To 'freedom'

[Laties]

Tap, tap, tap.

His knuckles rapped on the glass door that lead to the balcony of her room. "Princess! Princess!" He whispered in a sharp tone filled with urgency. He knocked on her door again while resisting the urge to just break down the door.

He was near exhausted, his body aching from the strain the elements had on his body, his mind was hurting with planning. The elements were not happy being used without grace. He had to get out, he had to get out of Du Aurella, he had to get out before the stone wall turned to dust and Osirus went after him. He could easily get out but for some reason he stayed.

The princess. He had to take the princess with him. To help her. To help her finally live her life.

[Princess Naahra]

Naahra stood on the balcony, allowing her pale skin to soak in the moonlight and her silver hair to reflect it beautifully when she heard the loud knocking on the door, followed by Laties's voice. Almost jumping out of fear, she whirled around and rushed to the door, flinging it open. "Laties!" she said, obviously shocked. Without really thinking, she flung herself forward, embracing the general. "I thought Father was going to kill you..." She stared up at him with her ghostly eyes and said, "So, why did you come?"

Slowly, her gaze turned from the general's face toward the deeper parts of the hallway that led to her dear brother's room. She wanted to go and visit Eros, since the poor dear must've been rather lonely, but...she had to wait until Laties had taken his leave of her. She turned back to face said person and blinked. He must've had something very important to say if he came to her room...

[Laties]

Laties held her tightly when she threw herself at him and spun her around slightly. No words left him as he hugged her before he whispered, "He's going to kill me... I can't die."

The general pulled back slightly and tilted the princess' face so they could look at each other. "I have to run, I can't die here. Espacially not in the Blood Chamber." He pulled her back into a tight hug and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Come with me. Help me keep my promise to you."

[Princess Naahra]

"You are going to run?" Naahra asked, obviously confused and shocked at this. "But...I thought...you were loyal to my father...to Alyssus..."

It was then that he pressed his lips to her forehead. She wanted to look down at her feet, at her necklace, somewhere else, but her eyes were fixed on the general's face. A bright blush began forming on her pale cheeks, and she simply nodded. "But..." Slowly, everything dawned on her. It was either this or he died. "I..." Naahra glanced behind her to see all of Du Aurella, and then back to Laties again. "I...I don't know... I mean... I must do what Mother and Father will me to do... I..." Slowly, the promise that he made to her...

I’ll help you bring out the more confident you, I’ll bring out that little rebel in you.

"I...I will come with you..." she finally mustered up the courage to utter those words, a resolute look in her pale eyes. For a second, they seemed to flicker back to their original green color, and her hair, if only for a moment, seemed to be a luscious coal black.

[Prince Eros]

"And when you rescue me from my father, I shall marry you! I will wait until you slay the evil dragon, my prince!"
"Do not worry Princess Naahra, I will come back for you!"
"I know you will. Please be safe, my dear General Laties!"
The sound of tiny little wooden feet could be heard as a soft whinny came from the same collection of voices. Riding off into the shadows was a knight on a horse, riding away from the tall castle made up of battered books, leaving a young princess to stand on a crudely made balcony. The princess watched at the knight and horse disappeared into the dragon's cove, a dusty and dark shadowed region under a wooden dresser.

"Oh dear Laties, be safe!" Cooed the strange princess' voice. There was a giggle as someone moved, accidentally knocking over the princess and her castle as hands moved to the horse and knight, forcing them to gallop through the air like a flying mount until they came to rest on top of the large bed in the middle of the room. The horse's legs could not withstand the soft cushioned sheets as it was dropped, sending the knight flying onto the pillows near by. There was another soft chuckle as someone ran off to shift through a small wooden chest, drawing out a green stitched dragon.

Groped by a gloved hand, the dragon roared and soared over the knight.

"Oh no! Its the dragon! But I will defeat it for Princess Naahra's sake!" The dragon swooped down and landed on the night as a body moved onto the bed and sat cross legged in front of the battle scene.

"I will slay you dragon once and for all! Take this...and that...and that!"
"Rawr! Roar!"
"Ah ha! I've killed the dragon! Now I will return to the Princess and marry her!" But suddenly, the tales of Laties came to a halt as noise caught the attention of the young Prince. Looking up from his place on the bed, icy blue eyes looked to the dark door in front of him. He knew that his father's birthday banquet was tonight and the nobles would probably be drunk and loud, but...

