Gallian Nights
Ask anyone who's been to Gallia, and they will tell you stories of the beauty of that mystic land. Lush green forests, wide meadows, sparkling lakes, and mighty rivers make the land a gorgeous sight during the day. But these same people also praise the elegance of the night. At night, the land seems completely new. Cool breezes calm anyone in a rough mood at any time of the year, and the shadows can hide one from prying eyes. There is a mysterious air during the night, a time when colors fade into obscurity, and a time when the beautiful moon lends an ear to any lamenting soul.
But even in a land of beauty can darkness encroach, and by no means is this darkness the shadow of the night; no, this is the darkness of the heart, the corrupter of souls. No matter how beautiful a place is, darkness can easily corrupt such beauty and destroy it entirely. This is the lesson a small band of heroes learned on one unforgettable Gallian night.
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Chapter 1: The Weary Travelers
"Let us cheer the weary traveler,
Cheer the weary traveler,
Let us cheer the weary traveler
Along the heavenly way" (1.)
Beads of sweat trailed down Muarim's face as he heaved the last stone cube and shoved it into place. It had taken years to fix that castle wall, years to repair cracks and holes created in a single day. On that day, King Ashnard lost his throne. On that day, the men and women of Crimea earned their right to keep their nation, and on that day, forty five people learned that, through courage and persistence, through toil and pain, and through bruises and bleeding, one can achieve the pinnacle of one's existence. One can fulfill any goal.
The green tiger used his muscular arm to wipe his forehead and panted. He looked around him, appreciating the vast courtyard for its glory. This was Castle Crimea, the pride and joy of Melior, capital of that resilient nation. It boasted a garden that stretched for several kilometers, covering the land it sat on with roses, rare flowers of all colors, and lush green shrubs that exposed the vigor of young life. It boasted a fountain bursting with shimmering water every moment, and it boasted a balcony where one could observe and appreciate the peaceful dance of the clouds. Muarim sighed as he looked in the sky. How he longed to fly away to distant lands...
The green tiger turned to his left, and spotted a slightly bulkier man with a blue tail of his own. "Mordecai, my brother!" Muarim greeted. "How's your end coming?"
Mordecai nodded, giving Muarim a light smile. "I'm very tired. Mordecai can work hard, he does have his limits."
Muarim smiled. His brother tiger always had the habit of speaking in the third person. Even though two years had passed since the defeat of Ashnard, Mordecai had never gotten used to speaking in the beorc tongue. Yet, the tiger couldn't shake the feeling that, unlike Mordecai, he'd never felt that sense of freedom among his fellow laguz. Even now, the green tiger still felt a little awkward around his own kind.
The two tigers were too busy staring at each other to notice a more slender figure approach them. "Done already? My, my. You've been rather efficient, Muarim. Instead of letting the beorc fix their own wall, you've done the job for them. This is the case when you work too hard for someone else." A slightly bitter, yet calm voice pierced the air.
"Lethe..." Muarim and Mordecai both murmured as they turned to the feline. The more slender laguz stared back at them with a rather serious expression. Lethe's orange tail flicked left and right restlessly. "Muarim, remember that conversation we had, where I offered to give you a tour of Gallia?" She asked, her voice making it sound more like a demand.
"Yes... I was looking forward to it." Muarim nodded, with a polite smile.
Lethe gave him a sincere grin: "Well, you're in luck! Apparently, Ike and Soren will be free after a few days, so we'll be able to head out for Gallia. Considering the fact that we have many workers here who would eagerly finish the job, I'm sure Elincia wouldn't mind if we headed out. I'm sure there are many Gallians who would be honored to meet you, Muarim."
"Why thank you, Lethe." Muarim nodded seriously, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed his expression. "I'll be looking forward to it."
Lethe nodded, assuming a more business like pose: "Meet me in two days. Oh, and Mordecai?" She turned to the blue tiger now, catching him off guard. "Yes, Lethe?"
"It would be great if you came along too. Don't worry about the job here, those beorc can handle themselves, and our brothers are already assisting them." Lethe nodded.
As Lethe strolled away, Muarim and Mordecai exchanged a smile. Finally, they'd have a vacation!
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Ike slowly polished Ragnell as Soren brushed the dust off of his Tornado tome. "I never thought that I'd have to pull this out again..." The raven-haired Sage muttered as he looked over the book. "But it seems that, on a journey like this, we are bound to be ambushed, considering how famous and rich we are."
"You're just being paranoid, Soren. What's the worst thing that can happen to us?" The bulkier man shook his head and gave the mage a light smile. "We're going to Gallia, for crying out loud. Gallia! The land of the Beast tribes, the laguz who helped us two years ago. What could possibly happen to us? You're right in that we should be prepared for anything, but as long as you're carrying some powerful tome like Thoron and everyone brings a reliable and strong weapon, we should be more than prepared for the worst."
