*Alright, I got this chapter out right before I have to go back to school. Yah, me. I hope everyone enjoys it, as it was considerably easier to write than last chapter. Basically I wrapped up Iselia and threw in a extra scene with Lloyd and Kratos, because I love writing that type of stuff. Hopefully all the exciting stuff happens next chapter.*
Switched Circumstances
Chapter 4: Banished
Her cheek stung as if it were alit with some inner fire. The sensitive skin of her cheeks tingled underneath the slight heat emitted by tears fresh from tear ducts. Her body ached in areas where bruises were already forming, the cause the constant beatings she had undergone from both monster and Desian. Even the fingers nestled under her red gloves felt as if they were developing small blisters due the death-tight grip she had kept on the sword she had wielded earlier on. All these pains could not compare to that being waged on her emotions.
The Mayor of Iselia had just slapped her. Forced her off the ground, choked her on her tears, took her by the point of her chin with one hand and used his other to inflict upon her. The force of the blow made her head spin. She almost fell back into the dirt. Almost. She instead touched the sore spot gingerly in surprise.
"What have you done?!" the mayor's voice rumbled over her like the arrival of thunder after the lightning had struck. He slammed her forward towards the still blazing fires of the village. "Look! Look what happened to our village! It's all your fault!!"
Past the equally angry faces of the other villagers gathered around her, Colette took in the now current state of Iselia. Many of the homes and businesses would be ash in but a few hours, and with the village's limited amount of manpower, no amount of water they produced would save their buildings. Maybe a few, but not the entire village. A few of the fields too, responsible for crops, were also ablaze. Iselia to her eyes had just suffered a tragic blow, and whether she liked it or not, she was thereby saddled with the blame for it, even if she hadn't inflicted it herself.
Some small voice in the back of her mind cried out that it really was Lloyd's responsibility. It was not her fault that she simply found herself there at the wrong place at the wrong time, wearing his body instead of her own. She might be instead traveling with Kratos and Raine far away, not even knowing about the state of the village because news traveled slow in their underdeveloped world. Then she berated herself for such thoughts. She was no better than the villagers if she decided to focus her blame on another person as well, because when she considered it, Lloyd's cause was justified. He had merely offered a hand to a fellow human being when others wouldn't. That human being in the end had sung her gratitude for Lloyd and Genis before dying. She would be the only one to do so before the day was over.
"I'm sorry," she rasped in a weak voice before the mayor. And she truly was. She never wanted such a thing to happen to the village of her birth. She had become Chosen specifically to save their lives as well as all the others of Sylvarant. It broke her heart to have failed them like this even in circumstances she had no control over.
The Mayor's face still stayed as stormy as before. "You think you can fix this by apologizing?! The Desians marked you as their enemy! As long as you are here, this village will never be at peace. Do you understand?!"
Colette thought she did, and yet she didn't. Shock was still rattling her system enough that comprehension still floated like mist above her brown cow-tipped head. Forcystus had openly challenged her before leaving the village in the company of his men. Was that what the Mayor was referring to? Because of Lloyd's precious Exsphere attached to her hand, she was wanted by the Desians?
Genis' small body pushed in front of her, separating her from the Mayor's wrathful shadow. "Wait a minute!" he shouted. "You're going to exile him?!"
Inwardly, Colette jerked at the word 'exile'. Lloyd's body or not, she never thought to ever hear the word.
The Mayor nodded his head. "Yes." Sending a chill up Colette's spine as her face began to drain of color. She took a few steps back, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. But the Mayor wasn't the only one carrying out the sentence against her. The others villagers gathered there around the square were also making silent nods of consent. Even Phaidra and Frank, her own grandmother and father respectfully, were watching her with cautious eyes.
"That's not fair!" Genis yelled. "Lloyd didn't do anything wrong! He just saved Marble..." His voice trailed off at the mention of the old woman's name.
"Any involvement with the ranch is forbidden. There are no exceptions."
