AN: I'm clearing out stuff I've started but not finished, so here's a little ficlet on Anna's death. Will most likely turn into a fic of little ficlets... I know what I mean. Words fail me today... But anyway, it hit me that Pronyma was a spy so she probably would've known most of what was going on, and Yuan is hardly the type not to have looked for Lloyd... So yeah...
Disclaimer: I don't own ToS; I only wish I did.
Blood... Stains... Everywhere... Screams... Pain... Blood... Everywhere... Crying... Pain... Run... Run! Run! Save... Must save... Save... help...
Yuan gasped, doubling over as his stomach lurched. A high keening noise momentarily deafened him and his vision blurred dangerously.
"Lord Yuan! My lord, what's wrong?" a feminine voice panicked.
Nails brushed his arm and his vision sharpened, the pain disappearing as the noise stopped. He straightened, fixing an impassive, stern gaze upon the scantily clad, green haired woman, whose eyes bled false concern.
"It was nothing, Pronyma," he assured her in an authoritative tone. "We must hurry to the temple. We need to set up the altar before the Chosen's induction ceremony while it's still light or we will be seen by the night watch."
It wasn't nothing. Dread rose within the ancient warrior with each step he took. His heart pounded. He wanted to run, though he wasn't sure why. But there was no logical reason for this. Logic dictated that all was as well as could be while Mithos held the power, and Yuan lived by logic. Logically he had nothing to worry about except Pronyma, who still believed she could win his affection and gain access to Mithos that way, and who he was certain he could annihilate if she ever changed her mind. Nothing was out of the ordinary.
Run! Run run save must save... help... get help... Lloyd... get Lloyd, Noishe get Lloyd. No, help... get help... not get Lloyd... get help... Help Kratos... Save boy... Save Kratos. Run! Run!
"My lord, a monster!" Pronyma shrieked, readying the throwing disk she carried when in the guise of a traveller.
Yuan's eyes snapped to the approaching beast as their owner cursed his lack of concentration then briefly relaxed.
"Noishe!" he exclaimed. "Put your weapon away, Pronyma."
He knelt to the ground as the speeding protozoan skidded to a halt, panting heavily, eyes wide and fearful. A desperate whine was emitted, Yuan's growing smile freezing then fading into a frown, his heart rate rising as Noishe whined, growled and set off the way he had come with a sharp tug on the end of Yuan's travelling cape.
"He wants us to follow him," the elder half-elf relayed, his tone indicating that Pronyma shouldn't argue.
She didn't, instead gasping for air as she followed the much fitter man, running through the trees around the village of oracles at breakneck speeds. She didn't understand. She thought Yuan was insane. But she wasn't about to lose her ticket to Lord Yggdrasil's most trusted minions. She'd spent two years working under this man and progress had been slow but she was finally making it, finally decreasing the dislike that clouded his judgement of her. She didn't ask questions. She just worked.
The vile stench of fresh blood hit the back of her throat, causing her to stumble as she caught sight of the Desian corpses littering the ground, but she kept her footing, and her pace, and caught up with her superior as he halted by an image of destruction. Trees had fallen in a heap as though giants had been bowling with boulders, rocks from the cliff side holding them in place. It was here the half-elf and the protozoan had stopped, the colour draining from Yuan's face as horror took it over.
It wasn't until Pronyma reached them that she saw why.
There, trapped under a boulder and two trees, was a person.
And not just any person.
Him.
"No," Yuan breathed, launching himself into the debris and heaving aside some branches until he could reach an outstretched hand. "Kratos! Hey, Kratos!"
Pronyma ventured closer to the spectacle, just catching the echoes of a dying voice.
"Yu-an," it coughed, taking in a deep, shuddering breath. "You... find Lloyd for me... Please, promise... find... Lloyd. Please... Yu..."
"Yeah, I'll find him," Yuan agreed desperately, grasping the hand in his own as he pressed his shoulder against the tree trunk, pushing his weight against it. "But I've got to get you out now."
"No... Find Lloyd... Go... to Lloyd... Please... Please... Yu-" the man broke off into a hacking, wet cough, which subsided into a pained, weak wheeze.
"You hang on in there, human," Yuan ordered, dropping the hand and throwing his entire body into the log. It moved but barely, the half-elven hero cursing and frantically shoving at it.
"... Lloyd..." came a hoarse whisper. "Please... Lloyd..."
"Alright, alright!" Yuan snapped. "Noishe, will you find Lloyd and look after him until I get to you, please?"
Pronyma watched as the green and white beast obeyed the command of her superior. He would trust a monster over her?
"My lord, is there anything I can do to help?" she enquired pleasantly. She would get something out of this situation. She would make sure of it.
"We need to move this," he puzzled. "How?" He snapped his fingers. "Pronyma, do you have that ring armour you usually wear in that wing pack?"
"Yes, my lord?" she answered tentatively.
Determination darkened his eyes. "Good, give it to me."
She hesitated.
"Now!" he snapped.
