8BTFreek: All right, I know I've taken a while, but it's because of that stupid one-shot. I couldn't think of how to get it started, and I had to break form and change some of the lyrics so that it would fit the context. Not that that's mattered all that much to me before, but...
RM: ENOUGH! Just get on with it!
Freek: Sure. Anyway, here's the responses to my reviewers!
Reviewer Responses:
EchoKazul: Not the Scrunchy! Anything but the Scrunchy! AAAHHH! I'm writing, I'm writing! *clack, clack, clack, clack* See?! I just had to wait for the inspiration to strike!
ACL: Huh. Well, good luck with the whole penname change thing. Though I must admit, I liked "The Rain Child" better. And "interesting..." I've heard this fic called "kawaii", and "good," but "interesting..." *Smile spreads slowly across face, steeples fingers, leans back on chair* Excellent.
tigerlily: Hroom. Yeah, the accent did take a while to create. And it's coming back. As for the update soon bit... That's going to be tough with my new policy.
Allexandra: Hello again! Great news about your computer. I have to use the one in the basement... *shudders* Anyway, thank you for liking the Felix/Hama (I may have been wrong about the name of that again-I'm changing my bio to say "Dustshipping" for that 'cause the name's just too cool...), and please don't poke. Don't worry, I'll pass the message on to Rand when he gets back.
End Responses
Nynaeve: FREEK!!!
Freek: Yes, Aes Sedai?
Nynaeve: Where is Rand, and why haven't you been updating?
(Mars Lighthouse)
Rand: So, you're the Wise One Alex talked about.
Wise One: Yes, that's me. But who's this "Alex?"
Rand: Well, Alex's just zis guy, ja know?
Wise One: Stop playing Gag Halfrunt and tell me. *Glow ominously*
Rand: Look! Someone's coming! *Travels out*
Wise One: *Sees Agatio and Karst with Mars Star* Hm. Maybe now I can stop Alchemy from being released. Well, back to the old grind.
(In the FreekLair (c) )
Freek: I have no clue where Rand is, and I haven't been updating because of my new policy. It's in my bio, if you'd like to check.
Nyaneve: No, that's fine. Anyway, here's the disclaimer: 8BTFreek does not own, has never owned, nor will ever own, Golden Sun. He does, however, own his story, his version of AU, the rights to membership of FoGS, and the ability to dig up trivia.
Freek: Ya damn right! On with the fic!
**Chapter 12: Glory, Honor, and Justice**
(In the Desert)
The Lizard looked at them with what could only be described as a hungry grin on its face. Garet gaped at the tall beast. Before he could act, Alex cried "Waterspout!" A jet of water shot under the tall beast, and it crashed to the ground. Getting up, it grinned before launching itself at Hama. She tried to dodge, but the beast ended up scratching her leg.
Felix stood, concentrating. Suddenly, a gigantic rift opened in the ground beneath the lizard. Hundreds of small rocks flew out before a boulder hurtled into the monster's stomach and sent it flying. The beast landed again, only to be spun in a whirlwind by some quick casting by Sheba. Garet said nothing, but he gripped the hilt of his axe tighter. Finally, he could bear it no longer. "Inferno!" he shouted, launching hundreds of fireballs into the air. All of them crashed down on the Lizard, which let out a shriek of pain. It swiped at Garet, but he ducked just in time. It spun around, blowing up even more dust.
"Sonic Slash!" yelled Hama. Purple blades spun through the air. They came into contact with the thing before disappearing. Felix concentrated again.
{Just a little harder. I just have to focus more...} Vines sprung up around the creature. The earth bucked under it. Gigantic spears of rock crashed down on its skull. Several large boulders ripped out of a chasm in the earth. It all targeted the lizard. As the dust cleared, the lizard's body lay trampled in the dust. In a puff of smoke, it vanished. Felix wiped his gloves on his shirt. "Well, that was easy enough, eh? Is anyone hurt too horribly?" Hama shook her head, but it was obvious that she was in pain. He motioned to Alex, who cast Ply on the injured Jupiter Adept. "Now then, is everyone else alright?"
"Yeah, General. We're just drained." They appeared tired. Garet was leaning on his axe, using it as a cane; Sheba looked like she would collapse if it weren't for her staff. As for Alex... Felix didn't know where that one got his strength from. He shook his head. "We'll camp out in the Suhalla Pass. After that, we make for the Lighthouse." The others nodded in agreement. "It's settled, then. We'll head for Suhalla Pass, rest for the night, and then continue to Venus Lighthouse. We'll beat them there, meet them at the top, and force them to give us the Elemental Stars."
(Venus Lighthouse)
Felix stared at the entrance. It didn't want to open. Upon further notice, he saw a sign etched on the door. The sign read, "None are to enter Venus Lighthouse without the permission of the Venus Clan of the West. By order of Kyle, son of Alexis, son of Isaac, Patriarch of the Venus Clan of the West."
Alex was there, too. "Damn. We manage to make it to the lighthouse, and they pull a fast one on us. The Venus Clan of the West has been dead for years. This 'Kyle' was probably the last of the line. There's no way anyone could break through the door without a battering ram or something." Alex's mind was focused on war and sieges for some reason. "If only we could gather about ten or twenty villagers. There's bound to be a strong enough tree around here."
Hama was near the door, too. "Or we could use the Ki orb that you got in Fuchin Temple. You know-that thing you go on and on about." Felix shook his head.
