Sword and Crown (Eldora and SadieZeBear)(PG-13)

[Eldora]

The Story

Ten years ago the vast kingdom of Certatelle was peaceful and prosperous. It's army was well-trained and though it was at peace with it's smaller neighbors, it's people never entirely trusted outsiders. But alas, while being watchful for enemies without, they were blind to the enemies within.

One dark night, the castle was attacked without warning or explanation. The castle was utterly destroyed and all of the royal house were slain save for the young prince, who managed to flee into the forest with the help of one of his mentors. The king was found close to death, and despite the best efforts of the healers, managed to live only a single day afterward. Before he died however, he claimed to have seen a vision, and made a prophesy that there would be a great war that would shake Certatelle to it's very foundations. Two beings from another world, he said, would bring peace and justice back to his land, and in the end a sword and a crown would save the kingdom. At the time, however, his words were ignored as the mad ramblings of a dying man.

After he died, Duke Agamon his younger brother reluctantly took his place upon the throne. But all was not as it seemed. In truth, it was by his hands that the castle had been destroyed and the royal family had been murdered. He had always been jealous of his brother, and had turned to necromancy and other dark arts to attain his goal. With that power, he summoned otherworldly monsters to do his bidding and bring his brother's kingdom to it's knees in a single night. Then one after another, all of the cities and towns were siezed by his army of fiends. Either their inhabitants bowed to him, or they would die.

Ten years later, a single group of rebels, led by the prince and rightful king of the kingdom, still wars against Agamon and his army of both monsters and men. However, they have been forced back into the forest, and it is only a matter of time until their hideout is discovered. They pray for a miricle, because without one, all hope for them and the kingdom they fight for will be lost.


_______________

Cursed Forest

Katana's head throbbed. Where was she? What had happened? Slowly she opened her eyes and stared upwards, trying to make out what she was seeing. Apparently she'd fallen and hit her head or something, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. Leaves. Leaves and stars. Stars? Oh no, Mom and Dad were going to be really worried about them! They had told she and her sister not to stay out in the woods after dark. Wait, where was Corona?

She shot up at the thought that something might have happened to her sister, but immediately regretted doing so as the pounding in her head got more intense. "Corona? Corona! Where are you?" She hugged her knees and shivvered. It was cold out here, much colder than she remembered it being. And there was something strange about the trees too. Or was that just her mind playing tricks on her in the moonlight? Struggling to remember what had happened, all she could remember was a strange rock with writing on it. That's it, she thought. If we can just find that rock again, we can find our way back home. But first I have to find Corona... She slowly stood, bracing herself against a nearby tree for support. Every muscle seemed to ache as if she had been beaten up. Taking a deep breath, she cupped her hands over her mouth and called as loud as she could. "Corona!"

[SadieZeBear]

Corona's eyes fluttered for a moment or two, unable to understand what had happened. It was all so confusing. The smells, the sounds; all of it was different. Where was she?
Where was Katana? Only now had she noticed that she was by herself in the dark. The dark? They were going to be in deep trouble if mum and dad found out...Well, that's if they can get home because, this wasn't home. Nowhere near it.

"Katana? Kaaaatanaaaa? Where are you?" Soon enough she was on her feet, wiping the dirt off before searching. I knew we shouldn't have read it. I knew it! Damn curiosity is all I have to say...I hope Katana is okay. Arms wrapped around her chest as an attempt to keep warm; cold hitting her like multiple knives but she had to ignore this all, she had to ignore everything because, well, if she lost Katana...Let's just say, being sad would probably be an understatement.

[Eldora]

Finally Katana heard an answer to her calls. It was her sister alright, which relieved her greatly. "I'm over here sis! I'm coming!" She ran in the direction of the call, trying to ignore the fact that this forest looked nothing like the one they had been playing in. It didn't even smell the same. It smelled cold and damp. The trees were definately bigger here, and they seemed gnarled and unnatural. She didn't want to think about that now. No, she needed to find her sister first, make sure she was alright.

