The King and Queen
Legend of the Crimson Lucario
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Poketalk'
(Character Thoughts)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine
Beta reader: Catsithx
xXx
Chapter 5: The King and Queen
The Jetek Castle was one of the largest out of all six kingdoms. It was a quite uneventful five day ride to the castle in which everyone had a chance to take it easy. Ruby had chosen to take the large carriage due to the fact that Akara, Victor, and Justin were all accompanying Ruby and Hellstorm to castle. Three additional Rapidash were called in to assist Joey in pulling the carriage on the five day trip. The assassin from before was no where to be seen. Hellstorm was quite most of the trip, but he did answer some of the questions Ruby asked him and did ask a few of his own on occasion.
Finally, in the late afternoon of the fifth day of travel, the Jetek Castle came into view over the top of the light forest canopy. At first there was just a single small flagpole, the one that topped the Arcane Tower of the castle. The flag was a dark blue in color marked with a ring of six golden circles over a pair of large blades. By far the tallest tower of the castle, this undecorated stone tower stood up a few hundred feet into the air. From the top of this tower, a person could see most of the kingdom. The next tower to come into view was the keep itself. The keep was a large square stone structure. It housed the entire royal family and most of the servants. It also housed the Throne Room and many other important rooms of the castle. Several large banners were mounted on the sides of the keep, each one adorned with the symbol of the Jetek Kingdom. The last thing to come into view before the walls of the castle was the four large circular towers in each corner of the castle. These towers held the first defenses against invading forces, although such things were rarely used. Just like with the keep, four large banners also bearing the symbol of the Jetek Kingdom were hung from the sides of these towers.
Akara looked on in awe; this castle was even bigger then most demonic castles. She wore a dress that Ruby had let her use for the arrival. It was large, just slightly too big for her, but still, the light blue silken cloth easily brought out her human side. Ruby just welcomed the sight with a warm smile. She had even gotten a little dressed up for the occasion, which was rare for her. She wore a dress like those that female pirates would wear, enough to show her body's curves and figure, but also cover her properly all while giving the wearer full mobility should events take a turn for the worst. Although similar to a pirates dress, this dress was much fancier, being made of a fine dark blue silk with the emblem of her kingdom embedded into it along side a few diamonds that lined the collar. Justin sat like always with his eyes closed meditating, his wizardry robes were still and unmoving even with the slight shaking of the carriage whenever it would hit a bump. Hellstorm broke the silence complete removing his cloak and setting it to the side.
"Since we are so close to the castle, I have something I think I should explain. I think the best way to me to introduce the two of you to my parents is to claim that the man from the stories, Hellstorm the human, left you in my care, Hellstorm. As for Akara, she was Hellstorm's traveling companion, but chooses to stay and help me with the mansion. By claiming that both of you were trained by Hellstorm, both of you should be able to use some of you magic and demon arts without too much worry as long as you don't go overboard with them." Ruby explained her plan to hide the truth from her parents. "They should even welcome Akara if she has some proof of being associated with Hellstorm."
"That part is easy." Hellstorm said taking off his wristwatch and grabbing one of the curtains that were hung around the inside of the carriage. He wrapped the watch up in the red curtain and placed both hands on the curtain. The small bundle of cloth sparked as it took a new form. Instead of band that was to be placed on someone's wrist, the watch was now attached to a long red collar. "This watch or the gem people mistake it for is how I've proved my identity as Hellstorm before. I use it as proof that I'm me, but I've also used to it so show that I work for the legend everyone claims is human when it plays to my advantage not to be me much like it would be right now." Hellstorm picked up the collar and placed it around his neck. The collar fit nicely and gently around Hellstorm's neck giving him more then enough room to breathe, the watch placed in front for everyone to see. Form the angle at which the watch was positioned, it looked like it was nothing more then just a large sapphire. "Justin, may I borrow a few gems from that bag you brought with you. I'll trade a fair sum of gold for the gems I take."
Justin never opened his eyes, but he did toss the bag over to Hellstorm who took out four small sapphires. "How much for the gems?" Hellstorm asked as he removed a second curtain from the other side of the carriage.
"Those are free. I'm only giving them to you because Ruby has confirmed that you are in fact Hellstorm." Justin replied. "If you were not, I would not even consider giving them to you." His voice showed that he was slightly irritated.
"Justin, calm down. I know that you may not share my views on Pokemon, but that is no reason why you can show Hellstorm some respect." Ruby alerted Justin.
"While I'm here, I want you to call me Varwaz. It's the name my mother said she would have given me if I was not given the name Hellstorm." Hellstorm pulled a hand of silver coins out of his moneybag and placed them in the curtain with the four sapphires. Just like before, he placed both of his hands on the bundle and the bundle sparked before it changed. Instead of collar like the one had made for himself, Hellstorm had made a necklace for Akara. The large sapphire pendant would stand as her connection to Hellstorm while the chain was made of cloth with streaks of silver woven into it giving it an added strength. Hellstorm presented the amulet to Akara who was just as surprised as Ruby to see how finely crafted the amulet was. "It's not a perfect fusion, I still have trouble fusing metals into other objects, but it should last for the time we are here." Hellstorm told them.
The carriage passed through the town that surrounded the castle. Several people waved and warmly greeted the carriage, a few even made attempts to offer gifts, but Ruby did not care. She was just happy enough with being home again.
