A Hero's Journey: Seasons (for issue 975)

     ”O Faerieland, Faerieland, hard shall you fall,

     “'Til a warrior from Meridell answers your call.

     “O Terask, Terask, long may you rule,

     “'Til you are toppled by a young Blumaroo.”

     - Wingshadow Prophecy

     “I don’t believe in prophecies,” said Aethia, shaking her head at the Water Faerie who sat in the fountain in the Faerie Palace courtyard. The entire area had been converted into a makeshift war room and barricaded with crates, fallen stones and rubble from the palace walls, and magical barriers. “We cannot depend on a dark faeries’ oracle for victory, Lilyana.”

     “Isn’t that why we continue to fight?” Lilyana replied as she poured water into vials and touched them, causing the liquid to glow with an eerie blue light. “We do not know when this prophetic warrior will arrive. Why wait, when we can already begin the process of liberating Faerieland? Still…the prophecy brings hope, of someone who will come from Meridell yet is willing to fight for Faerieland.”

     Aethia drew her blades of fire and ice and began performing several passes and stances a safe distance away from Lilyana. “I believe in a warrior’s strength and skill, not whether they are tied to a prophecy. I will see for myself if this warrior foretold in the Wingshadow Prophecy is worthy to join our ranks.”

     With that last word, the Battle Faerie swung her swords through an open crate, reducing it to shards and splinters.

     * * *

     Three members of the Queen’s Guard – a Faerie Elephante, a Pink Draik, and a Darigan Nimmo – in lavender and lilac tunics and leggings held their weapons at the ready. All of them faced a single opponent: a White Blumaroo who stood alone in the pink, lilac and lavender hall that the Resistance had managed to capture from King Terask. The Blumaroo’s companions, the rest of the Faerieland Resistance, and some fugitives stood or sat down in various places around the floor, whispering as Aethia stepped forward.

     “Lieutenants Connac and Rayla, and Sergeant Hiram, begin when you are ready. Yours is the first move.”

     “Prepare yourself, warrior of the prophecy,” the Elephante drawled, whirling his spear in a wide arc. “Today, you are facing Queen Fyora’s elite squad!”

     “I’m sure he already knows that.” The Pink Draik chided him. They wielded a longsword that was nearly as long as they were tall.

     “Forget preparing, brace yourself! Hah!”

     Propelled by his wings, the Elephante rushed forward, together with Rayla and Hiram. Like clockwork, Rohane blocked Connac’s spear and shoved him into Rayla. While the two of them tried to disentangle themselves from each other, Hiram swung a halberd toward Rohane, forcing him on the defensive to duck and weave past the lethal axe blade and ensure that he didn’t trip over his own feet. He parried Hiram’s halberd, turning a failed attempt to disarm him into a downward and upward slash that forced the Nimmo to back away.

     Aethia watched impassively as Rohane fought Connac and Rayla at the same time. His sword created a graceful arc that narrowly missed Connac’s trunk, and he successfully kicked Rayla in the stomach after being knocked backwards by the butt of Connac’s spear. Meanwhile, Hiram tried to sneak up on him, but Rohane dove aside in time, jabbed with his sword, and successfully sent Hiram’s halberd flying. What followed was a series of moves that led to Connac’s spear being knocked out of his hand, and Rayla’s longsword being dropped to the floor.

     Mipsy, Talinia, Velm and a handful of Faerielanders clapped at the display. But Aethia was not impressed.

     “Your next opponent shall be me,” the Battle Faerie proclaimed, drawing her swords and stepping forward. “Prepare yourself!”

     As Aethia sliced relentlessly with her blades, Rohane started to block and parry the same way as he did when fighting Aethia’s subordinates, but nearly lost his own sword in the process, had he not ducked her swift strikes and sidestepped away. Aethia drew back only momentarily before swooping in again. One of her blades whistled past his ear, and he took advantage of this to try and sweep his own toward her stomach; unfortunately, she seemed to predict that move, and kicked out at him, causing him to stumble onto the floor.

     “Pick up your sword and try again,” she ordered him.

     Rohane needed no second bidding. He grabbed his sword and dashed toward her. They locked blades again, and at first, it looked like neither of them were gaining an advantage as they clashed and circled. Finally, he ducked a hard swipe and tried to slash across her torso, only for her to suddenly drop one of her swords, grip his wrist and fling him aside.

