Enjoy :3 Sorry its so long =S Gabriella ran to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the ocean. The sapphire sky looked back at her, the color reflected in the water beneath it. The ocean was something she had always loved. Even as a small child, she always wanted to go see the water. She had imagined herself a mermaid, even though she knew the seamen’s tales of mermaids did not match the ones her mom had told her. She smiled slightly as she reminisced. A chilly breeze ruffled her hair, and she shivered. The autumn winds had blown leaves onto the ground, and the winter breezes were blowing them around her ankles. She stepped back a bit from the edge, leaves crunching as she walked. A rustling noise alerted her, and she immediately notched an arrow in her bow. Cautiously, she turned around- only to laugh brightly. “Hey, Owen,†she greeted the grey-eyed boy standing in front of her. His eyes flashed to her face, a smirk clearly showing. “Scared you, did I?†He laughed and gave her shoulder a light punch. She put the arrow back in her quiver and rested the bow. “Nah.†She giggled and re-notched the bow steadily. “Did I scare you?†He scoffed. “Of course not. 600 rabbits of different species could scare me more than you could.†She let the arrow go, and it whizzed half a centimeter above his hair. He ducked, but if she had been aiming for him directly he would’ve been too late. “You’re getting so good at that, it’s scary,†he commented warily. She put on a solemn face. “I practice,†she mused, then notched another arrow and let it fly, piercing a small bird. “Woops,†she breathed, then sat down on the long grass. Owen walked in front of her, and she could tell by the smugness radiating from him he was going to brag. “Look what I got today,†he boasted, then drew a long, gleaming silver sword from a richly-decorated sheath. She “oohed†and “ahhed†for his benefit. “Nice. Who gave it to you?†“Avery.†Gabriella was shocked to see him use the name so… familiarly. “That’s Captain Avery,†she corrected. He rolled his eyes and flipped his head, making his rich brown hair go to the right side of his face. She bit her lip, stifling a snicker. “The tariff on agricultural goods went up,†she said in a small-talk voice, but Owen didn’t say anything. “What do you think Evelyn is going to do?†His eyes scanned the dense forest behind them before he answered. “That’s Captain Evelyn. And I don’t know. He may declare war.†She nodded regretfully. “And we’re old enough to fight now. We won’t be standing on the sidelines.†He gave her a cold look. “This is a bad thing?†She thought about this, then shook her head. “Nah. I guess not. But I swear- if they make me wear this thing in battle…†She gestured to the small, crystalline tiara on her head, which singled her out as a junior guardian. Owen laughed and gave her a sideways look. “I highly doubt your battle helm will be as dainty as that,†he said incredulously. She wrinkled her nose. “Gross. Battle armor. It’s always blood splattered and rusty… and…gross.†She made a gagging sound, then doubled over in laughter. She noticed Owen wasn’t laughing, and she looked up at him from under her eyelashes. “What?†She asked, lifting an eyebrow. He couldn’t keep a straight face any more, and burst into chuckles. They laughed briefly before she heard a sharp whistle. “Ugh. Guardian training. See you later, Owen!†She waved and dashed into the forest, her blonde hair flowing behind her in the cold winter’s air. Owen looked out at the ocean, and gave thought to her words. ‘We’re old enough to fight now,’ she had said, as if upset about it. Maybe there was a reason to be upset. “Gabriella! Cutting it close, don’t you think?†Captain Avery barked at her when she finally came to training. “I was with Owen,†she retorted haughtily. He narrowed his eyes and gave her a cold look before giving directions. “See that apple?†He asked, pointing at an apple on a branch. She nodded. “Set it on fire.†She waited for further instruction, thinking maybe he would hand her a flint, or something. But he didn’t. “Okay… how?†She asked incredulously. He chuckled. “This challenge is your punishment for being late. Improvise.†She sighed, and scraped the hard wooden tip of her arrow against the stone ground. Eventually, it caught fire. She raised the arrow to her bow and shot, hitting the apple dead center- and catching it on fire. Avery applauded. “Very nice, very nice.