The carriage quickly came up to the reinforced wooden gates of the castle. There was no moat; instead, the castle had been built on a small hill that had been reshaped to fit for the castle. There were only four ways to pass the castle walls. The first was by air, the second by the tunnels, and the last two were the two sets of gates, the back gate on the south end of the castle and the main gate to the north. The lowered gate acted as a ramp for the carriage. Many people cleared out of the way for the carriage to pass. Hellstorm looked in surprise. Sure there was a large fancy town outside the castle walls, but it looked like the real heart of the city was hidden away inside the castle. There was a full blown market area, two or three separate stables, a small farm that grew the finer herbs and spices used by the chefs in the castle, and finally, there was the keep. Several other various wooden and a few stone structures filled the area as the carriage approached the castle. For that matter, the castle itself could have been a town at one point. As the carriage approached a large set of wooden doors, not even half as big as the main gate, but still just as strong, a call was sounded.
"Princess Ruby has arrived, open the gate." One of the guards that had been walking along the top of the walk shouted out to whoever was below. The gates quickly opened as the carriage drew closer granting it access to the keep. The gates closed behind them. The finely placed brick road led up to the keep before looping around into itself. There was a separate stable here for the royal mounts and Hellstorm could even see a few of the royal carriages, each one marked by the same emblem that signified the kingdom. Several guards were posted by the keep doors as two figures appeared. The first was tall man; his shiny plate armor gleamed in the bright sunlight. He had dark blue eyes and a slight beard. He walked proudly, a smile across his face. The sword by his side and crown on his head proved that this man was the king. Beside him, wearing a large silken dress was the queen. Her headpiece although not as fancy as the king's was still quite lovely. Her ruby eyes matched her red hair that came down past her shoulders. The king and queen were both happy to once again see their daughter. The carriage stopped just as it began to follow the loop back into the road. A single guard ran forward, but unlike the others, he wore leather armor rather then plate with a pair of knifes on his belt rather then a sword or spear.
This guard opened the door and stepped aside. Ruby was the first one out, the young man offered his hand to assist and Ruby took it kindly. Akara was next out and just like before, the young man extended his hand. Next was Hellstorm, he jumped out and took his place next to Ruby. He carried his Etherian Cloak in his hand. Lastly, Justin came out. "I'll be taking my leave. The guards should be able to handle your safety now." Justin just walked off for the keep while Victor led the carriage to where the others were stored.
"My daughter Ruby, it has been a long time. I see you have new friends bearing sapphires, a rare jewel in our land. Please introduce us." The king came forward, his queen walking with him. The kingdom was Jetek was never known to have any sapphire mines, which is why the king was so quick to notice the blue gemstones around Hellstorm and Akara's necks.
"Father, I missed you." Ruby came up and hugged her father who stood about four inches taller then she did. "I bring good news. I've finally met the one called Hellstorm." Ruby began her story.
"You have, have you?" The queen asked stepping forward. Ruby hugged her mother standing about the same height as she stood.
"Hellstorm himself has trained Varwaz here, one of his prized Pokemon. And this is Akara." Ruby introduced Hellstorm as Varwaz just like he asked as well as introducing Akara. "Akara was Hellstorm's traveling partner, but decided that she wished to take her own path in life much like I have. As for Varwaz, he wishes to compete in the coming tournament. Hellstorm saw no reason to deny him the right to lead his own path in life." Ruby explained.
"Very well, it is almost time for supper. You can tell us more about Hellstorm then. For now, come. Let us introduce you to a few new faces around the castle starting with Leroy." The king turned and pointed to the guard from before who bowed upon being introduced. The king then led the way to the keep. Ruby walked with her mother one side talking about current and coming events while Hellstorm took note of things as he walked on her other side. He could once again feel the power of an orb but could not track it or tell which orb he had found. He had his work cut out for him.
xXx
Later that day at the grand dinning chamber...
Now that it was just the family and a few select others, everyone had dressed more casually. They sat at a large rectangular table. Several large plates were placed along the table with varying dishes. Some had pork, others had fish, and a few full of nothing but berries for the Pokemon who had been allowed to come to meal. In total there were three humans, Ruby, King Mark, and Queen Kristen, one demon posing as a human, Akara, and four Pokemon including Hellstorm. The other three all Vulpix.
"So, tell us about this Hellstorm. Is he really what the legends say he is?" Mark asked.
"Form what I saw; he was that and so much more. I offered him a magical orb I found to investigate the attacks around my manor after I hired a wizard to look into them." Ruby began.
"Really?" Kristen asked taking a small serving or pork.
"Yes, a demon had attacked the villages. Hellstorm took out that demon in just one night. Akara was his witness." Ruby continued. "Since then, the attacks have stopped."
"I was wondering about that. It does explain why the village guards could not stop the attacker." Mark said passing the pork to Hellstorm. "Here you Varwaz. For a Pokemon, you sure do seem to have some manners. No doubt Hellstorm taught you such things."
"That is correct." Hellstorm replied as he help his plate out for the pork he was offered.
"Anyway, I'd like to ask about the tournament that is coming up. As I said earlier, Varwaz would like to enter." Ruby changed the topic.
"A toast... to my early successful return." A loud voice rang out from the main door. A man in his thirties stood by the door, a wineglass in his hand that was just barely filled. He wore fine blue shirt, long blue pants, and had a short sword on his belt. "I come bearing good news." The man shouted causing everyone to turn his way.
"Grant, you supposed to be in the Eastern Kingdom of Falstar." Mark turned with an unhappy look on his face.
