Haro, ya'll...this is Layen...this is a fanfic from one of my ultimately
favorite games ever, Lunar: silver star story....It might not be the best
thing ever written, but I've done my best to do the real characters justice. This was just supposed to be a one-shot fanfic,...but I had a lot
to say, and Lawd knows HOW long it'll take....hee hee...hope you enjoy...Oh, if you don't know who/what the characters in Lunar are, IM me, email me, or cruise around the internet to find out about it...trust me, it'll be worth it!!!...well, I've officially babbled enough...I wonder if anybody read this...anyway, this might end up being a little...DARK...hee
hee...
Enjoy
Chapter 1
Who I Am
Alex Fantis sat by the shrine, polishing the long silver blade that was usually locked in the scabbard dangling from his hip. He fumbled in his pockets for some pig lard, hoping to grease the unused blade to a glorious shine, when his fingers knocked against a ring. His breath caught in his throat; he knew what the ring was and what it meant, though he had thrown it away many years ago. He carefully pulled it out, making sure it did not slip onto his finger lest some of the old emotions come flooding back, and he held it up, turning it as the light reflected off of its metallic band.
His vision was captivated by the Dragon that curved its way along the ring, as though it was the first time he had ever seen it, though that was far from the case. The Dragon etched along the glowing band was beautiful, though it hardly did a real Dragon justice; it was the closest any man-made artifact could come to captivating the real thing. Nall was much more handsome than this, he thought before he could stop himself. He pushed the thought from his mind as quickly as it had come upon him.
He lay back on the grass beneath the sheltering stone of Dyne's stone, sighing with longing for the life he had sacrificed to be a Guard. He had given up his freedom to protect the goddess from the few foes that arose to challenge her power before there could be any real time of power struggle. He had been forced to give up his official title as Dragonmaster Alex so none of his companions would know who he really was, what he had really done. The thing that had killed him was the necessity to give up the one thing he treasured more than his own life: his love of Luna.
"Get a hold of yourself, Thayne; she is Althena now, not Luna. She will never be your Luna. How could she?" He spoke to himself out loud, voicing the fears he had been harboring since he had been forced to abandon his love of the goddess Luna. "If only I hadn't fallen in love with her once, this sacrifice wouldn't hurt as much as it does." He cast his eyes upward, as though he would glimpse a picture of Luna, the girl he had known all his life who was, in fact, the goddess Althena. "Luna, where are you? Why have you abandoned me?"
"If this Luna really loved you, Thayne, she wouldn't have left you." Alex-known as Thayne by everyone to avoid recognition of the name Dragonmaster Alex-straightened and brushed off his pale tan breeches, wincing as he faced the speaker of the poisonous words. "Honestly, Thayne, how long will you be hung up over this girl. Marda would be more than willing to help you forget her."
"Stop, Thim," Alex yelled as he slid the sword home to its sheath.
Thim flashed his melting smile at Alex, his teeth glinting like the newly polished blade, his brilliant blue eyes matching the overall beauty of him. Thim held a hand out to Alex and pulled him to his feet, wiping a lock of golden hair out of his face with his other hand as he did so. "Say what you want, Thayne, but you know I speak the truth. Marda's crazy about you, just like every other girl in the village." Thim looked past Alex at the shrine to the former Dragonmaster and sighed. " 'He's such a mysterious, handsome figure, that Thayne. Why does he watch Dyne's shrine as though seeking guidance? Surely he's more than he seems, perhaps? Some foreign princes from a distant land come to seek his bride? He's handsome enough to be a prince.'"
Alex casually punched Thim in the shoulder, aware of his hidden strength and making sure to hold it back. A vision of Thim dancing with a blue haired girl flashed before his eyes. Without a doubt, Alex knew the girl was Luna; his Luna, though how she was there, was a mystery to him. He shook his head and glanced at his left hand. His eyes opened wide as they caught a sight of the white ring on his finger. He cast a wary glance at Thim, who was still quoting the village women, and had not yet seemed to notice the ring on Alex's finger. Without a change in his pace or expression, he slipped the ring back into his pocket, cursing himself at having placed the ring on his finger.
