Crayos 217:06 Nov 21 2010
Times Read: 512
[Six years ago on the planet Crayos] The vortex sucked up Montey and Sue. I drove my sword through Hermono’s head. I got sucked back to Earth.
[Earth, Preasent] “I’m really nervous bro,” Montey said to me. It was a bright and sunny, Wednesday. It was Octotber12, 1984 and my best friend was about to get married. Wow is what I thought when Montey’s fiancé walked down the isle.
“You may kiss the bride,” the preacher finally said in his squeaky little voice. Right after he said this he sneezed into his microphone and short-circuited it causing it to spark and turn his face black and ashy.
Sue, Monty’s fiancé, said, bless you and they kissed for a long time. The after party was very fun. There was a lot of dancing, singing, and happiness. Every thing was normal, or so it seemed. All day there had been something in the back of my mind forcing its way to the front, I paid no heed to it however. I was going to leave the after party when Sue and Montey asked if they could come with me. I said yes.
“Why do you get to drive?” I asked Montey.
“Because we are going to my house,” he replied.
“Yeah, but, it’s my ca…,” SMASH! I got plowed face first into the back of the driver’s seat. My nose was bleeding. “What the hell did you do that for?!” He said nothing, and he was as pale as death, but he pointed to a tree that had fallen in the middle of the road. I got out of the car to look at the tree closely followed by Sue and Montey. It was Sue who saw the three shapes sticking out of the tree. These shapes turned out to be an ax, a bow with a quail of arrows, and a sword. It was like my mind exploded, six years ago on that exactly that day we got sucked though a portal to a planet called, Crayos. I reached up to my left ear, but it was not there instead of an ear their was a hole. I do not believe that my friends saw this. I finally started to understand what had been bothering me.
I reached out for the sword but Sue stopped me, “We don’t know what these are…” I zoned out, while Sue was still yammering on, and I was looking at Montey he had a look on his face that said he clearly remembered Crayos too, so I signaled him to grab his ax. He saw me and nodded his head. We grabbed the weapons at the same time I grabbed sue and she grabbed her weapons, and we saw a flash and landed on a familiar battle field that I thought I would never see again. “Where are we? And what are we wearing?”
“We are on Crayos, and I have no earthly clue,” I replied. We were in golden armor with silver cross threads. Our weapons were now in holsters and our shields, witch I remembered from our last trip to Crayos, were on our backs. As I was admiring my new armor I saw a pile of bodies move. “Did you see that?”
“Yes,” Montey and Sue said together. Just as we were drawing our weapons a giant mechanical tiger jumped out of the bodies closely followed by a black furred wolf with a gray strip of fur on its back.
“Who goes there?” said the tiger in a familiar voice, “Who goes there?” The wolf was sniffing the air around us. Then the wolf came to me and started to lick my hand.
“Hay, Zorro,” I said to my old friend. “Hello, Bathlaroy.”
“Matthew, Sue, Montey, Is that you?” said Bathlaroy looking surprised. Sue and Montey were surprised too, by the looks on their faces.
“Yes,” I said quite calmly.
“It is good to see you again, but no time for reunions. We need to get to the palace,” we followed; Bathlaroy took us to some spade-speeders. Sue was having trouble getting on her’s, and Montey’s would not start. Mine started perfectly, but it was still pretty funny to watch my friends have trouble. “We are wasting time. Let us go.” We left for the palace when we got there we where stopped by the guard at the front gate.
“Who are these people, Balthlaroy? You know we don’t alloy strangers in the palace,” said the guard sternly.
“These are friends, and they are the three legendary generals who have not been seen for six years,” He replied.
“Oh? Prove it,” I withdraw my sword and swung it at a tree next to the gate and cut it in half. “Ok. I believe you.”
“I thought I recognized that voice,” I said so suddenly it made everybody jump, “Hi, Ally.”
“Hi, Matt,” she said as she took off her helmet. “It is good to see you again, and your nose is bleeding. Come on let’s go in side.” I wiped my nose, and we followed her inside. We went to her room. “How are you guys?”
