So, um, yeah. Hi there. Been a long time, hasn't it?
I've grown out of liking long author's notes as of late, but I figured that this deserved it.
Truth be told, I never had any plans of scrapping this story, although I lacked the motivation to work on it for the longest time. When I wrote the prologue, I was getting out an idea that had been in my head for awhile, procrastinating on some college apps. A year later, I'm still trying to get this story out of my head, although now I'm procrastinating on some college studying. Well, that's not exactly true. I planned to write out this story for Nano, but, unfortunately, I encountered an unforeseen obstacle (Also known as a severe drop in my physics grade.) I'm a few days behind, and while I won't finish before the end of November, I will reach 50,000 words. In fact, this story, without the prologue, already ranks up 36,000. (Approximately 23,000 for the main plot and 13,000 for a collection of side stories that are very very related). I plan to end the first arc around 50,000, although that might change. I do, however, have the rest of the first arc mapped out (missing a few very minor details), so, I promise, no more year-long delays.
In the meantime, enjoy this very nice "Chapter-A-Day" setup. Chapters one through six are already finished, and chapters seven and eight will probably be at least mostly done before chapter six is posted. The first "arc" should probably end somewhere around eight or nine, although that's still really unsure at this time. It will be finished, however.
So, without further adieu, I say "I don't own Tales series, nor do I own Golden Sun. They are the property of their respective owners, and all characters, settings, etc. are their property."
Happy reading.
Sincerely,
Mia Aulair.
Tales of Harmonia, Book One: Commandant
Load 2.0: Festival
"Calm continueth not long without a storm."-Unknown Source, 1576
Anise couldn't get to sleep.
It was late. And dark. And cold. By all accounts, she should have been able to get to sleep.
But, for some reason, she couldn't. It wasn't as if she had anything particularly heavy weighing on her conscious. Unlike many of the other members of Leviathan's Claw, she seldom took missions. And, when she did, she made it a point to never take a mission that required the taking of someone's life. Actually, that was a lie. She didn't avoid those missions. Rather, Yeager forbid any of his "daughters" from taking any such missions.
Not that she'd complain. Though he'd never admit it, Jade had also wished the same. Despite the fact that she was a soldier and, dammit, she'd fight for Florian if she needed to.
Where was Florian now? Was he doing okay?
The last time she'd seen him, he'd had the mentality of a ten-year-old child. That wasn't terrible, seeing as, technically, he'd only been four years old at the time. It was really amazing though. His innocence, it was just…
With everything she'd been through, she couldn't make such a claim anymore, although that was hardly a surprise, considering that she was partly in charge of an assassin's guild. It had been really hard, at first, to keep running the guild after Yeager's death. However, somehow her and Gauche and Droite, her surrogate sisters, had managed to gather enough resources to keep it running down-low for awhile. They'd tried to clean up their clientele a bit, eventually declining most assassination missions (those that did make it through were of some warrant. I.e. a thief who had been terrorizing a village, a corrupt ruler of an area, etc.) The worst part about rebuilding the guild had by far been restarting without their most precious resources. They'd done it, though. Somehow.
Of course, now with everything happening with the empire, things had become harder again. Not nearly as hard as starting up, or the time directly after the cease of the blastia, but still…things looked to be taking a turn for the worse.
Apparently, people with "magic" had been sighted. She'd yet to see any of these sightings for herself, but this looked to be really disturbing.
Especially because the blastia were supposed to be gone. No more. This could turn to social anarchy and eventually…
At that moment, Anise decided what she wanted more than anything was a glass of water. With a heavy sigh, she lifted herself out of bed and walked down the hallway before descending the stairs to the kitchen. She motioned to several night guards as she passed, trying to keep from disturbing any of the others on guard that night.
She settled into the kitchen table, taking a nice gulp of the glass of water. It had been exactly what she needed.
"C'mon, Estelle, hurry up!" The raven-haired young man waved a hand, indicating his position to his traveling companion.
A high, effeminate voice could be heard from the top of the stairs. "Yuri, wait up I'm almost the-ah! Oh!"