     Velm winced. “So, is this the kind of duel that ends with, you know, drawing first blood or something?”

     “I’m not sure,” said Talinia, shrugging. Her brow was furrowed. “Aethia never said anything of that sort.” It was her turn to wince when Aethia successfully nicked the White Blumaroo’s face with her left blade.

     Rayla raised their claw. “Commander Aethia wins the duel!”

     The Battle Faerie turned from where Rohane had one hand to his cut cheek and was breathing hard. She shook her head. “This isn’t a duel. This is practice! We’re not done yet!”

     “Ma’am – “

     Aethia continued her onslaught despite the Pink Draik’s protestation.

     “Too slow!” she shouted as Rohane yelped, clutching his ear. But he gritted his teeth and tried to block off the pain and thrust with his own sword. He missed entirely; Aethia sidestepped and hit his back with the flat of her sword, causing him to stumble. Whirling around, he parried her next strikes in the nick of time, twisting around to regain his stance. They were back to square one – blocking, slashing, circling, engaging.

     “Maybe we should…” Velm’s voice trailed off.

     “Ma’am, please!” Rayla complained.

     Hiram held up his halberd and extended it slightly toward Aethia and Rohane, but she saw the Darigan Nimmo instantly and glared at him.

     “Stand down, Sergeant Hiram!” she ordered him as she gasped for breath.

     Hiram grimaced but did as he was told, lowering his halberd.

     “Why isn’t Rohane surrendering?” Talinia asked, leaning toward Mipsy and Velm. “He could be telling her to stop, he could disengage, put down his sword…but he’s still going!”

     Velm opened and closed his mouth before sighing. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. But he’s clearly beginning to wear down.”

     Aethia stabbed viciously toward Rohane’s arm, and he whirled away to respond with a riposte. His movements were becoming jerkier and more impulsive as he ducked a wild sword swing and nearly tripped backwards. She advanced on him, her blades drawn, and though his legs were shaking, the White Blumaroo braced himself for the next strike.

     The next strike never came.

     “Commander, I have news!”

     Aethia turned toward the sound of the booming voice. An earth faerie had suddenly appeared in a flurry of leaves, and already a small tree sprout was taking root in the tiles. She strode purposely toward the Battle Faerie and saluted.

     “What’s the news, Arthal?”

     “We’ve recaptured the palace kitchens!” Arthal announced. “As well as Chef Kalli.”

     “Terask even took the kitchens?” Mipsy exclaimed. “Wow, that’s low. Really low.”

     “Tell me about it,” Rayla whispered. “Good thing Faerie Block Mallows have a long shelf life; I keep my secret stash there. Hopefully, Terask or his goons haven’t found my mallows.”

     “Is there anything you need from me?” asked Aethia.

     Arthal nodded. “Kalli has a message for you. There’s something she learned from the time she was captured that she needs to share with you, as soon as possible. And…” The earth faerie glanced past Aethia at Mipsy, Talinia and Velm, and then at Rohane, who was leaning on his sword and panting. “And they’re…”

     “Yes, they are. Anyway, where is Kalli right now?”

     “She found some Faerie Block Mallows and is eating them to calm her nerves.”

     “Hey! Those are mine!” Rayla cried.

     Aethia pinched the bridge of her nose. “Rayla, when we reclaim our land and free our queen, you can have more Faerie Block Mallows.”

     “But I was saving those for a special occasion!” The Pink Draik sighed and threw up their claws. “Never mind. Chef Kalli deserves them anyway.”

     “All right, Arthal, take me to Kalli.” Aethia stepped forward to stand at Arthal’s side and take the earth faerie’s arm. The two of them vanished in a whirl of green leaves and the stray daisy.

     Once the two faeries disappeared, Mipsy, Talinia and Velm sprang from their places and hurried toward Rohane. Talinia held him up, Mipsy picked up his sword, and Velm placed a glowing hand on his friend’s ear.

     “You’re a mess,” the red Techo said tersely. “You should get some rest.”

     “That battle was a mess,” Rohane answered hoarsely. “She was so fast, and she was always reading my moves…I can’t help free Faerieland like this.”

     “She is the Battle Faerie. One of the strongest warriors anywhere in Neopia,” Talinia remarked. “You haven’t been taking lessons from her long; no one expects you to be able to beat her by now.”

