Chapter Ten

                           Painful Memories

      “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” asked Aldrich for the hundredth time this hour.

    “I’m sure,” Fudo said.  His grandfather had been bugging him ever since his last fight with the Chosen One.  They had reached his house only a few minutes ago, but the whole walk there had been very annoying for Fudo.  And it didn’t help that that stupid Water Tribe boy had almost broken his nose.  They had done some real damage to each other.  And the girl, she looked like she had been knocked cold by how hard she was hit.  Fudo hoped that she was not seriously injured.  Aldrich had been tending to some of his smaller injuries, all the while asking if Fudo wanted anything.

    “Alright then, if you’re sure.” Aldrich walked out of the guest room that Fudo would be staying in, closing the door behind him.  This room had red walls, ceiling, and floor.  It had a small window above the bed.  It also had a dresser, a table and a desk.  Fudo sat down on his bed and folded his arms.  He couldn’t go back home, he had gone too far this time.  He had finally crossed the thin line keeping him with his remaining family.  He could hardly remember the last time he had really been home.  He had only been able to stay because Etera had made his father agree to it.  But he was always looking for some reason to throw him out, to dispose of him.  All that Fudo wanted was his father’s love and approval. He wanted to make him proud, as Sam always did.  Sam could make him proud no matter what she did, she was perfect in Soren’s eyes, a perfect child that never did anything wrong.  In his eyes, she was all a parent could wish for:  smart, talented, and strong.

      No matter how hard Fudo tried, no matter what he did, Soren never seemed pleased; never thought any higher of him than a failure, a disappointment.  Fudo had just eliminated two of the three choices he had of returning home.  He had one choice left, and he would carry out with it.  He would stop at nothing to prove himself to his father, to prove that he was not worthless, that he could make him proud.  Ever since he could remember, he had had an unusual talent.  If he looked into someone’s eyes, he could tell how they were feeling.  Not quite like mind reading.  He could only sense emotions and things of that sort.  Sometimes he could sense if someone was plotting against him, but it was very rare that he was able to sense that.  

     Fudo laid his head down on his pillow, remembering his old life, back on Solaria.  Before anyone had disappeared from his life, and before his life had disappeared from him.  Before he knew it, he was dreaming about it.

     “Hey, watch this!” Sam shouted to her two friends, Darcy and Mitzu.  Fudo sat himself down on a marble bench to watch too.  They were outside the Fire Tribe palace, in the courtyard, the Solarian sun beating down on them.  The palace was located near a volcano, and which made everyone from the Fire Tribe feel comfortable.  The palace was made of lava stones, painted red to match the color of the Fire Tribe.  The courtyard was filled with grass and trees, and there was a very small pond, though the water was so murky it was hard to tell if there was anything living in it.  Sam had been showing off for her friends all morning, but neither of them seemed to mind.  She did this all the time.  She would invite her friends over to play, but all she did was show them how talented she was.  It made Fudo sick.  All she cared about was herself, and that was all she’d ever cared about.  She certainly didn’t care about her family, except for Soren, but the kind of affection she showed toward him wasn’t love.  She did it to suck up to him, and become his favorite—not that she wasn’t already.  She was the favored child of Soren, and Fudo had learned to accept it.  Sam ran forward, jumped and did the splits in midair, shooting fire out of both her feet.  Then she landed gracefully.

     “Wow that was great, Sam!” said Mitzu, clapping enthusiastically.  Darcy lazily clapped twice and crossed her arms.  Fudo had no friends, Soren always seemed to make sure of that.  So, whenever Sam had her friends over, he would just watch.  Though he was rather fond of Darcy, she seemed like she would make a very good friend.  She was understanding and gentle, and always seemed to know what to say.  She seemed more interested in Fudo than Sam, and often the two of them would sneak off together and explore the palace, while Sam played with her other friends.  Darcy was the only friend he had, at least, the only thing close to a friend.  Mitzu had one younger brother, who came over sometimes, though he was not here today.  His name was Dunlap, and it was very seldom that Fudo saw him.

     “Hey, Fudy!” Sam shouted over to Fudo.

     “Stop calling me that, Sam!” said Fudo, through gritted teeth, she always called him that in front of other people just to embarrass him.  Just because she was a year and a half olde, she thought she could treat him any way she wanted.  

     Sam ignored him. “Do you want to play with us?  We were going to play hide and seek.  But that game’s no fun with only three people.”

      Fudo stood up suddenly, anger coursing through him. “No I don’t!” he shouted.  He could scarcely remember the last time he and his sister had played together without fighting.

     “But Fudo, we NEED you to play,” Sam said more sternly.  Fudo saw her red eyes flash.  He could see through them that she was trying to trick him into doing something.  She wanted him to go somewhere, and she thought that this game would lead him to that place.