"The negotiations are over, the war between Falstar and Mistvale are no longer at war and Mistvale has thanked us by offering us a large supply of herbs grown from their swamps, free of charge." The man walked forward grabbing a bottle wine and pouring everyone a cup of the red liquid.
"Grant, it has been a long time." Ruby nodded her toward the man.
"Eight years by my count. I'm glad to see that you're still doing well. Word has it that you met this one called Hellstorm." Grant poured Ruby the same small amount as everyone else.
"That I have. I even have two guests with me that used to travel with him." Ruby explained pointing toward Akara and Hellstorm.
"My name is Akara." Akara held her empty glass forward as Grant poured her some of the wine he seemed quite happy to share.
"And I am Varwaz. Hellstorm has trained me himself." Hellstorm nodded his head, but did not accept the wine that he was offered.
"A Lucario, rare in these parts. Still, no matter. Father, I have a second piece of wonderful news as well." Grant walked over to his father. "I have found the woman I wish to marry, Princess Angela of the Mistvale Kingdom, the daughter to King Turock. She'll be arriving here in a few weeks to meet the two of you." Grant held his glass high. "Let us toast to peace and my bride to be."
"It's about time you went about finding a wife." Kristen held her glass as well.
"I was beginning to think that you were never going to get married and our kingdom was to go without with a queen when I died." Mark mirrored his son's actions. Ruby did the same.
Grant led the talk for the rest of the night. Talk about Hellstorm seemed to have passed now that Grant was home.
(Perhaps the tales of Hellstorm are not so well known to the royal family. This could play to my benefit.) Hellstorm thought as he slowly ate the meal before.
--
Night came forth quickly over the castle. Ruby gave Hellstorm a personal tour of the castle. They passed though most of the castle before finally ending with the room where Hellstorm was to sleep which surprised Hellstorm. He was allowed to stay in Ruby's room for the night at her request. "Your bed is over here." Ruby's room was just as nice, but much bigger then the one at her mansion. Except for some added furniture which included a second small bed for private guests of Ruby's, a few more chairs, and a second desk, the room matched the one she had back at the manor perfectly down to the number painting hung about the room. The second bed was quite large, easily able to three or four people, but had no canopy like her own. "If you need anything, just ask. There is a bathing area over there." Ruby pointed to a door on the same side of the room, which to no surprise matched the one back at her manor. "The bathing area may not look like the one I had built, but it's just as nice and unlike the one at my manor, it is not shared by any other rooms in the castle." Ruby explained. She walked over to the dresser and began to pull off her pirate like dress.
"I'm feeling the presence of that orb again, but it feels like it's below us. How many levels of this castle are below ground?" Hellstorm asked placing a hand on the stone wall.
"To my knowledge, there are three levels above the ground and two below if you don't count the Well of Vision in the Arcane Tower. The well is located several dozen feet below the tower and is used by the mages here to help imbue their staves and other magical items with other magical powers." Ruby told Hellstorm about the well. "No one knows where the water comes from for the well, but the mages say that the well refills itself once every few months."
"It's possible that one of the Elemental Orbs may play a part in this. I'll have a look around tonight. I spent all night last night and part of this morning sleeping, so I'll be up for another day at least." Hellstorm explained.
"Be careful, just because you my guest does not mean that the guards will just let you through. Most of them view Pokemon as beasts, not as equals and I have no doubt that Sir Gallahad will not be pleased with fact that I have requested that you stay in my room." Ruby warned Hellstorm.
"One man will not be a problem to me." Hellstorm said as he took his cloak back out and began to put it on.
"Do not give him a reason to attack you. He will not waste it. He has had his eye on me from the day he first set foot in the castle and he will most likely not take kindly to you now that I have invited you to share my company." Ruby explained with slight hints of disgust. "He doesn't even see Pokemon as living creatures, only as tools to do what work humans command them to do. Hellstorm finished putting on his cloak the cloak began to weave itself into a lighter cloak, something used to keep one warm rather then to hide their face. "Please just avoid him if possible. He'll wear a sort of woven metal armor and carries a bow."
"I'll be back by morning and I'll do my best not to be seen." Hellstorm jumped up to the nearby window. Standing the window, he looked out at the courtyard. The guards each carried torches to light their way, which played to Hellstorm's advantage. Hellstorm jumped down and ran down the wall careful to make a little noise as possible.
Ruby watched but couldn't shake the feeling the something was going to happen. She tied her robe together as she headed over to her bed.
Hellstorm made his way to Arcane Tower. He wanted to see this tower for himself. The closer he got to the Arcane Tower however, the less he felt he magic orb. He moved quickly across the grass making almost no noise at all. The few noises he made were often mistaken for their own footsteps stepping on a twig. He was halfway to the Arcane to tower when he had to duck into a set of bushes, his cloak changed color and texture to match the leaves around his as a small Vulpix peered into the bushed. Unable to find anything, the small fire fox pulled his head out of the bushes. If not for the cloak, Hellstorm would have been discovered; his face was no more then a few inches away from the Vulpix's face.
Hellstorm waited for a few seconds before carefully making his way out of the bushes. He quickly made a dash for the last barrier between him and the tower that was his target. He jumped up and flipped himself over the short stone wall with his hands. Unlike the courtyard, there were no guards around the Arcane Tower; instead, several large orbs light up most of the area. Each orb appeared too made of magic and its only purpose was to light the area. Looking up toward the tower, Hellstorm saw a few mages walking around the top of the tower. Hellstorm thought his options over quickly and realized that while he could make it, there was still a fair chance of failure. There was too much light and not enough places to stop and hide. He would have to wait for another chance to look at the tower to safely get inside. Hellstorm jumped back over the wall and headed for one of the many doors that lead inside.
