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des·ti·ny
ˈdestinē
noun
the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future.
  the hidden power believed to control what will happen in the future; fate.

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"What is meant to be always finds a way."

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The teenager sighed heavily as he swung his leg over the horse. He grabbed the reins in both hands and straightened his body, attempting to psych himself up for the journey ahead.

His brother chuckled at his expression, shaking his head warily. "You're sure you'll be alright, brother?"

"Leon, I will be fine. There is no need to worry for me."

"How can I not? You are my youngest brother, Ayden, and my favorite. Though, do not tell the others that."

"Tell us what?" Came the familiar voice of their middle brother, Arthur, from behind Leon. Ayden glanced up and gave his brother a grin. Arthur chuckled as he patted Ayden's arm. "You going to be okay, baby brother?"

Ayden shrugged. "I'll be fine. It's not like I'm powerless, you know."

Arthur chuckled. "We know, Ayden. Come now, you must be off. Mustn't keep the other Elements waiting now, can you?" Leon said, giving Arthur a look. 

He frowned, but backed up. Leon smiled slightly and then did the same. A maid delicately made her way over and then laid the saddle bag over the horse. Then, she glanced up and motioned for the other servants to attach the wagon full of the rest of his supplies to the horse. Ayden nodded in thanks, and tightened his grip on the reigns.

This is it. I am truly going. 

Leon and Arthur waved. Ayden glanced up and saw his two sisters on the balcony, waving their handkerchiefs at him. His father stood behind them, arms crossed over his chest as he watched him with a hard expression.

Ayden gave him a wobbly smile, but then straightened his posture and gave him a firm smile. His father's mouth twisted into an approving smile, but it didn't last long.

And with that, Ayden cracked the reigns and began his trek to the small, country town.

As he was travelling, he let go of the reins and pulled out the map. He checked his route and then folded it back up. Then, he pulled out the scroll. The edges were slightly torn, but it was nothing major. A red ribbon held it in it's rolled up state, and a large, golden seal was on it. Ayden poked the inside of his cheek out as he undid it carefully. When he unrolled it, he read it aloud.

"The four elements this year are Lela Gen, Wesley Pickett, Ashlee Scorn, and Ayden Malnerva. They are to meet in the small town of Hickory where they will gather supplies and set off three days after their arrival. They will head to Grieg, the capital of Nahara, and meet with the Priest. He shall set them on their correct paths."

Ayden nodded as he rolled it back up and then put it back in the bag. He had a long journey ahead of him.

♤•♤•♤

Ayden was practically asleep as he tied the reigns to the fence. 

He had just arrived in Hickory, and exhaustion was threatening to consume him. He stumbled into the inn once he tied his horse up. When he got to the counter, the young girl who stood there eyed him. "You need a place to stay?"

"Yes."

She frowned. Her round, chubby face suggested she was no older than eleven. Ayden couldn't understand why a child this young was already working. The girl bent down and grabbed something, though knocked her head against the counter. Ayden frowned, worry consuming his face.

The girl gave him an embarrassed smile as she held the key in her small fist. "F-follow me, sir."

Ayden did as he was told and followed the girl up a flight of stairs. She stood at another door and opened it. "Only one element is here at the moment."

"How did you-?"

The girl said nothing as she walked off. Ayden frowned, though walked inside. Sitting on the sofa was a boy. 

His hair was a vibrant blonde that brushed his cheekbones every time he shifted in his slumber. His skin was lightly tanned, and his clothes suggested he was from the north. Ayden knew there was only two boys in the group, so this had to be Wesley, unless Lela and Ashlee were unfortunately named boys. Wesley seemed fit, but not nearly as fit as what an element should be. His muscles were noticeable, but not straight away. They were almost like thin slates of steel underneath his skin, unnoticeable, but probably noticeable once in a fight.

Ayden moved forward. He set his bag down on the ground and glanced around, looking for a room. When he found one, he sighed, bending down to pick up his bag. Then, he headed for the room. 

He shut the door and locked it. He fell onto the bed and fell into slumber no more than two minutes after closing his eyes.

♤•♤•♤

The pounding on his door was what woke him up.

Ayden groaned as he laid his arm over his face. He sighed before sitting up. The duvet laid rumpled beneath him, and his shirt was riding up. One pant leg was up to his knee while the other side was falling down. Some dried drool was in the corner of his mouth, and he was sure his hair was messed up completely. 

He sighed before straightening himself up and opening the door. A girl stood there.

Her hair was black and pulled into a fishtail braid. The vibrant, blue orbs stared into his, a curious look in her eyes. Her skin was a darker tone, suggesting she trained a lot outdoors. She wore a simple dress that was a cobalt blue. It crossed over in the middle, and the top piece was sown to the bottom piece. A pair of brown leggings were on her legs, with some furry boots that reached halfway up her shin. "You're Ayden, correct?"

"Y-yes. Who might you-" he yawned "-be?"

She frowned at him. "Lela. Lela Gen."

He nodded, rubbing his eye. "Can I please go back to bed?"

Lela shook her head. "Ashlee should be here soon. I recommend getting dressed so she won't see you in creased travelling clothes. Besides, you have yet to meet Wesley. Also, I heard the villagers were having a celebration or something like that. Dress nicely, Ayden."

Ayden was speechless as Lela turned around and stalked off. He sighed and shut the door. Frowning, he walked over to the bag of clothes he had brought up with him and pulled them out.

