Sword-Sisters
It is said that great warriors do not die but once. Instead, they die a thousand times, for the gods allow them to be reborn so that their valour might endure in a world too often craven. Here now is the tale of the most beloved hero of the Yun, of her first death and of the finding of her sword-sister.
In those distant days, the clans of Gran Pulse waged unceasing war against the people of Cocoon, the false moon that hung low in the sky and cast a dark shadow over all the lands that lay beneath about it. No one now remembers what birthed the hatred between Cocoon and the clans, but it was a hatred that burned brightly and which lingers even to this day.
Fang was a young warrior then, tall and strong of limb, but only freshly come into her full strength. She had honed her skills hunting on the steep slopes where her clan lived and had earned honour skirmishing with the enemy.
One winter, when the wind upon the mountains blew fierce and cold, the armies of Cocoon laid siege to the mountains of the Yun. And though the Yun were brave and skilled in the arts of war, they were few in number, and they were driven from their villages and towns. The slopes ran red with their blood, and few were those who escaped the grasp of Cocoon. For the generals of the false moon had a desire beyond mere victory - they wished to put an end to the Yun, to slay each man, woman, and child.
So the armies of Cocoon pursued the survivors deep into the mountains and sought to hem them in. The warriors strove to drive them back, and for a time they won safety. But their numbers were lacking, and one by one, they fell until only a few remained. Chief amongst them was Fang, and she saw plainly the fate that awaited them if they could not escape the mountains and seek sanctuary with the clans upon the plains.
So Fang devised a plan. There was a pass that led down to the plains, but there were children amongst them, and also the old and the unwell. Even if they could reach it, the armies of Cocoon would soon overtake them. Someone would have to stay behind to draw the enemy away for as long as possible.
"It will be me," Fang said. "For I am the strongest, and I shall not fall easily. You shall have time enough to reach the plains and there summon aid so that we might win back our homeland."
And the other warriors mourned, for they saw the sense in her words and knew they would not see her again. But there was one amongst them who spoke up in defiance: a Dia who had come to sell her wares the day before Cocoon attacked.
"You will not go alone, Fang of the Yun, for I will go with you."
"You need not go with me," Fang replied. "For surely you have a home and family to return to, and this battle can only end in my death, though I hope to sell my life dearly."
The Dia lifted her chin and stood as tall as she could. "All the more reason for me to go with you. For I have no home and no family – I have not since the day the armies of Cocoon swept across the plains, burning and looting until they broke upon the walls of Oerba. You hope to sell your life dearly, let me add my life also. Perhaps together we shall fetch a better price."
Then Fang laughed and said, "If that is your wish, Dia, then I am happy to have you. But be quick, the hidden pass is near, and we must draw away the eyes of our enemy."
And so the two companions turned back and beleaguered the armies of Cocoon. Though only two, Fang was wise to the ways of the mountain, and she and her ally ever caught the enemy unawares. And though the Dia was small and slender, she was cunning, setting deadly traps and bringing to bear the potions and poisons she had learned amongst her people.
Thus the eyes of Cocoon were drawn away from the survivors, and all the armies they had were set to the task of slaying Fang and the Dia. But the two were determined to fight to the last, and the battle cry of Fang upon the mountain was as thunder in the hearts of her enemies, and many of them fled rather than face her. Dragon Spear, they called her, as they huddled in the cold and dark of the mountain, for her spear was said to be as sharp as the claws of a dragon and as deadly.
But even the finest warrior could not win against so many, and one by one Fang's hiding places amongst the peaks were sought out and destroyed. Then, bereft of secrecy, Fang and the Dia were pursued and forced to give battle. And that battle was grim indeed.
Back Fang and the Dia fell, back and back, step by step, slaying and cursing the enemy until at last they could fall back no further. Their enemy lay ahead of them in numbers too vast for them to overcome, and behind them were sheer cliffs beyond even Fang's skill to climb.
