Mina's Story

Siya Ukomo

The door burst open and a red haired youth came stumbling in, his chest heaving as if he'd run miles to get to the council room. Siya recognized him as Aarynn, or Flynn as the young man liked to be called. The Fire King leaned forward and hid his smile by putting his hands up over his mouth in an interlocked fist. His burnt orange eyes shifted casually to Kaed who turned his deep red gaze toward Flynn in the most intimidating manner he could possibly possess.

"Ya know, where I come from, if you're late more than three times, ya get run through with a spear," Marsaili commented, her sweet voice belying her deadly intentions. She looked up then at them as silence filled the room. Siya had turned his gaze at her and frowned lightly. How he wished he could change her way of thinking sometimes.

"What? That's not the case round here? Weird..."

Siya sighed heavily and leaned his head down as he closed his eyes, "No Marsaili, that's not how we do things. It's alright, Flynn. We can fill you in on the events," he commented and shortly after Marsaili did just that, though her explanation was much less informative and dire than the messengers.

Once the little girl had left the room, Kaed turned to Siya and glowered, "Why do you keep her?"

"Kaed," Siya started softly and lifted his eyes towards the taller Protector, "She's a powerful protector, just like you two. Can't you just bear with her like always?"

Kaed's face softened as he gazed at the young King. Siya knew he'd gotten to him, he had a way of softening the strong protector, though he wasn't sure exactly how that was. Well, at least he'd saved Marsaili from Kaed's wrath... or maybe it was the other way around. Siya wasn't sure. In any case, Kaed turned to Flynn and frowned at him.

"Next time, pay attention to the messenger I send to you. You should hurry up and get ready, we're leaving to see King Telius within the next hour or so."

A pounding on the double doors filled the air and Siya looked up. His thin eyebrow rose and he glanced to Kaed before calling, "Enter."

The door opened and another messenger slipped in. He held a piece of paper in his hands and presented it to Siya, "We just received this not but twenty minutes ago."

The Fire King opened the envelope that bore the water seal of the Water King (or rather Queen as she preferred to be called). The note was short and to the point, just like Celeste.

Shrine of Aridea, this evening, sharp.

"As demanding as ever," Siya commented and folded the paper. He stood up and crossed the room towards the doors, "Change of plans. We're leaving for the Shrine of Aridea. By the time we get there it'll be evening and we wouldn't want to make Celeste wait for us."

"I'll go inform our little menace," Kaed said as he gently brushed passed Siya. The King felt a hitch in his throat as Kaed passed him, just barely touching him. Siya cleared his throat and moved down the hall on his own. He was heading for the front of the castle. From there he would go to the stables where he would prepare his horse.

"I'll meet you in the stables, Flynn," he told the other Protector, "Go get ready, and try to be quick," Siya said glancing over his shoulder and smiling brightly as the man. Siya pushed open the doors to his castle and strode down the cobblestone walkway to the stables near the entrance of the palace walls. Beyond that was his city where he reigned and watched over the citizens. He entered the stables and started working to get all of the gear ready for the long several hour ride they were about to embark on.

He was saddling the horse when a loud sound overhead caught his attention. Looking up, the young Fire King could hardly believe what he saw next. A gust of wind blew his hair and clothes about, and a solid body fell down towards him. He caught sight of the body quickly — it was a woman, no less — and he raised his arms in half an effort to catch her, the other half an effort to protect himself. The girl crashed into him, even through the roof she'd just blown through. Siya tumbled under her, falling onto his back with her right on top of him.

As soon as everything settled, he groaned and peeked one eye open to look at what the sky had thrown at him. Brushing off hay from the girl's face, he gazed at her carefully. Slowly, Siya sat up and pulled her close into his arms. She was unconscious, and her head was bleeding, no doubt from crashing into the stables' roof. She was bruised and cut in quite a few places, too. Just what happened to her? And are those... wings, wrapped around her?

Some more clattering got Siya's attention a second time, and a sword dropped inches away from his side. The girl's? Lucky enough, his horse hadn't done much more than rear and canter off to the side. At the moment the black steed eyed his rider carefully, almost... accusingly... as Siya sat there, with an injured, unconscious girl in his arms.

Carefully, Siya pulled the girl to his chest and stood up, dust and dirt falling off of him as he did so. With a sigh, he latched the girl's sword to his side and started back to the castle. He was going to have to take care of her before doing anything else. Hopefully it would be quick so that they could leave and meet with Celeste.

Kanan Thiyer

He was kneeling in the garden area of the palace, his eyes keenly examining the white buds of the flowers that were growing there. Kanan wasn't sure why but the smells of the flowers had a... calming effect on him. He often went to the garden to look at the flowers when he was irritated or otherwise 'out of place'. He wasn't quite sure how to act around the others and so found himself wandering the flower beds instead.

He reached out a heavily gloved hand and gently touched the flower bud, making it curl backwards under the slight pressure. Startled, he pulled back and watched the flower bounce back to it's original position. Kanan stood, a frown on his lips. He was used to seeing things break far too much than seeing things bend and still survive. In his left hand he held his sword and scabbard. The belt twisted around his hand as he gripped the weapon. Kanan hadn't thought to put the weapon on completely, but he never left it behind either.

