Thursday, May 28, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
ARGHHHH!!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Chapter 5
The Port of Abussos
When Alexandra and Sora finally reached Abussos, the city was alive with activity. People darted from here to there, going about their daily business and preparing for the week. As they reached the outside limits of the city, they stopped and Sora got off of Alexandra’s back. She changed back into a human, and they proceeded into the town.
Alexandra had been to Abussos many times, but this was Sora’s first time. He gawked in wonder all around him, the tall buildings, the oncoming and leaving ships, and the people of all different races. Alexandra took his hand and led him to the meeting point Cordillia had set up for them. When they got there, Roxas sat waiting.
“Hello Roxas,” Said Alexandra, “glad to see that you made it in one piece.”
Roxas looked from Alexandra to Sora and smiled.
“Nice to see that you two made it in one piece,” he said, “Cordillia will be here very shortly.”
As they sat and waited for Cordillia, they talked about their game plan after they made it to the ship. When Cordillia finally arrived, she brought bad news.
“The queen has found out about our plan and has stopped all ships off of the planet. You might also want to get out of here because Sora is a wanted felon right now. She has alerted the authorities of his escape and will do anything to get us back to the palace.”
They all sat in stunned silence when Cordillia told them this. Alexandra was the first to speak.
“How did she find out?”
“Apparently Kuja and Beatrix informed her when they found out we were gone. They checked the holding cells and saw that Sora was gone too and alerted her. I never even saw it coming.”
“What are we going to do?” Alexandra asked as she began to cry. Sora hugged her to calm her down.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “we will make it out of this. I promise.”
Roxas spoke up, “We will need supplies and a plan.” They all sat around talking and making plans. Finally the plans were set, and they set out to get the supplies. Sora and Alexandra went to get the food, Roxas and Cordillia set out to get the other miscellaneous supplies. It took about four hours to round up all of the supplies that were needed and met back at the café were they had first met. Cordillia looked over all of the supplies that they had scavenged.
“This will do,” she said, “This is just what we need. We will take a ship to Chilantelen, afterwards we will set out for one of the small unoccupied islands and make a shelter there,” She spaced out for a moment, “That will work, for now.”
Roxas went out to buy the ship tickets. As they sat wand waited, they ordered drinks. They sat and drank and waited for Roxas to return. When he finally did return, he sat and drank too. He had bought tickets for the next day, so for that night, they relaxed.
The wind howled. The stranger stood on the balcony looking into the queens chambers. As soon as the ladies in waiting left the room, he busted the glass out of the doors and the queen shrieked. He flicked his wrist and she immediately got quiet, her mouth bound. Another flick of his wrist and the door was locked. The guards began to bang at the door. He snapped his fingers and the banging stopped and two thuds were heard.
“H-H-Helios,” the queen stammered, “What are y-you doing here?”
“I come with an urgent request,” he hissed, “I require the use of your daughter.”
“M-my daughter?” she said, “My daughter is n-not here” Helios swore under his breath.
“Where is she?” he asked angrily. The queen looked at him.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. Helios threw the queen across the room and went over to the window. With one last look around the queen’s chambers, he turned towards the window and jumped out into the night.
Chapter 4
Chapter IV
The Breakout
The plans were all set to break Sora out. Roxas was to distract the main guard and Cordillia was to request the queen’s audience uninterrupted. Alexandra was to get into the holding cell wing, break out Sora, and take him to a boat, ready to take them to the space harbor, where a ship was waiting to take them back to Meandiloc.
Alexandra felt a small pleasure in knowing that she would be with Sora once again, to see his smiling face, his green eyes. Just the thought of it made her tingle with delight.
When the time was right, Cordillia would send a signal to show Alexandra that it was time. She didn’t know what the signal was, but Cordillia told her that she would know it when she saw it. She sat on her balcony, looking at the stars.
A flashing light caught her attention. As she looked closer she saw the flashing was Cordillia’s mystic orbs.