“Very confused,” we all answered together. “We were leaving a wedding and Montey suddenly stopped the car, and we saw our weapons in tree lying across the road.”
“Whose wedding did you attend?” Ally asked curiously.
“Ours,” Montey and Sue said together.
“I am very happy for you,” she said smiling.
“How are you Ally?” I asked her politely.
“I am fine! Why do you ask this?” she said all of this very fast, and her face was white as a snow covered forest, so I could tell something was wrong. The subject was changed quickly and was not brought up again. We had supper in the great hall with no one else their.
“I wish you great luck tomorrow,” the page said to Ally as he has poured Montey a drink.
“What is tomorrow?” I asked curiously.
“If you must know tomorrow is my 21st birthday and it is also my coronation to become queen,” she said this as if she did not want it to be.
“That is great, Ally, you ge…” Sue started to say, but again I zoned out because I was looking at Ally. She was very sad, and I saw tears running down her face. I saw her eyes they were bloodshot and red from too little sleep. She saw me and looked away smiling. I supposed she to remembered the incident between her and me last time I was here.
We got rooms across from Ally’s, Sue and Montey got a room together, the room I got was very nice it had dark crimson drapes, a large bed, and a wardrobe. I took off and put up my new armor and went to bed, reliving all my memories from being on Crayos last time.
I got up before dawn the next day and made a birthday card for Ally, and went to the training grounds. I was still a little rusty because I had not practiced for about four years. I looked up at the tower and saw Ally on her balcony reading the card I made for her.
She seemed very happy all day the chefs even made her a huge cake for the accusation. She was happy until she had to prepare for her coronation. She had locked her self in her room and refused to come out. Everybody was getting really worried when she got some of her cool back and let me and only me come in.
“Ally,” she looked up, her eyes were bloodshot from crying, and she seemed beyond angry, “everyone is worried about you and they don’t know what’s wrong.”
“If you are trying to get me to go to the coronation you have failed,” she replied angrily.
“I just want to know what is wrong.”
“Seven years ago today my dad was slaughtered by Hermono at the battle field were we me…e…,” she started crying again. I bent over and hugged her, she stopped crying when I let go.
When I came out of her room everyone asked me what happened and told them all the same thing, “She is not coming out and I am not going to make her.” I only told Sue and Montey what she told me, supposedly everybody else already knew. Balthlaroy figured out what was going on and moved the coronation to the next week.
I got up at dawn every morning and trained. For the next few days everything was normal until Sue had taken some sort of pregnancy test and it came out positive. So, Sue was thrilled, but Montey told me this is the craziest honeymoon he ever imagined. Ally was happy as ever.
Ally got us up at dawn the next day with a grave look on her face, and we went to her room, “Guys?” we nodded to show she had our attention. “I have something to tell you,” she sighed, “Hermono is still alive.” I suddenly remembered shoving my sword though his head.
“How?” I asked.
“How? Matt killed him in battle,” Sue blurted out, “didn’t you?”
“No, I stabbed his leg immobilizing him. When you got sucked though the portal to Earth, Hermono burst though the door, so I drove my sword though his head.” I told them.
“You missed his brain by an 18th of an inch. We took your sword out cleaned it, and hung it up with Sue’s bow and Montey’s axe. Then we cleaned Hermono’s wound and put him in a crypt, but the next day the body was gone. The day after that, he came running to the palace. We where surprised to see his body, but when we saw him alive, everybody started freaking out. We managed to push him back to his old fortress, and we have started the whole war over it seemed.”
“Is that why we came here,” she started to cry and nodded. I suppose she did not want to get us involved, but she had no choice. I started to think of Hermono, I remembered that blood red eye, his short black hair, but I mostly remembered that bone chilling laugh of his. I shivered, but my friends did not see this. Later, Montey and I were sparing, Sue and Ally were talking about what to name the baby from the stands.
When it was time to go to bed I said good night to every body, and just as I was going to get in bed Ally was at my door. “Do you remember what happened between us six years ago?” she asked.