     “But I have to. I have to figure out how to beat her. Or else everything I’ve done so far…”

     Velm shook his head. “Come on, if we could all figure things out that fast, the world would get boring just as fast. Just…do what you’ve always done. Practice with your new mentor, pick up some new skills, and then we can save Faerieland and knock a giant Draik down several pegs.”

     “Not if we can knock him down first!” Connac declared, pumping his fist into the air and accidentally hitting Hiram. “Doesn’t matter if you have some prophecy on your side!”

     * * *

     ”A prophecy?” Rohane said, raising his eyebrows. “That’s crazy. There’s no way…”

     “I’m not part of the Wingshadow clan so there isn’t much I can tell you about it.” Aethia folded her arms across her chest. “But there is a prophecy that supposedly foretold the downfall of Terask. And you are most likely the hero spoken of in the oracle. The one who will finally bring Terask to his knees…and save Queen Fyora.”

     Rohane stared at her before shaking his head.

     “It doesn’t matter.”

     “What?” Aethia’s tone rose.

     “Er, I mean…prophecy or no, my friends and I are here to help save Faerieland. I don’t care about that. What I care about is becoming stronger.”

     She met his eyes – saw the determination, the gumption. Then she smiled.

     “Then, we begin training at dawn, in the courtyard. You have much to learn.”

     “Are you still…practicing?” Mipsy squinted when she peered into the quarters across from her room. “You missed dinner! And it was great, with Chef Kalli whipping up a feast! That fire faerie really knows her way around a grill!” The Blue Acara pushed the door open and stepped inside, watching with rapt – and worried – fascination as Rohane performed a complex-looking battle dance in the middle, making sure not to bump into the beds or the chairs. His sword snicked this way and that, one moment a graceful arc in the air, and a speeding silver blur the next. But she also noticed the heaving of his chest, his sweaty forehead…

     “Maybe,” she said slowly, “you should take a break.”

     “I…I can’t.” Rohane slashed down and up, and staggered off-balance. He held on to the headboard of one bed and paused before taking a few more steps back toward the centre of the room. Mipsy started forward, but he waved her away. “I…I’m not yet ready to move on. I have to be stronger.”

     “But you’re already strong! Stronger…stronger than you were when I first saw you!” she interjected. “Back at White River, you had to be carried to the infirmary after you got back from Zombom! And now, look at you – you can travel through Terror Mountain, you helped get rid of the ghosts at Meepit Oaks, and you led us here, after all that!” Mipsy groaned softly. “You have to take care of yourself so we can face Terask. Just like the prophecy said.”

     “I…I don’t care…about the prophecy…” Rohane gripped the bed again as he steadied himself. “I care…about…” He gritted his teeth before resuming the exercises. “I care about…not letting Faerieland…”

     “Not letting Faerieland what?”

     “Suffer…under…another, bigger Ramtor.”

     * * *

     “His other training masters could be pretty harsh…”

     “’Harsh’? Beatrix let him go into Meepit Oaks on his own to face some weird ghosts that mess with your head! Among other things!” Velm complained.

     “But it isn’t just Aethia pushing him to his limits,” said Talinia. “Rohane himself wants this. He’s losing sleep, he spends almost every minute of his waking hours practising and can’t even eat without his sword.”

     “I get it,” Mipsy reasoned. “I get he doesn’t want another Ramtor, and Terask is what, at least ten times worse? And Aethia and the army are itching to take back the queendom.”

     “Rohane won’t be able to do anything if he pushes himself too far,” Velm pointed out.

     “I know! I’m just saying!”

     Talinia frowned and stroked her chin. “What can we do? How can we get him to stop?”

     “Hmm.” Velm paused, leaning against a stone lavender column. “Our bodies have their own ways of telling us that they’ve had enough, if we don’t listen to them.”

     Mipsy gasped. “You mean we’ll just wait till he drops?”

     “Of course not! I’m just saying, if we can’t get through to him…”

     * * *

     “Harder! Your strikes are nothing but Angelpuss wingbeats to me!”

     Rohane swung and stabbed toward Aethia, but she blocked every single hit, and even skidded away like a figure skater to evade his blade. There were dark circles under his eyes, his ears were drooping, and his arms were shaking. Aethia had him on the ropes effortlessly, yet her eyes smouldered with something cold and unsatisfied. She flicked one of her blades and sent his sword spinning away onto the floor.

     “Pick up your sword and try again!”

