Within Holy Walls

By Tenshi no Ai

(C) Square Enix

Two: High Rank (Fate?)

-0-

During my four days of travel, I learned a little about the world.

According to my guide, it's inconvenient to go to Lionel with just one boat ride. There was fighting in Lionel before I was born, and a lot of people died during a battle at Zigolis Lake. My guide, who looks younger than me, said that all the bodies in the water somehow poisoned the lake, turning it into a swamp. A young Holy Knight by the name of Alphons Draclau led an attack to push the remaining Ordalian unit back, and the rest is recent history. The swamp still remains, and it was safer to catch another boat to Warjilis from Goug. Once we arrived, there was another carriage waiting for us, and my guide took the reins. It's been a pleasant trip, and now we're in the middle of Bariaus Valley.

I still don't feel all that comfortable being here, though.

The carriage door opens and I step out, valise in hand. My loaned knight smiles at me as he holds open my door. "I tried to get as close to Lionel Castle as possible," he says, closing the door and looking up into the sky. "It's a nice April day, isn't it?"

I look up. Blue sky, no clouds. "Yes, it's perfectly normal for this part of Lionel."

I can remember playing outside with Tyrei and Quain on a day just like this one...

"Oh, you're from here, miss?" I snap out of my memories and sheepishly nod. The knight nods thoughtfully. "I see. A lot of people transfer from Lionel to Murond, though it is a bit strange to be transferred back."

Looking away, I let my borrowed chauffeur ramble on. It's not as if he needs to know the truth.

"Great, I think I'm late," he says, looking at the position of the sun. He turns to me and gives me what seems to be an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I was going to wait with you until the Temple Knight showed up, but it seems like you'll have to wait by yourself." He hops on the front of the carriage, picking up the reins of the chocobo. "May Saint Ajora look over you!" He snaps the reins once, twice, and then the carriage is on its way back to Warjilis, leaving a trail of scattered dust behind.

"Thank you," I whisper long after the dust has settled. That knight really was a nice man. I wish I had asked for his name. I wish he had asked me for mine.

It would've been nice...

Regrets are a lot like bad memories that way. Afterwards, you think of ways that things could've been changed.

I've too many of the latter. I'd rather not add to the former.

I've got to stop thinking about this. Lionel Castle is just ahead. I can see a large, yellow wall, although not the castle itself. It doesn't look so far away. I think I'll walk. I don't want to put out an elite knight just for my sake, anyway. Besides, most of the monsters are on the other side of the castle town, over in...over in Bariaus Hill.

...I don't want to think about it.

-0-

Lionel Castle town is guarded by tall, yellow stone walls; the gate itself is significantly taller than the walls. I imagine that it looks the same on the other side, facing Bariaus Hill. A genius did not come up with the design, and neither did anyone with an inclination toward art--it's a rather perfunctory look, but it's not ugly. It resembles the way the Church would like its members to be like, plain and rather boring. There's not much in the way of security on the outside either. Overall, it's very different from Murond.

I take a bite of the red fruit that I picked off of one of the many trees around the castle walls. It's a sour-sweet and crunchy Bariaus apple. I've missed these things.

On the other side of the open wooden gates, I can see all the peasants walking about, with young and elderly women carrying various vegetables, and little boys and girls running throughout the main street. The whole place exudes a vibrant, bustling energy unlike Murond's, and I can't help but be attracted to the town.

Is this what life in a town is like?

I wouldn't really know.

I walk inside, tossing the core of my apple off to the side. Maybe in ten or twenty years it will grow into a fine apple tree?

With my valise safely in my right hand, I nod at a knight on my left at the gate. He doesn't notice, probably because he looks like he's nodding off. Well, it is early afternoon. I feel a bit sleepy myself, though that's probably because I've been traveling for such a long time.

As I stroll through the city streets, something bumps into me and I fall, landing painfully on my left side. Pushing myself up with my slightly sore left arm, I push aside long locks of hair out of my eyes with the back of my right hand, then look around for my valise...

Where is my valise?

I look around my sprawled body, but my medium-sized wooden traveling box is nowhere to be found.

Through the mass of people in front of me going about their day, I can see a quickly retreating back...and a glimpse of my valise being swung around in one hand.

That's mine!

There is no transition of time between my getting up from the street and my running after the man--suddenly I'm pushing through middle-aged women and stumbling over their children, the word 'thief' on my lips but with no voice behind it. I can't speak, can't do anything but run and keep an eye on this man with the green shirt and my property...