She looked new that was the signal that Cordillia had sent for her. She stepped off of the balcony and into her chambers. She felt an electric buzz flowing through her body. A moment later she was looking at the world through the eyes of a tiger. She walked over to the open door of her room, peered into the hallway and saw that the coast was clear. She went through the hallway, down the stairs, and out the main doors. Her course was set for the holding cells. As soon as she was out the door, she began to sprint. The air rushing past her whiskery face felt great.
In what seemed like no time at all, she arrived at the holding cells and saw Roxas talking to the guards about twenty feet away from the door. She let out a low growl in frustration. Roxas looked up in surprise at the noise, but figured out where it came from.
He started talking to the guards faster, and began looking more worried. He had done the trick. He led the guards away from the door of the holding cell. Alexandra felt a burst of happiness when she saw this and knew that the plan would succeed.
She entered the holding cell and walked down the isle in between of the cells. The prisoners all backed to the farthest corner in surprise as a tiger walked among the cells. She peered into each of the cells, looking for Sora. She finally found him in one of the farthest cells back. He was sleeping on the old cot that was inside of his sell. She growled, just low enough for him to hear. He sat up, suddenly, every sense on high alert. He had a shocked look on his face as he saw the tiger standing at the entrance of the cell.
Her heart leaped when she saw his face looking into hers. The tingling sensation came back and she transformed into Alexandra once again.
“Alexandra,” Sora called out, “How...Wh-..” he mumbled.
“Shh,” she said, “I'll explain later. She pulled out a key ring and unlocked Sora's cell. He just stood there with a confused look on his face. Alexandra could see that he was debating on weather or not he should follow her.
“C’mon,” she said, impatiently. Sora looked at her still, without moving. She stepped closer to Sora and put her arms around him, looking directly into his eyes.
“Sora,” she said, “it is me. I promise.” She gave him a soft kiss and grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the cell. She stopped and looked at Sora.
“Umm,” she said, “I have to transform back and you have to ride on my back.”
Sora looked a little reluctant, but when she changed, he got on to her back. She took off towards the port, running at full speed. As she ran, she thought about recent events. Things have been pretty bad lately. There have been a lot of rumors going around about my moth…the queen. I do believe Rauros will be in a fighting very soon. The port was in the next city, so they had a long way to travel. They had a rest point in a cave that Cordillia had shown her on a map that they were to stop at.
When they got to the cave, Sora jumped off of Alexandra’s back very quickly. She changed back into herself and looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face
“What’s wrong?” she asked him.
He looked at her. He walked over to her, touched her hand to his, smelled her hair, felt her heartbeat. He looked into her eyes and asked,
“Is it really you?”
Alexandra’s eyes began to tear up.
“Yes, it really is me,”
Sora picked her up and carried her into the cave. He sat her down near the mouth and then sat next to her. She leaned towards him, resting her head on his chest. He put his arms around her waist.
“I thought that I would never see you again,” he said.
“Me too,” she said, snuggling closer to him. He buried his face into her hair. She felt warm tears on her head. She pulled away and looked into his face and saw that he was crying. She took his face into her hands.
“Don’t worry,” she said, “I will never be away from you again.”
“I know,” Sora said. He leaned forward and kissed her. They pulled apart and sat watching the sunset. Just when the sun had set she looked at Sora to tell him something, and she saw that he was asleep. She gently woke him up. He looked at her groggily and she led him into the cave so that they could sleep.
The next morning, when Alexandra woke up, she saw that Sora was not beside her. She began to panic. She sat up and frantically looked around the cave for him. She got up and ran out of the cave she scanned the surrounding area to see if she could spot him. When she saw him walking towards her from the woods with fruits in his hands, she relaxed and started walking towards him.
“You scared me,” she said.
“Sorry, but I thought that you would be hungry when you woke up,” he replied. She looked at the food that he was holding.
“Was that all you could find?” she asked.
He laughed, “Yea. Sad, I know.”
They walked back over to their camp site and sat and ate the fruit that Sora had found. As they sat and ate they talked. They talked about all of the transpiring events, and all of the past events. Finally, around midday Alexandra said
“We should probably get going.”
They packed up the camp and Alexandra changed and they were on their way.
Chapter 3
Chapter III
Morphanthropes
Alexandra stood still, her eyes wide with confusion and fear.