     “Now Fudo,” said a voice from behind him.  Fudo turned around to face his mother Ediera. “You should go play with your sister for awhile.”

     Fudo scowled and crossed his arms angrily.  He loved his mother more than anyone in the world, but sometimes, she seemed ignorant of how Sam really was.  Fudo didn’t want anything bad to happen.  He knew that if he played with Sam, then she would somehow trick him into getting himself into trouble, just as she always did.  He wouldn’t fall for it.

      “But Mom, all she’s doing is showing off.  Beside, she’s probably too busy boasting about how talented she is to even think about wanting me to play with her.” He cast a sidelong glance at Sam, who was blowing a raspberry at him.

     Ediera turned to see what Fudo was looking at and Sam stopped immediately. “Why don’t you go play with her for awhile, okay?” She leaned in close to him so only he could hear. “I can promise you that you won’t get hurt.  If she does anything to you, come to me.  But stay away from Soren today.  He has a meeting with your grandfather.  I have to go there as well, so make sure to stay away from the throne room.”

      Fudo nodded and stomped over to where the three girls stood.  Sam gave a quick glance at their mom to make sure see wasn’t looking, then stuck her foot out and tripped Fudo.  He landed face first on the ground.

      “And you, Samantha....”

     Sam’s head snapped around to look at her mom. “Yes mother?”

     “I saw that,” said Ediera, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re seven years old and princess of the Fire Tribe.  I expect better of you.  You are not to hurt your brother.  Do I make myself clear?  If I hear that your up to one of your little tricks again, then you will be in big trouble.” She waited until Sam muttered an apology, and then said, “Now please try to be a little quieter.  I just put Koria down for her nap.” She walked off, leaving Fudo alone with Sam and her friends.

    “Alright, I’ve decided that we’re not going to play hide and seek.  We’re going to play a new game, and this is how you play,” said Sam, putting her hands behind her back. “First, Mitzu, come over here.”

     Mitzu walked over and stood in front of Sam, bouncing on the balls of her feet.  Mitzu was very loyal to Sam, and looked up to her.  She thought very highly of her, and  always did whatever Sam told her to do.

     “Okay, the rules are simple:  one team tries to capture the other team’s base.  But first they have to find it,” said Sam.

     “So basically, it’s like capture the flag,” interrupted Fudo, he didn’t like that Sam treated him as though he was stupid.

     “Let me finish!” Sam said impatiently. “Yes, I guess it is sort of like capture the flag, but there are bases instead of flags.  The way you capture a base, is to stay in the base for one minute, and no fast counting.  Other then that, it’s the same as capture the flag.  You’ll be teamed up with Darcy, got it?” Fudo rolled his eyes and nodded, though he was glad that she paired him with Darcy, and not Mitzu or herself. “Good.  You go over with Darcy and make plans and a base.”

     Fudo walked over to Darcy, who had sat down under one of the trees.  When she saw him, she quickly stood up and walked over to him, she was blushing slightly—she always did that.

     “So, I guess we should make a base?” said Fudo, crossing his arms, even though he was glad to be with Darcy, he was not exactly glad that he had to play with his ‘perfect’ sister.

     “Right, well…uhh…” Darcy looked around carefully, her face still slightly red. “How about we make our base inside?”

   “We can do that?  I thought we were just playing outside.” Fudo, of course, did not care about his sister’s stupid game, but still, it was better than just sitting and watching.  Though he would much rather be playing with his little sister, Koria.  He noticed in Darcy’s eyes, a slight flicker of remorse.  He wondered what was wrong with her.  Could it be that she was going to try to help Sam take Fudo to wherever she wanted him to go?  He knew she’d never do that. 

     Darcy shook her head. “We can make it inside if we want.” Fudo nodded and followed Darcy as she walked into the palace.  They were walking down a long hall that had many doors and other hallways leading off from it.  It was the main hallway of the palace, but there were many more.  The last door in the hallway opened up to a staircase that led up to the next story, where all the bedrooms were.

      “Here, I’ll go look for a base over here,” said Darcy, pointing down one of the hallways.

     “Okay, I guess I’ll go look over here then,” said Fudo, gesturing to a closed door. “We’ll meet back here in five minutes.”

     Darcy nodded her approval and started at a run down the hall.  Fudo turned to the door and opened it. He was now in the kitchen.  He walked around, examining all the places that might make a good base, but he didn’t know where a good place would be.  Under the table seemed too obvious.  Behind the refrigerator seemed too small, and the only other door in the room led to the throne room, which Ediera had told him not to enter.  Fudo was about to leave to kitchen when he heard the door open.  Sam walked into the room, hands behind her back and looking around curiously.  When she saw Fudo in the room, he saw here eyes flash again.

