The Caretaker rose and put his hands on Danielle’s shoulders to comfort her. “This meant my Lady, that Danielle and Edward could not have the life they would have wished with you until you came of age. Their sacrifice allowed your parents happiness.”
“You may not have met us until today,” Edward’s voice broke a bit. “But we were with you always.”
Danielle managed a smile through the tears. “Unless we got shooed away by that hand maiden of hers.”
“Are you going to hold that grudge forever? She’s here now, let’s tell her about the wedding.” Edward hugged his wife as she collected herself. Dionara joined him.
The Caretaker and John quietly took their leave to allow the family time together. Beneath a star filled sky, flashes of brilliant white and emerald green lit up the night as each flew to an awaiting bed and their first full night’s sleep in several days.
IV
“Almost home.” Catherine thought.
The hour was late and her mind still reeled with the afternoon’s debates. The Kingdom’s councilors could be very trying. She wondered how Dionara put up with them day after day. For the last leg home from the gate she had chosen the form of a dove in hopes that the symbolic gesture alone would help calm her mind. She laughed inwardly as she realized that she was one angry, frustrated dove. “I suppose even doves must have a bad day once in a while.” She mused.
She cleared her mind and looked to the stars. The night sky has always filled her with an expansive sense of wonder, tonight it was enough to settle her emotions and let her assess the day’s events objectively. Her flame brightened as she relived the joy she felt at seeing Dionara in the Forest for the first time, “This is as much her home and heritage as the Kingdom.” She thought, then felt laughter bubble up from within as she recalled putting aside duty for a brief time to run free with Foil. “What a wonderful creature.” She made a mental note to stock up on beetroot for him.
“You’ve avoided it long enough,” she chided herself, “let’s see where we stand.” She had to admit that even though the councilor’s fears were growing, she knew that they would follow her instructions. Her frustrations resurfaced as she recalled their questions, the subject and tone of which had spoken volumes. “Perhaps we should wait for the Caretaker before we decide on a course of action,” and “John is a warrior, what are his suggestions?” Their not too subtle dismissals of her rank and abilities had cut deep.
“Uneducated, narrow minded! Okay, calm down.” She released her anger. “The greater the threat, the more people will revert to instinct over reason.” She reminded herself, and had to admit that none of them have had the opportunities to experience and learn from the wider world that she had been given as a Forest Dweller and Sentinel. She understood that their lack of knowledge was a gift of peace from their forbearers and the Caretaker. “Their peace has a price though, one that this generation must pay. There’s still a chance,” she allowed hope to brighten her flame, “that only a few will need to pay for all.”
To that hopeful end, preparations were well underway. She reviewed the training that she and John had been giving the selected Royal Guard Elite. They were ready, honed to a fine edge. She was confident in their skills and abilities even if the Councilors felt that they were not enough to meet the threat.
Her energy waned once more as she recalled explaining the situation to them for the umpteenth time. “If the Red Knight chooses to bring an army across the mountains, there is nothing anyone could do to stop him. Our only recourse would be to pack up and move east, or scatter. In either case the Red Knight would follow to our eventual undoing. That is the worst case. We do not feel it will come to that. We’ll know more within a month. Even if the worst case becomes reality, we’ll have years to prepare. The Red Knight would not be able to gather, equip, and lead an army across the mountains to the Kingdom until he gets reinforcements from the Far Lands.”
She recalled the looks of despair on the Councilors faces. “Please, have faith,” she encouraged them, “it is our belief that the Red Knight will take a small expeditionary force into the mountains to gain information. He suspects that something is here, but he knows nothing of us. Selected Forest Dwellers as well as the Royal Guard Elite are now prepared to meet him.”
“The Red Knight is immortal and has never been defeated.” The councilor’s fears had not abated. “Even if we win a brief victory, he will return with an army. You have never addressed that part of the plan. Should we not begin arming the entire Kingdom now? Shouldn’t we leave while we can?”
“No!” Catherine remembered the vehemence with which she said that one word. “We have been given a great gift, to turn tail and run merely because that gift is threatened would be to disgrace the generations that preceded us, and would prove us unfaithful to the power that made our happiness here possible.” She regretted her outburst immediately, she felt as if she had slapped a child. Even though it was hours later and she was safely home in the Forest, she still felt that sick feeling of regret well up in her stomach.
“Please have faith and patience, there is still hope, all depends on Dionara’s potential.” She could see the fear and trepidation clearly written on their faces.
“Finally, home.” She looked down to see light from the window and smoke from the chimney. Since the Caretaker had made it home before her, she thought that at least today had gone well in the Forest.
Changing back just outside the front door, the cool night air suddenly chilled her nude form. “Oh!” She quickly opened the door and reached for the robe she kept just inside. Her teeth still chattered a bit as she looked around the room for the comfort of her lover.
All she found was a young woman in her late teens sitting cross-legged on the floor. She couldn’t help but grin as she watched the teenager intensely trying to meditate. “Angela my dear,” she touched the girl’s shoulder to get her attention, “I believe you’ll find that if you’re working that hard to relax, it somewhat defeats the purpose.” Catherine was able to get the words out with only the slightest chuckle.
