The Shade Flame Legacy: Valrigard - Part Three

Syvor walked through the majestic gardens of Meridell Castle once again. It was the only place he could get some solitude, the only place he could get away from Neopia. The Eyrie could actually leave Neopia and enter the world of darkness that he loved so much. He had harnessed his greatest weapon in that void of evil. He had found the Three, who had been so kind and easy to manipulate. Syvor had easily created Lady Ambition, Lord Revenge, and the Duke of Greed from Love, Companionship, and Trust. He could remember it just like it was yesterday...

      A young red Eyrie padded through the thick foliage of the woods. His bright red eyes sparkled evily as he savoured each Weewoo and Airax that flew by. He snickered under his breath. Freedom was such a pitiful thing, yet it was loved by the thousands of Meridellians that lived nearby. The pets of Meridell would give anything to have their freedom...they would sacrifice their very life for it. Syvor didn't see why freedom was so important. It wasn't all that great, if you were the one controlling the enslaved. The Eyrie started off at a gallop, and quickly tripped over a particular root. The root curled out of the ground like a rose, beautiful and serene. But, it didn't stop his fall.

      Syvor fell flat on his beak, and wrenched it quickly out of the ground. He looked up, and the last time he recalled, the trees had been covering up the sun. In fact, there weren't trees for miles. He was in a plain, and the nearest forest seemed miles away. A silent breeze whisped across the plain, entrancing and disgusting the Eyrie at the same time. It was too pleasant for his liking. Syvor lifted himself up and looked around, coming face-to-face with a beautiful faerie. He didn't know it, but this was Lady Nyra, keeper of Love. Nyra was perfect in every way of a faerie. She didn't look a thing like the Lady Ambition, who she was fated to mutate into later. Her hair was light lavender colour with streaks of blue. Her eyes were pale as ice, but she wasn't blind. She wore a light blue dress, very plain yet pretty. Syvor gaped at her for a moment before snapping back to reality.

      "Are you hurt, child?" Nyra asked. Syvor shook his head.

      "No, lady," he said arrogantly, "I KNOW where I am, duh." The lady raised an eyebrow and giggled, once again disgusting the Eyrie.

      "Then where are you?" she asked kindly. Syvor looked around. He had never seen this place before.

      "So what if I don't know, lady?" he asked rudely. "It's none 'o your business!" The faerie smiled again, as if Syvor were just a simple yet spoiled child. Nyra grabbed his paw tenderly, but he snapped it away. She finally frowned slightly and said,

      "If you must struggle..." she clapped her hands together and everything became a blur, rendering Syvor unconscious.

      * * * * *

      "Young one?" a voice echoed through the sleeping Eyrie's thoughts. He rolled over in his bed, grumbling angrily. A paw, instead of a faerie's hand, grabbed his shoulder and rolled him over. Syvor snapped his eyes open and he beheld a powerful looking Gelert. He looked every inch a war hero. The Gelert's muscles bulged from under his tunic, showing that he was obviously a sinewy beast. His footpaws were like sturdy limbs of a tree, rooted to the ground when needed, and powerful for kicking and moving nimbly about when needed to. The last and most impressing thing about the Gelert was the sword that was slung across his front, in a sturdy scabbard. From within the sheath, Syvor could see a faint glow emitting from the sword. He pretended to ignore the Gelert's looks, and said,

      "I'm up! Don't go getting your tunic in a knot..." he muttered, and covered himself up under the blanket. The Gelert seized the blanket and tore it off with ease, leaving the red Eyrie with two pieces of cotton in his hands. Syvor gaped at the cotton, and looked in horror at the Gelert. The Gelert stared back at him in mock stern, then his face spread into a smile.