Genis' eyes narrowed, her only support in the otherwise unrelenting opposition to her remaining there. "So it's okay to let people die at the human ranch as long as the village is safe?!"
The Mayor's answer stung Colette's ears as much as she being found banished. "Yes." There was no hesitation in his voice when he said it; it was the awful truth she found radiating in his eyes. "Had you not done something so stupid, they'd have been the only ones that died."
Some of the villagers around them nodded or made sounds of agreement. "The people at the ranch were just going to rot there anyway," one female retorted with brows furrowed. Colette remembered her fondly as the mother of some of the schoolchildren, as well as a kind woman who always greeted her with a kind smile whenever they passed each other by. That happy memory shattered instantly at the sound of her selfish and cruel words.
When Colette finally found her voice, it immediately shouted, "How can you say such a thing?!" It's intensity surprised her; from Lloyd's deeper timber, it was certainly more forceful and strong.
All attention whipped towards her.
"They're human beings, just like we are!" she continued, clenching her fists before her. "They too had families and friends that they left behind, and only by Martel's divine grace have we not met their same fate! I'm sorry for the destruction of Iselia. I'll accept any punishment you give me, but please don't put down those poor people like that anymore!"
There were some in the small crowd that looked knocked back by her words. But too many still were unfazed and unresponsive. Only Genis wiped at his eyes, his lip quivering. He looked thankful for her words at least in the defense of those that had no position to stand up for themselves.
"Very well then," the Mayor said stonily. "You will leave this village immediately."
Another woman stepped forward, another familiar face to Colette. "Mayor, surely you don't have to be so strict on a child..."
"What are you saying?!" a man blasted from behind the woman. "Do you realize how many people died here," he raised his finger at Colette, "Because of him?!"
"It's not Lloyd's fault!" Genis spoke up again. This time his face was going red like a newly plucked apple. "I'm the one that took him to the ranch." Colette sucked in a breath, as well as most of the other villagers. Everyone was just as mesmerized with Genis as they were with Colette. He was the younger brother of Raine, whom all the villagers were indebted to for teaching their children, and he had been placed in their care for the exchange of sending Raine off as one of Colette's guardians. He may have been one of the only elves in the entire village, but the elvish blood was well respected in lue of its fame for intelligence and granting of magic. "So it's my fault!"
The Mayor frowned at the sudden revelation. Now he looked troubled, as well as other members of the village. "But it's Lloyd the Desians are after," he tried to reason with Genis. "And besides, Lloyd isn't from this village to begin with," he bit back with just a hint of prejudice. "He's an outsider, raised by a dwarf."
Colette opened her mouth to speak in defense of her friend, even if that would surely of meant giving away that she was in the wrong body. By then, she figured things didn't matter too much. Lloyd meant too much to her as a person, as a dear friend. She would not let him be berated like this, same as with the slaves of the human ranch the villagers also blasted.
"Then I'm leaving too!" Genis announced before Colette could speak. "I'm just as guilty as he is!"
"You don't have to do this, Genis," Colette said behind him, now concerned that he would be thrown out of the village with her by his volition. "I'll be fine by my own. You need to stay here and wait for your sister to return back from the pilgrimage."
Genis looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "You can't be serious, Lloyd?!" he exclaimed. "We both broke the laws to help Marble. I'm just as guilty for all this as you are!" He waved a hand across the entire scope of the smoldering village.
"But Genis, you can still have a life here without me." Colette tried to smile, although it didn't nearly reach as high as it could go. "Don't you want that?"
The elf forcefully shook his head. "What life is there when both my best friends and older sister are gone!" he shouted, surprising her. "I don't want to live with these selfish humans any longer! Not after what they said about Marble! Not after what they said about you!"