He wore a simple white shirt that was opened in the front and baring much of his pale skin to the warm sunlight. The metal of the chains around his arms glinted in the light. Long black pants tucked into heavy boots made soft sounds as he moved slowly through the garden. The dangling chains and necklaces that he wore wrapped around his wrists and waist jingled around as well. Kanan wasn't one for stealth, so the noise didn't bother him in the least.

"Kanan!"

The call came from across the garden and the young Protector turned on his heel to see who it was. He looked with his right eye as the left was covered in a leather eye patch with a metal piece over the eye. His white hair fell over into his face as the wind picked up. The long strands of soft hair flipped about his features for a while before settling down. The man who'd called out to him rushed up to him and took a moment to catch his breath.

"Lady Celeste has called. She wishes for the protectors to get ready to leave."

"Where?"

"The Shrine of Aridea. That's all I know. You should go meet with her. She is in her room."

Kanan nodded slowly and backed away from the messenger. The air Protector moved towards the palace building that was built at the top of the hill. The large windows were mostly opened to let the breeze wash through the palace. It was a beautiful place to say the least, but Kanan was unsure as to how to act in such a place, especially when he was around the Air King. He was either overly protective, or too stiff, or too quiet... there was always something. He wasn't about to make Lady Celesete wait any longer for him though, even if his nerves were tied up once again.

So he quickly made his way through the halls and found himself at her door. Reaching up, he took a deep breath, and knocked gently, trying to keep his strength under wraps. Even so, the sound reverberated through the hall and the room beyond. He frowned at this and let his hand fall to his side.

Hebi Irikisha

“Why don’t we test that theory then? Hebi,” The sharp click of his tongue was the only warning that Hebi had before Eugene snapped at him. Even so, the intimidating presence of the man did nothing to make Hebi back down. No, instead it fueled him even further. Leaning off the pillar, Hebi moved his upper body forward in such a way as to entice Eugene further. His lips spread into an even crueler smile, deeper and colder than before. His brilliantly green eyes flashed dangerously as he eyed Eugene's burning blue ones.

However, his fun was spoiled as Telius jumped into the matter and shouted at them all. Hebi leaned back against the wall, a slight frown on his lips as he unwillingly tore his gaze from Eugene to their King. The young man was by far the youngest King to rule, barely even 19 the boy had much to learn. Even so, the three of them followed him. Well... maybe not all three of them. Hebi's smile returned to his face as he settled against the pillar, ever aware of Eugene's cold glare.

The snake-like Earth Protector hardly payed any heed to the exchange of words between Rosena and Telius. He didn't care much for the other King's anyway, or their protectors. He only had one to worry about and that was more than enough.

"My King, hadn't you noticed how odd the air outside had seemed. Something had shifted, a coolness sifted through the air, Lastra's balance is going to shift dramatically if nothing is done. Tsunami's will begin hover over cities, and droughts will begin in others. Water is no longer controllable," Rosena commented softly, her voice wavering ever so slightly as she addressed the King.

"I'm sure he's felt it, my dear," Hebi remarked coolly, "He is the Earth King after all. Unless, of course, he wasn't paying any attention to that, then maybe he hadn't felt it. But, my dear, you're over exaggerating things a bit don't you think?" Hebi asked as he pushed off the pillar and moved towards her and King Telius. He brought his arms up over his head and intertwined his fingers with his long, thick black hair.

"Tsunamis? Droughts? My dear, these things take time. It isn't like the orb has been lost for years, it's been lost for hours, maybe a day or so. That decrepit old Water King surely had some magic left over in the thing to keep things in balance for at least a few years. Of course, that would be the smart thing to do, but you know," Hebi heaved a sigh and flipped one hand about like he was waving off a fly as he turned his back to the King and the other two Protectors, "If he'd of thought of such things like that, maybe he wouldn't have gotten himself killed so easily. Just my opinion of course."

Hebi yawned loudly and stretched his body, his back popping effectively, "Now, if you've no need of me immediately, I'm going to retire to my quarters," he called as he started towards the double doors of the palace's throne room.

Siya Ukomo, Kaed Kuhti and Mina

It took some work, but Siya was able to convince his bodyguards to leave the room. Mina wouldn't have talked otherwise. Kaed's hate-filled gaze... scared her. (Of course, he was eavesdropping behind the door. No way was he just going to leave his King alone.)

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"They were trying to kill me." Siya couldn't really wrap his head around the idea, and the more Mina answered his questions the more he had.

"Why? Who's 'they'?" She quieted down again, finding little comfort in knowing she had her sword within arm's reach. Mina didn't want to answer him. Siya took her into his home without remorse; he cleaned and dressed her injuries; it felt nice, being worried over like this. She didn't want more people — let alone humans, who weren't able to fully comprehend what she was — to treat her like...

"... a monster...."

"A monster?"

"They... elves, and fae treat me like some kind of beast because of my ancestors, so they hunt me like one or act like I don't even exist." Mina couldn't tell him the whole story; she couldn't bring herself to. She even started tearing up just choking out her next words. "They killed my mother ten years ago."

Behind the door, Kaed stiffened. His gaze was locked on the floor as he cupped his ear against the door, trying to listen clearer. The girl had obviously been through a lot. It was just like Siya to take in troubled people. His lips turned from a detested scowl to a fond smile as he thought about the selfless things that Siya often did, even though it vexed him sometimes. He continued listening to the conversation, his arms crossing over his chest as he leaned against the door.