He made it inside without being seen and now that he was inside, he wouldn't have to hide as much, his sapphire pendant would serve as a pass to most of the castle right now, but he still opted for stealth while exploring in case something were to happen. His cloak wove itself into something a bit lighter, much like a standard traveler's cloak, it covered his shoulders and arms, but left a bit of space between the bottom to the cloak and the ground. If asked about it, he could truthfully say that it was just to keep him warm.
Hellstorm walked the stone halls, the lonely light coming from the lit torches. Only every other torch was lit, but it was still more then enough light to light up the halls to see and clearly make out objects, if only just to see them. There weren't too many decorations in the halls were Hellstorm was at right now, but this wasn't one of the main hallways. The low light levels suggested that many of the castle servants were already sleeping. Hellstorm continued to walk down the halls avoiding the occasional guard. Finally, Hellstorm made it to the main hall. Here he was caught by one of the guard.
"Who goes there at this hour?" The guard asked. He held his short sword at the ready, his plate armor slightly reflecting the light of the torches around him.
"I am Varwaz, a guest of Ruby. Here is my proof." Hellstorm moved his collar around so that the guard could see his sapphire that hung off of it.
"Very well, but it's very late. What are you doing up at this hour?" the guard asked.
"I couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk to clear my mind. I am a bit worried about the up coming tournament that I have entered." Hellstorm thought quickly making up a believable lie that would hopefully get the guard to leave him alone.
"Very well, just don't cause any trouble." The guard put away his blade and returned to post by the door. Hellstorm walked off again in search of the orb because he was once again feeling the presence of it, but he still could not tell which orb it was. All he knew is that it was in use, other wise he could not feel it. Hellstorm eventually found his way to the throne room where he felt the orb suddenly stop. (Guess I'll have to wait for it to start again.) Hellstorm turned and saw that he was being watched.
"So, you're the creature Ruby brought with her and let stay in her room." The man stood at least a foot taller then Hellstorm. His armor was different from the others, looking more like woven steel then a solid plate. He held a bow in one had and had a knife on his belt. The quiver on his back held only a portion of what it could really hold. "They say that you were trained by Hellstorm." The man said.
"I take it that you are this Sir Gallahad I was told about." Hellstorm asked.
"So, she does talk about me. I knew she liked me." The man smiled.
"She warned me to steer clear of you and on that note, I'll take my leave and return to her room." Hellstorm went to walk past him, but Gallahad held out his bow blocking his path.
"Don't go lying to me. Tell me, what did she really say about me. I know she's just trying to play hard to get." Gallahad asked.
"Just like I told you, she warned me to stay clear of you. She didn't say anything about liking you and from the way she warned me about, she doesn't like you."
"How dare you say that she does not like me?" Gallahad drew his knife.
"I see why she warned me about." Hellstorm kept his eyes on the knife.
"What you are you implying?" Gallahad demanded. "Are you saying that she would rather marry another? No one else is worthy of her love."
"Her life is her own. She may love anyone she wishes." Hellstorm countered.
"I'll cut out your tongue if you fail to back down." Gallahad prepared to strike.
"I'm going back to Ruby's room. Hopefully, this will be our only meeting." Hellstorm turned and walked toward the door.
"Oh no, your going to sleep with the rest of your kind. To the stables." Gallahad charged forward, his knife ready to strike. Hellstorm jumped back and prepared to counter strike. Gallahad thrust the knife at Hellstorm for a second time and Hellstorm deflected the blade with an open paw slamming the blade to the side just as Ruby walked in.
"Gallahad, stop right now." Ruby shouted. "I came down this way for a cup of tea to calm my nerves and I find you trying to kill my guest." A few other guards had walked in to see what was going on.
"He struck me first." Gallahad shouted. "How could you even consider letting such a thing into your quarters. You hardly knew it. How could you trust it?"
"His name is Varwaz." Ruby shouted. "And he would not attack without reason."
"If I may, Gallahad here attacked first. He was not happy with the fact that you let me share your room while I was here and tried to forcefully send me to the stables." Hellstorm told his side of the story.
"Come Varwaz, let's go." Ruby turned and Hellstorm followed her back to her room.
Gallahad cursed Hellstorm as he left with Ruby and began to plot ways to deal with him. No one was going to show him up like that and get away with it. "All you, return to your posts at once." Gallahad shouted to the guards around him.
The guards quickly ran off back to their post for fear that they would have to deal with Gallahad's rage.
"I told you to avoid him for fear that this might happen." Ruby told Hellstorm as they walked.
"He blocked my path as I tried to leave." Hellstorm explained.
Gallahad followed the two far enough behind them so that he wouldn't be heard or seen, but he could still hear them.
"Also, I think that the orb I'm looking is somewhere near the throne room. That's where I felt it the strongest before the feeling just faded away." Hellstorm continued. "What rooms are around the throne room?"
"The treasure vault is just below the throne room, perhaps the orb is down there just mistaken as some sort of gemstone." Ruby explained.
