood dripped from the wound. Sere gasped. Mina looked up at Sere waiting patiently. Sere gulped loudly, grabbed the dagger from Mina's side, and closed her eyes tightly. Then she sliced the blade over her palm. Sere opened tear-filled eyes and reached for Mina's bleeding palm. There was light, and the pain was gone. All that remained were two crescent shaped scars. Rae, Lita and Ame repeated the ceremony; Sere winced each time the daggers cut her flesh. Then Sere threw her sword down and pulled the other girls into a hug. The ground shook and the garden lit up like day. Voices filled her mind, all saying the same thing, [Sere!] [I didn't mean to do it! It's not my fault!] was all Sere could reply. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Star Kingdom* Ken glanced at the small star on his palm for a moment, then watched the room with great interest. He had done the fealty ceremony almost four years ago, and Cato had been studying the strange device for at least that long. In the past three months the device had seemed to come alive, emitting more energy. Yesterday the device had hummed loudly, and the spherical shell had shattered. Now all that remained was a circular platform and a globe of light suspended above it. [Are we ready Cato?] Ken loved the mind speech ability he had acquired at the ceremony. He used it often. The others weren't as fond of it, but Cato did use it often. [We are ready when you are.] Cato walked over to the place where Urania, Fallon, Nolan, and Jason stood. Ken squared his shoulders and walked up to the device. "Well, here we go." Ken walked onto the platform and closed his eyes, and then he was gone. Cato gritted his teeth and turned to the others. "I'm going to follow him. Keep things stable here." Then Cato stepped onto the platform and was engulfed in the sphere of light. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Moon Kingdom* Sere and Mina were hiding again. Eros had declared that the two needed more training and classes since the incident. Sere pushed her mental blocks up a little higher, and felt Mina doing the same. Cynthia had been accepting of the girls decision to do the ceremony. She approved of the new bond, and was curious about the appearance of the teleporters, but Eros and the other guardians had been furious that the girls hadn't told them. Sere felt Luna battering at her again. The ceremony had blessed the girls by allowing them to speak mind to mind with each other, and cursed them by creating the same bond with their guardians. "This is insane." Mina hissed. She had blocks up so thick she couldn't talk to Sere through the mind. "I can't believe he wants us to do that yet today. I already wrote three extra reports, read three books on politics, strategy, and history, and did two extra hours of weaponless combat practice." Sere sighed and nodded. Luna and Eros had turned into taskmasters. And the strange teleportation devices had remained where they had appeared, untouched and unguarded. Mina grabbed onto Sere's arm. "They're coming this way." Sere began to fidget, and then got up and ran. "I'll draw their attention, Mina." Mina followed, yelling loudly for Sere to stop. Sere turned for a moment to look behind her, and promptly tripped. She went rolling over the grass and over to the edge of the teleporter. Sere sighed and stood up, brushing dirt and dust from her white gown. Mina rushed up to Sere, and promptly had just slipped on the wet grass. The two crashed into the teleporter and disappeared in a globe of light. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *1022 A.S. The Sun Kingdom* Sophie felt the tremors of movement in her sleep. She woke up quickly and pulled on a robe. She grasped her naginata (AN: it's a big halberd, a wooden staff with a sharp pointy object on the end for those who are still lost) from its position beside the bed and headed for the teleportation room. [Wake up, everyone. We're about to have visitors. Someone has activated the teleporter.] The call echoed into Aura's dreams. She sat up quickly and jumped out of bed. She pulled on pants and a shirt, grabbed her tulwar. Alex and Merri met with her in the hall, and Nora joined them on the way to the teleporter. Alex and Aura were the only ones dressed. They reached the teleporter just in time. Two circles of light streaked from opposite directions across the sky, and entered the teleporter. The first circle flashed and a tall, handsome man appeared. His eyes were cold and calculating as he looked at the half dressed group standing in front of him. Then the second circle flashed and two girls dropped right on top of the man's head. There were two feminine squeals and a loud groan. Aura began laughing and went to help the three get untangled. Ken was shaken up from his experience with the teleportation device. Existing as pure energy was rather new, and tended to make a person feel thankful when they reached the other side in one piece. He had just catalogued all his limbs and taken stock of the four youngsters guarding the teleporter when two people fell on top of him. Ken grunted loudly and lay for a moment, the wind knocked from his lungs. