The king of Earth eyed the delicate young man before him with a frown. He looked more like some artistic model then a general designed to defend the Earth from attack. He was having serious doubts about this. Hell, even Tyers had looked more dangerous then this sprig of a man and she had been a woman! But Rowan had insisted that the medallions never chose wrong, so here he was waiting for the demonstration that the elder general had promised. Zoisite had refused to wear the general uniform and had settled for a pair of flexible, if not slightly loose, clothing. He stood very still allowing the king to view him at his leisure. He hated this, he felt like some kind of exotic animal on display for the king's amusement but Rowan had insisted. He suspected that something more was going on then a simple meet with the king and his senses were extended to maximum.
The sound of a footfall where before there had been no one caused him to step back and turn narrowly avoiding a well placed streak of violet light. Malachite cursed as Zoisite himself let loose a blast of wind and the smaller man felt a wash of enjoyment at catching the other general by surprise. The pleasure faded, however, when the depth of the situation sank in. The king sat back in the chair watching the proceedings with vague interest.
Zoisite knew that the outcome of this test would influence any decision that the king would make concerning his future. He leapt up and allowed himself to hang in the air as Malachite launched another well executed attack. He had no hope of actually defeating the older man, but how to lose with enough grace to impress the king? He made a few half hearted attempts at the other man not overly surprised when none of them hit their intended mark. Malachite succeeded in backing him up against a wall and Zoisite winced as one of the violet energy lights shattered a few inches from his ear. He noticed the calculating look in his opponent's eyes and imagined that he must look like a trapped animal.
A trapped animal. . .
That was it! Zoisite himself was not a close fighter, he knew that if he ever got within reach of a larger opponents he was doomed. Malachite himself rarely actually engaged in hand to hand combat, and he certainly wasn't expecting it from this slight man.
Zoisite's eyes narrowed as he timed Malachite's attack. So, the older general wanted to trap him like an animal, then he was going to get a trapped animal. He anticipated for a break in the silver haired man's attack then, with a prayer that his timing was right, launched himself bodily at his attacker. Malachite's eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back to steady himself as Zoisite slammed into him with all the strength the slight body could manage, which was more force then he had reckoned. Both generals went down in a heap upon the floor with Zoisite on top. Malachite started to rise but found his arm pinned down by an ice crystal that had been imbedded into the floor. A similar ice crystal held poised over his throat prepared to follow it's predecessor into the floor, and consequently, through his throat.
"Enough!" The king shouted as he stood. Zoisite dismissed the crystals which evaporated into the air with a hiss. The two men disentangled from each other and stood shakily. The king again eyed the blond, but this time in a new light. "I must admit, Zoisite,I had underestimated you. Apparently I wasn't the only one."
Malachite winced at the jagged remark. "Perhaps you will be a perfect general, if a little unconventional. You are both dismissed." He waved his hand and Malachite turned to walk out.
Zoisite lagged for a moment then, instead of walking out like his peer, he disappeared in a swirl of blossoms. Malachite and the king met eyes for a moment before the older general shrugged and continued on his way out.
The king sat for a moment in silence before turning to the two figures hidden in the shadows of the room. "He is defiantly full of surprises. Will you be able to teach him?" He asked of the first figure.
Rowan shook his head. "I'm actually hesitant to teach him anything. As you've seen teaching him close combat skills is absolutely pointless. His small frame will never be able to preform very well no matter how often I try to beat it in to him."
"Then how do you propose to teach him? I cannot send him out without any formal training." The king said shifting.
"I've decided to hone the style he already has. Teach him how to recognize and clean up the open spaces he leaves that any enemy worth his grain of salt will recognize and strike at." Rowan replied.
The second figure decided to join in on the conversation. "He is fast, but I don't see any real defensive ability in him. Isn't that going to be a problem?"
Rowan nodded to the prince. "Very good, Endymion. And very true. Zoisite has no natural defensive moves. The closest thing he has is that ability to disappear in that petal flurry."
The king shook his head. "A snake is fast and has a nasty attack but no defensive measures. One blow will kill it despite it's bravado. That boy won't last two minutes without a way to defend. Can he not even shield from a magical attack?"
