[Part 5] A/N: Sorry it's been awhile, I have been busy trying to make a name for myself amongst the community of Elysium. (Leveling/Training)

The village was absolutely magnificent in Ebony's eyes. Bustling people everywhere, so many faces it was hard to tell one from the next in a calm frenzy like this. Buildings, tons of them adorned either side of the dusty dirt road, all made of stone with thatched or red tiled roofs. They were old, but beautiful and intriguing all at once. Everything in the village so far was beautiful to Ebony. People, buildings, animals, and even the road they were going along. It was lined with colorful stones that jutted out to include every single one of the rickety wooden gates of the rickety wooden stick fences that surrounded every yard.

"Welcome to the Village of Orieania!" Adano stated loudly, gesturing about for Ebony. His voice rang with pride and affection as he said the village's name. It was clear he loved this place by the smile on his face and the way his eyes were darting about.

The dusty dirt road soon turned to cobblestone, though the colorful lining stones were still present on either side of it. Due to the change in ground the horses' feet began to click as they walked along, a sound that Ebony had only ever heard in movies when she could watch them without her father going berserk. It was a noise that greatly appealed to her for some odd reason... almost like the noise her mother's dress shoes had made against the stone path that led up to their porch.

"Adano! Adano!" A flock of smaller girls, who seemed to range in age from around three or so to about ten, came barreling out of one of the nearby tile roofed houses. They immediately flocked to the side of Adano's horse, wandering along or skipping along beside him whilst chirruping up at him happily.

Adano smiled down upon the girls and slid to the side of his horse, swiftly and skillfully plucking up the smallest of the girls from the arms of the oldest. He laughed, swinging the happy child up and onto the horse in front of him. He held onto her tightly, one hand on the reins, the other around the girl's waist, keeping her close lest she fall. He gestured at the group, turning around to look at Ebony and Sage. "My sisters."

He then veered his horse to the left, halting it outside the house the girls had come running out of. He dismounted and lifted his littlest sister from Blan, swinging her up and then bringing her down to the ground completely before he let go. "There you are Morry, love." He smiled down at her and then crouched so that he was eye level with the little fair haired beauty, a hand on either one of her shoulders. "Tell Mamsa I'll be home later, before dark. Alright?" The child nodded with an adorable smile as Adano gently kissed her forehead. "Run along then, back to Mamsa, all of eight of you." The girls giggled and lined up, hugging and getting a forehead kiss from their brother before they scurried back inside. Adano sighed and remounted Blan, hitching up his reins and leading them on again.

Ebony was very curious as to where they were headed exactly, but she was still much too shy to ask. So she remained silent as they carried on along the long cobblestoned street, becoming anxious when the buildings just seemed to stop all of a sudden and the cobblestone turned back into dusty dirt. Having only been looking off to the sides due to her curiousness and intrigue with the village, she was extremely astounded when she looked directly forward. Beyond them was the most fantastic sight she had ever seen in her entire life.

Before them, in the near distance, was a wonderfully splendid castle. Built of gray stone bricks it was at least eight stories tall including all seven of it's towers, each topped off with a red tiled, pointed cap and a single flag of a different color soaring on each. There were three towers on both the east and west wall, one in each corner and one in the middle of them. At the northern wall, the one in the very back was the seventh tower, standing between the two back corner ones. The front wall or southern wall directly in front of them, had a huge wooden drawbridge where an eighth tower would have been had there been room.

As they approached the castle more so, Ebony saw that there was a moat around it, filled with the clearest, cleanest water she'd ever seen. It sparkled in the sunlight above, the colorful fish swimming through it highly visible.

"Who goes!" called a voice from the wall above as they were getting to be about a hundred feet away from the edge of the moat. The voice came from the wall right above the drawbridge itself.

"You know perfectly well who we are Thad! Now quite fooling around and let us in!" Adano called back to the voice. It seemed to Ebony, that due to his tone, had she been able to see his face, he could possibly be rolling his eyes.