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into the most beautiful pair of cornflower blue eyes he'd ever seen. He just stared for a moment, and felt as if he were drowning. "Are you all right?" Aura asked. She leaned over, looking the man in the eyes. He stared back distractedly for a moment. Aura felt herself getting lost in his silver gaze. Then he glanced down at her boy's clothing and his face sobered, turning into granite. Aura set her chin and grasped the man's hand. She yanked him to his feet, ignoring the two girls who tumbled off of him. There was a shock when they touched, as if she'd been struck by lightning. Her heart started beating quickly, and her breathing became shallow. Aura let go of the man's hand quickly and took a step back. The man stood at his full height now, towering over Aura. His chin length white hair was slightly tousled. Aura couldn't stop staring. The man glared at Aura for a long minute, then dismissed her by turning to the two girls still on the teleporter. Ken mentally shook himself, willing his heart and breathing back into a normal rhythm. He turned to look at the pile of yellow and white satin, long white limbs, and lots of silver and lemony blonde hair. Ken reached down and grasped the closer of the two girls by the hand, pulling her to her feet with a single jerk. The motion brought the girls chin up, and Ken found himself looking into another set of cornflower blue eyes. Ken found himself drawn to her gaze. It was innocence incarnate. The girl giggled and pulled her hand back. She curtsied and spoke. "Thank you very much for helping me. I'm very sorry that Mina and I landed on your head." Aura looked at the silver haired girl with a mix of jealousy and curiosity. The other girl stood too, her lemon yellow hair tangled, the bright red satin ribbon halfway untied. She pushed herself between the silver haired girl and the man. Aura took a step back and cleared her throat loudly. The three visitors turned their heads. "I am Prince Aura of the Sun Kingdom." Aura felt the disapproval from Sophie and the amusement from Alex at her choice of title. "I want to know who you are and why you came here uninvited." Sere blushed hotly. [What do I do Mina?] [Use proper etiquette and introduce us.] Sere walked demurely down the steps and curtsied low to the prince. She rose and smiled. "I'm very sorry, I am the Crown Princess of the Moon Kingdom and this is Princess Mina." Sere gestured with a hand toward her friend who also curtsied low. Sere looked back at the frowning boy. "I'm so sorry, we didn't mean to come here but there was an accident near our teleporter and Mina and I ended up here." Sere smiled one of her million dollar smiles, the kind that lit up a room. Aura couldn't help but grin back at the beautiful young woman. She seemed so full of life, and obviously meant no harm. "I welcome you to our kingdom. Aura fixed her gaze on the other person present. "And who are you?" Their discussion was halted by another circle of light entering the teleporter. Ken smiled when he saw stoic Cato. [Always taking care of me, aren't you?] Cato merely raised an eyebrow. He stepped forward and moved to Ken's side. [The one in front is the prince of this kingdom, and the girls are princesses from another realm, they arrived when I did.] [Have you introduced yourself?] "I am King Diamond of the Star Kingdom, and this is Prince Garnet." Ken bowed slightly to the prince and princesses. "I am here on a diplomatic mission to cement a peace between our long separated nations." Ken gazed into the beautiful eyes of the boy. Ken turned his gaze from the prince to the two girls. The Moon princess smiled brightly at him, and then turned her gaze back to the Sun prince. Her expression turned dreamy. Ken felt his anger and possessiveness rising. "Sophie, please fetch my father." [And tell him I mean to remain as a man for their visit.] Aura looked from the smiling princess to the scowling king. She noticed the looks the girl was sending her way and almost laughed. "Come this way, Princesses. Alex, could you show the King where he can await my father?" Sophie nodded and left. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sere sat swinging her legs wildly. She felt like she was ten again, because her legs didn't reach the floor when she sat on the chair. She and Mina had been led to a small waiting room. Mina had started pacing and mumbling about getting into big trouble. Sere simply smiled and fantasized about the handsome prince of the sun kingdom. The two jumped to their feet when a loud noise echoed through the halls. Mina threw open the door, gasped, and promptly slammed the door again. Sere merely turned white and passed out. "Mina, if you don't open this door right now I will strip you of your powers and position." Cynthia's voice was frosty and cold. Mina opened the door and took several steps back, her head hanging. Cynthia, Lita, Ame, and Rae swept into the room, followed by the guardians. The palace guard set up shop outside the door, and Cynthia closed the door with a slam. "Just what did you two think you were doing?" Mina sighed. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken paced back and forth in the room. His mind was whirling with all the possibilities here. The castle he was in was a marvel. The lights were not candles, but some other strange means. There was running water from a strange device in a room off to the side; the carpets and furnishings were exquisite. [Well Cato?] Cato stood in the other room, examining the devices for bringing and holding water. [Their technology in some areas is much more advanced then ours, but their weapons seem to be no different.] Cato looked at Ken. [Is something bothering you?] [Nothing's wrong.] Ken stopped pacing for a moment, imagining the face of the beautiful princess. The face shifted in his mind to the beautiful, if slightly feminine features, of the Sun Prince. Ken grimaced. He had never had feelings toward a man before, and they confused him. Ken closed his eyes and laid on one of the couches. "I hope we don't have to wait much longer."