She moved, thrusting it into his open arms. Her eyes widened in shock as he violently rammed it between the tree trunk and the other tree trunk and forced his weight onto it again and again until it rolled further down, exposing the twisted torso of the barely conscious human he was trying so hard to save.
Instead of elation at the success, the lightning mage swore. "The rubble of this boulder and the other tree are crushing him. If we move either one of them, this rock will fall and he'll be killed." Yuan clenched his hands into fists. "There's no other way. Pronyma, contact Mi- Lord Yggdrasil and tell him I need healers and a rescue team. Tell him..." He trailed off, shaking his head in disgust before continuing with a resigned sigh, "Tell him I've found Kratos."
She obeyed without question, storing them for the second communication closed and it was just them. She turned, seeing that Yuan had climbed into the rubble with the human traitor and was holding his only exposed hand while stroking his dusty, bloody hair and whispering softly.
"Lord Yuan," she began, approaching them.
Yuan looked up, the words dying in Pronyma's throat as their eyes met. He suddenly looked older than the Kharlan war, older than Derris-Kharlan, and twice as betrayed, twice as hurt, twice as afraid.
"Why?" she managed.
Yuan's eyes left hers, a low noise escaping his throat as he turned his attention back to the fading human, the deep welts across his chest and the grey tint to his cooling skin as Kratos' eyes rolled into the back off his head. He shook the human, but his eyes remained firmly closed, his only movement being his laboured breathing and the oozing of blood from his wounds into the surrounding ground.
"That's a very good question, Pronyma," he answered, quietly, thoughtfully. His emerald green eyes flickered from his ancient companion to his more recent underling, though his hands remained caressing the human's hair and squeezing his limp hand. "In fact, it's more than one question in just one word. Well done."
Pronyma was surprised to find that his eyes weren't mocking as they usually were whenever he praised her, nor were they disliking. They were still harsh, but they were harsh with rage that seemed to simmer within, but not for her, and with revulsion.
"I can sum up the answers to all of them in one too, if you'd like," he continued.
His eyes had taken on a softer note now. She could see love that wasn't for her and regret that couldn't be hers either. But it was more complex emotion than she had ever elicited from him. More than he had ever directed at her.
He looked her directly in the eye now, his expression serious, sombre. "Pronyma, people will do anything for the ones they love, be they your child, your parent, your husband, wife, brother or sister. Even if it means losing them, even if it causes them pain. Even if you know they won't like it, if it helps them in the end, if it keeps them alive or saves them grief and suffering in the long run, you'll do it. No matter what the consequences are for you, you'll do it. Remember that, Pronyma. Sometimes, to save the ones you love, even if all you can save is their soul, you have to hurt them. It's ridiculous but that's life. Don't forget it."
Pronyma was taken aback. She knew she'd just been given a piece of advice. She knew it was the answer to an important question, but she didn't know what he was referring to. It was obvious he cared for the traitor and that he hadn't wanted to hand him over to their noble leader to save him punishment but he had done so to save the life of the inferior being, but why did she feel there was more to the situation?
Yuan hadn't waited for an answer. His eyes were glued to the human's face. He brushed the blood-soaked hair from the other man's pale forehead despite the thin sheen of sweat across it. It was such a gentle movement.
The half-elf was now mumbling again, prompting Pronyma to venture closer, entranced. Yuan was not a gentle man. He did not strike her as kind. Rather, he was harsh, cold and calculating. He lived for logic and revelled in machinery and mathematics. He seemed to dislike people and their noise and chaos.
And here he was, promising a traitorous, wretched, inferior creature that he would be alright and softly singing the remnants of a long forgotten lullaby as he held his hand and stroked his hair.
"That monster hasn't come back yet," she observed awkwardly, anything to distract herself from the strange behaviour of her fellow half-elf. "Do you think he found this 'Lloyd'?"
"It is likely," was the terse response. "But we won't be finding out."
"You just said you'd find it," Pronyma pointed out.
Yuan fixed her with a stern stare, which actually cause her to relax a little. This was the man she knew, calm, logical, terrifying. "I said that Noishe would. And I told Noishe to look after the boy until I get to him. I will not be responsible for bringing the horrors of Cruxis onto that little boy. I won't be getting to him until it is truly safe to do so."
"The horrors?" Pronyma questioned, incredulously, shocked to find her lord use such treacherous language.
"It isn't the place for a child," he stated firmly. "Innocents should be allowed to remain so, outside of any negative influences."
Pronyma frowned. What was he saying? Cruxis were striving for a new world, an age of half-elves, an age of glory. What child would not wish for a world without discrimination? "Lord Yuan, what are you saying?"
Yuan did not respond directly. He merely awarded her a small, sad, knowing smile that made her stomach sink with some soul-known secret that she had yet to realise she was aware of, before observing, "Our help has arrived."
Angels descended from the stormy sky, a pair of rainbow wings casting prisms of light among them and the three below through the fat, angry droplets of rain as they began to fall. Awed by the sight, Pronyma simply stared, removing herself from the bustle around the fallen human before Yuan reached her and they pressed silently onto the temple, where the oracle would be delivered.
