Mystic Knight of Spirit Part 2

The King, Cathabad and the other knights were all assembled in the throne room, when entered. Deirdre took her place next to the King.
Breaca bowed to the King and the Knights. She knew that she would have to answer many questions. She was prepared. Suddenly the thoughts of her homeland entered into the forefront of her mind once again. She tried to push them away, but they wouldn't budge. Breaca knew that she would have to let them know that Maeve was the one that destroyed her home. She had wanted to handle Maeve by herself, but she knew that she needed the other knights.
"Breaca," The King started. "You say you are from the island of Crannaght." She nodded. "I understand that your home was destroyed a few years ago."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Crannaght was brought down by a magical storm."
Cathabad stepped forward. "A magical storm?"
Breaca nodded. "Maeve destroyed my home."
All of the Knights looked at each other. No one could believe it. Maeve had destroyed a small island, a complete Kingdom. Cathabad asked the question that no one else could ask.
"Why did she destroy Crannaght?"
Breaca sighed. "Our King would not sign an alliance with her. In her anger she sent a magical storm to our island. It was completely destroyed." She also told them about the islanders that escaped and how they met their end on the beaches of a foreign land. "There is nothing left of my home. I have travelled since then looking for a place that would accept me."
The King nodded. "Maeve is an evil woman. She has no morals. As you know she will destroy anything that does not fit in with her ideals."
Breaca knew that all too well. She wished that she had been able to stand against Maeve before she had started to attack Kells. Maybe then Kells would be at peace. Breaca sighed.
Cathabad was asking her a question. She looked at him. "How did you find your armour?"
"I was given my blades by a fairie King in the land I was in. He told me that I would be needed by others in the future and that I must start my training immediately. He gave me a quest to complete and told me that I would recieve mystical armour after the quest was completed. I entered into a mouseleum and fought many undead creatures to retrieve my armour. When I completed the quest and had my armour, the King sent me here to this land."
The King nodded. "How long have you been here?"
She thought for a moment. "A little over two years, I believe."
Cathabad leaned over to the King and whispered something into his ear. The King turned to her. "If you wouldn't mind waiting outside of the throneroom for a moment."
She bowed and left the room. She knew that this was the point where they would debate about her usefulness. If they decided that they didn't need her she would just go to Temra and take out Maeve by herself. But she hoped that King Conchobar would accept her into the Kingdom. Breaca wanted to have a home. It had been so long.
Her mind started to wonder. She started to thing back to her time wandering this beautiful land. Everything here was so much different than in her homeland. Crannaght was a rocky little island, there was very little grassland, few trees. Most of their lives were based on fishing and mining. She had hated it there, but it was her home and she wanted to make Maeve pay for what she had done. Breaca knew that Maeve wouldn't know her, but she would remember Crannaght.
One of the soldiers came out of the throne room. He informed her that the King wanted to speak to her again.
The King stood in front of his throne, Cathabad at his side. The Mystic Knights stood together off to his left. Breaca hoped this was a good sign.
"Breaca, please approach the throne."
She carefully walked forward.
"We welcome you to the Kingdom of Kells. You will have a room set up here in the castle and will be involved in all decisions regarding the Mystic Knights." King Conchobar smiled at her.
She thanked him and the others for the oppurtunity. "I pledge my life and my sword to your Kingdom."

Later that day, Ivar approached the King.
"Your Majesty, I feel it has come time for me to return home."
The King looked at him in astonishment. "Ivar, why must you leave now? We still have much that needs your attention in Kells."
He nodded. "I know, Your Majesty, but my people need me. I came here intending on only retrieving my homeland's chalice. I stayed much too long."
King Conchobar sighed. "If that is what you feel, then I wish you a safe journey home."
Ivar thanked the King for all his hospitality.
He bade goodbye to all his friends and set out for his homeland. He would miss his friends in Kells, but he knew that he had to return to his homeland. He already retrieved his family's chalice, now he needed to return it.

Breaca watched the reactions of her new found friends. She had never had many friends so she did not know what it was like to lose one. Apparently, from their reactions, Ivar was a close friend. Breaca had not had the chance to know him that well. She was sorry that she did not get to know him better.
Deirdre sighed. “I’m going to miss Ivar.”
Rohan nodded and put his hand on her shoulder. “We all are, Princess.”

