He tested his footing at the edge of the bed, as if to make sure it was solid before he dared rely his weight on it.
The window framed for him the nondescript plains stretching beyond the broken mansion walls, the deceptively quiet image seeping into his mind, accompanied by the comforting glow of moonlight.
Near the door, his aide lay sprawled in a couch, engaged in a fitful rest. Rightfully so, Sasarai recalled dimly- their journey to the Brass Castle had admittedly been ill prepared, and frustration mounted amongst their dwindling ranks when Luc once again slipped past the bishop's grasp.
The edge of his lips twisted. Luc. Sasarai hurriedly stopped his train of thought there, not entirely ready to address his newfound revelations. He slumped to the nearest chair, hearing the aged oak creak under his weight.
He ignored the reflection of himself in the mirror- a harrowing reminder of his own despicable nature.
Fortunately, there was soon a knock on the door- but he was not expecting visitors. His left fist clenched on the table before him.
Dios sprung out of the couch like clockwork, meticulous in all but his efforts to dispell traces of sleep. "Who goes?" he called out, his throat unusually coarse.
"Ah, umm, it's Thomas," a voice replied in turn; Sasarai briefly picked up the unsteady shuffling of feet across marble. "A-am I interrupting anything?"
Thomas. Who? Sasarai's brows furrowed, until his aide caught his attention.
Master of this castle, Dios signed.
Right.
"State your business," his aide continued.
"Ah, no, I was just wondering if I could have a word with, um... t-the Lord Bishop."
"On what grounds?"
"Oh, no no, if you are not free, I-I can understand," Thomas stammered.
The bishop sighed, motioning for Dios to open the door. I could use the distraction.
Thomas's heart threatened to leap out of his throat when the door creaked open, the tiny slit revealing the silhouette of a distinctive nose. The bishop's aide eyed Thomas suspiciously, scanning for any others. Frankly, Thomas brought no one else with him; this was his own silly idea, one that he was beginning to regret with every passing second.
He was soon allowed into the room, by far the largest in the castle- there was mutual agreement to house the Harmonians as far away from the others, and the Flame Champion, ever the wise man, relinquished his own to the bishop. I've no need for it anyway, Thomas recalled the imposing figure of the Champion as he told him as such. My men can live for a few days without a large room to get pissed in.
He briefly noted that the candles were not bothered to be lit by its current inhabitants, and the room was chillier than he had ever remembered. The seated figure was seemingly unfazed by this, although Thomas himself was beginning to feel the ends of his arms tingling in search for warmth.
Thomas instinctively set his eyes on the back of Sasarai's right hand, but the bishop quickly pulled it out of his view.
Sasarai cleared his throat. "What brings you here, child? At an ungodly hour, no less."
Thomas blinked. It may be quiet in this room, but it was barely two hours after sundown- but he tactfully refrained from correcting the Harmonian. "Um, are you feeling better?"
Sasarai's eyes narrowed, and his aide was suddenly standing in his full height next to the castle lord. "Will that be all, Master Thomas?"
Thomas inwardly sighed. So much for icebreakers to calm my own nerves. His grip on the journal he held only became tighter. "I-I would just like to see if there are any opportunities to... ah, work with... the Holy Harmonian Empire after... this..."
It sounded better in his head. He swore it. Thomas had everything worked out ever since Brass Castle. Now that he had voiced it to someone else- nay, the representative from Harmonia himself- it felt nothing more like a naive child's dream.
Instead of full-blown ridicule, though, the bishop merely gave a wry smile. "Surely you know of our situation? Holy Harmonia knows nothing of our current association with the Fire Bringers. We are merely here on our own personal accord."
"Lord Bishop, if I may interrupt- are you sure they should know about this?" Dios said.
Sasarai shrugged. "Why not? They would have known in the morrow. I have no intentions of concealing this from them."
Thomas suddenly felt out of place. These men were men of politics- and men of calibre beyond what the Zexen Council was capable of pulling. If anything, his own inexperience may cost him Budehuc, or the entirety of the Grasslands that held it.
But he had to try. The Destroyers or no- there needed to be a longer lasting solution beyond truce amongst generations of warfare.
"I understand," Thomas managed, "but that does not mean you are no longer a Bishop of Harmonia. My p-proposal still stands, regardless of your current standing in Budehuc."
"Oh... ?" the bishop responded, but Thomas could not for the life of him tell if it was feigned or genuine interest. It mattered not. "Leave us, Dios."
"But my Lord, I-"
"I'd like to hear what this youth has to offer... in my personal capacity."
Thomas took a deep breath.
"If your interest is genuine, Lord Dios should also remain to hear what I have to offer," the 'youth' said boldly. He may be young, but so were Hugo and Caesar; he was not ready to be ousted from this room as a child. Not yet.
Thomas caught Sasarai's jaw hanging slightly, but he was quick to regain his composure. "Well then, have a seat," the bishop offered, waving at an empty chair.
Thomas accepted the offer gladly, wiping his palms on his cotton pants. Oops, I might just be a bit jittery here.
Though the door was closed, Sasarai noted the presence of an eavesdropper, excitement evident in the mild tapping of a finger against sleeves. Though stripped of the True Earth, the inferior counterpart now embedded in where it used to be- a poor example of a stop-gap, if you will- informed him of his immediate surroundings far better than any scout would. This included Sir Eavesdropper Latjke.
Years of exposure to the nature of a True Rune does that.
By this point, he was no longer sure whether he was representing the will of the True Rune, or if his thought process had any sense of human-like autonomy at all.
