Chapter 20:

When breakfast was finished, the maids and cooks came in and took the plates and cleaned up for Willow; which was odd because Willow was used to being the oldest, to taking all the plates and silverware and putting them in the dishwasher, then cleaning the table, stove and counters afterward.

                But, in RiverPlain, it seemed it didn’t work like that. Chelsea had just grabbed Willow’s arm lightly and ushered her out of the room, leaving the pile of dishes behind.

                They walked to the library, Chelsea chattering happily about how they would go easy on her since it was her first day and not do any combat training. She also talked about how she was in charge of teaching the boring stuff like information on the creatures and the maps and all that, Chris taught survival, Michael taught combat without weapons and Alicia combat with weapons. The whole premise made Willow feel like she was in high school, switching around classes and teachers. She felt mildly nervous to be taught weapon combat by Alicia, but it wasn’t like she had a choice.

                Chelsea stopped at an unfamiliar door, “This is the study, and basically everything in here is just information.” She opened the door and Willow peeked inside before walking in.

                It resembled a large office, really. There was one long table in the center with very bright candles, pens and papers at every seat. In the center was a whole bunch of desks that had small curtains hanging from the sides for privacy. The walls were all lined with little cabinets containing folders and papers and books. And on the far end of the room were four doors that said, “Conference Room”, “Personal Offices”, “Trevon Fiske’s Office”, and “Darrius Burlingame’s Office”.

                The long table in the center had four Ganashes sitting in the chairs. Two of the Ganashes were minding their own business and sitting alone writing on a sheet of paper. The other two were sitting together, talking in hushed voices and occasionally writing on various sheets of paper.

                Chelsea led Willow as far away from the working Ganashes as possible in the center table. The two Ganashes that had just been whispering to each other stopped and stared at Willow as she followed Chelsea.

                When Willow took her seat, trying not to make eye contact with them, one of them got up. He walked over and grabbed Chelsea’s arm, gently pulling her away. Willow could still hear what they were saying as she awkwardly sat there and waited.

                “What are you doing letting an Amnesian in here?” The man hissed, not even trying to keep his voice down. He was older, probably in his late thirties or early forties. His hair was dark and cut very short and he had an angry set of lines etched around his eyes and mouth.

                “I’m keeping an eye on her,” Chelsea spit back, glaring at the man.

                “Do you have permission to have her in here?”

                “Yes, in fact I do. Trevon told me to go ahead and keep Willows in here just make sure not to let them touch anything.”

                The man grunted in anger, his hand squeezing Chelsea’s arm, “Trevon doesn’t know what he is doing. I’d bet Zanleas wouldn’t approve of this.”

                Chelsea yanked her arm out of his grasp, “Well, Trevon’s in charge and you’re not so there is little you can do.”

                They glared at each other for a moment before the man turned around and glared at Willow. Willow looked him steadily back, she remembered what Jasper had told her to do if she were ever scared or angry, to act fierce and pretend nothing is wrong. For some reason, she felt that acting fierce in this situation wouldn’t do much good, but she did it anyway, not knowing what else to do.

                He walked away, grumbling something that sounded like, “Letting teens take care of Willows is the worst idea ever,” or something.

                Chelsea sighed and walked back over to Willow, “Sorry ‘bout that.” She said.

                “It’s fine,” Willow replied.

                “You heard it, didn’t you?”

                “Who’s Trevon?” Willow asked, answering Chelsea’s question about hearing the conversation. She looked over at the door that said “Trevon Fiske’s Office.”

                “He’s the leader of RiverPlain,” Chelsea replied. “And Darrius is the general.”

                “Ah,” Willow replied. “So is this place, just a place for studying? Because the dude seemed seriously offended you brought me here.”

                “No,” Chelsea said, looking down at her hands. “Information about wars, battle schemes, and all that other stuff is open to all Ganashes. This is the place to find it all. If an enemy were to come in here, they would find all of our weaknesses, our plans, our numbers, our enemies, our allies, our everything. It is nearly impossible to break in here. There are Ukogorms hired everywhere around this place. Ukogorms are invisible guards you can hire. When they’re invisible, you can’t get kill them, and when they are, they’re scary as hell. We pay them a lot of money to guard these rooms. This and the Mapiasath Dormato.”

                Willow didn’t know if she should mention the fact that Michael had taken her to the Mapiasath Dormato or not, she didn’t want to get him in trouble.

                “Oh, okay.” She replied, instead. “Does everybody here think I am a danger?”

                “All the people who hate Amnesians do.”