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The clouds floated lazily overhead as Muarim looked up at them, strangely amused by their serenity. With Mordecai by his side, the two strolled over to where Lethe was impatiently tapping her foot. "Come, come. We don't have all day." She snarled. "Ike's waiting for us."
The three sprinted a few miles before they spotted Ike, Soren, and Mist, who were all eagerly awaiting Lethe's commands to move forward. But, before they could move on, they heard a high-pitched shout: "Hold!"
Ilyana stepped forward, rather awkwardly, and spoke: "Mia told me you were heading out on a journey to Gallia, and since Murston and the others will be fine without me, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me tagging along."
Soren opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Lethe: "If you're coming with us, then get those legs moving and follow. We've wasted enough time as it stands." The feline hissed, though she did not attach a glare of malice to her words.
At the Crimean/Gallian border, a young cat laguz woman was sitting aimlessly on a rock, her tail swishing back and forth. She wore a red blouse and a pair of black shorts, and her hands moved to a red collar on her neck, which she adjusted slightly. Scanning the terrain in front of her, the laguz sighed and put her chin in her palms, aimlessly looking at her surroundings. There were quite a few boulders lying about, and a sea of trees covered the horizon behind her. Sniffing the air with her nose, she smirked: "It's about time." From behind a stone quarry, Lethe and the others emerged.
"So you are the folks who fought with my sister in the Mad King's War." The laguz greeted them. Lethe's nose crinkled: "How blunt of you. Yes, everyone, this is my sister, Lyre. She can be quite a pain in one's neck, but she's quite trustworthy. I asked her to serve as your guide."
"Does that mean that you will not be joining us, Lethe?" Muarim inquired.
"I will be joining you, but considering that I am one of Gallia's top officers, I want to make sure that you are covered in the event that His Majesty Caineghis calls for me. But let's get going. I want to make sure that we reach Castle Gallia before it gets too dark." Lethe replied.
The trees rustled in the autumn wind, and as the two sisters stammered over the history of Gallia, competing for who would tell the most about Gallia's history and lore to their companions, Mist decided to ignore such trivial facts and enjoy the scenery. Being stuck in the mercenary fort for the last year, Mist was quite eager to visit Gallia, this time not as refugees, but as tourists. These orange, red, and gold leaves that shimmered in the trees were much more beautiful and interesting than the growls and shrieks among sisters.
Soren, too, was rather interested in the trip but tired of Lethe's and Lyre's bickering. The war had changed him, for not long ago he would have adamantly refused to have anything to do with such an excursion. But after meeting with laguz like Ranulf, Muarim, and even Lethe, he looked at them differently. He had mounds of bad memories in Gallia that haunted him for much of his life, but now he was willing to set them aside and enjoy the experience instead.
What helped matters more was the fact that the laguz were beginning to improve their stance to the branded, whom they once deemed "parentless." Now that they were more willing to be friendly, Soren predicted hat he'd be more welcome among the laguz.
The eight of them headed deep into Gallia. Soon after they entered the country, Mordecai was called away to a post in the east, and did not received a detailed briefing on the matter. Lethe and Lyre, finally sick of arguing, decided to have friendly chats with particular members of their party instead.
"Muarim..." Lyre turned around and addressed the burly tiger. "My sister told me that you were a slave in Begnion." She spoke, trying to make him open up.
"Yes... I was, but I'd prefer not to speak of such events, for they leave a very bitter taste, and I don't want you to feel unpleasant because of me."
"You don't need to worry about me feeling unpleasant. Being a warrior and the youngest daughter of a violent father, I've seen my own share of horrors. I think that your bitter memories are clouding your personality, making it harder for us to know you. My sister often spoke fondly of you, and I'm quite curious about how your life must have been. It may be difficult, but if you let those emotions out, you'll feel better."
"Grr... You may be right... Well... I've always had an ambiguous feeling about the beorc..."
"How so?"
"There are those beorc who tormented me and my fellow slaves. They would take females for their own perverted desires, or force males and females to create more slaves. Both sexes were ordered to perform ridiculously excruciating tasks, or suffer from rape or torture as a consequence. The life you've lived in Gallia is like paradise compared to ours..."
"I honestly can't imagine the kinds of pains you've gone through, but look at it this way, you've grown stronger from them. Instead of being bitter and cursing the beorc, you've learned to befriend them. Lethe told me that you even adopted a beorc child."
"Yes, Tormod is my son... And General Ike... is a good man. He is nothing like the beorc I once dealt with."