It was then that Colette knew she could not persuade Genis to remain any longer. She wanted him to stay, only because she had originally intended both him and Lloyd to lead peaceful and happy lives while she underwent her pilgrimage. But what was there for her to do? Lloyd had ended up on the pilgrimage anyway in her own body, so now what else could she do to make sure Genis followed her original wishes as well? Martel obviously was working against her favor., and she knew there was no way she could interfere with the goddess' wishes.
"Alright," she finally relented. "We'll leave together."
"Fine then," the Mayor interrupted, till then forced to silence in the wake of Genis' decision. He didn't look all that hesitant anymore in banishing Genis either. "By the rights vested in me as mayor, I hereby announce the banishment of Lloyd and Genis from the village of Iselia!" His voice roared over Colette's sadness, Genis' anger, the villagers' agreement and call for justice. "Now get out!"
He was the first to turn his back on Colette and walk away. Many of the other villagers followed his example. Soon it was only Colette and Genis standing in the center of the dirt circle, with Phaidra and Frank hanging back as their only company.
Colette turned away from them, covering her eyes with her hand and clenching them tightly, if only to stop herself from crying all over again. She feared what they would say, especially since they only knew her as the single source of destruction of the village and not a member of their own flesh and blood. The Mayor and the other villagers could curse her and Lloyd's name in her hearing all they wanted. It would be easier to bear than her own grandmother and father doing it instead.
"It is still not too late to catch up to the Chosen," Phaidra gently suggested, surprising Colette. "You both can still do some good by guarding and protecting her. If in doing so, the world is saved, surely everyone will change their minds about you."
"Grandmother," Colette whispered underneath her breath as she turned back around. Hope returned to her heart once more, just knowing her grandmother still believed in her, even if she was Lloyd to her.
"For I'm sure Colette would want that as well," her father added.
Colette could not help herself; she abandoned all rational thought and threw her arms around the small frame of her feeble grandmother. Phaidra's eyes blinked in surprise at the foreign action, but Colette did not care. She could not leave Iselia, not even in another's form, without giving a heartfelt farewell to her most cherished loved one first.
"Thank you," Colette said. Then she broke away, though she would have rather stayed embracing her grandmother for hours still. Her rational thought had finally caught up with her, and was telling her it was time to start acting like Lloyd Irving again.
"We wish you both a safe journey," Phaidra told both her and Genis. "I wish there were other ways we could support you, but we gave all our extra provisions to Colette before she left."
Colette shook her head. "We'll be fine."
Genis nodded in agreement. "Yeah." He faced her. "Now come on, Lloyd, let's catch up with them!"
At the edge of the village, near the gates on the outside, Noishe waited patiently for them. Colette found herself surprised, as she had forgotten all about Lloyd's strange dog during the morning's previous events. She moved to pat its head in greeting, although the animal stepped away from her before she could touch it.
It did drop something though right in front of her feet. She bent down to pick it up, finding Lloyd's name emblazoned on the front.
"Woah, where did he get the letter?" Genis wondered for her. His eyes widened in understanding as he looked at something behind her. "Oh, your pack is open. It must have been like that since we left the forest."
Colette patted the small pouch attached to her belt and found it to be so. Then she turned her attention back to the sealed envelope, running a finger underneath its lid to open it. She withdrew the handwritten note slowly.
Genis tried to peer over her raised arms, asking, "Who's it from, Lloyd?"
In embarrassment, Colette found she could not recognize the letter's writer from its mere handwriting. The letters were big and blocky, so she assumed the author had blocky fingers and not much skill for eloquence. Only when her eyes scrolled to the very bottom could she make out the name at the bottom. "Dirk," she read off.
Dear Lloyd, Did you read the Traveler's Guide? It has the seven most well-known Dwarven Vows as well as knowledge necessary for your journey written in it. Make use of this information and be sure to protect Colette. 14 years have passed since I found you and started raising you. You were still barely able to walk. I
remember how you were scared of me and always crying. And now, you've grown into a strong swordsman. I'm grateful for you calling me, a non-human, your father. Someday, when you are a full-grown man, I'll have a gift for you. Keep that in mind as something to look forward to as you go out there and fight.
