Welcome to Gaia! ::

Leo sighed softly and leaned against the master, hiding his face for a moment =, "I don't know what to do-" he whispered, "What if they reject me?" he closed his eyes and shook his head, "No-it will be fine." time seemed to be a fluid things in the forest. though they couldn't have been in there for more than ten minutes, they were suddenly at the heart of the forest, miles and miles from "Why are we in the Council City?" The houses and buildings had been built into and around the trees, melding into one entity so it looked as if they had actually grown there.

Tsume stopped in front of the largest building of all and shifted, standing tall and giving Leo a sad look. "You need to go inside and look for yourself, Leo." he said softly, looking down. "but you can choose if you want any of us to come along." he shot a glare at the prince before looking at Leo. "your mother is inside."

Leo felt his blood run cold, "my-mother?" he was shaking, his hands trembling, but he slowly slid off the horse. "Tsume, what-what aren't you telling me?" he could feel that the wolf was hiding something and Tsume refused to meet his eyes, another sign.

"you will see," was all he said before stepping back.

Leo swallowed hard before nodding, "You can all come-i don't think i can face her alone."

((the city))

Leo swallowed, but nodded, "i-very well then. if mother, if mother is waiting for me in the library, then i shouldn't keep her." Tsume shifted slightly and Leo looked at him, but the man was giving nothing away. "right-" he said it more to convince himself than anything else. he lead the way into the building and felt his smile grow at being inside these halls once more. even the fear and worry of facing his mother couldn't keep the strong sence of welcome he felt. the inside of the giant tree that the building was build around had actually hollowed out naturally. spiraling up along the inside for thousands of feet were shelves of what easily could have been millions of books. not only that, but the building itself was filled with old scripts and books. Leo knew from memory that there were tunnels that lead to other trees were we set up similarly. he was about to mention this when he saw something glowing in the exact center of the first floor. it looked like a pool that hadn't been there before. slowly he moved forward and when he looked down into the waters his heart stopped. "M-mother."



inside of the water, floating in a loose ball, was a young woman who looked no older than her early teens. she slept, her eyes closed and she didn't stir, barely even moved. only the slight rise and fall of her chest gave any indication that she still lived.

"She has been like that since you were taken," Tsume said softly from the doorway. "her wounds were too great, both physical and emotional. she reverted to her child form. she came to the library, we could find her but they found a blood trail-" he shook his head and moved to their sides, "by the time they found her it was too late. she had been taken in by the spirit of the trees and now rests within their grasp. no one, not the most powerful or those with the strongest bonds to the trees have been able to reach her." to show what he meant, he knelt and placed his hand on the top of the water, but instead of it sinking in, it met an invisable barrior that sparked at his touch. he grimaced and pulled away, his hand brunt where flesh had touched the barrier. "they are protecting her, sheilding her from everything that has happened. i couldn't tell you-i had to show you. Leo, i'm sorry." he finally looked at his friend and was surprised to only see startled shock on his face so instead he turned to see the reactions of the two visitors, wondering what they would think of all of this.

Leo closed his eyes for a long moment, taking in what had haooened, what he was seeing. slowly he opened them once more and nodded, "you, you are right, Ipo-san. at least she liv-" his eyes widened and he turned quickly on Tsume, grabbing his shoulders, "the baby-Tsume,w hat happened tot he baby? when her body reverted did she-" his mother lived, but the baby she had been caring, his little sister, what had happened to her?

Tsume smiled a little, "She lives." he could feel and see the relief rushing through Leo and the boy went limp but Tsume caught him before he could fall. "she," he laughed, "well i'll take you to meet her soon enough. Leo? i know this is hard, but we think the only way to bring your mother back is to bring back the other half of her soul. just her children wont be enough. Leo? where is your father?"

Leo tensed and pulled away, turning from Tsume, "i don't know. the last i saw of him-" his eyes glazed over as he remembered that terrible night, the night when he'd lost his virginity, "he was taken away to the prisons in chains. i haven't seen or heard of him since entering the harems."

