SECTION III - The Stories

Legend of the Rose
Chapter Two
The Hidden Path

        The weather was stormy, as the waters churned below the planks of the port. Hannah stared blindly at the ugly colors swirling in the sea, trying to clear her mind but only feeling an emptiness.
        "Clef, you have to come with me," She told her foster father as he hefted a bag off his shoulder.
        "No. You´ll do best without me," Clef nodded. "Don´t worry about me. Keep to your own skin."
        "But…" Hannah protested but found Elijah approaching. She glared openly as she tugged on Clef´s arm frantically. "I can´t do without you. You´re all that I know. You may not be blood but you.. This whole town is my family. I can´t just leave."
        "Hannah, just think of this as flying the nest. Eventually, all little sparrows must fly to find their wings. Some just have to do it the hard way," Clef smiled, the sad glimmer in the eyes striking through her.
        "Clef.." Hannah´s hand dropped as Elijah spoke.
        "Say your goodbyes then?"
        Hannah bent to pick up her bag and marched past him.
        "Hannah." Clef murmured gently.
        "Yes, Clef?" Hannah asked smoothly, flicking her gaze back.
        "Be on your best behavior. Try not to get anyone mad enough to try to kill you for once."
        "Me?" Hannah asked innocently, batting her eyes falsely. "Why, Father, I have no idea where you´d get that impression. If anything," She added darkly. "I´ll be the first one to kill someone."
        She paused before looking back. "You´ll be all right?" The worry was etched into her furrowed brow.
        "Of course, Hannah. I´ve lived this long, I´ll survive. It´s what the people of Grove have done and it´s what we´ll keep on doing." He smiled warmly, speaking soothingly.
        She walked off then, her head held high. If Clef had seen her face, he would´ve spotted the tears glistening but she wouldn´t allow him to see that weakness. She had to be strong.
        Clef turned toward Elijah. "Remember the deal, protect at all cost."
        "Of course," Elijah smiled grimly. "It´s what I´ve been waiting to do."

