Shadowed Heart--Part 11
See disclaimer in Part 8
:Once again, too lazy to remove old A/N:
Author's Note: A short one this time, just to deal with the many questions about the inn in Cyril called the Prancing Chocobo. This is actually taken out of the game--you can check what the options are (i.e. missions, pubs, item shops etc. etc.) when your cursor is on a place and you're checking that stuff. If you choose to examine the pubs, you can see what they're called and a little background information on them (Square-Enix thinks of positively everything!); from there, I learned that the Cyril pub is called the "Prancing Chocobo", the Sphrom pub is the "Long Ear Tavern", the Baguba pub is the "Golden Gil", the Muscadet pub is the "Spina Lodge", and the Cadoan pub's name completely deserts my mind right now and I'm too lazy to go get my GBA to check. sticks out tongue I think it had something to do with "frogs" though. doesn't know
Have I gotten you curious about Makoto yet? laughs dodges bricks thrown by readers Don't worry, you'll hear everything--eventually. I'm actually getting through this saga pretty fast, as compared to the previous ones. (I just haven't gotten to the library very often. So sue me. Nobody else seems to be updating during Winter Break, especially not some people LIKE KAELLE glare) I especially want to get to the Tanabata Festival, because there the fun REALLY starts! cackles evilly rubs hands together All you people craving romance will finally get it. Just to say that, which should be enough to make you REAL mad this time. innocent smile And yes, we'll have some... erm... interesting... Marche/Ritz stuff coming along. Keep in mind that Llednar is VERY innocent on the romance front. He's never had the birds-and-the-bees talk (the in-depth one) so he can be a little bit clueless. Bear with him.
BTW, sorry I haven't updated so much lately. First I got sidetracked playing Sword of Mana (great game, but too many people die). Then I got sidetracked writing a couple fanfictions for it. Then I got sidetracked doing my gag science project. I hate them, but now they're done with (YES!), so now there's more time to write. If you want to look at my SoM fanfics, then either go to my author's page or check out the section for Secret/Legend of Mana under the Games category. They need attention. nudge nudge, wink wink
Looks at A/N sweat drop Jeez, I really did mean for this to be short this time... oh well. Me and my rambling, right? I sure do like to talk... anyway, here's the story, before you get too short-fused with me. Enjoy!
---
I sighed deeply and ran my fingertips along the shattered pieces of Excalibur for the millionth time. The empty sheath banging against my back matched the hollowness I felt in my heart.
Just through Marche's stories, I'd started to feel very close to the gentle young man called Gelarto. I really did feel, as he'd told me, that we would've become great friends and hit it off perfectly. If not for that venture into Jagd Dorsa... but at any rate, bearing Gelarto's sword made me feel closer to him somehow. And now, by my own idiotic foolishness, I'd gotten it broken.
I could've spared myself SaveTheQueen and used it to shield Makoto instead; even though I'd be just as heartbroken, probably more, by the loss of my first sword, I wouldn't feel as if I'd let someone, somewhere, down.
The door to my room creaked open and Makoto padded in, looking guilty. Bewildered, I beckoned for her, and she came, whimpering a little. "Oh, Llednar..." Looking entirely inconsolable, she threw her arms around me. "I'm so, so sorry!"
"What for?" I awkwardly put a hand on Makoto's back.
"If it hadn't been for me, your sword wouldn't have been broken!" she wailed. "You were right. I should've listened to you and come straight back here!"
A deep, protective concern stirred in my heart. "Makoto, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault at all. If you want to pin it on someone, blame them that sent that hunter after you."
"B-but... but..."
The fury which had slept in my core for a while flared up again. People could play at their politics all they wanted, I really didn't care, but to involve a little girl like this, that was wrong. To destroy an entire family but leave a survivor like this... to twist her mind until she blamed herself for everything... only the most perverted, corrupt of minds could do this with indifferent hearts. It was wrong, wrong, WRONG! "Makoto, it's the fault of the people who decided they wanted you so badly that they had to go through your family to get to you. I can't tell you any more than that. Nobody knows why people do these things, cept for those who do them; all we have to know is that it's the most twisted thing a person could do to another. No matter what their excuse is--they could say they're after me, for example, I've been at odds with Queen Remedi for a while, and I'm technically supposed to be in her service--it's still the fault of the person who decides they're going to do something wicked. D'you understand? None of this is your fault, Makoto. None of it. And I don't ever want to hear you say otherwise."
