Chapter Thirteen

Rose questions her reason for being a Guardian...

    Rose walked timidly towards her door. So many thoughts were racing through her mind at the moment, but, there was only one which remained a constant. Why? Once she reached her door, she took a long, lingering look behind her. Asha and Tygra had already entered through their doors; Jade, however, stood just before her door, staring back at her. How can I do this? She caught Jade giving her a slight nod. Rose nodded back then faced her door, a slight smile on her face.  At least she believes in me.

    Even though with her new found encouragement, her palms sweated as she grabbed the door's handle. She turned it to the right until it clicked open.

    Rose took one last glance back to Jade. She was already gone. Rose smiled again. She really does trust me… though before she could do, or even think of anything else, there was a powerful wind coming from behind the door, pulling the handle from her grasp, ripping the door open before her. The wind began to curl around her frail figure before pulling her through the door.

    Afraid, she closed her eyes. "What's happening?" Rose felt herself come to a stop as something sturdy could be felt beneath her feet. She opened her eyes.

    All around her were swirling winds. She gasped. What is this? She looked to her feet, her eyes widened in fear. Though it felt as if she was standing on top of a sturdy floor, her eyes told her different. Beneath her, all she could see was a swirling tunnel, reaching hundreds of feet off of the ground below. I-is this a tornado I'm in?

    She let out a little yelp as the swirling winds around her began to speed up. Before her, she could see a miniature tornado begin to form, barely reaching three feet in height. Curiously, she watched the spiraling winds dance before her, almost in a luring manner. She took a step forward and the winds before her vanished at once, leaving behind what looked to her to be an altar made of stone.

    Rose narrowed her eyes slightly at the altar. On top was a hooked blade nearly two feet in length from the tip of the blade to the handle. Attached to the small handle, which was only long enough for a one handed grip, was a long golden chain reaching down to her feet. At the very end of the chain was a small ball; the symbol of wind was etched on all sides.

    Rose shook her head. "What's going on?"

    "Don't be afraid."

    "Who said that?" She questioned, startled by this mysterious voice seemingly coming out of no where.

    "I am the Spirit of Air." The voice answered in a sweet, sort of bubbly, tone. "But, I would like you to call me by the name of Wind."

    "Why am I here?" Rose urged on as she looked on toward the altar.

    "To receive all of the powers which are rightfully yours." Wind said in a straightforward, yet kind, tone of voice. "You should know this already."

    She shook her head. That's not what I mean." Her eyes locked back onto the altar with her destined weapon. "I cannot take that weapon…I'm not able to wield such a thing."

    "But you will; once the knowledge is released that is."

    Rose shook her head once more, this time closing her eyes. "I cannot bring myself to hurt another living being….Not even an enemy." She opened her eyes then looked towards the whirling winds. "How can I possibly be one of the chosen Guardians? I can't stand the thought of violence!"

    "It may seem impossible to you now, but there will come a time in which you will have no choice but to fight."

    Rose shook her head. "If I were never chosen, I would not have to worry about any of this."

    "So, when your friends would have vanished, what would you have done? Brush it off as if it didn’t concern you?"

    Rose remained silent. She wasn't quite sure what Wind was getting at. Of course she would do all she could to find her friends. But that wasn't the case. Right now, there are lives on the line. Some being on the side of good, while others were evil. She just couldn't bring herself to even think of fighting another person, let alone taking their lives. She didn't want to be the one to put an end to someone's life, no matter what the case may be.

    "I'll take your silence as a yes."

    "No." Rose said sternly as she looked to the weapon. "I would not just brush my friends off to the side like that."

    She heard Wind give a short laugh. "See? When the time comes for you to fight, you will understand what I am saying to you. For now, take the weapon before you, Chosen One."

    Rose bit her bottom lip anxiously as she took a step towards the altar. Will I really be able to do this? She stopped before it, her gaze falling upon the silver, hooked blade. Her hands shook as she reached out for the handle and chain; the handle gripped tightly within her right hand, the chain within her left. To her surprise, the weapon was incredibly light within her grasp.

    Just then the whirling winds surrounding her stopped for a brief second before they came straight at her. She gasped, raising her hands in front of her, waiting for the winds to knock her off her feet. However, they whirled around her before disappearing all together. She lowered her hands, this strange sensation coursing through her veins. Is this how it felt to have the power of a Guardian?

    Rose looked down to her weapon once again and sighed. Can I really do this?

    "You will be able to do this Rose." The voice stated, causing Rose to jump. "You, as well as your friends, were chosen for this for a reason."

    "What could possibly be a good enough reason to have me as a Guardian?"

    "Your blood."

    Rose narrowed her eyes. "My blood? What does that have to do with any of this?"

    "Each of you has the blood of the Guardians coursing through you." Wind laughed lightly. "They are you ancestors."

    Rose's jaw dropped. One of the previous Guardians was her ancestor? She never heard of anything like this in her family background…but then again, how far does her family tree date back? The previous Guardians must have died hundreds of years ago. Of course there would be no records.

    "Wait, wait a second." Rose said shaking her head. "Our ancestors? If that is the case, what are the odds of the four of us being friends?"

    "True, it does seem a little far fetched. But listen, Rose; you and your friends share a special bond with the elements. And yes, even though there are times the elements react badly with one another, the truth is, once together they work as if they were whole. They are a perfect balance which makes both our worlds function."

    "Both worlds…if this is the case, how come we were in our world and the previous Guardians were here?"

    "Because they wanted their families safe. At the time, this world was far worse then it is now, and now our world is in a pretty harsh state. They wanted their families safe so they sent them to the other world, which was free of such tyranny at the time."

    Rose closed her eyes. "Must have been hard."

    "It was. Don't forget, they were human as well. But, in their minds, it had to be done. So it was…" Wind remained silent for a moment before continuing on. "But, that is all in the past now."

    Rose crinkled her nose. "A little harsh don't you think?" She couldn't bear the thought of leaving her family or her friends behind, let alone actually having to do so. The previous Guardians, their ancestors, must have been strong women, both physically and emotionally.

    "A little harsh maybe," Wind began, "But true. It is the way of life to experienced hard times, only to have them be buried in the past once you pass away." Rose remained silent once again, not knowing what to say. "Rose, it is time for you to return to your friends. I told you all of which I could. Hopefully, if you have some unanswered questions, you'll be able to find those answers in your quest to defeat the Dark Lord, Caleb."

    Rose smiled slightly. "I don’t know about that, Wind. But, thank you for your help."

    "You're quite welcome, Guardian of Air…Now, in order for you to return back to your friends, I need you to close your eyes."

    "Close my eyes? Why is that?"

    "Because the transportation method in which we, the spirits, use give off a rather brilliant light. If you don't close your eyes, you will be blinded."

    "Oh! Oh, wait minute." Rose said as she took the chain within her hands and wrapped it around her waist. Once the chain was wrapped a few times, she then raveled the end of the chain around the hook's handle; the chain hung loosely, yet durable, above her hips. She the, closed her eyes tightly. "OK, ready!"

    Within moments, Rose's body was surrounded by a golden light, causing a slight chill to run down her spine. After a few seconds more, she was gone from within the center of swirling winds, still pondering whether or not she would actually make an honorable guardian to her element.