Hello everyone!
99.99999999 of you won't know me, seeing as this is my first time writing in this section. I'm actually a Naruto fanfic writer, but I love Star Ocean, and the idea for this came into my mind a few months back. I've been mulling over it for a long time, working on the finer details, and now I MUST write it!
WARNINGS: Hey, for once I don't have to write "THIS IS A YAOI!!" at the start of one of my stories. Yeah, I'm a yaoi writer. I write het as well, but yaoi is my passion. But, this is a het.
I can't really think of many warnings, except I may get some of the characters' personalities wrong, same with facts, but I shall try my hardest not to. I don't actually own the game, so I can't use it for reference, so yeah… Please don't flame me if I get something wrong. Just tell me via review or PM, or just completely ignore it. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.
Oh yeah. I also write a lot of stories in 1st person, but this one is in 3rd. So I may accidentally slip into 1st every now and then. Again, tell me or ignore it.
The first chapter is quite angsty (if I do say so myself), and a few after that will be too. But this will turn out to be a bit more humorous. I will keep the plot going, so there will always be a bit of angstiness in this, but there will be funny parts too. Just because I'm a naturally psychotic person and I don't think I could possibly write a story without some sort of humour.
Okay, on with the story now. I'll stop taking up your time (and my wordcount).
XxX
Burnt Lilies
Chapter One
Burnt Threads
XxX
SD 769 (2855 AD)
There was no sound other than the horse galloping down the road, and the girl's staggered breathing. The trees whipped past as she rode down the hill, away from the smoky glow illuminating the background.
She didn't know where she was headed. As long as it was away from that disaster, and away from him, then it was fine. She gripped the reigns tighter in her fists as the thought of his laughing face.
How could he?! She trusted him!
She bit her lip lightly and concentrating on keeping her emotions at bay. Now wasn't the time to lose herself. She needed to find somewhere safe to rest before anything else. Somewhere to recuperate.
She flicked the reigns and uttered a harsh cry, urging the brown horse faster.
A few tears managed to leak out past her mask of indifference.
XxX
After hours of travelling she finally managed to reach a small, dilapidated inn. She brought the horse up to the hitching post and quickly tied him up. Wrapping the cloak around her tighter and pulling down the hood, as if to bolster up her courage, she walked up the steps to the front door.
It was very late, so no-one was around but for the person behind the desk. A fire crackled in the hearth, sending flickers of light through the room, making the already gloomy room seem slightly ominous.
The woman walked up to the middle aged man asleep at the desk. She coughed lightly. He sat up quickly with a grunt. Rubbing his eye, he looked at her. "Yeah?" he grumbled.
"I want a room," she replied in a monotone voice and a blank expression.
He wasn't unnerved by her behaviour, seeing as he was in the middle of bandit territory and it common. He eyed the deadly looking katana at her waist, but handed her the room key nonetheless. She dropped a few coins on the desk and walked away silently.
She padded silently down the narrow hall, peering at each number in the near black. She finally came across hers and jabbed the key in almost hurriedly, as if anxious to get in though her face revealed nothing. She threw in the door and walked in, throwing her bag onto the bed.
Slowly now, she turned and walked back to the door, closing with the greatest of care. For, once it clicked into place, her façade finally broke.
Her forehead leant against the cool wood of the door and her breathing became laboured, she bit her lip again and furrowed her brow. Her shoulders began to shake as wounded sobs wracked her body. Slowly, she sank down to the ground and cried pitifully, anguishing sorrow and absolute grievous despair taking over her entire being.
XxX
The next few weeks passed in a blur. Everything melded together, like a watercolour painting that had been left in the rain. She rode her horse through numerous villages, down countless roads. A blank expression was worn at all times, and she didn't break down again. What was the point, anyway? It wouldn't gain her anything…
As she continued to travel south it began to get colder and colder. She stopped at the next town and traded in her cotton cloak for a heaver fur one. She bought some sturdier clothes too, as her current ones had begun to smell horrible and had become worn through and torn in places.
The dark haired woman knew she had better stop soon, and settle into one of the villages. She could sense something dark and foreboding ahead of her on the trail, but beyond that, there was another sense, like whatever she was searching for – for she herself had no idea what that was – would be found there too.
Besides, none of the farmers' villages or trading towns really felt right to her. They didn't have that feeling of a home to it. At least, not her home.
She was sitting in a small diner in a mining town, sipping on water and letting her ears drift among the various conversations going on.
"I can't believe they brought the tax up again…"
"What are we going to do about…"
"That… wicked man; he came through here earlier today. It's true, I saw him…"
"He's still so young. Barely twenty, and already the leader of the Black Brigade…"
"Man, that girl was hot…"
"…That was a guy…"
A waitress walked up to the woman and asked her if she wanted anything to eat. "A loaf of bread would be great," she muttered.