Again Rowan shook his head. "No. He has no shields to speak of period. As I said, all he has is the teleport ability."
"A lost cause, then." The king said shaking his head. "A pity. I was so hoping for general who could withstand the times ahead."
Endymion frowned. "How can you write him off so quickly? He beat Malachite for gods' sake! He does have one defensive attack you don't recognize. His speed and unpredictable nature. None of us thought he's try to rush him, hell even Malachite didn't see that coming."
Rowan nodded slowly. "The boy is right. Zoisite did win an interesting victory today. And even Nephlyte winds up on the ground more often then standing now when I pair those two." The king sighed. "Alright, I'll keep him. Now there's just one problem."
"What?" Endymion asked.
"How to tell Ambassador Metternich."
----<---<@
The servant looked about the darkened room with a feeling of dread. He knew he shouldn't be here but something had kept nagging at the corner of his mind to come. Now he was standing in thmiddle of a dark room at four in the morning in one of the general's towers hoping no one stumbled across him. He sighed and continued walking wishing deeply that he would find what ever was calling to him so he could leave and get back to the safety of his own bed. He had to get up early in the morning to help prepare for the evening feast that the king was hosting. All other servants were supposed to be in bed resting.
A light up ahead caused him to blink and he felt his heart race as his mind identified the light as coming from a lantern. Someone must have discovered him! He froze and waited for the strong words of discovery but none came. It was then that he realized that the light wasn't flickering like that of a lantern. Curiosity got the better of him and he crept towards it. A golden medallion shone brightly in the dark and he reached out to grasp it never even thinking that to do so might be dangerous. ---<---<@
Zoisite jerked awake with a gasp and sat as his heart pounded. Something was pulling at him trying to get him to come. He had not taken off the medallion and now it glowed faintly. He remembered one of Rowan's teachings about the medallions and decided to listen to it. Rising out of bed he pulled on a robe and walked out into the hall in a daze. Unsure of where he was going he was surprised to find himself in one of the towers standing next to the still form of Nephlyte. He was staring intently at something in the next room and he followed the auburn haired man's gaze. A younger man of about fifteen stood bathed in light as he studied the glowing medallion in his hands. His black hair glinted rainbow colors and his blue eyes watered from the light. He seemed unaware of their presence.
A hand on her shoulder caused her to turn and see Malachite watching the scene with interest. Nephlyte suddenly shook himself awake and glanced up at the older general with a lopsided grin.
"Well, it's about damn time." He muttered.
Malachite nodded slightly. "It is indeed."
Zoisite frowned as he felt he was being left out of a private conversation. The two men seemed content to watch the boy but Zoisite was getting antsy. He had not been dragged out of bed just to watch some boy stare at a glowing medallion. Tightening his robe about his small frame he squared his shoulders and stepped into the room.
The dazed boy became aware of another presence and he reluctantly allowed his gaze to move away from his medallion. He blinked as he watched a blonde woman move into his view. Her hair glowed in the light and she held a robe closely to her body. She wore a medallion much like his and it to glowed faintly. She smiled slightly as she came up to him and stopped.
"Who are you?"
The boy blinked at the voice and frowned. Not a girl then, a man. "I. . . I didn't mean to disturb anything but the medallion called me." He winced and looked away. The explanation sounded false to his ears and he was sure the man would laugh at him then proceed to haul him away to some prison for trespassing. To his surprise two other men stepped forward.
It was the silver haired one who spoke. "Yes, I know. What is your name?"
"Val." He whispered and tried to back away.
The auburn haired man moved slightly putting himself between the frightened boy and the door. "Do you know what it means to be chosen by a medallion?" He asked.
Val shook his head and glanced about fearfully. Zoisite repressed the urge to smack the two other men for their stupidity. the boy was obviously frightened and instead of comforting him they stood about blocking his escape and interrogating him. He reached out a delicate hand to the frightened boy and urged him to take it.
Once he had the boy in hand he slowly lead him to the door. Nephlyte slid up besides him and hissed into his ear. "What are you doing?"
"Would I be right in assuming that today is going to be a long day for all of us?" He asked. Malachite nodded slowly. "Yes, he must be tested and all of his ties must be severed."