He slips into an alley, and I dart in after him. He stumbles into another side street, this one even smaller, and I almost follow after him, ready to lunge, but when he suddenly skids to a stop I can't help but do the same.

Eh?

Who is that man?

I move so that I'm not right behind the thief, over to the wall on the left side of the small street. In front of the thief, I can see a man dressed in full armor--polished gold. He has a royal-purple length of cloth flowing from his throat to the end of his abdomen, with a golden agrafe at his throat to hold together a cape of a similar color as the cloth. On the front of the cloth is a black marking...the insignia of the Glabados Church. The design of the cape and overhanging cloth are definitely altered, as well as separated, but I'd recognize that overall look anywhere.

A Shrine Knight leader.

His brandy-colored eyes momentarily look over at me, and I can't help but stare right back into them. I'm sure what he sees is just a simple looking young woman, sticking her head from behind the safety of the wall like a curious child.

He smiles slightly and suddenly I can't move.

What a wonderful smile...

He looks over at the thief, whose body language is suggesting that he's about ready to bolt...or attack. The Shrine Knight raises a gauntleted hand--not his sword arm, I hope--to push back an errant lock from his otherwise immaculately slicked back light hair. "Hello," he says, his voice a lightly amused baritone, "that's a nice case you have there. But with the way you've been running around, I won't ask if it's yours."

The thief pulls out a silver dagger, and the knight and I both sigh at the same time.

It always comes down to violence with humans, doesn't it?

With a strangled cry, the thief charges towards the dark-eyed knight, who in return pulls out his sword from its scabbard behind his cape...which strikes me as strange. I've read up a bit on swordplay, and scabbards are usually kept at the hip on the opposite side of the sword hand, unless the knight in question wields magic from the blade.

Magic...?

Holding his sword out in front of him with both hands, the Shrine Knight yells.

"Sleep!"

The sword...it's glowing...

The thief pitches forward and falls face-first onto the cobblestone ground. Smiling widely now, the knight sheathes his sword while walking towards me, picking up my valise on the way. I don't move from the wall and approach him. My feet feel rooted to the ground.

I thought that he was simply a Shrine Knight; 'Shrine' and 'Temple' are used interchangebly for rank, after all.

I've never seen a Temple Knight in action before...

"I'm guessing this is yours, miss?" He smiles, holding out my valise. I take it, nodding slightly.

I feel really strange about all of this...I don't like that he had to put himself out just for me...

"Is something wrong?" he asks, bending over slightly so that we're closer in height. I'm pretty tall for a girl, so it's weird for me to meet a man who has a definite advantage in height.

"N-no..." My heart is racing as I look up at him. "Thank you very much. I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here to...to help..."

He shrugs, gesturing for me to walk with him out of the alleyways. "It seems that you were about to fight him yourself. You're not a knight in training, are you?"

That's an odd question. No one could ever mistake me for a warrior, despite my above-average height. I'm too slim, too pale, and--judging by the difference between the female knights of Murond's and my fashion styles--too feminine. "No, I'm a cataloguer for the Church."

He stops just at the junction where the alley and the main street connect and looks at me with a slightly confused expression on his face. "You wouldn't happen to be from Murond, would you?"

Eh? "Yes. I was just transferred to here, though."

The look of total surprise makes him look young--though, he doesn't look like he's much older than me to begin with. "You're the new cataloguer...er...ah... Miss Reis, right?"

"Y-yes...Reis Dular."

Before, when he rescued my luggage, he seemed a trifle...flippant. That's not a bad thing in the least, but it's kind of unnerving to see such a casual attitude from a man wearing the color of a leader. Now, he just seems...boyish. "Reis Dular, huh? I was supposed to meet you in Bariaus Valley, but I only heard about that just now from Buremonda. I knew I was late, but I never thought you would've just walked over to the castle! And with that thief and all...it must've been fate that we met." He smiles earnestly, and my face becomes red-hot.

Fate...

That's a really big thing to say to someone you barely know...

"Oh, hold on, let me get someone to take care of that thief." He walks off a short distance and flags down a meandering guard. They talk for a bit, then the guard starts jogging in my direction. My rescuer-of-valises yells after him, "He's still asleep! You'll probably have an easier time if you handle him gently!"

"Right, Sir Kadmus!" The guard, just a regular knight, runs past me and into the alley. I walk over to 'Sir Kadmus', and he looks down at me with an odd look on his face.