"Mina," Siya's voice was soft, his eyes filled with pity, "I'm sorry for your loss. Look, if there is anything we can do, please tell us. In the meantime, I have to leave for a short time; there are some urgent matters I must attend to. Can you stay here until I return?" As he stood to leave, Mina grabbed his wrist and blankly stared down at her blankets, tears dripping down her cheeks.

"Please don't leave me alone."

Kaed's smile quickly turned to a lour of sheer disbelief. His eyes widened, and he turned his head to glare at the door. His hands curled into fists, and he trembled. Just what was that girl up to? He had half a mind to burst through the door and throw her out the window! (The other half of his mind remembered that she has wings.) Anything to keep Siya from a girl — especially one that can end up being a danger to him. He leaned in closer to the double doors, intently listening to find out if his King's well-being was at risk.

Siya almost jumped. Mina's grip was surprisingly strong. When he looked at her, he was startled to see her in tears. Did he upset her somehow? Did he dig up bad memories? For a moment his heart jumped to his throat, and he felt utterly terrible.

"Mina?" Siya was unsure of what etiquette was involved with dealing with a crying girl. Even Marsaili's never cried, except for her crocodile tears.

"I don't want to be left alone again."

"You won't be alone, I've got many servants here that can tend to anything you... need." As Siya finished, Mina's grasp loosened and her fingers drifted off his arm, her hands moving to try and wipe away her tears. She looked terribly sad just sitting there in bed like that; he wasn't sure that his servants would even look in her direction, either. They have as little experience with this as him. "Or, um... you, could come with me..."

Siya smiled at her again, trying to offer her some semblance of comfort even though he just stood there awkwardly. He turned just enough and offered his hand, "Come on. We have to leave really soon, so we might as well go now and head to the stables."

Helping Mina out of her bed, Siya looked to the doors and calmly stated, "Kaed, you can come in now. She's coming with us."

Opening the doors for his King, Kaed must have felt some kind of sympathy, because his words were much softer than before. "She can come, but she rides her own horse." Though his words weren't hateful, the man's cheeks were red as if he were infuriated about something. However, that didn't seem right to Siya. Kaed was never 'infuriated'. Irked at times, yes; angry, yes; but never enraged about anything. Was this... jealousy? Well, that's what Siya saw.

"Kaed," Siya started with a lightly teasing tone, "it's alright. She can ride her own horse if that'll satisfy you. I just don't wish to leave her here all alone in such a huge castle."

Kaed flicked his eyes past Siya's shoulder to Mina and sighed. He placed one hand on his hip and ran the other through his long hair, fingers curling at the back of his head. He watched Siya closely before giving a shrug and a smile in return. "Alright then."

Kanan Thiyer

Kanan had followed Lady Celeste from her room down the hall to the platform that would take them to the debriefing room where she'd called all of the protectors. The young protector hadn't said much to the woman aside from giving a nod to her when she'd acknowledged him earlier. He was still unsure as to how to act around her, and most times went completely silent because of it.

He stepped up onto the platform, right behind Celeste having followed her diligently from her quarters. Queen Celeste turned then and watched him for a moment before smiling warmly. Kanan felt his face flush involuntarily and his eyes widened slightly. Why did she smile at him? How was he supposed to respond to that!? His nerves went from semi-steady to wrecked with that simple, gorgeous smile that she flashed him. Kanan stared at her without making a move, no smile in return, no words came from his mouth. He felt terrible when she turned away, having gotten no response from him.

His eyes looked off to the side and gazed at the elder man who served as Celeste's butler as he stepped up on the platform as well. The elder butler was much larger than Kanan was and he was slightly intimidating which didn't help Kanan's usual habits towards larger people. He was on edge as he stepped up on the platform behind his Queen, his hand gripping his sword tightly as he kept a close look on Emrys.

It wasn't that he distrusted the man, no that wasn't it. He just didn't know how to take the man's presence. So, he ended up being on the defensive and it was purely by habit, not intention. Kanan didn't say anything as he allowed the Queen to take them to the debriefing room. He was left to his own thoughts as he stood there awkwardly stiff behind her. Kanan's gaze continually shifted between Celeste and Emrys, trying to figure out their relationship to one another, though he figured they were fairly close. At the back of his mind, he wondered how he could possibly step up his own relationship with the Queen and possibly be a better protector.

Kaed moved swiftly down the hallway and stopped in front of the room that was Marsaili's. He could tell it was her's by the distinct smell of sulfur and ash in the air. For some reason the little trouble maker reminded him of hell. Almost too much like hell... Kaed sighed heavily as he reached up and ran his hand through his long black hair. Tossing the long strands over his shoulder, he knocked on her door gently. It was best to not rile up the beast as much as possible.

Marsaili was not a happy bunny. In fact she was greviously unhappy. She sat crosslegged upon her bed, arms crossed across her chest and scowling. Her anger was cloying and heavy in the room as was the harsh scent of brimstone and sulfer. The little demon watched as a knife tried to bury itself in the wall. The wall opposite to her door. By going through the door. No one seemed to inform demonic telekenisis that that was one big ass door. And no amount of flailing and anger fueled stabbing was going to get through it.

Although there was a nice little groove in the door now, going half way into the wood. That was cool, she supposed.