There, through the line of trees in front of her she glimplsed the bright blue of her sister's bow. She increased her pace and ran towards her. "I'm so glad. I thought I lost you, little sister!" She said as she hugged her. Though they were born on the same day, Katana took pride in being the big sister, if only by a few minutes. She tried to act the part too, always calling Corona her little sister even though they were the same age and height, always taking the lead in their adventures. This time though, she had no idea where they were or how they had gotten here. Only... The writing on that stone was the last thing she remembered, but she didn't even remember what it had said. "Don't worry, sis. I'll get us home somehow. I promise." Everything would be alright now that they were together.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a low growling noise. Startled, Katana turned to face a huge beast that looked like a wolf. It stood waist high to the girls, and it was foaming at the mouth, making it look mad. "Oh no..." Keeping eye contact with the creature, Katana slowly lowered herself so that she could reach down to pick up a stick. But just as she did the thing snapped at her hand, nearly biting her. She glanced around, trying to find some way of escape, but there was none. They might have been able to climb the tree that the wolf had them cornered against, but it's branches were too high for them to reach. Katana swallowed hard, not knowing what to do.

[SadieZeBear]

Wrapped her own arms round her sister tightly, holding her close as if to say 'It's all good now.'. It of course wasn't though, there were lost, lost in an unknown forest and maybe even an unknown world. Curiosity flooded over her like a river forming and filling, that grin spreading across her soft lips, the same grin she'd always have when an idea had popped up into her head.
"Sis, we should explore. It'll be fun...I promise!"

Many people didn't understand the two young twins, unable to understand as to why Katana called Corona little sis but both of them knew and, Corona really didn't mind. Afterall, she even acted like the younger one. Too curious, often asking questions...Well, basically the opposite of her sister, not completely though as all young children have those features placed into their personalities. Surely though, you could tell the difference between these two.

Soon enough her own thoughts were interrupted, eyes widening to the size of melons as they cast over the beast. "Wow. It's beautiful!" Slowly she reached her hand out, taking small and slow steps towards it with a soft smile and that gleam in her eye. "I-I won't hurt you." She was oblivious to the dangers and risks in this situation, unable to control her actions as she was lost to the eyes of the wolf. Completely lost.

[Eldora]

"No!" Katana reached one hand and snatched up Corona's own hand an instant before it would have been bitten in two. Staring into the wolf's eyes, she thrust her other hand forward. Hardly knowing what she was doing, she stared into the wolf's eyes and commanded as forcefully as she could. "Leave us alone!" A curious warm sensatioin went from the hand that held her sister's to her other hand. A ball of fire materialized in that hand and hurtled towards the wolf. The beast yelped and ran, the end of it's tail singed.

Katana, still holding Corona's hand, fell to her knees, breathing heavily as if she had just been running a mile. "What the heck just happened? Was that... Was that what I think it was?" She looked at her sister, dumbfounded.

[SadieZeBear]

Corona watched her sisters reaction, frowning upon it in an instant. "All I wanted to do was touch the wolf? Animals are beautiful...You should really give them more of a chance y'know? I know he looks scary and stuff but..." Soon enough she shut up at what happened, her eyes still as she became unable to blink. "Wha-What just happened? Sis, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" She slipped onto her knees, pulling Katana close to support her.

What in earth has just happened? It was amazing. Why didn't I get any powers? Maybe it's because I'm younger. Obviously I need to be protected...I'm just weak Corona. Unless, we both did it... A sigh idly ran past her lips, entering the dark where it was then lost. Lost just like they were.

[Eldora]

"Weren't you paying attention? That was no cuddly puppy dog, Corona. That was a wolf. A huge wolf. I know you wanted to pet it, but that's not what it wanted. It wanted to eat us, and what's worse it was probably rabid. If it bit us we'd die. You saw it snap at me, and it almost bit your hand in half! I had to... had to..."

She stared at her hand a moment, as if expecting it to do something strange again. But it didn't. "I really did that, didn't I?" She shook her head, then looked at the hand that still held her sister's. "No, we both did it I think... I felt it. I didn't know what it was, but I felt it coming. It felt realy wierd."