    “So, Fudy,” she said, walking over to him. “You’re in here too.  Mitzu’s still looking for a place to make our base in the courtyard, but I know she won’t find anything out there.  I see you and Darcy split up as well.”

     Fudo gave her a dirty look and opened his mouth to say something, but Sam held up a hand to silence him.  There were voices coming from behind a big door that was on the other side of the room.  It was the door to the throne room.

       “Come on,” Sam said in a whisper, grabbing Fudo’s upper arm and pulling him over to the door.

    “Sam, we’re not allowed in there, Mom said,” Fudo said quietly.  He now understood what Sam was playing at.  She knew that there was a meeting going on in there, and she knew they weren’t allowed to attend.  She was going to try to trick Fudo into barging in there, looking for a place to make his base.  Then he would get into huge trouble for interrupting.  He scowled at her as he realized what she was trying to pull.

     “You know, we’ll BOTH get into huge trouble if we go in there.” 

     Sam ignored his warning.  She grabbed Fudo by the wrist, and, dragging him over to the door, pushed it open a crack so they could hear, and see, what was going on.  Fudo’s grandfather Carden, the current Fire Chief, Soren, and Ediera, were in the room.  Carden was sitting in his throne, and Soren and Ediera sitting on the floor ten feet away.

     “We must do it!   He could very well be a Chosen One!  We all know how much he wants this war to end.  He could turn on us any day now!” said Soren, slamming one hand down on the floor.

     “There is no way that he is a Chosen One.  If he is, I’m sure he could have saved his daughter with his Defensive Power!” boomed Carden.

     “But Father, his Fire Powers are so strong that—“

    “Silence!  How dare you suggest that I  kill my stepbrother?  You know that he is supposed to take my place after I die, which may not be that far off.  He will take my place until he thinks that you are ready.  Since I don’t think that you are ready to take the throne yet, I am making him the next Fire Chief.  How can I do that if I have him killed?  How can I, my son?” Carden yelled as he stood up suddenly and walked over to Soren so he towered over him.  “You are not going to be the one on the throne and you know it!  You’re unbelievable!  I know you just want him out of the way so you can rule!”

      “No, Father.  I’m just being reasonable!  Think about it!  I heard that he is building up a secret army and planning a coup!”

    “Lies!  I know that he would never do that.  He would never betray me.  We have been friends for over fifty years, and he has never shown any trace of disloyalty towards me.  I can’t believe that you could be so selfish.  My own son has turned into a barbarian.  I will not let it slip, this time.  You must be punished for your lack of sympathy.  I’ve let it go, too many times before!”

      Carden drew back a flaming fist, about to strike Soren.  Soren put his arms over his face and turned away, he would not fight back against his father.  It was true that Soren had always been trying to steal the throne from Aldrich.  Ediera had tried to talk him out of it, for Aldrich was her father.  But she had realized long ago that her words would never make her husband change his mind.  All he cared about was taking the throne from his father-in-law.  And now he was about to pay for it.  Carden was going to burn him.  He was going to harm his own son.  Fudo couldn’t stand to watch any longer.  Even though his father had never shown him any sign of affection, he still loved him.  He was his father, and he couldn’t let this happen.

     He wrenched his arm out of Sam’s grip and ran into the room.  But he could have sworn that Sam had almost pushed him into the room. “NO!  Stop it!”

     Carden lowered his hand. “What do you think you’re doing boy?”

     All heads turned to Fudo. “I won’t let you hurt my dad!” said Fudo, trying to summon his courage. “You can’t do this, its wrong!”

     Fudo wasn’t sure about what he was doing, but he did know that he couldn’t let his grandfather hurt Soren.  He knew that Carden would not hold back:  he would have hit Soren with as much strength as he could muster, and Soren would be dead.  It was well known that Carden despised his son, just as Soren despised Fudo.  Fudo had always though it had been passed down from father to son.

     “How dare you deny me?  You are disgraceful.  You are dishonorable!” Carden yelled.  He drew back his hand again, this time, aiming at Fudo.  Fudo turned away, covering his face with one arm.

     “Father, no!” Soren said, standing up quickly.  His face showed only fear, not a trace of concern, which did not surprise the small boy.  But what did surprise him was that his father had actually stopped Carden from hurting him.  It was the first time he had ever done anything of the sort.

     “You are no better then him.  You raised him to be like this!” boomed Carden.  He was turning red with rage.

    “Father, no, please, you can’t hurt him, he’s only six years old!” Soren pleaded.  He sounded as though he was speaking to his executioner.  Fudo noticed, that as his father’s eyes flashed, they turned momentarily gold, as they were supposed to be, but they resumed their red color after a second.