"Alex!"
Alex stopped and stared at Thim, nervousness flooding his veins at the prospect of being discovered. Being a Dragonmaster was all he had ever wanted, true, but with the power came responsibility and the curse of being unable to become to attached with anyone he knew. The possibility of evil finding the Dragonmaster and capturing his familiars was a terrifying prospect; they would be brutally tortured if not killed if it meant the attention of any Dragonmaster, much less the most powerful in years. Alex knew nothing could save Thim now, even faking ignorance. He inhaled deeply and said, "Yes?"
Thim stopped and stared at Alex, worry creasing his brow as he pressed a callused hand against his friend's forehead. "Are you sick, Thayne?" Alex swallowing deeply, all fears subsiding. He risked an inquiry about the mention of the name Alex, and felt a wave of calm pour over him. Thim grinned lopsidedly and laughed gently. "The girls said you look like Dragonmaster Alex!" Thim placed a hand on his chin and surveyed Alex up and down, a familiar smile creeping onto his face as he scanned the gangly Guard before him.
"True, you do look like a Dragonmaster with your green eyes, you don't have nearly the muscles needed to protect and serve Althena under the Dragonmaster's code." Thim shrugged casually and resumed heading towards the town. "I doubt you could have even made it past the White Dragon's test; I've heard it's the easiest, but still. Not everybody is a Dragonmaster, after all." Thim smiled smugly, and Alex stifled the urge to tell Thim all that had taken place five years before the moment they stood talking, but he knew nothing good could come of such a conversation. "I suppose I could have made a Dragonmaster-if I had wanted to. The White Dragon came to me in a dream once. He told me I was one of his chosen. I've heard Alex had the same dream once..."
Alex tuned him out as a wall of sadness hit him, nearly knocking him over with the grief. He was not bothered by the words Thim spoke to him; the White Dragon had been too old to appear before anyone in a dream, even if he was a chosen Dragonmaster. The new White Dragon, though, was less than a century old, and strong as an ox, despite his few years and lack of experience. His name was Nall. Once upon a time, he had been the best friend of a young boy and girl...
He shook his head, trying to shake the memories stirring in his mind, surfacing suddenly after nearly five years of oppression. He knew something was coming-something that would change his world forever. Since he had parted ways with Luna, he had tried to forget the life he had once lived, tried to forget ever being Dragonmaster Alex, tried to abandon the wounds love and friendship had given him. He had done well. He had never entertained thoughts about Nall, Luna, even his parents. The memories he had were not his own; they were some story he had heard one night, someone else's problem.
He cast an anxious look at Thim, the closest person he had to a friend, even though he had tried not to allow himself to become close to anyone, the man his age had found a weak spot in his defenses and burrowed his way under Alex's skin. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and he realized the only wise thing to do would be to tell Thim the truth about who he was. If something happened to him, it would be Alex's fault; he was sure of it. He sighed and grabbed Thim's hand, much to his shock, and the shock of the other man.
"Thim, sit with me." Alex flopped down on the ground, dragging Thim down with him. Thim tried to wrench out of Alex's seemingly weak grasp, and his eyes opened wide when Alex held him more tightly than anyone of his physical build should have been able to. Thim folded his legs beneath himself carefully, his muscles bunched as if ready to flee in case Alex did something unusual. Murder was far too commonplace among the ranks of the Guards for a change in attitude-especially towards hostility-to be taken lightly. Alex realized his face was grim and menacing, and he slackened the muscles in his face, replacing his grimace with a honeyed smile. "Thim, I would never do anything to hurt you, I swear."
Thim shrugged and plucked a strand of crabgrass standing erect before his knees, twirling in his hand absentmindedly. His body had relaxed visibly and a casual grin graced his delicate face. "I know you wouldn't, Thayne. But you can never be too careful with most Guards." His eyes darted to the scabbard that hung on Alex's hip, staring at the black velvet covering the dancing Dragons that alighted upon the metal case. "Especially those with secrets, not matter how much you trust them," he added, his words expected, and deserved. Even so, Alex was surprised at how much the words hurt him.