After quickly glancing over the words, Colette closed the letter and refolded it. The words contained within it were not really intended for her to read, but rather for Lloyd, who would far more appreciate the praise from his own father. All she could do was serve as its retainer, same as with the Exsphere attached to her hand. After slipping the letter back into its envelope, she placed it into her pack. Right next to the nestled necklace Lloyd had made her that she could not wear yet until she gained her own body back.
After receiving some last goodbyes from Phaidra and Frank, Colette finally departed from the village of her birth, hours behind schedule. Her only guardian was Genis. Her only mission was to find Lloyd. And her future was not as clear as the one she had imagined only last night before falling asleep encased in her true body.
**********
When Lloyd stepped foot into the desert town of Triet, the first main human center of activity he had ever seen outside of Iselia, he immediately felt like getting down on his knees and kissing the sand underneath him in gratitude. It was a hard trek maneuvering through the sands of the outlying desert after he and his guardians had left behind them the plains. The sand made his steps slower, and the heat bore down on him unrelentlessly. Sweat had poured down the skin of his unfamiliar body. And his long hair was tussled from the breezes that kicked the sand up in his eyes and mouth.
He liked Colette for all the world as his dear friend, but he sure wasn't getting as used to her body as quickly as he would have hoped. It certainly had many drawbacks and limitations. Just like when he received his first swords, which were entirely composed of wood to his immediate disappointment. But his father Dirk had shook his head when he asked for real ones; 'You have to develop skill for these ones first,' the dwarf had told him then without much pity.
Colette's body was as unrefined and underdeveloped as those wooden swords he first owned. He could not dismiss the fact though that it held potential. Alas, not currently in strength. He was stuck as a girl, and would have to get used to it out of pure circumstance. But his new form was quicker on its feet, only when he could remember that his proportions were smaller. Yet it was not used to much exertion. Hence why he was panting and at a loss for breath by the time they had reached Triet.
Raine had pointed out Lloyd's low stamina to Kratos in the midst of the trek through the desert. Lloyd would have spoken about it himself, but he knew the real Colette would never had called attention to herself for such a reason. It always exasperated him back at the village, as he wished she were quicker to express her true feelings than simply hide them underneath a smile.
Kratos had paused for a moment on top of the sand dune they had been climbing over, looking back at Lloyd. Then he had simply shook his head. "We have to make Triet before it gets dark. Preferably before the time of our next meal. The desert is no place to rest, especially if you want to avoid the bandits."
'To hell with the bandits,' Lloyd thought with a grimace. He was the Chosen here; didn't he have the right to tell his guardians when to stop and when to go?
But Kratos didn't even pause to listen to any complaints. He just simply resumed walking before them, leading them as if he really did know where they were going.
So, yes, Lloyd was happy to finally have arrived in Triet. And true to Kratos' word, they were there long before dark. The town was still in the throws of bustling activity, with stalls at the west end displaying various wares produced by turbaned men and women. One burly man was tending a booth laden with weapons. The familiar gleam of a duo of twin swords made Lloyd's heart skip a beat. Those swords... he had to have them. Even if this body was not well suited to wielding them, he still trusted his ability with swordsplay better than tossing two rings at a distance in a battle.
"Maybe we should split up," Raine suggested, taking the words right out of Lloyd's mouth. She glanced at the same stalls Lloyd's attention was focused on. "We will need more supplies for the journey, especially items that would have been difficult to acquire back in Iselia."
"That's an excellent suggestion, Professor," Lloyd praised her, glad she was thinking on his same wavelength for once. "I would like to explore myself."
Raine smiled understandingly. (Her manner was a lot better improved around Colette, Lloyd had noticed since the journey's beginning. She actually seemed to outwardly care about him, not quick to nag him like she would have done if he were standing before her in his own body. There weren't even any surprise pop quizzes along the way to keep him on his toes. Being Colette had to have its perks, right?)
