Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson & Clover Chronicles ❯ Journey 2: Clover ( Chapter 2 )

XxXxXxXx

Crimson and Clover Chronicles

By: Melissa Norvell

Journey 2: Clover

XxXxXxXx

"Hello, young child," Cella greeted the princess and her bird friend.

"Oh...hello...You must be...Cella," Teruna was a little shaken by the scary appearance of the mythical being before her, not to mention the fact that she had ran smack into her and still felt the aftermath of running into a living slab of solid muscle.

"What are you doing in this part of the forest, young one?" Cella asked as the wavy-haired girl arose. She explained to her that she had come for the sword that they called Clover and that they had traveled a long way in order to perform her task at hand.

"You've managed to evade all of the traps. Interesting..." The large, horse-headed goat held a fair amount of amusement to her voice. Teruna seemed to be no ordinary human to get past all of the traps so skillfully without even so much as a scratch on her body.

"I don't know how I did that," the princess was far from anyone who was so advanced in survival skills. She had never even really been out of the palace that much, not without the company of others.

"You've been lucky so far but your luck won't last long," the Centire charged at the princess, who let out a scream as she barely managed to move out of the way of what would have been a forceful head butt to her chest. A blow like that could have nearly killed her if she wasn't careful. Cella turned around and charged at her from the other direction.

"Princess!" Sulphur shouted as a dense fog fell on the forest floor, covering up the girl and her enemy.

Teruna glanced around at the fog that slowly consumed the forest floor. Everywhere she looked, she could see nothing but a dense blanket of white. She could hear the voice of her bird friend and hoped that he could find her. "Sulphur? I can't see you!" The wavy-haired girl shouted as she continued to look through the fog and take a few steps forward. 'Why hasn't the fog lifted, like in Ito's realm?'

Suddenly the sky was adorned with raining spears. The girl screamed as she desperately tried to dodge them all, barely making it out of the way of danger as she ran and jumped from side to side as spears stabbed into the ground around her, some nearly missing her feet, head and chest. 'This fog is so thick...It's hard to see where the spears are coming from.' The girl tried to peer through the cloud of fog and her green eyes widened at the sight before her.

There was a spear headed straight for her! Her eyes widened in horror as she gasped and jumped out of the way just as the spear head stuck into the ground. Teruna decided to take off running. The sword had to be around there somewhere, and staying in one place wasn't going to get it in her hands any faster. "I've got to find the sword," the princess looked determined as she ran through the barrage of spears.

As she advanced, the girl came across part of the ground that had been softer than the rest. It caved in beneath her feet and she let out a yell of surprise as she desperately tried to grab at the air and soon found the side of what seemed like hard ground to grasp. The girl slowly pulled herself up and out of the hole that she nearly fell into. She stood, only to find herself staring head on into a charging Cella.

"Prepare yourself!" Cella shouted, headed towards her at full gallop.

Fear lit up in the royal's eyes as her mind raced frantically to find an answer to something- anything that could possibly save her at a time like this. She couldn't go around or through her, so there seemed to be only one choice left.

"Well, here goes nothing," Teruna took a flying leap over the Centire, who turned around and uttered the word 'fissure' as she stomped one foot and caused a large crack to split the ground.

Teruna fell to one side of the crack on her stomach. Getting up slowly, the girl winced in pain as she then glanced at the crack.

"That was close," she sighed in relief but it was short-lived before she had realized that Cella was on top of her. She frantically scrambled away as Cella's two front hooves smashed into the ground where she had been. On top of all of that, arrows were fired from trees in the woods and the princess barely managed to dodge them before she could have been hurt critically.

She stopped to take a breath beside one of the tree trunks, only to find that an arrow soon pierced the bark behind her, coming dangerously close to her face. Teruna gasped in shock.

Cella reared up. "Lightning Strike!" She called out as her hooves hit the ground and a large bolt of lightning hit the tree that Teruna stood under, knocking the girl forward and causing her to land harshly on the ground. She slowly arose and took off into the fog.

"Princess?" Sulphur called out once more as he flew around in the fog. Even though his eyes were far more advanced then hers, he couldn't make heads or tails of the dense fog around him.

"I can't find her. This fog is so thick that I can't see anything," the bird flew into something hard and fell down with an 'ouch' in response. He rubbed his head in pain. "What was that?" He climbed on a large stone that was carved in the shape of a four-leafed clover. The famous Clover sword was embedded into the stone.

"There it is!" Sulphur called out in celebration. He had run into the sword completely by accident.

"I can't do this much longer," Teruna replied in a breathy voice as she continued to dodge the arrows that rained around her. She had to find a way to that sword. It was either find the Clover or defeat Cella and at this point in time, neither of those goals looked as if they'd be accomplished.

"Only one truly capable of possessing Clover is one who is pure of heart and strong of mind," Cella told her as the girl continued to run from both her and the arrows that rained down around them in the dense fog.

Sulphur decided to stay by the sword and if his princess was near them he would simply call her over to the sword. Suddenly, something large and white appeared in front of the sword. It was as large as a horse but possessed the tail of a goat.