      "C'mon, lad. We should get you back home..." Suddenly, Syvor felt a surge of want. He wanted power, and this Gelert would give it to him. He wanted power, and he was sure that the faerie could give it to him too. He had been taught as a young one that power came from three things: ambition, greed, and revenge. If only there was one more! If only there was one more pet! Syvor would find a way to harness them, and with the Three, he could do extraordinary things. The Eyrie's plans seemed shattered until another pet came in, a powerful Skeith. This Skeith was very much like the Gelert, except for the fact that his back was hunched slightly. Syvor didn't care, though. The Skeith looked extremely powerful anyway. As the two began to lead Syvor out of the room, he noticed something chained to the wall.

      It was a shield. This shield wasn't exactly ordinary, though. A black shadow covered it, like it was from a world exactly opposite of this one. A world of evil. Syvor liked that idea. He walked towards the mantel, where the shield was chained. He reached out a steady paw to touch it when he heard Russo's (the Gelert's) frantic voice.

      "NO! DON'T TOUCH IT!!" But it was too late. When Syvor touched the shield, a wave of power swept over him. His muscles bulged, suddenly becoming larger then the Gelert's or the Skeith's. His eyes sharpened into tiny slits, and they became coal black. His fur turned into a deeper red, like the colour of spilt blood. The Skeith roared in fury and misery at the same time, then charged at the Eyrie.

      Instantly Syvor's legs sprang into action, something that had never happened before. He nimbly dodged the Skeith's charge and grabbed him by the shoulders. Then, with extreme ease, he flung the Skeith into the brick wall. The Gelert was infuriated.

      "Kinju!" he barked to his companion. The Skeith didn't move. Russo turned to Syvor, who simply smirked. He drew his sword, and faced the weaponless Eyrie. Syvor smiled evily. Russo charged at Syvor, sword pointed at his bare chest. The Eyrie dodged again with new power, and delivered a heavy punch to the Gelert's head. Russo fell to the floor, and remained still. The Eyrie turned his attention to the Shadow Shield, and walked over to it. He placed his paw on the shield and rubbed it tenderly, as if it were a sick Snowbunny.

      "Give me a world of Shadows," he said to the shield, "And give me those three as servants." The shield seemed to obey, as it glowed creepily, and shadows sprung from it everywhere. Instantly, Syvor's vision was clouded with shadows. He could see nothing, but he knew what was happening. Three figures melted in front of him, and he recognised them as the faerie, the Gelert, and the Skeith. The faerie looked at him sadly before saying,

      "You destroyed our home. You mutated us into these foul beasts," she said, "We are doomed. Our former titles were Love, Companionship, and Trust. Now," a tear trickled down her cheek, "You've made us into Ambition, Revenge, and Greed." Syvor sneered wickedly.

      "You belong to me now," he said, "You can't disobey, now that you have nowhere to go..."

      * * * * *

      The now old, blue Eyrie finally reached his destination of the garden: a stone wall. Eerie shadows surrounded the wall, and a very familiar shield was the only thing decorating it. To the untrained eye, this shield was just like any other. Well, it also looked like it said, "Love Kass or Die," so no one dared to touch it.

      The Eyrie placed his huge paw on the wall, which suddenly became a liquid. Syvor pushed himself through the wall, and ended up on the other side of it. But, this looked nothing like the other side of a wall. Shadows were everywhere, so Syvor could see nothing that was happening. But, he knew what was happening. He had known when he had summoned the Three to destroy Darigan, which hadn't worked. He had used them to manipulate Kass, which had worked successfully. Now, he was going to use it on a certain fat king. A loud humming sound began, and the Three melted into view. The Faerie had been a beautiful creation, but now she was a mutated form of her old self. Black hair instead of lavender covered her head, with dark purple streaks lining it. Her two accomplices, a Gelert and a Skeith, had it just as bad. The Gelert had lost his muscular body and was now forced to where a cloak to cover his hideous form. The Skeith's hunch had overgrown in the mutation, and it was now extremely visible even though he wore a cloak also.

      The Faerie looked at Syvor sadly and said, "You called, my Lord?"Syvor nodded.

      "I want you to...dispose of another leader." The Gelert sighed like a grey pet and asked, "Which one?" Although the answer was already known to the Three.