"Then we should meet back here in an hour?" Raine asked both Lloyd and Kratos.
Lloyd instantly nodded. Even Kratos said after a few moments, "That is acceptable."
The professor was instantly gone with Kratos' approval. Lloyd exhaled a deep breath; he felt just a bit freer now that there was one less set of eyes to watch him. As for the other set, he hoped Kratos would take that as his cue also to walk off and find something worthy of the attention of a brooding swordsman.
But Kratos did not budge an inch from his still stance behind Lloyd. "Hey, aren't you going to head off too?" Lloyd asked him hesitantly.
"That would not be appropriate," Kratos answered civilly, crossing his arms. "You are the Chosen of Regeneration. I was paid by the people of Iselia and the Church of Martel not to keep my eyes off of you. That is the duty of a guardian."
"But no one's going to try to harm me here. There aren't even any Desians around," Lloyd defended.
"It doesn't matter. I will not let you leave unattended."
Lloyd quickly turned around so the mercenary could not see the signs of agitation working their way on to his face. The truth was that Lloyd was anything else but comfortable in the older man's presence. Just the several hours that had already passed in the pilgrimage, he had felt Kratos' eyes always on him, observing him without fail. He couldn't even remotely act like himself because of Kratos' scrutinizing gaze.
"Fine. Whatever," Lloyd mumbled in defeat. This meant his plans to see the weapons vendor were practically void. He was now reduced to the task of innocent sight-seeing. Inwardly, his mind was shouting, 'How am I going to get rid of this guy?!' There had to be some way he could lose Kratos within the folds of an unfamiliar town such as Triet. Unfortunately only unfamiliar to Lloyd, but with that in mind, maybe he could find himself unintentionally lost?
It was time to change gears. He tried summoning his best 'Colette' smile, hoping he was portraying it just like he remembered it. "I've never been to Triet before. I'd like to look around for a while."
Kratos blinked. Lloyd inwardly flinched; did the mercenary sense a trap? But Kratos didn't ask for an explanation. He just merely flipped his large hand out before him, silently saying, 'Lead the way, then.'
To lose Kratos, Lloyd would have to find an area flooded with a good amount of people. But the main area of Triet, the marketplace, had not generated the type of crowd that was suitable. So he would have to try another place then. There was a dirt path that extended past the two-story hotel, so Lloyd crossed his fingers and took off to see what lay beyond it...
Only to find an area less occupied than the first. There were hardly any standing structures built around the small oasis that allowed Triet to exist, and whatever people were wandering around were dispersed from each other. Lloyd saw that his options for escape were practically nill.
"Is this what you wanted to see?" Kratos asked from behind with just a hint of sarcasm.
"Um, not just this...," Lloyd stammered, looking back and forth for something else to present itself.
A lady's shout came from behind him. "Get your fortunes read here! Find out the hidden secrets to your future, the mysteries to your past!" There was a small tent set next to the oasis on the far side, where a local was outside advertising.
"I'm going to get my fortune read," Lloyd immediately decided, already taking off for the tent.
"Chosen...?"
Lloyd quickly rushed into the tent and drew the flap of the entrance shut just before Kratos could come in with him. For a few moments, Kratos' tall form lingered close to the tent, as evidenced by his shadow seen from inside, but then he departed to wait somewhere else. Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief when Kratos had done so.
"Can I help you?"
Lloyd turned around to see another local behind a table topped with a crystal ball, blinking at him confusedly. But what was more important was the appearance of another exit out of the tent just behind the woman. He guessed it lead out to behind the oasis, where he might be able to slip out undetected by hiding behind the palm trees clustered around the small body of water.
Out of the bag of gald Phaidra had given him, Lloyd withdrew several coins. "I would like my fortune read," he said, placing the gald in the open hand of the turbaned woman.
"Ah, yes," the woman replied, taking the payment. "What kind of fortune? A love fortune perhaps, to find out if your crush likes you or not?"