"It's Cella!" The bird yelled in shock.

"To obtain Clover, you must get through me without the sword," Cella informed. Using the sword against her was forbidden, otherwise it would be easy to acquire the sword without her knowledge and there would be no point to the test. "You cannot use it against me."

"But...I don't have any weapons," the princess panted, nearly out of breath.

"You come into the forest knowing that you have to face many perils and you come unarmed?" Cella asked. That was indeed a foolish mistake made by that princess. Surely there was no way for her to win without a weapon of some kind or any type of magic. If all she had was her fists and kicks behind her then she was definitely going to lose.

"Well, I have no weapon because I didn't think about getting one but I really need a weapon and this is something I have to do. My father is King of this country and I fear that he's been captured and none of my knights can find him. Please help me...I have to have this sword," Teruna was trying her best and she'd rather die than give up now.

"What about Crimson? Why not get that sword?" There were other options.

Sulphur watched as he held on to the blade of Clover protectively.

"Ito-san is strong. I can't beat her and besides, Crimson isn't there. We already passed by Ito-san's realm. She told us that a man named Hiroshima has it," Teruna replied.

"Hiroshima of the Crimson Blade," Cella knew the name all too well. The very thought of a man such as him possessing the Crimson Sword made chills course through her spine. Of all of the people in the kingdom to possess this sword, he was the one she would have chosen dead last. Why Ito gave him that sword was beyond her completely.

"Who exactly is he? Everyone seems to know him."

"He's infamous for his assassinations. He's wanted in many countries. I'm surprised that you don't know him," the Centire found it very strange that the princess wasn't even aware of a threat as large as he was. Any responsible ruler would have done more then taken steps to have him removed if they even knew about him.

Teruna looked down. "I feel like a bad ruler..."

"Princess Teruna doesn't have time to deal with problems like these. This is usually something that her knights carry out," Sulphur protected the shamed girl. "I can't believe that the forest guardians would let the sword fall into those hands!" This was an outrage! How could they simply let the sword get into the hands of a man who could easily kill his beloved princess?

"That's Ito's business, not mine. If you don't think he should have it, then go and track him down. The sword was given to him for a reason." Cella replied. That was a situation that she had no part of being in, nor would she put herself in a place that caused her to judge Ito's actions of such a decision.

"No, I have to get Clover," Teruna's voice was full of determination, despite her beaten up state. "I can such a long way to get it and now that I'm finally standing here, right in front of it I can't just give up."

"Alright, let us commence," the Centire swiftly turned around, giving the princess little reaction time as she kicked her across the forest floor with both rear feet. The brown-haired girl tumbled across the harsh, dirt-ridden ground as her faithful friend called out her name from where the Clover remained. There was no way he was going to let Cella get her hooves on the sword and use it against Teruna. After all, Cella had never said that she wasn't going to use the blade.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you," Cella's long, horse-like neck curved around her chest as she looked at the fallen female, who arose slowly, coughing a little.

"I won't give up," the look on the princesses' face was only filled with more willpower. "You're not going to bring me down. I will get that sword."

"I admire your determination, child. Since I feel sympathetic, I'll simply give you a task to perform. You can come and get the sword, if you can get through my traps. So let's make it simple," Cella instructed with a stamp of her foot. Just then, a large magic circle appeared around the Clover sword. Sulphur glanced at the light around him with a bewildered expression as the Centire continued to talk. "If you can touch it, through all of my spells, then we'll see what the sword thinks of your skills and if it wishes you to wield it."

Teruna agreed, besides it seemed a lot easier than fighting Cella head on and it may very well be the only way that she could manage to even obtain the Clover. At this moment in time, things were pretty bleak for the princess and her failing quest.

"You have a noble cause. You must love your father." Even if they were presently enemies, the Centire was shocked that this girl was willing to go against any odd, right down to her very death to save her family. Most people would not trade in their life for another's, especially without a guarantee that they were going to be done justice and here was Teruna, who didn't care as long as her cause wasn't lost.

To Cella, that in itself was noble.

"He's been missing for a long time. I miss him and I'm going to find him. It's the only way I can get peace of mind," the stubborn princess replied.

"What if he's dead? Then your search will be in vain."

"As long as I find something that tells me where he is or what's happened to him, then I won't have to worry anymore. Here I go!" Teruna bravely charged for the sword as arrows rained down on her. The pink-clad girl moved closer, dodging the weapons as they threatened her life at every turn. With each one, she prayed that she would get away, unscathed and she had managed to do that by only a fragment of a second on some of them. Places in the ground began to collapse and the girl had to then jump from spot to spot, as well as dodge the arrows came closer still to her body. A few managed to scrape the skin and caused her to acquire small cuts that bled. Teruna would not give up, her father rode on this. 'I have to do my best.' The woman thought as vivid images from the past reeled through her mind.

'I don't want you to go to war, daddy,' a young girl with long, wavy light brown hair pleaded as she clasped her hands together.