"Miss Reis, your sleeve is ripped."

I look at my right arm, which is fine, then at my left. Not only is the sleeve ripped in several places and the white material dirty, but my new blue mantle is torn through. 'Protective, strong material' the clerk had told me. "Oh...thank you for telling me, Sir Kadmus." I sigh. Fixing it shouldn't be a problem; I made sure to bring all of my sewing equipment with me.

Do I still have blue thread?

I hear a rustling noise, and suddenly I find myself being covered by...purple? I look up to see Sir Kadmus' look of concentration as he pins the agrafe at my collarbone, holding the cape in place. His eyes move up from the brooch and meet mine. "I can't just let a beautiful girl go indecently around town, especially if she's in employ of the Church," he murmurs.

Beautiful...?

Me?

"No one's ever called me 'beautiful' before..." I whisper, breaking our gaze in favor of admiring the heavy material flowing from my shoulders to my ankles.

He laughs, backing away from me and walking ahead. "Considering that you probably work around a bunch of old, stodgy priests, I would hope not!" I giggle, unwilling to tell him that I haven't worked with anyone for a long time now, and jog up to walk beside him.

He gives me his cape and a compliment, and suddenly I want to meet his pace.

Isn't that strange?

-0-

Sir Kadmus takes me over to the church, located in the center of town and next to a plain-looking castle, which he tells me is named 'The Celestial Light of Saint Ajora'. I find it slightly ironic that a church worshipping Saint Ajora would have such a grand name in the same town where he was caught and subsequently executed.

I find a lot of things about the Church ironic.

"You know, you seem like the type of person who thinks so much that they never bother to have a conversation outside of their mind," Sir Kadmus says casually, slowing down to meet my pace.

Not of my own choice. "Really?"

He stops, giving me a strange look that I can't...it makes me feel kind of bad. Did I insult him without knowing? "You know, if you want to talk I'm right here. I'd like to hear what's going on in your mind."

Now it's my turn to give him a strange look. "You don't like quiet people?" I ask, then I feel like hiding for saying something as stupid as that.

"Well, I appreciate peace and quiet just as much as the next person," he says quietly, "but you seem guarded. Like you're not used to being around people for too long."

I lower my eyes. What can I say to that?

It's the truth.

"Miss Reis, I...I'm sorry. I said something I shouldn't have, right?" His tone is one of worry, which makes me feel absolutely horrid. I mean, here he is, being so completely kind to me from the first moment we met, and all I'm doing is making him feel bad just because I'm...

God. I hate this about myself.

"...I..." I try to speak, but I don't know what to say, except for, "I'm sorry," to which he doesn't respond. Does he want me to expand on my thoughts? I close my eyes in an effort to try to calm down. When I open them again, his concerned brandy-red eyes are staring into my own eyes, like he's trying to read me.

I wonder...is that possible?

"Go on," he says slowly, comfortingly. "I'm listening."

"I'm just not used to someone caring about me as much as you have, I suppose. And so suddenly. I'm...I'm used to being alone. I don't even have any friends..."

God, I'm telling him too much...

"Is that so?" he says lightly. "Well then, we'll have to do something about that."

...What?

He holds out his right hand, smiling as he looks into my eyes. "I'm Beowulf Kadmus, the leader of the Lionel Holy Knights." He pauses, then tilts his head slightly. "And you are?"

Looking into those burnished red depths, I feel as if I could drown in his compassion, his sincerity.

That doesn't seem so bad.

"...I'm Reis Dular, one of the head cataloguers of the Glabados Church in Murond," I whisper, reaching out with my right hand. "It's...it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Kadmus."

Grasping my hand lightly with his own, he shakes his head slightly. "Beowulf. We're friends here, after all. Right, Reis?"

...Friends?

With Sir...with Beowulf...

And, for the first time in years, a smile bursts out from me before I even think of making the effort for one. "Yes..." I hear myself speak, but it's like I'm not even rooted on the ground.

The way he says my name...

He squeezes my hand and I can feel his warmth even through the metal of his gloves.

I feel so warm...

"Beowulf! Is that you over there?"

Calmly, Beowulf turns around--letting go of my hand in the process--and calls out, "Yes!"

I bring my right hand up to my heart, placing my left hand over it, trying to revive that warmth I just felt.

Nothing.

Good things never last very long.