"What's everyone so loud about?" Jumping from the bed, the fair prince ran to the door and pressed his ear against the cold wood. He heard foot steps earlier and they had sounded like Na-na's, but he wasn't quite sure. Another pair of steps ran past the room. Heavier, louder. Frowning, the icy blue eyes moved to the single crack provided by the key hole. Looking out, he could only see the fire lit torch lighting the hall on the stone wall, like always.

"Hmm." Frowning, the prince moved to the single mirror in his room/ Not even bothering to look at his white and gold outfit, he moved the heavy mirror to reveal the small crack in which led to the empty guest room. He had often squeezed himself in between the stones and done so tonight. Slipping into the crimson guest room, he quickly made it to the door and slowly opened it, keeping his eyes out for anyone who would make his escape more difficult. Seeing no one, he ran to the door that lead to his sister's room, shocked to see it open already. Running in and quickly shutting it behind him, he turned around to see Na-na and Laties.

"Laties! What are you doing in Na-na's room!?" Eros asked in shock. But his shock quickly turned to happiness as he ran in between them, squishing himself between Laties and Naahra in order to hug Naahra tightly.

"Na-na! There's so much noise! What's going on?" He asked, looking at her. It was so strange. He was almost as tall as her and yet, despite only being three years younger, it was as if he were eight years old.

"Is father still celebrating his birthday?" He asked innocently.

[Princess Naahra]

Naahra heard her younger brother enter the room and gasped, shocked that Eros could see her and Laties like they were. As she felt her brother squishing between the two to hug her, she returned the hug, laying her head on one of his shoulders and pressing her cheek to his. "I'm sorry, sweetie!" she said quietly, "Did I wake you up?" Since her mother and father wanted nothing to do with her poor brother, she sort of assumed the role of his 'mother', if you will. She glanced up at Laties, sort of asking permission from him if she could tell Eros what they were going to do.

"Eros, sweetie, can you keep a secret for me?" she asked, "Whatever you do, you can't tell Mother, Father, or the creepy hat guy, alright?"

/Oh, thank the gods that I got to see him before I left!/ she thought to herself, holding her brother a little tighter, /If I left without seeing him, who knows what suffering I'd go through!/

Meanwhile, in a deeper part of her mind, she was debating whether or not to tell Eros of her and Laties's escape. What was worse, there was a part of her that wanted to bring him along! But, who knows what would happen if the King or Queen found out, that their only two children ran away with the General! Oh, all hell would break loose then...

[Laties]

Laties let out a short laugh as he took a small step back to let the prince wiggle between the two before taking a few steps back. He crossed his arms as he tilted his head to the side, listening for any rushed footsteps towards the room. At the Princess' words, he turned his head back to the princess and shook a hand slightly as he squatted down slightly as he turned the prince towards him.

He had his encounters with the prince several times ever since he was born. Some in the Knight's Hollow, the halls, kitchens, sometimes even in his room. This child tended to pop out from anywhere and continued to surprise him to no end.

"My prince, there's been an accident of some sorts," he started, "In my attempts to protect one of my soldiers I've angered your father thus I've been condemned to death. This may change your views on me but I must run away. I must live to keep my promise to your sister." His hands moved to be placed firmly on Eros' thin shoulders as he put on a kind smile. For a moment, he stopped to think.

The child was just a mere rumor in Alyssus. No-one even knew he existed. Laties looked to the side, his expression of one in thought. The princess was practically his only family, if he took her from him what would happen to the prince? Oh, dear. One of Laties' weakness had surfaced.

"Say, Prince Eros. How about coming on one of my many adventures? I'll be able to teach you how to improve your sword arm."

Bribery?

"You can even be my knight in training so you can save Princess Naahra just like me."

Yes, bribery indeed.

[Eltana Remarque]

And then there was applause: slow, soft clapping that cut through the almost tangible tension filling Naahra's bedroom like a razor-sharp knife through butter. Strangely enough, the source of the uncomfortable slow clapping was nowhere to be found. Someone had found them, someone intended to halt their attempt of escape.The mysterious sound continued for about a full minute, probably accumulating shared feelings of uneasiness and anxiety among the room's occupants.

Finally, the clapping halted and a chilly, smooth voiced ripped through the tension: "Bravo, General Laties Luhma. Bravo! Your efforts have been astounding, honestly: assaulting the king, fleeing from the Blood Chamber, and even attempting to take the princess and her mysterious younger brother as hostages! I must say that you are quite the brave warrior--you are easily the hero of this epic we call life. The strong-willed protagonist who would betray his liege, romance the princess, and finally save the world--just as I had anticipated."

