Here is my fic for the Magi BigBang on Tumblr, or as I call it: pure denial in one fic
Sasan was known as the land of purity. That was, if people even knew about the country at all. The kingdom isolated itself from the outside world. 'To protect us from foreigners' was what the knight king would tell his people and they followed his every word. The country would never stop acting that way. And if that was hurting anyone, it was the young apprentice Mystras Leoxses. At the age of fifteen he had still refused to enter the order of knights, the dream his father had set out for him. To most knights, Mystras was inexperienced, too playful to take on a serious job like that of a knight. But Mystras knew exactly what he wanted. He wanted freedom.
Freedom, however, was not a thing for Sasanians to obtain. They were all fine with it anyways. The outside world brought danger, the outside world brought impurity. The Sasanians were perfect the way they were, at least that was what they thought. But for the young apprentice, it was clear they weren't perfect. And if he could, he would escape the knight's castle and the country surrounding it, the prison that held him.
It was down in the city of Vabel, in the foreigner accommodations that Mystras could find some happiness. There were traders from Reim there. And even if they always brought similar stories, they entertained the young apprentice knight. Some merchants could talk about how amazing the fights in the colosseum were: wild beasts fighting against men, pure because the people wanted to see it. Others would bring up the topic of trade over sea. Sea… it was a thing Mystras had never seen. All he knew were mountains, big gray mountains covered in snow that surrounded the city of Vabel. Somewhere, deep down, Mystras knew he had to see the ocean, even if it would be the last thing to see before dying.
But one certain day changed it all. The inn was once again filled with merchants from Reim, but this time they seemed… different. Three young men of a kind that the knight had never seen before were sitting around a table. A blue haired giant, a teen with purple hair and a kid who seemed like an albino the first time Mystras let his eyes fall on him. They had never been to Vabel before, Mystras was sure he'd know those faces if they did. That meant that they weren't like the others, that meant more stories.
The teenager was named Sinbad, so Mystras found out. He was a young trader from Parthevia who had started his business in Reim. His companions came from Imchakk and the backlands of the Parthevian empire. Sinbad was only sixteen year old, one year older than Mystras and yet… he had written stories, captured dungeons, started his own business and traveled all over the world without a single care. It was the life the knight apprentice could only dream of.
On his horse back to the castle Mystras finally made up his mind. He would leave Sasan, dead or alive, he would no longer let himself be locked up between the mountains. He would finally be free.
…
"Come on, father!" Mystras panted, "If I become knight king, our doctrine, the knights, this country, I'll abandon everything and leave this place! If I'm the most powerful man of the country, no one can stop me!"
The knight king stayed silent, only looking down at his son. He still didn't say a thing as he stood on the same ground as the apprentice. No… the teen was a knight now, readying himself for the fight.
It was to be a true battle, a fight between knights of a same power. But it was soon as the knights started their attacks that is became obvious there was no winning this battle. With every strike, the power of the gods turned it back around. There was no chance of winning and Mystras realized that all too soon. But yet he couldn't stop running towards his father, lance out to attack, hoping the one hit could reach its target.
Before he was even close, he was sent back flying into a wall. He felt the air leave his lunges and as he fell down to the ground, his vision growing dark, he saw the figure of his father towering over him.
"You have fought bravely, but this is where it ends." Were the last words he heard before he could fall into a sleep without pain. The regret of never seeing the outside world lingering inside him, yet proud that he had been able to fight for his dreams.
…
When he woke up again, he was in pain. Though… waking up… he never expected such a thing to happen. After all, he had lost the fight, didn't he?
"You are dead," Mystras slowly turned to the source of the voice, meeting his father's face in the end.
"Funny thing you're here too then. I thought you won the battle." Mystras laughed softly, ignoring the pain that ran through his body.
"Dead to the people of Sasan. Tomorrow your body will be burned, your ashes spread out over the mountains. An honorable ritual for a knight like you."
"So what do you want to do, burn me alive?" Mystras asked, frowning.
"Tonight you are leaving the country and you are to never return here. There is a fake body that we will burn. No one will notice." Darius answered him.
"You're giving me freedom?" Confusion was the only thing Mystras could feel at that moment. His father had promised to kill him to stop this from happening and yet…
"I am sending you away from Sasan. Go see the world you want to see, but in return you can never come back here. The knights and your brother will think you are dead, any information from outside you could bring back would ruin us. You can't tell anyone about Sasan either. We are known around but if foreigners arrive mentioning your name, think about the consequences. From now on you don't exist anymore."
The knight king stood up and walked to the door. Before leaving, he turned around once more to face his son.
"Leave tonight, there is a horse waiting for you in the stables." Then he closed to the door, disappearing from Mystras' sight.
…
As had been promised, one of the horses had been packed for travel. It was the same horse he had always used to travel through the city of Vabel, the horse he had gotten from his father when he was still a child. The animal, soft brown of color, had been named Shamhat by his father, a holy name so he had been told. It was still one of the youngest horses the knights owned and a promising one as well and yet it seemed Darius had found his son good enough to take the animal with him. For a moment Mystras wondered if the horse was supposed to be killed along with him, as a way to stop people from growing suspicious.
He quickly looked over the saddle bags which he found filled with food, water, clothes, blankets and some gold. It wasn't much but it was enough to assure he could get to another country without any trouble. Mystras already knew where he wanted to go: the Reim empire, the place where all the merchants would go to. He knew what the country looked like and that it was located in the west, on the other side of the ocean. He felt his heart beat in excitement. He would finally see the ocean, see something else than the mountains that had imprisoned him.
He lead Shamhat out of the stable, away from the castle. There was no one around, all were asleep and clearly any knights that were to be on guarding duty were called away by the king. It all made this escape so much easier.
His muscles were still screaming in pain when he climbed the horse to ride it. There had been no time to get proper rest, he had to go now. Rest could come later, when he had finally reached a different country. Now was the time to say goodbye to the country he had always loved and hated. At night Vabel gave of such a mysterious vibes. At some places there would light of a fire keeping the house warm for the following morning. Mystras sighed, looking down at reins that hung loosely in his hands. He would never see it again, never would he see the sun shine from behind mount Dharma, never again would he watch miners leave to work and see the shepherds bring out their goats to lead them to the grasslands further away from the city. There would be no more sweets, though surely he could even find sweet food somewhere else.
It was so that he left the mountains, the sun rising by the time he the last mountains disappeared from his side and for the first the time he could breathe the true air of the outside world. Green lands, the sound of the world awakening along with the coming sun and water stream down the edge of the cliff. Getting of his horse, he walked closer the edge. It was nothing but water that awaited him. The ocean… it was really there, nothing but blue all the way the endless horizon.
Words had left Mystras before but now… his breath stopped, tears forming in his eyes. The world was too beautiful and a place to explore. He sat at the edge of the cliff watching the ocean and feeling the grass between his fingers for hours. Then, he took his horse again and after a quick glance at the mountains, he ordered his horse to walk and left it all behind to find a new life.