"Aye Adano, but you know the King's orders ever since that stupid Great Loss!" Thad yelled back, lowering the draw bridge in the process for them. The three on the two horses crossed the drawbridge to find him climbing down the wall to meet up with them.

"Some Great Loss... All I remember is a load of commotion, my mother crying, and that blasted wall going up." Ebony could see Adano rolling his eyes this time as he continued on his conversation with Thad who turned out to be short, blond and rather chubby. He reminded Ebony of this boy at her school everyone always picked on. He didn't seem very nice either from the way his nose went up when he spotted her.

"By qui! Another girl! Please say she's a kitchen maid and not another student! There's too many girls here already. My father says it's not proper for girls to learn reading and writing and other things. They should be home baking, washing, and sewing with their mothers."

"Watch your mouth, Thad!" Sage broke out, speaking for the first time since he had helped Ebony up onto Frana. It rather shocked the poor girl and she just about fell off the horse.

"You're one to talk!" Thad sneered rather scornfully. "You can't even come to learn every day, servant boy! You're nothing more than a pathetic lackey to Adano and a scullery boy to the castle. Though, I don't blame you. If I were you I'd b-"

"Step off, Thad." Adano stated, his eyes dashing from Thad to Sage's now deep scarlet, stoney, and slightly hurt face and back to Thad. But Thad ignored him and continued on ruthlessly and mercilessly.

"-lame your mother. She's a piece of dirty, low some, smelly, pathetic, moronic, old trash. She's never been married! And yet, she's said to have sold her body to every unmarried or poor man she could until she had you! You don't even know who your father is!"

Sage looked away from them all and immediately dismounted Frana, his back turned to them. "I... I have to go.. dishes don't so themselves..." His voice was quiet and ever so hinted with anger, hurt, and embarrassment. "Take care of her, Adano." He nodded his head backwards in Ebony's direction before hurrying off across the courtyard of the castle, to a door on the far end of it, his head down.

"What'd you do that for?" Adano slipped down off of Blan and shouted out in anger. "Argh! You never use Sage's mother against him! It's horridly wrong! And you don't go around insulting girls either, they're all just as smart as you, or I, or any other boy!"

"Pfft! Sage is a coward! Any other person would man up to it and put up a fight, but not Sage! No, his mammy's taught and raised him to be just right, a simerna! I'll say what I please about whomever I please. It is my right as your future king. You know for a fact that it is I who is next in line once that old codger croaks." His statement was rather hypocritical when compared to his other statement earlier about following King's orders.

"How dare you insult our kind King!"

"As I said before. I'll say whatever I please about anyone!" Thad glared and then turned with a rather threatening look on his face to Ebony. He pointed at her and then stated in a very commanding and you-are-inferior-than-me-so-do-as-I-say type of voice. "You! Be the girl you are and go fetch me some tea from the kitchen! Make it fast, I don't want to have to wait around here for you all day."

Ebony smiled ever so sweetly down at him and swung her leg over the side of the horse. She slipped down onto the ground, leaning on her good foot so as not her harm her badly sprained ankle any further. Using the horse as a kind of support, she walked around it to stand directly before Thad. She then curtsied as gracefully and prettily as she could before slapping him as hard as she could acrossed his fat, smiling face with a resounding 'SMACK!'.

Adano burst out laughing as Thad held his face, feeling around the area where a bright red and rather small handprint had appeared. "Serves you ri-" Adano was cut off by another resounding smack as Thad whacked Ebony right on the back, knocking her down to the ground rather forcefully, causing her to land painfully on her knee.

Ebony blinked back the tears forming in her eyes, holding her arm up to block Thad as he raised his hand again, clearly intent on getting back at her more so than he had already. His hand was about an inch from her face when another hand came darting out and grabbed him tightly around the wrist, spun him around and then let go of him before pummeling him straight in the jaw. He was sent to the ground before he rose and scurried away muttering something about his father and holding his face.

Ebony blinked and lowered her arm from in front of her face as she heard Adano cheering and calling out. "You NEVER, EVER, EVER hit a girl you stupid jackass! Especially in front of him! Man… what a great punch..."