And so Fang let loose her battle cry one last time and the Dia joined her, and it is said that their battle cry was so loud it shook the mountains even to their roots and that far away, safe upon the plains, the others heard it and knew that Fang's last battle was at hand. Then Fang and the Dia dug in their heels and challenged their enemies to come forth, for there they would die, but not easily.
The armies of Cocoon besieged them, sending forth swordsmen and spearmen and others with great shields. But the place beside the cliffs was not wide, and their enemies could not march against them in full force. Thus, for a time, Fang and the Dia held their ground, and the snow and ice about them were stained red with blood.
But at last the weight of the enemy's numbers grew too heavy. The Dia tired, and when her staff split upon the helmet of a foe, she was run through, but not before seizing the dagger of her foe and slaying him in return. Seeing this, the battle fury of Fang knew no bounds, and she drove her enemies back and clasped the fallen Dia to her.
"It seems that I must go first," the Dia said. "Would that I had a weapon to match your spear or that my supplies were not exhausted – I might have stayed a little longer then."
"Do not apologise. I could not have asked for a finer ally – or a finer friend," Fang said. "But you never told me your name. Tell me now, so that I might know the name of my sword-sister."
"I am called Vanille."
"Then go peacefully to your rest, Vanille, and know that there is one who would call you friend and family – in this life and any other that the gods may grant us."
And hearing this, Vanille died, but it was with a smile upon her lips.
Then Fang stood over the body of Vanille so that no enemy could seize it and defile it. She knew that the hour of her death was upon her, and her voice rang out over the din of battle and the howl of the wind, and the grief and sorrow of her song was matched only by the deadliness of her spear.
She sang until her throat was raw and her spear worn down to nothing, but still the enemy could not force her back. At last, the generals gave the order to strike her down from afar. Three times, the unnumbered archers of Cocoon loosed their arrows, and three times Fang endured, sheltering the body of Vanille with her own. If she were to die, she would defend the honour of her friend and ally for as long as she could.
It was the fourth volley that slew her. Thus fell Fang of the Yun, the greatest of their number, and she died with her body flung over Vanille's in one last act of defence. Then the armies of Cocoon marched forth again and made to lay hands upon the pair, for their generals were filled with wrath and wished to string up the bodies so that all could see and know the fate of those who opposed them.
But Fang and Vanille's battle cry had not gone unheard, nor had their valour gone unnoticed. The gods had seen the battle, and their hearts were moved. At their command, a great dragon came forth from the crown of the mountains like a black storm cloud riven with purple lightning.
The dragon seized Fang and Vanille and carried their bodies down to the foot of the mountains. There, the survivors of Fang's people found them and tended them: they cleaned away the blood, stitched shut the gaping wounds, and plucked the arrows from Fang's body. Then they built up a great funeral pyre for the two women, and the dragon loosed his flame until the smoke of the pyre reached unto heaven.
Thus ends the first story of Fang of the Yun and Vanille of the Dia. In the years that followed, the Yun won back their lands, and their might grew so great that never again would an army of Cocoon find victory upon the mountains. Many times were Fang and Vanille reborn. Yet in each life they found each other, and in all things they were as sisters, for some bonds even the gods cannot break.
X X X
Author's Notes
As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.
I've been playing around with different styles lately, and this is one of several shorter chapters I've written in a more archaic style. All of these chapters share the idea that heroes are reborn if their deeds are great enough. Fang lends herself rather nicely to this sort of thing, and there has to be a reason that she and Vanille get on so well.
In the chapters to follow, you can expect to see other characters from FF XIII. The next chapter, for instance, has already been written. It's about Lightning – how she got that name and what she did to earn her fame.
Also, my original short story The Last Huntress is available for free on Amazon today (Sunday 23rd March, Pacific Standard Time). If you enjoy fantasy with a healthy dose of atmosphere and action, I'm sure you love it. You can find a link to it at the top of my profile.
As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.