A regal man with black hair and a long beard and mustache patted the little one on the top of the head gently. 'Don't worry, Teruna. I'll come back,' the man smiled kindly at his daughter to try and chide her worries.

'But, I'm scared.'

'Is there a time when I've not come back?' He bent down to her level and leveled her with a kind gaze.

'No,' Teruna looked down. She knew that her father was going to leave as he always had but something just felt different this time and she couldn't ignore it. The little princess had bad feelings about this one.

'I've been a little late but I've always came home. So don't worry and when I come back, we'll have a big celebration!' The man rejoiced.

It was a promise that Teruna would never forget.

The images faded as the woman thought of the promise that never came to be. 'Back then, you always came back...and you did such great things for our country...You almost sacrificed your life for them and for me...So this time, I'm going to do it for you. I want to be a good ruler. I want to follow in your footsteps. I want to be strong. As long as I can remember, I've always stood in the background and watched life pass me by. I refuse to do that any longer! I'm going to prove my worth,' Teruna's body slammed into the powerful magic shield that surrounded the Clover sword. It sent a shock through her but the princess ignored the pain. The only thing she wanted now was to acquire that sword so she could bring her father back. 'No matter what the cost!'

Teruna made a pained noise but still continued to reach forward for the sword. Her shaky hand inched closer to the mystic blade as Sulphur watched helplessly from his position.

"Teruna-hime..." The black bird said in awe at the girl's determination. (1)

"Ugh..." The princess groaned as she continued to reach further out, nearly touching the blade.

'Amazing! No normal human can stand up to my force field seal...How is she able to remain conscious? The amount of voltage would render something as large as I am unconscious.' Cella thought to herself as she too, stared in amazement at the struggling princess.

Teruna's vision began to blur and her head spun from the currents and her own pain. 'I feel faint...No, I can't pass out yet.' The girl's thoughts argued with her actions as she struggled to stay awake.

"She's going to kill herself getting to that sword," Cella continued to watch her struggle.

'My vision is getting blurry...I can't hold out much longer...' The half-lidded princess though as she felt her body begin to give out.

"Hold on, Teruna-hime!" Sulphur cheered his princess on.

"I...can't..." The pained girl's voice replied weakly as her father's words reeled through her head, reminding her of the reason she was going through such extreme conditions.

'You're the future of our kingdom.'

"Got to stay awake!" Teruna tried to shake off the pain and the tire from her body.

'I'm gonna be the best ruler ever! Then daddy will be proud of me!' The promise of an innocent child shot through her senses.

She was going to keep that promise to herself, no matter what. Teruna then shot forward with force as her finger tips touched the sword. Then, a lime colored light glowed so brightly that nothing else could be seen except Cella, the princess, her follower and the sword itself.

Soon, small clovers drifted from the sky like rain in slow motion as Cella looked on in shock. The Centire didn't think that the girl could have done it but much to her surprise, she found out differently.

"Her will power was strong enough to overcome my magic. She is truly worthy of wielding the Clover."

"I...did...it...Uh..." Those were the princesses' last words as she tumbled to the ground, her arm still outreached for the sword. The wavy-haired woman laid amongst the clover that had gathered on the ground as falling clovers adorned her body.

"You did it, Princess," Sulphur smiled. He was truly proud of Teruna. The fog soon lifted and Cella told him that the sword had chosen its new master.

Just then, the Clover up heaved itself from the stone it was set in and hovered in mid-air. This movement scared the black bird, which darted away from the blade as it broke loose from its foundation. It floated to Teruna and landed in her arms, resting peacefully with its new master.

"Her will is strong and the sword sees that. It has chosen her to wield it," Cella told Sulphur as clovers landed in her long mane.

"Is raining clover," Gastov's Russian accent could be heard as he held out his hands and looked up at the clover-filled skies above them.

"Think our arrow trap worked?" Shizure asked, perched in a tree high above Gastov and Zazzie, who hid a few feet away from the battle site.

"It never fails! I bet sis for sure fell for it!" A girl with light blue hair in low-set, whip, like pig-tails that nearly reached the ground told the two members the of the princesses' royal court. After all, she couldn't make things easy on their princess. They wanted her to feel a sense of accomplishment and warn her that things will get harder as she adventured on.

"Well, we'd better go and see if our princess passed the test," Shizure told the two of them as she jumped down from the tree.

"Let's go!" Zazzie lifted her fist into the air and cheered happily as they all headed off towards the clearing where the Clover had been located.

XxXxXx

Cella, Sulphur and Teruna were all gathered where the princess slept. Sulphur sat beside of her and Cella stood at her feet and looked down at the girl, her long, neck was stretched down to the girl.

"I didn't think she'd pull through. She must be adamant about saving her father," Sulphur told Cella honestly. He was flabbergasted that the princess could handle something as intense as that. He had seriously underestimated her. Teruna was truly a strong ruler after all and she came through at a moment that he thought she would nearly die.

"Someone with such determination could not be denied of such a weapon," Cella turned her head towards the bushes upon hearing the leaves rustling. Someone was coming through the brush but the only question was who. "Looks like we have some uninvited guests..."

To Be Continued...