She hadn't the time to dwell on their exchange and thought of it no more until she was summoned to report directly back to the leader, until she was removed from her duties by Yuan's side.
Her hand shook as she held the summons, unsure of what it was telling her, unsure of her fate when she accepted the request. It simply stated that she was to be removed from her current post and that she should report to the throne room for an audience with the leader. She was undeniably nervous; what if she had done wrong? Would she lose the privilege of striving for the promised age of half-elves?
She reached the throne room, wringing her hands before she made what she hoped would be a confident yet respectful knock and received the order to enter in a regal tone. The door was a giant, heavy structure, which opened magically as she gave it a single push to reveal a large chamber and a man dressed in white and gold, arranged elegantly on his fitting, grand throne.
Pronyma fell to her knees less than half-way to this wonderful being.
"Come, Pronyma," he encouraged with a smile and an outstretched hand from his position above and beyond her. "Come closer; I have heard great things about you."
Pronyma obeyed, her head bowed as she scurried to the foot of the steps that led to her leader, her idol. So this was why she had been summoned. Lord Yuan had submitted his report. She wasn't sure if she dared to hope for a promotion.
"I will be frank with you, Pronyma," the leader stated, beckoning to her to lift her head as he leaned forwards in his seat. "In light of the reports regarding you that I have received from Yuan, I would like to offer you the post of Grand Cardinal."
Pronyma gasped. A Grand Cardinal? Her? She knew the old leader of the Grand Cardinals had died but for her to take over his ranch, it was more than she could ever have dreamed. She was just a low ranked Desian, chosen to help Lord Yuan simply for her expertise with the darkness element and lack of physical talent. He had improved that aspect of her greatly but she was still far from good.
"My lord?"
He chuckled, a deep rumble that echoed from his throat throughout the chamber. "Don't act so surprised Pronyma. I know your physical statistics are less than impressive, but Magnius already occupies a Cardinal's seat based on physical attacks. When recruiting someone to be the leader of the Grand Cardinals, I look for a more logical mind and somebody loyal to our cause. Congratulations, Pronyma. You are the new leader of the Grand Cardinals."
"Th-thank you, my lord," she stuttered. "I will not let you down, I promise you, si- my lord."
He was chuckling again, leaning back on his throne. "Now, before you leave to pack your belongings – I will send an envoy to take you to your ranch tomorrow to give you ample time to sort out what you wish to take with you – I have an enquiry to make of you."
"Yes, my lord?" Pronyma agreed, curiosity creeping into her tone as she tried to quell the shaking her body was doing in excitement for her new role.
He lifted a hand, resting his elbow on the arm of the throne and the side of his face on the back of his fist in a refined pose. "Regarding the retrieval of Kratos, Pronyma, you were with Yuan when he was found, yes?"
"Yes, my lord," she confirmed.
"Kvar tells me that the woman, A012, was killed by Kratos. Is this correct?" he questioned.
Pronyma's eyes dropped to the floor as she rubbed her palms together, flustered. "I do not know, my lord. Lord Yuan and I arrived to find Lord Kratos trapped and Desians dead, but we did not see a human woman among the dead, as far as I am aware, my lord."
"A012 had been turned into an exbelua," he revealed. "But you would recall seeing her. She was at the bottom of the cliff on inspection. I was simply curious of how she got there. Kvar also told me that Kratos killed A012 to save the child they spawned, but this child, a brown haired boy dressed in red, was not found when the area was searched. Yuan's report said nothing about the child, but, Pronyma, I don't suppose you heard anything about the child? Anything that could help Cruxis to find this boy could be useful, Pronyma."
He had lifted his head to look her directly in the eye. The eyes were steely and calculating, ire burning beneath the calm exterior. Pronyma had always been good at reading eyes. She had been about to reveal all to this amazing, magnificent being, whose goal was to bring to the world the ultimate peace, the ultimate freedom. She had thought to help him to bring this child into the fantastic world that Cruxis could provide, to grow to help them create it.
But something in those eyes made her pause. On the surface, they were like Yuan's – the eyes of someone who had experienced too much of the world, someone clever, brave, skilled and logical – but beneath it all, they were something else entirely. He had told her that Kratos Aurion had killed the mother of his child to save that little boy. She had been there. He had wanted to throw away his own life. He had begged his rescuers to find his son until he had been unable to say anything more. If that wasn't the love that Yuan had spoken of, what was?
And the leader, her lord's eyes told her that he considered this trivial, that rage simmered within him. She believed Cruxis was the saviour of the world, a wondrous thing, but Yuan's eyes had been so sincere. He clearly believed that the traitor's child would do better away from the organisation.
Pronyma looked up at the falsely caring gaze that bored into her own and said, "No, my lord."
And as Lord Yggdrasill's frown revealed his displeasure at these words and he coldly dismissed her, she knew she had made the right decision.
AN: I think I'll continue this. I have a couple of ideas so this may turn into a bit of a collection exploring Pronyma's role in the game and her relationship with Yuan (not in that way).
Any reviews would make me smile – constructive criticism is also always accepted and taken into account.
Thanks for reading! ^_^
~ThePurpleRose