     Without a word, he scrambled for his sword and straightened up again in time to attack her again, but she brushed him aside. He managed to shield his face from Aethia’s next moves and was so focused on blocking her blows that he backed into a loose tile on the floor and tripped. Before he could try to roll away, she stuck both her swords on either side of his head, and he grunted softly in frustration.

     “Let me try again.”

     “What?” Aethia withdrew her blades but did not sheathe them.

     Rohane raised his voice, and it came out in a sharp rasp. “Let me try that again!” He slowly sat up, blinking and swaying on the spot.

     “No!”

     The speaker wasn’t Aethia. It was a red Techo dressed in a long white robe with a sash at the waist, holding up an ornate staff as he placed himself between Rohane and Aethia. He stood resolutely, his staff not giving her any openings. Everyone else in the courtyard paused to stare at the scene, with not a few faeries and Neopians either whispering among themselves, leaving the vicinity quickly, or whispering among themselves before leaving the vicinity quickly.

     She frowned in mild annoyance. “Velm, weren’t you supposed to be helping the water faeries?”

     “I was,” he said. “But as Rohane’s friend, I’m here to help him too. By getting him to bed and letting him rest.”

     “Velm?”

     “You should go, Rohane.”

     “But we weren’t done yet – “

     “No. You’re done.” Talinia knelt beside the White Blumaroo and placed an unyielding hand on his shoulder. “This is wrong.” When she said those words, she looked up at Aethia. “With all due respect, he needs to rest. I understand that freeing Faerieland is your highest priority…”

     Aethia shook her head. “He said, he wanted to try again. If he wants to become stronger, then it is my job to help him.”

     “He won’t become stronger at this rate!” Mipsy was at Rohane’s other side. “Can’t you see that he needs to stop and rest?”

     “Even a non-healer can see that,” Velm said, not lowering his staff. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you teach him in this state.”

     “Each day is a day Faerieland is under Terask’s claw and at the mercy of his underlings,” Aethia replied, her mild frown becoming a glare and her voice becoming hard as steel. “Each day is a day Queen Fyora is imprisoned, immobile somewhere in the palace. I can’t waste any time – or the strength of any allies who join our cause.” Her hands on her swords trembled and she glanced away. “Rohane can help turn the tide of the war – and I’m here to help him unlock his full potential.”

     Talinia and Mipsy gasped; Rohane had fallen limp in their grasp.

     “Is he…asleep?” the Blue Acara whispered. She breathed an audible sigh of relief when Talinia nodded solemnly.

     “Do you really believe that?” Velm asked Aethia. “Or are you just pinning your hopes on a prophecy?”

     “Of course I believe in him! I don’t believe in prophecies!”

     “Then believe that he too, has his limits! He isn’t a god who will pick up this war we’re fighting and then make it disappear! Believe that this isn’t the way to teach him what you know!”

     “What do you know of battle?”

     Velm opened and closed his mouth. Then, slowly but surely, he pointed his staff toward Aethia.

     “I don’t know everything. But I know enough.”

     Time seemed to slow down as the two of them locked eyes while Talinia and Mipsy pulled Rohane up between them. An air faerie appeared out of nowhere and created a cloud just large enough to bear the Blumaroo toward his quarters, and the three of them laid him on it. Aethia glanced at them before looking back at Velm.

     Finally, she slid her swords back into their sheaths, and turned away.

     “Very well. Just…give me some time alone,” she said curtly. “Perhaps you know more of battle than you believe.”

     * * *

     It was as if his body moved on its own and wouldn’t stop. Rohane and Aethia exchanged blows with their swords in an empty corridor walled off from the rest of the palace. He did his best to follow her moves, the way she dodged gracefully, the way nothing surprised her. She always had an answer to all his most unpredictable tricks, and while he came close, he had yet to disarm her.

     “You have learned a lot on your travels.”

     “I had several good teachers.” Rohane let out a yelp as he unceremoniously evaded a double sword sweep over his head.

     “You still have much to learn.”

     “I know.”

     Aethia pursed her lips as she circled. “Then it’s a good thing we’ve already started.” She caught him off-guard with a downward swipe of her sword, but he managed to retain his grip on his. “Prepare yourself!”

     Though he still had much to learn and knew he was likely not going to win any duel they would have any time soon, Rohane couldn’t help but crack a small grin.

     For more than two years, all he ever did was prepare himself for what was next.

