Lazarus: Land Of The Elements

“Yes, he was the first to go. He was going to be the most difficult to take back to my realm. We fought. He must not have gotten over slamming me into the wall. He’s been acting very weird lately. He’s been nice…which is very unusual for your King,” Aurora responded. She never thought that she would see the day that Zael was nice.


“My plans affected everyone in the villages. I feel bad about that. I know taking them all would be a huge risk,” Aurora responded while smiling.


Aurora took the Amulet from Haseo and inspected it. She was happy to see that the duplicate amulet was safe. She handed it back to Haseo. “Whew…I thought this would never be found. It’s ironic that you found it today. Yes, indeed it is the duplicate amulet of Fire. I redesigned it to look like the one Zael wears. After it was redesigned it went missing. I have redesigned each of the amulets for each Kingdom. If the crest on the amulet gets separated it normally breaks into pieces. I put that into the design. I don’t want anyone to get their hands on it. If it falls into the wrong hands…so much death and despair will happen. I don’t want to live in that type of world.”


“Zael will be coming back. I don’t know when. I’m letting you know that it might take a while. All the Kings and Queens are very stubborn especially Zael,” Aurora responded while laughing a little bit.


Aurora jumped into Haseo’s arms. She hugged him very tightly. “Thank you very much! I knew that I could count on you! I knew that you would not disappoint me!”


Aurora handed one of the four new crests that she created to Haseo. “This will help you keep the element balanced. I’m happy hear that your masters were able to teach you that. As for your last statement…yes, there is something coming that will affect Lazarus as a whole. You said that you saw assassins that weren’t from Lazarus, correct? They are from the land of Verbena. They have been planning to attack Lazarus for a while. I saw a few of them searching for me…as they want kill me. That’s why I haven’t come down from my realm in the last six years. Now that I know they are after me again I have to be careful.”


Aurora stood up. “I must be going now. I have to go to the other temporaries and give them the crests and duplicate amulets. It was really nice to see you again, Haseo. Next time we will talk more.”


Aurora’s legs started to wobble underneath her. Her body started wracking with coughs. She fell to her knees and blood started dripping from her mouth. “Why does this illness have to affect me now? I have things to do.”


Before Aurora could stand again she blacked out.

OOT: Woo hoo three in a row.

 

Haseo was caught off guard yet again as Aurora hugged him. Even through she has huge responsibility's, she still can act her real age.

"that would make sense. They're opinion of Lauras is still like it was ten years ago....... I guess you need to get going then. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you." he then noticed her legs shake and saw her fall to her knees while coughing.

" Aurora, are you okay? Aurora!" He caught her as she fell, keeping her from hitting the floor. He knew she wasn't feeling well when he saw the blood from her mouth.

"you're not going anywhere until you get some rest....... you always where the type of person to let their work get the best of them." haseo carried her to a bed so she could rest. He sat down in a chair in the corner and started to contemplate on what lied ahead of him. After a minute he took out the picture of General Hurai that he had and looked at him.
"those of the Hurai family tend to walk into these kind of situations, don't we?"

He then looked at the fire amulet, which had a new crest that shined at him. Okay now everything seems right with this amulet......

 

"Cinder!"
She wanted to reach out and sooth his burned face, but he brushed her hand away.
"No, don't. I deserve this."
Troubled by how far his actions had gone, he slowly stood up to retrieve his rapier and executioner sword. Shizukesa watched as he grabbed them, seeing the disdain on his burn-etched face.Upon returning to her, Shizukesa asked him another.
"Didn't you say you knew no earth arts? I don't understand how you are capable of doing both earth and fire arts."
"It was an accident. Let's go."
Cinder began walking away, heading down the road to the Water Nation. Before rising to her feet, shizukesa gathered the mask fragments into a bag and left a small bag of coins as compensation for the dazed victim's experience. She ran to catch up with Cinder.
"That was no mere accident. I knew that I would have to meet you in order for a change to take place in you. That is why I came, to initiate that change that the future has shown me. You are able to use fire magic, even though you are of the the Earth Kingdom. How do you explain that?"
"... I can't. I knew that, when I was with the Burning Cross, they gave me a mask to use, saying it would give me fire magic. And after that, with training, I could. Without the mask, I could still do fire magic, but with less power."
Shizukesa thought about his repsonse, before making her own.
"The mask amplified your power. But could it also be, perhaps, the mask restricted your earth arts?"
"What?"
"A limiter. The mask broke when you began using earth arts. And you started doing earth arts when your attitude changed. Your fire skill is rooted in anger, but your natural earth skill was brought to the surface by a different emotion. Perhaps a different type of anger. You broke its limit."
"... I really don't feel like talking about this. That blasted ice woman messed with my head enough already, especially with that last bit about her father."
Changing the topic slightly, Shizukesa decided to focus on Cinder's career.
"What kind of people did you kill?"
"Only the ones that I felt deserved it. Criminals and the unjust. I was told who to take down, and if I agreed, I would do it."
"So you are an assassin?"
"No. That has no honor. I would take on whole encampments head-on. Perhaps among all those kills, I killed that ice woman's father."
"I see. Well, we should get to an inn and get you fixed up. You look tired."
"Yes, lets."