“Yes, I do I will never forget that,” I felt a grin spread across my face. Ally giggled, and came up to me.
“Matt,” she kissed me, and I was kissing her. She broke away and said, “I like you a lot, and I want to be more than just friends.” I did not know what to say. I liked Ally as well, but it wouldn’t work. I researched, when I got back the last time, how far Crayos was from Earth. It turned out to be over seven billion light years away from Earth. I had even become an astronomer, and I picked out the exact star in the in the sky from Earth.
“Ally, I like you to, but it would not work. Earth is seven billion light years away. I am going to have to go back some time,” I told her sadly. She did not talk to me the next day.
A week later we had been on Crayos for three months now, and I was finally starting to get use to being there. Ally was talking to me again; I started to teach her about the universe, black holes, stuff like that, but she was most interested in stars and super novas. I told her how I was ridiculed for saying Crayos is real. We got off the subject, and I pointed out the earth in the sky. Ally had even given me a job as an astronomy teacher in the palace. I even made a telescope in my spare time.
“What is that?” she said looking at the telescope cursorily.
“Look though it,” I replied. She was amazed when she saw the sky though it. She pointed out stars and planets I had taught her. I told her about the telescope and how it worked. When I was half though explaining how light refracted in it to see Montey came running in.
“Guys, you have got to see this!” he ran out the door. We followed, no sooner had we got to the training grounds had we seen a gigantic pillar in the middle of it. I went over to it and saw a picture of a head with cogs in it.
“Guys, it is Hermono!” I ran from it and grabbed my sword ready to fight. It opened up, and out stepped Hermono and a giant lion.
“My old home, it is good to be back,” he gave an evil smile and walked to me. “It is good to see you again. How is the ear, Matt?” I did not say anything. I was too mad to. I hated Hermono because of my ear, but I was also scared of what he would do to Ally, whom I secretly loved.
“What are you doing here?” I said quickly. He started to walk to his sword hanging on the wall in the great hall.
Sue stung her bow and pointed it at Hermono, “Go away, or I will shoot.” I could tell she was bluffing, and so could Hermono. He continued to walk to his sword. Sue pulled back the string on her bow and released. It stuck in the back of his leg.
“You will suffer internally for that!” he took the arrow out of his leg, and grabbed his sword. He ran toward Sue blade up. I jumped in front of Sue and attacked Hermono. “Protecting your friend, yes? No matter, I will finish what I began with you’re your ear!” we fought for about 5 minuets. Then Hermono knocked my sword out of my hand was about to strike when something flashed above me. I rolled out of the way, and a young man about twenty was fighting with Hermono above me.
He knocked Hermono’s sword into the air caught the hilt pointing both swords at Hermono he said in a deep and gradual voice, “Leave this place and don’t come back,” Hermono could tell when he was beat. “Here, you will be needing this,” he said giving Hermono back his sword. He nodded and left. “You need to be more careful,” he said as he helped me up. I picked up my blade, and looked at the man. He was about my height. He had shaggy dark brown hair and hazel colored eyes. “Are you ok?”
“Fantastic,” I said sarcastically. “Who are you?”
“My name is Julian.”
“Nice to meet you. Just to let you know I don’t trust you,” I told him and it was true, all of it. Ally’s coronation was the next day. It was a glorious accession, and nothing bad happened, but the preacher did slip on his robe and drop the crown which I had to pick up. Other than that it was a great success.
Julian got the empty room next to mine, and he started to spend a lot of time with Ally.
“Why do you hang out with him?” I asked her.
“Because I like him, and he can actually be with me,” I could she was still sour about me telling her we can’t be together.
“I just don’t think he is right for you.”
“Why?”
“Because… uh…”
“I just think you’re jealous.”
“What if I am?”
“Than get over it. I’m with some one else now,” she did not talk to me after that, so I had to do other things to occupy my time.
I started to focus on a mid-term assignment I was going to give my give my class. They had to design and make a telescope and use it to map out the stars seen from the palace. Most people made a telescope the best they could; they were pretty crappy but still worked.