        Hannah approached the long ship, a long, solid piece of work. A flag danced out in the high, cold wind, embalmed with a bleeding red heart and a bone striking through it like an arrow. She marched on, off the dock onto the plank to land on the deck.
        No more than two handfuls of pirates moved fluidly along the upper deck of the ship, shouting incoherently as they worked in moderate unison.
        "Well, if it isn´t Miss Sunshine herself," The black man approached, his dark eyes twinkling. "Name´s Caga, child."
        "I´m NOT a child," Hannah retorted. "Name´s Hannah Isabel Loren."
        "Nice to meet you," He offered a hand that she instantly accepted and felt a strange sensation ripple through her spine to tingle in her head. "Sensitive thing, eh? Goes with the whole package, I´d assume."
        "I have no idea what you´re talking about," Hannah was staring hard at him. "Caga? What do I look like?"
        "Smart woman too," He grinned broadly. "Elijah described you really nice. A good complexion, fiery hair, and an ass that just won´t.."
        "Caga!" Elijah glared. "What are you talking about?" He asked darkly, his teeth gritted.
        "Nothing important, Captain." But he winked at Hannah broadly as Hannah rolled her eyes.
        "Aye there, Lass," A old man, as old as dirt it seemed to Hannah, limped over, his metal leg clamoring on the surface in huge thunks. His wispy hair, or what was left of it, danced in the air as his green eyes glowed with fire. "Ain´t you a beaut, all the same! Ho boy," He leaned over, his smile revealing the absence of teeth. "How about we go below and have us some fun?"
        Hannah blinked before she leaned closer, reached down and grasped him by the pants. His eyes grew as big as saucers as she smiled thinly. "Try that again, I dare you."
        "I meant nothing by it, child. I wouldn´t be interested," He squeaked as she let go of his pants. He wobbled away, his face flushed as two look-a-likes cackled at him.
        "Not nice but it gets the job done. He´d be on you like.." Elijah stilled as she turned toward him, her normally blue eyes darkened with rage. "Still not happy, are we?"
        "Go to Hell," She moved away but he stalled her. "What?"
        He nodded to Caga. "Follow him and help him out. You´ll be his servant for the trip."
        "Like Hell I will!"
        "Then I´ll set you to be cabin boy with the twins. Your choice." He smiled grimly.
        "You lousy…"
        "Yes, yes," He waved a hand as he moved around her. "Just do me a favor and shut up."
        Hannah turned and her skin had splotched with rage, her eyes narrowed as she ground her teeth. Caga had returned to her side and carefully, he spoke. "Come on, Hannah. You´ll be all right."
        "Is he always this way?" She glowered.
        "He´s been that way for a long time. Wounds don´t heal so well sometimes," Caga waved her in. "Let´s introduce you to the rest."
        The two twins approached. Identical in all senses, with their sun-bleached blonde hair cut into spikes, startling ice blue eyes that bordered on near white, and the palest skin Hannah had ever seen. They were rather short for their age, Hannah estimated just a little more older than her. She nodded as one of them jumped down from the rope.
        "Yang, how you doing?" Caga asked easily.
        "Doing all right. You making a mess with the Captain?" Yang twisted his smile. "Good thing it ain´t directed at me. Always getting mad and all.."
        "With good reason. You two keep costing him money." Caga pointed out easily.
        "Don´t know why he don´t take out the middle man and toss us off," The other one approached with a broad grin.
        "That one is Yin. He´s got the mole under his right eye," Caga offered helpfully.
        Hannah peered at Yin. It was a small beauty mark but it was there nonetheless. "Well, that´ll help if you like me breathing on you."
        "I´d ask for more but I saw what you did to Ol´ Stampy," Yin winked with a snicker. "He´s worse than any of us put together."
        "Firebrand!" Yang perked up, looking past his brother with a wave. "Let me have a sip of that flask!"
        The abnormally tall man, with red streaks across the left half of his body, from his face, arms, and what else was visible on him, tossed the silver container. His head was full of black curls, that made his pale skin blanch.
        "He´s a Godsend. Always got what can cure your ailments." Yang chugged and then choked, spitting over the floor as he nearly shrieked. "Coffee?!"
        "Need our wits about, not lurid flashing," Firebrand stared at Hannah. Blind in his left eye, he turned to look fully on as she found herself in a staring contest with the green eyed man. She wasn´t to be outdone as she narrowed her gaze and stared back.
        "Good for you," Firebrand nodded after a few moments of silence. "Hesitance will kill you, remember that."
        She frowned as he moved away. "What was that about?"
        "All those burns he has," Yin leaned closer. "Came from a mistake he made. Course, he´s learned now but that didn´t help him."
        "What happened?" Hannah asked quizzically.
        "Does it look like I know?" Yin rolled his eyes. "He´s not exactly the talkative one."
        "Hey! I´m not paying you to dance on your asses. Get this ship up to speed!" Elijah roared from the helm.
        They saluted and then separated as they laughed. Hannah stood for a moment before going to the banister, to stare down at the town.
        It was empty of life, Hannah noted with a heavy heart. The wind blew through the town like a ghost town as she looked for anyone left at all.
        "You´ll be back, Hannah. And all the more better for it if you just believe enough." Caga murmured. Hannah shook her head sadly.
        The next hour was spent readying and by the time they had shoved off, Hannah was in the main cabin, wondering how the others had left the island. The other end has ships they must´ve used but she wondered why they were so willing.