They walked on until they came across an inn, taking a room there to rest. The inn was called "The Soothing Waterfall", located, coincidentally, by a small waterfall heated by a hot spring.

OOT: Waiting here until either-
A: Day change.
B: Get tired of waiting for day change.
-Will be waiting here until something happens. I'll be killing time/posts with interactions here.

 

Lain walked until she came to the first inn on the main road, The Soothing Waterfall. She went up to the innkeeper and asked for the attic room and paid for it with the coin Shizukesa had given her. She used some of her own coin to pay for food and drink for two and went upstairs. The Shadow Guard was waiting for her in the room when she opened the door.

"I brought you food," Lain said setting down the man's portion on the small dresser. She sat on the bed and took a bite of meat. "It's been a while since I've seen you last. I found that rare book you've been searching for, Treatise on Inter-Kingdom Politics of Lazarus. Written by, Vasily Rikardsson I think."

She waited to see if the man would show any reaction, when he didn't she took a swig of lukewarm beer. The man in the Shadow Guard armor turned two her and reached a hand out to take some of her hair between his fingers.

"A musty old book is no comparison to finally seeing you after so long," he said in a caring tone. "I never did like your hair this color, why do you dye it?"

Lain blushed as the man ran her hair through his fingers. "It's been six years, and there were twenty of us. Do you really remember me after six years?"

"How could I forget," Lain's blush deepened, "You were the only one who was so invested in what we wanted to accomplish. You didn't even need the encouragement."

Lain shuddered at the thought of what the "Encouragement" was.
"My father wanted me to go, to learn. I-I owed him for my very life, after taking me in. I couldn't displease him."
"Still, you found your own dedication. Six years or a hundred, I wouldn't forget my ice queen."
"That book, it already has an owner. The merchant is travelling the main road, not too far behind me. I was thinking we could try and deal with him together. He wouldn't sell to me, but maybe if you were there..."
"We could try, I suppose. But do we really need to get going so soon." Lain gave him an annoyed look.
"I brought you food, the least you could do is eat. Then we can leave."

Rhiner sighed and sat down beside Lain on the bed. The two of them ate in silence while thinking about the other. For Lain it was memories of an odd time in her life. She had been ten years old when her adoptive father had sent her with some men for private education. She tried not to think about it too much and when she did, it gave her an odd feeling in her lower stomach. It was where she had first met Rhiner.

For his part, Rhiner was happy to finally be seeing Lain again. After six years of nothing but mundane task after mundane task, he was finally going to be working with her again, even if it was just for a little while. There was also the "book" to deal with, but that would come to pass when he felt like dealing with it.

After a few hours, the two of them went down to the main room to keep watch for the man carrying the "book." In an attempt at mild disguise, Lain had washed the blue dye out of her hair, returning it to it's natural sand blonde.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Name: Ex King Zayne


Age: 60


Personality: Very much kind like Yuri. He’s very kind. He has always generous as well. He is more easily annoyed by things nowadays.


Appearance: Dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wears a white shirt with black dress pants as well as a red cape over his shoulders.


Which King you would like to respresent: Air


Weapons: Used to be nothing, but now he has a dagger and a reverse bladed katana.

--


Aurora came to a few seconds later. “I’m sorry…I’m showing such weakness in front of you my friend. I’ve just been sick lately. I will rest for a little while.”


Aurora closed her eyes and soon she was sleeping again.


“Your death will be quick and painless I promise,” a menacing voice said from behind Aurora. A knife was held up to her throat. A hand was also rubbing her hair. “I don’t really want to hurt or kill you, but I must. If you do not die Verbena will not be able to be able to overthrow your country.”


Aurora head butted the man in the face. He screamed and then glared at her harshly. His nose was started to bleed. Aurora glared at the man in front of her. “I will not let you or anyone in Verbena win.”


The man started laughing at her. “That’s what you think little girl.”


Suddenly a knife went into Aurora’s shoulder. She screamed while grabbing her shoulder. Another assassin had come out of hiding. He stabbed Aurora in the neck and chest. She started bleeding out.


“Victory is Verbena’s,” the menacing voice called out. Aurora died from the blood loss.

--

Aurora woke up again, shaking, tears falling down her cheeks. She had another dream about her death. She kept having a different scenario every dream. Aurora knew that she was going to die eventually. The illness that she had was eating away at her body slowly.


Tears were still running down her cheeks when she got of the bed. “I’m sorry for scaring you, Haseo. I must be going now.”


With that Aurora’s body started to disappear in front of her friend. “Good luck, temporary King of Fire.”

--

Zayne was finally returning to the castle after a month. Aurora had sent him on a mission for her. He was gathering more information on Verbena for his niece. He went to the border between each Kingdom to pick up as much information as he could.


As he was journeying home he noticed that the balance for air was off. Panic had started to set into his body. He was worried his youngest son. “Has my son passed away? Or maybe he has gone missing? I’m not sure, but Aurora must have something to do with it.”


He sighed. He knew that his niece must have had a good reason for taking his son. “Aurora must have found out something while I was gone. We both know that troubling times are ahead of us. We must keep Aurora and everyone on Lazarus safe.”


