I can't believe she's gone... She can't be! I'll see her again! I have to... But I'm not going to am I? I'll live without love, that seems to be my curse... Why must it be like that? Why? It's true what they say, love hurts...
Poor Salem... I wish I knew what it was like to be in love... Maybe Miri was his true love? I think I'm gonna cry... But I've got Victory and Jinxes, both who love me... I wish I could help him... Do I really want to go to this ball with Victory though?
Chosen? Me? No! I won't have it! Victory has stolen Mraya from me! Damn him! But... Before she seemed so... Close to me... Can I really take this? Man, I feel sorry for Salem, I mean he must be feeling like dying. Gotta say something... What? She loves ya really? What good would that do?
They are strong, but not strong enough... Goddess help you all, us all... Mraya doesn't really like me I know, but I know that her and Jinxes would make a better couple anyway. Best to let them find out for themselves though. Love... I wish it would come to me...
"Father, can we stop now? I am tired. Father? Please?" Miri asked. She was tired, she had cried all the way from Dreamer's Academy, and they had been travelling on horses since noon. It was now hours after nightfall.
"No! We ride until we get to the ship. You shouldn't have wasted energy after that Northern twerp. We'll find you a nice husband when we get back to the Southern Lands, don't you worry!" Kinik said. Miri snorted in disgust. She would marry no young nobleman, not for anything. She would rather die!
"I will not marry father," was all she said. Kinik pretended not to hear her and carried on.
"There is a nice man in the Northern Courts, he's fine, I believe he has ancient royal blood in his line. Watered down a bit though by now... Yes, you'll like him-" Kinik scratched his chin.
"I WILL NOT MARRY!" Miri exploded. The guards looked nervously about, they would pretend they hadn't heard this.
"My heart is already taken! No more father, please. I'm not here to be a Princess, I have a power that can be used for good, not to rule some tinpot castle while a husband works abroad! I want to see the world! I want to see the world with someone I LOVE!" Miri began to cry again. Up ahead a lonely star twinkled, shone with all it's might, blurred and cried.
"Salem I understand that you have many questions," Lady Kristel said calmly. All the Guardians were there. Salem felt a little uncomfortable, some of these people were his teachers.
"Yes, my lady... I want to know about-about me being a Prince..." Salem said. A few guardians whispered to each other, though Salem couldn't quite catch what they were saying. Victory, Jinxes and Mraya were sitting next to him, they seemed to want to say something as well but they kept their mouths buttoned.
"Ah yes, I thought that might be the first thing. Your mother and father fled the palace after King Kinik of the Southern Lands expressed his feelings of war. He wished for the Northern Heights to be his, and so he did his best to take it. However your mother and father left your uncle in charge. Your uncle could not with stand the attacks and so told Kinik that the Kingdom would be his if Kinik could prove none of your family exsisted."
"So your parents were killed. It took them five years to find them, and then they were destroyed. You, however, were saved by your best friends mother, who treated you like a son. They weren't killed by accident though, we believe that it was Baroness Tami, using someone's mind to do the shootings. Miri and you are not related, in any way, except that her father is the Prince to a Kingdom that you rightfully own."
"I know that this is a lot to take in, I shall leave you to piece everything together. Be strong Salem! Now go and rest, you can ask more later," Lady Kristel said. Salem didn't complain, he realised that he was tired, and he wanted the blissful oblivion that was sleep...
Mraya thought hard about the things the others were asking. It seemed that Lady Kristel was sending them to sleep after each question, maybe so that they could figure out what she'd told them. Mraya could withstand sleep spells though and it seemed like she was going to ask more questions than the others.
Salem must have been hit the worst though. He'd learnt his entire life had been a lie and that he had to kill Miri's father to get his kingdom back. Salem didn't want to rule. Who did at sixteen? It was obvious that he wouldn't have a clue where to begin. Or where to end...
"Lady Kristel, why did you not tell us before?" Mraya asked. Jinxes was staggering to his bed. It seemed that the Guardians were no longer staying in Rainbow Cloud, they considered it too dangerous.
