Ivan shot a glance over his shoulder as he made his way to the door, carrying everything that was in the room inside his satchel, conveniently having a charm placed on it to be light and bottomless. He had acquired the satchel from a traveling merchant that had stopped by Witch Bryln's hut in the Forest of Brynhettle, using it mostly for gathering ingredients and stealing magical items from various shops. However, he had never been more thankful for the satchel until now, considering the large quantity of items he had collected over time.
His eyes trailed to the note he had left for Envo when she woke up from the potion. He'd be long gone by then, carrying out the promise he had made nine years ago. Briefly, he wondered if she would try to follow him, but he put the thought aside hastily. He didn't have room for another person on his mission, which was for him to do alone.
With this in mind, he shut the door behind him, hurried up the stone steps, and sped through the tunnel.
Time was once again of the essence.
*******
A splitting headache and a room stripped bare of all the wonderful things she had seen the night before was not a pleasant way or sight to wake up to.
Well, not completely bare, she thought, spotting a bit of parchment peeking out above the rim of the nearest shelf. Alongside it was a tiny blue bottle that concealed whatever was inside.
Her head throbbed as she reached for the two bequests, sitting up in bed and reading the note slowly.
Envo,
That project I mentioned last night will finally be finished this morning before I go on my journey. I left you a pain relief potion for the headache you'll have after that sleeping one I gave. Which I don't intend to apologize for. I wish you luck on finding your family.
Please don't follow me,
Ivan
Envo grit her teeth, as she finished reading. Peering at the bottle, she realized that there were a few drops of a silvery liquid that she supposed was to cure her of her headache.
A moment later and her headache was indeed gone, just as the note had said. This gave her a chance to gather her few belongings, such as the cloak he had laid at the foot of the bed and the dagger he had obviously taken the night before by her boots.
She was going after him. He was her best and only chance of finding her family.
After sliding the bottle into a pocket inside her cloak, she rushed out the door as well, unconsciously brushing her hand against the fire-shaped rune on the tunnel wall to allow her exit.
She hoped she could catch up to him.
*******
Clang!
He sparred with the guard briefly, before knocking the guard's sword out of his hands and holding sleeping salts to his nose. A moment later had the guard snoring against the wall, the ends of his mustache fluttering with every breath he let out.
Ivan surveyed the area around him carefully, consisting of shrubs and lush grass, before he took the large key ring off the guard's belt and unlocked the wooden door into the servant's quarters.
The long corridor was dim, save for the faint light towards the end, and the shadows cast upon the roughly hewn stone loomed as menacing and taunting as the shadows from his nightmares.
Which I am NOT thinking about, he thought firmly. I have a mission to do before I get outta here.
He took a deep breath before inching forward, his short sword at the ready. Gripping the worn handle tightly in his left hand, he clenched his other hand into a fist. The corridor stretched on and on, until it turned sharply around the corner. There were arched, glass-less windows and more lit torches lining the walls, held in their iron sconces delicately. The squares of light upon the rough flagstone led way to the moonlit courtyard outside. A closer look at the shrubbery caused him to stumble back in surprise, before he shook himself in annoyance and continued on his way.
I should've expected phoenixes and griffins...I'm too tense about this. I need to relax...I've been preparing myself for nine years, surely that means something... he thought furiously.
His hand twitched to his side as he continued his pace down the corridor, muttering irately under his breath. He was losing precious time every moment he panicked; he needed to hurry and find the royal treasury. That was where the scroll was, and he had waited the entire day for the castle to fall back into slumber before making his move.
There wasn't any point in remembering the last time he walked down this corridor, shaken and singed and starving.
Ivan Frundsy squeezed his blue eyes shut, opened them, and began to stride down the hall with a new resolution.
It was time to take back what was his.
*******
She panted breathlessly as she stooped down to catch her breath. After a moment, she raised her head to peer up at the intimidating turrets that rose over her and beyond the tops of the trees. A large stone wall shielded the inner courtyards from her view, wrapping around the perimeter of the palace and tucking the inhabitants snugly away from commoners' gossip.
Violet eyes fixated at the wooden door at the far northwestern corner of the wall, and their owner frowned as they noticed what seemed to be a guard slumped against the wall, snoring away to his heart's content.
What kind of project is this...? Envo mused suspiciously. Who exactly is Ivan? What has he been working on for so long?