A soft knock at her door interrupted her thinking and caused her unstable telekenisis to panick and start stabbing the door frantically. Marsaili groaned and pulled herself off her bed and pulled open the door. The knife carried on trying to get through the door as the little girl gazed up at the much taller protector. Her eyes narrowed and she made a face. Marsaili was well aware that neither Flynn or Kaed was overly fond of her. She didn't really think Siya was all that happy with her either. Hell, the guards around the place were probably drawing Devil's Traps all over the roofs and stocking up on the Holy Water.

"Marsaili? There's been a change in plans. We have to go meet with Lady Celeste instead of going to see Lord Telius. We're leaving very soon, if you could be ready then. Marsaili?"

Well, of course she could be ready! She was ready right NOW. That was the problem! Nobody told her there was a change of plans so she had stalked back to her room (before setting fire to nearby side tables and flowers. Oh, and that oil painting, that was cool to watch. A little silver knife got sacrifed in the name of Lucifer for that funsies.)

"Oh cooome oooon. Do we have do go visit airy lady? Can't she just come here? Or maybe, we could just off her like Bluey and then no problems! Then we wouldn't have to go visit and I could go to the rock person's house and torch it! That sounds much more fun." Marsaili pleaded, her voice popping up an octave or two. A raised eyebrow and a funny look made the small demon gape.

Kaed stared at her and sighed as she complained. His hand came up and smacked into his forehead. He shook his head then, with it still in the palm of his hand. One hand rose up to his hip and he frowned in frustration. Why was she like this? There had to be a reason...

"Marsaili..."

"So wait, killing people off here is frowned upon? Now really, how do you sort out your differences? Talking?! Now that's a dumb idea." Marsaili rolled her eyes. A loud crack interrupted the hell spawn's ranting about how humans sucked at resolving issues. The little girl looked at the door frame and found that the knife had managed to get through the door. Huh. So it was possible. Marsaili wrenched the dagger out of the wood and gave Kaed a blinding beam.

"Marsaili, would you please try to behave yourself when we go? The last thing I need is for you to burn down anything valuable in the Shrine..." Kaed shook his head again and gave her a pleading look. Brushing his long hair back he turned and gave her a sideways glance, "Lord Siya is waiting in the stables, you should hurry and head there."

He said and started down the hallway.

The little demon stood in the hallway for a few seconds before letting out a loud sigh and rushing back inside her room to get her sword. And Mr Smiles. Because what was an adventure without your best friend? She giggled as the rabbit was clutched to her chest.

"Finally! Let's get going!" With that she tore down the hallway, hair flying out behind her and laughter echoing in her wake.

...

Marsaili was not a happy bunny. Again. She was in a dire mood and was emitting a black fog that circled her very being. This was common for demons to show that they were angry or irritated. She had seen it throughout hell as demons got a bit...touchy. Usually though, it could be controlled. However, Marsaili's control over her demonic powers was patchy to begin with. Thus, as she walked through the corridors, a distinct smell of brimstone and a shadowy black mist around her conveyed her anger and frustration to everyone. Nobody told her that there was apparently another change of plans. She went to the stables. And waited. Waiting was rare for the hellspawn so that was a big thing and still, no one came. So Marsaili got angrier and angrier and the horses got more and more jumpy as the rage was almost tangible. Eventually, she gave up on waiting and decided to find the king and her fellow protectors and take them/bodily drag them to the stables so that they could gallop off and so she could finally torch someone's palace.

Now, really. Was that too much to ask?

So as she went through the palace, merciously hunting the others down like a greyhound, the shadows died down a little more. Although the flowers she passed were still dying and withering up as the smoke choked them. Oops? Marsaili couldn't really care. She turned around the corner and bumped into a walking piece of fabric and muscle.

"Oof!" She fell to the floor and the blackness snarled and rose again as she realised who she had faceplanted into.

"You! Siya! Kaed! Flynn! I found yas! I was lookin' for ya' cos you guys left me at the stables!" Marsaili ranted from her perch on the floor, slowly getting more irrate and angry. She didn't really know why she was getting so angry but didn't fight against it very much. Hell, demons didn't exercise self control all that often. Her eyes glimmered with irritation as she ranted about how she was left alone at the stables and wasn't told of the delays again.

"I waited for ages!" She cried, crocodile tears welling up in her eyes. But that wouldn't have fooled anyone. Roaring hellfire shone in her orange eyes and the black fog shimmered around her hands. Then she noticed someone else. As Marsaili noticed this new person, her dislike flickered and took root. Someone had to be blamed and this new person was the easiest target. She climbed to her feet and threw an accusing finger at this person. She looked Siya straight in the eye, clutching her teddy to her chest and fighting the urge to draw her sword, she pouted and let a few of the angry tears fall down her face. Say what you will, but Marsaili was an expert in guilt tripping. The king of Hell himself couldn't be mean to that face. Her angry eyes fell upon the young woman in front of her and she let out a shrill cry.

"And who, in the name of Lucifer, is that?!"

*Fire consumes post...* >.> No worries!!! Things are all good! I has it under control!!! >.<

"My Lord," Kaed complained, "why must we trudge through this forest?"

"This is the quickest way to the Shrine."

Flynn groaned; he couldn't feel his legs. The samurai muttered to himself, "Also the most uncomfortable way to the Shrine..." He thought of how the wind protectors were probably floating through the clouds and groaned again.