"Tell you and have you all think you were special? I do not think like that. You find out for yourselves and if you need to know then I will tell you. You do not learn by people just firing answers at you. Mraya there are some people, even in Dreamer's Academy, that envy the powerful. They yearn to be more powerful, so they eventually turn to what Tami has become. A shell for an evil power, a shell with a mind so polluted, there is no way back."
"Dreamer's Academy isn't what it once was. We cannot accommodate the masses that are turning up at our gates. We are not a charity, nor are we a hostel. We pay for everything, yet we ask for nothing in return, and we know all of you as a friend. Yet there are some within these walls that do not want charity, or friendship, they want power, which they get. Unfortuneatly that means that we will to face them in the final battle..." Lady Kristel looked at Vampira, who was tracing one black nailed finger over her lips.
"Zis iz an unfortunate occuranze, but it givez ze Underworld a new beginning. Vith all zis var ze Underworld iz zaved. Pleaze Lady Kriztel, do not forget zis. Nor you Mraya, you cannot end zuffering vor ze entire world, ze people muzt faze it zemzelvez..." Vampira said. Her accent was like one off a really old horror movie. The real Transylvania accent.
"I will keep that in mind Guadian Vampira," Mraya said. She looked at the rest who were watching her intently.
"Um, Lady Kristel? Victory, how long has he been Knight here?"
"You know that is impossible to answer. And against Dreamer's Academy Conduct..." Lady Kristel replied. Mraya couldn't face any more people watching her.
"I'm going to go and think about what you've said, my lady," She said and walked out of the room.
Victory woke to hear rustling. He turned over and saw Salem walking out of the door with a pack on his back. Victory watched him leave then turned over and reached under his bed.
He pulled out his own pack, already full of the things he needed. He had known that Salem would go and see Miri, tell her that he was a Prince and that he would have to kill her father.
Victory turned his lamp on, immediatly Jinxes sat up. Mraya stretched and then sat up.
"He's gone?" Jinxes asked.
"Yes," Victory replied.
"Let's go!" Mraya said, jumping out of bed and pulling on her pack. She was already dressed. Black cat suit, knee high boots, nice, thought Victory. He was also wearing black. Jinxes got out of bed and they saw that he had also seen the need to dress in black.
"We leave a note for the Guardians. Then we go after him," Victory said. He pulled an envelope out of his bag and laid it on his bed. It was addressed to Lady Kristel, and had the stamp of a knight on the back.
"We leave now, come," Victory said. They all walked out into the grounds...
Miri wished she had never been to the House of Dreams. It hurt too much. She thought of her friends, Jinxes, Mraya, Lady Kristel, even Victory. She'd never see them again, and if she did they would probably hate her. She wouldn't blame them.
Her father had expressed his anxiety about the fact the ship was late. He was his usual uncaring self. His mind was on things other than Miri, she knew. His mind was with his money. He wished to bind her with a Northern Heights noble man to secure the throne. She hated him, more deeply than ever. But that was all she was good for.
A Guardian had been appointed to come with her, though they had gone ahead. She had not seen this Guardian before, though there was no doubt that she was powerful. She had introduced herself as Rachealla, Guardian of Races. Miri thought she was extremely pretty, and very stylish. It seemed that the Guards thoought this also.
"Your highness," said Rachealla, who was riding a Pyrina. She had been scouting ahead and had been moving at a faster rate than the others.
"Shouldn't you report back to me?" Kinik boomed. Miri winced, she didn't envy Rachealla, who would bare the front of the tidal wave of anger.
"Be calm, your majesty," She replied soothingly. "I am your daughter's Guardian, therefore I answer to her alone. Unless she orders me to listen to you, I do not need to do anything you say, your majesty. I am a Guardian of the House of Dreams, not a court lady, nor am I a warrior. You should leave me be, majesty, and I shall leave you be." Rachealla looked defiantly into Kinik's eyes. Miri smiled, she'd won!
"What is it Guardian Rachealla?" Miri asked. Rachealla didn't take her eyes of Kinik.