     “You are right, it is your fault.  You must be punished for raising him like this, and for betraying Aldrich!  You will lose him.  That will be your punishment, you will lose your only son.”

     Carden once again aimed his flaming fist at Fudo, who was whimpering.  How could his father just sit there and watch?  Why wouldn’t he save him?  Fudo knew that this would be the end of him.  Carden would hit him with all of his might, and he would die, right in front of his parents, and Sam, who was watching through the door.  But at that moment, Sam fell through the door, and landed on her side.  Fudo looked around to see her normally calm face looking very nervous as she looked from Soren to Carden.  For a moment, Fudo though he saw tears in her eyes.  

     She stood up quickly and brushed herself off. “Um… sorry, I was just um…” She looked nervously from her father, to Carden again. 

    “It’s alright, Samantha.  You can stay if you wish,” said Carden, though he did not lower his hand.  Sam nodded eagerly and sat down next to Soren.

     “Wait, Fudo, you’re free to go,” said Ediera suddenly.  Carden turned his gaze to her. “Please, I have an offer.  Fudo, Sam, leave, now!” said Ediera, though there was something strange in her voice that sounded as though she was speaking against her will.  A single tear rolled down her cheek.  

     Carden lowered his hand and nodded.  Sam stood up, ran over to Fudo and pulled him back over to the kitchen door.  She pulled the door behind them, leaving it slightly open as she had done before.  Fudo couldn’t bear to watch anymore of this.  He pulled away from Sam and tore out of the room, leaving Sam alone at the door.  Though she did nothing to stop him.  He had fallen for Sam’s trap.  She had managed to get him into that room.  Fudo felt sick to his stomach at the thought of what might have happened to his father if he hadn’t been there.  He had saved Soren’s life.  He tore through the hallways, and passed right  by Darcy. 

     When she saw him, her black eyes filled with tears.  As he ran, he thought he heard her whisper, “I’m sorry, Fudo.”

     But he didn’t stop.  He kept running until he reached his room, where he hopped into his bed and buried himself in his covers.  He wanted to forget everything he had just seen.  He wanted it to all go away and disappear as if it were no more than a nightmare.  A simple nightmare.

    The older Fudo woke with a start in his grandfather’s house.  He was breathing heavy and was lying on the floor, he had fallen out of bed while he was sleeping.  He stood up and sat down on his bed.  His childhood memories always haunted his once pleasant dreams, putting him in a state of total depression.  He had always wondered what had really gone one that night.  It had been driving him insane for the passed eight years, ever since that night.  He wondered if he would ever find out what Ediera’s offer was.  There was a knock at his door and he said, “Come in.”

     Aldrich entered, wearing a worried expression. “Are you alright?  I heard a thump up here.” He came over and sat down next to Fudo.  Fudo nodded and turned away from him.

    “Are you hungry?” Fudo shook his head. “Are you thirsty?” Fudo shook his head again. “How about a bowl of noodles?  That always helps when I’m not feeling well.”

    “No.”

    “Sure?”

    “Yes.”

    “Positive?”

    “For the last time, I don’t want anything!” Aldrich knew he had gone too far.  His grandson’s short temper was easily triggered. 

     Fudo was in no mood to eat anything, and just wanted to be alone.  His uncle could do nothing for him, nothing.  He was on his own from now on.  And now that he thought about it, he always had been alone.  No loyal friend was ever there for him, not after he lost the only people he loved, not after they all left him.

     “Alright then, I’ll let you get some more sleep.” He stood up and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.  Fudo laid his head back down and closed his eyes, thinking about what had happened shortly after he and Sam went into the forbidden throne room.

    When Fudo pulled the covers off his head, he saw Sam standing in the doorway, a grim look on her face.  It had been a few hours since he had run from the throne room, and he had managed to sleep for most of that time.  He guessed that Sam had made Darcy and Mitzu go home by this time, because he could see through his window that is was dark out.

     “Hope you enjoyed your last bit of sleep.”  Sam walked forward and sat down on his bed.  Fudo noticed as he looked into her eyes, that they were not their normal shade of orange, but gold, like his mother, and sisters.

     “What are you talking about?” Fudo asked.  Her voice seemed different, like she actually cared, like she actually meant what she was saying.  He was confused.  Sam’s eyes often changed colors about once a month, on the full moon, and he guessed the moonlight did something to her, as well as Soren, Carden and many others.   But only on the full moon.  He wondered if his eyes changed as well.  The eye color,however, was not what made him curious.  It was everyone’s behavior on the full moon, they all seemed…nice.   Yet all these strange things lasted only one day, then everything returned to normal, to how things usually were.  