                Willow sighed, she knew it was pointless to ask whether she would ever gain their trust. Not only pointless, but dangerous, too. She didn’t want any reason for anybody to think she was a danger. Being curious would give them a reason, for sure.

                “Well,” Chelsea said. “We’re not here to chit chat, we’re here to learn. I guess since you’re going to be killing the dragon and all, we’ll start with learning about the dragons.”

                Willow furrowed her eyebrows and raised her hand, unable to help herself, “Um, do you mean we are going to learn more than about the dragon?”

                “Well, yeah,” Chelsea replied, looking at Willow confusingly as if she was wondering why Willow thought they were going to be learning about more than the dragon. “We’re going to try to squeeze everything you need to know in one to two months, creatures, enemies, allies, map, routes, shortcuts, landscapes, leading an army—“

                “Leading an army!? Allies and enemies?” Willow exclaimed, “I thought my job was to kill the dragon, not all of this!”

                “We want to teach you all of this now,” Chelsea said. “If you’re the One, then we would prefer you’d get straight to work instead of learning the basics. So, we teach you all of this before you go and attempt to slay the dragon.”

                Willow shook her head as if what Chelsea had said was insane, “Why? That is just a waste of time.”

                Chelsea shrugged, “I’m not the one who decided this, I am just following my orders. Now, enough distractions; wait here while I get what we need.”

                Willow waited patiently and watched as Chelsea roamed around the room and gathered a large amount of folders in her arms. She walked back proudly and dumped all the folders in front of Willow.        “Here is everything we know about dragons.”

* * * * * * * * *

                In around two hours, Willow had probably learned more about a single animal than ever in her life.

                She could probably recite everything they knew about dragons after drilling herself so hard.

                “Dragons fly usually up to two-hundred fifty miles per hour, but the Incoy Dragon has been recorded to double that speed. Dragons are completely fire proof on the outside, many of them can breathe fire, though. There are a lot of weak spots on a dragon like eyes, nose, padding of feet, armpits, tail and ears. The dragon’s main defense system is to protect these weak spots, so, really the weak spots are the heavily armored spots that the dragon is not protecting. Dragons like games, they love to be challenged and love when their victim is hiding. Only one dragon has ever been slain, the Illumina Dragon was slayed by Ganash Irakris of Withall Keep. All the other dragons that have been recorded have died of old age or diseases. Dragons live up to nine thousand years. There is a legend that a girl named Kaira once tamed a dragon, but these are just myths…” Willow drawled about everything she had learned, in choppy, factoid sentences. At one point she even quit listening to herself. If all of this information was supposed to reassure her about the dragon, it didn’t. It just worried her all the more.

                I am definitely going to die.

* * * * * * * * *

                “And, you’re dead!” Alicia yelled, stabbing her sword forward pretending to stab Chris’s gut. Chris groaned and overdramatically fell to the ground, murmuring “I see the light,” and “Mom, is that you?”

                Alicia pumped her fist up in triumph, “I, Alicia Hazer, have defeated the great ogre that has been terrorizing the lands—“

                She was cut off by Michael, coming up behind her and pointing a spear at her back. Alicia froze and Michael pretended stabbed her, she fell to the ground and twitched dramatically.

                “I, Michael Midnight, have avenged the death of my best ogre friend Chris. Alicia the hero is dead, she was stupid anyway.” Michael said, lifting his spear up at the sky.

                Alicia grunted and grabbed his ankle, yanking him off the floor and knocking him to the ground, “Who’s the stupid one, now?” She teased.

                “Shut up,” Michael replied. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

                Willow laughed, she was supposed to study the map Chelsea had given her, but watching Chris, Alicia, and Michael practice was so much more entertaining. She clapped her hands and rooted for an encore. Michael got up and bowed, “I am always the star of the show.”

                Alicia pulled her tongue out at him and Chris got up, shoving Michael backwards. “Dude, you wouldn’t have been able to kill to Alicia if it weren’t for me, the ogre—“

                “Who died,” Alicia interrupted with a snort.

                Michael laughed, “Push me one more time, Chris, and I will bring Alicia back to life and un-avenge your death.”

                “You can’t un-avenge my death!” Chris exclaimed.

                “Don’t worry,” Alicia said. “Michael wouldn’t do mouth-to-mouth with me to save the world, nor would I let him.”

                “She’s right,” Michael replied. “Sorry, man. I guess you’re staying avenged.”

                “Aw, man,” Chris said, pretending to be disappointed. “Well, I am hungry, I’ll be in the dining room.”

                “And I will be doing nothing in my bedroom,” Alicia responded.

                “And,” Michael said. “I guess I am the poor guy who has nothing to do.”

