AN: Sorry about the slow update. End of the semester is kicking my butt. I've also noticed that what i have written so far needs MAJOR editing so it'll probably be a bit until my next update as well. Sorry about that guys. But trust me, i'll keep updating, and of course keep reading my other stories!!

PS: This stupid new thing does not support certian symbols like plus signs, which really peeves me. No matter tho. Please understand that in the original it is supposed to be a plus symbol and not (plus). Dont worry, you'll understand.

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Ch 4

When she looked back upon it, that day to leave came too soon. A year passed by, uneventfully. She went about doing things of a normal life. She did the shopping, and eventually earned enough to buy herself a new dress. But she didn't want one. Since her dress was tattered, she started to wear some of Daemons clothes. When she did buy a new outfit for herself, it was a pair of durable brown breaches and an elegant forest green top, with a tiny criss-cross drawstring tie in the front. The rest of the money, she saved. She figured that she might need it later. And she did.

Her sign to leave was a strange one indeed. She was sitting near the stream, by herself. Seemingly out of nowhere, a black cat was sitting in front of her. When she looked closer, she could see that his coat was the deepest black she had ever seen, and it's eyes were an unusual shade of blue.

"Here kitty" she called to it, coaxing it near her.

"Please, dear, do not talk to me that like that. I hate being treated like a child. I'm not much older than you, but I'm not a kid." Startled, Raven looked around to find the source of the voice. "Yes, Raven, you are hearing a cat talk. It's nothing to be afraid of. I'm magical, just like you are. I've been roaming this land looking for magicians who have somehow forgotten their past, or brough over to this land without knowledge of their magical backtround. I want to bring back and train, and after observing you for a while, I've deemed you a worthy target."

"What are you talking about? And who are you anyways?" She was still a bit skeptical about a magical talking cat, but the thought about her magic touch being real enticed her to learn more.

"My apologies, dear lady. My name is Gifflen. Master magician, or at least I once was. Yes, that is a story for another time. Right now, I need to get you to another place. Please, trust me. I can teach you about your magical powers. You already know that you have them. The haggling with the vendors is your proof. You cast a simple agreeance spell on them when you tug your earlobe. That's why they always agree to your price."

"So, it is true. I am magical," she thought out loud.

"Indeed you are. And the magic world needs you help. You need to grow in your powers, and help defeat the dark magic that is trying to take over this world. I will explain more as we go, but you need to trust me and leave now."

"Will I learn more about my past?"

"Yes, you will learn much. You might even be able to see your family, if they still live". She cringed with those last words, but the hope of knowing more about her past and the excitement of knowing that she had magical powers convinced her that she should go.

"Alright, I'll go with you. But what about Daemon?"

"What about me? And who are you talking to?" Daemon strolled in at that exact moment.

"I have no time for games. What use would he be to you?" Gifflen asked. He seemed to be in a rush.

" I don't know. But he's my closest and only friend. I don't want to leave him behind." Jaw set, Raven protested the leaving of her friend.

"Wait. Hold up a moment," Daemon floundered with what he had been presented with. "This cat talks, and he wants to take you away?" Daemon was very confused, but he seemed to be right on top of things, with his priorities straight too.

"Yes. His name is Gifflen. It's a long story that he's promised to tell me later. Daemon, remember about my magic touch?"

"Uhhh, yeah, with the vendors and Nip? Yeah, what about it?"

"I have magical powers. Gifflen is magical too. He's going to train me!"

"Excuse me, I'm sorry but we don't have time for this!" Gifflen protested. Raven ignored him.

"So wait, this magical talking cat is going to take you away and teach you how to use magic?" A look of fear crossed Daemon's face.

"Yup."

"Ok. So why can't I come?" He looked at the cat.

"Simply because he's of no use." Gifflen glared at her. "However, if you insist on having him come, I'll consider it IF he can wield a sword and protect us." He looked at Daemon skeptically. Great, that's it. How on earth is a farm boy going to know how to wield a sword?

"That's not fair! How on earth…" she started to protest.

"Fair enough." Daemon interrupted. "Find me one and I'll show you what I know."

"Wait, you do know how to use one?" Raven's face lit up as she said it.

"Yeah, my dad…he uh…taught me a little of the art before he disappeared."

"Alright. I can tell that you're not lying." He let out a deep sigh, and pondered this for a few minutes. "Alright, you win, he can come."

"Yes!" She turned and gave Daemon a huge hug. "This is going to be fun. An adventure! And we get to do it together!"

"Yeah, but what am I going to tell my mother?"

----

"You're going to what?" Sadria asked.