Her questions were left unanswered in the shadows of the trees, with only the moon to shine upon her face and the weight of the concealed quiver on her back to acknowledge her. The black leather armguards she wore on both her arms pressed into her skin purposefully, provoking Envo out of her thoughts. She bit her lip in nervous anticipation. Gripping her newly-strung bow in her hand, she slunk through the trees to the door and past the guard.
With a barely audible creak, she opened the wooden door slowly and shut it gently behind her.
*******
He whooshed out a breath full of suppressed relief at the sight of a set of two doors, inlaid with rich golden designs.
Well, that's step number seven out of the way, he mused with satisfaction.
He proceeded to pull out a barely perceptible object out of a satchel from his side, using it to pick the lock on the doors. Seconds later, one of the doors creaked open and a flash of light winked at him from inside the spacious chamber. Ivan swallowed down his feverish excitement, chastising himself for almost getting carried away.
He was so close.
Ivan slipped into the room quietly, widening his eyes at the marvelous scene before him. Jewels were piled in the corner closest to the door, the dull glint of sapphires and rubies gleaming more so from the light in the corridor. Bars of gold and silver were organized into neat mounds against the eastern wall, but Ivan paid no attention to these.
Scrolls upon scrolls were stacked in the farthest corner, with strange symbols etched upon the surface, and with a start, Ivan noticed that some of the symbols were familiar, meaning...
"From the Fire Empire," he breathed out, completely floored. He took one step, then another, until he was right in front of the scrolls. Leaning forward, he picked up the one on top, scanning it thoroughly.
"No," he mumbled softly, picking up another scroll and setting that aside as well. Not the next one. Nor the next. The tedious cycle continued until he picked up the last scroll.
From the corridor, the flames upon the torches flickered. A long shadow appeared at the end of the hall, creeping slowly towards the open door. Ivan did not notice, too transfixed on the scroll he had in his hands.
A layout of the country of Hettleden was sketched upon the yellow parchment in long crimson strokes of the ink that the Fire Empire had primarily used. Each of the Empires with their villages and towns were drawn out in vivid detail, including the vast Forest of Brynhettle. Looking closer at the map, Ivan noticed a hut doodled near the outskirts of what had been the Fire Empire.
Suddenly, it was gone.
Ivan blinked. Had he been imagining things? To his surprise, the hut reappeared again; this time, it was closer to the Water Empire. As he kept his gaze on the hut, it disappeared and reappeared in other areas of the thicket.
Ivan's mouth grew into a wide grin, the realization hitting him like a hammer meeting the anvil.
I've found it, he thought gleefully.
He leaped to his feet, about to turn and make his escape, but a long black tendril of what looked like smoke pinned him to the wall. He choked in surprise, his breath knocked out of him. Quickly, he glanced at his right hand and was relieved to see the scroll still clenched in his fist. Looking up at his attacker, he paled.
Damn... he thought in budding horror.
Prince Yun Goku of the Sky Empire stood in front of the doors, the torchlight transforming his figure and outstretched hand into a macabre angel of vengeance.
*******
Envo tiptoed around the shrub-phoenix carefully, quietly giggling as she thought about Ivan's expression if he saw it.
I wonder how he would react to seeing it in the dark.
Abruptly, she sobered as she felt an ominous feeling well up inside her. She frowned.
Something's...wrong, she discerned, as she flexed her fingers.
A flickering light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. As she gazed at the light, an odd sort of urgency rose within her. Somehow, she knew there was no time to waste. She needed to hurry. Envo took out her bow and swiped an arrow from her quiver, nocking it into place. As she stepped forward, something moved in her peripheral vision.
She spun around and didn't bother taking aim as she drew back the arrow and released it. A painful grunt resounded throughout the corridor, before silhouettes of guards ran out from behind pillars and surrounded her. She narrowed her eyes, throwing a fleeting look at the light that was slowly fading away.
I'll have to distract these men first, she reluctantly decided, hoping that Ivan was alright.
She focused her attention back on the guards, all of whom had various weapons in their hands. Envo paused, before she crouched and sprang into the air, the brief moment of being airborne leaving her exhilarated.
Perched upon the phoenix she had snuck around earlier, she gave a smirk at the guards who were now red in the face and making a ruckus below among each other. Carefully, she nocked her bow again, which drew the attention of the guards. To her amusement, they scattered in all directions, taking refuge behind shaped hedges, topiary, and pillars.
As the guards peeked out at the hooded figure standing on the phoenix's head, a shiver traveled down their spines as they saw a flash of violet eyes and a wide chilling grin.