A pause.

"...But you see, you're suffering from the delusion that this is a fairy tale. No, this story is just the opposite: the tragic, yet unique tale of the hero who tragically failed, despite how hard he strived for a happy ending."

The wall parallel from the trio was reduced to rubble and dust almost instantaneously by the force of the projectile thrown through it. Several massive spikes of ice accumulated into one bullet-like projectile went flying through the air and over the heads of both Laties and Eros; it pierced the wall behind them, leaving a large hole in its wake. The attacker had obviously intended for the projectile to miss, having wanted it to serve as a warning.

"This is a random world we live in, my friends," began the voice once again as its possessor casually stepped into the room from where the wall once stood. Lord Eltana Remarque stared at them with mad eyes, head tilted to the side in curiosity and arms crossed against his chest. The gorgeous weapons dealer surveyed the looks on each face, those thin lips of his curving into a small smirk in response. "But it isn't crazy enough to allow one man the luck of escaping the Dark King and his legion with the royal children at his side."

Another suspenseful pause followed.

"..Laties Luhma, because I'm the non-confrontational type I am presenting you with an ultimatum: I will not impede your escape, as long as you leave the prince and princess behind. Should they somehow miraculously escape from the castle, Osirus would halt his search for the Four Swords in an attempt to retrieve them--and that's something I cannot allow. He is best fit to wield the swords--I hadn't seen that before, but now I realize it; therefore he must have all four in his possession as soon as possible."

Eltana rested his amber hues directly on Laties' face, eyes flaring with a mixture of madness and curiosity. He started again, the insanity in his voice replaced by the usual feminine sensuality: "So, what will it be?"

[Prince Eros]

When addressed by his sister, Prince Eros' face lit up with joy. She always knew exactly what to do and what to say in order to comfort the Prince. Even in the midst of Laties' frantic attitude, the Princess still had the ability to comfort her brother.
"Eros, sweetie, can you keep a secret for me? Whatever you do, you can't tell Mother, Father, or the creepy hat guy, alright?"
Eros' face was expressionless for a moment as he pondered these words, making sure his sister was being serious and not trying to start a game. But as he searched her face, he knew. She was serious. He then smiled brightly and nodded, his white bangs falling over his eyes.

"Right! I can keep Na-na's secret! I'll do anything for Na-na!" Eros answered. But before Naahra could reply with her secret, Laties turned him around to face him. As Laties spoke, Eros' eyes traveled over the General's well toned face and golden hue of his tan skin. He had always imagined Laties as a long lost Prince far from the east where everyone had golden skin. Not like Eros, who had skin as white as snow. But as Laties placed his hands on Eros' shoulders, Eros drew his eyes back to Laties', staring at him straight.
"Say, Prince Eros. How about coming on one of my many adventures? I'll be able to teach you how to improve your sword arm. You can even be my knight in training so you can save Princess Naahra just like me."

The Prince's face grew alight with amazement and wonder as Laties spoke about becoming a Knight in training. It would be his dream come true! To be able to fight along side Laties to defend the Kingdom against evil (let alone the fact that the evil was his very own father). He stared at Laties with awe and with an opened mouth until a thought struck him: I would be disappointing mother and father...

Immediately his happy face vanished and was replaced with one of confusion.
"Na-na said she had a secret...Her secret is that you have to leave with Na-na...and not come back. You have to leave without me...But that's alright with Eros," Eros said. But before Laties could reply, the wall furthest from Eros and Laties suddenly exploded. Eros gasped, pulling himself from Laties' grip as his hands moved up to cover his ears. He went to his knees, still blocking his ears from the noise. He only looked up to see Eltana walk into the room. He had never seen Eltana before. But slowly dropping his hands, he stood up slowly, taking his sister's arm in fear, glancing at Laties. Laties will save them. He knew he would.

[Princess Naahra]

"You...You don't want to come, Eros?" Naahra asked, looking at her brother in shock. /What's the matter with him?/ she thought, obviously confused. When she heard that he thought that she wasn't going to come back, she shook her head. "But, that's not true! I would always come back for you, sweetie!" She crouched down so she was eye level with her brother, hugging him gently. "I may leave, but only for a little while! I would never leave you in the castle all alone!" She looked into her brother's beautiful blue eyes and gently leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek. "But...If you don't want to come with us, I will stay with you... I--"

By then, Eltana had entered the room. She gasped quietly, holding her brother close to her, just as afraid as he. When he said that he would allow Laties to escape if he left she and Eros here, her gaze turned from the girly weapons dealer to the general. "Laties..." she whispered, her voice quivering, "Please... Just go... Leave us here... I...I don't want you to die because of us..." She felt Eros take her arm, gently reaching over to stroke his hair. "It's alright, sweetie..." she whispered to Eros, keeping him close, "It'll be alright..."