"You ok?" Ebony looked up completely to find the same hand that had punched Thad extended towards her in a kind of let-me-help-you fashion with Sage's face just beyond it, his body crouched down on one knee. She took his hand with her's and he tightly, yet every so gently tugged her up, keeping a good hold on her in case her ankle suddenly gave out as it had earlier.

"Yeah... thanks..." Ebony smiled slightly, her voice soft and quiet as she answered him for the first time since she'd met him. She had plunked up all of her courage just to state those two simple, one syllable words.

"Ah! So she speaks." Adano grinned as he tied Blan and Frana up to a nearby post that had several other horses tied to it already. Both horses immediately bent their heads forward to take a nice drink of cool clear water from the trough before them.

"No problem." Sage smiled at her rather happily before speaking again. "It's good to see you've finally decided to at least trust us a little, but do tell... What is your name?"

Ebony considered spilling her full name right then, but decided against it. Marshule would be hurt if he found out she had only given him an old nickname her mother had used... then again it seemed that everyone here so far had a nickname of a much longer name. "Ebbie." She stated it simply, slipping her hand from Sage's and leaving all her weight upon her good ankle.

"Seriously? That's a mighty short and we-" Adano begins only to have his foot stepped on by his companion and main best buddy who finished for him.

"Wonderfully pretty name. Rather unusual, but pretty all the same."

"Skiver." Adano muttered crossing his arms. "Well then, c'mon Ebbie, we should get inside to class. And Sage sh-"

"Has the day off to working extra hard and well lately."

"Why must you interrupt me twice in a row?"

Sage shrugged and stepped forward, opening a small wooden door beside where the horses had been tied up. "Just cause. Now let's move it, we're already so late it's break. And if Strutinaty stayed and Thad's told him what happened then we're completely sioped. Best not to make it worse by being even later." And with that he disappeared down a long, dark, narrow stone staircase.

Adano shrugged and held his arm out to Ebony who took it for support. Together the two made their way down after Sage, closing the small wooden door behind them.

I want to see this continued, dammit!

Maybe I'll write something of my own... That story I used in the RPG screenshot contest (I wonder who remembers that) could be it.

Sorry sorry! Haha... been busy, kind of lost interest (and ideas) in this story. I suppose I'll write up some more when I get the time. ;D

Also, I encourage you to write something of your own too! Would be nice not to be the only one around here who enjoys writing. ;) Lookin' forward to seeing something of yours, if you do decide to give it a go.

~Jabba

[Part 6] A/N: Just for you, Alitar. =^)

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Adano and Ebony found yet another wooden door, smaller, but newer looking than the door at the top of the stairs. Adano opened it, bowing perfectly for her to go before him into the room beyond. Ebony smiled at him and curtsied the best she could manage in response, having never been taught to do so before.

The room the door led into was rather exquisite, but warm and welcoming at the same time. The walls were made of stone like the outside of the castle and had various tapestries hung on them around the room. Each tapestry was a different, bold and rich color, pictures upon them as though telling a story through each. The one Ebony recognized though, was the one directly between the two floor to ceiling, glass paned windows that resided in the wall across from the door. The tapestry showed a beautiful, fair-haired lady in a pale golden dress hurrying down a set of steps, one foot bare, a sparkling glass slipper on the steps behind her.

"Cinderella." Ebony stated, gesturing towards the tapestry.

"Yes. The other ones depict fairy tales as well..." Adano nodded with a smile.

The rest of the room was just as lovely. A lush red carpet lay upon the entire of the floor, causing their footsteps to be muffled. Upon the carpet were eight different tables, made into two rows of four, two chairs behind each. At the front of the room was a larger table with a very comfortable looking armchair behind it much unlike the hard wooden ones behind the smaller tables. Behind this chair the wall looked completely and utterly smooth without a single bump in it. It completely astounded Ebony, stone being that smooth. On either side of the smooth wall, backs to the walls adjoined with it were two separate bookcases full of large, leather bound books of various colors.