Beowulf's friend approaches from the church, dressed in the robes of a high-level priest. He has the golden hair common for Ivalicians, cut appropriately short. His light blue eyes dart from Beowulf to me, quizzical. "Excuse me," he says in a soft, moderated voice, "you are Miss Dular from Murond?" I nod, not exactly feeling charitable enough to add anything else. He frowns slightly. "Why is she wearing your cape, Beowulf?"

Looking over at Beowulf, I see his facial expression harden just a little.

I can't tell the truth because, by the looks of it, this priest might be Beowulf's superior. I don't like lying, but I... "Oh, I was feeling cold, so he graciously offered to let me borrow it," I murmur.

The priest suddenly looks pleased. "Of course, Beowulf is a true knight through and through."

Beowulf smiles slightly at me, and suddenly lying isn't so bad at all.

Well, we're friends, right?

The priest doesn't notice, so caught up as he is in reciting my 'accomplishments' to me. "I've heard a lot about you, Miss Dular. It's said that you have a very capable memory, as well as the ability to translate ancient Ivalician. And you look incredibly young, I must say. How old are you?"

...He certainly seems impressed with me. "I've just turned twenty-one as of a month ago."

"Once again, I'm simply amazed. I'm sure you will bless the Church with your contributions for years to come." He takes a deep breath, his hands in the standard format for prayer. "For as long as St. Ajora wills it."

"Buremonda," Beowulf says quietly, "Miss Dular has just arrived here, and I'm sure she's feeling very tired."

Buremonda looks over at me, a look of alarm creasing his not-too-old, not-too-young face. I think, if I had to place an age on him, I'd say he was in his early thirties. "I'm terribly sorry! Let me take you to your room...will you require supper?"

"I...that sounds fine," I say quickly, looking over at the still form of Beowulf. Isn't he coming? He shakes his head when he notices me.

"Miss Dular, I live over at the barracks, being a knight and all." He smiles and something inside me flutters. "You can borrow my cape for as long as you like. I don't wear this armor very often anyway. I'll see you around, alright?"

"I..." I hold my gaze on him for a moment longer, then nod. "Of course. Thank you very much...Sir Kadmus."

I turn and follow Buremonda, wishing...wishing I had called Beowulf by his first name.

Wishing that he had called me by mine.

There it is with those regrets again.

-0-

"Thank you very much, Priest Buremonda." I bow slightly when we reach what is now my new room, in the quarters of the priests and mages of the Church. He opens the door for me and I step inside. It looks like my room back in Murond, with just a bed occupying the small space. There's a window in the wall that my bed is shoved against. Judging by the position of the area, the room can easily receive all of the morning sun. That's a pretty subtle way to wake up an employee...

"Since we will be working together, please call me Verden." I look away from my room and at that omnipresent smile of Buremonda's.

It's a nice smile. I wish I could smile all the time like that.

"...Alright. Then, call me Reis." It'd be rude if I didn't say that, right?

"I would be more than happy to, Reis." He lowers his head slightly. "Shall I bring your supper to you now?"

I look away, at the bed just a few steps away. "I think I'll take a short nap, then I'll find the kitchen. Thank you very much...Verden."

"As you wish, Reis. Please come to the main library at nine tomorrow morning, and I'll tell you what needs to be done." He smiles serenely at me--moreso than usual--then leaves. I close my door, drop my valise and flop down onto my bed, which seems to require a shorter person than myself. Closing my eyes, I think back on the events of the day.

I'm here, back in the Lionel province after eight years.

Eight years too short.

I've met Sir Beowulf Kadmus and now we're...friends.

I've met Priest Verden Buremonda and we're associates, I suppose.

I guess I won't be allowed to be alone.

Do I want to be alone? Nothing's for sure in this world. A person can be nice at first, but then they grow cold and go away.

Maybe...maybe that's what will happen in the end.

Maybe I'll be left alone again.

Slowly, I curl up so that my knees are almost touching my chest, and I reach over and wrap myself in Beowulf's cape. I let myself sink into the warmth of the thick material.

Beowulf, are you that type of person?

Maybe...maybe I'm expecting too much from you.

Maybe.

-End of Two-

And so, it all begins...

Reviewers!

Luna-chan, I didn't think I'd be able to talk to you for awhile since I'm not really willing to write Shidareyanagi for now. Thank you for your review of Last Night of the Firefly, by the way. Yeah, I've come to really like FFT...the funny thing is, I bought it at Otakon last year! How did you like Otakon this year?

Comments, questions and the like are always appreciated!