"We're going on an adventure. I want to be able to see if I can take care of myself. Live on my own. Maybe even find dad and Phoenix." He was near pleading with his mother. To make things more evident, he had a small knapsack of belonging set near the door, as if to show his mother his determination.

"Well, I don't know. You have been such a big help around here, both of you. What am I going to do if you leave?"

"Come on, mum. You know that I can't handle these fields by myself anymore. It's time to sell the house and move into town. Open up that shop that you know will make a lot of money. Morgaine can help you too!"

"Yeah, I can mum. I'm old enough now. Please, I want to be a big help!" Morgaine pleaded.

"You already are a big help, with the kids and all."

"No, Raven is a big help. I just 'elp her." Morgaine protested. Sadria sighed.

"Do you really want to help, or are you just trying to get rid of your older brother?" Sadria questioned.

"No, I want to help. I really don' want Daemon to go, but I want my brother to be happy too."

"Morgaine, that's so sweet of you." Raven said.

"Yes, it is." Sadria responded. "And I've always wanted a little shop in town."

"And here's you initiative to do it mum!" Daemon stated.

"Yeah, Sadria. I've heard you talk about the shop you helped out in as a child. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could share part of your childhood experiences with your own children?" His mother sighed deeply. Raven knew that she had been defeated.

"Alright. Go and have your adventure. But you have to promise me that you'll take care of both yourself and Raven also. And come home someday too."

"I swear by all the gods above that I will, mum."

"Well, then give your old mum a hug." They embraced. He continued saying goodbye to his siblings. Raven walked up to Sadria to say goodbye.

"Raven, dear, I can't believe you're leaving too. You've become a big part of this family. The kids are really going to miss you, and I am going to miss your help around the house."

"Me too. But we all knew that my place really wasn't here, and that I would leave eventually." With a half smile, she gave Sadria a hug goodbye, and then went to hug the children. Morgaine was the first to run up to her and hug her goodbye.

"I'm really gunna miss you bradin' my hair. And everything you do. Have fun."

"Don't worry. You know how to braid your own hair by now, so you don't need me to do that for you anymore. You're a big girl now. Oh and don't worry" She winked at Morgaine "I will have fun." Danae and Gwaine hugged her goodbye at the same time. Being the middle siblings, they always stuck together, even though Gwaine was 2 years older than Danae. Hugging them for the last time reminded her how she'd miss their constant arguing.

"Now you two, rembember, there will always be plenty for both of you." They smiled back at her, still not very good with goodbyes. The last one she said goodbye to was Nip. Now almost two years old, he was ambling around pretty well by himself. He toddled over to her and hugged her around the neck.

"Oh, Nip. You're still the cutest thing I've ever seen. If I ever have kids, I hope they're all just like you. Be a good little boy, ok." She kissed his forehead as a tear rolled down her cheek. They all walked the two to the door, where Daemon grabbed the knapsack and hoisted it over his shoulder before giving his mother one last goodbye hug. The whole family stood at the doorway and waved until they lost sight of each other.

----

Before they had told Sadria the news, Raven and Daemon had agreed to meet Gifflen in a small grove outside of town. They walked into the grove to find him sitting on an old tree stump. Once Gifflen saw them he immediately bypassed formalities and started giving orders.

"Now, listen closely, because I'm going to tell you what you're going to need. It's not going to be a long trek, but I don't have any sort of shelter for us, so you're going to need comfortable boots and a cloak which you can use to disguise yourself if you must. You" he turned and looked at Daemon, "are going to need a good, sturdy sword. And it might not hurt if each of you get a dagger also. It can get dangerous a times."

"Anything else?" Raven asked.

"If you have any more money, you can spend it on whatever you want. You will not need it where we're going."

"Where are we going anyways?" Daemon asked.

"A land where magic is easily found and accessed. It's a world parallel to this one, and can be reached by a portal connecting the two." Daemon looked at Raven skeptically. "Well, what are you waiting for, get a move on. We've already wasted precious time convincing that mother of yours that you can go."

"Alright, we're going. Geez, don't get your fur in a knot." Raven remarked. Daemon laughed at her comment and nudged for them to go. They turned and headed off to do their shopping.

"Hey, I resent that!" Gifflen yelled after them.

----

In town, they first visited the clothing shop to get themselves some new shoes and cloaks. After they made their selections, they headed to pay. Like always, Raven did her little haggling trick, this time consciously, and it worked. Once outside, the put on the cloaks, Daemon's pitch black and Raven's a dark emerald green, and pulled on their new boots. They then headed for the smithy's shop. Daemon picked out the most elaborate, and expensive, sword in the shop, yet quite a dull looking dagger.