There was also something else in the room. Girls, all seeming to range from maybe age twenty down to age thirteen, and boys who seemed to be around twelve to seventeen. The girls were on the far side of the room mainly, sitting on tables or in the chairs behind the four tables closest to the windows. The boys were doing the same around the four tables closest to the door. The two genders seemed to be split but meeting up in the middle to talk with one another happily and rather noisily at that.

Looking around, Ebony soon found Sage seated upon the boys' very back table. He seemed to be saying something excitedly and making wild gestures with both his hands and arms. She started to make her way over to him, leaving Adano to talk with one of the boys closer to the front of the room.

"I'm telling you, his face was bright red! It was hilarious and what makes it even better is that she's positively... Oi! Here she is too! Ebbie! C'mon." Sage waved and gestured for her to come on over. Ebony smiled and did so without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Ebbie, this is Donasi."

"How do you do, miss?" Donasi asked very politely, crossing an arm over his chest and the other behind his back before bowing to her rather elegantly. Ebony smiled every so slightly in return and moved closer to Sage nervously. Donasi seemed nice enough. He had an extremely kind and handsome type of face and calming sort of voice. His hair was a mussy dirty blond that was closer to brown than blond really. He had brightly shining brown eyes to match, like pools of melted milk chocolate. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He smiled, but then frowned at her when she didn't respond. "Are you alright? Can't you speak?"

"Don't take it too personally, Donasi, she's not much of a talker. We've only heard her say three words and've just barely gotten her name out of her." Adano smiled, having come to the back of the room to join them. "And we've been with her for a while now."

There came a cough from behind them and then a rather hostile voice stated. "Or she's just to akeana to understand how to talk without taking forever to figure out the answer to a question she's been asked." The group turned to find Thad, a patch of bandages on his face down by the lower part of his left side. Their expressions turned from smiles, to frowns and then to tearful laughter as a girl much taller than Thad but rather similar looking to him marched over and grabbed the mean boy by the ear rather harshly.

"Don't mind my brother, he's about as akeana as they come when it comes to getting along with girls... or anyone else now that I think about it." Thad's sister stated sweetly before turning on her brother with a rather menacing look on her face. "You! Leave them be you akeana calf! You just wait until I tell Mother about how you're tormenting our school peers again!" And with that she marched off once more, dragging Thad along by the ear whilst doing so. The four teenagers of the tormented group settled down and stopped laughing after a bit. The three boys began talking about some sort of ball game.

Listening to them closely, Ebony deciphered it to be some sort of mixture of soccer and baseball. One person would pitch the ball and another would kick it while the rest of the players ran forward to kick, elbow, head butt, or knee the ball through a stone hoop on either side of the field. From what she gathered, and after asking the boys about it, Ebony learned that the hoop stood three feet off the ground and was just big enough for the ball to be sent through. It was all very intriguing.

When the boys started speaking of starting up a game after class, Ebony couldn't help herself. "Can I play too?" She immediately felt as though she had grown five heads, three more eyeballs, and a set of fiery wings by the way they stared at her.

All three boys' heads had turned and had either a shocked, surprised, or holy-crap expression upon them. Donasi finally cleared his throat. "You... want to play?"

Ebony nodded and nervously swung her legs back and forth, having taken a seat on the table between Adano and Sage during the conversation. "Yes. It sounds like fun." The boys exchanged glances and Adano coughed.

"Um… no offense or anything Ebbie, but I dunno if that'd be such a good idea... I mean you are a girl after all and well-"

Ebony promptly interrupted him, placing a hand upon each of her hips and cocking her head to one side with an eyebrow raised. "So? What does it matter if-" But she was also interrupted, though this time it was by a loud bell chiming.

Every single person in the room scurried into a seat. Ebony slid off the table rather confused at this sudden change in atmosphere. Sage rose from his seat and grabbed her by the arm, tugging her over to a table where a very pretty girl with brown hair and very deep brown eyes sat. "Casa, Ebbie. Ebbie, Akea. Good? Good." Sage made a very hurried introduction before hurrying back and taking his seat at the very back of the room on the boys' side once more. Ebony, left standing there still confused, decided to sit down next to the girl and did so just as the door to the room came flying open and rammed loudly against the wall.