Watching Lyre help Muarim feel more comfortable, Lethe's eyes softened a little, but noting that the sun was about to set, her eyes quickly hardened and she snarled: "Both of you! Hurry up or you'll be left behind! I want to get to the capital as soon as possible!" Lethe snarled at the pair.
"My sister has always been hasty, but I'm sure you already know that." Lyre chuckled as both laguz increased their pace.
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"So this is Gallia's glory..." Soren began.
When they came here previously, the Mercenaries were led quickly into the palace and quickly out of the city, barely giving them a chance to see Gallia's capital for what it was: a grand city, filled with life and elegance that far surpassed that of any beorc city.
Now, standing on a small hill looking over the city, they could finally appreciate its grandeur. Houses of stone and straw dotted the streets, which looked more like natural trails than their dull and hard beorc counterparts. Leather tents dotted the streets, where laguz, sitting behind tables, would offer goods of all sorts to curious passer-bys. There were laguz leather workers making armor made for laguz warriors, and even booksellers who wrote scrolls and books for purchase. The food vendors had huge portions of meat that made Ilyana drool, even though the slabs of meat were raw. Every merchant was a laguz, and this made things seem so strange to Muarim and Ike, who were used to seeing shops where beorc were the owners and workers.
"Little did I think that we laguz made such a great home for ourselves... In Begnion we only heard terrible things about Gallia." Muarim sighed.
"Those lying bluebloods..." Lyre sighed, her fits tightening in anger. She was proud of her Gallian heritage and couldn't stand it being insulted. However, she did what she could to prevent herself from snarling.
Ike raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lyre. Smiling, he announced: "Well, at least someone has more maturity than her sister."
Lethe shot him a death glare, which by now had no effect on the warrior.
Mist ignored her brother and Lethe's silent quarrel and instead focused on the city before her. The world of Crimea and that of Gallia were both so amazing to her. They each had their own perks. Crimea was a land of people that were beginning to respect and cherish their neighbors. It was a land of knowledge, of scholarship, and a land where everyone lived under the reign of a soft yet steadfast queen who would always do what is best for the people.
Gallia was a different world, a world of a proud race that would never stand down before anyone. Though she was Crimea's ally, Gallia's king was quite a different person than Queen Elincia of Crimea. He was a strong man, and his strength is what kept his nation strong against invaders. He inspired his subjects to be strong, and represented the vitality of the nation. Though he was a benevolent king, loved by his people, his paw was much tougher than Elincia's maiden hand. He ruled Gallia by patriarchal force, not by motherly love.
Mist sighed. In many ways, she was a native of both worlds. She was born in Gallia and grew up in Crimea, allowing her to move comfortably between the two races, laguz and beorc, without feeling afraid like many of the Crimeans. But now she finally had a chance to see the true beauty of her birthplace... The haven for beast-men, like Muarim.
Muarim, too, heaved a great sigh and smiled. He was finally among those whom he could call kin. Back in Begnion, his fellow laguz were merely other slaves, and it obviously was rather painful to address them as so. Yes, the Laguz Emancipation Army was a family of sorts, but they could not stay too attached to one another, for any one of them might die at any moment for the good of their enslaved brothers and sisters. Muarim shuddered when at the thought of the desert. That horrid place was not the ideal habitat for laguz. Their fur and feathers roasted them alive in such an environment.
But Gallia was so different. It might have just been a hallucination of sorts, but Muarim felt a peace here, just standing in this vast forest and near this great city. (2.) He was at home, where he was meant to be, not in some goddess-forsaken wasteland where people frequently die from dehydration. Muarim felt a little guilty that Tormod was not here to witness such as sight. This was paradise compared to the LEA base back in Begnion.
Lethe was always a serious person. She always felt that one should not act carefree or be too gentle, as though these were cardinal sins, yet as she watched Mist, Soren, Muarim, and Ike observe the city with such awe, she did not wish to break their peace. Muarim and Ike had tranquil expressions on their faces, as though they had just come home. Mist kept her mouth agape as she scampered about. Ilyana's mouth was watering at the mounds of food offered at the food vendors, and Soren had a rare peaceful look on his face.
But after a good hour, Lethe noticed that the sun began to droop under the horizon. "It will be dark, soon. I'll need to find you a place to stay. Follow me!" Lethe hissed as she scurried into the city. Lyre and the others followed her eagerly, curious about what they would see next.
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1. The song was an African American hymn, referred to (lyrics and sheet music) in Du Bois' The Souls of Black Folk. Though by no means do the Gallians truly worship Ashera, I felt that this song was quite appropriate for such a title. In a way, it's also a slight refreshing piece in a fic that is hardly meant to be so soothing.
2. Admittedly, I was inspired by the fanfic Green Liberty on this site. That is one awesome fanfic and I am quite disappointed that the author has virtually abandoned it...