I was grading the maps my class made when I herd a knock on my door. I went to answer it when it burst open. Julian was pinning to the wall and I could not breathe.
“Stay away form Ally you stupid little boy. She is mine and if you do anything to stop that you will most likely end up dead,” he said in a raspy voice. I could tell he was not bluffing. I looked him in the eyes and they seemed to have a red glow to them. He let go of me and went back to bed or so I thought. The next morning I woke in a dungeon cell. I saw Sue, Montey, Julian, and Ally coming towards the cell.
“I would be most, beneficiary if you could tell me why I’m in here,” I said this plainly without thinking.
“We would ask you the same question,” Julian said in a mocking kind of voice.
“Well I can’t tell you what I don’t know,” I replied calmly, “now let me out, will you?”
This was the wrong way to react I would soon find out. Montey came as close as he could to the cell door, as I thought he was opening it I went up to it, and punched me in the nose sending me flying to the floor. “How could you, Matt? We are your friends and I you cared more about us to do what did?!” Montey started to do something I’d never seen. He was crying.
“What in the hell are you talking about?” I said rubbing my nose. I did not know what was going on, but I knew I had to with Julian.
“Don’t act innocent, Matt. We both know what you did.” I still did not know what they were talking about. “We both know you tried to rape Queen Ormona and kill Generals Sue and Montey.” I could not believe what I was hearing. I knew I would never do anything like that. My friends knew it too, but the last thing I remembered was grading maps.
“You know very well I would never do any thing like that, and I was in my room grading papers.” I knew they did not believe me, but how could they if I really did do those things why didn’t I remember?
“Your punishment is that of death, you will be executed at dusk tomorrow,” Ally was crying as she said this so were Montey and Sue.
I spent me last day thinking about what I had been told. I was turning it over and over in my mind. The execution was to be done by Montey with my own sword. I still did not believe anyone when it came time. I was drug to the training grounds and put to a stump. Ally told me aloud again why I was there and my crimes. When she had finished Montey walked up and drew my sword. I knew I had one chance, so I took it. I broke out of the guards grip and ran just ran to nowhere. I ran out of the gates and into the woods and kept running I did not stop till I was completely void of energy.
I looked around I saw nothing familiar nothing at all. I was lost on a strange planet, no friends, no family, the woman I cared for most hated me. I had nothing; I couldn’t do anything but sit there with my thoughts.
“I have to have been set up,” I said aloud to the trees. “There is no way hell I would do those things, right?” No one answered. I thought of people with a grudge against me. I thought Hermono at once but he would have been heard half of his body being made of metal. I then thought of Julian I never trusted him. I suddenly remembered him coming in my room and telling me to stay away form Ally. He liked her as much as I did. I remembered the red tent to his eyes, and then I remembered something I saw on his shoulder up his sleeve. A tattoo of a head with gears spinning inside, I remembered he came out form nowhere; he gave Hermono his sword back, he gained Ally’s trust to fast. He had to be a robot Hermono made. It all fit, the red eyes the killer grip, the brand, his trying to get close to Ally. I had to warn her, but I was wanted the three that would believe me hated me, there was no hope.
A couple of days after I ran I got used to being alone but wanted company. I forged for food and used a rock to make a crude sword of wood. I was on my branch were spent the last to nights when I heard something. I figured dinner. I jumped down on top of it and was thrown off with the force of a bull. When I finally saw what I attacked I was overwhelmed with joy.
“Balthlaroy, Zorro is that really you?” I looked at them they looked weak and needed rest.
“Matt, there is no time for hellos we need to get to the palace quickly, if not sooner,” the metal tiger I called my friend was damaged he had holes in his plating the size of spears.
“What happened?” I was worried about my friends scared Julian might hurt them.
“Julian tried to put down Zorro because he is loyal to you and when I tried to stop him I was deemed a traitor,” He was sad to say these words. He wanted to be with Ally and so did I.
“You need to rest tonight, you’re hurt. Besides we need a plan any why,” I told him forcibly.
“We have no time Julian going to marry Ally tomorrow and if we don’t get moving we may be too late,” I was outraged by this news and my two friends knew it well.