The next few days were very busy for Breaca. The King had Deirdre teach her all that she would need to know about Kells. Breaca learned all the proper protocol for visitors, how to behave in front of the King, and other things. She also was assigned various protective duties, including patrols.
Her first patrol was with Deirdre and was quite uneventful.
"Why must we patrol these borders, when Maeve's powers are greatly diminished with the loss of the chalice?" Breaca asked, still slightly confused.
Deirdre looked at her. Breaca was very different from any of the other woman in the land of Kells. She had many questions. "Well, the chalice was not necessarily the only source of power. Maeve could easily find something else for Mider to dwell in. If she does, we need to be sure that we are well protected."
Breaca nodded. "Why do we not just attack Temra castle and destroy any chances that she or Mider could cause any more trouble?"
Deirdre looked at her new friend. Actually she had never thought of that. Now that Breaca had brought it up, she began to wonder that herself. "I don't know. I guess mostly because father hasn't ordered it. If he does, we will, but for now, we just wait."
Breaca studied her surroundings. Kells was a beautiful kingdom. It looked nothing like her home. Crannaght was a rocky island, not much grass, very few trees. Kells was covered with magnificent trees, rolling hills, wildflowers, tall grass. It was almost a paradise. Breaca sighed.
"Is there something wrong?"
Breaca looked at Deirdre. She shook her head. "No, I was just looking around. Kells is so breathtaking. My island was so desolate. It's a nice change."
Deirdre smiled and put her hand on Breaca's shoulder. "This is your home now."
The dark haired warrior nodded. Home. She liked the sound of it. She had a place she could call home now. It had been too long.
After a little more walking, they turned around and made their way back to the castle. Deirdre informed her that they had to make a report to the King now, as they did after every patrol.
Upon entering the throne room, she noticed Rohan and Angus talking to the King. She also noticed that way that Rohan watched Deirdre as she took her place by her father. Breaca gathered that there was some untold feelings there. Deirdre was obviously unaware of these feelings. Her eyes betrayed her ignorance. Whereas Rohan's eyes told more than he probably wanted anyone to know.
Deirdre made her report. The three knights talked about the patrol issues and about the current standing with Maeve's soldiers. She hadn't been causing much trouble, but there was no telling when she would decide to send her army to Kells. They all knew that they had to keep an eye on the borders anyway.
"Breaca."
She turned sharply to see the King smiling at her.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
He stood up and stepped away from his throne. "Deirdre tells me that you had questions concerning our actions, or lack thereof, to Maeve."
She nodded. "Yes, I was curious about things. I know that the laws and actions in Kells are much different than they on Crannaght, but my I believe my questions are valid."
King Conchobar agreed with her. "Well, please ask then. Do not be shy."
She crossed her arms across her chest. She thought for a moment, then asked her question. "If Ivar has already taken the chalice where Mider's powers were held, why do we not just go into Temra castle and end Maeve's tirade of evil?" Breaca's eyes were piercing into the King.
He managed to break away from her gaze. He turned and paced for a few steps. "Good question, Breaca. I guess I feel that if we do that, we would be no better than Maeve."
He seated himself on the throne.
She supposed he was right, but she still felt that while the opportunity was there, one should take it. Breaca decided not to push the issue any further. The King was right. They should try to keep the peace for as long as they could.

