A/N:
Truthshipping obviously.
Story is based off the event of Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Dark Dawn. I've had this on my computer for a long time so I thought I might as well put share it because who doesn't want to know how our beloved villain managed to er infiltrate Ayuthay.
The most recent game is about eight years old, but still I find the graphics and the wonder of the places in the game pretty memorable. Probably not the best decision to start with Dark Dawn because I was clueless whenever they were talking about their parents. To my defense, I was literally almost a baby when the first Golden Sun came out on GBA. Anyway, I played the older games right after so don't worry I have the full Golden Sun experience.
I separated chapter 1 in parts A and B because I wanted to do a prologue because I wanted the first part to have a title and you can't very well have a prologue with a title.
Cover photo borrowed from RennyRensaur's GGDD: Smile on deviantart.
The Uncharted Isles
Chapter 1A: Miraculous Blue, the Guardian
Slowly entering the room and shutting the door without a sound, Veriti released a very unladylike yawn. She turned to face the long oval mirror as she ran her fingertips through her hair.
It was an especially stressful day listening to the citizens' complaints. Time after time she found herself sitting ramrod straight, on the verge of losing her composure due to the redundancy of their contentions. The responsibilities of being the sister of the king didn't bother her. Her chilly demeanor and regal composure in court made her the epitome of a noble of Ayuthay.
Removing her elaborately ornamented robes, she stared at the mirror seeming to be displeased. Then glancing at the waning crescent behind, she quickly ruined the traditional coiled braids the took nearly an hour to complete, allowing her chestnut brown hair to cascade past her shoulders.
She had had more than enough stress today, she contemplated, settling on top of her coverlets. I'm not magician, not an Adept, just a ruler watching her people suffer severe drought, she thoughts miserably. Veriti pushed the soft glow of her zol lantern away to the far end of her room and gave one last glance at the sliver of the moon that remained before closing her eyes.
Enough is enough. She wished her brain would just forget everything and be at peace for a moment. Many hours later, her troubled thoughts rewarded her with a deeper sleep than she normally experienced.
With the agility and balance of a feline, a figure lingered along the shadows of her window sill. Completely motionless except for his eyes which traced the movement of the sleeping figure. Unbeknownst to him, another person was watching the sneaking mercenary.
Mildly curious in discovering the assassin's objective, the distant figure concealed himself along the roof and waited for him to leave the shadow. After all, it wasn't every day that you see a mercenary using a cloak ball.
Black gloved hands slid the ancient window open without a single creak. Unbeknownst to him, he was not in the safest position. In swift and soundless footsteps, he covered the princess' mouth and tied her wrists together expertly with one hand.
Veriti awoke with a nagging sense that she forgot what her dream was – a far less dire situation than she was tied into. As startled as she was seeing the figure clad in black, she was even more frightened when he tilted her head toward his.
"Listen, princess," he began using a low voice. "I know exactly who you are and you will be kept safe as long as you stay quiet and do what I say."
She blinked, too stunned with fear to respond.
"Good, because if not, I would have had to," he looked down and unsheathed one of the many knives he was carrying. "Get up and we'll be on our way."
"No."
She'd finally mustered the bravery to respond even if it came out quietly.
"Shut up," he responded in a sharp tone. "I didn't ask for your opinion."
Then, was her step of foolishness.
"Do what you will, but I will never leave Ayuthay."
Immediately, she regretted her words when she received a brutal blow that send her flying to the floor, clutching her bloodied face. Though she could feel warm tears reflexively stream down her face, she through, through gritted teeth, kept her composure.
"Leave Ayuthay and you will be spared."
"Spared?" he growled.
Leaping off the window sill, he slammed her against the cool stone floor. She could feel the deep zol line pressed against her back. Guards, can't you hear that, she hoped.
"Let me go, you brute. I'm not leaving as a ransom," she yelled. "Do you not see how desolate Ayuthay already is?"
The dark figure grabbed a handful of cloth and stuffed it into her mouth before she said more. Out of thin area, another figure materialized from outside to directly in front of the assassin.
"Would you happen to be from Kaocho?" a voice asked neutrally.
Hearing guards scuttling below, the man yanked the princess to her feet and dragged her toward the window.
"You know, I really don't like it when people ignore my questions."