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he did so, reaching inwardly to touch the Dragonsfire inside of him, capturing a tendril of the crimson fire to build a fire in his eyes. The fire he felt dancing behind his eyelids was a secret known only to those closest to a Dragonmaster; the fire of the Dragons was the only physical attachment between a Dragon and a Dragonmaster. Even though his eyes were close so as not expose his secret prematurely, the magic gave him an even clearer view of Thim than his mortal eyes could. He could sense the emotions Thim was feeling. Thim was afraid.
"Thim? You know I have been hiding secrets from you-from everyone, including myself-as long as I have been a Guard." He sighed gently as Thim's emotions slid from fear to bewilderment. His emotions were about to slide to wonder. "The truth is, Thim, the secrets I hide could eventually kill you, but you are my friend-my only friend-and I feel like I owe it to you to tell you about who I really am. I give you this opportunity to keep yourself secure. If you don't know what I am, you can never be at risk. If I tell you the truth, you will be." He held out both of his hands, resting them on his knees. Now everything was up to Thim. "Place your open palm in my left hand if you chose to keep yourself innocent of this secret, and I will never mention it again, and you must trust me as Thayne and only Thayne. If you place your closed fist in my right hand, then I will know you are ready to know what so few know."
He snapped off the Dragonsfire in his eyes so he would not have any indication of Thim's choice; whatever Thim chose would seal his fate, this he knew without a doubt. Thim's emotions were changing constantly, Fear, Anger, Betrayal, and Wonder were the most predominant of them all. He slowed his breathing until it was silent, and the swirling of the grass in the twilight breeze was all he could hear. A familiar song drifted on the night breeze and tears began to well in his eyes. Luna was singing to him, to the world.
Suddenly a thick, warm ball slapped against his right hand and a grin crept across his face. The Dragonsfire jumped into his eyes, and he felt himself grow warm with the strength of the Dragons. Thim had chosen for himself, and he was Assured. Warmth spread across his body and into his right hand, spreading into Thim through their contact. From this point, there was not going back. His eyes sprang open, flames dancing in his green eyes. "Hello, Thim."
thing ever written, but I've done my best to do the real characters justice. This was just supposed to be a one-shot fanfic,...but I had a lot
to say, and Lawd knows HOW long it'll take....hee hee...hope you enjoy...Oh, if you don't know who/what the characters in Lunar are, IM me, email me, or cruise around the internet to find out about it...trust me, it'll be worth it!!!...well, I've officially babbled enough...I wonder if anybody read this...anyway, this might end up being a little...DARK...hee
hee...
Enjoy
Chapter 1
Who I Am
Alex Fantis sat by the shrine, polishing the long silver blade that was usually locked in the scabbard dangling from his hip. He fumbled in his pockets for some pig lard, hoping to grease the unused blade to a glorious shine, when his fingers knocked against a ring. His breath caught in his throat; he knew what the ring was and what it meant, though he had thrown it away many years ago. He carefully pulled it out, making sure it did not slip onto his finger lest some of the old emotions come flooding back, and he held it up, turning it as the light reflected off of its metallic band.
His vision was captivated by the Dragon that curved its way along the ring, as though it was the first time he had ever seen it, though that was far from the case. The Dragon etched along the glowing band was beautiful, though it hardly did a real Dragon justice; it was the closest any man-made artifact could come to captivating the real thing. Nall was much more handsome than this, he thought before he could stop himself. He pushed the thought from his mind as quickly as it had come upon him.
He lay back on the grass beneath the sheltering stone of Dyne's stone, sighing with longing for the life he had sacrificed to be a Guard. He had given up his freedom to protect the goddess from the few foes that arose to challenge her power before there could be any real time of power struggle. He had been forced to give up his official title as Dragonmaster Alex so none of his companions would know who he really was, what he had really done. The thing that had killed him was the necessity to give up the one thing he treasured more than his own life: his love of Luna.