Makoto looked at me woefully, and for a moment it seemed as though she was struggling to make a decision within herself. But then the expression in her eyes changed, and she smiled although there seemed to be a great pain in her heart, and a great sadness. She wiped her tears away, and smiled reluctantly. "Okay." She hugged me again. "Thank you."
The warmth of the little girl's embrace stayed with me for a long time after that. Only much later did I realize that I'd grown to love her like a little sister, more than I'd ever loved anyone in my life.
---
"D'you have any idea where this 'Buckles' guy is supposed to be?" I asked Neuman. We were both lying on the roof of the Prancing Chocobo to soak up the sun's rays while there were still no clouds. "I've had twelve different answers from twelve different people, and I'm starting to get annoyed."
Neuman shrugged. "If it'ss really the blackssmith I'm thinking of, that'ss really likely. Buckless' work iss in high demand, but he doessn't work unlesss he hass a good reasson to. Sso he travelss to avoid the crowdss demanding him."
I shrugged, still annoyed. "Well, I really would prefer it if he stayed in one place like a sensible person, instead of roaming. He's very hard to track down."
Neuman rolled over, presenting his backside to me. "Sshut up. I want to get ssome ssleep while there'ss sstill light."
I made a face. "Well, you can at least get your big butt away from me!" Neuman didn't answer. Apparently, he'd dropped right off.
Standing up, I jumped off the roof to land in a crouch on the floor below. "Bangaa. For heaven's sake. Lizards at heart, every single one of them. Sun hogs." Still grumbling, I headed inside, feeling that it was way too cold actually in the inn.
"Hey, Llednar!" I turned. Shara was jogging up to meet me. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you!" She shoved one of her long ears out of her face. "I've just gotten the news that Blacksmith Buckles recently left Muscadet. If we want to catch him, we'd better hurry."
I nodded and gathered up Excalibur's shards, then stopped. "Wait... you're coming with me?"
She shrugged. "Well... yeah, if that's okay. I mean... Marche and Ritz are off on some mission around there, that's how I heard... but you know those two. They're just slobbering all over each other, if you know what I mean. I got sick of it."
"Oh." Actually, I had no idea what she meant, but as I didn't want to seem stupid, I just kept my mouth shut. "I guess it's okay. C'mon."
"Llednar..." Something tugged at my sleeve. I looked down. Makoto, with a pouty expression on her face, was standing at my side forlornly.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT. You remember what happened last time, don't you? I don't want you to get hurt, or anyone else for that matter. You'll be safe here in Cyril. Here is where I want you to stay. D'you think you can behave?" She nodded sulkily. "Good. Now, if you want something to do, go wake up Neuman. Shara and I are going to be doing something dangerous. You can't come."
Still wearing the pout, Makoto went off outside.
"You're going to have to do some sweet-talking later," Shara observed. I threw her a dirty glare. "Come on. We have to go fast if we want to catch up to Buckles."
---
We set the pace easily--it was an assassin's jog; the swiftest I could go for great amounts of time. Shara, as a viera, kept up without any trouble. She probably could've gone even faster if she wanted to, but we'd decided to go together and it would be stupid to turn this into a race.
The world was a blur of brown and green and patches of golden sunlight; I felt as though my feet barely touched the ground at all. The only sound was the stirring of fallen leaves, and the dizzy rushing sensation of total speed enveloped me. Shara, a few feet to my right, was acting the same way as me.
Eventually, we slowed down, as we'd gotten into the precincts near Muscadet. If we continued on at that pace, we'd probably miss Buckles entirely.
"Tanabata's tomorrow," Shara said conversationally. She wasn't even winded. "Are you guys sticking around for it?"
I shrugged one shoulder and stretched. "Mmm... I dunno. Guess so... we're supposed to be able to stay for a few days--that's what, three to five? And this is our third day back. Marche told me about the festival... here in Ivalice it's s'posed to be really something, isn't it?"
Shara nodded, and her long ears bobbed in the air. "Oh yeah. Of course, I've never seen it in your world either, so I wouldn't know to compare."
"Neither have I. I'm going on opinion." Even as I spoke, a memory started to stir, making my temples itch. Bright colors; tall figures in kimonos and yukata; hearing the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi out of the mouth of an old grandmother speaking to a group of young children. I shook my head. What the heck!