        "I don´t know anything at all," She announced as Caga entered the room. He raised an eyebrow. "Grove is a tiny island, made of misfits and the outcasts. I didn´t even know we had a war!"
        "Hmm…" Caga sat on the chair, folding a leg over the other as he tapped his chin with a forefinger. "Well, it was said that King Loren had family at one point but ended up losing them in a sea storm. Not everyone  believed that but it was a general acceptance."
        "You really don´t know anything about your parents? If what the rumors we heard are right, I´d place you at three years old."
        "I don´t remember anything from then. I remember.." Hannah thought about it for a moment. "Waking up in Clef´s arms, crying. Hattie over me telling me to be a strong girl, that everything was all right. Grove is the only thing I know," She rolled over to her front on the bed she had been sitting on. She tried to not sniffle but she let out a gusty sigh. "So, um, what do you know of King Loren?"
        She stood up, pacing agitated as Caga watched her.
        "Family is important. It´s important to understand, as well, as sometimes there are the black sheep born into each one." Caga stared at his hands. "So many have I seen that have been dark and cold. King Loren is powerful because of that black heart. He took the throne for himself and turned a peaceful era into nothing."
        His head dropped as he continued. "He´s taken everything from so many, he´s a monster."
        "And so I´m just running from him because he wants me dead."
        Caga looked up with a quiet expression. "Not quite."
        "Not quite. Right, that whole ‘Legendary‘..." It struck her then as she pulled her locket from under her shirt. "´Rose´."
        "It´s written here.. My parents wrote it. How would they know?"
        "They created you. A human and a Mera together," Caga settled back in the chair. "Humans don´t know much of the Mera but the Mera knew of things, not just of humans but what could happen if the two races combined."
        "One of the reasons why the Mera don´t associate with humans. It´s extremely rare to find one now since they exist on Faeya."
        Hannah perked up. "I´ve heard of that. The moving island of spirits."
        "Well, the Mera to be exact."
        There was a loud knock on the door as Elijah peered in. "Caga, go give Ol´ Stampy a hand before he decides to destroy everything."
        "Sure, Boss," Caga moved past as Elijah entered further.
        "You know, you can just ask me anything as well. I´ve got good information."
        "I´d rather bite a snake´s head off," Hannah retorted. "Thanks but no thanks."
        Elijah´s lips tightened as he continued. "Listen, we´re going to be traveling for a while. Best we try to get along. Maybe I wasn´t as nice as I should´ve been.."
        "Still waiting for that apology."
        "You ran into me.." He began forcibly but managed to bite his tongue to be silent for a moment. "Clef hired me around a year ago to be your guard. It was a part of an agreement."
        "What agreement?" Hannah crossed her arms.
        "Nothing to worry yourself about," He retorted back at her.
        "He knew there were problems?"
        "I and others have been bringing news of the war since you washed to shore."
        Hannah lowered her arms. "He knew all this time that I was.. This person?"
        Elijah studied his hands. "The Legendary Rose. A being of combined souls into one, with the ability to use the sea and yet also live on land without worry of turning into sea water if too far from the shore. The Legendary Rose holds great power but it´s said she could call on the dead gods of Aone, Earath and Seamine to bring about a rebirth."
        Hannah stared at him. "What? That´s not what I know.. I mean, the Legendary Rose is supposed to be frightening, yes, but I can´t do that. I can´t do anything!"
        "You pick me up like a rag and threw me across the side for several feet. You broke a table without thinking about it and anytime you get upset, the weather changes." He pressed a hand to his chest. "And I´ve only watched you for the last few hours for that. You can be powerful."
        He hesitated. "You really don´t remember anything before washing ashore?"
        "No," Hannah shook her head adamantly. "Nothing whatsoever."
        "I see.."
        "Where are we going?" Hannah asked finally. "Since you´re driving this thing."
        "Heading to Faeya."
        "Yea, right. No, really, where are we headed?"
        "I told you. I´ve got a friend there who´ll help us. You´ll be able to learn more about your Mera  blood."
        "Great. Leave home, be told I´m something person who can call to Gods and now I´m going to a obscure island to learn about my heritage. Did I leave anything out?" She asked with crossed arms.
        "Yes. Since you never said no about being a cabin boy, the lower deck needs to be cleaned. How about you get to it?"
        She grabbed a pillow, since it was the closest object and heaved it with a snort. He snickered as he left to return to the upper floor.

        Tendrils of smoke drifted around the ceramic water bowl, decorated in silver twists along the rounded rim edge. As long and wide as a man´s height, the black water cleared to reveal flickered reflections of Hannah. The area around her was blurred and intangible as old, feathered skinned hands brushed by it.
        "We cannot see her, My Lord," the cloaked man, with a old voice, spoke. His head hidden in the heavy maroon hood of the gold trimmed robe, he turned subjectively toward the man sitting on the throne. "The Seer there is managing to block our attempts."
        The darkened man harrumphed once, uncrossing his legs as he straightened, caught in the shadows. "I have sent out Master Cole to intercept. Let´s see how well that peters out."
        The Seer bowed deeply. "Of course, King Loren."


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....Return to Section III - The Stories?

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      Worlds Within (title/site) 2003 - 2009 Wildnature. All stories, characters, writings by and (C) Wildnature.