The entire class rose and Ebony followed suit rather hastily as a man entered the room. The boys all bowed very low in unison, stating as though robotically(?) programmed. "Good afternoon, sir." The then stood straight and proper and remained standing as the girls all curtsied (Ebony following the best she could) and stated. "Good afternoon Mister Strutinaty."

The man nodded and went and stood by the big table, his back straighter than the straightest ruler. He laid a book down upon the table and nodded to his right, the students' left. "Gentlemen." The boys seated themselves down noiselessly. The man then turned and nodded to his left. "Ladies." The girls all seated themselves down as one, just as the boys had done so mere seconds before.

Ebony wasn't quite quick enough. With her pained ankle and unknowing of what she was supposed to do. She looked around nervously and slipped down into her seat quickly. Unfortunately for her the teacher had noticed already.

"You! Up! Now!" He pointed at her with his rather knobbly and hard looking cane in a very threatening manner. Ebony gulped and rose from her chair, standing beside it with one foot raised slightly in the air so as not to put any weight on her poor ankle. "Come here then!" Ebony wobbled forward to stand in front of him and the rest of the class, shaking nervously. "Do you not respect your superiors, child? You know you are always supposed to curtsy properly and be seated at once when I tell you to do so! By not doing so it is disrespecting and disobeying me! For this you must be punished. Place your hands on the table and bend over." Ebony did as she was told and laid her hands down upon the large table, bending forward. Mister Strutinaty raised his cane high over her back in an extremely threatening manner. Realizing what he was about to do, Ebony squeezed her eyes shut, tensed up and started shaking uncontrollably at the thought of it. Her mind was so focused on this that she didn't even hear the sound of a chair skidding backwards and a pair of hands slamming down upon a table, but she did hear the voice that came after them.

"Please sir! Don't hurt her. She doesn't know any better." The voice that sounded was familiar to Ebony, though it's tone was unfamiliarly angry and seemed to be almost yelling. The teacher brought his cane down slowly, bringing it to the floor with an angry thud instead of whacking Ebony upon the back with it.

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner, Sabithage! Perhaps you would like to take her place then? She may not know any better, but you most certainly do!"

"Actually, I would, sir." The class seemed to let out a small gasp as one before going back into it's strained silence. You could almost hear a pin drop.

"Back to your seat then, girl! Sabithage! Come here at once!" Ebony rose from her rather awkward position and turned to find Sage coming up the aisle. She shook her head at him. No, she wouldn't let him do this... But he just smiled at her kindly and gestured for her to go sit. She gulped and nodded, unable to voice what she wanted to say. She headed back down the aisle to her seat, stomach churning and feeling as horrible as ever as she sat.

Sage stopped at the large table, placing his hands upon it and bending over as Ebony had just been doing only moments ago. The class watched as Mister Strutinaty raised his cane into the air and brought it down extremely hard on the poor boy's back. Sage just stood there, not wincing even the slightest with each of the thwacks as most would be prone to doing. He just blinked and survived it.

After ten loud whacks with the cane, the teacher promptly set it down on the floor once more, leaving Sage to rise from the desk rather slowly, cricking his neck and rolling his shoulders once he stood straight again. "Very well the, I hope you've learned your lesson, Sabithage."

"Yes, sir." Sage nodded and bowed to Mister Strutinaty before heading back to his seat, walking properly and primly, yet rather gingerly as well. He shot the pale faced, shaking and wild-eyed Ebony a reassuring smiled on his way past her. She returned it with a small unsure smile of gratitude and he took his seat at his correct table, hands place neatly upon it.

"Now then class..." Mister Strutinaty began. "Our lesson today shall be about respect and honor. Then we shall learn all about the letter Z, the ten two times and sixth and last letter in the alphabet..."