      "Skarl," he said, "has been a thorn in my side since the end of the war. I want you to manipulate him, and have him dispose of Darigan." The Three looked sadly at each other, then looked back at Syvor, and nodded. "Then," he continued, "I want you to destroy Skarl after the third war has started."

      "And what of Meridell's Champion?" Nyra asked, "Will he not be a problem?" Syvor grinned evily.

      "I have that situation taken care of," he said gleefully, "Another accomplice of mine will be killing Jeran shortly..."

           * * * * *

      I rolled over on my back, watching the bugs fly around the lamp in my new cell. At least it wasn't permanent, but I mentally called myself stupid after thinking that. I was going to be killed! How could I be so calm?! I rolled over and began pulling the loose straw from the bale I was lying on. A knock at the door interrupted my boredom, and a guard called out,

      "Your execution is about to be carried out, Traitor," he said, "Come on out." I wanted to escape. I wished that I could blow the room to pieces and run, but all around me was stone. I didn't have my sword (they had confiscated it earlier), so I was defenseless. I trudged out of my cell dully, and the guard grabbed a rope on the wall and tied it around my neck, then led me through the tunnel. Every time I stalled myself or waited, the guard would yank sharply at my neck and I would fall. Finally, we walked into the bright light, and the only thing I could see ahead of me was the noose.

      The Draik guard passed my rope onto a Skeith guard, who snatched it and tore it off me. He grabbed a pair of shackles nearby and cuffed me behind the back. Next, he picked up a sturdy pair of nunchucks and tied it around me, forcing my wings to keep still on my back. The Skeith passed the rope to a Kyrii, who hauled me up to the platform. He tied the noose around my neck, not too tight, but tight enough to catch my head when I fell. The Kyrii checked the nunchucks to see if they were secure, double-checked the noose, then signalled to the drummers. I couldn't believe it. I was going to die, and I didn't even raise a finger. Now, I wondered where my friend Velle was. Maybe she was out in the crowd, just waiting for the moment to perform some strange task and save me. Or maybe she was at her home, crying over the loss of a friend.

      Maybe, I thought sadly, She isn't crying at all. My head started filling with hateful thoughts after that. Not hate for Velle, but for myself.

      You idiot! You can't blame Velle for what happened to you! She was just trying to help! I mentally nodded. Velle wouldn't be that cruel, at least I knew that for certain. By this time, I had already realized that the speaker was going over a speech.

      "...In every strand of the rope of death is hope for the dead. May we all hope that Valrigard, The Traitor, has at least a little hope, even though he doesn't deserve it. May Neopia have mercy on his soul." The speaker nodded and the drummers started a roll. The Kyrii walked up to me and said,

           "Every criminal has the right to make a speech before the hanging. Hurry and make yours, Traitor." I didn't need to make a big speech. I knew what would come out of my mouth.

      "I'm no Traitor," I hissed at him. When he waited for more, I was silent. He shrugged and walked off the platform. As I watched him walk off, I saw a handsome striped Weewoo staring at me. He blinked and cocked his head, apparently confused. His bold stripes were a pale violet colour...the same colour of Velle's. I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes. Then, the Weewoo started flying towards me like a rocket. I gasped, being both confused and bewildered at the same time. Before the executioner could pull the lever that dropped the trapdoor, the Weewoo was upon him. I had never seen a Weewoo fight so hard! Much less any other petpet. The fat Skeith was growling and whining in frustration. Some of the court members were flocking from the stands and running to aid, but it was useless. A number of petpets, all striped, were fighting like a miniature army! Whinnies and Symols were fighting off the courts members and giving them a good struggle.

