Chapter 10:
It was one of my least favorite elves in this place. The only and one...Saeros and he didn't seem any happy –which he never does, by the way. He was wearing different clothes. He had a white shirt and a pair of blue jeans, making him looked almost like a human. His green hair was covering his eyes and spiky like always. There were a pair of sunglasses over his head, he looked like one of those daddy's boy teenager, just a little older.
“What do you want?” I asked harshly. I wasn't happy to see him or that he was interupting us.
“The Queen want you and the girl at the Lotus Court in ten.” He said and walked away.
“The Queen? The Lotus Court? What is this place?” Anastasia asked confused.
“Listen up” I started. “This place is called Margus Terram, and I don't know much about the Lotus Court, just that it is like the closes to a um...senate.”
And so I told her everything that happened since we got here and all about the Queen, the princess and how we became friends—which for some reason she made a face—and how we have been training on swordfighting, close combat, and other magical things. How the dragons were big now and we were about to learn how to fly. About the elite squad that went to rescued her, she shivered when I told her that.
“So we are not on earth anymore?”
“I guess, you could say that.”
“You are still on Earth, but in a different dimension.” Saeros interrupted. Have I said how much I hated him for always interrupting? No? Well, I will say it: I hate him!
“Hard to believe that yesterday we were just normal kids worrying about homework and that dumb rock project, uh?”
Anastasia nodded with a blankly expression.
***
After arguing quite a few times with Anastasia about helping her walked to the Lotus Court, she didn't have any other option, but to give in and let me help her. She was leaning against me with her arm around me and I was supporting her with my arm around her waist. She still felt a little numb and her legs weren't responding her.
“So we are going to learn how to ride the dragons?” She asked, breaking the silent that has envolved us.
“Yeah” I replied, feeling a little sick about just thinking in, actually, flying. I always hated heights, but that didn't ever stopped me from going to high places like roofs, trees, and all that. But knowing that we might fly thousand feet off from the ground with nothing to support us but our dragons was another thing.
“Hey, you ok?” She asked me. I guess she saw my sick face.
“Yeah, just a little nervous, though. I'm not that a fan of heights, you know?”
“Yeah, I still remember your face the time we went on that trip with our families. Only one word to descrive it: Priceless.” She said laughing that beautiful laugh that seem to made my problems to fly away.
'Whoa! Beautiful? Since when I think her laugh was beautiful?' I thought. 'Maybe since I thought I would never see her again.'
I could felt a flush making its way to my cheeks. “Hey, not my fault I'm scared of heights since that movie with—”
“Mead! Hurry up!” I was interrupted by Saeros...again. I was really starting to hate him--well, more than before since I already hate him. He was leaning against the doorframe of the huge doors of the throne room with his arms crossed over his chest. “Took you two long enough, uh?”
I clenched my fists in Anastasia's shirt with my jaw tensed. I was about to replied, when Anastasia beat me to it. “Sorry, it was my fault. I still feel a little numb from drinking that thinn.” She apologized.
“Don't worry, sweetheart. I know it wasn't your fault to got kidnapped” He said looking at me without dropping his gaze from me. “Some of us aren't good enough to protect other just yet” He added the last part referring to me.
I just glared at him and kept walking to the door with Anastasia leaning against me.
“We got practice after the meeting, Mead.” He said putting his hand in front of me, blocking the door. “Don't be late or you'll do thousand push-ups and laps around my Arena, understood?”
“Yes, sir” I growled.
“Good, now get inside. Everyone is waiting for you two.”
“Why does he treat you like that?” Anastasia asked as we entered the room.
“He blame me too about you getting kidnapped” I sighed, “He is the only one that kept reminding me, and I guess he will still reminding me.”
“I told you! It wasn't your fault.”
I didn't say anything I just kept walking looking to the front.
Saeros was right. Everyone was waiting for only us two. The Queen and Princess were sitting on their thrones. To the left side behind the Queen were seven old elves with wrinkled faces and long white beards wearing black gowns with those caps that people us on their graduations. It made me felt like if I was on a graduation ceremony. To the right behind the Princess were other seven old lady elves with the same costums as the men, but beardless.
There was an audience sitting in front, about ten feet away from the Queen. I saw our friends sitting in the front row, looking a little out of place. Lúthien and Beren were sitting beside them with bandages on their heads and arms, a reminder of their rescue mission that didn't went that well. There were other hundreds elves gathered there too.
I saw Arath among the crowd. He saw me and gave me a nod, and I just nodded back.
Mrs. Tulips, the poison and magic instructor, was there too. Her orange hair making her easily to spotted from the crowd. She saw me and smiled warmly waving at me. She was one of the few that didn't hated me.
Someone cleared its throat in front of the crowd, getting the attention of everyone at once. I looked up to see the Queen looking at Anastasia and me. “Seems like we are all here now. Please take a seat dears.” She said gesturing at the two seats beside Naomi and Dustin. We walked toward them an sat with our friends.
“Anastasia!” Naomi whispered, hugging her and Anastasia hugged her back smiling.