Siya lightly held the reigns in his hands as his horse trod through the trail that led deep into the forest. The shrine was still several hours out, but the young King had figured taking a short cut would at least reduce the amount of time it took to get there. He knew how testy Lady Celeste could be sometimes, and the last thing he wished was for them to get on her bad side immdediately upon arrival.

Turning in the saddle, he grinned at his protector. "I thought you liked forests?"

"Most times..." Kaed replied, but his eyes were shifting through the trees as if he were on high alert — or at least, higher than usual when they weren't at home. Siya sighed and turned back around.

"What could possibly be making you so tense?"

"... Just... a gut feeling," the Protector muttered under his breath. Siya looked over to Mina, who was walking alongside him and Kaed. She must not have been able to fly through.

At this, Flynn chuckled. "Gut feeling? Surely, it isn't a case of wing envy?" Then, thinking about his comment, Flynn realized that he was also quite envious of Mina's wings. The samurai cast a glance—of slight loathing—at the creature directly below him. Boltte was a rough bony horse with an attitude at least five times his weight. Flynn called him "Butt" now, but the joke was still on the Protector—it was his butt hurting after each ride.

That damn girl came from this direction, Kaed thought. This is nymph territory, too, so if they really do hate Mina there's no doubt that there'll be trouble. He looked over to the girl, and noticed how tightly she was clutching her sword. She's anticipating it more than I am, it seems. Sadly, trying to get her away wasn't going to be the best choice at the moment.

"Don't worry." Mina looked surprised to be hearing it from the man who wanted nothing more than to be rid of her; Siya didn't appear to notice. "The king would never abandon someone." She didn't answer, but even if it came from Kaed it made her feel a little more at ease.

Marsaili growled as they entered the forest. The demon did not like the forest. It was too green for her liking. She much prefered red. It was a small thing but still, it irked her. And then there was the fact that it was Mina (or "wingy lady" as she was mentally referring to her as) was being all cagey. Sure, everyone sort of thought Marsaili wouldn't notice it, (to be honest, if Kaed wasn't being so blatently obvious...) but she saw the tight grip on the sword. Yeah. That was not going to fly.

"Well, the king might no' like abandonin' people but I've no problem wit' it. In fact, I have no problem wit' turnin' someone into, oh, let's say, sawdust!" Marsaili flashed a blinding grin to Mina before coaxing her less-than-willing horse to catch up to Siya.

Well, at least one of them might as well protected the poor sod.

"Marsaili," Kaed called, his voice less than pleased, "No one is turning anyone into sawdust."

"Oh, but come on! It would be fun and would certainly bright'n this journey up. S'been so borin'!"

Kaed sighed and put his head back in the palm of his hand. "That doesn't mean you can go around torching whatever you please to dust, Marsaili..."

"No torching from the Fire Protectors?" The Samurai's eyebrows arced, "That's confusing..."

Up ahead, Siya laughed at their bickering. He turned in his saddle to offer some advice for the little girl at further agitating the tall Protector but as he opened his mouth a soft sound caught his attention. He was far to late in realizing that the arrow had already launched at him. By the time he'd turned around in alarm, the projectile struck his shoulder, deep in the tissue. Siya yelled in shock and was knocked off his horse. He fell hard on his back, one hand reaching for the arrow that stuck out of his body.

"Siya!" Kaed shouted as he drew his sword and rushed to Siya's side. The trees were alive with the subtle movement of the nymphs and elves that lived there. Marsaili let out a shrill peal of laughter as she leapt from her horse, drew her sword and plunged it straight into the chest of the nearest being. The elf stared in shock as a little girl slipped her sword underneath the rib cage and prodded his heart. Hard. She giggled, her arm in someone's torso before ripping it out and attacking a second time.

"Phew! No need for sawdust, Kaed! We gots all the fun we need now!" She shouted back, a dagger piercing a stomach and causing a nearby nymph to fall with a scream. Marsaili chuckled, her eyes flashing a fiery orange as the smell of brimstone swirled around her form. Black smoke was drawn out from her body as she let loose a fireball straight from the depths of hell. The hellspawn stood in awe as a few of the attackers burned in the dark smokey flames.

Kinda pretty.

Flynn had been off his horse in an instant—and... had... face-planted into the ground in that same instant. Damn you... Butt. He quickly leapt back to his feet, sword blazing in hand. He glanced in Siya's direction.

Kaed threw a quick look over his shoulder to the girl that looked absolutely pleased with the fight that had just erupted. The Protector, on the other hand, didn't share the same feelings. He wasn't in the least pleased about the sudden fighting.

Marsaili threw her head over and spotted Kaed kneeling over Siya. She looked back up at the attackers and sent a small ball of demonic energy their way. It tired the little girl out but it did give them a little bit of time. Marsaili made her way over to the fallen King, her feet stumbling as a sweat broke over her forehead. Summoning hell was not a nice experience, no matter how natural it felt.

"So, damage...control?" The demon panted, eyes glazing a little as the elves tried to push back the demon energy. It was still connected to her until she dismissed it. Marsaili had always hated that part.

"I'm fine," Siya replied to the girl that stood over him. He smiled up at her even as blood poured between his fingers where he gripped the arrow. He noted that she looked utterly tired and pushed himself up into a sitting position, "Let it go, Marsaili. We'll be fine, don't push yourself."

"You heard him, I'll take care of them. Watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Kaed gave Siya a hard look before swiftly getting to his feet and summoning his own fire magic. What he sacrificed turned to blue dust and sunk into him. Fire erupted all along his body and then exploded from him in the shape of two dragon heads. The power rushed out towards the oncoming elves and nymphs.

