A Second Chance
Chapter I: A Parting of Ways
By: Peregrin Took
"It was a grim day when I was spared and allowed to live on. It was that day when I fought my best friend and bearer of the other half of my rune, the Rune of Beginning, and lost.
I hadn't lost by being out fought, but by being confused. I was confused by the thought that Marcus wouldn't try to kill, or even attack me. I was the evil king of Highland, as some and myself said, and he was the glourious leader of the Freedom Army, why shouldn't he have tried to kill me? I soon figured it out, he had remembered the days when we were friends, not enemies and tried to make them live on. I had almost died that day of my own accord, not his,
I had nearly killed myself by using my rune numerous times and it finally came back to haunt me.
I was saved by Leknaat who had brought out the true power of Marcus's rune to save me. I am still remorseful of things I had done, but I have learned to deal with the regret....maybe I could....." I was brought out of my deep thought by Nanami yelling, "What'cha doin' Jowy!"
"Thinking." I replied.
"You seem to be awful quiet these days, anything the matter?".
"No, I'm fine.".
Marcus came over too, hoping to relieve me of Nanami's annoying nature for a moment. "Nanami, why don't you go over and tend to the fire for awhile.".
Nanami walked away, looking a bit frustrated, "Thanks Marcus, she was starting to get annoying."
"No problem, but still, I've got to ask you the same thing, are you sure you're OK?"
".....Ya', I guess so....I'm just tired."
"You can't get rid of me with some little excuse, I know you better than you think, and I know something is wrong with you right now."
I sat there for a second and then realised he did know me better than I thought, even though we were like brothers in our own little way. "Ya', I guess you're right. I was just thinking
about the past...".
Marcus got an exasperated look on his face at that moment, like he was getting tired of
me always thinking about the past. "You do know that's all behind us now, so stop regretting about all that, remember what Leknaat said,"It will be hard to forget and will be a burden to you
for the rest of your life, but all is forgiven in my eyes." Just remember that and you'll pull through."
"Thanks, Marcus."
Marcus nodded and smiled as if he had just defeated Luca Blight all over again, he walked away leaving me in better spirits than before.
When I woke up I realised Nanami and Marcus were gone, it didn't worry me at the time but a few hours later when they hadn't returned I started to worry.
As soon as I got up to go look for them they walked back into our clearing along with two others, Heiro McDohl and his servant Gremio.
"If it isn't Gremio and Heiro, our old friends, since when were you in these parts?" I asked in the happiest mood I'd been in for awhile.
"Since yesterday Jowy, and if it wasn't for Marcus and Nanami here we wouldn't have found you three." replied Heiro.
"Ya', we found them wandering around the woods, Nanami here spotted them before me."
"And if it isn't Gremio, still following Heiro around it seems?"
Heiro then got a sorrowful look on his face, "Well, he is following me around as usual, but he's not the same Gremio. A while back, let's see...two weeks ago, we got captured by bandits and they had us by the arms before we could draw our weapons and they covered by right hand with some strange rune-blocking glove. Gremio resisted and.... and....they cut his tongue off, so he can't talk now, he mumbles a bit and sometimes I can understand him, but he hasn't tried to say anything for a day or two now."
"That's awful!" Nanami, Marcus, and me cried in unison.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it now, Gremio's finally seemed to have accepted his fate."
The five friends sat down around the fire and told stories of what had happened to them in there wanderings (all except Gremio of course, he just listened) and ate what food they had left. When it came down to food Nanami looked in their bags to see what they had left, she seemed disappointed when she came back and said, "We're running low on food, we've got enough left for about five days." She turned to Heiro and asked, "What's the nearest town from here?".
"Well, actually, the Crystal Shrine is about three days away and that's where we were headed, why don't you three join us."
"Fine by me." I replied.
We all went to sleep, except for Gremio who stayed up for first watch. A few hours later I felt a knudge at my shoulder, it was Gremio signalling that it was my turn on watch.
I started to think, "Even after what Marcus said, I still regret what I had done in Highland and I wish there was some way to make it better. I could always go back to Highland....No I couldn't, I can't leave Marcus and Nanami, but we would meet again even if I did. I should go back and try to make amends for what I did, but would the people listen and how would I ask for their forgiveness while the City/State holds the rule there. They would never let me adress the people.....I don't care, I might as well try!" With that I got up, picked up my bags and said a silent goodbye to all my friends......then set off into the woods back towards Highland and the City/State.