[Laties]

"Technically, it would be ex-general but if you want to call me that, feel free too." Laties chuckled as he stood up straight after the room stopped shaking.

He stood there for a moment, arms crossed in a thought. Everything was slowly going out of hand. "Eros, you want to stay here?" He asked tilting his head to look at the boy with a small smile on his face. "I'll respect that." His hands went to his waist and pulled his empty sheath out and handed it to the boy. "You'll be needing this. I left my favorite sword in my room underneath my bed, when you get the chance, get it before your father does."

Laties slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants as he turned to face the weapon dealer again, a wide smile on his face. "I'll be getting a new sword in a few hours. Let's play a game, Etlana. A simple one, and you'd probably have the upper hand." He said as he walked towards the man and drapped his arm over his shoulders. "We both know where 1he Odium Sword is. I know where it is, if you don't. Well, that means I have the upper hand. Let's have a race. First one who gets the sword wins. If you win, I'll do whatever you want. Turn myself in, go to the blood chamber. Anything besides me taking my own life. My pride won't let me do that. If I win, I take the princess."

He gave Eltana a 'tight' one armed hug before pulling away and walking back to the princess. Laties looked at her with a small look of sadness before pulling her over to him and hugging her tightly. "I'll be leaving you for awhile... But I'll be back and I'll take you to Gurella. Before I go, may I have your necklance? For something for me to remember you by."

[Princess Naahra]

Naahra blinked, her gaze turning back to the necklace she had worn for four years, since her father gave it to her when she was thirteen. Slowly, she reached to the back of it, fingering the clasp, then opened it, removing it from around her neck. As soon as it was off of her neck, she reached up and fastened it around Laties's. When her hands removed it, however, it began to glow an ominous red. The princess began to glow the same shade of red, as if something was possessing her, and she quietly groaned in pain and squeezed her eyes shut. Slowly, her appearance began to change. Strand by strand, her silver hair began to change back to the lustrous black that it was, making it shine in the bright light of the moon. As soon as the strange glow faded away from her, she opened her eyes. Instead of them being the same dull, ghostly blue they used to be, however, they were a beautiful emerald green.

"Laties..." Naahra spoke, her voice less light and airy and more womanly than it was before, "Please, be safe, and know that I will be waiting for your return..." She gently hugged him as well, wishing silently that he didn't have to leave. She stood up on her tip toes and leaned in to his ear. "And don't forget, my love for you will keep you warm on the coldest of nights, light your way through the darkest of forests, ward off the fiercest of beasts, and keep you safe, though the hellfire may rise up against you and death may be at your side... Laties...I love you, and...I will anxiously await your return...so you can take me to Gurella..."

((-squee- SO CUUUUUTE!))

[Eltana Remarque]

A smile formed on his milky white face as the ex-general suggested that they play a game with each other. That amused smile of his, however, quickly faded into a blank expression once Laties draped his arms round Eltana's exposed shoulders. Physical contact was something he tried to avoid, lest it be with an aesthetically pleasing person--something he didn't personally consider Laties to be. The mere idea of some appalling desert monkey being against him disgusted him.

Eltana began to mull over the traitor's proposition after he released and headed toward the princess. So Laties knew where the Odium Sword, did he? That was something he did not anticipate and it would certainly prove to be problematic later on down the road. And he was willing to submit himself to the Blood Chamber should he lose the game, showing how confident and self-assured he was; then again, he could always go back on his word. Considering the events that had transpired not too long ago, he probably would.

"My dear desert monkey," he began with the Queen's little insult, having taken a fond liking to it ever since she first used it in his presence; "I'm afraid that your proposition has numerous flaws. Firstly, I have quite a few men positioned near the Odium Sword as we speak--meaning I had the upper hand before you suggested this little wager. Secondly, you believe it is my place to bargain with the princess' life? I am but a mere weapons dealer, a servant to King Osirus. And finally.... why should I trust the word of a traitor?"