He manipulated that power for some time before dismissing it and leaving a trail of burning foliage and bodies behind. Kaed charged head long into the first of several elves, his sword clashing with the closest one and blood covering his weapon and clothes in process.

Marsaili frowned stubbornly and sent a ripple towards the ball of energy, strengthening it, giving it form. Kaed might be able to handle himself but, damn it, she wasn't useless. The ball of black smoke grew in size and swallowed up nearby nymphs. The demon hissed as she fought the urge to let go of the beast and let it settle back in hell. Nope, she could show her dad what she could do. She was not a baby anymore. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her fists, forcing the parts of hell to stay up and help her.

"I will...n-not...let...it...go." She snarled through her teeth, a little flush taking over her cheeks. "You b-better appreciate this..." She gave Siya a quick look as she kneeled down. No sense wasting energy by standing. Well, that's what her legs were telling her. Marsaili couldn't really care if her legs were tired, the all-consuming feeling of holding the hell energy up was slightly more pressing.

"Marsaili," Siya whispered, in awe at her determination. She was just a small child, but at times it seemed that she was something more than that. Scooting towards her he reached out, but stopped half way. He wasn't sure how to do it, but he'd heard of sharing energy between two people and it involved sacrifices. Siya turned and looked around trying to find something he could sacrifice that would be enough, preferably without using his sword.

He thought of the arrow in his shoulder, the tip was made of metal, right? He concentrated and in a matter of seconds the arrow tip dispersed into energy and he used his orb to take that energy and touched her shoulder. He let that energy transfer through his body and down his bloodied hand into her shoulder.

"I know it's not much, but I hope it's helped," Siya said to her, smiling once again. Marsaili looked down and frowned. Why would he help he- Suddenly that thought was no longer important. The extra energy coursed through her quickly and she reacted. The demonic influx of energy burst forth and shot through the forest. The demon gave a shrill scream as she let out the burst, her nerve endings on fire as well as singing out. Oh, it burned but felt so natural for the young demon. But as suddenly as the energy shot through her, it disappeared and the steady posture she had slumped forward, her hair hanging before her eyes.

"Y-yep...that was...yeah..." Marsaili panted, holding her sides tightly and screwing her eyes shut. She had to get reacquainted with the lack of energy pull and the hell energy slowly seeping back into her. Marsaili shivered as the sweet black fog returned to her. Her instinct was to pull it around her like a security blanket, but she had other things to do. She glanced back at Siya and felt compelled to ask something. She wasn't good at the whole social stuff but hey, she could try.

"S-so...how are you...d-doing...?"

"Fine, Marsaili. Thank you, but I'm more worried about you. You look exhausted." His eyes raised as he caught sight of movement behind Marsaili. He didn't know where Kaed was exactly, but he figured that the taller Protector was still fighting. Siya could hear the clashing of weapons. He lost sight of Mina, but a wild explosion behind him told him she was fighting, too — whether it was for herself or him, he really didn't care at that moment. He was just happy Mina had some fighting spirit in her.

Siya pulled Marsaili close to him with his good hand and once he was on the other side of her, he drew his sword and raised it in one quick fluid motion. Steel scrapped together, hurting his ears and a sharp vibration ran through his arm. He held his ground even as he was kneeling down on one knee. The elf growled at him as he pushed from overhead and brought Siya backwards even further. He could feel his back hitting the small girl behind him, but he didn't relent.

Fire coursed along his arms, erupting in a torrent of red hot flames. They stretched forward, leaping across his limbs and down his sword. The fire then seemed to open up a large gaping mouth and consumed the man before Siya in one sweep, head first. The elf released his sword and stumbled backwards, screaming as his flesh was burned to a crisp. Siya dropped his sword, his shoulder aching painfully by the annoying arrow. Marsaili looked up at the King with glazed eyes, feeling the fire of Hell returning in the pit of her stomach. She rose to her feet shakily, stumbling a little. The demon grabbed her sword quickly and looked at Siya's shoulder. She pulled a face.

"Y-ya see, my problem is that...I-I can't really do very m-much about that...but Kaed can..." The hellspawn gripped her weapon closer, a quick plan formulating in her head.

"But I can d-do a lot over there, and as great as Kaed is doing...h-he'd be better over here." Marsaili finished, her stubborn streak back in full force. She grinned quickly and gave the King a quick wink, some of her confidence swelling back.

"Alright," he finished, "but be careful, Marsaili."

Siya let her go before turning to find Kaed and call him back. It seemed as if Kaed had already realized what was going on though, for he'd been retreating back to Siya's side and wasn't too far from him as Marsaili went to finish off the rest of the fight. Kaed sliced through the remaining elf that opposed him before he dropped back entirely and knelt next to Siya.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his breath short from fighting.

Siya nodded to him, smiling at him to hopefully ease the Protector's worries. Kaed didn't seem to fall for it though. Reaching out he took hold of Siya's shoulder and held him steady as the other hand grasped the arrow shaft. Siya took a deep breath and prepared for the projectile to be removed.