Angela opened her eyes and gave Catherine the classic look that only teenage girls can master. Roughly translated, it’s ‘Excuse me, important things going on here. Isn’t it obvious.’ She then rose having chosen to be the better person and forgive Catherine for not understanding. “It’s not the relaxation part that’s the problem,” she informed the elder Sentinel, “it's that I can’t seem to change no matter what I do!” Her voice revealed the frustration of effort to no avail.
“In time.” Catherine answered as her hand gently brushed Angela’s hair back from her face. She felt love and happiness as she looked into Angela’s youthful eyes and beyond, to her bright, innocent flame. “I’ll come find you in the next day or two and we’ll have another lesson, is that all right? What were you trying to change into?”
Angela’s face brightened with intensity, “A great white horse for John. An armored steed to take him into battle!”
Catherine used what self-control she had left to keep her laughter within, only the hint of a smile escaped. “It’s a wonderful thought, I’m sure John would appreciate it. You must remember though that whatever form you have when you leave the gate, is the form you stay in until you return. There won’t be much use for a horse during the battle. Maybe you should concentrate on an easier form for your first change. What do you think?”
She watched as Angela considered her options. “Besides, if you had accomplished the change into a great warhorse in the middle of my living room, how would you have gotten outside?” Catherine let the question trail off and added to herself, “not to mention all the new furniture I’d need to get.”
Angela stood there deep in thought and in barely the time it took for Catherine to speak, she incorporated all that she heard into her plans with one minor adjustment. They were now her ideas of course.
“Did the Caretaker ask you to stop by and start a fire for us?” The day’s efforts began to overtake Ca
therine as she sat at the table. “Did he give you a message for me?”
Angela awakened from her thoughts, “Yes, he asked if I would let you know that unexpected events may detain him. He’ll explain when he sees you.” Angela suddenly had a worried look. “By the way, when the Caretaker places a thought in a person’s mind does he see what that person is thinking about at that moment?”
Catherine could feel the worry emanating from her, “No Angela, if the Caretaker, John or I give you a mental message we make sure that we respect the privacy of any thoughts you are having at the time. Think of it as if we are speaking to you.” She couldn’t help but smile at the relief Angela showed, “That must have been a very naughty thought she was having when he dropped in on her!”
“The Caretaker and I thank you very much.” Angela patiently endured the hug and a kiss on the forehead from Catherine. “Are you going to be all right getting home on your own? It is very late.”
“No problem, I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll let your parents know you’re on your way.” Catherine made her put on a heavy coat and gave her a lantern from the kitchen. Once Angela was on her way and Catherine had sent her parents a message, her own thoughts turned to the Caretaker. What could have happened? Why didn’t he just drop into her mind and talk to her himself. Something must have gone very wrong.
Catherine reached out with her senses, she found the Caretaker along with John and Dionara at Danielle and Edward’s home. She didn’t interrupt, but neither did she need to contact their minds to feel the emotions.
She only meant to take a brief look to see if everything was all right, but in that moment she felt more than she should have. The Caretaker was telling Dionara about Diana, Catherine felt the intense love for Diana that flooded from him as he allowed his emotions to surface. This was not the love one has for a child or a dear friend, the depth and manor of the love that flowed from the Caretaker embodied the deepest desire for another that is either fulfilled by a lifetime union in the expression of ultimate joy, or denied as a sadness and an emptiness that is with you always.
Catherine withdrew her mind. She knew well the love she felt from the Caretaker, it had the same depth of desire, the same feel that her love had for him. It was the love she had hoped she would receive from him in time, but never came. The Caretaker loved her, she knew that, but in their twenty years together she had never felt his love reach the ultimate depth for her that he had felt for Diana.
Her mental walls went full up, solid as steel. She looked inward, “Come on Catherine, you’ve always known this,” she spoke to the little girl flowing with tears deep inside her, “It was a fools hope to think his love for me would ever match his love for her. I knew that going in. It’s not Diana’s fault, not his, and not Dionara’s, it just is. He has always been open and honest, loving and caring. If he has buried his feelings for Diana, it’s as much to protect himself as me.”
Catherine sat cross-legged in front of the fire taking deep, slow breaths. She called upon every bit of her substantial inner strength to clear her mind and existed in complete silence, not the slightest thought. Her body relaxed to the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat.
After awhile she rose and began to rebuild her thoughts. She remembered the love she felt for him, she remember the love she felt from him. She recalled the many times they had shared love and laughter in ways and to depths that no other human could conceive. These were gifts that the world would envy her for if they new. Calm and centered, she went to the bedroom and rested in the bed they had shared for decades. She drew his pillow into her and surrounded it with her arms as it brushed a tear from her cheek.
V
In his small, single room cottage isolated miles from the farms and village, John knelt before the hearth and put metal to stone. The dry kindling ignited with the promise of a warm fire to come. He lit each lamp as he circled the room and took in the comfort of home. His bed, dresser, table and a single chair took up a corner near the hearth. The open area that remained allowed him complete freedom of movement for training.
