Defying Equilibrium

Interlude I

Interlude 1

Author's Note: I would just like to apologise if you found the previous few chapters a little too fast moving and implausible. I was having particular trouble trying to find a way that I could have Oscar and Dare learn the truth about the war without interrupting the plot line or making it seem unbelievable. Ahmed in particular has been a confusing and difficult character to write about, and I have been having trouble trying to explain the truth of the war, because sometimes the ideas are in my head and I can't put them to words. Anyway, I'm hoping that this interlude will explain some more. Or confuse you further. Either one. These interludes will basically be trips back in time. Please vote and feel free to leave me any criticisms or comments! ~xCinda

Interlude 1

7 years ago, in the Xalin Forges

Ahmed shook his head in disbelief. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't. She wasn't dead. He wanted desperately to be able to believe it, but it was impossible. Looking down at her broken body, which was not breathing, not moving. The pool of blood that surrounded her confirmed his worst fears. She was gone. His Hyouhime was dead.

He fell to her side, his hands reaching out to touch her face, now cold. He was shaking and sobbing. How could they do this? These cruel heartless men. The only person he had ever loved now lay dead before him. Her skin pale, her eyes glazed over, a silent scream on her face. He was too late to save her. He was always too late.

Her name meant ice princess, and he called her that sometimes. She would always wrinkle her nose in annoyance, as she claimed she was 'not the least bit princess-like'. It didn't matter to Ahmed though, she would always be his ice princess. She had jet black hair and soft blue eyes, and she was beautiful. So beautiful. She loved him with all her heart, and he had loved her too. He had loved her from the moment she first spoke to him, but now she would never speak again.

Ahmed's world had crashed to the ground in that single moment. All other sights, sounds and thoughts faded from his mind save for one, the thought of Hyouhime. He wanted nothing more than to fade into emptiness alongside her, but he was cruelly brought back into his reality.

"You finally arrived," said a cold voice behind him. He whipped around to see one of the Guardians standing behind him, a smile of malice on its face. "I was beginning to think that we killed her for no reason, but here you are. We knew you'd come out eventually."

The pieces clicked together in Ahmed's mind. "You...you bastards!" he cried. They had only brought Hyouhime here to bring him out of hiding. They knew that he would come to rescue her. And then they discarded her, once she was no longer needed. It's all my fault, Ahmed thought in despair. She's dead because of me. His love for her was what had got her killed. The guardian walked over to Ahmed and placed his sword over Ahmed's heart.

"I could kill you right now if I wanted to, Swordsman," he hissed. Ahmed did not have the strength to fight back any more. What was the point of fighting back when you had nothing left to fight for? They had already taken away the most precious thing in the world to him. Compared to that, his life meant very little. At that moment, he would have welcomed death.

"Who are you?" he asked in barely more than a whisper. "Who the hell are you?!" he asked again, this time shouting.

The Guardian pressed the blade slowly against Ahmed's chest, and it began to draw blood. "You best not be asking too many questions," he laughed maliciously.

"That is enough, Veren." A voice from the doorway commanded the guardian. The guardian scowled under the mask he wore, but nevertheless withdrew his blade. He did not want to incur the wrath of the one giving the orders.

Ahmed craned his head and looked up to where a figure stood in the doorway, and his eyes widened in disbelief and shock. It couldn't be...Not him...

"Hello, Ahmed," said the man, smiling down at him. A pit of rage had opened up inside Ahmed, hatred like he had never felt before. "Your little game of hide and seek is over," said the man. "I found you."

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7 years ago, in North-East Damakis City

The snowball hit dare smack bang in the back of the head. He could feel the ice cold watery ice slide down his back, soaking his coat. I glance to the side told him that Oscar had suffered the same fate. The nine-year-olds spun around to see who had thrown the snowballs at them. If you were a kid in North-East Damakis, throwing a snowball at someone was like a declaration of war. A snowball fight war.

Dare turned to face a young girl, about a year or so younger than him. She smiled at him cheekily. "Gotcha."

Dare turned to Oscar, who was standing beside him. They both knew what this meant. The girl turned and ran away as Oscar and Dare bent down and began to make snowballs of their own. They were about to throw when they realised that their target had multiplied. There were now two girls standing where the snowball thrower stood. They were both exactly identical, with their long brown hair tied in identical braids and identical blue coats and boots.

Oscar looked at both of them in confusion, unsure of which to aim his snowball at. "Which one of you is the one who threw snowballs at us?" He asked, but the girls only giggled in response.

"Guess," they said in unison. Oscar and Dare looked at each other for a minute, before shrugging and throwing a snowball each at both of the girls. One of them was bound to be right, after all.

The first of the girls squealed. "You're so mean!" she cried, before bursting into tears. The second of the girls glared at Oscar, who had thrown his snowball at the girl who was now crying.

"You made my sister cry!" She stormed towards Oscar. "I'm going to kill you!" Oscar turned and fled, closely followed by the girl, who was holding a snowball menacingly in one hand.

"Sansu, no..." sniffed the crying girl.

Unsure of what to do for this crying girl, Dare walked over and asked, "Are you okay?"

The girl wiped her eyes and nodded. "My sister is kind of stupid sometimes, that's all." She laughed, having the kind of immediate mood change that only little kids can. "I'm Liana," she added.

"Well I'm Dare. Sidney Dare." He told her. He took an immediate liking to this girl, with her soft blue eyes and gentle voice. She reminded him of a girl from a storybook.

In the distance, Dare saw a door open. A woman stepped out into the snow, looking around. "Liana! Sansu! Come back here at once!" The woman glanced around some more, then spotted Liana standing in the snow with Dare, and the other girl, Sansu, chasing Oscar around with a snowball. "Girls! Get back inside before you catch your death in this cold!"

They both turned and replied in unison, "Yes, Madame," before running back to the house, shutting the door behind them. Oscar and Dare brushed the snow off their coats, and began to walk home themselves. They talked about the two girls all the way home.

"You liked her, didn't you Dare?" teased Oscar, adding the kind of innuendo that only eight-year-olds can. This was their first encounter with the Kingswin twins, and it was not to be their last.

**Let me know what you think! Please comment***