Chapter I: A Parting of Ways
By: Peregrin Took
"It was a grim day when I was spared and allowed to live on. It was that day when I fought my best friend and bearer of the other half of my rune, the Rune of Beginning, and lost.
I hadn't lost by being out fought, but by being confused. I was confused by the thought that Marcus wouldn't try to kill, or even attack me. I was the evil king of Highland, as some and myself said, and he was the glourious leader of the Freedom Army, why shouldn't he have tried to kill me? I soon figured it out, he had remembered the days when we were friends, not enemies and tried to make them live on. I had almost died that day of my own accord, not his,
I had nearly killed myself by using my rune numerous times and it finally came back to haunt me.
I was saved by Leknaat who had brought out the true power of Marcus's rune to save me. I am still remorseful of things I had done, but I have learned to deal with the regret....maybe I could....." I was brought out of my deep thought by Nanami yelling, "What'cha doin' Jowy!"
"Thinking." I replied.
"You seem to be awful quiet these days, anything the matter?".
"No, I'm fine.".
Marcus came over too, hoping to relieve me of Nanami's annoying nature for a moment. "Nanami, why don't you go over and tend to the fire for awhile.".
Nanami walked away, looking a bit frustrated, "Thanks Marcus, she was starting to get annoying."
"No problem, but still, I've got to ask you the same thing, are you sure you're OK?"
".....Ya', I guess so....I'm just tired."
"You can't get rid of me with some little excuse, I know you better than you think, and I know something is wrong with you right now."
I sat there for a second and then realised he did know me better than I thought, even though we were like brothers in our own little way. "Ya', I guess you're right. I was just thinking
about the past...".
Marcus got an exasperated look on his face at that moment, like he was getting tired of
me always thinking about the past. "You do know that's all behind us now, so stop regretting about all that, remember what Leknaat said,"It will be hard to forget and will be a burden to you
for the rest of your life, but all is forgiven in my eyes." Just remember that and you'll pull through."
"Thanks, Marcus."
Marcus nodded and smiled as if he had just defeated Luca Blight all over again, he walked away leaving me in better spirits than before.
When I woke up I realised Nanami and Marcus were gone, it didn't worry me at the time but a few hours later when they hadn't returned I started to worry.
As soon as I got up to go look for them they walked back into our clearing along with two others, Heiro McDohl and his servant Gremio.
"If it isn't Gremio and Heiro, our old friends, since when were you in these parts?" I asked in the happiest mood I'd been in for awhile.
"Since yesterday Jowy, and if it wasn't for Marcus and Nanami here we wouldn't have found you three." replied Heiro.
"Ya', we found them wandering around the woods, Nanami here spotted them before me."
"And if it isn't Gremio, still following Heiro around it seems?"
Heiro then got a sorrowful look on his face, "Well, he is following me around as usual, but he's not the same Gremio. A while back, let's see...two weeks ago, we got captured by bandits and they had us by the arms before we could draw our weapons and they covered by right hand with some strange rune-blocking glove. Gremio resisted and.... and....they cut his tongue off, so he can't talk now, he mumbles a bit and sometimes I can understand him, but he hasn't tried to say anything for a day or two now."
"That's awful!" Nanami, Marcus, and me cried in unison.
"I know, but there's nothing we can do about it now, Gremio's finally seemed to have accepted his fate."
The five friends sat down around the fire and told stories of what had happened to them in there wanderings (all except Gremio of course, he just listened) and ate what food they had left. When it came down to food Nanami looked in their bags to see what they had left, she seemed disappointed when she came back and said, "We're running low on food, we've got enough left for about five days." She turned to Heiro and asked, "What's the nearest town from here?".
"Well, actually, the Crystal Shrine is about three days away and that's where we were headed, why don't you three join us."
"Fine by me." I replied.
We all went to sleep, except for Gremio who stayed up for first watch. A few hours later I felt a knudge at my shoulder, it was Gremio signalling that it was my turn on watch.
I started to think, "Even after what Marcus said, I still regret what I had done in Highland and I wish there was some way to make it better. I could always go back to Highland....No I couldn't, I can't leave Marcus and Nanami, but we would meet again even if I did. I should go back and try to make amends for what I did, but would the people listen and how would I ask for their forgiveness while the City/State holds the rule there. They would never let me adress the people.....I don't care, I might as well try!" With that I got up, picked up my bags and said a silent goodbye to all my friends......then set off into the woods back towards Highland and the City/State.