     And then his body stopped. It was lying down, propped up on some pillows and tucked underneath a blanket. The transition was jarring, and it took a few moments for Rohane to realize that he was in his bed, in his quarters in Faerie Palace – with his friends at his bedside. Velm was mixing something in a beaker, Talinia was writing something, and Mipsy was idly creating colourful sparks from the tip of her wand. All three of them immediately turned to look at him when he awoke.

     “Rohane!” Mipsy exclaimed. She opened her arms and was about to fling herself at him for a hug, but Talinia stood up and put out an arm to stop her. The Acara did not resist, and instead took a step back respectfully. “Right. Recovering. Yeah.”

     “Thank you, Mipsy,” said Velm. He covered the beaker and sat down gently at the foot of Rohane’s bed, smiling softly in relief. “Good. You’re awake. But you should go back to sleep in a while.”

     “What? But I just woke – ow!” Rohane had just shifted in his bed and sat up, and he could feel aches in his joints and legs that he could have sworn were not there before. “N-Never mind. I…I guess I overdid it, didn’t I?”

     “Understatement, but yes,” Velm replied, with a sarcastic note in his voice. “Mister Overkill has returned.”

     The White Blumaroo at least had the grace to look embarrassed and sank slightly into the sheets instead of shooting back that he was not Mister Overkill.

     “I understand why defeating Terask is important to you,” said Mipsy, sitting next to Velm. “He’s doing what Ramtor did, he’s making Faerieland suffer, and…well, Ramtor also…killed your dad.”

     “We understand that you don’t like seeing others suffer or be oppressed.” Talinia folded her arms across her chest. “And you promised Aethia and the others that you – no, that we would help them. We would do whatever it takes to help.”

     “And, we understand that you’ve been working hard,” said Velm steadily. “You’re constantly looking for new things to learn that would make you stronger. You’ve worked with different training masters, you’ve trained with us, and so many others…”

     “But,” Talinia interrupted, “it’s okay to pause for a while. To stop, and rest, before you get up again. You can only do so much, even if you want to do everything. You won’t be breaking your promise.”

     Rohane was silent. There was so much he wanted to say: how he had learned so much yet there was still more to learn, how Terask was probably going to be the greatest obstacle they would face, how he couldn’t stand to see Faerieland under the giant Red Draik’s iron claw any longer, how he wanted to learn from the Battle Faerie herself, one of the most powerful warriors Neopia had ever seen, despite how she had pushed him to the brink. But he couldn’t find the words.

     Only the words from his friends filled his mind and commanded his attention. He gripped the blankets, felt them crinkle under his fingers, and looked down at his bed.

     All that hard work – to end up lying in bed. No, that wasn’t right. It was too much hard work. He had denied himself the rest he needed, so his body had been determined to take it by any means necessary.

     He sighed, and finally gave them a rueful smile.

     “I’m…I’m sorry I worried you.”

     “You should be sorry!” Velm blurted out.

     “Velm, he said he was sorry,” said Talinia, approaching the Red Techo to grip his shoulder.

     “And,” Rohane went on, “I’m sorry I pushed myself too far. I…I can’t help anyone, if I’m like this. I wouldn’t be able to make the last leg of the journey to face Terask. I was just…”

     “We know.” All three of his friends answered simultaneously, before glancing at each other and laughing. Mipsy repeated, “We know. Didn’t we say we understood what you wanted to do? You just need to slow down.”

     “Wait, what about Aethia?”

     “What about her?” the Blue Acara asked.

     “I…I fell asleep in the middle of our last sparring session! I don’t know how I can face her again.” Rohane buried his face in his hands. “Should I apologize? No, I was supposed to rest and pull back, but…ugh, I did agree to train with her that day, even though I was already feeling tired…”

     Velm’s stern look softened. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

     Rolling her eyes, Mipsy added, “Only because you pointed a staff at her. For a moment I thought she was going to cleave you in half.”

     “Honestly? I thought the same. Anyway, you can think about facing Aethia again later. Get some rest. Rest is also part of training, right? If Master Sobek were here, he’d be scolding you now for forgetting all about moderation.”

     “Right. Maybe I won’t tell him.”

     * * *

     After a couple of days’ rest, Rohane was cleared to leave his quarters and walk around for fresh air – well, as much as one could walk in Faerie Palace while a good chunk of it was still occupied by Terask and his armies. The White Blumaroo knew that his friends were off doing their own training; he was tempted to join them but knew that Velm would be talking his ears off if he did.

