First Day of Ficmas – Ratatosk's and his Thoughts about Trees
Middi: On the first day of Ficmas, Middi and Symphy gave to me!
Symphy: ONE NEW fic about trees!
Middi: You'll get it when you read it.
Middi: That's right folks! I'm gonna right 12 stories in time for Christmas! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holidays and on to a safe and heart warming New Year to you all! This is a disclaimer for the WHOLE SERIES of Ficmas, okay? I don't any of the anime/ manga/ books/ cartoons/ games / fandoms.
Symphy: There probably won't be any repeats of categories.
~Oo0oOo0oO~
'So confusing these humans are.' thought Ratatosk as he continued to follow Marta and the rest of the group through the rows and rows of trees.
The snow on the ground was the purest of white, and the fir trees were tall and medium height. Most of them were quite taller than even Regal, who happened to show up for the occasion. Lloyd and Colette were bouncing with excitement and holding hands in the cold pathway. Raine was jabbering on about some formulas to herself while Genis tried to get Presea's attention, without any success of course. Regal was talking about the affairs of the Kingdom with Zelos, who looked overly down about that, while once in a while glancing at the raven haired ninja with a strange look in his eyes. .
Sheena clung to herself when chattering her irritation as to why Zelos was looking at her weirdly. Every once in a while Lloyd looked to the sky, in a specific place where Ratatosk felt something should be there. Snow fell in clumps from the grey sky, and the insistent chattering from the humans' nonsense conversations were greatly annoying the King of Monsters.
It was a mystery as to why he was even there. Emil had asked him if he would like to go around in the body for a while. Of course Ratatosk had accepted. He felt it was disgusting how meek and shy his own other self was, he needed to prove that he did not act in such a pathetic way. He wanted to show that he was to be feared.
"Marta. What in the world are we doing here?" He asked in a gruff voice.
Marta turned around, her scarf flowing behind her. She was bundled up from head to toe, like she was in the Triet desert not so long ago. She was wearing a fur coat made of Penguinist fur, and gloves and a hat made of the same monster to go with it. Dyed her favourite creamy white colour with a mahogany trim, the not so much as a coat as a long warm dress fluttered at her knees as she twirled. Her smile was bright and cheeks and nose were rosy as she giggled. As if his question was...amusing.
"What is so funny Marta?" He growled.
Marta giggled again, this time everyone stopped to look at Ratatosk. His regular scarf was still around his neck, and so were his regular boots and pants, but his shirt had been replaced to make sure Emil didn't freeze. Ratatosk was wearing a slim dark blue turtleneck and a fur coat, Penguinist, and also dyed dark blue to fit Emil and his pact clothing with Ratatosk.
"Emil," Marta started. "Do you know what time of year it is?" she asked as she bowed forward the same as she always does.
"...What do you think Marta? It's winter." He plainly answered.
Marta giggled again, and this time, the whole group joined in laughing. Even Presea gave a chuckle which had Genis blushing and trying to get her to laugh again.
Ratatosk glared at them. 'How dare they make me seem like the idiot?'
When the laughter died down Marta looked at him again. Then she realized that he was serious and put her hands to her mouth as she gasped. She ran toward Ratatosk and put her face right into his.
"Emil? What are you- Ratatosk? When did you and Emil...?" she shook her head in confusion. "Anyway, you don't know about the holiday during the winter time, do you?" Marta questioned.
"Who else would it be? The wimp decided a couple of days ago he needed a break; I simply took over on behalf of him. My tree died thousands of years ago because of humans, and so I became King of all Monsters, there isn't a reason I want to keep up with the frivolous antics of humans." Ratatosk harshly replied, keeping his gaze level with Marta's as he backed up.
"So you don't know what we're doing today?" Lloyd piped up.
"Don't call Emil a wimp! And a few days ago? Is that why you haven't been talking?" Marta chastised. "You don't have to always be a lone wolf when Emil isn't the one talking you know!"
The entire group stared at Ratatosk like he just sprouted another head. This just made him angrier, so he glared harder. His red eyes darted over the humans' and half-elves' faces, all of them were staring at him with blank expressions. He intensified the might of his glare, Colette and Genis turned their heads, but Lloyd was once again oblivious to the atmosphere.