     “Grandfather Carden’s going to kill you, Fudo,” Sam said quietly, her tone suggested that she was concerned, that she actually cared. “I stayed and listened at the door for a few minutes after you left, and you’re going to be killed.  You have to get out of here, or hide, or something!”

     He looked into her now gold eyes, searching to see if she was lying.  It was always hard to tell with Sam.  She was very good at lying, but he was normally able to find a trace of uncertainty in them.  But now, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t see anything that might suggest that she was lying.  All he found was concern, passion, and fear.  He feared that her lying skills had improved, and that from now on he would never be able to tell.

     “Yeah right.  I’m not going to believe your lies.” Fudo had learned the hard way not to trust anything his sister said, or she would just get her way.  She was trying a new approach now, she was pretending to care, to fool him, and trick him into doing her bidding.

     Sam’s face darkened. “Really, Fudo, he is.  I swear I’m not lying this time, please believe me!  Grandfather Carden’s going to kill you to punish Dad, not that he would really care though.  You’re a human sacrifice! But you have to believe me!  I’m NOT lying!” She sounded desperate, and it was almost frightening to see her like this.  Fudo recoiled as he saw, for the first time, a tear in the girl’s golden eye.  She could summon tears now?  It would come in handy for the little liar girl, she could persuade people much easier with tears. 

    Fudo crossed his arms. “No, Dad would never let him do anything to me.  He wouldn’t let him do that.”

     “What are you two talking about?” Ediera just walked into the room, she looked utterly terrified, though it only showed in her eyes.  Fudo’s hidden talent came in handy very often, though Sam, Carden, and Soren were nearly impossible to read, their red eyes were emotionless.

     “Nothing,” Sam said quickly, “we were just--”

    “Go to your room, Sam.”

     Sam’s eyes widened. “Why do I—“

    “I said go to your room.  Come on, I’ll take you there.  You can’t keep harassing your brother, Sam.” She grabbed Sam by the wrist and started pulling her out of the room.  But right before she closed the door behind her, she said to Fudo, “Your grandfather is not going to kill, you Fudo.  I can promises that to you.  Sam is lying to you, so don’t believe her.

     Fudo started muttering to himself. “She always lies.  She always lies.  Mom would never let anything bad happen to me.  Sam’s just trying to scare me like always.  I can trust Mom’s word.”

    After awhile he fell asleep.  The next thing he knew, he was being woken up by Ediera.  She was sitting next to him on his bed and was dressed completely in black.  Fudo had never seen her in black before.

     “Fudo, listen to me,” she said quietly, though there was urgency in her voice, “I want you to stay in your room for the rest of the day, okay?”

     Fudo nodded sleepily, wondering what his mother wanted.  He tried to scan her eyes for some sort of hint as to what was going on, but all he could find in them was fear and pain.  It scared him.

     Ediera pulled him into a hug. “I want you to know, Fudo, that you are a good person.  No matter what you father and big sister say to you, never forget who you truly are inside.  I know that in time, they will start trying to shape your destiny, but don’t let them.  Your destiny is something you must shape on your own.  And please, take good care of Koria.”

     She hugged him again and stood up.  Fudo looked up at her from his bed. “Mom, why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?”

     Ediera ruffled his hair. “Fudo, no matter what, I will always be with you, even if I’m gone.”

     She walked to the door. “Remember this, Fudo, in times of hardship, your greatest enemies, may become your closest and dearest friends.”

    She opened door and turned around to face Fudo again.  Their eyes met—for the last time.  Then  she turned and walked away, leaving Fudo alone and confused. But he didn’t go after her.  He would not leave his room, like she had told him.  That day, no one came to visit him while he was in his room, except a servant who delivered his food.  He wondered glumly if he was being punished.  Why had she acted so strangely, was something wrong? When night finally came, he crawled into bed and slept, though he heard a commotion coming from the palaces grounds.  It almost sounded like chanting and cheering.  Through his window, he could see a cloud of smoke rising from somewhere nearby, though he couldn’t see what the source of the fire was.  But it made him wonder.

     When he woke up in the morning, the servant was already in his room, and told him that he was free to leave.  So Fudo got up, dressed, and went to find his mother and question her about her strange behavior.  He went to room after room, but couldn’t find her anywhere.  Finally he found Sam, standing in one of the large hallways.  Her eyes had returned to their normal orange color.

    “Sam, do you know where Mom is?  I can’t find her anywhere.” Sam gave him a look that he had never seen before.  It was a look a triumph, and it frightened the young boy more than anything.

