Warriors of Prophecy

The morning came much earlier than Rhiannon wanted it to. She awoke to find new clothes lying on a chair near her bed. That was a bit disconcerting to her because that meant someone was in her room while she slept. The person could have killed her while she slept. Throwing back the tattered blanket, she stood up from the mattress and walked over to the chair. Rhiannon reached over and brushed her fingers over the clothes. There was a brand new pair of black leather pants as well as a pair of black jeans. There was a sleeveless maroon colored leather top lying there too. Rhiannon could see several black sleeveless crop tops as well. Sitting on the floor was a brand new pair of boots as well as belt inside the boots.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she jumped. Making her way quickly to the door, Rhiannon opened it to see a dark haired woman there with a pitcher, bowel and towels in her hands. “Can I help you?” Rhiannon asked.

The woman smiled as she nodded. “Hello Rhiannon. I’m Sarah. I was told to bring you some water to bathe this morning before your training session.”

Rhiannon’s face softened as she opened up the door. “Forgive me. I’m just a bit edgy because I woke up to find all these clothes in my room when they weren’t there last night.”

Sarah brushed past the blonde woman as she brought in the pitcher, bowl and towels in. She glanced at the chair and then chuckled. “That was Prophet. He said he was gathering clothes for you. He must have brought them in while you were asleep last night. He is a kind man.” She put the pitcher on the table and the bowl next to it.

Turning around quickly, Rhiannon stared at Sarah. “Prophet brought these clothes in?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Yes. He wanted you to have both everyday clothes and battle clothes if you needed them. I helped him find them.” Sarah nodded. Her face softened. “He told me about your sister. I’m sorry about her.” She looked away. “My husband was taken by the Shadow Men last summer. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead.”

Suddenly Rhiannon felt foolish. These people suffered just as much as she had, maybe even worse. “Thank you for your kindness. I’m sorry to hear about your husband as well. Thank you for the clothes, Sarah.” She gave the woman a small smile.

Sarah chuckled as she poured steamy water from the pitcher into the bowl. “Don’t be thanking me for the clothes. Those are from Prophet. You need to thank him.” She put the pitcher back down on the table. “Here is fresh water for you to bathe. There is soap on the cloth in the bowl. Fresh towels are right here as well. After you get cleaned up he told me to tell you to meet him outside. Your training is going to start today.”

Nodding, Rhiannon headed towards the table. “Ok. I won’t be long.”

“I’ll see you a bit later today then. Goodbye Rhiannon.” Sarah gave her a friendly smile as she exited her room.

“Goodbye Sarah.” Rhiannon nodded her head. Once the woman was gone, she stripped out of her dirty and worn clothes. Now that she was naked she took the cloth that was lying in the bowl. The water was indeed steamy and it felt good against her skin. Using the cloth, Rhiannon made sure to clean every bit of her body. She couldn’t remember the last time she was clean, fully clean. Once her body was done, she used the remaining water to wash her hair as well. She grabbed one of the towels, which really was an old worn sheet, and dried her body.

After her makeshift bath, she headed over to her new clothes. She donned one of the t-shirts and the jeans. Rhiannon slipped the boots on as well as the belt around her waist. She braided her hair back and tied it with a piece of leather she found. Now that she was fully dressed she was ready to begin her training. To say that she was nervous was a bit of an understatement. Her upbringing never had her preparing for any of this. Yet times had changed. They were at war. War called for many things. All she had known was gone. She was no longer who she was. Now she was just known by one name.

Exiting her room she headed down the corridor that she knew would take her to the outside. That she remembered from last night. She saw the base was busy as people went about their daily lives. She gave them polite smiles as she passed them. Many nodded their heads in respect and murmured her name as they passed her. She hoped that the Wild Ones didn’t reveal her true identity to them. All she wanted was to be herself now. That’s what these people needed. They didn’t need the promise of a Queen to save them. They had the Wild Ones to do that.