Lloyd grimaced. "A normal one, please."
With a nod, the woman closed her eyes and began to roam her hands around the surface of the crystal ball. She hummed and made sound effects, all part of the illusion of actually divining something. He only remained standing there just to make sure the woman became absorbed enough in her performance not to notice him slip out. And when he was satisfied with that, he hurriedly crept past her and silently lifted the flap leading out behind the tent into the bright sunlight.
************
For the past ten minutes since Lloyd had escaped the Fortuneteller's Tent, there had been no sign of Kratos. No hint of the tall mercenary's shadow, no sensation of the man breathing down Lloyd's newly sensitive neck. Lloyd felt as if he had never been so intensely held under scrutiny until his path had crossed with Kratos. Even when he had had his real body back when the Desians had attacked the Temple of Martel, he still suspected the mercenary to be watching his every move. But now that he was 'Colette', the feeling had intensified.
Suffice to say, he could breath again without being monitored. And he was so far enjoying his now eleven minutes of newfound freedom wandering amongst the stalls of the Triet marketplace.
It wasn't a big place, nor were there a lot of stalls, but considering Lloyd had never been anywhere else than probably the smallest village in Sylvarant, Iselia, anything could have amazed him. The diversity of smells and sounds stimulated him: the clank of metal as a blacksmith customized a new sword from an otherwise weaker counterpart, a boy shouting his wares of apple gummis and antidotes, desert pasta being cooked in a dusty pan prepared with tomato sauce that had first originated in Iselia. Lloyd found himself immersed in the activity of the marketplace, but at the same time, he never wavered from his original quest.
The two swords on display outside the stall were of even better and stronger make than the ones he had left behind in Iselia. Their silver blades gleamed brightly in the desert sunlight, tantalizing him as much as one look at their sharp edges. He approached them with the temptation of picking at least one up and examining it to his liking.
"Hello, young lady."
Lloyd looked up to find the burly owner of the weapons stall looking curiously down at him. "Hey," Lloyd greeted back, although he didn't like particularly being called 'young lady' very much, even if that was what he currently looked like.
"Are you looking for a new weapon?" the man asked.
"Yes." Lloyd stepped closer to the twin swords on display, hoping that the vendor would get the hint on what particular weapon he was searching for.
The man made a calculating position, his eyes roaming to the two rings that Lloyd had since had to strap to the back of his dress for easy access. "Ah, so you're a chakram user. We have plenty of fine weapons of that source in stock. Let me go fetch you some."
"That's not what I want!" Lloyd objected. He immediately thrust his hands at the twin swords. "How much are these?"
Raising an eyebrow, the vendor looked for a moment at if Lloyd had sprouted some kind of a joke. Then he brightened. "Oh, you want to try out a new weapon?" His eyes this time roved to Lloyd's now skinny arms hidden underneath his long white sleeves. With a shake of his head, the man told Lloyd, "I don't think these particular swords here would serve you much good. But I do have some slender swords in the back with feather-like weight. Perfect for beginners."
"I'm not a beginner!
Now the sword vendor looked vexed, and scratched the bottom of his chin which was covered by a scruffy, small beard. "Girl, why are you learning how to use a sword?"
"I already know how to use one!" Lloyd growled.
By now, a small crowd of curious onlookers were gathered behind Lloyd, drawn in by the loud voices. There were already voices engaged in hushed whispers, commenting on the scene whether they knew the full extent of the situation or not.
"What in Martel is that girl thinking? She doesn't look like she can lift a sword, let alone wield two."
"How many female swordsmen do you see around here anyway?"
Lloyd began to turn red as the voices behind him began to drive him towards anger. Of course he didn't look serious as a fighter, being in Colette's body, but he still felt it gave them no right to insult him like that. He whirled around, intending to say something, anything, to make them shut up and mind their own business.
A shadow descended over him as a familiar figure stepped right in front of him.