It was quick and swift, though not without a bit of pain. The arrow was freed, missing its tip as he'd sacrificed it moments ago. Siya watched as his own blood spilled down the front of his shirt and onto Kaed's hands, who had put both hands over the wound and summoned his magic. Fire coursed along his shoulder, cauterizing the wound. After Kaed had stopped the bleeding, he tore a piece of cloth off his long attire and began wrapping it around Siya's shoulder.

"I swear, you're so careless..." Kaed muttered as he worked. Siya flushed and looked down as he let the Protector bandage him up.

"I'm sorry."

"Try to be more cautious next time, please? If not for yourself then for me," Kaed took Siya's chin in his hand and forced the King to look up at him. He was filled with worry and a deeper caring than Siya knew about. He felt awkward sitting there next to him, a burn across his cheeks revealing that he was only slightly embarrased to be looked at in such a way.

"Alright, Kaed," he answered slowly. Kaed smiled then, the hard look softening and he pulled Siya into a tight hug. Marsaili let out a little wolf whistle and giggled, appearing right behind the two.

"I hope I ain't interruptin' anyfink, but I'm finished!" She sang out in a sweet voice, still a little sensitive from her previous attack. The charred bodies lay scattered around the clearing and little puffs of smoke rose from the ashes. The demon surveyed the scene around her quickly, and found a weary Mina returning with a few burns herself. I didn't do it! was the first thing on the little demon's mind, though it was actually true... for once. Mina was blowing things up and left just as bad a mark on the woods as Marsaili did.

"Yep, I don't think we gotta worry about those guys again." She smiled, face streaked with ash and sword over her shoulder. Despite her confidence returning, she still walked a little like a baby deer, stumbling and stuttering. She tried to hide this and bit her lip. "Does this still mean we have to go to wind lady's house?"

Siya blushed furiously as Kaed held him tightly. There for a moment he'd felt safe in the Protector's arms, a different feeling washing over him as they sat there. He shoved Kaed away from him who only grinned at his King's embarrasment. Siya looked up at the man with a slight glare.

"Yes, this still means we have to go to the Shrine," Siya replied quickly, desperate to have something else to talk about rather than Kaed's sudden show of affection towards him.

Marsaili groaned and pulled a face. "But we almost died! Well, you did... so surely, that gets us out of visiting her!" Marsaili whined, her large orange eyes looking up at Siya through her fringe pleadingly.

"If you don't want him to truly die, Marsaili, then we have to go. Lady Celeste would most defintely kill him." Kaed muttered the last part with a sigh. The King of Air was most difficult at times — especially if you called her "King".

"Pfft, I could take her on! Any day! And Siya dying would put a damper on things, but that's not a problem when I'm around. Thus, we don't have to visit airy lady, and we can go home, and I can raid the cupboards for Flynn's cookies." The demon spawn finished with her hands on her hips and a pout firmly fixed onto her face. She really didn't get why this was such a problem.

Siya laughed at the girl's moaning. She sure had a strange way of interpreting things. He got to his feet slowly, careful of moving his injured shoulder too much. He almost wished that he were young like her and without a care in the world. However, that wasn't how it worked for him and the other Kings.

"We have to go, Marsaili. I promise when we get back that you can have any goodies that you'd like, alright?" Siya said, patting her head gently as he passed her to remount his horse.

Marsaili stopped to think for a second before beaming. "Sure! I can deal with that!" The demon skipped back over to her horse, her body listing as she tried to get her bearings back. Jeez, this summoning hell business was not as easy as it looked. She hopped back onto her horse, muscles complaining.

"Tally ho!" She yelled, her horse galloping forward. She had gone a little distance before something occured to her. She looked back at the rest of the group, a little grin on her lips. "Ya know...I don't really know where we're goin'... Oh well! Forward is a good place to start!" With a peal of cackles, she took off once again, leaving everyone else to catch up.

Kanan, Freece, Aeraki, Celeste, Tien, and Emrys

Kanan tensed as Aeraki suddenly burst into motion. He thought for a mere second of utter shock that she was about to latch onto him once more. He watched her carefully, only calming a little as he heard her say Freece's name much like she'd done his.

"Fleece~" She called out, mimicking her pattern from earlier and lacing delicate arms around his neck, though only brushing her lips across his cheek. "Give me a piggy-back ride, I'm suddenly too lazy to walk." And blatantly ignoring the fact of her wings, which she drooped to add effect.

Upon hearing the nickname that Freece hates, there could be a noticeable vein throbbing on the right upper portion of his forehead, It was intensified more as the fae attached herself on his back. He would never know why Aeraki liked to pester him most of the time.

"Oi you Airhead, let's get things straight. Don't call me that! I am not a sheep! And second you have wings to fly! So fly!"

With all of that said, Freece begrudgingly carried Aeraki despite his complaints. The fae after all was not that heavy to begin with. Even when he would be expressive in his dislikes and rude remarks, in the end, he would still do what is asked of him. Well, he still mumbled and occasionally jolted the fae by bumping her to the nearby trees or rocky walls.

Aeraki was used to this behavior by now, able to deftly avoid being jolted too much, though the motion was progressively becoming repetitive to her. She was sure that Freece regarded her as a child, a mistake a lot of people tended to make for her behavior. Oh well! It made her observations go that much smoother and it helped that he wasn't on guard about it, not that it'd make much different if he was. She shifted her gaze downwards as she flicked her brush around idly with a free hand, scattering the water on the tip all over the place. This was too long of a walk, she needed to be entertained...! Wait a minute, wasn't the knot of the tie of Kanan's eyepatch uneven? Huh... She stared at it, squinting to see if it was indeed parallel or uneven, fortunately distracting herself long enough to stop squirming and sit still for once.