     “She’s gone.  She disappeared last night, without even leaving a note.  Everyone I’ve heard talking about it think she’s just gone for a long walk, but as for me, I think she’s dead.  You’re next, so if I were you, I’d watch my back. ”

    Fudo shook his head in disbelief, trying as hard as he could not to cry, not to believe her, but it was impossible not to.  He could see in her eyes that she was feeling very proud of herself for accomplishing something.  She had had something to do with all of this, and Fudo knew it.  It all made sense now, Ediera had been saying goodbye to him, because…she was leaving.  He had not said goodbye to her before she left.  Her words had been a farewell, a permanent farewell.

     “No, you’re lying again!” he shouted, choking through his tears.  He turned and ran.  He ran into his father’s room.  Soren was sitting alone in and arm chair by the fireplace.  Fudo walked up to him.

    “Dad, have you seen Mom?” No answer.  “Dad, I said, have you seen Mom?” Silence. “Dad, where’s Mom?!” Fudo cried.  Soren shook his head miserably and Fudo understood before he answered.

    “She’s gone.”

    Fudo woke in his grandfather’s house once more.   There were tears in his eyes.  He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.  Why must these memories haunt him, it was not his fault—or was it?  She was right there, Ediera had been right there, in front of him, and he was fool enough not to stop her from leaving, he should have seen the signs.  Why hadn’t he heard the warnings?  It was his fault after all.  He stood up and walked out of his room to find Aldrich.  When he found him, he was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of noodles.  When he saw Fudo he smiled.  Fudo sat down next to him.

    “You don’t look well at all, Fudo” said Aldrich quietly. “You should have something to eat.”

     He handed a bowl to Fudo and scooped some noodles into it.  Fudo thanked him and took the bowl back to his room.  After he was done eating he laid back down.  He had been up all last night, planning what he would do if he actually caught the Chosen One, so he was very tired and it wasn’t long before he was asleep again.  He dreamt now of when he was ten years old, just after the only girl he loved had died.  It was shortly after this that something strange happened to him.  Right after the death of the girl, he had become more powerful.  His power began to grow every day, slowly increasing.  Though he had decided to keep it a secret for his own sake.  It was still a secret to this day.  He only wished that he could have been powerful enough to save his little sister, Koria.  It was too much to bear…too much…too much….

    “How many tries is it going to take for you to get this move, Fudo?” said Soren impatiently.

     “I’m sorry Father, I’m trying my best,” said Fudo.  He had been trying to get one move for hours.  Sam had gotten this move right away, and she wouldn’t let him forget it.  Once again, he had only managed to disappoint his father.  That was all he ever did, and all he had ever accomplished.

     “Well then, I guess your best just isn’t good enough.  I’m done,” said Soren, throwing his arms in the air.

     “Please, Father.  I’ll try harder,” Fudo pleaded.  Soren shook his head and walked out of the training arena.  Sam walked over to Fudo with her arms crossed and looking pleased.  Fudo would have just loved to smack that smug look off her calm face, to show her that he wasn’t as weak as she thought, that he was more powerful than she was now.  That he had changed.

     “Maybe that move was just too hard for you Fudy.  I’d have thought that Fudo, ten year old prince of the Fire Tribe, could have gotten that move.”

    “I’m just tired is all,” Fudo said defensively.  She didn’t understand, she never would. He couldn’t tell her about who he really was, about what he had become, the burden of it always weighted him down, like a heavy weight on his shoulders that was too heavy to carry alone.

     “Uh-huh, I see.  Well then I guess if you’re that tired you should go take a nap.” Fudo scowled and stormed off.  He decided that he’d go for a walk around the neighborhood.  He walked out of Master Chung’s house and into the sunlit streets.

     Once he stepped outside, Etera was coming up the front walk.  He smiled at her but she frowned.

     “What’s wrong?” Fudo asked his stepmother.

     “Carden was killed last night.” She continued walking until she reached the front door, then stopped, opened it and walked in, closing the door behind her.  Fudo stared at the closed door, mouth open and eyes wide.  Carden, the Fire Chief—dead?  He snapped out of his trance and ran back through the door, slamming it behind him.  He ran back to the training arena to find Etera, Sam and Soren all standing around a large messenger bird.  The bird took off and soared through the open window.  Etera was holding a scroll, her eyes darting back and forth as she read.

      “How did Grandfather die?” Sam asked.

     “He was killed when the Metal Tribe bombed the palace,” said Etera, reading the scroll through again.  Soren snatched it from her and read it to himself.  

     Fudo walked up to them and asked, “Is it true?  Has Fire Chief Carden really been killed?” Soren nodded solemnly and rolled up the scroll then handed it back to Etera.

     “What does it say?” demanded Sam.