Finally she made it through the end of the long passageway to the outside. She hadn’t realized just how vast this factory or its underground corridor system was. Climbing the stairs again, Rhiannon reached the outside. The sun was already in the sky and if she could guess it was almost nine o’clock. She walked out the open set of doors and that’s when she saw them. The Wild Ones.

All of them were standing with their backs facing her. They were all staring at the horizon as if surveying something. They were looking West, and Rhiannon knew that direction well. That is the direction she came from, the direction in which the prison lay. She hoped that they were planning to rescue her sister soon. Morrighan couldn’t reside in that place much longer.

Just as Rhiannon opened her mouth to speak, Prophet beat her to it. “Good morning, Rhiannon. I hope you’re ready to train?” His back was still to her.

She closed her mouth with a small snap as her brows rose. How the hell did he know she was there? She had been as quiet as she could have been. She felt the blush on her cheeks as she answered him. “Morning. Um yes, I am.”

Mystic and Prophet shared a sideways glance before all of them turned around to face her. Prophet’s eyes met hers and he bit down on his lower lip. Damn she looked as beautiful this morning as she did when he first saw her. He would have to be careful today. He would have to put all emotion aside and become a clean slate. This was about the survival of their people. Not about him or his wants or desires. “Good. I’ll be training you this morning, and every morning thereafter.” He informed her.

“Is that a wise idea?” Rhiannon couldn’t help ask. When she saw his eyes darken and his brows raise, she had to quickly correct herself. “I mean with you being the leader and all. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you.”

Prophet chuckled and soon the others joined in. He shook his head. “Don’t worry little one. You won’t hurt me.” He saw the look of hurt on her face because she thought they were laughing at her. “Not because you’re not strong enough but because the way I’m training you, you won’t be able to.” He told her.

Nodding her head in understanding, Rhiannon played with the end of her braid. “Ah ok.” She found herself fidgeting. Why was she so nervous around this man? She fought off Shadow Men before to end up here. So why did this man make her so skittery?”

Looking over at his friends, Prophet nodded at them. “It’s time. I’m going to take her to the Pit.”

“If you need us, call us.” Mystic clasped Prophet’s shoulder. “We won’t be far behind.”

“Enjoy training.” Destroyer winked at Rhiannon.

“I’ll see you later.” Deviant grinned at Rhiannon. He heard Prophet growling low in his throat and he laughed. “I meant at lunch, calm down.” He gently pushed at his friend’s shoulder.

“Go.” There was pure authority in the leader’s voice. “Now!” Prophet’s eyes were a blue fire.

It took a few minutes but soon they were alone. The morning wind whipped at them, sending dust flying around them. Rhiannon turned nervously around to face him. “What is this Pit you’re taking me to?” She asked quietly.

“It’s where we train. It’s not fair.” Prophet told her. He put his hand on the small of her back. “Come we don’t have much time.” He turned her in the direction of the Northwest. Bending down he handed her two canteens. “These are yours today. Guard your water well.”

Rhiannon took them. “Thank you.” She strapped them over her body. When he started to walk, she followed him. “What does this training entail?” She asked.

“First you’ll learn hand to hand combat so you can protect yourself.” Prophet started.

“I thought you said I wouldn’t be able to hurt you!” She protested.

“You won’t.” Prophet kept walking.

“But if you teach me the way you know, won’t I hurt you if I use the skills on you?” She asked. Suddenly she ran into him as he came to a complete stop. “Ooofff!” She started to fall back but two hands came out to grab her, stopping her fall. Rhiannon looked up to find Prophet staring at her.

“Do you trust me?” He asked her bluntly.

“I—well—“ She stuttered.

“Do you trust me?” He repeated. “This won’t work if you don’t trust me. You need to trust me.” His voice was softer.

Staring into his sparkling blue eyes it was then she saw the truth of it. Prophet would never hurt her. In fact she could see that he would do anything he could to save her life. That realization hit her full force and if she wasn’t in his arms it would have knocked her on her ass. Slowly Rhiannon nodded. “Yes, I trust you.”