Tsume sighed and looked down at the sleeping woman, "he lives. we know that much, but as for his location we can only guess." he shook his head, "Leo, it is vital that we get him back. any chance we have at waking the mother, no matter how dangerous or slim of a shot we have, we must take it. If she is lost and without one trained to take her place, Falia will fall. We need him."

Leo's hands were fisted into balls and he turned away, "how do you prose we get him, Tsume? walk into Reta and ask? there is no way the king will just let him go. the only place he could possibly is the most secure prison in the entire Retan kingdom, the castle prisons and no one who has ever entered those catacombs comes back alive."

Tsume didn't say anything for a long moment before he stepped away from the pool, "Come, i will take you to meet your sister now."

Tsume smiled, "you will see when you meet her, bunny." he could see how much Leo was worrying, and could hear exactly what his friend was thinking. what would she say? she must have been expecing some manly big brother, not someone like him. did he just say he knew her brother? but that wouldn't work, he figeted, but Tsume let him, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease his prince. he lead the way out of the library and into the forest, following the girl's scent and knowing her favorite places. soon they came to a glen where a pure white girl sat surrounded by animals. "Nix? there is someone i want you to meet..." he stepped out of the way to show her Leo who had been trying to discreetly hide behind him.

Nix looked at the group, but her eyes fell on the man standing behind tsume and her eyes widened. "Brother?" there wasn't a shadow of a doubt in her mind, not even a hint of it, she knew this was her brother. "Brother!" she ran to him and threw herself in his arms, crying, "i knew you were alive, i knew you would come home."

Leo stared at the little girl, his hands shaking in fear of meeting the girl, but soon his arms were full and he felt his heart break. he fell to his knees and gently held her, his face buried against her cheek and neck, "i'm here." was all he could say before the tears stole his voice and he clunge to Nix as if he himself were the child.

Nix looked at the men she didn't know and cocked her head to the side, still refusing to let go of the crying Leo, "Elliot and Ipo? i've never heard names like that before." she frowned, seeming to concentrate, but Tsume put his hand on her should and shook his head.

"Don't Nix, you shouldn't read people's minds like that. especially not these here, you would not like what you see. Bunny boy, lynx-kitty, this is Nix. she is the most powerful mind reader to have even been born in Falia and most likely the world, so don't be surprised if she knows things she shouldn't."

Nix only smiled, "I promise not to tell anyone that you're wearing gir;'s underwear, Ipo." her eyes widened, "oops, well then i wont tell them what kind or color." she winked and then laughed, "Tsume worries too much. i was only trying to see where your names came from. i wasn't going to do anything else."

Nix patter Leo's shoulder and pulled away from him, looking into her brother's eyes and communicating with him silently for a moment. Leo smiled and stood up, taking her hand and walking to his master and Ipo. "here," she pushed Leo against Elliot and smiled, "you comfort him, i want to talk to Ipo." her eyes met Elliots for a second and she stopped. "you're a fool. don't you dare try and get our father out of the prison, Uncle Istavia isn't ever going to let him go."

"Nix!" Tsume growled, his eyes narrowing, "watch your tongue. these outsiders don't need to know that kind of thing." but it was too late, the name had been said and he knew that Elliot would recodnize the name of the Retan king.

Leo let himself melt against the master and rested his head on the man's shoulder for a moment, but at the mention of their uncle's name a shiver ran down his spine, "don't-" he pulled away and looked at his master, "you can't, master, please. you can't."

Nix shook her head, "Not my fault, you're practically screaming it in your head and when our eyes met i couldn't help but hear." she shrugged, "sorry i guess, but i'm glad i kept you from committing suicide while trying to get in my brother's pants."

Leo flushed, "nix! Tsume,w hat have you been teaching her?"

Tsume grumbled, kicking the dirt, i didn't teach her anything, it was Voraz and his brother.s he hangs out with them too much." Nix stuck out her tongue at Tsume before grabbed Ipo's hand, smiling up at him.