When he entered the Kingdom there was a lot of commotion going on. He heard his granddaughter’s voice saying. “…whoever this shadow ruler of our continent is should mind their own business and let us govern our own affairs! We are a kingdom, and yet we owe fealty to a person that no one has ever seen."


He could feel his anger starting to bubble up. It was rare that he got angry. He didn’t even hear the rest of what his granddaughter said. He barged into the throne room. He noticed that Nero was speaking to his granddaughter. He waited for him to stop speaking before he said anything. “Hello Gale and hello Nero.”


He glared at Gale. “You should not speak in such a way about our Ruler. First reason she has more power than you do. She can control all the elements plus a fifth power that she is required to have. Second reason is if she minded her own business then you wouldn’t have that air power that I granted you. I may have bestowed that power on you, but Aurora can take it away in an instant. Our whole country would be in chaos. Everyone would be fighting for power instead of serving the Kingdom as a whole. She helps us keep the peace between nations. Last reason is because she’s also part of our family. Do you remember my brother, Akemi? Well his daughter is ruling over us all at this point. She is your flesh and blood. She has taken one more than she should have for her age. Learn to show some respect for people of authority. Also she has good reason for not revealing herself. ”


After Zayne finished his speech he calmed down. He smiled at his granddaughter. “Now come over here and give grandpa a hug.”

 

Bardra had finally made it home after a truly eventful morning, he was glad to be at his modest home. "Angela I've returned, do you still have the tea?" Bardra asked as he took a seat at a dinning table.
"Oh Lord er.. Mr Volund, oh no that's not right..." Angela stuttered and stumbled over her words
"Angela.... the tea?"
"Hmmm oh OH right the tea! Right away Mr Bardra! just need to re kindle the stove fire to reheat it" she moved to relight the stove, Bardra just sighed and shook his. This girl.... less than a week ago we had know each other for three years. She goes and discovers that I am a General and lord then starts going on like this. "Angela dear, you do know I still am the same Bardra you have made tea countless times" trying to put her at ease Bardra mentioned up their past.
"I know... but it's not the same. If I had known you were Lord Bardra, the Last Golem General back when i worked at the tea house i wouldn't have been so causal....." Angela said meekly "Besides it's different now that you are my Lord eh, Benefactor no that's not right" "Employer, Angela. And i simply hired you to make me tea while you are studying your trade " Bardra corrected her statment of him being her lord
A question filled with interest then came to Angela's mind "How many employers provide housing not only to their employee but their family as well?" Had Bardra been drinking tea he would have surely choked on it
"Well Angela, to my knowledge none. However I aim to start a trend, so that others may follow suit"
"That trend include buying the family of the employee food as well?" "..." "Or paying for the schooling of their trade?" "...Angela" "Or protecting th-" "Angela" "What, you know I'm right in thi-" "The Tea" "Huh? AHHHHHhahhhh!" during their conversation the teapot had boiled over, the panicked Angela quickly moved the pot and started cleaning the mess. She then poured a cup of tea and bowed deeply as if to apologize
This girl.... no this woman... despite being only eighteen she is sharp, always has been. But more than that, she has a dream she wants to follow, and I'll help see to it. Besides a free cup of tea this good is worth the expense..... Bardra sipped the tea and smiled. The Lotus Angel Teahouse, maybe a place to retire to, once she gets it up and running.....

 

The still living members of the mob had their orders, reluctant though they may be to follow them now. With resignation they dropped their weapons and pulled the cords from around their waists. Each one burst into flame and were quickly consumed into ash, swept away by the evening breeze.
---------------------------------

Mew had immediately taken to exploring Haseo's home and had found most of the hidden nooks and crannies. She'd paid no attention to the conversation but suddenly took note when Aurora had fallen unconscious. She came over to the couch with a questioning look on her face, "Is she sick?"
---------------------------------

Gale opened her eyes in surprise as Zayne barged in. Giving no real concern to his angry expression or harsh words she through herself into in as if she were a small girl again.
"Grandfather!" She cried in delight. "It's been so long since I saw you last! Where have you been, Grandfather? I haven't seen you since we split up years ago. You're looking well too. It seems you haven't crumbled to dust just yet."
-----------------------------------------------------------

"We still have no word on Queen Elena's location?" Duke Anias asked the other council members.
"It's still early, but our scouts and spies haven't found anything yet," Duke Serin replied.
"In the meantime, this council shall continue to preside over the kingdom until our queen returns of her own will or is found. Have the guards watch the borders and lock down on travel where permissible. We need to continue our state of emergency with our utmost goal to protect social order. We don't need any riots!"

The other councilors nodded along with Anias's words.
"What were the results of the vote?" Duke Osmos asked.
"Let's see," Duke Serin took a scroll from the desk before him. "Out of the thirteen of us, five voted for myself, six for Duke Anias, and Duke Corsal got the remaining two votes. Meaning,"
"That Duke Anias is the leader of this emergency council. Hereby known as Lord Anias until our Queen returns to us."