She stood up. "Something really wierd is going on, sis. First we're lost in some strange forest, and now magic? It's like some crazy fairy tale." She shook her head again. "It's that stupid tablet, isn't it? It brought us here, and gave us magic. But how? Why?" She knew her sister was probably just as confused as she was, but she thought it might help her to think out loud. "We need to find it so we can go home..." She rubbed her arms as she thought. "...in the morning. We might get more lost, and as dark as it is we might fall into a hole or walk over a cliff or something." She looked at her sister. "Hey, remember when we went camping that summer? We could pretend we're camping. It might be fun." She knew even as she said it that she was being overly optimistic, but anything that might make this situation seem more normal would be welcome. It was funny though really. They had always pretended that the forest was a portal to another world. Now that it was, though, all she could think of was getting them home.

[SadieZeBear]

"I know it wasn't a cuddly puppy dog! I'm not an idiot. I just...Wanted to touch it. Why do you always have to act like you're in charge, like you're actually the older one who needs to always protect me? You don't y'know? We're the same age!" Sighed she gazed around the forest, eyes cast down upon the ground as thoughs of what she'd just said ran through her head. I shouldn't of had a go at her. She was just being a sister and taking care of me but, I guess I really am just an idiot.

Corona just sat silently, listening to Katana as she sounded her thoughts outloud; her own thoughts elsewhere. "I'm not scared though. It's like an adventure, a story...Our story. We're in control! Just keep thinking that sis, keep thinking it. Afterall, you saw what we did. We have magic on our side so surely we'll be fine and, we'll also be fine because we have each other."

[Eldora]

Hidden Rebel Base

Prince Albric Rosswell, a young man of only nineteen years and the leader of the rebel fighters who most knew as Hawk, sat in his chambers, head in his hands as he looked over a map of what should have been his people's kingdom. Reaching over the table, he picked up three red pawns and placed them an inch closer to a place on the map that was marked with a black 'X', right in the middle of the Cursed Forest. Agamon's forces were bearing down on them more and more every moment. "Where is this miracle you promised us, father? Where are the artifacts you spoke of on your deathbed?" He muttered under his breath. Then he let out a bitter laugh. "Perhaps you will tell me this secret when next we meet?" Despite his efforts to keep the spirits of his men up, it was only a matter of time now before...

A knock at the door. Pushing back his chair, Albric stood and walked a few paces toward the door. "Enter," he said, the impatience plain in his voice. What bad news could it be this time?

The door opened, revealing a boy but a few years younger than the prince himsself. He sighed, so it was bad news. This was Logan, one of the lookouts and messengers. He seemed scared as well, as if he figured him to be the type to kill the messenger. "Speak, Logan. What is it that's frightened you so?" His tone was more gentle this time.

The boy swallowed hard. "Lord Hawk, it's Kaleb. He's been attacked sir."

Albric's hands tightened into fists. Kaleb was his best friend. If anything had happened to him, there'd be hell to pay. "How? Tell me everything."

"It was fiends, sir. They looked like little girls, but I saw 'em appear out of nowhere and at least one of 'em can use magic. They've gotta be fiends sir. No ordinary human-"

"-Yes, I know that. But about Kaleb, how is he?"

"Y-yes sir. He's lost a bit of fur on his face and tail, but he's not hurt."

"Thank heavens for that," Albric said somewhat sarcastically. "Send three warriors out to capture them, alive if possible. Blindfold them and bring them to me."

"But sir," Logan protested, "What if it's a trap?"

"You let me worry about that. Now go and do what I told you. Quickly, before they have a chance to escape."

"Yes, Lord Hawk."


_______________

Cursed Forest

Katana looked at her sister and sighed. "I know, sis. It's just that I don't want anything to happen to you." She rubbed her arms. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it would be fun to explore this place. But Mom and Dad will be really worried about us by now. We'll stay here the night, but in the morning we'll go and look for that rock again so we can go home. Okay?"

Rubbing her arms again, Katana suddenly had an idea. "Oh, I know! We can use our magic to start a fire. Why don't you try it this time, Corona?"