(Orb? What orb? What are they talking about?) Gallahad asked himself. (What has this thing done to you?)Chapter End Notes:I am sorry for the delay, just been a bit busy as of late, but then again, who hasn't
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Poketalk'
(Character Thoughts)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine
Beta reader: Catsithx
xXx
Chapter 5: The King and Queen
The Jetek Castle was one of the largest out of all six kingdoms. It was a quite uneventful five day ride to the castle in which everyone had a chance to take it easy. Ruby had chosen to take the large carriage due to the fact that Akara, Victor, and Justin were all accompanying Ruby and Hellstorm to castle. Three additional Rapidash were called in to assist Joey in pulling the carriage on the five day trip. The assassin from before was no where to be seen. Hellstorm was quite most of the trip, but he did answer some of the questions Ruby asked him and did ask a few of his own on occasion.
Finally, in the late afternoon of the fifth day of travel, the Jetek Castle came into view over the top of the light forest canopy. At first there was just a single small flagpole, the one that topped the Arcane Tower of the castle. The flag was a dark blue in color marked with a ring of six golden circles over a pair of large blades. By far the tallest tower of the castle, this undecorated stone tower stood up a few hundred feet into the air. From the top of this tower, a person could see most of the kingdom. The next tower to come into view was the keep itself. The keep was a large square stone structure. It housed the entire royal family and most of the servants. It also housed the Throne Room and many other important rooms of the castle. Several large banners were mounted on the sides of the keep, each one adorned with the symbol of the Jetek Kingdom. The last thing to come into view before the walls of the castle was the four large circular towers in each corner of the castle. These towers held the first defenses against invading forces, although such things were rarely used. Just like with the keep, four large banners also bearing the symbol of the Jetek Kingdom were hung from the sides of these towers.
Akara looked on in awe; this castle was even bigger then most demonic castles. She wore a dress that Ruby had let her use for the arrival. It was large, just slightly too big for her, but still, the light blue silken cloth easily brought out her human side. Ruby just welcomed the sight with a warm smile. She had even gotten a little dressed up for the occasion, which was rare for her. She wore a dress like those that female pirates would wear, enough to show her body's curves and figure, but also cover her properly all while giving the wearer full mobility should events take a turn for the worst. Although similar to a pirates dress, this dress was much fancier, being made of a fine dark blue silk with the emblem of her kingdom embedded into it along side a few diamonds that lined the collar. Justin sat like always with his eyes closed meditating, his wizardry robes were still and unmoving even with the slight shaking of the carriage whenever it would hit a bump. Hellstorm broke the silence complete removing his cloak and setting it to the side.
"Since we are so close to the castle, I have something I think I should explain. I think the best way to me to introduce the two of you to my parents is to claim that the man from the stories, Hellstorm the human, left you in my care, Hellstorm. As for Akara, she was Hellstorm's traveling companion, but chooses to stay and help me with the mansion. By claiming that both of you were trained by Hellstorm, both of you should be able to use some of you magic and demon arts without too much worry as long as you don't go overboard with them." Ruby explained her plan to hide the truth from her parents. "They should even welcome Akara if she has some proof of being associated with Hellstorm."
"That part is easy." Hellstorm said taking off his wristwatch and grabbing one of the curtains that were hung around the inside of the carriage. He wrapped the watch up in the red curtain and placed both hands on the curtain. The small bundle of cloth sparked as it took a new form. Instead of band that was to be placed on someone's wrist, the watch was now attached to a long red collar. "This watch or the gem people mistake it for is how I've proved my identity as Hellstorm before. I use it as proof that I'm me, but I've also used to it so show that I work for the legend everyone claims is human when it plays to my advantage not to be me much like it would be right now." Hellstorm picked up the collar and placed it around his neck. The collar fit nicely and gently around Hellstorm's neck giving him more then enough room to breathe, the watch placed in front for everyone to see. Form the angle at which the watch was positioned, it looked like it was nothing more then just a large sapphire. "Justin, may I borrow a few gems from that bag you brought with you. I'll trade a fair sum of gold for the gems I take."
Justin never opened his eyes, but he did toss the bag over to Hellstorm who took out four small sapphires. "How much for the gems?" Hellstorm asked as he removed a second curtain from the other side of the carriage.
"Those are free. I'm only giving them to you because Ruby has confirmed that you are in fact Hellstorm." Justin replied. "If you were not, I would not even consider giving them to you." His voice showed that he was slightly irritated.
"Justin, calm down. I know that you may not share my views on Pokemon, but that is no reason why you can show Hellstorm some respect." Ruby alerted Justin.
"While I'm here, I want you to call me Varwaz. It's the name my mother said she would have given me if I was not given the name Hellstorm." Hellstorm pulled a hand of silver coins out of his moneybag and placed them in the curtain with the four sapphires. Just like before, he placed both of his hands on the bundle and the bundle sparked before it changed. Instead of collar like the one had made for himself, Hellstorm had made a necklace for Akara. The large sapphire pendant would stand as her connection to Hellstorm while the chain was made of cloth with streaks of silver woven into it giving it an added strength. Hellstorm presented the amulet to Akara who was just as surprised as Ruby to see how finely crafted the amulet was. "It's not a perfect fusion, I still have trouble fusing metals into other objects, but it should last for the time we are here." Hellstorm told them.
The carriage passed through the town that surrounded the castle. Several people waved and warmly greeted the carriage, a few even made attempts to offer gifts, but Ruby did not care. She was just happy enough with being home again.