"Estelle!" The pink-haired princess stumbled her way down the last several steps, eventually falling forward to the ground. Fortunately, Yuri was quick enough on his feet to beat her to the ground, so that she landed squarely in his arms. The princess began to blush like mad, and, although he wouldn't admit it, Yuri was blushing a fair bit, too. On the inside, of course.
"Be more careful, alright?" He lightly restored the princess to her feet. They were an odd couple, to be sure. Although they stood at roughly the same height, their demeanors seemed to foil each other. She had her pink hair cropped short, today done up in a bun. Her stance was regal, and every step seemed poise. Despite the fact that her manners could sometimes be…lacking, most of these instances occurred with a pout of the cheek, or an impish gesture.
He, on the other hand, stood slightly taller. His clothes seemed more torn, and his eyes far less innocent. His raven hair hung down to his back, barely brushing against the sword that was clamped to his belt. His steps were far less poised, but, although they appeared relaxed, were far to regular to be anything but calculated. But, as much as their personalities seemed to clash, both of their eyes gleamed with hope of the future. Perhaps this was what attracted them to one another?
It was hard to say. At any rate, the odd couple stayed chatting for a moment before exiting the inn and emerging onto the busy street.
"Isn't it amazing Yuri!" Estelle exclaimed. Everywhere on the street, people were bouncing. There were too many booths to count, as everyone from commoners to the richest nobles mingled in the market place. It had been nearly two years since they had destroyed the Adephagos, and the capital was in full swing.
Of course, the corronation of the heir of the imperial throne was nothing to scoff at.
Granted, Estelle had felt a little guilty at first for giving up her position. After a certain point, though, she had to question how much she'd wanted it. Granted, it had been her birthright, but, so many things would have seemed off if she'd have taken it. She would have had to stay in the capital, and, most of all, she wouldn't have Yuri.
There were the nights where she missed staying in the castle, but she enjoyed her, no their, tiny cottage in Halure more than many nobles of her stance would believe. It wasn't luxurious, that was for sure, but it felt much more homey than the castle had ever been. She could write in peace on her nice wooden desk, cleanly tucked away in the corner of their room. The princess (although now only in title) made a point to do so every night. In fact, sometimes, she'd even doze off when writing. Yuri pretended not to notice it (he tried to refute her claims that she could write best at night), but on more than one occasion, she's woken up with a blanket wrapped firmly around her shoulders.
That, she realized, had to be contentment.
And now, she walked, with the man she adored down the crowded street, their arms interlocked. They could pass for a normal couple. Not an ex-princess and ex-soldier, not the people who saved the world, just a run-of-the-mill young couple in love.
She had been so caught up in her musings that she hadn't heard her stomach rumbling. Yuri, however, did.
"Did you eat breakfast this morning?" He gave her a stern look. Dammit, couldn't that girl take care of her own health.
Estelle frowned, thinking to herself, "Well, I was finishing up that chapter I fell asleep writing last night and…"
"Isn't that the same reason you skipped dinner yesterday?"
"Well, now that you mention it…but, oh! I had just gotten to the most magnificent fight scene! The two parties had met at the aerie of a large lighthouse and-!"
"What about lunch?"
"Hmm…oh! Lunch was when I was finishing up the desert scene! I managed to tie it in neatly though and…"
"Estelle. When was the last time you ate?"
"Oh. Um. Well…" Estelle trailed off, a little nervous, "I'm not exactly sure."
Yuri facepalmed, stopping for a moment. "Dammit. Estelle. You need to take better care of your health. Just because somebody tell you that you need to, you still need to make time to eat."
"Oh, well, why we're here, why don't we check out one of the many booths! That looks like it'd be pretty good!" Estelle pointed to a silver-haired vendor handing out frozen ice at one of the stands on the side. A small crowd of children had gathered, eagerly eating their treats.
"But that's not food and…" Estelle's pouting stopped him in his tracks. He likely wasn't going to be able to win this one. "Fine. But, we're definitely eating together tonight. A nice, three course meal, okay?"
"Thanks Yuri!"
The commandant looked up once again from his copy of the Wonder Log. Granted, he had been told that it might have been a boring mission, and he couldn't imagine why it wasn't assigned to one of the lower ranking soldiers (Possibly because this was the first concrete lead that they had gotten on somebody using magic after the fall of the blastia, the previous leads had all been iffy), but he put up with it none the less.