Veriti didn't like the sound of his voice. She wasn't sure if he was battling to kidnap her as well or trying to help her out.
The assassin's eyes narrowed. This was the only perceptible change in his expression as the rest of his body was cloaked in the soundless suave of his light body armor.
"I came from a village in the desert," came his brusque reply.
As he took another step, the hooded man reappeared, blocking the assassin's exit. Now, Veriti could see the other person in full form. It was a hooded man wearing a white mask covering the top part of his face. His hair appeared to be a brilliant blue under the moonlight, but Veriti thought her eyes were deceiving her. Just as it had been when she had seen the Sand Prince pacing in his tomb.
"Now before you dispatch me," the hooded figure continued with a playful tone. "I was wondering what this is."
He held up a black tassel. Veriti shivered as she saw the rising dragon in silver thread that was formed above the wind-whisked tendrils of the bottom of the tassel. The pain at the back of her head persisted. Black spots clouded her vision. Maybe she hadn't seen it right.
"I don't know about you, but I've only seen this for those who swear allegiance to Kaocho," Alex stated, enjoying the assassin's discomfort.
"Whether I stole it from a man I killed or not," the assassin responded with a cutting tone, as he unsuccessfully tried to take it from his grasp. "It's none of your business."
"Oh, but it is," Alex smirked. "Do you think that by trying to expand outside the pea-sized kingdom of Kaocho, you can take over Ei-Jei? Why not strike when Ayuthay is prosperous and green again?"
"Kaocho will grow to take over all of Angara, if it has to," the assassin countered.
Veriti wanted to ease the pain in her head, but simply could not. She had to keep her mind clear for Ayuthay.
"That's a little pompous of you to say," Alex challenged, tossing the tassel into the air. With disdain, he watched the usual pattern of the assassin fly into rage, manipulated by his emotions. All humans were the same. "Perhaps I should show up in Kaocho to tell King Wo that you failed your mission, that you gave up and renounce your allegiance."
"He would never believe an outsider…" the assassin responded on edge.
"Really?" Alex pondered. "I thought I might as well try."
"You wouldn't dare," came the mercenary's voice.
Lightning fast, a knife appeared pressed against Veriti's neck, sending her wide-eyed and trembling in submission.
"Think fast. Is she worth more alive or dead?" the assassin asked, thinking the masked man wanted to kidnap her as well.
"Whatever you say," came the masked man's eerie reply.
Two smaller throwing knives flew towards the masked man's vitals while the assassin still held the knife against her trembling body.
However, the knives clanged harmlessly against the wall. Where had he gone, the assassin wondered frantically, pivoting on one foot to locate him.
"Come out and show yourself, coward!"
"I didn't know a Kaocho assassin could be that far off the mark," Alex said from behind the man.
Insulting his skill triggered a barrage of weapons. Even with Alex's speed as a Mercury Adept, he couldn't avoid every knife. Instinctively, a wall of ice clattered against the knives, rendering them ineffective. It melted away, leaving the assassin stunned. He could sense this was going to be an unfair battle.
Reaching for the Cloak Ball, he stole a long time ago, he disappeared with Veriti into the shadows. She hated being a pawn, more than anything else. At least no one could hear or see the choking sobs that wracked her body, with a cloth over her mouth.
"We can play that game," came Alex's distant voice.
Narrowly avoiding a Whirlwind, the assassin ran toward the window, still hidden.
A ninja never fell.
And yet a strange gale force pulled him into the room once more. Spinning and spinning, he tried to protect the dizzy princess. She had to be delivered in one piece after all. Shards of air intensified their fury, beating and bashing the experienced yet unprepared assassin. Finally, the rattled assassin landed less than gracefully with Veriti under one arm.
It had the desired effect of rendering the cloaked figure back into a visible form.
Shattered glass from the window, alerting even more guards below.
Suddenly dropping the princess on the ground, Veriti struggled to stay conscious with the pain the gripped her from all sides.
"Let's play fair," the assassin said, unsheathing his sword.
"It you say so," Alex entertained, withdrawing his Verdant Sword.
The melee dance began. Sword clanged against sword as Veriti closed her eyes, succumbing to the darkness around her. She was so very fatigued, tired of pain, tired of living.