Meanwhile, the young master explained in great lengths on his proposition through the journal he brought in with him, spread neatly across the table. Truth be told, he hadn't paid attention to the details- though he did catch Dios's interests, which was a rarity in itself.
The ideology, however, was something Sasarai could see as groundbreaking.
"I-I think that Holy Harmonia would benefit from Grassland's excess supply of wool and grain, s-setting up a formal trade agreement is a good way to get started," Thomas concluded, looking as if he could flee like a frightened animal at any given second. "I-I'm not asking for anything political! Just..."
"Economics run hand in hand with politics, child," Sasarai said gently, quite empathic by this point. This isolated mansion- Budehuc- was theoretically Grasslands in title, but the terms of the lease made it effectively a no-man's land. However... "Alas, the name may be a problem in itself."
"I am ready to change it if Holy Harmonia accepts the proposal," Thomas declared, almost immediately. One of Sasarai's eyebrow raised.
"I'm surprised you are offering a vacant tradepost here to us," the bishop said, leaning back against his chair, eyes closing in a surprising bout of fatigue. "Would you not incur the wrath of your current tenants?"
Thomas's features softened further- as improbable as it looked. "Yes, but your mere presence here has already begun to change that."
Sasarai paused.
Thomas looked at the bishop thoughtfully. Given the circumstances at the time, Thomas was expecting the need to defend the Harmonians from a murderous mob of Zexens and Grasslanders in his castle grounds-
- but they didn't. Whether it was due to the sudden need to unite against an even more dangerous foe, or out of sheer pity at the Lord Bishop's horrible excuse of an entourage, the Fire Bringers were oddly accommodating of the two. Thomas had an inkling why, though.
On their tiring trek back to Budehuc from a siege in Brass Castle merely days earlier, the toll on the bearers devoid of their True Runes was becoming apparent. Hugo was dead silent throughout the journey, his chirpy demeanor only returning upon arrival; the mighty Zexen Knight commander's movements were sluggish, the poor control of her mount masked only by the stallion's training; and even the Flame Champion himself found the need to rely on a supply wagon, weariness in his usual stout frame evident.
To reduce any chances of scuffles, Thomas rode alongside the two Harmonians, far behind in the flanks of the army. Cecile, still fresh from their lack of direct engagement, trudged dutifully beside them. They waited at the outskirts of the castle until everyone else was at least minding their own business before heading in- that was the plan, at least.
The Bishop Sasarai never made to his assigned quarters on his own two feet.
Sasarai paused. I really haven't thought this through.
While Holy Harmonia flourished as a political superpower on the continent, relations were understandably sour with the other nations. While the Grasslands was the closest in proximity, endless troubles in vassal-states under the empire's banner had oft been resolved with an iron fist in the common man's living memory.
To be seen as a party capable of negotiation on equal footing was likely beyond the rational thinking of the sane.
"... Is this some sort of elaborate blackmail?" Sasarai suggested snidely, giving a light chuckle. Thomas looked briefly offended by the notion.
"There is no need for you to accept right now, ser," Thomas reply was good-natured, putting the journal in his arms once more. "Just your kind consideration is more than I can wish for."
"How many people know of this little plot of yours?"
"Just the three of us in this room, Lord Bishop."
Four, Sasarai corrected him mentally.
"Very bold of you to propose this without prior consultation with your adjutants."
"I-I agree as well," Thomas said sheepishly, his nervous smile returning.
Sasarai let out a smirk, clasping both hands together on the table. It hadn't occurred to him that the room was so chilly.
"Tell me, Master Thomas- just what lofty goals are you aiming for, trying so feebly to win Holy Harmonia's favour?" Sasarai tilted his head, catching Dios sighing silently in relief. Looks like your curiosity is to be sated, Sasarai mused inwardly.
"... I want a glimpse of the scenery beyond this hill," Thomas replied, after much pause. The bishop blinked, as did his aide.
"Excuse me?"
"I wish for this castle to be the connecting point between people of different backgrounds and values. This includes citizens of the esteemed Holy Harmonia." His voice was even lower, now, as if it was addressed to himself than to the foreigners. "To meet, to learn, and to settle differences- but not with swords.
"Aren't you curious, Lord Bishop? A future where- through the language of trade- Harmonians co-exist peacefully with the rest of the world?
"A future beyond this hill of war?"
All activity seemed to stop as Thomas finished his sentence. Sasarai finally managed to make eye contact with Dios; his aide, too, was shaking his head in disbelief.
Thomas returned their perplexed gazes with an earnest smile. "It's fine if you do not agree; after all, I haven't done anything of note to substantiate my claims yet." The young castle lord gave a bow. "This is only the beginning- and I have only recently figured out what I wanted to do."
Thomas began to bid his leave, but Sasarai's straight gaze held him briefly.
"... I look forward to your future endeavours, young Thomas." Sasarai's response was brief, but Thomas could feel the weight behind the bishop's words.
Thomas gave a bow once more, and closed the door behind him... only to be stopped by another Harmonian outside. "Kid..." Nash began.
"What is it, ser Clovis?"
The blond spy ran a quick, gloved hand through his hair. "You're whacked. Trying to strike a deal with Harmonia is just crazy, y'know? People don't normally do that."
Thomas heaved a sigh. "I didn't realise you were eavesdropping..."
"H-hey, it's my job. Don't feel too bad about it."
"But aren't you curious, too, ser Clovis? The scenery beyond the hill?"
Nash squinted. "Mmmmmmaybe."
"Good!" Thomas declared, as if giving himself a mental pat in the back, and headed down the stairs, leaving Nash to fester with his thoughts.
AN: My first Suikoden fic after getting sucked into the abyss recently. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!