It was a dark crimson shirt that reached his elbows. The sleeves were tightened about three inches before the end of it, making the ends angle outwards. The neckline dipped into a v-line that would reveal some of his chest. Strings criss-crossed through the v-line, allowing him the option to tighten it. He pulled off his other shirt, revealing his finely toned body. Then, he pulled the other shirt over his head and took his pants off. 

The pants were a dark gray color, and were slightly rumpled. The fabric was soft, almost a velvet like texture, though it wasn't as smooth as velvet. They reached his ankles and were one of his favorite pairs of pants. He pulled those on and then put his shoes back on. 

Next, he headed to the on-suite. He glanced at his appearance. His hair was a somewhat vibrant red, and it poked out in different places. His skin was tanned, and he was quite muscular. He had heterochromia, meaning he had two different eye colors. One was a red color, while the other was a gold. He blinked, and then wet his hands. He splashed some water on his face and then dried it off.

Ayden made his way out into the main area were he saw Lela and Wesley lounging on the couch. Wesley had cloudy gray eyes that seemed to be drawn to Ayden like Magnets. Ayden shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, but made his way over anyways.

"I'm Ayden." He said, holding out his hand.

Wesley nodded. "Wesley." He said.

Lela rolled her eyes. "Boys." She muttered, turning towards the door.

Ayden sighed, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants. "So, Ashlee should be here soon, right?"

As if on cue, the door opened. The little girl stood there, staring up at a teenage girl. The young girl said something, causing the teenager to look shocked, though the girl had already left. Ashlee frowned as she walked inside, and when she saw them, her eyes widened.

Ashlee had dark brown hair that hung around her face, almost framing it. Her eyes were a deep green that seemed to pull Ayden into them. Her skin was slightly tanned, much like Ayden's. She wore a evergreen top that showed off her curves. Dark brown pants showed off her hips and thighs while brown boots with green accent marks adorned her feet. She gave them a shy smile. "Hello, my name is Ashlee. I am the Earth element."

Wesley nodded. "I'm Wesley, the Air element."

Lela gave a small smile. "I'm Lela, the Water element."

"And I'm Ayden, the Fire element. Pleasure."

Ashlee smiled. "So, what do we have to do today?"

"Well, the villagers are throwing us a feast a little after six, so we have about five hours to relax and get to know one another."

Ayden smiled. "Who's up for twenty questions?"

♤•♤•♤

"Favorite sibling?" Wesley asked, staring at Ayden.

Ayden tapped his chin. "Probably my younger sister, Jadin. She was always there when I needed her."

Wesley nodded. Lela tapped her chin. "Oh! Ashlee!"

"Yeah?"

"Any relationships?"

Ashlee nodded. "I had one when I was six that lasted two days, another when I was thirteen that lasted three months, and I had a boyfriend but he cheated on me. We broke up two months ago."

Lela nodded. Ayden looked at Wesley. "Girls or boys?"

Wesley scoffed. "Girls, obviously."

Ashlee rolled her eyes. "You sure? You can trust us, Wes. We'll make sure your coming out of the closet is kept hidden."

Wesley scowled. "Ashlee, please, do not test me."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Oh, Ayden?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you be willing to pull the stick that is shoved up Wesley's ass out?"

Ayden choked on his saliva when he burst into laughter. Wesley's jaw dropped while Lela was having a hard time containing her laughter. Ashlee was on her back, clutching her stomach as she laughed at her own joke.

Wesley sighed. "That was not funny, Scorn, you're dead!"

Ashlee shrieked as she stood up and ran around the living room, trying to escape Wesley. Lela glanced at the window. "Hey, guys!"

Everyone froze as they turned to her. "We should go. It looks to be a bit past six."

They nodded as they made their ways towards the door. When they got there, they all made their way out of it and towards the center of the town.

Ayden marveled at the decorations put up. They were clearly homemade, and they looked expensive. Villagers all around cheered at them and welcomed them to their town.

Wesley ended up dragging Lela over to a group of villagers who were discussing different ways out of town. Ayden looked at Ashlee. "Where do you want to go?"

Ashlee glanced up at him. "Let's go over to where the party actually is!"

Ayden was pulled away and was practically dragged all the way over to the stage. Performers danced on the stage, doing tricks and performances to amuse the audience. Ashlee looked towards the person in charge of the performers. "May we go up there?"

Ayden gave her a wide eyed look. "What?" He hissed, staring at her.

The man chuckled. "Sure, it's open to everyone. Have fun, elements!"

Ashlee pulled Ayden up. "Ashlee, what are we doing up here?"

She chuckled. "Just dance, Ayden!"

Ayden frowned, but began to slowly move his hips. Ashlee gave him a grin as she broke out into a full on dance. Ayden watched, transfixed on her moves. He didn't notice when she grabbed his hands until she began to move him along with her. He laughed as he attempted to dance with her.

The crowd cheered at them, and he saw Wesley and Lela in the crowd, clapping along with them.

As Ayden dance, he noticed a teenager standing there.

His eyes followed Ayden's every move, and for whatever reason, he gave Ayden the chills.

The boy frowned as he looked away, and then walked off. Ayden had no idea who the boy was, but he had a feeling he'd know soon.

  ♤•♤•♤  

So...what do you think? The first chapter good?

I know, the main character hasn't had a line yet, but he may have made an appearance! 

I am going to say this again.

This is a rewrite of the original Spirit, so events will be different. Just know that.

Without further ado, I shall end this and then hopefully start writing chapter two.

Adios, amigos!

-Paige