Eltana paused once again for effect, a smirk creeping back onto his pale lips, "Though the concept of a wager does intrigue me, Luhma. Let me counter your flawed game with one of my own: Should you intercept the merchant carrying the Dolus Sword and deliver it to me, I will persuade Nikanoru to deliver your good friend the grass man from the hell that is the Blood Chamber."

The girlish weapons dealer broke off once again, luminous amber hues drifting over to the princess whose room he utterly demolished. Her desire of traveling to Gurella with Laties gave him quite a sinister idea. "..And should you fail, not only will the grass man's suffering in the Blood Chamber be amplified tenfold, but the Gurella Desert will burnt by the Dark King's legions until it is nothing but bloody glass. What do you say?"

[Prince Eros]

Eros hid his face from Eltana. The man's sheer beauty was indeed ravishing, but there was a gleam in his eyes that placed fear in the young Prince's heart. He buried his face into Naahra for a moment, but then he brought his head up to Naahra's ear.
"Na-na...I know you wouldn't leave me forever. I know Na-na wouldn't do that...But I'm staying so you can leave..." Eros said, his voice taking on a slightly more serious and yet, sad tone.
"If I stay...Mother and Father will have to deal with me and keeping me from escaping. My love for Na-na is great and they know it. If they're occupied with me, you can leave with Laties safely," Eros said in her ear. He then pulled away from her and gave her a reassuring smile.

Then suddenly, an empty sheath was being pressed into Eros' arms. As he looked up at Laties, seeing his understanding smile, Eros couldn't help but smile even brighter and broader.
"You'll be needing this. I left my favorite sword in my room underneath my bed, when you get the chance, get it before your father does."
"Laties!" His heart filled with excitement at the very thought of even touching one of General Laties' swords. But for Laties to give it to him, Eros could think of no higher honor. Eros wrapped his arms tightly around the sheath and held it to his chest tightly, nodding.
"I will Laties, sir!" Eros said.

Then something amazing happened. Laties had asked for his sister's pendant and upon plucking it from her breast, a tremendous transformation befell her. Her hair turned back into the shimmering black it was once before, her skin returning to a more healthy look. Eros remembered when she looked like this prior to her father giving her the necklace. Eros smiled, clutching the sheath even tighter. But his smile fell as he listened to Laties and Eltana try to out bargain each other. Some parts he couldn't quite understand, but he could understand two things: Laties and Eltana were after one sword and both were using lives as bargaining chips. Laties was bargaining his own while Eltana was using Sergeant Israfel's. Looking between the two, he walked up to Laties' side and took his left hand. Looking up at Laties, Eros looked at him with a strange, far off look. It was as if he had changed like his sister. Laties could feel a strength resonating from him that wasn't his.

"Laties...whatever you choose...you must realize that Israfel will suffer no matter your choice. His fate was written just as this was of your's...If you're to continue with this bargain...The traveler with the Dolus sword can see past you and into your spirit...He will not give you the sword if you do not have true and pure intentions...Just be warned and understand that you have Lumen's blessings," Eros said, his voice taking on a mysterious calm about it. His eyes then returned to normal and he gave Laties a childish smirk. He waved Laties' hand about for a moment.

"Be careful Laties!" He then went back to his sister's side.

[Laties]

'And don't forget, my love for you will keep you warm on the coldest of nights, light your way through the darkest of forests, ward off the fiercest of beasts, and keep you safe, though the hellfire may rise up against you and death may be at your side... Laties...I love you, and...I will anxiously await your return...so you can take me to Gurella...'

A ping of pain went through his chest at the words as he held the princess tightly for a final time. "This wasn't suppose to happen..." he murmured into her ear before he pulled back slightly and pressed their lips together in a brief chaste kiss before he pulled back slightly. "You look more beautiful without this on you." he grinned as he touched the necklance around his neck. "Remember, look up, never down. Show these people who is Princess Naahra Sephiran Valhalla of Alyssus."

Laties smiled down at Eros and ruffled the younger male's hair. "I know that very well... Isra probably no longer sees me as a friend, much less a person who used to hold a high rank. Now all he sees is someone who betrayed him. Take care of your sister for me, and take care of my blade."

The Gurella 'monkey' turned his head to look at Eltana and gave him a mock salute. "First, Odium Sword then I'll look for the Dolus." He grinned as he took a step back before he took of sprinting and jumped over the railing of the balcony. The sound of a near ear-percing whistle reached their ears as the air rushed around the man as it began to slow down his descent. When his feet touched the ground, he looked up at the balcony far up over him before he disappeared into the darkness.

(Laties out)