Barely avoiding a thrust from Alex, the assassin met it head-on with a series of small incisions to his arms and legs. With Alex's speed, most did not land, but they still made Alex's form slightly unbalanced, forcing him to back up.
Once the assassin's blade reached his, which was not long, Alex brought his sword down in a criss-cross cutting motion.
Fortunately, Alex's experience with the blade worked to his advantage. Out from his sword came fierce vine and undergrowth. Vorpal Slash.
"Hey, that was…" the assassin hesitated.
"It wasn't Psynergy," Alex finished. Using Psynergy, Alex raised the assassin in the air by his neck. "Are we done fighting fair? I doubt you fought very fairly against the princess."
"May the …Grave Eclipse," the assassin choked out, "be …your end."
A geyser shot up from the ground, startling Veriti, who warily opened her eyes. Powerfully, it punctured the assassin's lungs and left him a watery mess, struggling to breathe.
Alex didn't waste time watching him die and quickly appeared at the side of the fallen princess.
There wasn't much time since people without Psynergy could die so easily. It was a miracle she was still conscious. To make matters worse, he never carried any Water of Life.
Carefully reaching under her, he lifted her onto her bed. With a gentle hand on her chin, he tilted her head up. Veriti met his gaze with the same intensity. There was still life in her.
"Ply well," he spoke in a low voice.
It came from within. Veriti was surprised that it felt like she had healed herself though she knew it was this mysterious person's doing.
Touching her healed face in awe, she looked at him with verdant curiosity.
"How?"
"That is for another day," he responded.
Upon closer inspection, she realized his hair was completely blue. A teal color that was the essence of Mercury.
There was a rumbling in the wall and the door burst open. Turning to look at the guards, Veriti didn't notice the mysterious man was gone. Many people burst through the door all at once. The healer made it there first.
"She is, by some miracle, completely unscathed," he informed the concerned guards.
Veriti tried to relax and process all that happened but the worried conversations of the guards, the dead man on the ground, and the king at the door prevented her from peace. She sat, feeling extremely underdressed and flustered by the pitying looks everyone gave her.
Despising the embarrassing attention, she stood up a bit dizzily. She caught the gaze of her older brother the king, and everyone quieted down to see what she had to say.
"The Guardian of Insight protected me from harm. He rose from his desert slumber to protect Ayuthay," she proclaimed. "Carry on with your stations."
As they began to leave, the king's words stopped them.
"You are certain you will need no extra guards nearby for the night?"
"I am fine, Paithos," she responded with a haughty look.
"Alright, if you say so," he agreed reluctantly. "Two men outside her window. Two men in the hallway by her door. Two men at ground level. Assemble yourselves. I want you to double your search patterns."
Several of the guards carried the assassin's body out and returned to their stations. Most of them remained though.
"Milady," a soft voice addressed her. It was the well-liked council member whose large crescent-shaped eyes and sweet laughter made everyone forget her nosiness and criticism.
"What is it, Sariah?"
"It has occurred to me that you are the Bearer of Wisdom with a Guardian to protect you, but what about your people dying of drought?"
"If you would kindly let me explain..."
"With your gift of Insight, you haven't saved a single farmer from his crop failures."
"Gentle with your words, Lady Sariah," the king warned. "She is my sister."
Suddenly, a horrible thought crossed her mind.
"The Guardian," she exclaimed. "The princess will beseech him to bring back the waters."
The guards cheered in response and the king's displeasure went unnoticed.
"As shrewd an advisor you are," the king began. "Do not make false proclamations about my sister."
"She said it herself," Sariah frowned. Her crescent-shaped eyes accepted a downcast expression contrary to her bright personality. Seeing the king's conflicted expression, she rushed out of the room. The rest of the guards left, leaving her with her brother.
"Don't take her words to heart, Veriti. They wound me as much as they wound you," he spoke softly.
"Please, Veriti," he pleaded with his hands on her shoulders. Then, giving his sister a hug, he advised her again. "Let go of your pride this time. I know you were hurt. I can see the confusion in your eyes. It's fine to be wary for now. This crime won't go unpunished."
"Also, there's something I need to tell you about this Guardian, but I will not worry you until the morning."
"Sleep well, sister."