The thirteen councilors all clapped their approval as Anias stood to accept his new title.
"Thank you my friends, but let us not get ourselves too wrapped up with titles. We have a people to govern and a Queen to find. As you said, Duke Serin, it is still early, but have we gotten word fro many of the other kingdoms yet?"
"Our messengers haven't reported anything and none have come to us as of yet," spoke up the youngest Duke, Cassini.
"Very well, and what have our spies to report?"
"The spymaster hasn't yet arrived from his home. However he shouldn't be much longer."
"We shall await his word then. We have other matters to discuss, quite routine I'm afraid. Best to just get to it."

Lord Anias gave a wry grin at the other councilors unamused laughs.

 

In Aurora’s realm Yuri could sense that his father was back at the castle. He was worried about Aurora heading to the Air Kingdom. He knew that Aurora loved his father, but didn’t understand how. He was very cruel to her when she first became the Ruler.

“Hey, man, are you alright,” Zael asked.

“Oh, um, I’m okay,” Yuri said. He didn’t realize his face was displaying his emotions. His memories were affecting him at that moment.

“It doesn’t seem like you are,” Zael responded.

Yuri sighed. “It’s just I’m really worried about Aurora getting to the Air Kingdom. My father is back…and I don’t want Aurora to be around him.”


“Why wouldn’t you want him to be around your cousin? Didn’t she go down to see him when she was younger,” Calista asked.

“Well she did, but my father acted differently towards her. Normally my father is very nice and affectionate towards others. He is much like me in that regard. When it came to Aurora it was a different story.”

“What do you mean “a different story”? Also how could you forget you were related to the Ruler of Lazarus,” Elena asked him.

“When she first started coming down from this realm my father was very nice to her. When Aurora found out she lost her father and sister she was crying a lot. My father told her that she needed to toughen up. He told her that she had other things to worry about other than her parents’ and sister’s death. There were millions of people in the country that she had to protect. After that I started to notice changes in my cousin. She rarely showed any emotion anymore. At one point she barely spoke to me. She would come and lay with me at night sometimes. I could see the bruises on her face. I figured my father’s way of toughening her was by hitting her.”


Tears started streaming down Yuri’s face. He was remembering something that happened when he was fifteen. His body trembled a little bit at his next memory which he tried to forget. “When I was fifteen and Aurora was seven she came down from her realm. She came down to get advice from my father. I could hear him yelling at her. He called her an idiot for coming down. He was probably hitting her. She ran into my room. She was crying. It had been a year and half since I saw her cry. Instinctively I pulled her into my arms to comfort her. My father followed her in and hit her in front of me. He hit her until she stopped crying. He yelled at her to go back to her realm and stay there.”


Yuri wiped at his eyes. “After that Aurora only came down when she needed advice. I barely saw her anymore. She stopped coming down all together when she was ten. She retired my father and asked me to be King of the Air Kingdom. Of course I said yes. I just got so busy being King I didn’t think about Aurora much. Plus I started dating and had my daughter. She became my main responsibility as well as the people in my Kingdom. ”


Calista and Elena had tears running down their cheeks as well.

Zael’s blood started to boil. Anger started to flash in his eyes. “Why would anyone do that to a child? She was still a child when she became our Ruler.”


Zael punched the wall, scaring the others.


They all stayed quiet as he began punching the walls more.

--

Zayne hugged his granddaughter back and placed his hand on her head. “Well I was retired as King six years ago. I was at the border in between the earth and air kingdoms. You’re looking so much more grown up than the last time I saw you.”


Zayne laughed at Gale’s last comment. “Hey now, I’m only sixty. Cut the old man a break.”


While in the middle of talking to his granddaughter Aurora appeared in front of them. Her aura started to fill the room. Zayne’s eyes went. “A-Aurora…”

Aurora’s eyes widened when she saw her uncle. She smiled softly at him. She went over and hugged him. He hugged her back tightly. “Uncle Zayne, I didn’t know you were going to be here. You found out the information I asked you to gather for me.”

“Yes, dear, I did,” he responded.

“That’s great. We are going to have to talk about it some other time. I have some business to attend to here. Then I have to set out to the Earth Kingdom.”

Zayne nodded with tears in his eyes. Aurora wiped them away and whispered in his ear. “Are you alright, Uncle Zayne?”

“Yes, dear, I’m okay. Just thinking about the past…,” Zayne replied. Aurora looked at her Uncle. More tears were gathering in his eyes.


“We’ll talk later, Uncle Zayne. I will come back after I finish my business. I promise.”

He nodded tears still in his eyes.

She looked over at Gale. She threw her arms around her cousin before she spoke again. “Hello Gale…I know you don’t really know me, but I’m your cousin Aurora. It’s nice to see you. I hope all is well with you.”


She looked around the room again and noticed Nero. “Hello, do you know where Gideon went? I really need to speak to your student.”


Aurora smiled at him.

 

When the former king Zayne appeared, Nero bowed and greeted him.
"Hail, Your Excellency! I knew you'd come!"
He stayed quiet after that, smiling warmly as he watched a tearful yet joyful family reunion.
"There are times when even Nero the Magnificent should keep quiet and allow such wondrous events to play out on their own. I believe this is one of those times."
He thought this to himself as he took a few steps back to give them their space. However, soon after, something happened that surprised even Nero. Appearing out of thin air, Aurora now stood before them in the throne room. He looked upon her radiance in awe and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Well, now...I did not know she'd come!"