“Hey, lil sis!” Dustin said giving her a big bear hug, which Anastasia returned too with a smile.
“Ok, now that we are all here, let's go down to business” The Queen said. We all turned our attention to her. “Now, Lúthien and Beren had told me that they knew about the Elite squad and their mission to go rescued Anastasia. But tell me, darling, can you tell me what you know? Anything you know might be very helpful to us.”
Everyone turned to see Anastasia, and she just looked down and started to play with her fingers. I knew she was starting to feel self-conscious, she always hated been on the spotlights. “I don't know. I only heard they were almost ready to raise their master. And they also have under their power one of the four swords.”
“I see, anything else?” The Queen asked.
Anastasia looked like she was going to add something, but then caught herself and stop like she just remember something unpleasent. “No, milady” She finally said.
I knew she was lying, but I wasn't going to say that in front of the Queen or push Anastasia.
“Ok, then this meeting is over. Everyone go back to your duties.” The Queen ordered. “Lotus court, please stay to discuss about our plans.”
We all stood up, except for the Lotus court, and walked out of the room.
As soon as we were out of the room, Naomi and Dustin hugged Anastasia again. She did the same and was smiling. She seem very cute when she smiled, like if the weight of the world has just drop off from her shoulders. They talked a little more and I took advantage of that time to walked slowly from them and toward the arena.
I needed sometime to think and I was still blaming myself for what happen to Anastasia. So I wasn't very comfortable around her.
As I entered the arena, I noticed someone there practicing. When I walked closer I recognized it was Saeros, who was fighting against some dummies. He was slashing at them like if they were real people—or elves. His every moved were fancy, like when you play chess and at first the moves you made didn't make sense, but when you made the last move everything connected.
I approched slowly to where he was. When he saw me walking toward him, he just stop and look me up and down.
“So? What do you want?” He asked.
“You told me to come and train after they finish.” I said. “You know, since everyone is counting on my friends and I to defeat this Dark dragon. I also want to be strong enough to protect my friends next time we face some dangerous monster.”
“Oh, right." He said like he just remember. "I thought you were not going to come. What made you change your thoughts?”
“Let's say, I got a good trainer who gave me this awesome and inspiared speech about how everyone, including my friends, were counting on me.”
Saeros looked at me from head to toe as if trying to find what were my real intentions, like if I was lying and was up to something bad. “Ok, I guess I can help you a little with that.” He finally said.
I nodded. “What do you want me to do?” I asked.
He looked around the arena. “See that dummy at the end?” He asked and I nodded. “I want you to throw this spear and hit him on the chest.”
The dummy was at least fourty feet away from where we were standing. For me, that was a impossible throw.
“Are you kidding, right?” I asked, half laughing.
“Do I look like someone that kids?” He asked me.
“Um...no, but a throw like that its impossible!”
“No, it is not impossible.” He said. “Nothing is impossible. Hard, probably, but never impossible.”
“There's no way someone can make a throw like that!”
Saeros sighed in frustrationg, grabbed a spear and aim at the dummy. “Watch and learn, boy.” He said and threw his spear at the dummy hitting it in the middle of its chest. “See? Hard, but no impossible. Now, you do it.”
I looked in awestruck at the piercing dummy and grabbed another spear.
“Just believe in yourself and you will do it, Mead.” He said.
I sighed. “Here goes nothing.” I threw my spear and it missed by inches from the dummy, getting stabbed on a tree near one of the Nature Fairies that was just popping out of her oak tree.
“Sorry!” I called.
Nature Faries can be very touchy when it comes to their trees, they are worst than the Nymphs and Dryads. Believe me, Dustin learn that the hard way. The first day we were training, one of the elves thought it was funny to pull a prank on him. The elve told him that Saeros told him to go and train fighting against a tree and after that...well, let's say Dustin got roots growing from his hair for about a week.
“Here. Try again.” Saeros said, handing me another spear. “and this time belive in yourself!”
“Ok, I'll try it again.” I took a deep long breath and closed my eyes.
“Be one with your weapon.” I herad Saeros whispered, “Feel your target, become one with your surrounding and then throw.”
One with my weapon...become one with my surrounding and then... I thought and threw the spear.
I opened my eyes. The spear flew across the arena and impaled a few trees away from bull's eyes again.
I turned to see Saeros and saw that he was shaking his head disappointed. I don't what his problem was, I didn't have as much experience as he had.
“You still have a lot to learn, Jason.” He said walking out of the arena.
“But you been doing well so far, Jason.”He nodded and walked out of the arena. It was the first time he gave me a good compliment and also called me by my first name.
“Saeros!” I called before he got out of there.
“Yes?” He asked turning around to faced me.
“You called me by my first name.” I said, smiling.
“Pff...in your dreams, Mead. Now, go and practice everything I had shown you. I got other stuffs to do."He replied and walked away, disappearing in the distance.