“I know this is all coming to you quickly, but you have to stay with me. There are many things that we do not know yet. Roxas has a theory, but I am not sure what to think of it,” Cordillia said, “He believes that your mother was and you are a Morphanthrope.”
Alexandra looked at Cordillia questioningly, “What?”
“A Morphanthrope is from the planet Meandiloc,” said Roxas, “They are shape shifters.”
Alexandra still stood dumbfounded, “What?”
“They can change into animals at will,” he continued, “as long as you know what the animal looks like. Just think of the animal really hard and then push with your mind and you will turn into that animal. That is what we want to test out on you. If my presumption is correct, then you will definitely turn into an animal.”
“Wha-,” Alexandra said, “No way! I am not some freakin’ animal freak! I won’t turn into some animal just by thinking it! That is insane!” As Alexandra paced, mumbling things to herself, Roxas and Cordillia sat patiently and waited for her to calm down. Finally Cordillia had enough.
“Alexandra!” she said, “Calm the hell down and listen to us!” Alexandra stopped and looked at Cordillia in surprise. She had never heard Cordillia so angry in her life. “We need to know if it is more than just a theory! This could be the thing that saves Sora’s life and you are being a coward in not attempting it!”
The words stung Alexandra like a smack in the face. She looked at Cordillia, tears welling up in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, “can’t you just look into the future and see if I can do it?”
“No,” Cordillia replied curtly, “I have already tried and for some reason, your future has become unbelievably fuzzy. That scares me the most.”
Alexandra sat and thought.
“Alright,” I’ll do it,” she said finally, “What animal should I try?”
Roxas spoke up, “The best would be something big like a lion or a bear. That would scare the guards away.”
Alexandra closed her eyes and focused very intently on a tiger. She recalled the stripes and the whiskers. She thought of the glowing green eyes. She imagined herself becoming one, her legs becoming the long slender legs of the tigers. She imagined a tail sprouting from her back. Her body tingled. She opened her eyes and saw that her vision was sharp. She could see colors very distinctly. She also noticed that she was looking up at Roxas and Cordillia, when she usually looked down upon them.
She looked down at her feet and saw white paws.
“I did it!” she exclaimed.
Cordillia smiled and nodded her head. Roxas pumped his fist in the air with triumph.
“I knew that my presumption was correct!”
“Oh…I just thought of a problem,” said Alexandra, “How do I change back?”
“Easy,” said Cordillia, “The same way you changed to.”
Alexandra closed her eyes once again and focused. She felt the familiar tingle and when she opened her eyes she was looking down upon Cordillia and Roxas.
“Piece of cake,” she said, smiling
Chapter 2
Chapter II
The Plan
Alexandra stayed in her room for days, refusing food and visitors. In the pit of her stomach there was an empty burning sensation. She knew that she was falling into a depression, and she really didn’t care.
Day by day she sank lower and lower. As the winter season approached, she sat huddled under a thick winter blanket, half frozen and in the dark. She refused to let anyone start a fire.
Knocks on the door came frequently, some from servants and others from messengers. From what she put together, the ally kingdoms were all at the brink of declaring war of Rauros. She didn’t care though.
As the months rolled on, and winter became spring, she still sat there, by herself in her room. Most of the time she slept, always dreaming of Sora.
One day her hibernation ended when a sharp rap came upon her door.
“Go away,” she said into her pillow. The door opened and the blankets were yanked off of her bed. She looked up in surprise to see who the culprit was. Cordillia stood there with her arms folded over her chest.
“Up,” she said, grabbing Alexandra’s arm and pulling her into the bathroom. Cordillia started the faucet on the bath tub and pulled Alexandra in front of her three way mirror.
Alexandra let out a small gasp at what she saw. Her pink and black hair was tangled and matted in places, her eyes were dull and she had bags under her eyes. Her face was dirty. Cordillia turned off the water.
“In,” she commanded. Alexandra quickly undressed and got into the tub. Cordillia gave her soap and a wash cloth. As Alexandra washed, Cordillia paced back and forth. At times she stopped altogether and just stared into space, searching the future.
“Cordillia,” Alexandra asked, “What are you thinking about?” Cordillia sighed and looked at Alexandra wearily.