"Daggers don't have to look good, because nobody sees them, unless you kill 'em with it." He explained to her. Still, she wanted to find one that she liked, even if it didn't matter what it looked like. She spent a good half-hour looking for the one she wanted. Finally, she found it. It had intricate carvings all over the small hilt, and a tiny green gemstone, almost the same color as her eyes, in the middle of the hilt. They went to pay, and it went smoothly, like every other time. They left the store, and stored their new equipment in the proper places; both daggers hidden from sight, and the sword resting in it's scabbard, slightly hidden by his cloak. Outside the shop, they counted how much they had left, and debated what they should spend it on.

"14 pence is not going to get us much. You'll have to rip off someone like crazy if you want anything. Unless it's food"

"Funny," Raven remarked "Gifflen never said anything about getting food. Maybe we don't need it where were going."

"Who knows. We are going to a place of magic. Maybe the magic makes us not hungry or something."

"Either that, or Gifflen wants us to starve to death." Daemon remarked sarcastically.

"I don't think so."

"Well, think about it for a second. This guy comes up out of nowhere and demands that you have to come with him. For all you know, he could want to kill you, or sell you into slavery or something!" A look of fear crossed his face.

"So why are you coming along too? Do you want to die or something?" Raven's anger started to flare.

"Because I care about you." He grabbed her shoulders and faced her so she was looking straight in his eyes. "Raven, you have been my only true friend. From the moment I saw you washed up on that beach, I was drawn to you. I knew you were something special, something I would never see again in a million lifetimes. I would never voluntarily leave your side; you're too special to me. Can't you see this? I…I… Raven, I…" He started to falter with his words. Raven pulled him close in a tight embrace.

"Hush, my dear friend." Her anger was doused at the sight of her closest companion about to break down. "I'm sorry. I really do understand. This is what true friends are for, right? Sticking it out with each other until the end, no matter what."

"No, matter what" He repeated. Lost in each other's embrace, it seemed as if time stood still for a moment. Suddenly, Daemon loosened his grip and straightened. "Crimety, I almost forgot!" Grabbing the money from her palm, he made a mad dash for the end of town. "I'll be right back! Meet me back in the grove. I know what I'm going to do with the last of our money." He called over his shoulder. A dazed and confused Raven stood in the square of town, suddenly aware of all the eyes on her. Blushing, she moved quickly to the grove, and waited for his return. Oddly enough, Gifflen was nowhere in sight. It wasn't more than five minutes before he returned, grinning from ear to ear. He had one hand in a pocket of his cloak, and the other one swinging gaily with his step.

"So, what was all that fuss about? Do you realize how much of the town was giving me funny looks?" She glared at him, but she wasn't really angry. She was more curious about what he had in his pocket more than anything.

"Oh, nothing. It's just something that I ordered a while ago, and almost forgot to pick up." A big grin crossed over his face. "It's a special thing that I had to get brought in from one of the big cities. I saved up for it for almost a year." A look of excitement crossed her face.

"What is it? Can I see it," she asked excitedly. Daemon smiled big.

"Sure, but close your eyes first. It's a surprise." Almost shaking with excitement, Raven held her eyes shut tight. A few moments passed. She could hear a light jingle, one that metal makes. "Ok, you can open your eyes now." Raven carefully opened her eyes. There, in his palm, was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It had a long silver chain, and a brilliant blue stone at the bottom, which was set in a silver plate. The tiny plate had intricate designs on them, similar to the markings she had seen on the one tree in the woods.

"It's absolutely beautiful…" She could not say anything else; she was so awestruck by it's beauty.

"That's not all," Daemon remarked lightly. He turned the plate over in his hand, easily, because it was not much bigger than half of his palm itself. On the back, there was something inscribed. When she looked closer, she saw that it read "D(plus)R". She looked up and smiled at him, the first warm, true smile she had given in a long time.

"Here, let me put it on you." As he approached, she bent her head slightly. Once around her neck, she held it in her own hands. "This is so that, if we ever loose each other, you will always be able to remember who I am and how much fun we had together."

'I'll treasure it always." She tucked it in her shirt, so that it hung close to her heart. Then she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you very much. You have no idea how much this means to me." With a star-crossed look in his eyes, he leaned in close to her. Just a few more inches…

"There you two are! What has taken you two so long?" Gifflen walked in, startling them both, so that they jumped. "Come on, we have to get to the portal before dark. With an embarrassed look on her face, Raven turned to Gifflen.

"Lead the way."