But why was it so hot? It should have been a feeling that he was used to, his armor did have a tendency to heat up quickly in the castle, but at least Mordio's steam machine's made it cool. Even under the shade of his umbrella, he could still feel the sun's rays around him. Granted, the black spandex leggings did little to help. Lorelei help him if he'd decided to go with the black shirt. It was refreshing, though, to be wearing his servant's uniform after so long. It was rare he got a chance to do such, and an undercover mission made the perfect excuse.
Or, at least, would have made the perfect excuse if that's what this was.
Truth be told, he was spying on a vendor. A street vendor, of all things. And, according to the people who had talked to him, the guy had come from so far out of town that he probably didn't know the name of the commandant of the Imperial army, much less what he looked like. And, thankfully, few other people recognized him either. He did get the occasional glance from somebody in the lower quarter that he'd spent a large amount of time with, but even the people who knew his face were less than apt to recognize him in a situation like this. After all, who would expect that the commandant was the one in the booth next to theirs, especially when such an important day was fastly approaching. He should be in the castle, right? And, it wasn't as if he was in his armor. Nobody would be looking. Nobody would recognize him.
Except for a certain small, black-haired teenager.
He'd been so caught up in observing the small stand that he hadn't seen her creep up behind him. The shock was so great that he nearly jumped out of his chair when he felt the hand on his shoulder. Very uncommandant-like. Very good for the disguise.
"Hee hee! Got you~~!" The attacker smiled under her straw sun cap. Her hair, normally in pigtails, was let down today. Coupled with her white sundress, she looked like your run-of-the mill, sweet girl. Very cute. Very out of character.
"Geez, Anise. Do you insist upon doing that every time you see me! I thought we'd been over this!"
The small girl pouted as she dropped to her knees and plopped her elbows on the table so that they were at eye level. "Booooooo. Don't be like that. Besiiiides," she grinned mischeviously, "it's not like we've seen each other in months~! I have to give a fair amount of payback, don't I?"
Flynn frowned. "What do you mean by payback? And, isn't it a bad idea for the head of an assassin's guild to be found vacationing in the imperial capital?"
Anise puffed her cheeks in exasperation, flailing her arms. "Meanie! We aren't an assassin's guild! We just specialize in weapons!"
"Okay, okay!" Flynn waved his hands in a defensive pose. "But, seriously, what are you doing here?"
The small girl grinned once more, "Hee, hee~! The same reason, you're here, silly~! To see the mage~!"
The commandant frowned to himself. Hadn't that been priveledged information? Were the cracks in the security network of the empire really that big? "Have you had any luck, then!"
Anise sighed, shugging her shoulders in exasperation. "Yes and no. There's something up, alright. I saw it. There was something he was doing, all right. He was forming ice out of thin air! I mean, that's not normal, right! But…" She trailed off, her eyes glancing to the side.
"But what?" Flynn frowned. If he was really using some form of magic, than wouldn't both his and her investigations be a success?
"But it definitely wasn't fonons. Definitely." She sighed, about to say something else when a high pitched voice interrupted their conversation.
"Flynn!"
"Hee hee~! Well, I guess it's time for me to go, then~!" She stood up, making a move to tackle him before turning back to face him one last time, "I'll let you know if I find anything, okay~! Be careful~!" With that, she turned back around, and skipped down the street, the most cheerful seventeen year-old she ever was.
Flynn felt like face palming himself. Since they'd been split up years ago, Anise was the only fellow member of the group he'd been able to locate. And, it wasn't as if that was even saying that much. After all, they were on what were, most of the times, different sides of the same conflict. Not to mention, of all the guilds to wind up in, why an assassin's guild of all things? Granted, he'd seen the reports, her and her…sisters, were they?...were doing a fairly decent job of cleaning up the guild, but still. And it wasn't as if it was doing wonders for her or him to be associating with each other.