"Do you dare to insult the Chosen?" Kratos asked the crowd coldly. Lloyd could not see the magic swordsman's face, but he guessed Kratos' expression was enough to frighten any sensible person.
"Chosen?!" one of the crowd members exclaimed in surprise.
Kratos stepped aside so that everyone around him and Lloyd could see clearly the Cruxis crystal fastened around Lloyd's neck, glistening in the overhead desert sun. It was enough to generate quite a few gasps. Then, as if they had been struck by one of Genis' lightning spells, the crowd began bowing before him.
"I am so sorry, Chosen. I didn't know."
"It is an honor to have you here in Triet, Chosen."
"Please enjoy your stay here to your heart's content."
I think I preferred their insults instead, Lloyd thought, taking a hesitant step back. He had seen Colette receive this treatment before, back in Iselia even though the villagers there had practically watched her grow up from birth. Just because she had been born of Mana lineage, and then blessed with this strange crystal resonating through her body, seemed to make her much more important than any other person of Sylvarant. But, of course, she was supposed to be able to save the world. No wonder everyone was willing to worship her, and him in her place.
He still wasn't very comfortable with it though.
"Please go back to your business," Kratos ordered the awestruck crowd around them. "There will be time to meet with the Chosen later."
'Later?!' Lloyd frowned, not in the least anticipating this 'later'. But the townsfolk did obey Kratos willingly, walking off and giving him and the magic swordsman a wide enough berth of private space. Lloyd was able to take a nice, deep breath.
"What were you doing, Chosen?" Kratos suddenly rounded on him, his arms crossed and his tone serious. "I was under the impression that you were having your fortune read."
"Yeah, about that... It turned out to be nothing of value. I guess that lady wasn't even a real fortuneteller after all," he tried to laugh it off as innocently as he could. In the back of his mind, however, Lloyd was wondering how long it had taken for Kratos to realize he had escaped. The mercenary had probably burst right into the fortuneteller's tent while the lady was still humming over that crystal ball with no audience to watch her, and then scared her out of her wits by demanding to know where the 'Chosen' had disappeared to. Lloyd almost snickered out loud at the thought. Maybe he should have hung around the tent longer to actually see such a scene take place.
"You left the tent via the back entrance and left the area without a proper escort. What you did was thoughtless and dangerous."
Lloyd narrowed his eyes at Kratos. "I did nothing wrong. I just wanted a moment to myself without someone hovering over my shoulder," he defended himself.
"That doesn't matter. You are the Chosen, and I am your guardian. To keep you safe from the Desians, and any other threat, I or Raine must accompany you wherever you go." Kratos frowned. "Surely you understand just how important your life is to the whole of Sylvarant?"
Turning away, Lloyd gritted his teeth together in half a snarl. "I-I know that!" His anger started to dissipate, as he realized that he could not fault Kratos for being so critical of something like this. For all he knew, Raine would be the same way, and then he would not have even attempted to cross her wrath. "It's just so hard...," he muttered.
"Hard to what?"
Lloyd shook his head. "To be Chosen. I just never realized..." He was amazed that Colette could have handled the role so well all her life. Save for being a klutz and apologizing too much, she really was the perfect candidate for world savior.
A hand touched his shoulder. Lloyd looked up to see Kratos giving him some small measure of encouragement just by gripping his shoulder like that. "You will learn to cope with it," Kratos told him seriously, his eyes closed. "This is only the start of your journey. Mistakes are to be expected, but shouldn't ever be repeated."
"Yeah..." Lloyd found himself slightly smiling. Somehow, he knew the man couldn't be angry at him for long.
"Now what was it you were looking for?"
It was then that Lloyd remembered why he was in the marketplace in the first place, and turned back to the weapons vendor. The man, who had once regarded Lloyd as if he were some idiot, was suddenly offering up the same swords that had caught Lloyd's eye in the first place. His head was bowed too in submission, whether to Lloyd or Kratos it was uncertain.
Kratos looked from the swords to Lloyd. "These are what you wanted?" he asked seriously.
