Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies

Hi guys!

So, I was writing some one-shots for my other story 'It's the little things that count' when I thought about writing a new story dedicated to the bond between Cepans and their Garde. I'll probably do all Ten Garde and their Cepans.

Each duo is going to be split into three: The Beginning, The Middle, The End. This first one is for Reynolds and Eight.

Please read!

Adventures - The Beginning

Reynolds

Meeting your Garde is perhaps one of the most important things you'll ever do as a Mentor Cepan. Especially for me, since mine is going to be one of the future Elders and perhaps could be affected by the prophecy.

Though I pray to Lorien he's not.

"Ah, look at you! Don't you look smart!" my sister, Arianna, coos as she walks over and straightens my shirt. I try to push her away but she's a Garde and therefore much stronger than me. It's often the case with families; two children, one Garde and one Cepan.

I got the short straw.

All my childhood, I've watched my younger sister with jealousy as she's raced around the house, faster than me and stronger as well. When I was seven, I was able to climb the huge tree in my grandparents' house right to the top. My sister did it when she was five.

I love her, don't get me wrong. And I love my job as a Mentor Cepan. I love meeting the young Garde and helping them hone their powers. But there are times when I see a Garde grab something without moving or create incredible displays of light with their legacies, when I get jealous.

"Get off" I mutter affectionately, gently batting her hands away. She smiles and pecks my cheek as I nervously appraise my appearance. Tanned skin, black hair, young features. I'm not wearing a suit for this occasion but instead opted for trousers and a shirt.

I've heard some Garde can be troublemakers.

"Good luck!" she calls as I exit the house. I raise my hand in a wave as I walk down our path. It's a short walk to the house of my Garde, who lives in the housing areas outside the City. I check my bag again, making sure I have his bracelet or actually, the device that allows me to track him.

Lorien is a beautiful planet and the houses here do not disappoint. Here, on the edge of the City, the houses are made out of a special wood that can withstand any weather. They're flat yet spacious and usually have the most beautiful gardens. My house that I share with my sister has a striking water feature in the middle of our internal courtyard, sort of like a Roman villa from Earth.

As I continue to walk down the path towards my Garde's house, my pulse picks up with nerves and I begin to sweat, despite the fresh breeze. I'm very nervous; today I will create a bond that will last between us two for many years to come and that scares me.

After what feels like hours but can only have been minutes, I come to the house of my Garde. It's particularly beautiful, this one. It's on the outskirts of the estate and the back garden leads onto the woods, I assume.

I knock on the door, my pulse increasing until it's almost a sprint when the door opens. There stands my Garde's grandfather, a lean man with a kind face.

"Hey" I manage to say without squeaking. He nods at me and moves aside so I can come through. He seems shy, sort of like me, and I enter relieved.

So far so good.

"I assume you're here to see Joseph" he says, his voice quiet. I nod and smile, feeling better once I've met this man. Usually in Loric relationships, there's a quiet one and a not so quiet one. Most but not all relationships though.

"Hello!" I turn at the bright voice and see Joseph's grandmother standing there. Like her husband, she's also slim but has a pretty face and stunning green eyes. Her face is friendly and looks as though she laughs a lot.

"My name's Tenni and my husband's Arvan" she says with a smile. I shake her hand and return the grin, relieved by her happy attitude.

"But you're not here to see us, are you?" she talks to herself as she bustles through to the kitchen. Arvan follows us quietly. We walk through some more rooms until we come to the garden. I'm terrified yet so excited.

"We'll leave you to it" Tenni says with a wink as she beckons Arvan to follow her. They do so and I'm left alone. My pulse is still thundering and my shirt sticks to my back with sweat.

Can you tell I'm nervous?

I take a couple of steps out into the garden, looking for my Garde. I only know his name and how old he is: five. I think about calling his name but I don't.

"Who are you?"

I turn around to see a tanned young boy staring back at me. Joseph. He's tall already and quite thin. He has his grandmother's amazing green eyes and friendly face but I don't know who he gets his curly black hair from.

"I'm Reynolds" I say bending down and holding out my hand. The boy grins and jumps forward, eager to shake mine. He then runs away and nimbly climbs up a small tree nearby, watching me from a branch. His quickness stuns me.

"I'm Joseph" he says, standing up and walking to the end of the branch. I can't help but laugh as he lightly jumps onto the next branch of another tree nearby. He's testing me, seeing if I can handle him.

He's smart; he knows I'm nervous.

He grins when I laugh and then swings upside down, hanging from the branch by his legs. I don't run forwards to stop him like most Cepans would but instead sit down on the ground and watch him.

"Do your grandparents let you do this?" I ask with a grin. He shakes his head, making the branch sway.

"No, but they can't catch me. Can you?" he asks with a grin. Something about that makes me want to challenge him, join in with his lively behaviour and have fun. I know the tree is strong, I just hope I'm good enough for this.

I stand up and quickly grab a branch of the tree, swinging myself up onto the branch. I hook my legs over the side, brace myself and then let myself fall backwards. I grip on tightly with my legs and it pays off, I hang safely next to Joseph. His mouth is open in shock and awe and then he grins at me in admiration.

"Hey kid" I say, as though we're sitting down and enjoying a drink, not hanging upside down a couple of feet up.

"We're going to have some great adventures" Joseph says, flipping off the tree and onto the ground as though it was the easiest thing in the world. He grabs my hanging arms and pulls me to the ground, steadying me when it looks like I might fall. He's strong already.

"We sure are" I say, already liking him.