"Then I suggest we go somewhere more comfortable, like the study." Zoisite replied flipping a lock of hair out of his eyes and leading Val by the hand walked out not really caring if the other two followed.
---<---<@
Three months later. . .
Serenity shifted slightly in her throne anxious to get the proceedings done and over with. Her daughter didn't seem to be fairing very well either. She kept glancing out the window as though she longed to escape the confines of the room. Her court stood behind her whispering to each other. This would be prince Endymion's first solo visit and everyone was anxious that everything went well. He brought a new treaty for her council to review and two new generals she had never met before. She had been saddened by the news of Tyers's death and surprised by Rowan's retirement. She hadn't been aware that general's could retire. Like everyone she had been taken in by Tyers's infectious good nature and knew she would deeply miss the free spirit.
The doors opened and the group of five entered. She nodded cordially to the prince and noticed how her daughter seemed to suddenly focus as though some unseen puppeteer pulled her strings taunt. This did not bode well. Her information loop had told of strange happens on Earth that seemed to point to a destructive conclusion within the next four years. She did not want her daughter to be wrapped up in them, especially if she found it necessary to shut off all ties to the Earth.
She forced such thoughts from her mind as she studied the four who stood behind the prince. Malachite stood apart and he fairly oozed with calm and coldness. On the other side of the four was Nephlyte and she found herself smiling. He was like Tyers's with his quick wit and easy manner but his implied rebelliousness left an uneasy feeling in her mouth. It was the two new ones, flanked by their older peers that she found surprising. The dark haired man looked faintly like Endymion and she wondered if they were related.
He stood stiffly and she got the impression that he was ready to bolt. She couldsee that it was a battle for him to stay so still. She turned her eyes to the fourth new general and raised an eyebrow. She had heard of the beauty of this youth but had not believed it till now. For some odd reason the generals of the Earth had always had a feminine beauty about them that threw off their opponents but this man was truly exceptional. If she hadn't known of his gender she would have found herself swept up by him as well. He turned green eyes upon her and she realized that he was studying her as closely as she was studying him. She smiled slightly and nodded to him. He returned the gesture then politely look away.
She gestured to her page and he retrieved the treaty from the prince and with a few words they began the opening ceremonies.
----<---<@
Zoisite smiled as he caught sight of a familiar figure hurrying his way. He allowed Mercury a brief hug before settling into step besides her. "So, how have you been?" He asked as she lead him towards the gardens she had promised to show him in her latest letter.
"Same as usual, follow the princess around, make sure she doesn't get into trouble, separate her and Mars when they get into a fight. Nothing new, you?"
Zoisite laughed delicately. "Well, Rowan decided that Malachite would be the perfect teacher for me. Unfortunately he's been holding a grudge after I beat him in front of the king. So every morning I go to the practice room so he can trounce me into the ground."
Mercury smiled. "Must be fun. Now, do tell about that new general. He's quite hansom."
Zoisite glanced at the blue haired woman in surprise. Never before had he heard her describe someone as hansom. "Val is a wonderful fighter. Rowan has sicced Nephlyte on him so Val spends most of his time trying to figure out new ways to set Neph's hair on fire. He's gotten the hang of his medallion powers rather quickly."
"Jealous?" Mercury asked with a slight twinkle in her eye.
"Perhaps, just a little." He was about to say more when Malachite appeared and hurried towards him.
"A problem has just arisen back on Earth. Apparently it's another youma bent on destroying the Earth. Nephlyte and Val have gone to taken care of the problem. Me and you will stay here with Endymion then return with him but be prepared to leave at a moment's notice."
Mercury turned concerned eyes upon the older general. "Are you sure everything will be alright?" She asked.
Malachite nodded. "Hopefully it's just an isolated incident. If it is, those two will take care of it and Val will get some important field training. If not, then we have a problem."
Zoisite reluctantly parted with his friend. "I'd better get going to make sure I know what's going on. I'll speak to you later."
Mercury nodded and watched the two leave with a feeling of dread. Sighing deeply she turned and headed back to the large throne room. Serenity had warned her that something like this may happen. They had their own plans to make.