He looked to the various swords and hand weapons mounted on the walls, “A little staff work will do the trick I think.” He smiled, noting that he always went through the same ritual whenever he wanted to relax, “Ah well, ritual has its place too.” He held the six-foot wooden staff horizontally chest high and began slow, deliberate movements to create a rhythm that would build from serene and graceful to deadly swift.
“Peace, calm.” He emptied his mind of all thought to find his center, his muscles moved on practice and instinct. As he settled into the comfort of routine, he assessed his tactical situation. He could do nothing about the Red Knight. It was up to the Caretaker and Dionara to find that solution. “Kalibra and Yamikura are my problem.” His thoughts trailed off as he cleared his mind and once more found center.
His worries quickly resurfaced. “I could face one or the other, but not both, and it will take at least three Elites to keep the other one occupied.” Then he recalled the power, talent and speed that flowed from the Crimson Guard captain’s perfectly calm center and a cold chill ran along John’s limbs. No matter which one he faced, his opponent would have no hesitation, no weakness.
“Ouch!” John stopped to rub his calf where the staff had struck. “It’s been awhile since I’ve done that.” He thought with a grin, “If I don’t find my center it won’t matter who I face. Sleep may be my best training tonight.”
John stretched beneath the blanket, the room now lit only by the flickers of hearth light. He thanked Spirit for the blessings of the day, a custom more than a prayer, one that has largely been forgotten among Forest and Kingdom. His thoughts turned to the coastal Mindow slaves and wondered if their beliefs were true. “Is there a Prime Creator? Does Spirit guide us on a life path?” In counterpoint, his memories of the pain, injustice, suffering and death that he had sensed in his mind’s travels gave him pause. “Perhaps, perhaps not,” were his final thoughts before sleep overtook him.
In his dreamscape, he found himself once again a boy barely in his teens standing in front of the Forest gate with the Caretaker.
“Please! Please Caretaker, I’m old enough. Honest!”
It was a beautiful morning, both in the Forest and at Angel Falls. The Caretaker had come to the gate to watch over the royal family’s picnic at the glade. John also knew of the planned picnic and used the occasion to try and convince the Caretaker to allow him to begin his duties as a Sentinel.
“I admire your enthusiasm John, but you shouldn’t even begin your training until you’re sixteen. You have a few years yet to play before I put you to work.” The Caretaker hoped that a smile and soft voice would lessen the boy’s disappointment.
“Please, I’m farther along than you think. Watch!” John opened his mind to the Caretaker as he concentrated on the mist. Instantly the mist disappeared to reveal the glade in every detail. John scanned the entire area watching the scurry of activity as the canopy was raised and the food set out for the day.
The Caretaker was impressed. At John’s age it should have taken much longer to cross the gate and even then, his sight should have been more limited. He gave John’s proposal a moment’s consideration, then scanned the area himself. Although the Caretaker’s scan was a bit more encompassing. From the glade to the coast and an equal distance in every direction, he sensed no flames of life that would threaten the Kingdom.
“This might be best.” He thought to himself, “Not to mention that Catherine would love a surprise afternoon picnic.” He looked at John sternly, seeming to examine every aspect of the young man. “Hmmm? This is a tremendous responsibility you are asking to take on. You know that, don’t you?” The Caretaker could barely keep his stern countenance intact. He knew that there was no danger, and if he was going to be honest with himself, he was there to be near Diana, if only from a distance. Perhaps it would be healthier if he did not stay.
“All right young man, it’s against my bett
er judgment but I will allow you to be the royal family’s Sentinel for today on these conditions.” The Caretaker deepened his eyes and set his jaw, if only to keep from smiling. “You make me aware beforehand of any training you begin on your own, and I want your solemn promise to follow my directives on the pace of your training even if you think you can go faster. Agreed?”
“Yes Sir! I promise!”
Excitement filled John as the Caretaker flew off. The sole responsibility of the royal family’s safety was now in his hands. John knew that he needed to be conscientious in his duties, so he looked to each part of the glade as far as he could sense. He started out at his limit and worked his way in. The last area he looked toward were the shallows closest to the entry ledge. That’s when he saw her.
He girl was about his age. She was sitting in the shallows swirling the water with her hand as the mist and spray from the falls cooled her. Her wet, black hair flowed down her back and into the water where the ends seemed to flow with the eddies. He realized that this was Dionara, the young princess he had heard of all his life.
As he watched her, the flame of her being engulfed him. Its purity and strength was greater than any he had ever sensed. Emotion overwhelmed him, love, desire, longing, and lust fed the inferno that his flame had become. He sat down quickly to calm the dizziness, embarrassed and self-conscious of his own physical reaction. Time seemed to be nonexistent as he followed her from morning into afternoon to the exclusion of all else. He felt her relax as she lain in the sun, he felt her happiness at a playful swim, and he felt her joyful satisfaction as she sampled the sweet desserts.
By early afternoon his thoughts had split. While part of him sensed Dionara sunning herself after a delightful lunch, another part of him dreamt of what it would be like to spend time with her. Suddenly his thoughts were viciously and painfully brought back to reality.
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