Lloyd was not so sure now that he could say 'yes', especially with the mercenary looking down at him shrewdly. It was even worse than the villagers or the vendor themselves judging his swordsmanship based on his current appearance. Mainly because Kratos knew how Lloyd fought with the twin swords, having been involved in battle together back at the Temple of Martel. And he was familiar with Colette's fighting style as well. This situation would surely then tip Kratos to the fact that this Chosen was not the one he was supposed to be guarding.
Finally, he just had to ask himself just how badly the swords meant to him.
"Yeah, I want those," he answered, both to himself and out loud to Kratos.
Kratos' eyes narrowed just a small fraction. "Why?"
'Because I don't want to be stuck wielding chakrams for the rest of my life, damn it!' Lloyd thought in the back of his mind, though outside he fought hard to keep himself from angrily twitching. Kratos was a foe the likes that Lloyd had never faced before, and in such unusual of circumstances. If it wasn't for being 'Colette' instead, there would have been no question and answer session. For if Lloyd gave any kind of explanation, be it truth or lies, there would be questions. Lots of them. And not necessarily just from Kratos.
Raine would have a list for him as well.
Though it was risky, he decided to keep plowing forward. Those swords were just within reach. He could already feel them gripped in the palms of his hands...
"Because I want to experience all kinds of new things during this pilgrimage," he said, settling for a happy medium between truth and lies instead of one of the two extremes. "I thought using swords in battle would be interesting, just like how my friend does." He couldn't bring himself to say his own name afterwards. "Sort of like a memento of our friendship," he then added.
The last comment he had only added because he thought it sounded very 'Colette.'
He waited for the next onslaught of questions that were sure to follow. But a full minute passed, and Kratos had not spoken one word back to him. Instead, the mercenary looked strangely thoughtful.
"Alright then."
At the sound of Kratos' voice, Lloyd had been already on the defensive to retort, until he fully realized what Kratos had told them. There was no suspicion, no questions, in that tone. Lloyd quickly opened his eyes to look back at the man, having closed them beforehand in preparation for the anger he would have been able to deliver. But now...
"Did you just say...?"
"Don't make me repeat myself," Kratos interrupted, slightly turning away. "Although, I think something more suitable should be purchased for a beginner."
Lloyd was immediately back on the defensive again. "What?!"
Kratos turned fully towards the sword vendor, ignoring Lloyd's reddening face. "We will take a set of your wooden swords instead," the mercenary instructed, pointing towards the back of the stall where the swords not on display were kept.
"Right away, sir!" the vendor said, already rushing backwards to retrieve them.
"If you want to learn a new fighting style, then you must start from the very beginning. It is only after lots of practice and hard work that you can hope to wield a sword such as that one," Kratos told Lloyd behind him, indicating Lloyd's earlier pick.
"But I can already...!"
Kratos turned his head to look back at him with a suspicious, raised eyebrow. It was as if Kratos were secretly mocking him, telling him, 'Correction: Lloyd can use swords, Colette cannot.'
In the end, it was either wooden swords or no swords at all. "Yeah, we'll take those," he responded quietly when the sword vendor had glanced back at him as well, confused.
After being handed a few Gald, the wooden swords were purchased and placed into Lloyd's hesitant hands. And, like some sign from Martel herself, the swords he had originally planned to purchase were taken off the main display board and replaced with a different type of weapon altogether. He watched this take place while walking silently behind Kratos' broad back, heading out of the market area altogether.
"Oh, there you two are," Raine greeted them beside the two-story inn. In one hand was a sack laden with gels, antidotes, and food for impromptu meals. "Perfect timing. I'm ready to leave whenever you two are."
"Yes, let's leave now," Kratos decided, not even bothering to let Lloyd, the Chosen, have a say in the matter.
Some pilgrimage this was turning out to be...
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*Whew, there it is! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Please review if you liked it. Things will be picking up next chapter.*