"So what's your wish?" Shara asked conversationally.
"What?"
"Your wish," she repeated. "You know, like you're supposed to write your wish on a slip of paper, then hang it on a sprig of bamboo. Don't you know that?"
I sighed. "Well... I really don't know much about any holiday. It wasn't in my job description, so Remedi didn't really educate me thoroughly. And I just got a brief description out of Marche and Mewt."
"You're avoiding the question," Shara teased. I made a face at her. Suddenly, she turned, all traces of relaxation gone. Her ears stood up perfectly straight.
"You heard something?" I asked, lowering my voice to a whisper. She nodded.
"This way." She stalked velvetly over the ground; though it was littered with tree branches and dead leaves, she didn't make a sound. I tried to imitate her walk--due to my soft leather shoes I was able to keep quiet enough. We were edging up on a lone bangaa who seemed to be burdened with several bags of travel equipment. Buckles. It had to be.
"Excuse me, sir," I said steadily. "Would you happen to know a good blacksmith around these parts? I have... a job for one."
"None around here," he replied just as steadily, not even turning. "It's best you turn around and go off somewhere else." Like Eleono, he didn't hiss his S's. It was the final proof.
"I think you're lying." I rushed forward, gripping SaveTheQueen's hilt.
The bangaa didn't even turn, but when I got just close enough to him that I could draw my blade and attack, his fist went out in a vicious backhand that caught me completely by surprise. Before I knew it, I'd been slammed into a nearby tree and was struggling to stay conscious. My vision swam as I tried to breathe through the ache in my chest where I'd been hit.
"Ouch," I said through a harsh breath, trying to stand. "Damn... that hurt..."
"Llednar!" I heard Shara yelp from the rise from which I'd made my attack. "You...!" I heard the whistle of an arrow being fired and the sharp twang of Shara's bowstring. My vision cleared just enough to witness the bangaa stranger calmly catch the arrow between two fingers when it was about an arm's length from his face.
What the hell? I thought, baffled. How can this guy have such skill?
"Kids," the bangaa said with a snort. "I didn't exactly fall off the turnip cart yesterday, you know. So I assume you're another little posse looking to hire Blacksmith Buckles. You'll have to prove to him that you're worthy of one of his weapons."
I managed to stand up by pulling myself against the tree. This was just plain impossible. Ugh, how were we supposed to win against someone this powerful when I was already half-useless and Shara's arrows were rendered ineffective? I probably could have taken him out with a shot from Omega, but we couldn't close with him or we'd get slaughtered. And besides, where would I find the strength for an attack like that now? Grr. There weren't many options that I could see. We could run away, which only cowards did, or we could get creamed, which only happened to amateurs.
What had I gotten us into this time?
Shara put up another arrow, cursing.
"Don't even try it!" I shouted. "His reflexes are too good!"
Shara seemed to hear me. She slung her bow over her shoulder and sprinted off in another direction. It was a while before I'd realized that she'd vanished completely.
Was she going off to get help? Or did she have some other plan?
"Now, what is so important to you that you have to bother self-respecting travelers for it?" Buckles said calmly, taking a step towards me and speaking levelly. Now I could see that he had the armor of a templar--it was old and worn but still strong.
I sighed. Maybe talking would actually help for once. "I got someone's sword broken really badly, and I have to get it reforged no matter what. I heard that you were the best, so I came to you."
"No matter how often you say you've retired..." Buckles shrugged. "Well, you still have to prove yourself to me, boy."
Shit. But all the same, what was I expecting with my social skills? I managed to stumble into a guard-ready position, muttering strings of curses under my breath.
"Don't kid yourself, boy. You can barely move without being dizzy." Buckles was still irritatingly calm. It made me want to punch him. "You're beaten."
I replied with a word I'd learned from Ritz. "That's what you think."
A glitter in the tree right behind Buckles drew my attention, but I fought not to show it. In two seconds and a whistling scream, a trio of arrows buried themselves in Buckles' back, right between his shoulderblades and exactly in a gap between armor plates, in a bloody spray. The bangaa used a colorful term (one that I'd have to keep in mind for later) to describe the pain and whirled.
Shara appeared for a split second before leaping from the tree and vanishing with a little ripple once again. I used the opportunity to sprint off. I understood now--she was using her sniper's Conceal ability to maintain invisibility for certain periods of time.