The rest of the day was like any other normal day. They had their evening meal, talked for a while and then headed toward their separate rooms. Breaca watched as Rohan bade goodnight to Deirdre. Deirdre just smiled at him and wished him well for the night. Breaca could see that he wanted Deirdre to see what was in his eyes. Either Deirdre was deliberately ignoring his overtures or she truly didn't see anything.
Breaca turned to head to her room, when she noticed Angus watching her. He smiled broadly. She smiled in return.
"Hi," Angus said.
Breaca had expected him to say more, but he didn't.
She was still smiling at him when she replied, "Hello."
"May I walk you to your room?"
She nodded.
They walked down the halls, toward her room. Nothing was said for several minutes. Angus was the first to break the silence
"I agree with you, you know."
They had stopped outside the door to her rooms. "With what?"
"With your concerns about Maeve. I think it would be a good idea to take her castle."
"You do? At least I know that I am not alone in my ideas."
Angus nodded. "Rohan thinks that it's wise to wait, just in case Maeve decides that stop her attacks on Kells. I think it's just temporary. She's gonna find another source of power and start everything over again."
Breaca had never really had the chance to talk to anyone other than Deirdre, and she was mostly interested in following her father's wishes. Breaca liked talking to the former thief. He understood her.
She smiled at him. He stood, mesmerised by her smile. She had a very charming smile. He hadn't actually seen her smile since she'd been in Kells. Suddenly he imagined touching her lips. Angus quickly shook his head.
"Is something wrong?"
He looked at her. "No, nothing. Actually I was curious if you'd like to talk a walk."
She thought for a moment, then nodded. She wasn't feeling tired and the thought of talking with Angus for a while was rather appealing.
They left the castle to take a short walk in the surrounding village. The night was clear and crisp. Breaca was reminded of many of the nights on Crannaght. She silently slapped herself. She had to stop thinking about her island home. It was nothing but a big rock now and she needed to get her mind on other things. She had a duty now, an important duty. But even more to the point, she walking with Angus, she needed to keep her mind on that.
Angus was talking to her about some of the Mystic Knights exploits. She nodded and smiled. She really had little interest in the past, she was more interested in the future. Her future with the Mystic Knights.
Angus started laughing about something. Suddenly Breaca stopped in her tracks.
The former thief hadn't notice and continued walking. It took him a few moments before he realized she wasn't with him. He turned to see her standing several paces away, looking at him.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
She shook her head. "I want to talk about the future, Angus. Not about the past."
He furrowed his brow. "All right. What about the future?"
She shifted her weight onto her right foot. "My future. With the Mystic Knights. What do I have to look forward to? Will I be able to help you in battle?"
Angus shrugged. He really had no idea how to answer her. He assumed that there would be more battles, there always were. "You are one of us. You are a Mystic Knight. You fight alongside us to protect Kells."
She nodded.
"If you really want to know more, you might want to ask Cathabad tomorrow."
Suddenly Rohan's voice broke into their conversation. "Angus!"
Angus looked up sharply to see his friend, coming toward them. He had forgotten all about his agreement.
Breaca watched Angus for a moment. She could see guilt in his expression. That was something that Breaca didn't like about her part as a Mystic Knight. She could see things in people's expressions that they generally didn't know they were showing. Most of the time no one else even saw it.
Angus was apologizing to his friend, who was impatiently tapping his foot.
Breaca quietly said, "I apologize, Rohan. I wanted to talk to Angus. I was unaware of your agreement."
They both looked at her. Angus couldn't believe that she was covering for him. Rohan nodded and smiled, saying that it really didn't matter, just as long as he knew where his sneaky friend was.

Angus smirked and told his friend that he would return to their hut in a few minutes. Rohan rolled his eyes and headed home.
Breaca smiled at Angus. "Well, I guess I should let you get some rest."
He nodded. She could see disappointment in his face. He didn't want to go back to his hut yet, but she knew that it was for the better.
She put her hand on his and bade him good night. At that moment, it was as if time stood still. Angus could see himself staring into her eyes, wanting only to be with her for a little longer. Breaca was smiling and turning away from him, though her eyes were still focused on him. He could imagine reaching out to touch her face, to touch her lips.
The thief blinked. He realized that Breaca had already left, making her way back to the castle. He stood in place for a moment, watching her retreating form. He sighed.

Rohan looked up as he saw Angus enter the hut.
"There you are. You know I can't let you wander around here alone, especially not with what has happened." Rohan was cleaning his sword.
Angus nodded and sat on his cot. He was paying little attention to Rohan. He couldn't stop thinking about the way he had felt when Breaca touched his arm. He knew that she had meant nothing by it, other than a gesture of friendship. But still he couldn't help feeling more.
"Angus."
The thief jerked his head to look at his friend. "What?"
Rohan shook his head. "You haven't been listening to a word I said, have you?"
Angus apologised. "Rohan, I need to talk to you."
It was a rare time indeed when Angus wanted to talk. Generally the thief was more or less a man of action. When he did talk it was always a joke or a bad impersonation of Cathabad. Not this time. He had a serious expression on his face.
Rohan laid his sword on his cot. "What is it?"
Angus wasn't sure where to start. He had so much going on in his head that he felt like he was going to burst.
"Well. This is hard. You know I've never been much for, well, feelings."
Rohan nodded. He knew that all to well. Angus always joked, no matter whose feelings got hurt or whose toes he stepped on. Most of them had learned to take it lightly, since it was his only form of expression.
"I have these weird thoughts. I see things that aren't happening."
Rohan blinked. "What? Angus, are you losing your mind?"
The thief stared at his friend. Losing his mind? Then he realized that what he had said made it sound like he was going insane.
"No. No, that's not what I meant. It's more like," Angus started gesturing with his hands. When he saw the look of confusion on his friends face, he stopped. "I don't know how to explain it. It's like when I am with this...person, I start to feel strange. I start to imagine things that aren't happening."
Rohan smiled. "And who might this PERSON be?"
Angus shook his finger at his friend. They had been best friends all their lives, but there was no way he was going to tell him names. "That I'm not going to tell you."
The Knight looked crushed. "Why not?"
Angus explained that he wanted to be sure of what was going on before he named any names.
Rohan nodded and sighed.
The thief knew that Rohan was going to bug him till he divulged the name of his current interest, but he had to keep it to himself. At least for now.