†Without warning, he threw her a sword. She caught it nimbly by the handle, and licked the edge of the blade. “Spar,†he breathed, then came at her with his own blade. She blocked it and counter-attacked with a flurry. Not breaking a sweat, Avery dodged the counter-attack and came at her again, the blade moving so fast her eyes almost couldn’t follow it. The crises were nearly unbearable. Giving up blocking altogether, she ducked the blow and soared forward, but, not wanting to hurt him, moved the blade so it nicked his ear. He stopped fighting for a minute, then dropped his blade. He put his sleeve up to his ear to stop the bleeding. “Hm. Won’t be long before I have nothing left to teach you,†he said with downcast eyes. Inside, she was greatly pleased, but didn’t show it. Instead, she bowed, and handed the sword back to him. He took it from her and threw it at the tree, and it embedded itself in the trunk. I looked back at the window, where one of the royal wives was standing with my two of my great-aunts. A slight cough made me turn back to him. “You are dismissed,†he added, bowed, and left. She sat down a moment, enjoying the sound of the wind whistling through the trees. The apple trees were bare, but were just as beautiful stripped of their leaves as they were showering apple blossoms on those passing by. She took in a deep breath and ran her fingers through the grass beneath her. She could’ve stayed there forever. A sharp wind blew past her arm, and it stung. She looked down to see a small scratch in her skin, a scratch that was now a bleeding cut. She licked her finger and wiped the blood off, then ripped a strip of cloth off the sleeve of her shirt and wrapped it around her arm where the cut was. The pressure will stop the bleeding, she thought. She let the trees whisper to her for a bit longer before standing up. She ran back to the cliff where she had been not too long ago, and watched the sun set over the waves. “Gabriella? Gabriella!†A sharp voice woke her up. Her eyelids fluttered open to see Owen standing above her, a frown creasing his eyebrows. “What, just thought you could sleep all bloody day?†She groaned and sat up, gripping the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “What time is it?†She asked blearily. “Nearly the middle of the bally day!†“Stop. Yelling. At. Me. And watch your language,†she ordered. He shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. But you missed the orders- we’re to get ready for battle!†This hit her with such force she almost fell on her back. “Wha- what? Captain Evelyn declared war?! And why? What are the diagnoses of the problem?†Owen shook his head furiously. “No! Captain Avery did!†Whether or not he did it on purpose, Owen had skipped the problem. She let this soak in before standing up with a sigh. “Well… time to go see Avery. I need my Guardian armor.†Captain Avery laid the bow in her Gabriella’s hands. It was a yew bow, carved with intricate symbols that had deep meaning. She was an archer, and though she needed no sword, he put one in her hands anyway. She looked at it and gaped in awe. “Captain… this is your sword.†He nodded, and cleared his throat. “Yes, child. That was my first sword, when I did my first battle- and completed my Guardian training. Then, I thought of it as nothing more than a memento from training. But I realize now that isn’t the case.†Gabriella took in a sharp breath. “You were a Guardian?†Once again, he nodded. “Yes. And I’m passing this sword onto you. You are by far the strongest, and most intelligent, I’ve seen in all my years of teaching.†Her throat closed with pride and emotion. She cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the blockage, and said, “Thank you, Captain Avery.†She started to curtsey, but he surprised her by pulling her into his arms. He embraced her for a moment, then said, “Luck be with you, child, though I doubt you’ll need it.†She smiled. “Thank you, sir.†He pulled away. “Now, for your battle armor.†Gabriella actually felt like a warrior in her new chain armor. Gold breast and leg plates, arm bands, and shoes, silver chain mail under it. It was hard as rock; nearly impenetrable, Gabriella thought. Avery offered her some pistachios. Seeing as though she was hungry, as she had missed breakfast, she accepted them gratefully. “The weather at the wharves is lovely today,†she commented. Avery nodded, clearly out of it. “I’m sure you are wondering what the stimuli for these wars are?