The carriage quickly came up to the reinforced wooden gates of the castle. There was no moat; instead, the castle had been built on a small hill that had been reshaped to fit for the castle. There were only four ways to pass the castle walls. The first was by air, the second by the tunnels, and the last two were the two sets of gates, the back gate on the south end of the castle and the main gate to the north. The lowered gate acted as a ramp for the carriage. Many people cleared out of the way for the carriage to pass. Hellstorm looked in surprise. Sure there was a large fancy town outside the castle walls, but it looked like the real heart of the city was hidden away inside the castle. There was a full blown market area, two or three separate stables, a small farm that grew the finer herbs and spices used by the chefs in the castle, and finally, there was the keep. Several other various wooden and a few stone structures filled the area as the carriage approached the castle. For that matter, the castle itself could have been a town at one point. As the carriage approached a large set of wooden doors, not even half as big as the main gate, but still just as strong, a call was sounded.
"Princess Ruby has arrived, open the gate." One of the guards that had been walking along the top of the walk shouted out to whoever was below. The gates quickly opened as the carriage drew closer granting it access to the keep. The gates closed behind them. The finely placed brick road led up to the keep before looping around into itself. There was a separate stable here for the royal mounts and Hellstorm could even see a few of the royal carriages, each one marked by the same emblem that signified the kingdom. Several guards were posted by the keep doors as two figures appeared. The first was tall man; his shiny plate armor gleamed in the bright sunlight. He had dark blue eyes and a slight beard. He walked proudly, a smile across his face. The sword by his side and crown on his head proved that this man was the king. Beside him, wearing a large silken dress was the queen. Her headpiece although not as fancy as the king's was still quite lovely. Her ruby eyes matched her red hair that came down past her shoulders. The king and queen were both happy to once again see their daughter. The carriage stopped just as it began to follow the loop back into the road. A single guard ran forward, but unlike the others, he wore leather armor rather then plate with a pair of knifes on his belt rather then a sword or spear.
This guard opened the door and stepped aside. Ruby was the first one out, the young man offered his hand to assist and Ruby took it kindly. Akara was next out and just like before, the young man extended his hand. Next was Hellstorm, he jumped out and took his place next to Ruby. He carried his Etherian Cloak in his hand. Lastly, Justin came out. "I'll be taking my leave. The guards should be able to handle your safety now." Justin just walked off for the keep while Victor led the carriage to where the others were stored.
"My daughter Ruby, it has been a long time. I see you have new friends bearing sapphires, a rare jewel in our land. Please introduce us." The king came forward, his queen walking with him. The kingdom was Jetek was never known to have any sapphire mines, which is why the king was so quick to notice the blue gemstones around Hellstorm and Akara's necks.
"Father, I missed you." Ruby came up and hugged her father who stood about four inches taller then she did. "I bring good news. I've finally met the one called Hellstorm." Ruby began her story.
"You have, have you?" The queen asked stepping forward. Ruby hugged her mother standing about the same height as she stood.
"Hellstorm himself has trained Varwaz here, one of his prized Pokemon. And this is Akara." Ruby introduced Hellstorm as Varwaz just like he asked as well as introducing Akara. "Akara was Hellstorm's traveling partner, but decided that she wished to take her own path in life much like I have. As for Varwaz, he wishes to compete in the coming tournament. Hellstorm saw no reason to deny him the right to lead his own path in life." Ruby explained.
"Very well, it is almost time for supper. You can tell us more about Hellstorm then. For now, come. Let us introduce you to a few new faces around the castle starting with Leroy." The king turned and pointed to the guard from before who bowed upon being introduced. The king then led the way to the keep. Ruby walked with her mother one side talking about current and coming events while Hellstorm took note of things as he walked on her other side. He could once again feel the power of an orb but could not track it or tell which orb he had found. He had his work cut out for him.
xXx
Later that day at the grand dinning chamber...
Now that it was just the family and a few select others, everyone had dressed more casually. They sat at a large rectangular table. Several large plates were placed along the table with varying dishes. Some had pork, others had fish, and a few full of nothing but berries for the Pokemon who had been allowed to come to meal. In total there were three humans, Ruby, King Mark, and Queen Kristen, one demon posing as a human, Akara, and four Pokemon including Hellstorm. The other three all Vulpix.
"So, tell us about this Hellstorm. Is he really what the legends say he is?" Mark asked.
"Form what I saw; he was that and so much more. I offered him a magical orb I found to investigate the attacks around my manor after I hired a wizard to look into them." Ruby began.
"Really?" Kristen asked taking a small serving or pork.
"Yes, a demon had attacked the villages. Hellstorm took out that demon in just one night. Akara was his witness." Ruby continued. "Since then, the attacks have stopped."
"I was wondering about that. It does explain why the village guards could not stop the attacker." Mark said passing the pork to Hellstorm. "Here you Varwaz. For a Pokemon, you sure do seem to have some manners. No doubt Hellstorm taught you such things."
"That is correct." Hellstorm replied as he help his plate out for the pork he was offered.
"Anyway, I'd like to ask about the tournament that is coming up. As I said earlier, Varwaz would like to enter." Ruby changed the topic.
"A toast... to my early successful return." A loud voice rang out from the main door. A man in his thirties stood by the door, a wineglass in his hand that was just barely filled. He wore fine blue shirt, long blue pants, and had a short sword on his belt. "I come bearing good news." The man shouted causing everyone to turn his way.
"Grant, you supposed to be in the Eastern Kingdom of Falstar." Mark turned with an unhappy look on his face.