"You can only hide for so long," Buckles warned her in a grunt. I cursed mentally again; if the blacksmith was actually listening to make sure of her position, Shara was in deep trouble. I began to gather power into my blade, mentally running through my energy-focus incantation. It was slower than usual, but that was still to be expected, as my power had been depleted in the first place.
Oh God, please, gods, I thought frantically, let this work.
"Got you!" Buckles roared, whipping a wicked spear from a travel kit. Shara was startled out of her invisibility and leaped backwards.
I lunged, praying to every deity I knew that this would work. Otherwise both Shara and I were dead. As I felt all my remaining physical strength stream through my right hand into my sword, I channelled all my magic into my left palm; focusing in a ball of sickly green light there. Almost every ounce of my strength was going into this--the only thing carrying me forward was momentum.
I let out a wild cry as I sliced Buckles' back open with my Omega-charged sword. I shoved my other hand forward and released my magic in one last Abyss. My momentum carried me a few more feet forward; then I collapsed into a half-curl in the litter of grass and leaves.
Buckles shifted and stood, looking groggy. "Thought you'd got me, didn't you?" he said in a gasp. An arrow sprouted from his chest; no doubt Shara's doing. He yelped slightly, looking at it exhaustedly.
Please, please, please let that be it, I thought wearily as I heard Shara's empty quiver fall to the ground while she sank to her knees beside me. We're out of arrows and I just don't have anything left.
But Buckles--the damned guy just wouldn't quit! He staggered up again, and I cursed under my breath, imitating that colorful phrase he'd spoken just a while ago.
As my vision dimmed and darkened, I saw two blurred forms come down on Buckles' back like a pair of wolves on the fold. One was muddied blue and yellow; the other pink and white.
---
"Llednar..."
I groaned. I ached all over; surely she'd let me sleep...!
"Llednaaaaaaaar..."
I pretended I didn't notice. She'd have the decency to let sleepers lie, right?
I was treated to a boot in my behind. "WAKE UP, DAMMIT!"
I opened one eye and glared blearily at Ritz. "Will you shut up?" I whined. "I just got the crap beat out of me!"
"You've slept LONG ENOUGH!" she snapped, furious. "Get off your butt and come see your sword! You made Shara worry about you!"
Marche sidled into my vision. "Come on, Ritz," he said meekly. "I'm sure he'll get up soon enough." He pushed her off gently and said, "I think she's got PMS" to me as they went.
"Mmmmph." I sat up and shook my head. We were still in the forest, though a tent was pitched nearby and a fire roared somewhere behind me. Buckles was suddenly looming above me, offering me a giant hand.
I took it, and the bangaa levered me up. "Congratulatious," he roared, whacking me on the shoulder. "You and your friends here actually beat me!"
"Beat...?" I wondered out loud. Looking at Marche and Ritz, the answer was obvious. "Oh."
"And that sword? It was a real mess, but we've got it covered," Buckles continued, absurdly cheerful. "Come and take a look!"
Excalibur lay on an anvil, the tip of the blade still glowing hot. Every shard was present, but a bright vein of mysidia wove through the cracks like glue, forming a film over the entire sword.
"I'd like to see someone break that little beauty again," Buckles said happily. "Though you truly did put it through its paces!"
I sighed in relief. So I hadn't let Gelarto down after all. "Thank you, sir. That was really important to us."
Off on the other side of camp, I heard Shara speak. "So, did you two meet that minstrel?"
"Yeah. He gave us this." I peeked over my shoulder. Marche was holding up one work of art of a violin. It was crafted from some kind of black wood and glittered like a dark molten star. "I haven't any idea what the use is, though. We don't have any clan members who can use instruments."
Leaving Buckles to tend the sword, I hobbled over to them. "Let me see," I said, holding out a hand for that beauteous thing. Marche blinked at me, then forked it over. Ritz handed me the bow, which was made of the same wood and threaded with the finest black horsehair.
The feel of the instrument was familiar in my hands. I plucked each string and noted that it was also finely in tune. Oh, you pretty, pretty thing, I thought giddily. Well, Lune, I'm going to give it a try.
I lifted the violin to my shoulder and set the bow on the strings, taking a deep breath. Maybe I've just gotten a little closer to finding out who I really am.