Chapter 12: The Ninja Apprentice

A hard surface welcomed Prince Dan's body. He felt his arms and neck, then his legs, searching for any bruises. Still recovering from the wound the giant monster had given him, he stood up and was awestruck by what he saw.

He shook his head. "A dojo?"

Dan remembered touching a rock with the Cahill crest. A secret door opened and an arm pulled him down. He looked around searching for who could have done that. The room was empty and cold. He examined the wooden floor and wall. He touched the giant columns with the Madrigal symbols—then he realized that it did belong to them.

He was at a loss for words. The dojo was his dream come true.

He then spoke, "Hello? I want to know who brought me here. Umm…the one who pulled my foot, I guess?"

While waiting for an answer, Dan quietly approached the chest in the corner of the dojo. It was a huge stone box, decorated with obsidian. It was lined with silver and the lock was made of glass. He gazed at his reflection on the tiny shard. He gulped and pushed the top of the box slowly. He looked at the contents. There were swords, heavy shields, knives, hatchets and other weapons, glowing in different colors. "Could these be . . . elemental weapons?" he said as he got a small red blade. A tail of fire flickered in the air as the prince slashed it. "They are! That is so awesome!" he yelled in amazement.

Dan continued to sway the blade, accompanying it with jumping and tumbling. He threw the weapon in the air. Unexpectedly, a figure in black shot into the air and grabbed it. The figure landed swiftly on the dojo floor and bowed to Prince Dan.

Wide-eyed, the prince said, "A duel? You asked for it." Dan laughed as he slid out the shurikens from his pocket.

A fight initiated between the two. The black-clad person started by swinging the flaming sword at Prince Dan with incredible grace. No doubt, the prince thought, this one knows how to fight. He avoided the attacks and certainly, it was not easy for him. His mouth went dry and his wound ached as he tried to pick up speed. The figure jumped and rolled midair to evade one of Dan's kicks. He threw one of his shurikens and managed to tear only a small part of his opponent's black sleeve.

Dan gasped. I must pin him onto something…"

The wooden floor was the perfect choice. There was only one problem: the enemy was too reckless and impulsive for his own good. His swift movements almost made Dan's head spin. Chunks of wood were torn from the floor as the figure ran the sword on its surface.

The prince ran to the enemy and twisted his arms. He took a good look at his figure. Then he realized he was wrong.

Slim and toned physique. It was a girl.

As payback, the enemy performed a quick chop on the prince's back using his—her—leg. Dan fell to the floor and gripped on his shurikens. He was cautious about the fiery blade touching him. Dan's legs were shaking. His lips were quivering. He felt a bead of sweat drip down his brow.

His enemy raised the red blade. The prince's vision blurred. Then he jumped back on his feet and ran around the room. He hid behind a column and prepared his weapons, lining the stars on his belt. His breathing was rapid and rough. His posture stiffened. The figure approached him. Dan hurled a misplaced wooden plank.

"Bam!" Dan yelled as the plank hit his opponent right in the head.

The enemy lost balance. His arms shook as he tried to stand up.

Here goes.

Prince Dan swiftly threw two shurikens towards the figure. In a heartbeat, she was pinned on the floor. Her sleeves were pierced and buried in the thick wood. The prince ran to him to remove his mask. The figure raised her hand to make a "stop" gesture.

"Wait! This is my favorite suit!" she shrieked, removing her mask and combing her hair with her hands.

Dan stood frozen. He dropped his weapons. "NELLIE?" Dan noticed her rainbow streak was gone, and she had a really weird smile on her face. Her eyes looked tougher yet still collected and casual.

"That—" Nellie coughed. "—was one of the greatest fights ever!"

"B-But . . ."

"You like the dojo? Master Fiske designed this new one. There are three others around the island. This one was built eleven years ago—specifically, on the day of your birth—and this is his favorite. He said old flame torches were the last things he needed."

"H-How?" the prince stuttered. "U-Uncle Fiske? He's a n-ninja?"

Nellie laughed. "Of course! Now, now, don't go busting the place right there. Want to know the whole story? If not, well, you can always check out our royal library and—"

"Tell me!" Dan said, his eyes widening in awe.

"Ahem. Okay. As you know, Mother Madeleine took no elixir and didn't have magical powers. But you see, she travelled a lot after "that night". She collected elemental weapons, like this one." She raised the burning blade. "This one is my personal favorite. Anyway, she got the weapons—arrows, daggers, swords, gauntlets, among others—from scraps of the materials her siblings used when they built the structures for the first four kingdoms."

The look on the prince's face was eager.

"She travelled farther. And farther. Then she met an elder in the greater east, near the boundary of the Tomas. Elders were people who refused to join civilization. They depended on raw power and not in magic," Nellie explained thoroughly.

"One of them, in exchange for Madeleine's golden earth pole, taught her hunting and fighting. Another one helped her master swimming and climbing trees. Then she consulted their leader, who taught her how to be a ninja. It was a long process and I suppose it took her an entire decade."

"So . . . those skills were passed on to us?" Dan asked.

"Most certainly. But not all of them. Only the ninja heritage stayed strong."

Suddenly, a rock fell through the ceiling entrance and crashed through the wooden floor. The two tumbled away from each other to avoid the impact. Dan looked up. He listened to the sounds of war, which were seemingly penetrating him. He heard Amy's screams clearly. Nellie headed for the stone chest and dug for a thunder katana and a water bell. She tied her belt tight. She put her black mask on.

Dan looked at his wound. It was almost healed completely. He thought it would just a few more minutes before it would be gone. Apparently, he loved Ekaterina medicine already.

"Dan, I advise you pick your own weapon now. We have to plunge back into war soon. Choose only one, though." She flashed a grin.

The prince walked closer to the precious chest. He shuffled through the weapons. He sighed and touched a crystal sword longer than his arm, marked with the Tomas crest. Looking up through the giant hole in the ceiling, he sensed he wouldn't need a giant sword to fight. He pushed back the heavy stone cap and gazed at the small glass lock. Picking himself up, he asked, "Hey Nellie . . . I just thought . . . maybe I could have your fire dagger?"

A creature roared above them. A parade of stomps and falling debris followed.

Nellie put a hand on Dan's head. She handed him her favorite weapon.

"Why, out of the entire arsenal?" she laughed. "Come on, Prince Dan. We need to seal this place quick."

Author's Note: I don't want to count how many friggin' months I was out. Anyway, I hope this makes up for it. It's a little bit longer than usual chapters. You may have also noticed that my style has changed. I guess the year-long hiatus has taken the best of me. And about my account, I have moved to that one under the username "Oniksu". Sadly, "The Secret of the Madrigal Scroll" is the only one worthy of reading in this profile. DARN. Thank you for the reviews, by the way! :D I tried to fix all of the plot holes and did my best to not make this look like a stupid spin-off XD. I'll answer the questions some time soon. ;D Thanks! Hope you guys like it!