†Too scared to say anything, Gabriella swatted a couple mosquitoes and nodded. “Well, child, the criteria for war have already been filled- they have been for several years now. My teams of spies each have their own ****yses, and they are all different. But they each say just about the same thing- Evelyn is hiding something. Something big. And we need to strike now, before they hit us with it- that phrase could be quite literal. It could be a weapon. It could also be knowledge…†He was now musing. She tried hard not to tune it out. “Sir,†she said, interrupting his monologue, “might I ask if the ‘government’ has given vetoes to this action? Not meaning to offend, but most of the warriors right now are young- I’m barely 2 weeks into 16 myself, and a large amount are even younger.†Avery turned purple. “There are embargoes on such vetoes, Gabriella! You, of all people, being the descendant of General Edward, should know as much!†Gabriella shrank back, giving a curtsy. “Very sorry, sir,†she said, a flush working its way into her cheeks. Avery lowered his voice and said, “Such a statement could get you sent to the ghettos! Do you understand me?†She nodded. He turned around to face the window. “The crises at hand were unpredictable- phenomena, you could say. I trust you have been taking your training seriously.†A lump formed in her throat as she said, “Yes sir. Most definitely.†He chuckled. “Glad to see your mother taught you some manners; though you know you need not be so formal with me, child.†He turned to smile at her. She nodded thoughtfully. “My sisters-in-law will show you out to the battlefield,†Avery said, waving his hands toward to elderly women who had just entered the room. “I bid you good day, and good luck, Gabriella.†She swallowed the lump in her throat and said, “Yes sir. Thank you, Captain.†She smiled at him. As she was being escorted out the door, she heard him mutter, “She’s so young. But so ready.†Gabriella was scared- and not afraid to admit it. This was her first battle, and probably not her last. It also signified the end of her Guardian training. The only shred of hope she had was her new sword. Avery must have given it to her for a reason, other than because she was an ‘intelligent and strong’ Guardian. It didn’t make sense, now, but she was sure it would later. “Now, now, Gabriella, stop your worrying. It’s going to be fine- this is a surprise attack. I highly doubt Evelyn has a clue of what’s coming for him,†one of Avery’s sisters-in-law reassured me. My hand flew to my sheath, fingering the intricate designs on it. I sighed deeply and nodded. “Right. No fear.†I gave a slight smile, which seemed to appease her. I heard the other elderly woman say, “War is highly irrational. God hasn’t sent us here to make war with each other.†She was mocking Captain Avery’s decision, and it burned inside of me. “’ We make war that we may live in peace.’†I said, quoting Aristotle. She sniffed, but did not reply. Ecstatic footsteps pounded the ground in a pattern I recognized. “Owen!†I cried. He caught up with me so he was walking alongside me. He gave a contented sigh. His battle armor gleamed in the setting sun, and his hands were on his sheath, just like mine were. He looked at me, his grey eyes so happy they made me blush. “Nice bow.†I smiled and notched an arrow, then let it fly. The arrow soared down the field, easily going at least 100 feet. Owen whistled. “Wow, Gabriella.†His voice was awed enough to embarrass me. “Thanks,†I murmured. “Must be love,†one of the women whispered. Owen raised an eyebrow by way of response. I spluttered, coughing to ide my spluttering. Owen laughed and patted my back. “Geez, if you have something to say, spit it out!†I gave him a cold glare and looked straight ahead. Other soldiers were already out there; we were the only ones left- the ones lagging behind. A stone cold hand gripped my heart for one black moment. What if something were to happen while we were gone? To the people at home? If someone were to take ill, or die… or worse… we wouldn’t be there. I shook my head, hoping to clear it of these rotten ideas. Just my imagination, that’s all, I thought. Gee, thanks for the constructive critisism. XDDDDD