     There’s one more thing I have to do before I start training again. I’m starting to get tired of just doing stretches and exercises in my room.

     He looked around. Faeries and Neopians alike were milling about in various stages of training and preparation for whenever the next encounter with Terask’s minions would be. A light faerie was deep in conversation with Arthal, the earth faerie he remembered who was presumably one of Aethia’s officers. A clumsy Xweetok accidentally upset a glaive propped up in a corner and hurriedly picked it back up. Crates of supplies and weapons were stashed every few steps, and a Lutari took notes on a clipboard while tapping each crate with a pen and glaring severely at the Xweetok. Meanwhile, Rayla and Connac sparred on the mezzanine above.

     Aethia was by a scorched, cracked post surrounded by several burnt and broken tiles, observing a Yellow Kacheek performing simple exercises with twin swords. He whirled and danced and thrust and stabbed, but one misstep later, he was stumbling and dropping his weapons.

     “Sorry,” he mumbled.

     She shook her head and bent down to help him pick up one blade before handing it back to him, her eyes flicking ever so subtly toward Rohane, who was approaching her. “Why don’t you take a break? You should probably drink some water.”

     “Yes, ma’am!”

     The Kacheek bowed profusely before sliding his swords back into their scabbards and skittering away. Once he was gone, Aethia tilted her head toward Rohane and breathed deeply.

     “I’m sorry for how I pushed you in our training,” she said before the White Blumaroo could say anything, gripping one of her arms. “Your friends were right, and even my subordinates correctly reprimanded me for how I treated you. Faerieland’s situation is dire, but it isn’t worth overworking you or anyone, which won’t help Faerieland in the long run.” She grimaced and folded her arms across her chest like protective armour. “I became…desperate, after hearing of the prophecy about you.”

     Rohane reached up to touch his ear briefly. “I can’t blame you either. What happened to Faerieland was much like what happened to Meridell when Ramtor took over, and prophecy or no prophecy, I want to help. My friends and I are here to do just that. That made me push myself, more than I ever did…and more than I should have.”

     Aethia nodded. “If you’d rather be assigned a different training master – “

     “No.” He shook his head. “I still want to train with you, Commander.”

     “Even after I…”

     “I learned much from you, and I know I’ll continue to learn more…now that I’m aware of my limits.”

     “Very well.” Aethia extended a hand. “I’ll see you…when the healers tell me you are ready.”

     Rohane accepted her hand and shook it solidly with a small but excited grin.

     “Likewise.”

     * * *

     “Put your back into it! Yes, that’s right!”

     Aethia smiled approvingly as she slid across the courtyard floor, parrying the hail of strikes from Rohane, who switched positions and angles with dogged determination as he tried to find an opening in her defences. His sword made a crescent arc down and up which forced Aethia to sidestep somewhat ungracefully, and she had to duck almost immediately when he followed through with a sideways slash. Her smile only widened as she went on the offensive and he promptly raised his sword to block the path of her own blade.

     “Okay, let’s practice your blocking!”

     She began striking him from all directions. Rohane took a split second to gape at the speed before quickly dodging and parrying, feeling the sweat beading his forehead and neck and soaking into his shirt. Unfortunately, he was hit on the shoulder and twisted away awkwardly to avoid the next swing.

     The two of them continued for some time until Aethia broke away, sheathed her blades, and made a time-out gesture with her hands.

     “That’s enough for today. Well done. I think…this is all I have to teach you.”

     “What?” Rohane raised his eyebrows as he put away his sword and started stretching.

     “I cannot keep you and your friends any longer. You must continue your journey,” said Aethia, stretching her arms. “Our place is here, slowly retaking the palace and keeping Terask’s army busy, while you must find the mad king himself – and face him. Anyway, you have everything you need. The skills and strength you have built up over your travels, and of course, your allies. Besides, there will be things you’ll learn…that no mentor can teach you.”

     He wanted to object, to say that his mentors had taught him much, but deep down, he knew she was right. There would be things that he would have to learn on his own.

     “Then…is this your final lesson?”

     “For now, at least,” said Aethia, giving him a small grin. “If you’d like to continue training under me, you are always welcome to do so. But most importantly, I want you to remember one thing.”

     “And that is…?”

     “To take care of yourself, so you can live to fight another day. Neopia may have need of you again in the future, in seasons to come.”

     The End.