     “It is an announcement that your father will be the new Fire Chief, and there will be a ceremony in four hours, so you two had better get cleaned up.” The whole family went back home and got ready for the ceremony.  Fudo put on a dress robe that he had worn on his, and Koria’s birthday.  It was bright red and had a low collar.  It came down to his knees and was lined with yellow.  Sam was wearing something very similar except that it came down much farther on her.  Etera was wearing something to match Sam, and Soren’s looked almost identical to Fudo’s.  Once ready, they made their way to Chung’s house, for this is where the ceremony would be held. 

     When they got there, there were people all over the front yard, waiting to be let in.  Chung answered the door,  and everyone filed into the large house.  They were all headed to the great hall.  When they walked into the room, there were rows of tables, all facing a large marble throne.  Everyone sat down at these tables, quietly deciding where to sit.  Fudo’s whole family walked up to the throne and they lined up in front of it.  Chung was standing in front of them, in one hand a scroll, and in the other, a crown.

     “Good evening everyone!” said Chung loudly. Everyone fell silent, all eyes were upon him. “Today we celebrate the day that Soren, second son of Fire Chief Carden, takes the crown.” There was a roar of applause. “And we are also here to pay our respects to our previous Chief, Carden.”

     Everyone bowed their heads as Chung said some things about Carden.  He praised how Carden had been such a good chief to his tribe, and how he had ruled it so well.  Then, when Chung had finished, Soren walked forward and sat in the throne, and everyone, including Sam, Etera and Fudo, bowed as Chung placed the crown on Soren’s head and bowed as well.  Fudo cast a sidelong glance at Sam, who had the same triumphant look she did the day Ediera disappeared.  It scared Fudo more than any other look she had ever worn.  

    Then Chung stood up and said, “To our new chief!  Fire Chief Soren!”

     Fudo woke up once more in his grandfather’s house.  He had often had flashbacks about the night his father had become Fire Chief.  He wanted so badly to have a peaceful night sleep for once.  He would only try one more time, and if he couldn’t get a decent rest, then he would just have to give up.  He would only be able to sleep for about fifteen more minutes at the most anyway.  Why did his father have to become Fire Chief, why couldn’t it have been Aldrich, or someone else, anyone at all? He rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes once more.

    Fudo was walking around the neighborhood, looking for his father.  He wanted to show him that he had finally mastered a difficult move.  Then he heard his father’s voice coming from down an ally way to his right.  He turned and walked down it.  He came to the other side and saw his father standing in front of a very skinny woman from the Light Tribe.  There was a girl hiding behind her, clinging to her legs.  She looked about six years old and was whimpering.  There was also a line of about ten soldiers standing behind Soren.

     “For the last time, hand over the girl!” boomed Soren.

     “No, you’ll never get her, never!” said the woman, sidestepping and hiding the girl from view.  Fudo knew what his father was doing.  He was going to kill the girl.  He went around once a month, the day after the full moon, and killed any young kids or babies that belonged to families against Romokka.  He did this so the resistance would grow smaller and Romokka would be able to take over easier.  Fudo hated his father for this.  He must have lost track of time, but it must be that time of month again. 

    Why couldn’t I have brought my stuff?  Oh well, I’ll just have to go without them this time, but I’ll have to change my style…Maybe he’ll come without a fight once he sees it’s me, Fudo thought.

      Soren jerked his head to signal his soldiers.  Two of them grabbed the woman and pulled her away from the girl, while another grabbed the girl by the arm and threw her down in front of Soren.

     “NO!” the woman cried, trying desperately to break free from the soldiers.  Soren drew back his hand, which now had lightning swirling around it.  Fudo couldn’t stand it.  He ran out and stood in front of the girl, a look of determination on his face.

    “What do you think you’re doing?” said Soren, hand still up.

    “Father, please, you can’t kill a little girl like this!  It’s not right!” said Fudo softly, hoping his father would listen.

    “Move, Fudo.” Fudo stood his ground.  By now, the girl had started crying, and so had the woman. “I said move, Fudo!” Soren’s voice was rising.

    “Killing her would be no different than killing me.  Please, she’s never done anything to you, she’s just a child.  It would be no different than killing me!” 

     He wouldn’t really kill me, thought Fudo.  He’ll lower his hand any second.  But Soren did not lower his hand.

      “You are in no place to bargain, Fudo.  If you want to get me to leave this child alone, you must do it by force.  Prove to me that you have what it takes to be the next Fire Chief.  Prove to me that you can fight without remorse or regret for the pain you’ve caused.”

    Fudo lowered his gaze.  He couldn’t hurt his own father, but then, if he didn’t, the small girl would be the one to pay the price. “No, Father,” Fudo said at last, “I won’t fight you.  I don’t want to hurt—“

    “You see Fudo?  This is what I’m telling you about!  You don’t have a killer instinct!  Without it, how do you expect to rule?”