Katana found some rocks and made a circle with them, then grabbed armfuls of sticks and threw them in the middle of the circle. Then she went back to her sister's side and took her hand. "Okay, now just hold your arm out and concentrate... I think..."

[SadieZeBear]

"Maybe I don't want to try though. I mean, you were so weak afterwards and I don't want to end up like that. I want to be strong incase we get attacked and surely you should hold onto as much energy as ya can? See! I'm not so dumb." She was proud of herself and even her words although they did surprise her; sure enough it'd surprise Katana too.

Even though her words said no she grabbed hold of her sisters hand, the other pointed towards the circle of rocks. "Let's hope it works...But maybe you're the only one with powers?" Just as she said this a fireball shot out of her hand and straight into the circle, fire erupting upwards as heat radiated its way towards them. Corona instantly felt the heat, smiling but soon enough the smile disappeared as she fell back, laying still for a few seconds before giggling. "That was AWESOME! Concentrating was a bit bleh though sis...Hehe."

Happiness had spread across her face once more, smile shaken slightest upon hearing noises. Was someone coming? "Katana? C-Can you hear that? Please tell me you can." Corona shifted closer towards Katana, arms wrapping round hers as if it'd help the situation at all. "H-Hello?" Her eyes searched around the area, scanning it but she saw no one and nothing. What was happening? What was going to happen?

[Eldora]

Katana smiled at her sister, then helped her up after the fatigue hit. "See, I knew you could do it. It is cool, isn't it? It's a shame it takes so much energy though."

Corona shushed her and announced that she could hear a noise. Katana fought the urge to roll her eyes. They were in a forest, for crying out loud. It was probably just a squirrel or something. She started to say so, but then stopped when she began to hear it as well. Her eyes widened. That was no squirrel. When Corona held her tight, she put an arm around her, but didn't say anything. She was too busy trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. But it seemed to be coming from all directions at once, and it was getting closer.
All at once a group of men that looked like they were streight out of a fairy tale story emerged from behind the trees and surrounded them, weapons drawn and facing them. There must be at least twelve of them, and they were all wearing some kind of armor. One stepped forward, looking like a moving suit of armor with his face hidden by the visor of his green-colored metal helmet. "Stay where you are, fiends!" He commanded, his own sword pointed at the two of them.

Katana held Corona tightly for a moment then stepped in front of her, pushing her back behind her. Puffing out her chest, she demanded, "What do you want?" Though she acted brave, she had to hide her shaking hands behind her so they wouldn't see.

"None of your tricks, fiends. We know what you are. There's no use keeping up those ridiculous disguises. Show us what you really are!"

Katana's shaking stopped. She wasn't scared anymore. No, she was furious. First these guys had threatened them, now they were calling them names. She put her hands on her hips, not noticing that some of the men flinched as she did so. "Listen here! I don't know what the heck you're talking about, but me and my sister are girls. And, I'll have you know, we have name's too!"

"I don't care if you're the fairy queen of Lithia," the knight said sarcastically. "Human or fiend or witch, whatever you are, you are tresspassing in the Cursed Forest. And that offence brings with it the sentence of death!"

Katana's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and a heavy lump formed in her throat that no ammount of swallowing could get rid of. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but all that came out was gibberish.

"Stop her!" The knight barked. "She's trying to put a curse on us! Separate them and gag them both!" Before he had even finished saying it, the other men had rushed forward and grabbed her, dragging her away from her sister. She struggeled as hard as she could, kicking and screaming and even biting, but it was no use. They were too strong. Within moments she and her sister both were tied up, with gags in their mouths. She looked toward Corona for what she thought might be the last time, and saw the same look of horror that was probably on her own face. But even that was soon gone, and the men blindfolded both of them.

"Luckily, our leader has mercifully decided that he wants you alive, for now. However, try any of your sorcery here and we shall have to disappoint him. Move out!"

With that, their darkened journey through the cursed forest began, as they were led by ropes tied to their hands, and pushed forward by sharp weapons at their backs.