"The negotiations are over, the war between Falstar and Mistvale are no longer at war and Mistvale has thanked us by offering us a large supply of herbs grown from their swamps, free of charge." The man walked forward grabbing a bottle wine and pouring everyone a cup of the red liquid.
"Grant, it has been a long time." Ruby nodded her toward the man.
"Eight years by my count. I'm glad to see that you're still doing well. Word has it that you met this one called Hellstorm." Grant poured Ruby the same small amount as everyone else.
"That I have. I even have two guests with me that used to travel with him." Ruby explained pointing toward Akara and Hellstorm.
"My name is Akara." Akara held her empty glass forward as Grant poured her some of the wine he seemed quite happy to share.
"And I am Varwaz. Hellstorm has trained me himself." Hellstorm nodded his head, but did not accept the wine that he was offered.
"A Lucario, rare in these parts. Still, no matter. Father, I have a second piece of wonderful news as well." Grant walked over to his father. "I have found the woman I wish to marry, Princess Angela of the Mistvale Kingdom, the daughter to King Turock. She'll be arriving here in a few weeks to meet the two of you." Grant held his glass high. "Let us toast to peace and my bride to be."
"It's about time you went about finding a wife." Kristen held her glass as well.
"I was beginning to think that you were never going to get married and our kingdom was to go without with a queen when I died." Mark mirrored his son's actions. Ruby did the same.
Grant led the talk for the rest of the night. Talk about Hellstorm seemed to have passed now that Grant was home.
(Perhaps the tales of Hellstorm are not so well known to the royal family. This could play to my benefit.) Hellstorm thought as he slowly ate the meal before.
--
Night came forth quickly over the castle. Ruby gave Hellstorm a personal tour of the castle. They passed though most of the castle before finally ending with the room where Hellstorm was to sleep which surprised Hellstorm. He was allowed to stay in Ruby's room for the night at her request. "Your bed is over here." Ruby's room was just as nice, but much bigger then the one at her mansion. Except for some added furniture which included a second small bed for private guests of Ruby's, a few more chairs, and a second desk, the room matched the one she had back at the manor perfectly down to the number painting hung about the room. The second bed was quite large, easily able to three or four people, but had no canopy like her own. "If you need anything, just ask. There is a bathing area over there." Ruby pointed to a door on the same side of the room, which to no surprise matched the one back at her manor. "The bathing area may not look like the one I had built, but it's just as nice and unlike the one at my manor, it is not shared by any other rooms in the castle." Ruby explained. She walked over to the dresser and began to pull off her pirate like dress.
"I'm feeling the presence of that orb again, but it feels like it's below us. How many levels of this castle are below ground?" Hellstorm asked placing a hand on the stone wall.
"To my knowledge, there are three levels above the ground and two below if you don't count the Well of Vision in the Arcane Tower. The well is located several dozen feet below the tower and is used by the mages here to help imbue their staves and other magical items with other magical powers." Ruby told Hellstorm about the well. "No one knows where the water comes from for the well, but the mages say that the well refills itself once every few months."
"It's possible that one of the Elemental Orbs may play a part in this. I'll have a look around tonight. I spent all night last night and part of this morning sleeping, so I'll be up for another day at least." Hellstorm explained.
"Be careful, just because you my guest does not mean that the guards will just let you through. Most of them view Pokemon as beasts, not as equals and I have no doubt that Sir Gallahad will not be pleased with fact that I have requested that you stay in my room." Ruby warned Hellstorm.
"One man will not be a problem to me." Hellstorm said as he took his cloak back out and began to put it on.
"Do not give him a reason to attack you. He will not waste it. He has had his eye on me from the day he first set foot in the castle and he will most likely not take kindly to you now that I have invited you to share my company." Ruby explained with slight hints of disgust. "He doesn't even see Pokemon as living creatures, only as tools to do what work humans command them to do. Hellstorm finished putting on his cloak the cloak began to weave itself into a lighter cloak, something used to keep one warm rather then to hide their face. "Please just avoid him if possible. He'll wear a sort of woven metal armor and carries a bow."
"I'll be back by morning and I'll do my best not to be seen." Hellstorm jumped up to the nearby window. Standing the window, he looked out at the courtyard. The guards each carried torches to light their way, which played to Hellstorm's advantage. Hellstorm jumped down and ran down the wall careful to make a little noise as possible.
Ruby watched but couldn't shake the feeling the something was going to happen. She tied her robe together as she headed over to her bed.
Hellstorm made his way to Arcane Tower. He wanted to see this tower for himself. The closer he got to the Arcane Tower however, the less he felt he magic orb. He moved quickly across the grass making almost no noise at all. The few noises he made were often mistaken for their own footsteps stepping on a twig. He was halfway to the Arcane to tower when he had to duck into a set of bushes, his cloak changed color and texture to match the leaves around his as a small Vulpix peered into the bushed. Unable to find anything, the small fire fox pulled his head out of the bushes. If not for the cloak, Hellstorm would have been discovered; his face was no more then a few inches away from the Vulpix's face.
Hellstorm waited for a few seconds before carefully making his way out of the bushes. He quickly made a dash for the last barrier between him and the tower that was his target. He jumped up and flipped himself over the short stone wall with his hands. Unlike the courtyard, there were no guards around the Arcane Tower; instead, several large orbs light up most of the area. Each orb appeared too made of magic and its only purpose was to light the area. Looking up toward the tower, Hellstorm saw a few mages walking around the top of the tower. Hellstorm thought his options over quickly and realized that while he could make it, there was still a fair chance of failure. There was too much light and not enough places to stop and hide. He would have to wait for another chance to look at the tower to safely get inside. Hellstorm jumped back over the wall and headed for one of the many doors that lead inside.