Morning came around as it usually did. Breaca awoke with a headache. She hadn't been feeling well as of late. She wasn't sure what was causing her feeling of discomfort. Maybe I should talk to Cathabad, she thought.
She crept out of bed and started to dress. As she tugged on her armour, she glanced in the mirror. She looked different to herself. She was grown up, not a child anymore, but yet she still played at childish games. She played at being a warrior. She played at being a Mystic Knight. She knew that she was nothing but a girl from an island that no longer existed.
She sighed heavily. Now she was playing with emotions. Hers mostly.
Breaca turned away from the mirror in disgust. She knew that she would never be anything. She wanted to be something, anything other than she was.
Since the day she became a Mystic Knight, she had become something she hadn't wanted to be. Something different. Something unkind. She hardly ever smiled. She never laughed.
Maeve, she decided. It's all Maeve's fault. She destroyed my home. If it had not been for her petty cruelness, I would have never become what I am.
She had to end it. She had to put an end to Maeve and her destructive powers.
Breaca strapped her SpiritBlades to her back, snapping the leather against her armour. She knew what she had to do.

The Mystic Knights were assembled in the throne room. King Conchobar was seated in his throne, Deirdre beside him. Cathabad walked in, nodding to the Mystic Knights, and took his place by the King.
King Conchobar looked around for a moment. "Where's Breaca?"
Angus and Rohan looked at each other. They hadn't even noticed that she wasn't there. Breaca hadn't been with them very long and they weren't used to her being around.
Deirdre volunteered to go find her.

The Princess stood outside Breaca's door. She had knocked once already, but no one had answered. Breaca should have been awake by now. Deirdre knocked, waited a moment, then opened the door.
She took a look around the room. The bed had been slept in, she could see that. Breaca's evening clothes lay discarded on the floor. Deirdre looked at the nightgown, then realized something. Breaca's armour was gone, as well as her blades.
It took a moment for the Princess to realize that Breaca was gone. She spun around and ran for the throne room.

Rohan was discussing the guards reports from the previous days patrols, when Deirdre burst into the throne room.
"Breaca is gone." Deirdre stated.

The King jumped out of his seat. "What?"
"Breaca is not in her room. Her armour and weapons are gone. Apparently she left some time this morning." Deirdre sighed.
Rohan looked at Angus. "Did she say anything to you last night?"
The thief thought for a moment. "No, she didn't say anything. She just wanted to talk about her future with the Mystic Knights. I told her to talk Cathabad."
The King sat back on his throne, heavy in thought.

The Knights conversed with each other for a moment. All became quiet in the throne room. Cathabad let out a sharp noise.
"Cathabad?" Rohan reached out to the Druid.
"A vision. I have had another vision." The Druid stared in front of him for a few more moments. "Breaca has gone to Maeve's castle."
King Conchobar furrowed his brow. "She intends to take on Maeve by herself?"
The Druid continued to concentrate. He shook his head slowly. "That I cannot see. All I see is her entering the castle." He slumped down into a chair by the throne. "I must rest for a moment."
Angus spoke up, rather unexpectedly, "We should go after her."

Breaca approached the foreboding castle of Temra. So this is Maeve's castle, she thought, sourly. Why doesn't it surprise me that she would have a large, dark castle. Breaca laughed under her breath.
So far none of the Temra guards had seen her. The front gate was well guarded though. She knew she could easily get in, by summoning the spirits, but she didn't want to make it too easy.
"Excuse me." She said, loudly as she approached the guards.
They pulled their weapons and pointed them, threateningly, at her.
She smiled a rather wicked smile. "I am here seeking an audience with Queen Maeve."
A couple of the guards discussed something amongst themselves. One of the guards ran into the castle, apparently to inform Maeve.
Breaca stood surveying the gloomy castle while she waited. Tall spires graced the towers and ramparts. Definitely the castle of a power hungry queen, thought Breaca.
A large man wearing splint mail and carrying a large sword, came from the castle gates. He eyed her suspiciously.
Breaca bowed to him.
"Why do you seek audience with the Queen?" His voice was deep and raspy.
"To speak to her." She stated, flatly.
He snickered, knowing that Maeve was not one for talking. He gestured for her to follow him.

Continued