“We’re breaking Sora out,” she said. Alexandra’s head perked up.
“What?”
“We are going to break out Sora and then we are leaving The Palace…for good.”
Alexandra stared at Cordillia in awe. She had though of this many times in her depression, but never put it into action. She though about leaving the castle and it scared her a little bit, but it also excited her. She would be free from her duties and free to be with Sora…forever.
“When?” she asked.
“Soon,” Cordillia said. Alexandra got out of the tub and put on her robe and went over to Cordillia.
“How can we?” she asked “the dungeon is very heavily guarded. I'm sure that my mother wouldn't want anyone breaking in...or out.”
Cordillia blanked out. Alexandra waited patiently waited for her to come back to reality. She knew that she was seeing something important and that it would be crucial to their mission. When Cordillia came back to, and she was panting.
“Well,” she said, smiling slightly, “I guess that we shouldn't do that one. You think of plans and tell them to me and I will tell you if they are doable.”
With that she stood up. “By the way,” she said, “You should go and see your mother. She is worried about you.”
Alexandra sat there for a little while and thought of ways that she could help Sora escape. She thought of endless ways that she could, but her head rejected them all. Finally she settled on one, solid plan. Roxas could conjure a spell that would transform her into the queen and then she would go to the dungeon and would get Sora out. Smiling with happiness at her newfound plan, she put on her evening gown and went down to dinner.
The palace was ablaze with celebration on behalf of Alexandra’s return to the palace. After telling many people that she was fine and briefly hugging her mother, she finally got away from the party. She walked into the courtyard, enjoying the pleasant cool breeze blowing on her face. She walked over to the wall where she first saw Sora, smiling in remembrance of the day. She remembered his twinkling eyes. She felt a deep longing for his company. She ran her hands over the smooth bricks. Her hand hit a dent in the bricks and she looked at the wall. Carved into the bricks was one solitary word.
Alex.
Her heart jumped into her throat and she felt faint. She looked for somewhere to sit down, but never made it. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.
She awoke in what appeared to be the library. She was surrounded by books, but she was on a bed, so she knew it was Roxas’ chambers. She saw a soft light and heard the soft murmur of voices. She got off of the bed and headed towards where the light was coming from. She rounded a bookshelf and saw Roxas and Cordillia standing close together. They were arguing.
“I am not sure if she can,” said Cordillia, “it is just a theory.”
“Well,” said Roxas, matter-of-factly, “we should test her on it.” Cordillia shook her long white hair and leaned in closer to Roxas. Alexandra could no longer hear what they were saying to each other. She took a step forward and knocked over a small table with a stack of books on it. The books fell with a loud SNAP! Roxas and Cordillia spun around and looked at Alexandra.
“Uh, hi,” she said timidly “I was just…uh…seeing what you guys were doing.” They looked at her, their eyes seeing through her lie.
“Well,” Cordillia said, “come on over here!” Alexandra walked timidly over to where Roxas and Cordillia stood. When she got there, she saw that Roxas had fear in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” she asked, “Why are you guys looking at me like that?”
Cordillia sighed. “We have a theory to test out, but first there are some things that you should know. First off, you are not really the queen’s daughter.”
Alexandra stood in shock, “What do you mean?”
“I found you on the shore of the beach when you were only a few years old. I brought you back to the palace. Your m-…the queen never had a daughter and decided to keep you as her own. Your real mother was never found.”
Chapter 1
The Queen’s Secret
Alexandra quickened her pace. She was infuriated! Her ivory and emerald gown billowed around her as she walked. Khimari told her not to let her emotions control her proceedings; nevertheless, she couldn’t believe what had occurred. Just the thought of it, “Ugh,” she cried aloud, causing birds to fly from their perches in the trees. When she finally reached her destination, she paused. Calm and composed, she thought to herself. She stepped inside and walked down a hallway to a large set of heavy oak doors. She knocked one time, to let her presence known, and entered.
The room was elegantly decorated, with heavy oak bookshelves crammed with books lining the walls. There were sturdy tables stacked with books written in strange languages. Strange bottles and bowls that emitted frothy smoke lined shelves surrounding a large, silver cauldron.
