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Echo
It was a nice sensation. He was floating, there, but not really there. He wasn’t real, but real enough to exist. He wanted to stay here, forget about everything else and just float here…forever. But then the lovely feeling disappeared, consumed by darkness. There were people around him, so many people. Some were worried about him, some wanted to help him…but there was one person, one person who sent shivers down Echo’s spine. All evil emitted from the person, making Echo sick. The person leaned over him. Echo could not tell if this person was a man or a woman. The person smiled and opened his mouth. Echo prepared himself for pain…
“WAKE UP!!!”
“AAAHHHH!” Echo yelled, jumping up.
SMASH!
The world swirled before Echo in a clash of painful colours as Echo’s head collided with a tree branch above him.
As his vision cleared he saw Serenity, the insufferable Princess he had been paid to baby-sit.
She stood above him, a cheeky grin planted on her small face, her pale hair fanned out behind her.
Echo blinked, and his memory came back to him. They were on the edge of Garnet, about to enter the Kingdom, to pass through it. They were on their way to Returana where Echo hoped to rid himself of the girl.
“Did you have to wake me up? A gentle shake would’ve done just fine!” Echo said, glaring unforgivably at Serenity.
Serenity closed her eyes and smiled, “I know two kinds of men. When woken up with a start, the first kind would pull out their swords and stab the unfortunate person to wake them. The second kind would scream and humiliate themselves,” she brushed a pale pink lock of hair from her face, “I wanted to see which kind you were…you are clearly the second kind,”
Echo stood up and sheathed the two glimmering swords that he always slept next to, “You are lucky I do not hold my swords while I sleep, or you would’ve never made it to Returana,” Echo looked around the clearing where they had camped for the night, “Did you make breakfast?”
Serenity jumped up, excited, “You really mean it? You want me to cook? Yay! The cooks in Diamond would never let me near the kitchens!”
Echo soon discovered why.
Serenity managed to get a fire going with the help of her wand…eventually.
She gathered some logs and piled them on the ground. Then she pulled out her wand and aimed in at the fire. Halfway through the incantation she dropped the wand and set fire to her cloak. She shrieked and Echo ran to help her put out the fire.
On the second try she missed the logs and set fire to the tree that Echo had slept under. Then she forgot the incantation to produce water from her wand, so Echo gathered all the blankets and tried to smother the fire. Serenity, who was sitting on the ground, frantically trying to remember the spell, jumped up and managed to get the water from her wand…which soaked Echo. An angered Echo snatched the wand off her and put out the fire in the tree.
When she finally got a fire going she filled a kettle with water and set it up over the fire to boil. Then she went in search of something to cook. Before she could leave the camp, Serenity tripped over the supports that were holding up the kettle. The kettle tumbled over into the fire, losing it’s contents and putting out the fire at the same time. Serenity proceeded to try and light the fire again but Echo hurriedly grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
“I think you’ve done enough this morning. We’ll stop off for something to eat in an Inn in Garnet,” he told her.
A sad expression crossed the girl’s face. Her eyes scrunched up and she burst into tears.
Echo pulled away from her, at a loss of what to do.
“I tried my best!” she wailed, “I can’t do anything!”
Echo agreed with her silently, then sighed and helped Serenity up.
“Cooking doesn’t come naturally. It takes practice. A lot of practice,” he commented dryly.
She bent her head back and burst into tears again, “I’ll never be good at anything, I’m the worst Princess ever! I’m stupid, clumsy and bad at magic!”
“You forgot annoying,” Echo reminded her. He soon wished he hadn’t. If he thought that she could not cry any louder, he was wrong.
She wailed louder, causing birds to fly out of the neighbouring trees in panic.
“Er…you’re not really that bad…” Echo stammered.
Serenity stopped crying, and ran to Echo’s side, wrapping herself around Echo’s right arm, painfully tight.
“You really think so?” she asked.
Echo nodded. Anything to keep her quiet.
He winced as Serenity laughed and hugged his arm tighter.
“We should leave if we want to make it to Garnet soon,” he said, prying her off his arm.
Serenity nodded enthusiastically and ran to pick up her violet cloak, which she had discarded after setting it alight.
Echo pulled off his coat to examine the arm that Serenity had clung to. It throbbed painfully and he hoped it was not broken. There was an angry red ring around his arm where Serenity had squeezed it, repeatedly. He sighed and pulled his coat back on, running to catch up to the unendurable Princess, who had already left the clearing without him.
They entered Garnet. Everybody was staring at Serenity, who was dressed in her ridiculous outfit of pink and purple. Echo wished she had dressed in something else. She stood out agonizingly clearly. Echo supposed that they dressed like that in Diamond, and the girl did not know any better.
He pulled his coat off and draped it onto Serenity’s shoulders.
“Why?” she asked him.
“Your clothes attract too much attention. I don’t want to be noticed,” he replied.
The coat was too heavy and too big for her. It dragged behind her as she staggered under it’s weight.
As they walked through the village he noticed something was wrong. People were staring at him. They knew who he was.
“I don’t think that we will be staying for long,” he whispered to Serenity.
“Echo…do you know these people?” she whispered back, worriedly. Some men were glaring at Echo.
Serenity
Serenity was deeply afraid. Suddenly a person in a hooded cloak ran up to Echo and grabbed his hands, pushing Serenity away from Echo.
A surprised Echo pulled away from the person. The person lowered the hood, revealing a good looking girl.
“Leah…” Echo whispered, reaching towards her.
By the look in his eyes this girl was probably someone Echo loved. She tuned away, feeling a little jealous and alone. Nobody loved her, just her money.
