A Tale of Two Shoyru: Part Five

by Flamemane_2000

I'm coming with you!

Ivory was inside, waiting right beside the door. I looked at her, still in torn dress. It was just a little dirty now from the fall. She was huffing angrily. "Why did you laugh?!!"

I snickered a bit."Well, it's not like everyday that you see a princess go tumbling down a hill, you know."

She fumed a bit."HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME!!!"

Now she was screaming at the top of her lungs. "Whoa! Whoa! Come on!!! You're going to blow the castle down like the big bad wolf!!!"

She took deep breaths, and started to calm down. "Oh, fine."

She walked up the large stairway, and went into a room, then shut the door. I looked around the castle. It was the largest area I had ever seen! There was a shiny chandelier mounted on the ceiling, lighting the whole room. There was a large spiral stairway to the left, and a large door to the right.

The stairway in front of me was the one Ivory went up, but I dared not follow her. What if I met up with the King or the Queen? I wouldn't have time to explain. They'd call the guards on me, and I'd be thrown out.

I decided to relax. I sat on a Luxurious Sofa inside the large room. Never had I been so comfortable. There was an oak table in front of me, with dishes on it, and foods on them.

I was really hungry. I hadn't eaten for such a long time. I obeyed my hunger, and took a few of the cookie-like foods, then hungrily stuffed them in my mouth. They were lightly salted biscuits with butter. They tasted great! Boy, royalty sure does have great food!

As I finished, I looked up to see Ivory come back out in a pale red dress, and no tiara. She looked up at me. "I'm coming with you, Drange." Just as I was about to say no, she interrupted me. "I don't care what you say! I'm coming!!"

It was a bit angering. It was against my nature to let a girl get hurt; especially a princess! "No, I can't let you get hurt. Stay here where you'll be safe from harm, and your mother and father can protect you, Ivory." She hovered down to the floor, and folded in her wings. "I don't care what you said! I'm going with you no matter what you say!!!"

It was something I couldn't combat. A persistent princess. I guess I'd have to have her accompany me for a while. I'd keep her safe from harm. No matter what. "You're going home after. I'll make sure of that." A sly smile went over her face, and she muttered something under her breath that I couldn't hear, then looked back up. "Okay! Let's go! Oh, but one thing before we go..."

She reached into a small cubby in the wall, and pulled out a long, black, steel box with golden lining on it. She handed it to me. "Open it!"

I nodded, and opened it. Inside laid a large silver sword with a golden handle. I had always wanted to use a real sword! I grabbed the sword hastily from the box that had velvet cushioning inside of it, and put the box on the side. I practiced a bit with it. I wasn't half bad for a beginner at swords! She giggled.

"It looks great with you, Drange!"

I smirked. "Yeah."

She picked up her dress a bit, and ran over to the spiral staircase. "Down here. It's a secret exit. I don't want anyone to know I'm gone."

I walked over to the staircase where Ivory was. She giggled a bit. "What? What's so funny?"

She blushed lightly. "I just had a crazy idea. You could be my bodyguard!" She laughed quietly to herself.

I shrugged. "It's not a crazy idea. Heck, I'll do it."

Her eyes widened as she held her mouth, giggling. "O-okay!"

She ran down the stairway as I followed her, and we soon came to a stone basement, and an open exit showing the light of the sun. "I guess this is the secret exit, huh?"

"Yup."

We both walked through the door to see a long pathway, covered in fog and mist. High above us was a huge mountain with a doorway on the side of it, and stairs leading to it. That was it!! That was Mount Kyros! Where Larmos was being held prisoner!

"Listen Ivory. See that mountain there?"

She looked up at it. "Yeah? What about it? It's Mount Kyros."

"I need to go there."

She gasped, and stepped back. "What!? The dreaded Nimmo Army lives there!"

I nodded. "Yes, I know. I need to get something back from them that they took from me...something important."

She stayed motionless for a second or so, and then sighed. "Okay...."

I nodded, and put my hand on her shoulder. "I hope you understand, Ivory. It's important that I go there."

A tear ran down her cheek, but she then stopped crying before any more tears could fall from her blue eyes. "I understand."

We both walked on and soon came upon a stone bridge that lead to the bottom of Mount Kyros. Beneath the bridge was a large lava pit. "It doesn't seem too welcome." I said to no one in particular.

I stepped forward, and put one foot on the bridge. It swung back and forth dangerously, and a few of the wooden planks dropped into the lava and burnt up. I gulped hard. "Sheesh..."

Ivory was shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "I'm surprised you didn't think of this!! You have wings, dummy! FLY OVER!!"

I slapped my forehead. "How stupid can I be to not think of that..."

I stretched my wings and looked back at Ivory, who was doing the same thing. I knew it was time for her to go back. I didn't want her to get hurt in anyway by Taricha or his army. "Ivory..."

She looked up. "What?"

"I think it's best you go home now. I don't want you to be hurt."

She frowned, hovered back to the ground, and growled. "WHAT?! Don't be so protective! I'm not a baby, you know!"

I sighed, and scratched my head. "Come on. Go back. For me, okay?"

She grumbled, then became saddened. "I just wanted to help, Drange..."

"I know. You were a great help. The sword was a great appreciation, and now I'll always have something to remember you by. Thank you."

She looked up, and tried to manage a weak smile. "Oh, fine...but make sure you come back alive....for me. Promise?"

I nodded. "Of course I will. There isn't anything that can stop me from keeping a promise to you, Ivory."

She blushed. "Thank you...and good-bye!" She slowly flew back, and looked back once to wave good-bye to me. I waved back, and turned towards my final destination...Mount Kyros. The Nimmo HQ. My brother.

***

I had my sword ready in hand, and I was expecting anything to happen at this point. I walked up the twisted stone path to the Nimmo's HQ, and noticed something that was sort of making me uneasy. It looked like the path was shrinking.

Again, I had forgotten something. I had wings!!! Why didn't I just fly? Duh! I flapped my wings and started to speed towards my destination, but was soon confronted by some black hovering Nimmos.

They started to swat at me, and shoot beams. "Let's match fire with fire, shall we?"

I returned the fire with my own Leviathan beams that quickly vanquished the low-rank guards of the Nimmo HQ.

"Phew. Uhh, I guess I won't be flying up there then..."

I landed back on the pathway that was becoming smaller and smaller. Hordes of the black Nimmos hovered over me like a flock of Korbats, but didn't harm me. I guessed they couldn't attack anything on the ground, only those in the air.

I shrugged it off, and continued walking. Soon the pathway become nothing more than a tightrope. Now, I never did perform on the tightrope in the circus, so this was pretty much impossible for me. But then I remembered the boots that Dad had given me 7 years ago.

I summoned Leviathan's hovering power, and hovered right over the top of the skinny pathway. I wasn't high enough to be attacked by the black Nimmos, or low enough that I was walking across the path. I was just in between!

I hovered all the way up until I got in front of an entrance with a red aura erupting from it. It was the Nimmo's HQ. I was sure of it. I boldly stepped in a place where no other Shoyru had set foot before... um... except for Larmos.

I was finally inside, inside the place where my journey would end. The place where I would fulfill my destiny as the Holy Warrior. The place where I would finally rescue my brother, Larmos. It was time and I was ready.

To be continued...