"Hey Disco Wings... Stop waving that pen around!"

Freece shouted in irritation as he shook his head where some of the water nestled. After doing so, he stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. His deep green eyes were sligtly more richer in color due to the spark of annoyance present within. Furthermore, why is that this sad excuse for a fae can't pick on herself. She is a perfect candidate for her antics. Although, he noticed that Aeraki was looking at something or more specifically someone else. Following that line of sight, he noticed it was the new addition to the group of protectors, Kanan.

Kanan felt a stare at the back of his head and turned just enough to see what was going on. Aeraki was still for once, albeit on Freece's shoulders, but still non-the-less. He sighed inwardly, that girl was a lot of trouble... another thing he had trouble coping with. The silver-haired protector turned back around and continued forward as they were making their way to the Shrine.

He idly wondered who they were going to meet there. He hadn't seen any of the other protectors or the Kings before. Curiosity was working it's way into his system and before he knew it he was lost in thought, wondering what they were going to be like. To add to his curiosity he felt a pang of guilt run through him. What Lady Celeste had spoken of back at Anemoi. Were they really going to fight the other protectors? Kanan hoped they wouldn't have to. Kanan straightened, stiffening slightly and berated himself for having been lost to his thoughts. It wasn't like him to question things so much, or for so long either. He sighed inwardly and continued following the others towards the Shrine. They would be there very soon.

Emrys looked back at the trio of Protectors trailing behind him and let out an indignant sigh. Personally, he wasn't sure that they were qualified as the princess' Protectors. Kanan was a 'maybe'. The other two were simply insubordinate and, at worst, untrustworthy. Shifu Tien, though impassibly wise and knowledgeable, was simply no longer fit.

The group reached the Shrine within a few minutes. They were the first there, just as Lady Celeste liked to have things. Kanan was starting to get used to the way she planned stuff. It was only a matter of time before the other King's entered the area as well.

Siya and Kaed

"We'll have to leave the horses here, the woods are too thick for them to go through," Siya said as he slowly dismounted, careful of his injury. Perhaps if things went well, Lady Celeste would heal the wound for him. He could only hope that she would be in a good mood. On the other hand though, his thoughts had been filled with Kaed for the remainder of the trip. The tall protector had looked so worried when Siya had been injured.

There had been a look in his eyes that had shocked Siya and stirred something else inside him as well. He wasn't sure what the feeling was yet, but he could still feel it, swirling around at the back of his mind and causing chills to run their course across his body. The young King took a quick look to his protector. The tall man was quite pleasing to look at, his long black hair always flowing around his face, his dark red eyes were the most alluring. He was warm, comforting and Siya's closest friend among his protectors.

Kaed turned his eyes down, catching the King staring at him. Siya flushed and before he turned he caught Kaed's taunting smile. His heart beat had picked up erratically, his throat tight as he quickly went around to the front of his horse and took the reigns. He tied the beast to the nearest tree and tried hard not to look in Kaed's direction.

"Just beyond here is the Shrine. We should hurry through, I'm sure Lady Celeste is waiting for us as it is nearing the time to be there," the young King announced, looking up through a break in the canopy above him. The stars were getting brighter as night settled in further. Siya took the lead, bringing his companions through the thick brush and trees. It was a lushes forest, beautiful in more than one way and far enough from any prying eyes or well traveled roads.

This place was where the Kings held most of their meetings should they ever all need to be contacted for one reason or another. Siya, naturally, knew the exact way to get to the small clearing where the Shrine was. As he broke through the thick greenery, his eyes were met by Lady Celeste and her troupe already there, just as he suspected. Off in the distance, he could hear another group rummaging through the forest as well and could only assume that is was Lord Byre and his protectors.

Siya offered her a smile and bowed to her. Kaed followed suite and offered quick, sharp, glances to the other protectors as a silent order for them to do the same. Siya straightened and looked up at the Shrine nestled in the far side of the clearing. The woods were slowly beginning to take it over, vines wrapping up the large pillars of the small structure. The stone was dark with years of elemental wear against it. However, it still kept its alluring beauty and power. Siya could feel it eminating from the center of the Shrine, a small square hole where offerings were usually burnt.

"My Lady," Siya offered to her as he stepped in closer to the shrine and the King of Air, or rather, Queen as she prefered, "I assume you know of the Water Kings death. Once Lord Byre is here, I would like to propose a means of finding a new King," he stated simply, trying to keep it short and too the point as to not waste time, but also to assert that he had plans of his own as well.

Hebi

The woods were cool, dark and inviting for a being such as himself. They'd left the Earth Kingdom and had made their way to the meeting place, only stopping once. Hebi, all the while, kept his smile to himself. Of course, he didn't have much to be smiling about as he had only heard portions of what his King and Eugene had talked about, but it was still amusing none-the-less.

The trees were getting thicker as they moved and Hebi knew then that they were much closer to the Shrine then. It would only be a matter of minutes before they were at the meeting. The meeting. How dull, Hebi thought to himself, loosing the amused smile for just a moment. He had better things to do and more interesting ideas to say the least.

No matter. As long as he didn't have to do much, then it wasn't a problem. He followed his King as they broke through the brush, entering the Shrine.