    “Father, please, I’m only asking you to spare the girl.  Please, you have to!” Fudo scolded himself mentally.  I am a fool!  How could I have thought that he would come easily if I just asked him?  I should have brought—

     But his thoughts were interrupted. “What is your decision, Fudo?”

     Fudo closed his eyes, he could feel it deep in his heart, his father did not care…for anyone. “I won’t fight you.”

   “So be it.” There was a flash of white light, then everything went black.  The next thing he knew, he was lying on his back.  He heard voices.

    “How could a twelve year old boy—or anyone for that matter—have survived a blow like that?” said a very anxious voice.

    “I don’t know.  By the looks of it, this blow was meant to kill!  And did you see the strange mark it left?” Fudo opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see out of his left eye and there was a sharp pain on the left side of his chest.  

     The first thought that came to his mind was, He didn’t really do it.  I just passed out or something.  He reached up and felt there were bandages wrapped around the whole left side of his face.  Then he put his hand to the left side of his chest. He was wearing a loose, white vest and under it, were more bandages. There were two people standing over him, one was Etera and the other was a nurse from Solaria.

    “Look, he’s awake!” Fudo sat up and rubbed his head.  He heard the sound of footsteps and, the door to Fudo’s room opened and Soren walked in.

    “Get up,” he said to Fudo.

    “But sir, he needs rest,” the nurse said in a small voice.

    “Get up!” Fudo got up slowly, overbalanced and fell back on his bed.   He couldn’t stand, he was too weak, too tired. He couldn’t feel anything anymore, it was a fact now, he could no longer deny it, his father thought him a miserable failure, he had to accept that.  But over all of his injuries, the things that hurt the most was his heart.  His heart hurt, he could feel it, it felt heavier than usual, and was weighing him down.  Every breath he took seemed to hurt him, almost like a pulled muscle in his chest, the pain was all too real, it had finally consumed him, after all these years, he finally gave into the pain.  He let it run through his veins as his broken heart pumped the blood of sadness through his whole body.

    “GET UP!” Fudo stood up one more time but did not fall, he pushed back all of his feelings as his sadness threatened to take him over, he could let that happen.  He pushed away all of his emotions, he felt numb; he couldn't feel anything anymore, he was empty.  The only thing he could feel now was the stinging on his face, and the sharp pain in his chest. “Good, now, you,” he pointed to the nurse, “bring me a mirror.” The nurse did as she was told and grabbed a mirror of Fudo’s bedside table. “Remove the bandages on his head.”

    “But, sir—“

    “I said, remove them!” The nurse walked over to Fudo and slowly unwound the bandages from his head and handed him the mirror.  Fudo gasped as he saw a large, blue mark that now covered a third of his face.  It looked like a blue bolt of lightning, almost like a tattoo, like a blue scratch that zigzagged across his face, starting in one place, right above his left eyebrow, and splitting off in many directions, moving downwards, covering almost the entire left side of his face.

     “You, see?  This is what you get for interfering with how things are done.  And for doing so, you are now banished!”

    Etera gave him a critical look. “No he’s not!  He’s only twelve years old!” Soren gazed at her for a moment and nodded.

     “Fine, you will lose the privilege of the throne.  Sam will be the one to rule, not you.” Fudo looked hopefully at Etera for support, but none was given. “Unless… you capture five—that is half—of the Chosen Ones to prove that you support the way that I run my tribe.”  Fudo lowered his gaze to the floor.  How was a boy supposed to capture five of the more powerful people of all the Solarians?  He did not support the way his father ran his tribe at all, but he would try, so he could someday inherit the throne.  “Or, until you have learned the meaning of war.  If you kill someone, or demonstrate an act of great loyalty to me, I will lift your punishment.  But until then, it looks like Sam will be the one to rule.”

    Fudo woke in his grandfather’s arms back at his house.  He could feel the deep depression settling itself in his heart once more, but pushed it away, hiding his true feelings with the usual scowl.  It had become his face, his mask.  It hid how he was really feeling, and it worked.  Aldrich looked at him with wide eyes. “Fudo, you were having a bad dream.”         

     Fudo shook his head. “I’m fine, grandfather.  Stop worrying.” Why did Aldrich always have to interfere with everything, why could he just let things go?

      “I think you have had enough sleep for now,” said Aldrich.  Fudo nodded, not wanting to put himself back into anymore of his painful childhood memories, there was only one left now, the most painful of all, and he didn’t want to relive it. “I think I might have something to cheer you up.” Aldrich grinned at Fudo’s puzzled face.

     “What could possibly cheer me up?”

     Aldrich’s smile widened. “I know where Dakota’s headed.”