Nero was soon back to gesturing wildly, a proud smile now on his face at the mention of his student.
"Ah, you seek young Brother Gideon? Excellent! With haste shall I call upon him; give me but a moment!"
He made his way out of the throne room and, without any warning whatsoever, spread his arms wide and yelled out at the top of his lungs.
"BROTHER GIDEON!!! YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED IN THE ROOM OF THRONES!"

Despite the considerable distance and the number of walls between them, Gideon, who was just walking out of his room, heard his master's call. He stopped suddenly, turning in the direction he'd heard the voice from and raised an eyebrow.
"Quite unfortunate timing...I suppose my errand will have to wait. Surely, Master wouldn't call for me so unless it were a matter of great importance."
He let out a small sigh.
"Still...I wish he would have simply come and found me instead of making such a spectacle out of it all. Brilliant as he is, I feel that I will never truly understand the way he thinks."
He shrugged and quickly made his way back to the throne room, wasting little time as he was unsure just how urgently his presence was needed.

Nero, standing perfectly still with his arms still out, saw Gideon approaching and walked over to him.
"Brother Gideon! My thanks you have for returning with the quickness."

Gideon looked around the throne room and the first thing he noticed was the former king Zayne standing among them. He bowed and greeted him.
"It is good to see you again, Lord Zayne. Somehow, I knew you'd come."
He froze up slightly when he realized he'd picked up one of Nero's strange habits, which caused Nero to beam with even more pride than before. Gideon cleared his throat and turned to Nero.
"If I may ask, Master, why was I called here?"
Nero simply gestured towards Aurora and when Gideon looked towards her, his eyes widened slightly.
"Do I...know you from somewhere? You seem familiar somehow, but I am not entirely sure why."
He shook his head of the thought and bowed politely.
"Ah, never mind that, how may I be of service?"

 

Shunsui, surprised by the turn of events, couldn't help but watch in horror as the members of the mob burst onto flames and were reduced to ash. He closed his eyes and sighed. I'm not sure what could push people to do such a thing to themselves, but we need to get to the bottom of this. I am sure that, by now, the Shadow Guard has already done something or at least knows something. With a flick of his wrist he caused the blood on his blade to be swept off and with a clean smooth movement, he sheathed the blade with a 'Snick.'

He motioned to one of the stunned guards. "You! Organize a team, I want as much of this to be analyzed immediately. Catch as much of that ash as you can and have it sent to the Shadow Guard for analysis. I want these bodies bagged, tagged, and sent to the Shadow Guard as well. I want to know who these bastards are." When no one moved he walked over to the guardsman and slapped him. "Pull yourself together soldier. You hear me. Get it done!" With that all of the guards jumped and began getting to work.

He turned and began to walk back into the Crimson Flame and realized that the place had virtually been emptied and Haseo was nowhere to be found. He assumed that everyone had escaped out the back door while he dealt with the mob in the streets. A quick conversation with the Innkeeper told him that Haseo was headed down the residential district with two girls in tow, one was described as the girl they had saved earlier, but the other was not familiar to him or the Innkeeper.

His mind made up he made a quick stop back in his office, grabbing his Haori, and made his way down the residential district hoping to find the house Haseo would be staying at.

Report report and report. I'm supposed to be off duty and here I am still working. At this rate neither I or my brother will end up getting dinner made before we get done working. Sakurako couldn't help but think to herself. These days all she had was herself, her brother, and a huge family home that was empty more often than not. She wasn't usually the one that took work so seriously. In fact it was usually her brother that worked till he dropped. He was probably still working despite it being long after his shift should have ended. But then again, "Captains" didn't really get any time off.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, silently traversing the city, she made her way back to the rendezvous point to meet with her mission contact. Upon arrival she noticed that the contact had already arrived.

"Well? What is the status?" It was odd for contacts to ask first but she went with it anyway.
"The mission is complete. Councillor Shirayuki took his own life in light of his many crimes against the Kingdom."
"Marvelous. I will make the report. You've done exceptionally well of late Agent Kurohomura. The Captain would be pleased."
In a flash the contact was gone. I've never met that one before. Most members don't know who we are. I wonder who he really is.

Fed up with the day and how it keeps turning on her, she decided to make her way back home. She knew it was likely that her brother wouldn't be home yet, having to deal with the mob she had seen earlier.

 