"Get a hold of yourself, Thayne; she is Althena now, not Luna. She will never be your Luna. How could she?" He spoke to himself out loud, voicing the fears he had been harboring since he had been forced to abandon his love of the goddess Luna. "If only I hadn't fallen in love with her once, this sacrifice wouldn't hurt as much as it does." He cast his eyes upward, as though he would glimpse a picture of Luna, the girl he had known all his life who was, in fact, the goddess Althena. "Luna, where are you? Why have you abandoned me?"
"If this Luna really loved you, Thayne, she wouldn't have left you." Alex-known as Thayne by everyone to avoid recognition of the name Dragonmaster Alex-straightened and brushed off his pale tan breeches, wincing as he faced the speaker of the poisonous words. "Honestly, Thayne, how long will you be hung up over this girl. Marda would be more than willing to help you forget her."
"Stop, Thim," Alex yelled as he slid the sword home to its sheath.
Thim flashed his melting smile at Alex, his teeth glinting like the newly polished blade, his brilliant blue eyes matching the overall beauty of him. Thim held a hand out to Alex and pulled him to his feet, wiping a lock of golden hair out of his face with his other hand as he did so. "Say what you want, Thayne, but you know I speak the truth. Marda's crazy about you, just like every other girl in the village." Thim looked past Alex at the shrine to the former Dragonmaster and sighed. " 'He's such a mysterious, handsome figure, that Thayne. Why does he watch Dyne's shrine as though seeking guidance? Surely he's more than he seems, perhaps? Some foreign princes from a distant land come to seek his bride? He's handsome enough to be a prince.'"
Alex casually punched Thim in the shoulder, aware of his hidden strength and making sure to hold it back. A vision of Thim dancing with a blue haired girl flashed before his eyes. Without a doubt, Alex knew the girl was Luna; his Luna, though how she was there, was a mystery to him. He shook his head and glanced at his left hand. His eyes opened wide as they caught a sight of the white ring on his finger. He cast a wary glance at Thim, who was still quoting the village women, and had not yet seemed to notice the ring on Alex's finger. Without a change in his pace or expression, he slipped the ring back into his pocket, cursing himself at having placed the ring on his finger.
"Alex!"
Alex stopped and stared at Thim, nervousness flooding his veins at the prospect of being discovered. Being a Dragonmaster was all he had ever wanted, true, but with the power came responsibility and the curse of being unable to become to attached with anyone he knew. The possibility of evil finding the Dragonmaster and capturing his familiars was a terrifying prospect; they would be brutally tortured if not killed if it meant the attention of any Dragonmaster, much less the most powerful in years. Alex knew nothing could save Thim now, even faking ignorance. He inhaled deeply and said, "Yes?"
Thim stopped and stared at Alex, worry creasing his brow as he pressed a callused hand against his friend's forehead. "Are you sick, Thayne?" Alex swallowing deeply, all fears subsiding. He risked an inquiry about the mention of the name Alex, and felt a wave of calm pour over him. Thim grinned lopsidedly and laughed gently. "The girls said you look like Dragonmaster Alex!" Thim placed a hand on his chin and surveyed Alex up and down, a familiar smile creeping onto his face as he scanned the gangly Guard before him.
"True, you do look like a Dragonmaster with your green eyes, you don't have nearly the muscles needed to protect and serve Althena under the Dragonmaster's code." Thim shrugged casually and resumed heading towards the town. "I doubt you could have even made it past the White Dragon's test; I've heard it's the easiest, but still. Not everybody is a Dragonmaster, after all." Thim smiled smugly, and Alex stifled the urge to tell Thim all that had taken place five years before the moment they stood talking, but he knew nothing good could come of such a conversation. "I suppose I could have made a Dragonmaster-if I had wanted to. The White Dragon came to me in a dream once. He told me I was one of his chosen. I've heard Alex had the same dream once..."
Alex tuned him out as a wall of sadness hit him, nearly knocking him over with the grief. He was not bothered by the words Thim spoke to him; the White Dragon had been too old to appear before anyone in a dream, even if he was a chosen Dragonmaster. The new White Dragon, though, was less than a century old, and strong as an ox, despite his few years and lack of experience. His name was Nall. Once upon a time, he had been the best friend of a young boy and girl...
