she gained most of her knowledge from this guardian. Why does a guardian choose to interfere when they have vowed to never get involved with the races? More importantly, why me?
He lingered a few moments on these thoughts and then opened his eyes. He saw Kira looking right back at him with a sensuous grin. Her eyes did not hide her intent, and she moved closer to him. She knew that he understood now and would not turn back. Their future together was only beginning; they would become so powerful that none would dare question their union.
As General Yukio and Princess Kira emerged from the northern end of the Black Forest, Mount Quang came into view. It was a beautiful mountain covered with trees frosted by fresh snow. There were many places that appeared to be habitable. They looked at one another with loving eyes as they took in the beauty of the moment. They had traveled together over the past few days to reach the base of Quang. The sun was beginning to disappear on another day, and the sky was beginning to turn a reddish purple color. It was a truly beautiful scene. In the morning, they would climb the mountain to the predetermined location for their meeting with the powerful Elemental, Kana. It would be a day that they would never forget.
They used the last few moments of the waning light to set up camp within the protection of the northern trees. Kira moved her hands in waving motions as she worked her magic. Every night she threw out a magical web to protect them from attack and to warn them of any danger that was drawing near. This night was clear, and the stars were bright in the sky above. They lay together for a long while staring up at the beautiful heavens while holding one another in a tight embrace. The air from the mountain was clean and fresh after a recent snowstorm.
They woke early the following morning with a burning desire to reach their destination as soon as possible. They were anxious to begin their new life together and to work on their plans for saving the elven race. As they sat side by side taking in the tranquil scene, they were abruptly interrupted by a sleek black raven approach ing them through the air. At first they did not know if the bird was flying at them, but as it dived down toward the earth, it was clear it was heading right for them. The fell beast came up short and landed right in front of them without being harmed by Kira's magical web. It looked directly at Yukio with great expectancy in its beady black eyes.
The general instinctively knew that the raven was attempting to communicate with him. He had never attempted to communicate telepathically with a raven before, so he did not know what to expect. As he reached out with his magic to touch the bird's mind, he could sense the urgency of the message it was carrying. Once he had established a connection with the bird, he saw flashing images coming at him in rapid succession.
The general winced as the images flew at him. He simply could not process that much information at the rate it was coming at him. He used his magic to slow down the images. Once they started coming at a more reasonable pace, he understood perfectly who the bird was and what it was trying to tell him. This was a messenger from Mistress Kana. He had been sent to give them precise directions to the meeting place and to bid them welcome.
'This is a messenger from our guardian friend,' the general explained. 'He bids us welcome from his master and asks that we follow him to the predetermined meeting place.' Yukio did not go into detail about the numerous images that he saw because it was still unclear to him what they all meant. He had no idea why he saw scenes of horrific battles and of personal betrayals. He could not comprehend their meaning at the moment, but he would discover their meaning. He was extremely adept at solving puzzles like these and would not rest until he understood everything.
As the morning gave way to midday, the sun burned brightly in the clear sky above them. The temperature was beginning to climb already to a very uncomfortable high. They had been following the raven for a couple of hours now, and they were still no closer to the secret meeting place. Yukio had used the time to describe the meeting place in greater detail to Kira. There was a massive waterfall that fell over a hundred feet into a deep pool of green water. This place was enclosed in a veranda of beautiful trees and vegetation. That was where they were heading. The mistress would surely be waiting for them there. However, Yukio did not tell the princess that he saw the guardian in the images he was shown by the raven. The Elemental did not have a solid form, or so it seemed. Kana looked like red and grayish-white mist swirling together by the bank of the eerie pool.
The general's thoughts were interrupted when the trees began to thin out and revealed the scene Yukio had just finished describing. They looked up at the impressive waterfall and instinctively knew that everything was going to be different. They followed the falling water to where it smashed into the clear green pool of water. Somehow they had not heard the stream that they had been following. They were even more bewildered at how they missed the raucous sound of the falling water. They had been caught up in their own thoughts that they missed all of the signs of the end of their journey.
Princess Kira's eyes sparkled as she looked for the Elemental. She knew that no one had seen one for hundreds of years. They used to travel the lands ofTuwa without any trepidation, but something had happened centuries ago to drive them into seclusion. As Yukio looked at the place where he had seen the misty form of Kana, they both started at the appearance of a beautiful creature. She had long, fiery-red hair with eyes that pierced the soul. Being in her presence was both terrible and awe inspiring. The powerful Elemental before them gestured to them to come out from under the cover of the trees. Yukio did not like giving up his cover; it made him feel vulnerable.
As they approached, a powerful wind came up from behind them and lifted them into the air. They hung suspended right in front of Kana. They had a brief moment of terror rush through them, and then all at once they were at peace. The guardian smiled pleasantly at her guests as though this unwanted suspension should have been expected. Once they felt comfortable again, they both carefully put up mental barriers. It was never wise to lower them for too long, regardless of whose company you were in. Yukio worried that he may have kept them down for a moment too long, so he employed his strongest barrier in the form of a mind mirror. This is basic in what it does; however, it requires vast amounts of energy and skill to employ. Basically he shields his mind by mirroring the mind of the intruder so that they see their own thoughts. He quickly searched for an alien presence in his mind and found none there. He breathed a sigh of relief. She must trust us. Yukio felt a pang of uneasiness at this thought.
'You are here at my request,' Kana stated without wasting another moment. 'I have seen your destinies, and they are intertwined with one another and with the elves.' Her voice was smooth and yet intense at the same time. It mesmerized the pair to the point of total submission. A glazed look came over their eyes, and their minds were blissfully at ease and defenseless once more. She told them many things and spoke, at times, in a language not familiar to them. They reached a point where they were aware again after what seemed to be hours of listening to the guardian. The Elemental had released her control over their minds so that they would remember this part of their meeting on a conscience level.
'It is clear that you two are to be united as elf and man. Your union will be the catalyst for saving the elves from annihilation. Also, new friendships will be formed between races that were once enemies,' the mistress stated confidently. She seemed to be glowing now as they looked at her. They simply could not take their eyes off her. They began to panic again at their lack of control. She spoke some more words they did not understand and cringed at the power they had when she uttered them. As she was speaking, clouds formed overhead and rain began to fall. This apparently symbolized the washing away of their previous lives and the beginning of their new ones as her servants.
After a few minutes of rain the clouds dispersed and the heat of the day hit them with full force once more. The cold they had felt immediately vanished. They felt oddly cleansed and renewed after being chilled. They did not know that this Elemental had broken the laws of the guardians by intervening in lesser beings' lives and by commanding an element that she did not have stewardship over. She had used her command of the winds to bring the storm clouds to their location to do her bidding even though she should not command water in any form. As soon as her servants were cleansed, she commanded the wind to remove the clouds to their previous position. Then she commanded the heat of the sun to dry and solidify the change she had wrought in these two unlikely partners.
'You two are now bound together forever. No one can break the bond that has been created here today,' she said with a commanding voice. 'Your mission is to bring the elves that see the truth of their plight to this place to begin building their new home. They will be blessed by the guardians for following their chosen servants.'
'We will do as you have asked,' replied Yukio and Kira in unison.
'Good. Now is the time to do the work of the guardians and to prove your loyalty to our cause,' Kana said with a smile. At this point, it was unclear what she meant by this statement. The couple smiled back at their new master while peace filled their souls. They felt as though they were floating in the clouds above the cares and woes