Cinder and Shizukesa checked into their room, having at last crossing the Water Nation's border. Most of the room was furnished with blue carpet, bed and curtains. The wood in the room was all dark wood, mainly for the bed frame, chair and walls. The owner of the inn, a water woman, gave them some medical supplies for Cinder's face. Right now, Shizukesa tried to treat his burns as he lay on the bed. The only bed the room had.
"This is going to sting a bit. Hold still."
"I can do this myself."
"Don't fight it! You have to me to help you, so you are going to get my help!"
"Fine. But why did you have to get a room with one bed?"
"Shh."
Any resistance would be futile, so Cinder gave up on any ideas of doing so and let her get to work. She washed off the wound with cool water before applying disinfectants and salve, before applying bandages. But with so many burns on his face, she was unsure how to apply the bandages.
"Give me that."
Siting up, Cinder took the roll of bandages and began wrapping it around his head, covering wounds with each completed lap. When he was done, all that remained visible were his eyes, with small openings for him to breathe.
"...You overdid it."
Cinder shrugged, and stood up, taking off his coat. He would have done that earlier, if Shizukesa were not so pushy about getting him patched up. All that he got to do was put down his weapons. Shizukesa watched him as he hung up his coat, and pulled from one of its pockets a bottle of oil and a rag. Grabbing the bucket of water Shizukesa used to wash his face with, he began washing off his blades at the wooden table, preparing the blades for applying the oil that would help maintain the blades.
"We did come here a bit earlier than expected, so we still have time to do things."
"..."
"You can't really talk with that wrap on, can you? Well, if you are done with that water and washcloth, I'll return it to the innkeeper."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Cinder handed over the washcloth and bucket. Shizukesa gathered up the salve, disinfectant and other supplies, and left the room to return it to the innkeeper.
"Thank you for this. How much do I owe you?"
"The medicine is on the house, priestess. As for the room, that is half price."
"I should pay the full price, I am definitely able to handle it, and business does need it."
"You always come here for your vacation, from the Queen's castle, so it is already an honor to have you come. Even when you were little. And..."
The innkeeper leaned close to Shizukesa and whispered.
"This is the first time I have seen you with a man. Though he did seem a little messed up in the face."
Shizukesa blushed at this.
"Now, mind you! I did get him for the reasons you are thinking!"
"You don't need to hide it. You must like him if you can still stick with him after his face got messed up like that."
"Stop it!"
The innkeeper laughed, accepting the half-priced payment for the room.
"Don't worry, I'll stop teasing now. But you might want him to wash in the spring water. The minerals should be helpful, especially since we have a new worker to maintain the minerals in the water."
"I see. I'll get him to clean up then. It is good that our room has a private area to the springs with it."
Shizukesa turned around to return to her room.

 

Once Zael was calm again he spoke. He glared at Yuri. “How do you even know this information?”

“My father told me everything. He told me that he needed to get it off his chest because he regrets what happened. Aurora would barely ask for advice anymore or come to visit us. She only did when she was stuck on something. He still wanted her to come to him. She was definitely scared of him after that incident. Like you said Zael she was just a child. He shouldn’t have done what he did.”

“He should regret it. I’m surprised Aurora even forgave that jerk. If I wasn’t stuck in this realm your father would be dead right now,” Zael responded his voice growing cold.


Yuri’s eyes widened. “Zael, my father was punished enough. Aurora stripped him of his powers when I became King. All he would do is cry in his room. He wouldn’t eat or sleep. Aurora eventually did come down to forgive him. She saw he was suffering. Please, calm down, Zael. This happened years ago. I understand why you’re mad. I was angry too.”

“Well I don’t think he was punished enough. He raised his hand to a little girl with such a big task. Now I see why you don’t want her around him,” Zael responded and then walked away.


The girls stayed quiet. They really didn’t know what to say.

--


Zayne and Aurora gave each other quizzical looks when they heard Nero scream at the top of his lungs. Aurora broke out in giggles. She never met someone quite like Nero. She really thought he was cute. She turned when she felt her Uncle’s hand placed on top of her head. “Yes, Uncle Zayne.”


Zayne pulled Aurora close to him and hugged her again. Aurora hugged him back and smiled. “Is Yuri safe?”

“Yes, he’s in my realm. I can sense Verbena getting closer. Once I get back from the water Kingdom I would like a full report, Uncle. I really just need to talk to Gideon.”

He nodded.

When Gideon finally came into the room Aurora smiled. She saw that Gideon’s eyes had widened. “Why yes…you have met me before. Your guards caught me in the woods. I am Aurora. It’s nice to meet you, Gideon. Do you think we could go somewhere a little private? I have important matters to discuss with you.”


Aurora smiled lightly at him.

 

Gideon thought back to earlier that day and remembered seeing Aurora with the other girl. He still wondered how she slipped away so easily, but he decided that now wasn't the time to bring it up. Besides, there were still more important matters weighing on his mind. He nodded back to Aurora and replied.
"Yes, of course. Although...there is one thing I would like to know first. Does this matter, by chance, have anything to do with King Yuri?"

Nero stepped in and answered.
"Fear not, young Brother Gideon! His majesty is quite safe. For now, you would do well to cooperate with this young lady. Go forth now!"

Gideon let out a sigh of relief. "That is good to hear," he whispered under his breath, as he turned back to Aurora.
"Very well, then. My quarters should give us the privacy we need; please, follow me."
He led the way to his room where they could continue their conversation away from the others. When they arrived, he opened the door and-- as one would expect from Gideon-- his room was filled with all sorts of books and scrolls; however, his things was expertly organized and the entire room looked immaculate, down to the last detail. This was no servant's work either, as he insisted on keeping his own room clean and organized so he could find anything he needed at a moment's notice. He bowed slightly and gestured to the inside of the room.
"After you, my lady. We will not be disturbed in here."

 

Haseo became concerned after she had vanished. He put the fire amulet on around his neck.
"Of course I would be worried, your one of my oldest friends."