Then again, they didn't talk that much. It did pique his interest, however, that she was spending time devoting her research to fonons of all things. It did make sense, though. Could it be that she was looking for a way back home? While he was the first to say that the idea had come across his mind many times, he hadn't thought about these "magic" sightings being related to fonons. Not that any he'd come across were. But, maybe if he could find someone who was then…
His train of thought was once again interrupted as a hand shot down on the table, raven hair soon following it.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the great commandant himself. What brings you down this way, Flynn?" His childhood friend grinned.
Flynn sighed again. Glancing at the paper once again. "An undercover mission. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."
"Really now? The Empire's gone so far as to suspect spies in carnival booths, now, have they? Those masks do look really threatening!"
"Yuri!" That last comment had earned him a less-than-light punch on the arm by his traveling companion.
As the ravenette rubbed his sore arm, the pink-haired girl turned to face Flynn.
"Flynn! It's lovely to see you again."
"It's nice to see you again, as well, your highness. I trust Yuri's been treating you well?"
"Hey! Don't give me that! She's the one who!" Cue another punch.
"As well as ever~! But, is what you said really true? Are you really here on an undercover mission?" Estelle looked slightly concerned. Although it was true she was no longer in line for the throne, she still cared deeply for her people. And that meant, obviously, that if she thought there was a dangerous criminal running around at such a fair, she would be concerned (Not to mention that Yuri was the type who was apt to start a fight in town if he thought something was wrong. And Yuri was very strong, but that didn't mean he wouldn't get hurt. And Yuri getting hurt was the last thing Estelle would want.)
"Yes." Estelle's facial expression dropped several notches upon hearing this. "What is it? Nothing dangerous, right?"
"No, no" Flynn waved off her idea. "Just a…sighting. That's all."
"A sighting?"
"Apparently, people have been seen using…supposedly, people using Artes, which, well…"
"Should be impossible without blastia." Yuri finished.
"Exactly."
"Um…you don't think…maybe somebody else with the powers of the Child of the Full Moon?"
Yuri frowned. She had gotten into enough trouble with her powers as is, he didn't want to think what would happen if somebody else like that was also on the loose. Not to mention that, there was no telling just how she would be affected either. Yuri knew that she was reluctant to say it, but, truth be told, she still did have access to her artes after the fall of the blastia. She was hesitant to use them, after what had happened before (not to mention countless warnings from Mordio that they weren't sure just how stable this "mana" was), but she still had access. He'd seen her healing animals before, although he wouldn't let her know that he knew, and he was very suspicious about the last time he'd suddenly gotten better after that bad bout with the flu.
"There's no way, Estelle. Judith and Ba'ul would've known way before now? Besides, you think Rita'd miss a chance to study that?" Yuri put an arm around Estelle's shoulder reassuringly. She felt guilty about her powers over all else.
"Yuri's right Estelle. It's definitely not that. Which brings up the question of, what exactly is causing it."
"Which is why the Empire sent it's highest ranking soldier to spy on a booth at the fair."
Smack. Flynn had finally lost it. "Be quiet, Yuri. Besides, this is the best lead we've gotten yet and…"
"Hey! Thief!"
The trio's hushed conversation had been suddenly interrupted. Yuri and Estelle turned to see the cause of the commotion just in time to see the silver-haired vendor who had sold Estelle the shaved ice jump over his stand and pursue his target into the crowd. Flynn wasted no time slamming his copy of the "Wonder Log" down on the table and jumping up in pursuit of the duo. Yuri and Estelle exchanged a glance for a moment before following suit.
Flynn waved his way through the crowd of people, desperately trying to keep track of his target. By the time he'd finally rounded the last corner, he'd crossed half of Zaphias to meet with…
A dead end. Well, this was lovely. Their only lead, gone up in smoke.
"'S not here, huh?" And to top it off, Yuri and Estelle had followed him.
"No. He must have taken another side path."
"But, I could have sworn he went this way, don't you think so, Yuri?"
"Actually, Estelle, I was just following Flynn. But, yeah, I thought I did see a streak of silver duck down this way."
"I suppose it's a dead end for today, then. I should hurry back to the castle. The ceremony is tomorrow, and I'm serving as head guard."
"Good luck, Flynn. And hey, be safe!" Yuri waved as he walked away, Estelle also saying her farewells. It was going to be a long night, the commandant could tell.