*******
Prince Yun took a step towards him slowly, coming closer and closer. His raven hair shone from the gleam of the fire outside, and the shadows cast upon his face made it look as if he were carved from marble. His dark green eyes, such a contrast to his alabaster skin, glinted with something akin to malice. With every soft thud of his leather boots, Ivan felt the blood drain faster from his face and his heart pound harder.
How can I get out of this..?
He held his breath, raising his chin defiantly as the prince stopped right in front of him. He went completely still, as Yun lifted a long index finger to trail along his jawline. His eyes met the prince's, five centimeters above him.
Yun's lips curled into a devilish smile. "Well, well, well, Ivan Frundsy...long time no see, my young friend," he whispered.
Ivan bit out, "Friend? I don't recall anything of the sort."
The prince raised an eyebrow, faintly amused.
"Oh?" he responded. "A shame...but perhaps nine years is a lot to ask of one person. Tell me, Ivan...how have you been? We have much to catch up on, do we not?"
Ivan stared at the prince, noting the hungry expression in Yun's eyes.
"Nine years is a long time," he agreed passively, "but I believe reminiscing is done without danger being present."
The prince let out a brief chuckle, echoing in Ivan's ears and almost making him twitch.
"Oh, you mean my shadows? Alas, I fear that you will try to run from me if I let you out of them...after all, you have a penchant for running away it seems, Ivan...and you do seem to be in a rather, how shall I say, compromising situation."
Ivan was certain he had seen the prince's eyes flash just then. His heart beating a tattoo against his chest, he swallowed and promised, "I won't run."
At this, Yun scrutinized him, his eyes travelling to his ears, his nose, and lastly his hands. He returned his penetrating scrutiny to Ivan's baby blue irises, searching for sincerity. Finally, he raised his hand and waved it over him, causing the shadows wrapped around his waist and arms to dissipate into thin air.
Some of the tension in his body was released upon freedom of restraint, but Ivan didn't let his guard down as he eyed the prince carefully.
"How's your brother?" he inquired, hoping to distract the prince a little.
Unfortunately, his good intention went unnoticed by Yun.
"My brother is doing well, unfortunately, but I believe that is not the matter at the moment. I'd like very much to know how you are doing, Ivan," Yun purred knowingly.
Ivan furrowed his brow, before he wiped all emotion off his face. As straight-faced as he could, he said gravely, "I've been romping around with a horse."
A long silence stretched after he had spoken.
The prince stared at him very hard, seeming to be at a loss for words.
"I...see. Is that all you've been doing these nine years?"
"Well, I did have a brief affair with the baker's dog, if that's what you mean," Ivan stated, hard-pressed at holding his laughter in.
Who knew those village rumors would come in handy?
Yun narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something, but was suddenly cut off by an arrow flying past his cheek and falling to the floor by his feet. He whirled around in surprise, only to meet another arrow. This time, it hit its target: his right arm.
The prince let out a grunt of pain, signalling to Ivan that it was time to go. He looked up at his savior and was taken aback at the familiar figure.
"Envo?" he asked in shock, but the mysterious rescuer strode over, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out of the chamber.
They were met by guards coming from the left and the right of the lit corridor, causing shadows to ripple across the stone as if they were underwater.
"Tch," he heard his rescuer mutter, before an arrow thudded into the nearest guard. He gave a cry of agony, and as if on cue, the rest of the guards rushed forward to avenge their comrade.
Ivan felt a tug on his sleeve and heard Envo's voice in his ear, "Use that secret dagger of yours, it might come in handy right now."
Instantly, with a twirl of his wrist, he brought the silver dagger he kept on him out, using it to stab a female guard in the ribs. The anguished cry let him know he had struck his mark, and soon Ivan and Envo had made it through the horde.
As they ran through the corridor, leaving a bloodstained party of Yun's guards behind them, Ivan glanced over to Envo.
She isn't half bad at fighting, he admitted.
Out loud, he asked, "Why did you follow me?"
He watched as she suddenly sped up and held open the door he had snuck through earlier.
"There's no time for that now, you idiot!" she hissed, and spun on her heel with her cloak billowing behind.
He nodded in reluctant agreement as he raced out the door after her, pausing to trace a symbol on the door. A glimmering scarlet line appeared underneath his fingertips, glowing once before fading away. His work done, Ivan Frundsy turned and took flight into the forest.
As he lost sight of the castle and caught up with Envo's barely discernible cloak, he sighed.
They now shared the same fate. Both were now Hettleden's most wanted.