“Roxas,” she called out, letting her anger show in her voice. Roxas timidly came around a bookshelf. It was hard to believe that the palace wizard was only fourteen, even though she was sixteen herself. “I suppose you’ve heard?” she asked, crossing her arms.
Roxas nodded slowly and mumbled something that sounded like ‘I’m sorry’.
“And where is Cordillia?” she asked impatiently.
“She went to Baaj Temple t-two days ago,” he stammered.
“When will she return?” she demanded
Roxas hesitated. “Today,” he finally said. Alexandra turned on her heel and marched from the room. She headed toward Cordillia’s keep. As she passed the courtyard, she saw two figures, dressed in black robes that fell to their feet, talking very angrily and quietly. Alexandra stopped. She could tell that they were having a heated argument, so she stepped closer. She still couldn’t hear what they were saying so she stepped closer still and a pebble skittered across the cobblestone walk in the courtyard. Alexandra ducked behind a stone pillar and pressed her back to it.
“Whose there?” a harsh voice called. She could hear them coming closer and closer to her hiding spot. She closed her eyes bracing herself to run when she heard a shrill voice call out;
“What are you doing?”
Alexandra’s eyes flew open, “Cordillia,” she squeaked. Cordillia’s purple eyes flashed a warning glare to Alexandra.
“When did you get back, Cordillia?” one voice asked with a sneer.
“Well, Kuja, I returned today,” she retorted, “and I suggest that you and your little friend Beatrix return to your duties.”
“Very Well,” Kuja said and walked away.
When they were out of earshot, Alexandra said “Thank you Cordillia.”
“You were very lucky that I was here,” she said “Kuja wishes to catch you alone.” Alexandra shuddered. She knew that Kuja and Beatrix hated her.
“How was Baaj?” she asked, her tone calm.
“Not well,” she replied, her tone grave “King Ixon was in a fret, wondering if the preparations for the gem withdraw would be ready in time.”
Alexandra’s brow furrowed with concern. As princess of Rauros, she was in charge of keeping alliances strong. She was always speaking with kings and princes, tying alliances and keeping peace.
The worst part to having this job is that her mother urged her to marry a prince from one of the neighboring palaces to create an empire. She didn’t love any of the princes though. They were all cocky and arrogant. She only loved one person and their love was forbidden. They could never be together. He was a peasant, a worker. The first time she laid eyes on him, he was working on a wall for her courtyard
She was out in her gazebo gazing at the clouds, deep in thought. She looked down at the wall because the sun was glaring off of one of the tools and she saw him. The sun shone off of his light brown hair, making it look golden. His emerald green eyes sparkled as if he knew a secret no one else knew. His bare chest was tanned and his muscles were toned.
As she gawked, he glanced up at her and caught her staring. She looked away, embarrassed, but he came over to her, grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey,” he said
Alexandra looked up politely and said “Good Morning,”
“Sora!” came a gruff voice “get back to work.” He looked at Alexandra, his green eyes saying ‘later then’
Later that night Alexandra was sitting on her balcony thinking of her new found love. She remembered his smile, his beautiful hair, and his enticing green eyes. As she sat and thought about their wedding day a small pebble landed in her lap.
She picked up the pebble and examined it. It was from the courtyard. She got up and looked over the edge and another pebble hit her in the face. Startled, she fell over the railing of the balcony. As she fell she could only think, “I’m dead” She braced herself for impact but it never came, instead warm, strong hands caught her.
It was Sora. Her pain forgotten Alexandra look into Sora’s eyes, her eyes staring into them deeply. He stared back and said “Close your eyes, I want to show you something.” He carried her for what seemed like ages and kept saying things like “Don’t peek” and “Almost there”.
Finally he set her down and said “Open your eyes.” When she did, she let out a small gasp. He had taken her to the beach. The night sky was clear, so all of the stars shone bright as did the moon. The water reflected the sky, so it looked as though the empty space glittered.
“Beautiful,” she said, sighing.
“Yes,” Sora said, “you are.” She looked over at him and saw he was staring at her. She shivered.
“Your cold?”