He made it inside without being seen and now that he was inside, he wouldn't have to hide as much, his sapphire pendant would serve as a pass to most of the castle right now, but he still opted for stealth while exploring in case something were to happen. His cloak wove itself into something a bit lighter, much like a standard traveler's cloak, it covered his shoulders and arms, but left a bit of space between the bottom to the cloak and the ground. If asked about it, he could truthfully say that it was just to keep him warm.
Hellstorm walked the stone halls, the lonely light coming from the lit torches. Only every other torch was lit, but it was still more then enough light to light up the halls to see and clearly make out objects, if only just to see them. There weren't too many decorations in the halls were Hellstorm was at right now, but this wasn't one of the main hallways. The low light levels suggested that many of the castle servants were already sleeping. Hellstorm continued to walk down the halls avoiding the occasional guard. Finally, Hellstorm made it to the main hall. Here he was caught by one of the guard.
"Who goes there at this hour?" The guard asked. He held his short sword at the ready, his plate armor slightly reflecting the light of the torches around him.
"I am Varwaz, a guest of Ruby. Here is my proof." Hellstorm moved his collar around so that the guard could see his sapphire that hung off of it.
"Very well, but it's very late. What are you doing up at this hour?" the guard asked.
"I couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk to clear my mind. I am a bit worried about the up coming tournament that I have entered." Hellstorm thought quickly making up a believable lie that would hopefully get the guard to leave him alone.
"Very well, just don't cause any trouble." The guard put away his blade and returned to post by the door. Hellstorm walked off again in search of the orb because he was once again feeling the presence of it, but he still could not tell which orb it was. All he knew is that it was in use, other wise he could not feel it. Hellstorm eventually found his way to the throne room where he felt the orb suddenly stop. (Guess I'll have to wait for it to start again.) Hellstorm turned and saw that he was being watched.
"So, you're the creature Ruby brought with her and let stay in her room." The man stood at least a foot taller then Hellstorm. His armor was different from the others, looking more like woven steel then a solid plate. He held a bow in one had and had a knife on his belt. The quiver on his back held only a portion of what it could really hold. "They say that you were trained by Hellstorm." The man said.
"I take it that you are this Sir Gallahad I was told about." Hellstorm asked.
"So, she does talk about me. I knew she liked me." The man smiled.
"She warned me to steer clear of you and on that note, I'll take my leave and return to her room." Hellstorm went to walk past him, but Gallahad held out his bow blocking his path.
"Don't go lying to me. Tell me, what did she really say about me. I know she's just trying to play hard to get." Gallahad asked.
"Just like I told you, she warned me to stay clear of you. She didn't say anything about liking you and from the way she warned me about, she doesn't like you."
"How dare you say that she does not like me?" Gallahad drew his knife.
"I see why she warned me about." Hellstorm kept his eyes on the knife.
"What you are you implying?" Gallahad demanded. "Are you saying that she would rather marry another? No one else is worthy of her love."
"Her life is her own. She may love anyone she wishes." Hellstorm countered.
"I'll cut out your tongue if you fail to back down." Gallahad prepared to strike.
"I'm going back to Ruby's room. Hopefully, this will be our only meeting." Hellstorm turned and walked toward the door.
"Oh no, your going to sleep with the rest of your kind. To the stables." Gallahad charged forward, his knife ready to strike. Hellstorm jumped back and prepared to counter strike. Gallahad thrust the knife at Hellstorm for a second time and Hellstorm deflected the blade with an open paw slamming the blade to the side just as Ruby walked in.
"Gallahad, stop right now." Ruby shouted. "I came down this way for a cup of tea to calm my nerves and I find you trying to kill my guest." A few other guards had walked in to see what was going on.
"He struck me first." Gallahad shouted. "How could you even consider letting such a thing into your quarters. You hardly knew it. How could you trust it?"
"His name is Varwaz." Ruby shouted. "And he would not attack without reason."
"If I may, Gallahad here attacked first. He was not happy with the fact that you let me share your room while I was here and tried to forcefully send me to the stables." Hellstorm told his side of the story.
"Come Varwaz, let's go." Ruby turned and Hellstorm followed her back to her room.
Gallahad cursed Hellstorm as he left with Ruby and began to plot ways to deal with him. No one was going to show him up like that and get away with it. "All you, return to your posts at once." Gallahad shouted to the guards around him.
The guards quickly ran off back to their post for fear that they would have to deal with Gallahad's rage.
"I told you to avoid him for fear that this might happen." Ruby told Hellstorm as they walked.
"He blocked my path as I tried to leave." Hellstorm explained.
Gallahad followed the two far enough behind them so that he wouldn't be heard or seen, but he could still hear them.
"Also, I think that the orb I'm looking is somewhere near the throne room. That's where I felt it the strongest before the feeling just faded away." Hellstorm continued. "What rooms are around the throne room?"
"The treasure vault is just below the throne room, perhaps the orb is down there just mistaken as some sort of gemstone." Ruby explained.
(Orb? What orb? What are they talking about?) Gallahad asked himself. (What has this thing done to you?)Chapter End Notes:I am sorry for the delay, just been a bit busy as of late, but then again, who hasn't