Prophet pulled her up until her body was touching his. “Good. Then you passed the first step of training. Trust is very important. If you don’t trust your fellow Rebel, then you have nothing.” Without thinking he brushed his lips against her forehead. “Come on, we have a ways to go.” He reached down and took her hand. They began to walk again.

Rhiannon was much calmer than before. It was a sense of calm she had never felt before. She knew she was going to be alright. She would learn how to fight and defend herself and the Legion. Prophet would teach her. She would become a warrior like they were.

~ ~ ~

“Ok let’s try that again. When you come at me, come at me with all the hate and force you have.” Prophet told her. They had been at their training for almost two hours now. He had been showing her basic self defense moves and Rhiannon was picking them up as if she were born to them. He was actually quite proud of her. He had spent most of the time in the dirt as she gave him quite a beating. He hadn’t expected her to be this astute of a student, but he was glad she was picking this up.

“Are you sure?” Rhiannon asked with a hint of doubt in her voice.

“What about trust, Rhiannon?” Prophet asked her. “Trust remember?” He threw back at her. He couldn’t have her doubting herself in the field. That was one way ticket to the Lord of Death. If there was anyone he couldn’t lose in the field it was her.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, I don’t trust the Shadow Men. They have their staffs with spears on the end.” She retorted. “They will try to kill me with the spear. If I come at them with nothing, they will lunge at me. They can move on the wind.”

Lowering his hands, Prophet ran his fingers through his hair. “Good point. You have observed them well.” The last thing he wanted was Rhiannon being taken down by a Shadow Man. They were one of the most dangerous threats that they faced out in the field. If Destroyer was with them then it wasn’t a problem. But if they were alone then they to use whatever weapons they had. Speaking of weapons he knew he had to equip her with something she could handle. “I want to give you something. I think you could master them. It will take some practice though.”

“What?” Rhiannon lowered her hands and walked over to him.

“Follow me.” Prophet walked over to the side of the Pit. To the untrained eye it looked as if he were walking over to a rocky portion of the wall. Yet he ran his hands over the rocky portion and pressed. A portion of the wall moved and slid down. There were several shelves that were filled with various weapons. “This is where we keep any weapons we find in the field. We use them sparingly. Only the high ranking members of the Legion get these. Mostly the lower members make their own with what they can find. But I think you have earned what I’m about to give you.”

“I haven’t earned anything.” Rhiannon protested. She shook her head. This was too surreal. This was her first day of training. All she had learned so far was to defend herself. Surely it was what any normal Legion member knew.

“Rhiannon, not only did you escape the prison but you somehow found us.” Prophet spoke softly. “You’ve taken to the training as if you are a natural. Mystic says…you’re the light.” He argued. “You deserve these.” He took two objects out and handed them to her. They were wrapped in a brown cloth. “Here these are yours. I want you to practice using them. They could be great weapons if used properly.”

Looking up at him, she was just in shock. She felt the objects being pressed into her hands and she looked down. Slowly Rhiannon unwrapped them and sucked in her breath. In her hands she saw two pure ebony boomerangs. They were perfectly shaped and of perfect weight from what she could judge. “These are….wow.” She struggled for words.

“I want you to train with them every day.” Prophet told her. “Used properly you can disarm a Shadow Man from his spear. You can even kill him.” When he saw the look in her eyes, he smirked. “You can become as dangerous as they are. Even more so. You can become formidable. “

“When do we start?” Rhiannon smirked.

~ ~ ~

Mystic looked out over the horizon. Prophet and Rhiannon should have been back by now. The sun was setting and darkness would soon descend on the desert. Dinner had been ready for over an hour now. Everyone had already eaten and the young ones had already been cleaned up and been put to bed. This wasn’t like Prophet to be out so late without sending word.

“Has he come back yet?” Destroyer came up behind him.

Shaking his head, Mystic sighed. “No. No sign of him. Or Rhiannon.” He leaned against the doorframe as he kept watch. “The last thing I heard or any of us heard he took her out for training.” He reached up to chew on his thumbnail.