Xxx

Seven weeks later

"But I wanna play!" Joseph whines as I limp down the path to his house. Yep, limp.

Joseph had decided it would be fun to hang off a tree above a valley this afternoon. A valley. After saying I was no fun, he had then proceeded to tap dance across the branch when it snapped. After a picture-worthy dive by me, I managed to catch him but now I think I've seriously injured my knee.

I swear, my Garde has an unhealthy obsession with trees.

"Joseph, I'm really not in the mood" I mutter, my teeth gritted against the pain. Joseph pouts and huffs but I'm not budging on this. I'm in agony.

"You're no fun!" he complains but I ignore him. I love him but right now, he's seriously pissed me off.

And Loric don't usually get pissed off.

"I'll see you tomorrow" I say as I leave him at his house. I turn around and huff as I think of the walk I'll have to do to get to the LDA. Not fun.

"Rey?" he calls, using his nickname for me. I sigh and turn around, my heart softening at the sad look on his face.

"Come in?" he asks uncertainly, opening the front door. Since I really need to sit down, I agree, limping inside under his watchful eye. I collapse on the sofa in the sitting room, looking out over the garden. The glass doors are open, revealing the grey sky outside.

"Drink?" Joseph asks nervously, watching as I try to straighten my leg out. I sigh and nod, trying not to give in to his big puppy-dog eyes.

He runs into the other room and I try not to laugh as I hear him clatter about, trying to make my favourite drink, tea. The last visit to Earth brought back some of these ingenious teabags that made this delightful hot drink. It's one of the newest crazes on Lorien.

Until it runs out, of course.

"Here" he whispers as he runs back in, not seeming to notice the drink sloshing out onto the floor as he runs. I smile and take it from him, watching him as his nervous eyes flicker over me.

"Rey, I'm sorry" he whispers, looking down, his curly hair flopping in front of his eyes. I smile and put my tea down, reaching out for him. His face brightens and he literally throws himself at me, curling up next to me.

"It's all right, buddy. But please, please don't do anything stupid like that again. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you" I beg as he hugs me around the waist. He shakes his head, his hair tickling my chin.

"I won't, promise" he whispers, looking up at me earnestly. I grin and kiss his forehead.

"I'll hold you to that" I say with a grin. He smiles and nestles back into me as a cold wind blows throw the doors. The clouds look grey and ominous.

There's going to be a storm later.

Xxx

Couple of months later

"And then he took me to a dance…" my sister, Arianna, carries on dreamily as I try not to fall asleep on the couch. I spent the day with Joseph again and once more, am exhausted. Instead of coming home, I'm at the LDA where I have to be most of the time anyway.

"Rey! Are you listening to me?" Arianna demands. I groan and rub my face.

"Joseph exhausted me. I need sleep!" I complain. She laughs and sits down next to me.

"You two spend-" she begins.

My wristband beeps.

Beeps.

I look down, my breath catching in horror.

It's red. Red.

I'm up on my feet at once, reaching for my bag that I've had packed ever since I met Joseph.

This is it. The attack. The prophecy is coming true.

"Rey?" Arianna's up on her feet, looking at me in shock. I stare at her sadly and then pull her close for a hug. This will be the last time I ever see her, I know it. She seems confused by my behaviour but I have very little time to explain; I need to get Joseph.

"There's an attack. Go, warn as many people as you can. Fight hard" I say in a rush before letting go and running to the door.

"Rey?" I turn back one last time as I stare at her. She's shocked, scared… as she should be. I fight the lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

"You're going to save him… but you're leaving me" she whispers, looking at me betrayed. I nod slowly, feeling like a terrible brother.

Above all, the Garde come first.

"I'm sorry" I whisper as I run out the door. I hear her call my name.

That's the thing that haunts me the most.

How I run. I sprint as fast as I can, running to get to Joseph's house. All the pods have been taken by the other mentor Cepans; some of them have further to go than I do. Daxin, for example, has an hour's journey to his Garde's house.

I knew deep down that this day would come. That all our preparation would count, unlike what many people have said. I leap over a small fence as I enter the housing estate Joseph lives in.

I feel horrible. I'm letting my sister die. My mother, my father, my race. But I'm saving Joseph and that makes me feel better. I think of his bright happy face and I know I'm doing the right thing. I have to do this; I have to get him to that airstrip.

I burst through his front door, an incredible ten minutes after the alert. I race through the house to the sitting room, where his grandmother stares up at me in shock. I see Joseph playing with his toys on the ground but he jumps up when he sees me, delighted.

"Rey!" he cheers, bounding over to me. I pull him up in my arms as Tenni stares at me in shock.

"It's really true then. The prophecy is true" she whispers. Somehow, she knows why I'm here.

I nod, clutching Joseph to me. He's chattering away, completely oblivious to everything. And then in the background, I hear the noise I've dreaded the most: bombs. I can hear the explosions from here and Tenni freezes, closing her eyes in horror.

"Go. Save him" she whispers, turning around. She doesn't ask questions and she doesn't say goodbye to the boy we both love; somehow she knows there isn't time. I leave as soon as I can, not wasting a second. Joseph squirms in my arms, wanting to get down and play but I won't give in this time.

"You ready for an adventure?" I ask him as I sprint to the airstrip. His eyes light up as he nods eagerly.

"Ready!" he crows, pumping a fist in the air.

And in the distance, I can hear more explosions.

So, Part 2 or The Middle will be up in about three days time.

Hope you enjoyed!

Please review!