Subject: The Legacy of a Heroine pt. 1 Tales of Pride - http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dome/7412 Soaking wet, Fox, Falco, Alton, and Flame walked into the dining hall, where the others were sitting. "Where's my brother?" Chamille asked, clenching her fist. "There's...no sign of him," Fox panted. "We looked everywhere...there was no body or any signs of him escaping...." "It's like he just...vanished..." Flame added. "And his teleportation device couldn't have POSSIBLY survived that attack." Alton concluded. "Something weird is going on here." "Figures..." Chamille muttered. Flia sighed. "Andrew has some sort of mysterious power on his side." She mused. "It must be defeated if we are to win this war." "But how in the heck are we supposed to fight THAT??!!" Falco demanded. "I know a way," the old Vizier said, walking into the room. "Commander deLeon, I'm assuming you've heard the tale of Lionel and Amalthia?" "Of course!" Flia replied, her eyes lighting up. "Dad used to tell me that story when I was a cub. In fact, it was my favorite!" "Lionel and Amalthia?" Falco asked, confused. "Who are they?" "Enlighten us, sir..." Fox added, intrigued. "Very well," the Vizier replied with a smile. "Centuries ago, the planet of Leonias was inhabited by two different species, the Leols and the Unizars, a species of unicorn. The Leols and Unizars grew possessed with hatred for each other. They were constantly at war with one another, fighting for dominion over all of the planet. However, the youngest prince of the Leols at that time, Lionel, fell head over paws in love with Amalthia, the youngest Princess of the Unizars, and she fell in love with him as well. It appeared that their love would never survive in the turmoil of war." "Lionel and Amalthia had no idea what he should do. They consulted the ancient Oracle of Leonias, who gave them a sceptre...which became known as the Imperial Lion Claw Sceptre. The Oracle told them that this sceptre could bring peace to all Leonias and that they could be together forever." "According to legend, the two lovers appeared on the battleground, both of them holding the powerful sceptre. Bewildered, both the Leols and the Unizars stopped fighting. Lionel and Amalthia raised the Sceptre high in the air. It began to glow, and it filled the air with a bright purple hue. All the evil in the hearts of the Leols and Unizars was destroyed, and they were given a peace never known before. They were happy with one another, and saw beyond the exterior." "The two lovers were married, and, even though they were not the rightful king and queen over either kingdom, they were considered guardians of the Peace of Leonias." "Since then, there has been a prophesy of a heroine to arrive in the days to come, who would, with the help of the Imperial Lion Claw Sceptre, defend all that is good from evil powers of darkness." The Vizier took from his cloak the sceptre. It was indigo-colored with golden trim, and at the top of it was what looked like a golden lion's paw surrounded by two wings. From the paw emerged three black "claws", obviously the reason for the Sceptre's title. "Flioness deLeon..." the Vizier spoke once more. "I place into your care the Imperial Lion Claw Sceptre. It can heal that which is good, and destroy that which is evil. Use it wisely, and make the Guardians proud." Smiling, the old lion placed the Sceptre into Flia's paw. "I..." Flia was speechless. "Oh, and you'll also need this," The Vizier continued, pulling from his cloak a headband made of silver. Encrusted in the silver headband was a purple stone. "This is the headband worn by Amalthia. It honestly holds no power, but it supposedly holds the spirits of the Guardians." He handed the headband to her, and she slowly slipped it onto her forehead. "I'm...so...confused..." Flia finally muttered. "Why me? First I'm named commander of CS...now I'm some sort of guardian for the sake of good..." She sighed. "I don't think I'm worthy." "It is your destiny." "How do you know?" "Because..." the Vizier said with a smile, "The Guardians told me." Legacy of a Heroine pt. 2 "OK!" Flia sighed. "This will have to be a ground trek." She turned to Chamille. "You're from Venom; you know that terrain?" "You've gotta be kidding!" Chamille replied. "I know the cities...but we were never let within a thousand kilometers of the base!" "Then we need someone else..." Flia mused. "Someone who knows the ins and outs of the area." Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "That's IT!" she darted toward the Whiteclaw. "No..." Katt muttered. "She CAN'T mean..." "Oh yes she can!" Chamille cried with a grin as she ran after Flia. "Wait for me!" ~*~ "Ah...finally I have some company," Wolf said with a smirk, as Flia and Chamille walked in front of his holding cell. "I wouldn't be so curt if I were you," Flia replied. "You may be outta the frying pan, but you had better watch it before you fall into the fire." Chamille nodded. "You can trust us, Wolf, but you better be careful if you want OUR trust." Wolf nodded silently. "We need your help," Flia continued. "Oikonny has some sort of strange power on his side, and we need to find out what it is, and destroy it. However, this requires a ground trek, and you, being most familiar with the territory, will be required to help us." "So you're saying you need my help..." Wolf mused. "Yes..I said that already..." the lioness replied, growing rather impatient. "What's in it for me?" Wolf asked. "Think of this as the ultimate test of loyalty on your part." Flia replied. "If you prove your loyalty and help us, you needn't be worried about being turned in to the Cornerian military. However, if you prove yourself untrustworthy..." "I understand." Wolf answered with a nod. Flia nodded back. "It's not everyday one gets a second chance like this," she said. "You're lucky." She paused. "We start in a week. It's not likely that Oikonny will attack before then, so I suggest you take the time to review your memory of the area in your mind." With that, Chamille and Flia walked out of sight. ~*~ "A-alton?" Flia stammered, walking into the room where the silver lion sat alone. "Hi, Flia..." he mumbled. There was something distant in his voice, and Flia noticed it right off. "Is...something wrong?" she asked, sitting beside him and laying her head on his shoulder. "Everything's wrong..." Alton replied, slowly peeling Flia off of him. "Flia...the other day...before the ambush...I was gonna ask you to marry me..." The lioness gasped. Alton flinched, but then went on. "But...I've thought about it....I've thought about everything...and I've decided..." he paused and took a deep breath. "It's...over between us." "What?" Flia asked in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. "Why?!" "I...just want to FLY..." Alton explained. "I just wanna be young and free...while I still can. We have YEARS to worry about love...and when we're ready to settle down, we'll be prepared to do so. I, for one, want to live life to the fullest." "And I'm...just...in the way?" Flia asked bitterly. Alton remained silent. "Very well...." she said through tears. "If..you think it's best. Just...don't...forget me." Alton smiled warmly. "I'll never forget you, Flia," he replied. "I wouldn't want to." He then took her in his arms and kissed her, perhaps for the last time. Legacy of a Heroine pt. 3 "What's with Flia?" Fox asked, walking into the dining hall. "She's still bummed about the breakup," Chamille sighed. "She's REALLY takin' it hard," Perria added. "There's NO WAY she'll be able to go on the mission like THIS!" As if by clockwork, Alton then stepped into the hall, and Perria began to growl. "Well...I'm outta here..." he muttered. "You're LEAVING?" Chamille asked blankly. "Yeah," Alton replied. "Thinking of joining the LSF...or perhaps starting my own group." "How COULD YOU?!" Perria barked. "Flia needs you now more than ever... how could you just...run out on her?!" "I don't have much choice..." the lion retorted. "Sides, it might be best that we don't see each other...for a while..." "Aye Carumba..." the chihuahua sighed. "Well, I can't stop ya...jes...keep in touch wi' her...let her know you still care." "I will," Alton replied with a nod. "I couldn't just keep her outta my life. I still love her...I just..." he paused. "Well, I guess you get the idea." "Yeh," Perria grumbled. "See ya," Alton sighed as he headed towards the hangar bay. ~*~ Flia lay on her bed, her face wet with tears. Several letters were scattered all over the bed. Each bore a different message, but had three words in common, as well as the familiar signature of he who wrote them. Wiping her face, Flia picked up a letter separated from the others. It was the first loveletter he had written her since they had fallen in love. She then picked up a rose that had been left beside her door...a consolation prize for losing in the game of love. Staring at these tokens, Flia kneeled silently on her bed as the tears continued to stream down her face. "I...love...you...Alton..." she whispered, as if crying out for another chance one last time. ~*~ "Dude, you can forget that mission," Chamille muttered. "With Flia like this, there is just NO WAY we'll be able to do it." "Are you sure?" Fox asked, concern in his voice. "Positive," Chamille replied. "She can't even leave her bed right now, she's so miserable. "Poor thing..." Fox sighed. "Well, I guess we'll just have to cancel...." ~*~ "You mean he dumped you?!" A holographic image of a young squirrel with short wavy blonde hair cried. "Why?" "He just...didn't have time for me...I guess..." Flia muttered. "That's BULL!" The squirrel retorted. "How could he not have time for ya, huh?" the lioness just shrugged. "There's another woman back home, I'll bet." Flia glared at the squirrel. "Starla, I seriously doubt it." she muttered. "'Sides, what difference does it make? Either way, he's gone." "Well, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!" Starla retorted. "What's his comunit number?" "9298," Flia sighed. "Now don't do anything rash, ok? I don't want you driving him even further away..." "I won't, I won't..." Starla assured her. "Starla out..." Her image disappeared. "She's out all right..." Flia sighed.