"I believe the ship is nearby, there are mens voices near by and I can sense Northern Heights royalty nearby," Miri thought about his for a moment. Rachealla meant her future husband... What if I don't like him? thought Miri. Goddess help me!
"Come now, daughter. Your fiance awaits your return!" With that Kinik turned his back on Miri and rode away. The Guards filed past.
"I do not like him, your highness," Rachealla said. "And my heart is against you going. I fear this is going to cost you more than your friends..." Racheallla turned to her.
"I have to go! My place is with my kingdoms! I have to give them a fair ruler, one who knows what it is like to be like them!" Miri said and rode after her father. She called over her shoulder. "And I don't like him either!"
"Oh, Miri... Can't you see that you're destroying yourself?" Rachealla said, but Miri didn't hear her.
Salem looked at the gates of the House of Dreams. He was sure now that he had to go after Miri. With one sure leap he jumped over the twenty foot gates. Afterwards he wondered how he did it, but he didn't complain.
Miri, I'm coming! he thought. He looked for the star that he had seen earlier but there were hundreds, all looking like it. He gave up, knowing that each star would shine on his path.
"Salem!" someone shouted. Salem unsheathed his sword and held it in the attaching postion. He'd fight whoever tried to stop him. Jinxes, Mraya and Victory ran up the path.
"Don't tell me to go back because I won't!" Salem shouted. They stopped and drew their own weapons. It may have looked strange to anyone from outside the magical world. A sword that glowed with a brilliant white light, a quiver full of arrows that were made from rock, yet were as light as feathers, and a gold feather. Anyone other than House of Dreams students would have laughed out right.
"I'll fight you all if you try to stop me!" Salem yelled. Mraya lowered her bow, she closed her eyes and then nodded.
"I will fight with you!" She said and stepped over to his side. Salem lowered his sword.
"We're coming with you! Miri's our friend too ya know!" Jinxes said, putting the feather back in his pack. Victory lowered his sword and stretched.
"Couldn't you have waited til morning? I mean, we're not gonna get there easily, they have an airship and we have our feet. But, luckily, I can speed things up," Victory said. Jinxes raised his eyebrows at the way Victory was talking. Salem couldn't have cared less.
"Didn't you forget someone?" Mraya asked. Salem thought for a moment...
"Kaptra!" He said. Suddenly a bird call whistled through the air, Salem looked up and saw Thunder appear. The magnificent bird could easily hold two. Victory hopped on his back.
"Jinxes you, too," Victory said as Jinxes held out an arm for Whitefeathers. He jumped up and Whitefeather flew out along side. Thunder took off and started circling round the spot.
Starrynight and Kaptra were next up. Mraya was lifted onto Starrynight's back and carried a little further up the path. Salem hugged Kaptra and seated himself carefully on the big cat. Kaptra instructed him on how to stay on and then started out at full speed.
At first the sensation of speed frightened Salem, but then he began to enjoy it. The feeling of stability increase as time went on, and the feeling of the cat's powerful muscles working beneath him comforted him.
"Let's go find Miri and Shinkokami, Kaptra," Salem whispered. Kaptra nodded and leaped over a ditch, then went full out, faster and faster, breaking through the limits of endurance.
Above a star went out...
Miri looked at the entrance to the airship, standing there was a man, not much older than herself, with dark blur hair. His face, his stance, everything about him reminded her of Salem. Who was this man?
"Greetings, your highness! I am Canon, your fiance. It is an honour!" He helped her down off her horse. Shinkokami was immediatly at her side.
"What is this-this savage beast?" Canon asked. Miri felt herself grow angry, but before she could explode Rachealla intervened.
"This is Shinkokami, your fiancee's familiar. Get used to Shinko, because she isn't going anywhere," Rachealla curtseyed, more mockingly than out of respect. "Rachealla, Guardian of Races. I am your fiancee's tutor, better get used to me as well..."
Canon replied but Miri wasn't listening, her tears of frustration, sorrow, anger and confusion overwhelmed her. This man looked so much like Salem, he could be his brother! She collapsed forward and Canon caught her, she forced him away and fell to her knees. Her warm southern tears fell onto Canon's cold Northern heart.