“What are we waiting for than? Let us go,” I said, “I found out that Julian framed me to get close to Ally. I also found out he is a robot made by Hermono. He has a brand on his shoulder.”
“We know,” he said calmly we started to ran full pace to the palace at this rate we would get there by dawn. We said nothing, but we did not need to we shared a psychic link because of our hatred to Julian. I was dawn when we got there. They had already started the wedding. Outraged and non-thinking we busted the door open and stood framed there.
“Arrest those three,” Julian yelled. All the palace guards as well as Montey and Sue gathered around us. I took out my wooden sword and every one laughed at me and my weapon. Julian walked up to me and pulled out of a holster to his side my sword and stood in a false but convening duel position. “You three are trespassing and not to mention past crimes you have committed.”
“You can drop all this bull shit Julian,” I was talking so every one could hear me, “I know what you are. If you want try to prove me wrong. Prove you are not and I will let you kill me fair and simple.” He did not react to this he did not know how. I walked up to him and slashed his shirt off his body. “You think that is a tattoo? You’re wrong, it is a brand.”
“You are right as ever, Matt, but I got this because I was a slave for him once, but I escaped.”
“The people you are trying to convince know you are lying. I know for a fact as well as Montey, Sue, and Ally, that Hermono’s fortress is on a tiny island in the middle of a huge lake. There are no boats and his staff are nothing but robots. So, tell me again you were a slave,” I took all my strength and delivered a blow to Julian’s right arm breaking my sword in pieces as well as his arm. Every one was too shocked to say they just looked at a heap of wires and metal where blood and bone were should be. “I know you set me up so you could turn the last remaining glimmer of hope these people have to Hermono.”
“You are correct,” he said in his raspy voice. He ran, unbalanced, toward me. I tripped him and caught my sword. He got up and said something in some other language, but I knew Hermono was coming.
I sliced off the android’s head and threw it at the wall smashing it, “That transmission he sent was telling Hermono he had been found out, so unless you are a warrior I suggest you hide. Ally, I am really sorry all this happened, but I need you to go hide with Balthlaroy so he can keep you safe,” she was crying and did not know what to do so I did it for her. I kissed her, her lips were as soft as ever, “I love you, and I don’t want to lose you. Please go with Balthlaroy and if possible try to fix some of his wounds.” I walked away and stood there outside the door waiting for him for the last battle.
While I was standing out side I herd a scream. I ran inside it was Sue, “Montey get doctors, now! You are about to become a father.” As soon as I said father he passed out cold. “Ally you have medical training, help Sue.” I ran to a table grabbed a cloth and rolled Sue up in it. I took her to my room and told Ally to stay there. I went back down stairs and told the palace doctors what was happening. I had to get up Montey so I punched him in the face as hard as I could.
It worked, “Why did you do that?!”
“Half to get you up, half for revenge,” Montey ran up the stairs as fast as he could to his wife now in labor. I told all soldiers to come outside, and that is what happened only three were missing Sue, Montey, and Balthlaroy. Zorro came up next to me and looked me straight in the eyes. His eyes were as golden as the evening sun, and they were full of concern and caring.
I saw them coming, their numbers far overwhelming our own but I kept my head and waited. They stopped when they saw us and Hermono walked out. I too walked out, “Hello Hermono how are you?”
“You are a very unusual man, Matt,” I wondered why Hermono said this but I gave it no more thought.
“It ends now,” I said in a loud inspiring voice. Hermono and I crossed blades and the battle was on. I was fighting not for revenge as last time but for Ally and my friends. Zorro stayed close to me all the battle. We kept blocking not attacking as though testing each other. I stopped and what surprised me was that so did Hermono. He stuck his sword in the ground and we fell ten… twenty… thirty…forty… I lost count. We landed on what seemed to be a shrine to a girl that looked just like Ally, but with blue eyes. I looked at Hermono and looked at his human eye it was the same gray eyes that Ally had.