***
After Saeros left, I started training a little longer with a sword. The sword I was using was the same sword Grandpa had in his car. I didn't know why, but the sword just felt right in my hands. It was like if it was made just for me. Well balanced. Not too heavy nor too light...it was just perfect. I've been studying the sword for a while. It was just a simple sword that had the head of a roaring lion at the end of the hilt with a red dimond on its mouth.
I was slashing and stabbing at dummies, that after some time I went on automatic. Stab, slash, stab, slash, dodge, kick, puch, and stab again. I was doing good, but I was tired and sweaty so I decided to stop and go to the showers.
I sheathed my sword and went to the showers. I went to my room and grabbed some stuffs for the shower. After gathering all my stuffs I went to the showers and took a long and refreshing cold shower. When I finished, I walked out of the showers and put on my clothes, which was a orange T-shirt, jeans, and my convers.
The elves had gone to our world and brought us some clothes from our homes and told us that we didn't have to worry about our parents getting worry, or about school. They took care of that with magic. How they did it? I don't know, but I was relief that we wouldn't get in troubles or our families wouldn't have to worry about us. Well, I guess they would have to worry about us since our lives could end if we make a mistake, but they point is that they won't be to worry, right?
When I walked out of the showers, someone was waiting for me. It was...
”Anastasia?”
Leaning against the wall across form the door was her. I really miss her, but I was trying to avoid her for a while because I was still feeling guilty of what happened to her and I didn't know what to tell her. She said she forgave me, but I haven't forgave myself yet.
“There you are.” She said, “You been avoiding me, don't you?”
How did she knew? I thought. Its like if she was reading my mind.
“No,” I lied. “Why would you think that?”
“Geez, I don't know, let me see. You left the Throne room without telling us, you haven't talk to me since the infirmery, and you are lying now.”
“What? Why would you think I'm lying?” I asked, not meeting her eyes.
“Jason, I know you for a long time ago. I know when you are lying.” She replied. “You start to play with your fingers, your ears get a little red, and you didn't met my eyes when you answer my question.”
'She know me so well! I thought.
I sighed in defeat. “Ok, yeah, I kind of been avoiding you.”
“You are still mad at yourself about what happen to me.” She said.
I looked down, not meeting her eyes.
“Jason,” She said picking my face by the chin with her hand. “I already told you that it wasn't your fault! I made my decision.”
“But you didn't have to! I didn't asked you to save me or something.”
“And we didn't asked you to save us from those monsters that attacked us, did we?”
“But I was the only one with a sword! What were you specting from me? To do nothing and let those things kill us?”
“No, but you didn't have to protect us either.” She replied. I could distinguish the tone in her voice. She was getting a little annoy and angry too.
“But you know I can bear that someone is messing with my friends!” I said, “No one, but me can do that!” I ruffled her hair and started to run. I knew she hated when someone mess with her hair.
“Jason! You are so going to pay for that!” She yelled and started to chasing me. “Come here, and be a man!”
“No, thanks. Be a kid is way more fun than be a man.” I called over my shoulder.
We kept running through the halls, until we came outside of the place. I just kept running to my bedroom with her on my heels. “You are never going to catch me, Annie!'
“Oh, you just wait, Jason! I will catch you!” She said.
I was about to open my door when she tackled me and we both enter my room triping over each other.
“Ow.” I groaned as I hit the floor. “Ouch!” As Anastasia landed on top of me.
“Ow, that hurt.” She said. “Good thing I fall on top of your pillows, Jason.” She looked around trying to find me. “Jason?”
“Um...down here, Anastasia.” I said.
“Oh, I'm so sorry!” She said moving off me fast. She was blushing and kept apologizing too many times.
“Its okay.” I said, laughing. “I'm okay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I am.” I said. We, both, started to laugh. I was about to say something else when someone knocked on the door.
Anastasia and I turned to see...the Princess?
“Uh, hi, your Highness. Can we help you with something?” I asked, as Anastasia and I stood up.
“Yeah, I um...was wondering if you could help me with something, Jason.” The Princess said.
“Um...sure. What is it?” I asked.
“Well, it's just that I wanted to know more about your world, and I was wondering if you could tell me stories of that place you call Earth?”
“Didn't you people used to live on Earth too?” asked Anastasia.
“Yeah, but we were forced to leave it behind and that happened before I was born.” the Princess replied, looking down.
“Uh, yeah, sure, milady.We can tell you about Earth.” I said. “Actually, Anastasia can help you with that. She is more good at teaching than I am.”
“No, I'm not.” Anastasia said, with a harsh tone. “Besides I got other important things to do.” She looked the Princess up and down. “See you later, Jason.” She walked out of the room without saying a goodbye to the Princess.
“Sorry about that. I don't know what got into her. Maybe she is still a little shake up from being kidnapped.” I apologized.
“I think I know what got into her.” The Princess said.
“You know?” I asked. “Can you tell me?”
“I see what I read about men is right. They are so oblivious!” She sighed.
“What? I'm oblivious? From what?”
“Come on, I want to know more about your world.” She sighed again, and grabbed my hand pulling me behind her.