He walked over towards the window and started to process everything as he looked out into a forest.
So, because of the current situation I've been appointed to be the temporary fire king for the sake of keeping the elements in balance... and aurora is the one behind not only with one, but all four of's Lazarus's kings. All for the sake of getting ready for the next major event thats lingering in the near future.

Haseo heard Mew and looked over to her. "Yes, she is sick. But she's always been one to push forward. Even if it means braving death itself. Do you mind if I... uh,"
As Haseo looked at Mew, he started to notice that this girl wasn't really normal. She had a pair of cat ears that he notice moving.

"What is your name and where did you come from?" He asked her as he walked over to a old looking wardrobe. He opened it and took out a light chest aromor piece and slid it onto his torso. It was green in color with ornate details dyed in dark red. It matched the bracers he was already wearing.
"I might have to thank Aurora for bringing me back home so quickly. but I wonder...."

Haseo moved most of the furniture to the walls of the main room and tried out some fire techniques. As he practiced them, he was able to summon up fire a lot more easier then before. Somehow his flames seemed more brighter than before, and more intense as well. At first he was suprised by what he was able to do. As he continued he started to realize what it all meant. he stopped and held the fire amulet in his hand, looking at it. As he looked at it, the new crest in it began to shine brightly at him. He smiled as his mind finally sorted everything out.

"I now know what I need to do and where my place is.... for now. I'll make sure to do my best my dearest friend!"

 

“As your master said King Yuri is safe. He’s in my realm with the other Kings and Queens,” Aurora responded lightly. She followed behind Gideon as quickly as possible. “That master of yours is a pretty interesting guy if I do say so myself. I’ve never seen someone quite eccentric as he is. He’s very likeable.”


When they got to Gideon’s room she turned serious. “As you know your king is missing. He is safe with me. I promise you. I know how worried you are about your King. Gideon, I have a really important favor to ask of you.”


Aurora looked down at the ground for a second. She was beginning to feel ill again. “Will you become the temporary king of the Air Kingdom? I don’t want any of the citizens to suffer anymore. The balance was thrown off as soon as Yuri was taken from here.”


Aurora held out the duplicated Air amulet to him. “Please do this for me, Gideon. I know I have family members out there that could be King or Queen, but I don’t know how well I can trust them. I know I can trust you. I know how caring you are. That will make you an excellent temporary until I return Yuri back to where he belongs.”

 

Gideon, noticing that Aurora seemed to be looking pale, was about to say something when she spoke up first. She asked him to become a temporary King of Air, which clearly caught him off-guard. When she pulled out the Air Amulet and held it in front of him, he stared at it as if he were entranced. He could hardly believe what he was hearing, but it was obvious that she meant every word.
"Me...? As the King of Air?"
He folded his arms, deep in thought and occasionally thinking out loud.
"I was prepared to take stewardship of the kingdom until King Yuri returned, but...to actually become a king myself?"
He started to pace around the room.
"I'd never even considered what it would be like to rule. And how long would King Yuri be gone? Not only that, would the people accept me as king?"

He stopped suddenly and turned his head towards Aurora.
"Even so...it seems that you have made your decision, so I will trust in your judgment. After all, you must be none other than the ruler of all of Lazarus, if my guess is correct."
When he thought about everything that had happened so far, such as how Nero seemed to trust her, how close she was to the former king and how she spoke of having the power to choose a new king, it was the only conclusion that made sense. He turned to her, bowed deeply and spoke up again.
"Your Majesty."
He took the amulet and put it around his neck.
"I humbly accept. For the sake of the people of the Air Kingdom, I will rule as king until the rightful king returns home. You have my word that I will do my utmost to rule with justice and fairness for all."

 

“Yes, I would like you to rule as the Air King until King Yuri is returned to you safely. I know it’s a lot of responsibility. No one ever does think about it until you are asked,” Aurora responded thoughtfully. She had been in his shoes once when she first became the Ruler of Lazarus.


“I’m not sure when I will be returning, King Yuri. All of the Kings and Queens are very stubborn people. Zael is especially the most stubborn of them all. The people will accept you as the King. They would put their trust in you as they would Yuri. As long as you keep that amulet around your neck…you will be safe.”


Aurora folded her arms over her chest. “Yes, I’ve made my decision. I’m glad you are able to trust me. Your guess is correct I am the Ruler of Lazarus.”


She threw her arms around Gideon. Her face lit up with joy when he accepted. “You don’t have to bow down to me. I know you will do me proud. You are a very worthy man. Thank you, Gideon. I must take my leave now. I have to go to the Earth Kingdom.”


Aurora smiled again and left the room. She started walking down the hall towards the Throne room. She was now wrapped up in her own thoughts. “Two more to go and then I can go back to my realm. I really need to get them up to speed. Verbena is probably going to attack soon…”

--

Zayne listened to every single word that his niece spoke to Gideon. Tears sprung in his eyes. “I should have known she was not able to trust me after all this time. I did this to myself. I shouldn’t have been so abusive towards her. I should have treated her kindly when she was a little girl.”


Zayne’s body started to wrack with sobs. “I’m a terrible person.”

“Uncle Zayne, are you alright,” Aurora asked when she noticed that her Uncle was crying.