“I never thought I would be here again. Matt,” he was not the same man. I saw him go over to a picture of the woman, a man, and a little girl. “Are you ever wondering what it would be like if some thing never happened?” It was a strange question, but he had. He often wondered what life would be like if he had never said go riding in Montey’s shiny, red, jeep. “It is time you knew who I am. I am Ally’s father. Hermono and I had been friends long before I became king. We looked alike so much that people thought we were twins. When I became king I made Hermono my advisor. One day I was leading the army to a safe house, but was stopped by my friend he had over heard a plot to kill me and insisted I go back. I told him I can’t the army had to get to the safe house, so we made a plan to switch places. I became Hermono and he became king. He was in an old field when they were ambushed by an entire army. Every one was died even Hermono. I couldn’t bear to face my subjects as their coward king, so I made Ally ruler. I was in some ways a better dad for spending more time with Ally, but she insisted on riding her spade-speeder so I came with her. I saw a glare of light reflecting off a knife held by a man aiming for her. I got in the way of the knife and…”
“It cut your hand you lost control of the speeder and it ran over you,” I finished his sentence I understood it now. Hermono had died as king two years before I got to Crayos. For the first time I recalled him picking up his sword form a skeleton with a crown. It was Hermono who I got his sword. I had been fighting the king all the time. This shrine was to Ally’s mother from the king. I knew why Hermono tested me with all the trials: the lake, to unlock the thunderbird spirit; the wolves, to see if I was willing to slay another for love; the woods, his ability to survive; Julian, my problem solving skills. I had been watched from the very moment he meet Ally.
“Matt, I want you to kill me so I can be with my wife and so the people won’t fear me anymore,” I did not want to kill anymore, but I wanted to do one last thing for this old man. “Take good care of my daughter, Matt.”
“I will,” I gripped my sword and shoved it at the king’s heart. He fell to the ground finally at peace. I took the old thunderbird amulet and summoned the thunderbird. I grabbed the king’s body and laid it next to his wife’s crypt.
I could not think of anything but Ally as I rode my spirit out of the hole in the ground to find fighting, just senseless violence of arrogant people. I held my sword on high and thunderbird summoned a storm but when it did it was snowing. A gentle powder of frozen water, everyone looked up to see me holding sword on high. We had won the war.
I wanted to see my friends, but mostly I wanted to see Ally’s shimmering beauty again. I rode to the ground. It was covered in a thick layer of snow. I went inside and up the stairs as quick as my legs could carry me. I opened the door to my room and there were Montey and Sue gazing at a little boy in a towel. I was happy to see they were all happy and unharmed. I exited and left the family at peace. I went into Ally’s room and out to her balcony. I wrapped my frozen arms around her and we stood there watching the twilight sun cast its play of colors.
The next day I woke in bed next to Ally. I was happy for this all to end. I got up, put on pants and went to the balcony. Everything was covered in a foot of snow. It was a morning of the saints, everything was at peace. I went down to the great hall and looked around the walls were the same as they had been forever. I hoped and I did not it was all a dream. A wild, improbable, dream, but I knew it was not.
The next two weeks Sue was in bed, and Montey was busy changing diapers. Ally was fixing Balthlaroy, and I myself was back to teaching. All was calm. We were in the great hall to celebrate Sue out of bed. Every one was happy, and all was serine. There was something in my mind of longing of friends gone away.
The moment I thought this the all too familiar vortex back to Earth opened in the wall. I had made my choice at once. Sue and Montey got there son, Matthew, who they named after me, and walk to the portal.
“Come on, Matt,” Montey called, but stepped back.
“I have made my choice. I’m going to stay on Crayos with Ally,” everyone was staring at me as though I was insane. “There is nothing you can do to change my mind.” Ally was aw struck; she did not know what to think of what I said. I went over to her. “I told it would not work, but I’m going to make it work.” She kissed me. I went to my Sue and Montey, “Take care of everyone back on earth.” We shook hands and they went into the vortex.
A couple of weeks later I asked Ally to marry me. She very happily said yes. It was a day to remember. I was nervous and understood what Montey had felt.
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