The lady nodded. "Sure. You're travelling, are you?"
She shrugged. "You could say that."
"Where are you headed?"
She shrugged again. "Nowhere in particular." She pointed to the west. "That general direction, I guess."
The waitress frowned. "But, all that's that way is Airyglyph!"
"I guess that's where I'm heading then."
She looked flustered. "Th-They don't take kindly to strangers there. And Albel the Wicked is on that pass. God knows what would happen to you if you two accidentally crossed paths!"
The dark haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Albel the Wicked? Sounds evil."
She nodded. "Oh he is! You haven't heard of him?" She shook her head. "Well, he's the leader of the Black Brigade, one of the military forces of Airyglyph. He's only very young, probably about the same as you yourself, and he's quite a looker from what I've heard; but he's an absolutely merciless killer. No-one has fought him since he rose to power and lived to tell the tale."
A very small smirk pulled at the woman's lips. "He sounds like a good challenge."
The waitress became extremely flustered again. "No! You really don't want to go against him! Unless you're some sort of superhuman or god, I suggest you stay as far away from him as you can! Stay away from Airyglyph too!"
The traveller looked up at her with that small smirk still on her lips. "You really should stop. You're just making me want to go there more."
"Do you have a death wish?!"
The smirk widened and a flash of an indescribable emotion crossed her eyes. "Maybe I do."
She was speechless. There was a long silence between them.
"…My bread?"
Without a word, the waitress staggered off slowly, shaking her head dazedly with disbelief. The woman turned back to her drink.
Albel the Wicked, eh?
XxX
The horse plodded quietly by her side as she led it through the town towards the west gate. She could feel the eyes of the waitress – along with some of the townsfolk who had been listening in – staring at her from the windows, but she didn't care.
She reached the high gate and steadied the horse, throwing the reigns over his head. She patted his shoulder as a form of "still" and pushed her cloak up near his neck so she could nimbly jump up. Once she was settled she picked it up and threw it around her shoulders.
She patted his shoulder again, watching in mild interest as the motion made the muscles ripple. Grabbing hold of the reigns, she looked up at the mountainous pass waiting and flicked them quickly. She uttered a quiet click and dug her heels into his ribs and they were off.
The way was tough. It would've been hard enough on foot, but with her horse it was a hard challenge. But when faced with the idea of leaving him behind, she simply couldn't. He was one of her last threads to her old life. All the rest were gone, destroyed in fire and metal.
Majority of the way she had to lead the brown stallion through the rocky hills and ditches, over the rocky ground. A few times they were attacked by wild animals, but she quickly took care of them with either her katana or a quick spell.
There was just something satisfying about toasting a giant spider.
Disgusting evil creatures.
Near the top there was a long clear pass, so she took advantage of it and trotted through it, careful of the surroundings still. It was very easy to be ambushed.
She managed to keep a good pace for around ten minutes, but soon had to dismount again as the mountain started to decline. Ahead, she could just make out a couple of figures heading her direction through the falling snow.
After a few more minutes of stumbling through the rocks, she began to pick up on their voices too.
"Shelby, you fool! You've been up and down this pass hundreds of times, and yet you can't find the right path towards your own home?!" Yelled an angry, snarling voice.
"I'm sorry, Lord." That last word sounded almost mocking. Apparently this Shelby person didn't truly like this Lord, or he didn't think he should be in charge.
She paid them no mind again. It didn't really matter, in any case. And if they challenged her… well, something other than spiders to fry.
Speaking of spiders…
Another large eight-legged hairy monster jumped out at her, front legs raised and hissing. Two more jumped out from behind it. Sighing, she motioned for her horse to "still" again and stepped forward, putting her hands on her hips. The two arguing men were getting closer towards her, and the intersection she was currently standing in.
The left spider lunged at her, fangs poised to strike, dripping with poison. Dropping to the ground, she braced her hands on the ground and kicked forward, hitting it square in its underbelly. It flew back and landed heavily near its 'buddies'. It riled them up even more, sensing the fight.
Finally, she drew her katana. "Bring it on, scum," she growled menacingly.
The centre spider jumped at her and was promptly cut up into small pieces. The right followed soon after. She slid her blade back into its hilt and began walking back to the horse. They weren't much of a challenge at all.
The one she had kicked down at the beginning of the fight tried to lunge at her. She was too quick, muttering under her breath for the spell and then spun around, spewing fire at the unsuspecting creature from her mouth, killing it.
But, apparently the men who had been fighting before had made it to the intersection, and one of them got caught in the blast. Luckily, it only grazed his shoulder, barely touching him. Nevertheless, he growled in anger, looking down at it.
He glared at the woman. "Bitch!" he cursed at her.