                Alicia and Chris ignored him and walked out of the training room, dropping their weapons on the ground at the entrance.

                “Are you still studying the map?” Michael asked, putting his weapon back in its place unlike Alicia and Chris had done.

                “Yeah,” Willow replied. “Apparently, if I am the One I need to know my routes.”

                Michael snorted, “Need to know your routes, you have a whole map upstairs you can use.”

                “But if I am not in RiverPlain I don’t,” she replied. “Chris told me RiverPlain was the only Headquarter that had that map, but Chelsea told me that RiverPlain is the smallest Headquarter in all of the UnderWorld, why does the smallest Headquarter have such a great tool like that map?”

                “Ah,” Michael replied, sitting next to her against the wall and running his hand through his hair briefly. “It seems we—people of RiverPlain—are a lot friendlier than most Headquarters. We have quite a bit of outside friends, which come in handy quite a bit. Especially when a strong wizard makes a super amazing tool and gives it to his much trusted Ganash friend who happened to live in RiverPlain.”

                Willow laughed, “Were you the trusted friend?”

                He laughed in response, “No, do I really look a hundred years old? That wrinkle cream must not be working…” He teased.

                Willow smiled and then sighed, “I should seriously stop being distracted and start working. If I am the One—which is quite an impossibility—I don’t want to be a clueless one. I want to know the UnderWorld, you know?”

                Michael looked thoughtful, “Well, you sure aren’t going to know about the UnderWorld until you see it, huh?”

                “I have seen it,” Willow replied, furrowing her eyebrows in question.

                “Nah, you’ve see nothing,” he replied confidently, looking over at her and smiling. Their faces were about a foot apart, but Willow couldn’t help but think they were close. “After I have taught you today’s lesson, I have something I want to show you. Something that’ll give you a much better perspective of the UnderWorld than studying a map.”

                She widened her eyes in response, “You’re going to take me outside?” She exclaimed. Cirestain had made it clear not to go outside, and it had been a week that Willow had been cooped up in here, learning her lessons in combat and strategy. Despite the fact that it had only been one week, she felt like she had been here a month, like she had walked to the dining room for breakfast since she was little. “You’re going to get in trouble!” She continued, aware that she was sounding like those people who never want to break rules. She didn’t care, though. She would rather sound like a party pooper than get Michael in trouble. Punishments were harsh in the UnderWorld. Being put to death and whipped were common punishments that everybody seems to talk about it like it was normal.

                “We’ll only get in trouble if we get caught,” he replied, smiling like a kid about to steal candy from a candy shop.

                Maybe it was something about the way he was looking at her, or the way his smile was tempting her, but she smiled back, trusting him immediately, “What time are we leaving?”

                “Well, I am teaching the last lesson of your day,” he replied. “And I’ll make sure it will be a quick, we’ll probably be off by six or seven.”

                “Alright,” she said, looking away from him and back at the map. “I guess we’ll be like ninjas.”

                Michael burst out laughing, “Ninjas?”

                “Yeah, those badass ninjas who break the rules, you know?”

                He shook his head, still laughing slightly, “Ninjas it is.”

* * * * * * * * *

                                "Come on," Alicia said. "Block the hit, you wimp." Alicia swung the wooden battle axe at Willow’s head. Willow ducked just in time, the fake blade skimming the top of her head.

                Michael laughed, “And there goes Willow’s hair.” He was sitting in the corner, eating an apple and watching.

                "Come on, fruitcake, I am right behind you!" Alicia said rolling behind her. She was fast, too fast for Willow, and before she could turn around, Alicia had swung the blade and her lower back, stopping the blow from hitting a millimeter away from her skin.

                Willow exhaled, “How was I supposed to get you back there?”

                Alicia wasn’t even breathing hard, “Easy, you have to keep your guard up, for one, expect the unexpected. Second, if someone does come up behind you and you don’t have the time to turn around, just pull your elbow out like this, or swing your blade and turn your hips like this—“ She demonstrated, swinging the blade and turning her hips in one smooth movement. If there had been a person behind her, she would have chopped their heads off. “And then you would either injure them or kill them.”

                Alicia and Willow had built a relationship Willow didn't really quite understand. They were acquaintances, best friends and enemies all the same time. Alicia started messing with her t-shirt, tugging at a loose string at her chest. Willow took the moment of her guard down to swing her wooden blade and lightly poke Alicia’s neck.

                “Slow poke! Come on, fruitcake, I was right in front of you!" Willow said, laughing triumphantly and twisting Alicia’s insult right back at her.

                “What!?” She replied, looking up in surprise and confusion.