"Can i touch your ears? you'll have to sit though, i can't reach them when you are standing."

Leo sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Master-I..." he shook his head, "i didn't mean to hide it fromy ou. please forgive me, i was just-forbidden from telling anyone..." he looked at the man in the eyes before looking down, "master.." he nodded, making up his mind, "master you should sit down. i will tell you the story of my father, Gregoreta Esta Reta, former crown prince of Reta."

Nix smiled when Ipo sat down and he plopped herself in his lap, straddling his hips so she could kneel and reach up to gently stork the soft ears, but she was listening to the story as well. no one had told her the full version, she'd read it in their minds, but being told was completely different.

Tsume frowned, "Leo? is that wise?" he didn't like share their secrets with these people.

Leo nodded, "they deserve to know." he knelt and folded his hands in his lap,t taking a position much like he had when he'd first met the master. "i-Prince Gregoreta Esta Reta was different since his childhood. he-wasn't comfortable about the way Reta was ruled and even less so about how those considered 'lesser' were treated. many thought this was because he was born to a slave who was then beheaded by his father's wife for baring the heir. he was four when his mother was killed, he watched the entire thing." Leo closed his eyes, "but as the heir he was listened to and though everyone ignored him, passing it off as a child's whim, there were those who worried about him. His life was in constant danger, both from the queen's assassins and those sent by the people who didn't like his protesting. he was able to stay alive and was determined to stay and become king. the queen had born a son as well, two years after Gregoreta's birth, and he was close with his little brother. he thought they felt the same and that they could rule together and bring peace to Reta."

"he was too trusting of his little brother. where everyone was viewed with suspicion, he turned a blind eye to Istavia and that was his undoing. Istavia was slowly poisoning my father, killing him a little bit at a time, but it wasn't until it was discovered that Gregoreta had helped a handful of bentiens escape that Istavia finally acted. They were traveling, near the Falian border and Istavia invited my father to his room for wine and cards. he had poisoned the wine and Gregoreta passed out after learning of his brother's betrayal."

"Istavia had Gregoreta's body left in the Falian forests, figuring he could say that he ran away in the night. he thought the beasts of the forest would take care of the body. but the one who happened upon Gregoreta wasn't a beast or a guardian, it was my mother. she had felt a call, something pulling her to the borders and when she found Gregoreta so near death, she knew he was the source of the call. she healed him, took him in and soon they were hand fasted. Istavia was crowned king upon their father's death and Gregoreta changed his name to George and became the King of Falia, a kingdom that suited his soft heart much better than the one he was born to."

Leo clenched his fists, "They thought that they were safe, and by all means Istavia thought Gregoreta dead, but somehow he found out that his brother still lived. more-he learned of me and my mother, learned that his 'worthless' brother was now the ruler of the most powerful kingdom in the known world. one still rich in ancient magic and he began to fear that Greg would return with an army of Falians and steal the throne back."

"it is unknown how he got his men to the City," Tsume said softly, seeing Leo couldn't speak of that night, not yet. "but we suspect he used ancient dark magic to teleport them in. they attacked before we had a chance to even defend ourselves. hundreds were slaughtered. when the choas settled, Leo and Greg were gone, vanished in the same way the army had appeared, and the Lady Mother was within the Trees. Nix-we do not know how she was born, but when the council came to try and call upon the Mother, Nix was lifted up out of the Mother's arms and given to their care. the Lady of the Trees herself gave her to them, saying it was their duty to raise the child and prepare her, though she never said what to prepare her for."

Nix smiled, turning in Ipo's lap and leaning her back against his chest, "Which is why i have taken it upon myself to learn as much as possible. something my gift helps out with."

Leo finally looked up at his master, worried about his reaction, "i was taken to the castle along with my father. he was forced to watch as i was first taken, Istavia was my initiator. the marks of a bentien were added and i was sent to the harems that night." he shook his head, a hand coming up to touch the spot where not too long ago the mark of the bentien had remained, "i don't remember much of that night. my mind has shut it off from my recall, but i do remember that much."