"You attacked him!" yelled the other, looking between them both, almost scared.
She raised an eyebrow. "No I didn't. I killed off that stupid spider, and you just got caught in the crossfire, that's all."
"Don't speak to us with such insolence! Don't you know who we are?!"
She looked at the both. The man yelling was a thick, broad man, probably in his thirties. He wasn't ugly, per say, but he wasn't very attractive either. The other was much younger, probably twenty or so, had a very slight frame and was quite good looking. He had interesting hair, messy and black at the top, with blonde at the tips. He had a very menacing look, like he wanted to flay her where she stood.
This must've been Albel the Wicked, judging from what the waitress said; meaning that the other must've been the 'fool' named Shelby.
"No idea. You mustn't be very good fighters if you were foolish enough to get caught in the blast." Why bother telling them she knew their names? It was fun to annoy them.
He growled. "How dare you?! This is Lord Albel, leader of the Black Brigade! I am Shelby, his second in command!"
"Wow, who'd you kill to get that job?"
Finally, Albel spoke again. "Do you have a death wish, fool?!"
A smirk pulled at her lips. "Why is everyone asking me that today?"
"We'll fulfil it, if you want! Just keep talking!"
She laughed hoarsely. She was a bit out of practice. "Another day, maybe; I have no quarrels with you. If it makes you feel any better, I apologise for hitting you with my fire spell." She looked at the road ahead. It was pretty easy going, good enough for the horse to get through.
She jumped up and flicked the reigns. She trotted quickly away down the path away from them.
"Get back here you bitch!" cried Shelby. She didn't bother to even look back.
Her good hearing picked up the quick patter of running feet. She turned around in time to see Albel running at her, katana drawn. She cursed under her breath and quickly drew her own blade, in time to meet with his, which had been poised to attack her horse.
"You ass," she growled at him, "How dare you attack my horse?! That's low!"
"Do you think I care?" he growled back.
She nimbly jumped down and stepped away from the stallion. He obediently moved away to the edge of the path, out of the way of the fight. They stood opposite each other, poised to attack.
Albel attacked first. The woman noticed as he charged at her, that he had two long stands of hair, bound in white bandages, following after him.
Probably not the best thing to be thinking about while he's charging to attack you.
She blocked him again, pushing back harshly. She had to admit, he was very strong. He dropped lower and switched his blades path, heading for her hip. She dodged to the left and repeated the move she had done with the spider, pitching to the ground and kicking out at his shin. She barely missed as he shifted his foot and spun away.
Most people would probably be scared if they had to fight against Albel the Wicked. But this woman wasn't most people. She wasn't scared at all. In fact, she was excited. For the first time this trip, she had a worthy opponent.
They continued to fight, moving fluidly and with almost grace. It was a deadly dance, where even one slip-up could mean injury for one of them, or death.
She was really enjoying herself. And judging by the gleam in Albel's eyes, so was he.
Shelby knew better than to join in the fight, knowing he would probably just end up being killed by either Albel or the woman. He knew neither of them cared if he was alive, and they both knew he knew too.
Their katanas clashed again. The strain of the battle was beginning to show in both their frames. They were slowing, their movements becoming more sluggish by the smallest infinitesimal amount. To anyone else, they would still be going as hard as before, but they could both tell.
They pushed against each other's blades hungrily; their bodies were close, at some parts touching. Neither really cared. All that mattered was the fight.
Suddenly she was falling. Albel, the dirty bastard, he'd tripped her. By the time she had realised her body had connected with the ground, he had his blade pressed – blunt side down – against her throat.
She raised an eyebrow. "What; you're not going to kill me? I thought you were Albel the Wicked."
He pressed the blade down harsher. "Would you prefer I do?"
"Nah, I'll be okay. I've got to train some more, apparently. Can't be wasting time dying. Dirty trick, by the way."
He snorted lightly and stood up again. "Get up, maggot. You can come to Airyglyph with us. See what the King wants to do with you." He completely ignored her comment on his fighting tactics. "Do you have any alliances?"
She shook her head. "Not that I know of."
"Fine. Get up, prisoner."
XxX
The city of Airyglyph could probably be summed up in one word. Depressing. Snow fell continuously on the stone ground, and people hurried through the falling ice in ragged clothes probably years old and handed down. People lay in the street, hiding under eaves or near warm doors. Coughs and cries of sick people could be heard all around them and everyone scurried away from their forms, giving them a wide berth.
Even in his hometown, he was horridly feared.
Shelby wasn't very happy about the fact that Albel had kept her alive, but didn't mention it. His tense frame gave away his opinion though.
She looked around, inspecting the location. Even in the squalor, it held a lot of charm, and that sense that she had felt before was right. What was waiting for her here, she still wasn't sure.
