38 Loss and Hope (2/2)
As they walked closer, it felt as if the place was deserted. No one was in the field working. No kids were in the street. All of the cottage doors were closed. If not for the auras he sensed, Leo would have thought the place was a ghost town.
”I know you are here!” Leo allowed his voice to ring out in the deserted town. ”We are friends of The Crimson Prince!”
Doors slowly opened as kids no older than they were piled out. Heads looked their way as tear streaked faces shown with vengeance emerged.
A man who looked to be in his twenties in the same tan grabs as Leo and Bianca led a group of at least twelve kids made their way to them. He had sandy blonde hair and from a distance Leo could see his blue eyes Two of the kids lined behind him, one was smaller with shoulder length hair, the other was Leo's height with shorter hair.
”He said his friends would come.” the older man said as the group stopped a few feet short of Leo. ”How do I know this isn't a trap?” he asked as he looked Leo and Bianca over skeptically.
Leo chose not to answer, instead he allowed his silver aura to shine. The flames covered him from head to door. Following suit, Bianca allowed her crimson aura to come forth.
”These flames were given to us by the Crimson Prince.” Leo said with a determined look. ”If you are here, he has given you the gift as well.” he looked over the small group of people and continued. ”We can help train you, but it'll have to happen while we continue through Crystallia. If we are to rescue the prince, we need more numbers.”
”What about after he is rescued?” the elder of the group spoke. ”He has been gone for almost fourteen years, what would stop him from leaving again?”
Leo looked the man in the eye. ”Will found out he was from this world almost seven months ago.” he made his voice as sympathetic as he could. ”As soon as he got to this land, he saw the injustices that had been committed in his father's name. We are not here to look for survivors.” Leo looked at the thirteen with a serious expression. ”We are looking for volunteers. Those willing to bring the Prince back in order to storm Ebonhart.”
A few of the faces lifted as hope returned to their eyes. ”The king has been kept from his kingdom for too long.” Leo let his voice boom out around them, his declaration heard by their ears as well as their hearts. ”Join us to put the wrongs done to your people right, to cleanse this land of corruption, and to end the advisors rule!”
All skepticism left the eldest members face. He closed the gap between himself and Leo with an outstretched hand. ”My name is Roy,” he said as Leo grasped his hand. ”That was spoken like a true advisor to the king.”
Leaving Leo with a confused look on his face, the man named Roy turned to the group of twelve. ”What is your decision?” he asked them. One by one, the faces of the teenagers lit up as they cheered at the hope for the future.
”Good. Then line up!” he yelled and at once they all made a line without so much as a fuss. ”We will all present ourselves to to the friends of the Crimson Prince.”
Before he continued, Leo stopped him. ”If we are all to work together in the future, you may as well know our names.” he gestured to Bianca who seemed to be a little overwhelmed. ”This is Bianca, and I am Leo.” he pointed to himself. ”We grew up with your prince. He has been a great friend to us through the years. I know for a fact he would thank every one of you if he were here.”
Roy turned around to Leo once more. ”He already has thanked us. By giving us the chance to fight for our right to live. We have all lost someone last night, it was only to the homes where the duchess of darkness went that he was able to gift.” Leo assumed it was a name for Maya. ”He left me a message to give you as well.” Roy gestured to Leo's bag. ”He told me to have you look in his bag.”
Leo eyed Roy for only a moment before shrugging off the pack. In moments, he pulled Will's pack from his own and opened it.
Usually, the bag was charmed to only allow the owner to grab something from the inside, but as soon as Leo put his hand inside he felt a large wooden object. With some effort, he hauled out a large wooden box and set it before the group.
Opening the chest, Leo's eyes grew wide. With a sigh he looked at Bianca. ”I swear this man planned his own capture.”
Confused, Bianca looked into the crate. She couldn't help but burst into laughter. Leo only smiled in astonishment as his eyes swept over the cast amount of rings within the chest. He could tell only by looking at the quantity. It was enough to supply an army.
As the entire group was already lined up, Leo gestured Roy forward.
”State your name.” Leo said with authority in his voice.
”Roy.” the other spoke, his eye never leaving Leo's.
”Roy,” Leo's voice rang around the group. ”Do you pledge to be a friend and weapon to the Prince of Ebonhart, the crown capital of Crystallia?”
Roy's ears perked up to the familiar pledge, he must have heard it when he was younger. He was old enough to have seen what the kingdom was like all those years ago. With widened glistening eyes, he nodded. ”Yes.”
Leo summoned his sword from his ring, the familiar silver aura surrounded them in flames. To Leo's surprise, the silver took a almost invisible hue of gold. As the dim gold and silver flames sprang in a cyclone around them, he put the flat of the blade on Roy's shoulder. ”Welcome soldier, to the Royal Flame Crusade.”
As Leo talked, Bianca took a ring from the chest and slid it on his finger. Immediately, the rings gem turned a deep red. As the changes happened, his aura sprang to life to join Leo's. In a moment, his ring took shape of a hand axe. Unlike Leo's sword or Will's , Roy's weapon was obsidian black with red wiring.
Roy looked at his new weapon and back to Leo. ”I will treat it as my greatest treasure.”
Leo nodded. ”You should, this weapon is irreplaceable.”
Roy walked past Leo and took his place among his new ranks. He stood to the right of Leo as Bianca was on the left. He kept his weapon drawn in front of him as he cupped his hands in front of him, closely resembling a guard posture.
Leo's eyes went to Bianca and nodded in her direction. When she looked into them, she almost gasped. His eyes had changed to silver with specks of gold. ”Lets continue.”
Not trusting her voice, she only nodded to Leo to continue. What happened to the funny kid I hung out with all these years? She thought as she watched him recruit each member of the group.
She hadn't noticed up until that point, but he wasn't wearing his glasses. The nerdy look he once had with his sweat shirt he would always wear along with the glasses and long hair have him an endearing look. Now that the two parts of his identity were gone, Bianca felt as if she were looking at an entirely different person. Confidence radiated off of him. A commanding presence was clearly visible, and his eyes at that point almost looked royal. Bianca wondered silently just how long he had been that way.
As the last member Chloe was sworn in, the gold and silver flames expanded around the group. Crimson from each of them added to the cyclone. From the flames, a voice rang out from within the minds of each member. An ancient voice with a regal air to it. Though Bianca couldn't hear it, she knew what it said. WELCOME TO THE ROYAL FLAME CRUSADE.