“Y-Yes, honey, are you alright,” he responded and smiled. He noticed that she was looking pale.

Aurora hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. “Yes, I’m okay. I’ll see you when I get back from the Water Kingdom. I’m headed to the Earth Kingdom right now. I’ll see you later Uncle Zayne.”


With that Aurora disappeared from the Air Kingdom.

 

Lain narrowed her eyes as Shizukesa spoke with the innkeeper. "So they decided to stop here after all."
"Hmm?" Rhiner asked looking up from the plate before him. Lain gestured with her eyes and Rhiner turned his head to call for more beer. "The water priestess?" He asked after the serving girl had left.
"Yes, her companion is carrying that book you want so badly," Lain replied.
"I see," he replied grimly. "Eyes always fixed on the task ahead."

Giving him a quizzical look, Lain went back to sewing her tunic. She had chosen to wear a rather plain dress with her leather armor underneath downstairs. The saber of hers was left upstairs locked in their room, as a young woman traveling with her husband would have no need for such a militaristic item.

"How would you like to continue?" She asked him quietly.
"Wait til night falls. then we'll see if they truly have my missing book. In the meantime, I think you should try to enjoy yourself some more." He passed her one of the beers the serving girl had brought.

"You drink too much, Derrin," Lain complained. "Life isn't at the bottom of a pitcher."
"Ah, but by finding the bottom of a pitcher, one can enhance their life."
"Drunken fool, I can't believe you," Lain mumbled before looking up again. As she did so, she managed to look directly at Shizukesa without meaning to. Quickly she looked away. "I believe we should head upstairs. This is our honeymoon, isn't it? I don't want to spend all night in a seedy tavern."
Taking Rhiner's hand, Lain dragged him back up to their room.
-------------------------------------------------

While Aurora and Gideon left the throne room to talk Gale fell into silence, a look of concentration on her face. The barn owl had vanished from the large room and was instead perched outside of Gideon's window, listening in on the conversation with its exceptional hearing.
"She doesn't trust me," Gale said quietly. However she soon heard something that raised her spirits.

OOT: i'm unsure if Zayne left the throne room and was eavesdropping or if Aurora returned to the throne room. I'm going to assume he's eavesdropping.

With purpose Gale strode from the throne room with a playful wink to Nero. As she rounded the corner of the hallway she spotted Zayne standing in the hallway.
"I didn't notice you leaving the room, Grandfather," she said quietly. When Aurora burst out to give Zayne a hug Gale slipped into the room to stand in front of King Gideon.
"So... worried about the people, huh?" Sidling up next to him, she put her arm through his. "Perhaps I could help you with that. After all, who better to represent the people other than a long time worker for our peaceful kingdom and the wayward child of the royal family?"
------------------------------------------------

Mew felt herself shrink under Haseo's scrutiny, her ears flattening against her head. She pulled the hood of her cloak down lower over her face and moved towards the nearest corner.

"I'm no one," she said quietly, "I came from nowhere."

The men who had been protecting her had been very clear, she was to not tell anyone about herself if she were to ever get lost. They would find her and they would keep her save. The Guardians of the Sands protected their charge.
----------------------------------------------

 

Gideon felt more than a little wary of Gale after their last conversation and he couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of ulterior motive behind her sudden "friendliness." Even so, he wanted to believe that she really was willing to help, so he decided to give her a chance. He showed a calm smile and nodded before replying.
"Yes, of course. I couldn't agree more."
He gently slipped his arm away from Gale's before continuing.
"You have my deepest gratitude for volunteering your aid in this time of need. As my personal adviser, I am certain that your assistance will be invaluable as we strive to maintain peace and stability in the Kingdom of Air."
He added a little extra emphasis to "personal adviser" to make sure she caught it.
"If she proves herself trustworthy, perhaps her role will change in the future. But for now, I need to see how far her ambition reaches."

Nero soon entered the room and threw his arms open, smiling as he addressed his student.
"Brother Gideon! I see your business with Lady Aurora has concluded. Well then, what should we do--"
He stopped suddenly, his normally flamboyant attitude subsiding for a moment as he stared in awe at the amulet around Gideon's neck. After the initial shock set in, he gave Gideon a warm and sincere smile as he spoke quietly, in a rare moment of complete sincerity.
"It seems I spoke too soon. Not Brother Gideon, oh no...your royal majesty, King Gideon."
A single tear of pride fell down his cheek.
"The title suits you well."

Gideon winced at the words "King Gideon." It was strange enough to hear that title connected to his name for the first time, but hearing it from his master, a man he looked up to, made it all the more surreal and unsettling. Looking down, he held the Amulet of Air with his right hand and stared deeply into it.
"Will I ever become accustomed to hearing those words...?"

Sensing his student's doubt, Nero put his arm around Gideon's shoulders.
"Fate rarely chooses people who think that they are prepared. Those who believe themselves to be great are often not, while those who do not consider themselves as such often are."

While he still wasn't smiling, the tension in Gideon's expression lightened and he felt no small sense of comfort from Nero's belief in him. He looked to Nero and gave a slight nod.
"Thank you. Then I suppose...it is time for me to take my throne."