They led her through the city towards the castle. The guards at the gate – completely dressed in black armour – saluted them as they passed. Shelby nodded towards them and Albel gave no recognition at all.
She was led to a post where she tied the horse, and then inside. They walked up a few sets of stairs, after being bowed to by every person they walked past. They reached an area with a red carpet, leading up to a large chair, on which a man – who could be none other than the King – sat. Two other men sat on each side of him.
Shelby bowed low to the man. Albel, being the bastard she was beginning to realise he was, didn't do anything. The woman pulled down her hood and kneeled down on the ground. She placed both hands in front of her and bowed low, in a traditional way.
"King Airyglyph," she said politely. "Such a pleasure it is to meet you."
One of the men beside him spoke. He was an old man, greyed and withered. "Interesting pose you have. You must be from the east, correct?"
"Yes."
He looked at Albel and Shelby. "Who is this? Why is she here?"
Shelby stepped up and launched haughtily into a full speech about how Albel was unjustly attacked, and then was thrown into battle with the insolent girl who did nothing but insult them.
Well, a few of the details were correct, to a degree. There was a lot of insulting happening on that pass…
Shelby was about to begin on how much trouble she had given them on the way – which she hadn't – she interrupted him. "May I say something?"
He nodded. Shelby grumbled.
"Thank you. Firstly, I was fighting a group of giant spiders, and I flamed one, accidentally hitting this dolt." She gestured to Albel. "I did not see him there, it was not intentional. I did make a few snide remarks, but I hardly think that deserves a death sentence. I apologised, and was about to continue on my way, but then Albel started the fight by trying to attack my horse. Naturally I had to retaliate. He won by foul play, and I came along with no troubles."
There was a silence. Finally King Airyglyph looked at Albel. "Is this true?"
He shrugged in nonchalance, "Pretty much."
"Then why is she here?"
"To shut this fool up." He kicked Shelby.
"And what is it you want to do with her?"
"Whatever the hell you want."
There was another silence. The King watched the woman for a while. The woman looked back at the King. Shelby glared at Albel out of the corner of his eye. Albel scratched his cheek.
"What's your name?"
She thought quickly. "Cora. Cora Alcham."
"Where are you from?"
"…The East."
"Yes, but where?"
"I don't really want to say."
His brow furrowed. "And why not?"
She bit her lip. Should she tell him? She weighed the pros and cons of the situation. If she didn't say anything, they would most likely put her into interrogation. If she did, they might trust her some more.
"…Well, I can't say too much, but there is a man following me, with the intent to kill me. I am running away from him. I can't reveal too much, in case he finds out and tracks me down. He is a highly skilled fighter, and doesn't care who he kills, if it leads him to me."
Another silence. "So, I'm guessing that the name you gave me is an alias?"
She flinched. "Yes. My apologies."
"It's understandable." She found that she liked this king. She had expected him to be a cruel, unforgiving man, but instead he was very compassionate and understanding.
"What do you think, Albel? What shall we do with her?"
"Do you really think I care?"
"Well, you brought her here."
The old man spoke up again. "Yes, Albel, you must have had some reason for bringing her here."
"Shut up, old man." He snapped. Apparently he didn't like that type of insinuation.
"Don't speak to your elders like that, boy." He replied back quickly.
Finally the other man, who had been silent this entire time, spoke up. "We shouldn't trust this girl. She could be a spy from Aquios for all we know! I say we put her in the dungeons and question her."
Ah, so this is where the cruelty came from.
"Now, now, Vox, no need to be so cruel."
"Shut it Woltar. We can't all be soft like you. If we were, this city would've died out by now."
"And if we were all cruel like you, the same would've happened. Maybe we should trust her."
The King spoke up again. "No, I think Vox is right. She could be a spy." He thought for a moment. "How about this; if you truly want to stay in Airyglyph, then you will have to stay in the dungeons for an amount of time we shall decide on. You won't know of until we let you out, and you will be questioned at intervals. If you remain true and still want to stay by the end, then you may stay, no questions asked."
Cora thought about it. It did seem fair, if a little cruel. She looked up at the King and nodded. "Okay. I agree to your terms." A small smirk tugged at her lips. "So, who'll guide me to my chambers?"
XxX
Okay, that's it for the first chapter.
If you are nerd enough (like me) to figure it out, this is set 3 years before the beginning of SOTEOT.
See? I told you, I can't help but put jokes in it. She had to insult at least someone.
And it's all mystery, mystery, mystery! Who is this girl? What's with the name Cora Alcham? Who is chasing her? Why did he kill those people? How does she know how to fight? WHY THE HELL DID SHE GET A LOAF OF BREAD?!
…Okay, let's forget that last part.
Note: Alcham is pronounced Al-cam (sort of like Alchemy)