      Valrigard... a familiar voice echoed into my head. It was Velle's. Use my power... Then, a feeling of ultimate power overwhelmed me. I could feel my muscles rippling under my scales, and my body flooding with energy. I couldn't hold it all inside. I needed to free it. Without a moment's hesitation, I ripped the rope off my hands. The few pets watching me gasped in horror. My wings were instantly healed, and they tore themselves free of the nunchucks holding me. The crowd gasped again. More attention was concentrated on me now. I tore the rope on my neck off, and opened my wings. I couldn't resist giving the court members and Skarl a roguish look before saying,

      "Hasta la Vista, kids." The court members looked furious, while Skarl looked like he was going to burst with laughter. I flew off the platform and over to a guard, who had confiscated my sword in hopes of keeping it.

      "I believe this is mine," I said, tearing the sword from the trembling Draik's grasp. I put the sword in my belt, and tore off over the walls as fast as I could.

      * * * * *

      A few hours later, I landed in another pasture. This one was far away from the castle, and much closer to the Darigan Citadel. A striped Draik that I knew oh-so-well melted into view, a look of pure guilt and misery.

      "I'm sorry, Valrigard," she said. "I should've known not to take you to the King." I shrugged it off, as if it didn't matter at all. Velle saw right through my lie. But before she could accuse me, I asked her,

      "How did you control those Petpets?! And how did you filter your own power into me?!" I asked. Velle smiled like a baby who had just poked another baby in the eye and gotten away with it. "Another special thing about the Dreamsagas, I suppose," she said. I couldn't help smiling.

      "Velle, I think I'd better do this by myself," I finally said. Velle looked at me as if I was joking.

      "No," she said flatly. "I'm going to help you redeem yourself. It was me who controlled the Petpet army, remember." I sighed. No matter how brave Velle was, I couldn't let a friend of mine get hurt. I would never forgive myself if one of my friends got hurt. Velle was my only friend right now, so I had to be extra careful.

      "I'm doing this by myself," I said flatly. "I couldn't bear it if you got hurt."

      "I'm not a baby, Valrigard," she said. "How would you feel if I took your sword and said that I couldn't bear it if you got hurt at the Citadel?" I blinked. "How did you know I was going there?" Velle shrugged. "Educated guess. Where else would you go?" I sighed.

      "Fine," I muttered. "We can camp here for the night." Velle blinked.

      "Why don't we just go now? It's just around noon." I shrugged. "There'll be nowhere to camp on the Citadel," I said. Velle shrugged and nodded. We built a small hangover near the woods, and camped there for the night.

      It was pitch-black all around me. The full moon waxed above Meridell. Not a night for Werelupes, I thought. I passed a scaly paw over Velle's face to make sure she was asleep, then got up. I grabbed my sword from under some dead leaves. As silent as a shadow, I crept out of the woods and into the open. Above me hovered the Citadel, and the Castle of Meridell looked like a speck in the distance. I looked back to the woods and murmured,

      "Sorry Velle, but seeing as you won't listen to me..." I spread out my newly-powerful wings and took to the cold night air, with only my sword at my side. Now, I would finish off Darigan. NOTE*** I had no idea that Darigan was redeemed. I thought he was still the treacherous scum he used to be.

* * * * *

      It was morning. I had reached the Citadel. To hide myself for the time being, I had burrowed a small niche in the bottom of the Citadel I gripped my sword tightly, my paws sweaty. Now I would finish part of my revenge. In a stealthy movement, I crept out of the niche and flew up the side of the Citadel, landing on the top. I passed the Darigan residents like I was invisible, supposedly they didn't know who the Traitor was. I reached the main tower after what seemed like an eternity, and slunk up the staircase. After a few minutes of silent flying, I reached the main chamber.

      "Can't you just send them away?" a voice pleaded. "I'm tired of all these Neopians coming to see me! I keep telling them, 'There's nothing to see here,' but they just keep on coming!"

      "I'll try, m'Lord," another voice said. I could hear heavy footsteps thudding down the hall, and ducked into the shadows. A giant Grarrl passed me, and I knew that Darigan was alone in his chambers. I crept around the corner and pounced on the surprised Darigan, a war cry in my throat.

      "LIGHTBLAAAAADDDDDEEEE!"

To be continued...