Kayneth

An atypical Guardian who shows very little regard for his charge would be a rare sight, especially on the beaches of this ocean. Plodding back and forth, Kayneth was scoffing to himself. The powerful and presitigous dragon had just received news of charge, and being the arrogant dragon, he was utterly disappointed.

“Of all dragons, I had to be paired with this tiny scamp of a furball…” he muttered to himself, his claws digging more into the soft sand with each step he took. Of course, despite his dismay he had to live with this pathetically weak charge of his, and he was about to meet her for the first time today in person.

Being the type he was he was not going to let himself be disgraced by Fate herself, however, and swore on his life to protect this charge no matter how much he might dislike or detest her for her meek nature and even weaker magic. As he heard soft footsteps grace the sands he walked on he snapped himself from his thoughts.

“Speak of the little red devil,” he muttered to himself quieter than she usually spoke. He turned to look his charge in the eyes for the first time. She was much smaller than him, and looked quite weak and tired. Her fur was secreting some kind of goop, but it was barely noticeable. She was, all things considered, a pathetic excuse of a mage in his eyes.

“You must be Ms.Master,” he began. He towered over her, and as a Guardian it was hard for him to not look imposing. He silently thought that if she were to get intimidated by him maybe it’d prevent her from even trying to facilitate some kind of “better relationship”. “I am Kayneth and I’ve been appointed as your charge. It’s nice to meet you.”

She timidly looked up at him, and for a very short moment of high tension, was unable to respond with anything besides a squeak. “I-I’m.. um…” she began. “I’m sorry I was l-late… Are we ready to travel the beaches?” He nodded reluctantly and stared down at her, not meaning to be too menacing despite his own feelings towards the charge. He’d promised her this and was going to stick to it.

The two strode down the beaches together, practicing magic as they went. Their time together went much better than Kayneth initially expected, as he found himself enjoying the fresh air and his time with his charge. He still didn’t really like her but seeing as her magic skill wasn’t totally worthless he could lighten up a bit.

As time went on, he found his taut scowl loosening up. Proud of his fulfillment and duties, he kept walking alongside her. His watchful eyes started to dart to and fro, carefully scanning the area for any potential threats. Sadly, he was still so surprised by his happiness that he was blissfully unaware of the biggest threat to come.

Marens were flocking to the oceanside this time of year, and a certain few were out to get after Ms.Master. The offense wasn’t particularly well known among the ranks of the clan, but it was clear she’d intruded on their code and was due for punishment. Kayneth was never made aware of this – after all, he’d just met his charge, and she didn’t know he didn’t really like her.

He turned to the side for a moment, then paused, seeing the sun on the horizon starting to go down. “That should be enough for today,” he said. “Are you ready to go back...” His voice trailed off. His eyes started to scan the area again, but far more frantically. The last thing he heard before he turned his head back was the muffled cry for help… of his charge.

Ms.Master had been kidnapped.

---

It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She could hardly struggle against the weight of her kidnappers’ arms. Her body was weak and she couldn’t bring herself to fight the tide. After all, she’d been born in lightning territory, knowing her clumsiness she’d probably shock herself.

She couldn’t even try to bring herself to say “What did I do wrong?” . Not this time. Memories were flooding back over her like the ocean water, and that precious oxygen was starting to dwindle faster and faster. The light filtering through the water started to flood away, replaced by sheer darkness. Everything was going black.

I was always weak, wasn’t I? That seemed to be the only hypothesis for how she’d let her guard down and suddenly got abducted by a couple of vengeful Marens. It wasn’t her fault in the sense that she didn’t know their territorial tendencies, not to mention that she wasn’t exactly the type to fight back and stand up for herself. It was quite shameful for her to die this way, she mused, as her eyes closed from the water.

A sudden shock awoke her. She woke up sitting in a sandbar, the ocean split in two all around her, and Kayneth, who had accompanied her earlier that day, was now going toe to toe with her kidnappers. She quickly scrambled to her feet and forcibly gave everything she had to pull herself out of the wet ditch she’d found herself in.

Kayneth was casting ridiculously powerful spells to shock the kidnappers into oblivion, a furious scowl on his face. She couldn’t fathom it. Why was Kayneth going to such lengths to protect her made no sense. The two had hardly known each other, and while he was a Guardian, Kayneth hardly seemed interested in being with her for any other purpose besides the objective of his charge.

After she struggled her way back to the beach, she coughed and hacked, unable to really catch her breath after being resurfaced from the black murk of the ocean bottom. She stared up at her savior and gently crawled a bit forward near him as he exhaled, the ocean falling back in on itself. She could only look into his eyes, ensnared by a feeling she couldn’t yet understand.

He stared back, and the moment began to last for much longer than it should. Silence, as the ocean began to sway back and forth, waves crashing and the sounds of seagulls trying to find their homes, their childlike cries floating on the oceanic winds as their wings carried them to nests.

“That’s enough for today,” Kayneth finally said. “We should go back, Ms. Master. Please, this way.” His voice was quiet but still masked with some kind of feeling she couldn’t process afterwards. It was an odd moment but one that would soon start them in a completely different direction.

As the two headed back, she started down at her feet, still feeling guilty about not being able to protect and fend for herself. She was unable to voice this concern to Kayneth for whatever reason. Maybe it was the fact that he was a gigantic Guardian, or maybe it was the sound of his deep, rich voice.

“Ms.Master?” he spoke suddenly as the two trudged together into the sunset. She perked up suddenly, only able to procure a tiny squeak. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you from the Marens before they dragged you under.” She paused and said nothing, then stared up into his sky blue eyes. She nodded quietly and muttered a couple words as they continued to walk into the sunset.

Thank you, Kayneth.