"Are you serious? Wait, isn't this the first year that Emil was technically born? I mean the guy who owned that body..."
"It was Aster, Lloyd. We went over this before, remember?" Raine instructed from behind her book.
"Yeah! Aster! But, this is the first year that Emil has had the Winter Holiday Season, right?" he dashed toward Ratatosk, pulled him into a hug and pulled him passed all the others.
"Wait! What are you doin- LLOYD!" he hollered.
Lloyd pushed him into a bank of snow beyond a row of fir trees. Ratatosk landed face first into a pile of packing snow. He pulled his head out of the snow and turned his body onto his back to tackle Lloyd and then proceed to beat him unconscious. He turned to see all of them staring at him with smiling faces.
Sheena and Zelos were side by side, Sheena blushing a tomato shade of red while Zelos' left arm took a spot on Sheena's waist. Regal and Raine were standing above the rest, smiling and looking at something behind Ratatosk that made their faces glow. Presea's eyes were filled with wonder at the same spot Raine and Regal's were, and Genis' eyes were filled with infatuation while looking at Presea. Lloyd and Colette were snuggling and looking brightly forward.
Ratatosk glared. 'Humans are just asking to be destroyed." He viciously thought...
Until Marta came up to him and kneeled. She put her forehead on his and closed her eyes.
"Turn around or you'll miss it." She whispered.
Ratatosk frowned, but shifted around nonetheless.
...
His eyes were hit by a strong light, but when his eyes focussed, his face froze in wonder.
There was a huge clearing from the path that Lloyd pushed him through, where snow was piling up in different places. The trees made a circle that framed the clearing with pathways coming out every couple trees. There was a tombstone set up in the middle of the clearing, and behind it was a giant tree.
And not just any tree... The tree was massive, and there was a patch of warm grass from where it was rooted. Fireflies decorated the leaves and silver and gold strings covered the entire mass of the tree.
It looked exactly like his own... but his tree was dead...
...Martel...
Ratatosk sharply turned his head to the grinning faces of the Sylvaranti and the Tehe'allens. He sprung up and walked in silence towards the pathway out of the clearing.
"Where do you think you're going Emil?" teased Zelos.
"I'm leaving." Plain, simple, straight outta there.
"Why? Do you not like your gift?" Colette wondered quietly.
Ratatosk stopped moving and turned his head toward the others.
"It's forbidden for anyone else but the chosen people, which are you, but mostly forbidden to me to know the name of the World Tree. My imouto wouldn't be so stupid as to not tell you that." He explained.
"Imouto? Is that some kind of lover?" asked Marta, boiling with what was no doubt jealousy.
"Sister Marta. Martel is my sister. She knows how much I hate you all for killing my tree." He said wistfully. "She also knows I don't take kindly to tricks. So I'll be off talking with Tenebrae."
With an arrival of black smoke Tenebrae approached his master.
"I think not Lord Ratatosk." said Tenebrae while floating about.
"What?" he snarled.
"Lady Marta put so much effort into helping Miss Sheena summon a replica of your tree. The least that your time is worth is to just see it. Though I would never think of knowing what is best for you Lord Ratatosk. Besides, Emil took time out for you to see it."
"Tch." Ratatosk's eyes went over the group, most just looked hopeful. He went striding forwards into the clearing once again, and up to the tombstone. His boots crunching with every step he took. He crouched down and breathed into his hands for warmth as his eyes adjusted to the light coming off the tree. His eyes scanned over the letters, and widened at the names.
He smirked as he heard someone come up behind him, probably Marta because they wrapped their arms around his torso. As they stared at the engravings, Ratatosk felt his smirk drift into a low smile.
Here lies the thoughts and feeling of mortals of old.
The tree given to man by the elves of Derris Kharlan lays its roots here.
We give thanks to the Lord of Monsters, for be in not for him, our world would have tumbled into chaos.
Here also lie the remnants of Mithos' Cruxis Crystal.
May he find peace with his sister, Martel.
And may the Goddess Martel find peace with her own Brother,
And may the Lord of Monsters find what he wants to find.
Marta snuggled into his warmth and closed her eyes.
"Merry Christmas Emil."
Green eyes turned his head to look at the girl at his side. He smiled widely at her.
"Merry Christmas Marta."
~Oo0oOo0oO~
Till Tomorrow...