“I’m fine,” she said, but he had already taken off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. She leaned toward him, resting her head on his chest. He put his arms around her and whispered into her ear “I love you.” Shock spread through her body. She looked up at him and saw in his eyes that he really meant it
“I love you,” she said back. He leaned towards her, looking into her eyes and kissed her. She closed her eyes, and kissed him back. She felt the fireworks going off inside of her. Her foot lifted slowly into the air. After what seemed like forever, they pulled apart and sat down on the sand. She leaned into his chest, snuggling closer than ever to him.
Cordillia opened the door to her keep, her sweeping stride leading Alexandra towards the center of the room. Here stood a table covered in many strange objects. Colorful orbs, chicken bones with strange writing on them, jars of powder that sparkled and others that were dull.
Cordillia clapped once and the lights dimmed and the orbs began to glow. They rose in the air and began to spin. Alexandra gasped. In the center of the spinning orbs, a picture had appeared. It was a picture of Sora, tied and gagged held in what appeared to be a dungeon.
Alexandra felt tears falling from her eyes. She blinked them away feeling sorrow and fury well up inside of her. Her sorrow slowly grew to rage. Soon she was boiling.
“Who?” she asked, her fury shown in her voice. Cordillia stared blankly toward Alexandra.
“Who!?” she yelled, hysterical. Cordillia just stared as Alexandra fell to her knees, her fury paralyzing her.
“Your mother,” Cordillia answered, her eyes filled with sorrow.
Prologue
Prologue
The wind howled and the rain pounded at the dark, mysterious stranger. The horses brayed from their place in the barn. They sensed the danger oozing from the intruder. One snap is all it would take, he thought. But no, no murder tonight unless need be.
The stranger’s eyes searched the ground. The search was taking longer than expected, thanks to this cursed rain. The stranger sighed. Then, as the lightning lit up the dark, stormy sky, he saw it, a glint of silver that turned out to be the handle of a trap door.
He swiftly opened the door and stepped down into the ground. The place was dark. With a snap of his fingers, a light appeared, illuminating the dark, dank hallway. He walked along at a quick pace. He wanted what he came for, and then, on to bigger and better things.
When he finally reached his destination, a large, cavernous store room, he stopped. There were crates stacked to the ceiling of the chamber. Ugh, he thought, wearily. He scanned the room and strained his ears, listening. Finally he heard a soft murmurs coming from behind some of the crates. With a Snap! the crates toppled to one side.
The murmurs had come from two men and one woman. At the sight of the stranger the woman ran. The men grabbed their weapons to defend the store room. Their attempts were feeble. With yet another snap, a rope appeared and the men and woman were tied together.
“Where is it?” he asked harshly.
The woman spat at his feet. With one fluid movement, she was dead, her neck broken.
“Will you suffer the same fate as her?” he asked the men, half annoyed, half amused. The men sat silent as stone. He snapped and they both died instantly.
“It appears to be that I must find it myself,” he said. Placing his fingers on his temple, he mentally searched the room. Finally he found what he was looking for. He bent and took a mighty leap. He landed almost feline on a stack of tottering crates.
He grabbed the crate in the stack next to the one he was standing on and removed the lid. Inside were diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. He threw the box to the side. In the next crate were opals, pearls, and emeralds. He threw this box aside too. The next crate held jewels as well, but also a smaller box.
“Hmm,” he said aloud removing the smaller box and throwing the crate aside. Inside the small box was a heavy golden pendant incrusted with a blood-red diamond.
Excellent, he thought. He could feel the magic pulsing through the pendant. The diamond shone, sensing its use, its need, approaching. He put the pendant around his neck, the electrical feel of magic spiraling through his body. The shock left no cell in his body untouched. It ran through him like a wild fire, making him tingle all over.
Finally the sensation stopped. A new, euphoric, feeling crept over him. He felt unstoppable, immortal, and powerful. He lifted up his hand and saw the red sparks dancing on his finger tips, splaying to and fro across his knuckles. He felt the sudden need to test his newfound power. But how? He thought. Then an idea struck him. Whit and evil grin, he raised his hand and snapped. The explosion could be seen for miles.
