Incendia

Chapter 10- The Gathering

****Author's note****** Hey guys I'm wicked sorry I haven't been writing lately, I had play practice for 5 hours a night and now my freshman year at college is almost over and we are being pounded with final projects! Pretty soon I will be able to update on a daily basis again. Thanks for being so patient you guys are the best!*******

As Incendia stumbles upon the muddy ground she casts a dark scowl at the melting snow. They have been on the road to the Summer Palace for five days now, and each step closer to the Summer Palace, feels like one hundred steps away from her home. She reaches up and wipes the sweat dripping down the nape of her neck. Her flaming hair was firzzing with each step farther away from Winter. How could anyone stand this heat? They aren't even in the Summer Kingdom and Incendia is already sweating.

The melting snow, the boiling sun just emphasize the fact that she isn't home where she should be. A deep sadness settles over Incendia as she thinks about her brothers, she even feels a twinge of something towards her father even though he is practically a stranger to her now. As if sensing her despair, her Black Panther nuzzles her hand urging her forward, down the road of melting snow.

Teo, who has been watching Dia stumble for the past hour and a half, nods at Wolf. "Alright men, lets take a break and then we should arrive at our halfway point by dusk tonight." Teo calls, halting his mound. 

Incendia tries to muffle her sigh of relief, despite her claims to be indestructable, she does need her rest. Incendia wearily watches as Teo makes his way across the stretching and resting men, patting them on the backs and sharing laughs until he reaches her. Incendia attempts to control her facial expressions as she looks up at him. The truth is, she doesn't know what to make of him, he is clearly hiding something and he seems to be the most guarded when around her. Could it be that she is the same way?

"Can I help you?" Incendia cooly asks with what she hopes comes across as an air of indifference. Despite her air of indifference, Incendia's eyes grow round and her heart begins to thud painfull against her chest when Teo pulls out a sword and points it directly at her, smiling.

A moment passes,Incendia decides to make a hast decision and with a yell, she shoves Teo to the ground while ripping the sword from his grasp. If it wasn't for her frantically beating heart, Incendia would have roared with laughter at the look of bewilderment on Teo's face. That bewilderment however, soon turns to a look of outrage.

"Are you mad woman? What in God's name would possess you to attack me when I was offering you a sword? Do you not know the distinction between friends and enemies or is just that you have never had any friends at all?" He roars as he scrambles to his feet, dusting his clothing off, his face as red as her hair.

His insults poke at Incendia's pride. "I don't know the distinction? Excuse me sir, but the last time I checked it was you coming at me pointing a sword straight at my heart. Any reasonable person would think that you, out of all the people here would be the mad man attempting to assasinate the princess!" She hollers back as her face too, grows steadily more red with each word that she spits out.

Teo opens his mouth to yell back, but then a look of disbelief pases over his face. "You thought I was going to kill you?" he asks her softly.

Incendia shocked at his gentle and caring tones can't do anything but nod. Teo slowly shakes his head at her and moves a step closer. As he does, Incendia is suddenly aware that nearly all of the men have physically stopped to watch their altercation and now their quiet murmurrings. Teo seems to sense this too as he looks up and around at the camp, as he does he takes a step back and begind roaring with laughter. Teo obnoxiously laughing isn't anything new, however, this laughter seems too bright to Incendia's ears, it appears forced as though he is covering up their moment that has not passed.

After Teo's faux laughter ceases and he is just left gasping for breath, he realizes that Incendia is glaring a hole through his skull. In a deep booming voice so that all the men could hear, Teo offers her an explanation. "Dia, Dia Dia. I wasn't trying to kill you, but to help you improve on fighting if you are ever put into that predicament. It seems however, that you are one step ahead of me." He gestures to his still muddy trousers causing his men to chuckle.

Incendia's face heats up with embarressment, but her voice comes out clear and steady. "How was I to know that Sir, when you weren't handing the sword the right way if it was indeed to teach me to fight with the sword.?"

Teo nods with an admiring smile and says, "You are correct. It is my fault and I will take responsibility for that just not for my muddy trousers!" Before Incendia can defend herself, Teo cuts her off. "Come follow me if you want to practice. If you don't that's your choice but it is also your loss." He calls over his shoulder flashing her a grin before disapperaing through a set of heavy trees.

Incendia watches him walk away, feeling torn. On one hand she wants to prove to the on lookers that she is not someone to be ordered about but at the same time, the weight of the blade causes her body to yearn towards the trees Teo disapperead into. Incendia looks up and searches into the face of the onlookers till she finds the one she wants, sitting there stroking a purring panther, he meets her eyes. Wolf gives her a sly smile and jerks his head towards the trees.

Go girl, don't be stupid and let pride control your life.

Incendia starts, wondering how long it will take for her to get used to hearing her panther, Vidar's voice inside her head. Incendia nods at both of them/ With a deep breath, clutching her sword Incendia makes her way through the bramble and branches, until she stops at the most beautiful clearing. Teo standing in the middle of the field next to a flower the color of the sun, turns smiling at her.

"It's beautiful isn't it? This is what the entire Spring Kingdom looked like, imagine living in a place like this." He tells her with his arms open, as it able to touch all the beauty.

Incendia's glowing smile over the beauty surrounding her falls from her face at the word 'looked'. Is this what her kingdom will be like after all of this? Is it only to be found by some passing travellers, only there to stop and examine the beauty surrounding them beofre making their way again. Incendia begins picturing a kingdom ruling over this beautiful clearing. It has farmers, merchants and healers. IT even has a royal family like hers, until the royal family is killed, leaving the kingom in the ruins that she is seeing now. 

This thought brings tears to her eyes, what if when she returns from this voyage, she finds her kingdome like this. Her people gone and her family dead. Incendia feels the first hot, salty tear hit her cheek and stream down, as she goes up to wipe it away, another hand rougher and bigger beats her to it and gently wipes away from her cheek.

"I was just thinking about my family and my...my...my kingdom." Incendia attempts to explain to Teo through her tears amd embarressment.

"I know." Teo says before engulfing her into a warm hug. 'I know.' 

he said, and yet Incendia can tell that he really does. Some way or another he knows exactly what is running through her head right now. At this comforting notion, Incendia lets herslef take down the barriers she's had up for years now and stop trying to be her own hero. For once Incendia lets herself be a young lady in a traumatic situation and she begins to cry in Teo's arms. She cries about her life, about her family and the lives lost in the very spots she is standing in. But mainly despite her never admitting it, she cries because she is frighten, more frighten than she's ever been.

Author's note:

*****Hey guys I am wicked sorry this took so long to come out and that it is short after I made everyone wait for it for so long! Exams are finally over and I don't start work for awhile so hopefully I will be picking up on my writing! Please don't give up on me and continue reading my things! Hahahah if you guys have any comments or suggestions please tell me! You allknow the drill by now, read, comment and vote. I mean no pressure only if you want I'm just saying that you HAVE to. Just kidding. I hope everyone enjoys the latest installment and has a marvellous night!************