                “Never let your guard down,” Willow teased, pulling her tongue out playfully at Alicia.

                “You—“ Alicia started running at Willow. Willow shrieked lightly and started running away, but she was too slow, Alicia tackled her to the ground with a laugh and sat on her hip. “Who’s the fat lard, now, huh?”

                Willow rolled her eyes, “I will die with my dignity, or I will not die at all!” She replied dramatically. Then overly exaggerated death, pretending to be chocking and then lying still.

                “Oh, no, thy poor Willow Glasspiers has experienced the end of ye.” Alicia replied, then rolled off of Willow.

                “Michael, thy trustee servant,” Alicia said, gesturing to Michael. “Please, carry this corpse out to the garden for burial!”

                Willow couldn’t help but sputter a laugh, despite the fact she was supposed to be dead.

* * * * * * * * *

                Evelyn was folding Willow's laundry when there was a knock on the door. Willow was sitting on her bed reading 'The UnderWorld'. She was about to get up, but Evelyn held up a hand, "I got it, Willow." It was weird to call her master by her first name, but Willow had insisted upon it, not wanting to me called “Ma’am” or “Ms. Glasspiers.”

                She shuffled towards the door, knowing who was going to be behind it before she even opened it. Michael.

                Evelyn had been surprised when Michael started to come here every night, and took Willow on tours and random places in RiverPlain. Michael had always been half-awake when it came to Willows. He helped them, but never, never really talked to them. Really, as Evelyn thought about it, Michael was half-awake with everybody except for Alicia, Chelsea and Chris. It was weird to see him have an attachment to Willow.

                It was dangerous. And she'd bet fifty Gaishas he hasn't said a thing about the legend yet. And that will be quite an unpleasant surprise to Willow, especially when Ms. Korrull comes home.

                Evelyn couldn't blame Michael for being attached the Willow, there was something about her that drew everyone to her, even Alicia, who hated Willows and would make herself seem whiny so the Willows wouldn't bother her. Plus, if she were Michael, she'd get lonely too. Having to shut yourself out from people to keep from being attached to them. He was already putting Alicia and Chelsea in extreme danger of having their bodies hung on the patio, but now he was endangering Willow from the same fate.

                Michael nodded at Evelyn, and before he could say anything, she stepped back, letting Willow out. And just like that, they were both gone, her and Michael's laughter rang through the hallways.

                She prayed lightly in the Sun God she didn’t believe in. Michael was treading dangerous grounds, and sometimes danger wasn’t the best of things.

* * * * * * *

                "Here, put these walking shoes on." Michael said, handing her a pair or light, thick boots. They were tall, probably up to her mid-shins, with laces twisting up to the top.

                "Aren't we going to use a portal?" Willow asked Michael, taking the boots and slipping them on her feet, tying up the laces which took longer than necessary.

                "Modern problems; laziness." Michael said, helping Willow put some belts on. His arm came around her to attach the belt that went around the waist. It sent electric shivers all the way to Willow's feet, a pleasant feeling, really. Almost made her want him to keep touching her. "And yes, we are going to use a portal, but I want an element of surprise. I want to cover your eyes before we get there."

                Willow nodded, couldn’t help but smiling at how mildly cheesy it all sounded. She grabbed two or three weapons from the Kopor weapons shelf. Chelsea had taught her to always have weapons on her, even when you think you least expect it.

                Michael was ready, with a few weapons stuffed inside his belts he looked over at her, “Ready?” Willow nodded in response, her heart thumping with anticipation and excitement. She would get to go outside and venture and see this world, which made her ridiculously happy and eager.

                Michael threw the portal device on the ground, bringing a portal to life. Michael reached down and grabbed her hand just before they were going to jump through, which surprised Willow and distracted her mildly. They jumped through it, Willow concentrating on the feel of his hand holding hers while the wind painfully yanked her hair back.

                They landed in the middle of an almost prairie looking landscape, the grass was tall and prickly but smelled sweet like summer. The wind was strong, very strong and Willow had to squint her eyes to see where she was. "Close your eyes,” Michael said before Willow could process where she was. Willow obeyed, closing them tight. "No peeking."

                Willow nodded, trying as hard as she could not to open her eyes although curiosity was eating her alive. He put a hand on the small of her back and took her opposite hand, leading her through the forest. It was odd how much she trusted him in not taking her over a ledge or ditching her or making her run into a tree. It was odd how reassuring his touch was to her, how it made her chest squeeze. "Alright, open your eyes." He whispered, his voice sweet and low, as if excited to see her what she would think.

                Willow opened her eyes, and gasped; it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.