“If he doesn’t come in the next half hour, we’ll all go looking for him.” Destroyer nudged his friend. He didn’t want to voice what Mystic was thinking. There was no way that the Shadow Men got Prophet. Their leader was strong and he could take care of himself. He knew how to defend Rhiannon as well.

“Yeah.” Mystic nodded. “I should have sent someone to the Pit with lunch for them. Even dinner.”

“You worry way too much.” Destroyer teased him as he lightly pushed him.

“Someone has to.” Mystic retorted sarcastically. Then he smirked. “You know he’s attracted to her, don’t you?”

Destroyer snorted. “Doesn’t everyone?” He laughed. “You should have seen him when he first saw her unconscious in the desert. I thought he was going to cry when he thought she was dead. When she moved I thought he was going to weep with joy.”

“I’m just glad that he—“ Mystic started to say something when he stood up and looked towards the horizon.

“What?” Destroyer turned to look at what his friend was looking at.

“It’s him.” Mystic’s shoulders sagged with relief. “I’m going to kill him.” He ran his hands over his face.

Coming walking up to the base from the Northwest was Prophet. Only he wasn’t alone. In his arms he carried Rhiannon, bridal style. Her head rested on his chest as he cradled her against his body. He wasn’t moving fast, instead he took his time. Every so often he’d look down and a soft look would overtake his features.

When Prophet got close enough Mystic put his hands on his hips and glared at him. “Where the fuck were you?” He raised his voice. “We thought something happened to you!” Then his face paled. “What happened to Rhiannon?”

Prophet’s eyes narrowed. “Shhhh! You’ll wake her up!” He ordered.

“She’s sleeping?” Destroyer asked as he tried not to laugh.

“Yes. We spent the whole day training. I gave her the boomerangs as her weapons. She spent the afternoon practicing with them. She was too damn stubborn to stop until she mastered them.” Prophet sighed. “I finally told her we had to go. Half way home she started to fall asleep and I picked her up in my arms to carry her the rest of the way.”

“Damn, she’s got more fire than I thought.” Destroyer chuckled much to the chagrin of both Mystic and Prophet. “What? Come on if anyone asked you two at the beginning if she’d be this tough none of you would have thought it.”

“I’m taking her to her room and putting her to bed.” Prophet ignored him as he brushed past the two men.

“Make sure she eats.” Mystic called after him.

“If she’s hungry when she wakes, I’ll make sure there is food for her.” His leader answered back.

Watching their leader walk away, Destroyer looked at Mystic. “Yeah, he likes her.” Both men chuckled.

Prophet walked down the corridor as he bypassed others on his way to Rhiannon’s room. Thankfully it didn’t take long and he didn’t run into anyone that they knew well. He opened the door and he entered her room. He kicked the door closed. This wasn’t the first time he had been in her room. He came in last night to bring her the new clothes. She had been sleeping like an angel with her hair spread out like a halo over the mattress. He wanted to wake her up but he knew she needed her rest.

Moving over to her mattress now, Prophet laid her down gently. He wanted to undress her for sleep but he thought better of it. Instead he took her boots off and put them next to the mattress. He stared down at her and he smiled. He gently brushed her silky hair out of her face. He was so proud of her today. She was so determined to master her new weapon and refused to give up. She kept telling him that she had to learn because it was for their people. Each time she said that he wanted to hug her. The only real stake she had in this was her sister in the prison. But already she accepted all of them as her people. That meant more to him than she’d ever know.

Suddenly Rhiannon stirred and moaned softly. “Prophet?” Her lashes fluttered.

“Shhh I’m here little one.” Prophet caressed her cheek. “We’re home now. You can rest. Sleep now. You did so well.” He kept caressing her cheek.

Rhiannon gave him a sleepy smile. “Thank you. We’ll train tomorrow as well?” She yawned.

Letting out a small laugh, Prophet nodded. “Yes little one. We’ll train tomorrow. Right now you sleep. Goodnight Rhiannon.” He bent his head and brushed his lips against her forehead. But there was no sound. She was already fast asleep. He couldn’t help himself. Prophet bent his head and very gently kissed her lips. “Goodnight little one.”

Notes