When she turned back she saw that the girl named Leah was holding a dagger behind her back, ready to strike
Echo
Echo smiled. It was true! Leah was not dead! A feeling of happiness and relief washed over him.
“Echo!” Serenity screamed, throwing herself at Leah.
The two girls collapsed beneath him, both fighting. Leah produced a dagger and proceeded to stab Serenity viciously.
Echo gaped at her, shocked. The Leah he knew would never hurt anyone!
He pulled her off Serenity and held her safely away from the Princess, getting a closer look at Leah.
Upon realising who she really was, he mentally kicked himself.
Leah was not alive. She was still dead. And this was her twin sister, Cait.
Cait had hated him from the moment he met her and when she found at that he was having an affair with her sister, she was the one who had told Leah husband, leading to Leah’s death. Leah was killed by the spite of her own sister.
He remembered a couple of nights ago, at the inn in Garnet, where he though he had seen Leah, but it had been Cait. That had explained why a few moments later he was attacked.
“You were a fool to ever come back,” Cait spat at him.
Echo glared at her at released her. She fell at his feet.
Echo helped up Serenity, who had a few bruises, but was otherwise unharmed.
Silently Echo and Serenity walked away from Cait. He did not wish to cause a scene.
But it was inevitable.
“You will not escape with your life!” Cait called after him. People were gathering around them.
Echo ignored her, and kept walking.
“Bring out Tundra!” Cait called, her voice lined with malice.
Echo froze. He had heard that name before.
He jumped for the men and managed to tackle one of them. The other one kept running, either not caring or did not know about his friend who had just been trapped. Echo looked down to see whom he had caught. It was the mysterious man who had sat in the shadows in the inn. Still laying on top of the man, Echo lifted the man’s head up by his hair and rested his blade under his throat. He could feel the man trembling beneath him.
“Who are you?” demanded Echo.
“My name is Llenruam,”
“Why are you here?”
“My band was hired to kill you. You stole my best friend’s wife, Leah,”
Echo’s eyes narrowed. So this was about Leah.
“So he’s still trying to kill me. Nice.” Echo commented, pulling harder on Llenruam’s hair.
“ We will never give up, you traitor, not until you are dead.”
A bold remark. Echo moved the sword closer to Llenruam’s throat as a threat. Llenruam gulped. Echo stood up and dragged Llenruam up with him, then pinned Llenruam to the wall.
“Listen to me,” he told Llenruam calmly, “I don’t care how many men you send after me, because as you can see, I can beat them all. I will beat them all. Tell you master that,”
Echo scowled at Llenruam and let him go.
Llenruam started towards the door but stopped and turned to Echo, “You will not escape Tundra,”
Llenruam ran out of the inn, before Echo could question him about “Tundra”.
A low rumbling echoed behind him. Upon turning Echo discovered that “Tundra” was a large man.
Echo smiled to himself. Is that all these people could cook up?
Tundra pointed to Echo and snarled, “ I will fight you for the honour of my friends!”
Echo nodded, “ I will face you,”
They had sent him a giant that although could overcome him in strength, could not match him in speed.
Tundra and Echo stood face-to-face, swords drawn. Tundra held a large iron sword, that could cut Echo easily in two if it touched him. Echo held up his twin swords.
They stood a large building, which was likely, the town meeting place. Strong beams held up the roof over their heads. Echo made sure not to crash into any of them.
Many people had tuned up to watch the fight. Looking around, he could see many of Cait’s friends in the crowd.
Serenity stood near the back of the large room; clutching his coat, worry flashing through her pink eyes.
“ I am so thick. Picking fights with people from Garnet when I have Serenity travelling with me. I’ll finish this as soon as I can, so I can get the Princess to proper safety,” he scolded himself.
“Begin the fight!” someone called from a safe distance.
Echo fixed his eyes on Tundra. The giant slowly edged towards Echo, waving his sword dangerously.
Echo grinned. The giant looked very heavy and slow.
Suddenly the giant changed, from slowly edging to a run.
Echo’s eyes widened. He had underestimated Tundra! The speed at which the giant man was racing towards him was impossible!
Tundra aimed his sword at Echo’s heart, but Echo dodged. The sword had missed. Barely. It drew a deep gash in his left shoulder. His left arm useless, he dropped the sword that his left arm was holding.
Tundra came at him again. This time he kicked Echo. The kick winded Echo and he fell back to the ground.
“Get up!” shouted Tundra, “ Get up so I can cut you down honourably!”
“It’s my own fault,” Echo thought, as he shakily stood up, “I underestimated him…”
Serenity
Serenity stood in the crowd, her mouth hanging open with shock. Until now, she had though that no one could beat Echo. But now, before her eyes, the giant man named Tundra was standing over her friend, beating the life out of him.
“I have to do something,”
Looking around, she saw one of Echo’s swords lying, discarded where he had dropped it.
She ran towards it and picked it up. It was lighter than her sword.
Without thinking, she ran towards Tundra and swung the sword at his legs.
And missed.
But what she did hit was one of the beams that held up the hall, next to him.
Echo
As Serenity hit the beam, Echo saw the roof begin to cave in. The other beams crunched and fell, then the roof crumbled and came down with it. People were disappearing under the rubble, Tundra had vanished.
Echo searched for Serenity with worry.
“Where has she gone? I need to get her to safety!”
The last though Echo had before a piece of falling roof knocked him unconscious was, “Serenity sure knows how to end a fight with a bang,”
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This amazing set by ria!
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