He shook his head, trying to shake the memories stirring in his mind, surfacing suddenly after nearly five years of oppression. He knew something was coming-something that would change his world forever. Since he had parted ways with Luna, he had tried to forget the life he had once lived, tried to forget ever being Dragonmaster Alex, tried to abandon the wounds love and friendship had given him. He had done well. He had never entertained thoughts about Nall, Luna, even his parents. The memories he had were not his own; they were some story he had heard one night, someone else's problem.
He cast an anxious look at Thim, the closest person he had to a friend, even though he had tried not to allow himself to become close to anyone, the man his age had found a weak spot in his defenses and burrowed his way under Alex's skin. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and he realized the only wise thing to do would be to tell Thim the truth about who he was. If something happened to him, it would be Alex's fault; he was sure of it. He sighed and grabbed Thim's hand, much to his shock, and the shock of the other man.
"Thim, sit with me." Alex flopped down on the ground, dragging Thim down with him. Thim tried to wrench out of Alex's seemingly weak grasp, and his eyes opened wide when Alex held him more tightly than anyone of his physical build should have been able to. Thim folded his legs beneath himself carefully, his muscles bunched as if ready to flee in case Alex did something unusual. Murder was far too commonplace among the ranks of the Guards for a change in attitude-especially towards hostility-to be taken lightly. Alex realized his face was grim and menacing, and he slackened the muscles in his face, replacing his grimace with a honeyed smile. "Thim, I would never do anything to hurt you, I swear."
Thim shrugged and plucked a strand of crabgrass standing erect before his knees, twirling in his hand absentmindedly. His body had relaxed visibly and a casual grin graced his delicate face. "I know you wouldn't, Thayne. But you can never be too careful with most Guards." His eyes darted to the scabbard that hung on Alex's hip, staring at the black velvet covering the dancing Dragons that alighted upon the metal case. "Especially those with secrets, not matter how much you trust them," he added, his words expected, and deserved. Even so, Alex was surprised at how much the words hurt him.
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he did so, reaching inwardly to touch the Dragonsfire inside of him, capturing a tendril of the crimson fire to build a fire in his eyes. The fire he felt dancing behind his eyelids was a secret known only to those closest to a Dragonmaster; the fire of the Dragons was the only physical attachment between a Dragon and a Dragonmaster. Even though his eyes were close so as not expose his secret prematurely, the magic gave him an even clearer view of Thim than his mortal eyes could. He could sense the emotions Thim was feeling. Thim was afraid.
"Thim? You know I have been hiding secrets from you-from everyone, including myself-as long as I have been a Guard." He sighed gently as Thim's emotions slid from fear to bewilderment. His emotions were about to slide to wonder. "The truth is, Thim, the secrets I hide could eventually kill you, but you are my friend-my only friend-and I feel like I owe it to you to tell you about who I really am. I give you this opportunity to keep yourself secure. If you don't know what I am, you can never be at risk. If I tell you the truth, you will be." He held out both of his hands, resting them on his knees. Now everything was up to Thim. "Place your open palm in my left hand if you chose to keep yourself innocent of this secret, and I will never mention it again, and you must trust me as Thayne and only Thayne. If you place your closed fist in my right hand, then I will know you are ready to know what so few know."
He snapped off the Dragonsfire in his eyes so he would not have any indication of Thim's choice; whatever Thim chose would seal his fate, this he knew without a doubt. Thim's emotions were changing constantly, Fear, Anger, Betrayal, and Wonder were the most predominant of them all. He slowed his breathing until it was silent, and the swirling of the grass in the twilight breeze was all he could hear. A familiar song drifted on the night breeze and tears began to well in his eyes. Luna was singing to him, to the world.
Suddenly a thick, warm ball slapped against his right hand and a grin crept across his face. The Dragonsfire jumped into his eyes, and he felt himself grow warm with the strength of the Dragons. Thim had chosen for himself, and he was Assured. Warmth spread across his body and into his right hand, spreading into Thim through their contact. From this point, there was not going back. His eyes sprang open, flames dancing in his green eyes. "Hello, Thim."