"This is different. I have a feeling these people are alive. We should try Lalivero. Maybe they have some answers. The three trudged back to Garet and Sheba, both of whom were at the base of the lighthouse, talking with each other about the ones they loved. There would be a trek to Lalivero in their future.
(Champa)
Isaac stood in his manacles. Mia knew they were hard to wear - in the last few days, even she and Ivan had been placed in separate cells for being "too hard on the judge." The little runt was now standing next to her, asking questions. His curiosity was driving her insane. "Madam Obaba, we wish to go free."
"Nothing doing, Madam Hail. You will just have to wait for judgement to be passed." Her gaze turned to Ivan. "And if you do not stop asking questions, Master Breeze, you will be returned to your cell and placed under heavy supervision." His voice halted in mid-word.
{Thank you,} Mia thought. The voice from the bench drifted down again.
"And as for the Laliverans, Master Flint and Madam Arred, you have yet to have judgment placed on you for your other crimes. Master Flint, you are charged guilty for attempted attack on a Judge of the High Court. The penalty: you must face off against our most skilled warrior, Briggs, in a duel when he returns. Madam Arred, you are accused of trying to demolish the courtroom. The penalty is this: You are to clean the courtroom, and you have a fine of seven hundred coins for repairs. Any fines you cannot pay will be paid for by repossession of items you own." Their heads sank glumly. "And as for all of you, your punishment for murder will be determined by the test. But it can only be performed when Briggs has returned, for reasons I will not state here." Mia hung her head.
"It's been decided," she whispered to Isaac. "They've decided we're guilty of murder without hearing our side of the story." Isaac nodded grimly, then stood up.
"Madam Obaba, I do not flinch from the penalty for attacking you. I earned it. But I protest your decision to call us guilty of the crime of murder when you have not heard our story. Do you deny this?" She shook her head. "What kind of justice is it, when the people are not heard? Is it justice at all, or is it merely revenge? I ask you this, because we are the victims of your arbitrary court. If you do not grant us our say, then you truly are a vicious tyrant, just as I would not have believed." The logic of his argument echoed through the courtroom. She shook her head.
"It is not merely that. There are six dead, and the families call for punishment. This cannot be ignored. If your father were killed by a Champa sword, would you not cry for vengeance?" Isaac did not nod, but he did not shake his head, either. "Answer me, boy. Or are you afraid that even you, with your high ethics, would still seek blood?" Slowly, Isaac's head rose. He stared Obaba in the eye, her seeking eyes meeting his stone gaze.
"If he were killed in battle, then no. I would not cry if my father fell honorably. But if he were killed in the dead of night, by a knife that slit his throat, like my grandfather, then, then o lady of Champa would I cry for the blood of the enemy. To fall honorably is a grace, and it does the family good. But to be killed by the foe in the dead of night, while you sleep? This is murder. To attack an unarmed person? That is wrong. And what if you are right in doing so? It is still murder. If you wish to kill us, at least let us die in battle!" Before she could respond, the guard rushed in.
"Yore Graice, sumfin's cum ap!" She stared at the guard.
"And what would that be?" she asked, her voice hard and cold as stone.
"Th' 'oigh an' moighty Lord Juj Briggs 'as returned." At that moment, the door swung open.
***
Freek: Well, that's a wrap!
Nynaeve: With the story?
Freek: No, with the chapter, idiot! The chapter's all finished!
Nynaeve: Oh. Say, when are you going to get the next chapter finished?
Freek: Uh, I haven't begun writing it yet.
Nynaeve: Really? Well, you'd better get to writing it, or I might just have to yank RM from his duties and force him to get you.
Freek: Uh, right! Just as soon as I put this chapter up and get some reviews! So review, or you might get a knock on your door from Nynaeve!
Nynaeve: And I won't be selling cookies.
Freek: Right. Just review, please!
RM: ENOUGH! Just get on with it!
Freek: Sure. Anyway, here's the responses to my reviewers!
Reviewer Responses:
EchoKazul: Not the Scrunchy! Anything but the Scrunchy! AAAHHH! I'm writing, I'm writing! *clack, clack, clack, clack* See?! I just had to wait for the inspiration to strike!
ACL: Huh. Well, good luck with the whole penname change thing. Though I must admit, I liked "The Rain Child" better. And "interesting..." I've heard this fic called "kawaii", and "good," but "interesting..." *Smile spreads slowly across face, steeples fingers, leans back on chair* Excellent.
tigerlily: Hroom. Yeah, the accent did take a while to create. And it's coming back. As for the update soon bit... That's going to be tough with my new policy.
Allexandra: Hello again! Great news about your computer. I have to use the one in the basement... *shudders* Anyway, thank you for liking the Felix/Hama (I may have been wrong about the name of that again-I'm changing my bio to say "Dustshipping" for that 'cause the name's just too cool...), and please don't poke. Don't worry, I'll pass the message on to Rand when he gets back.
End Responses
Nynaeve: FREEK!!!
Freek: Yes, Aes Sedai?
Nynaeve: Where is Rand, and why haven't you been updating?
(Mars Lighthouse)
Rand: So, you're the Wise One Alex talked about.
Wise One: Yes, that's me. But who's this "Alex?"
Rand: Well, Alex's just zis guy, ja know?
Wise One: Stop playing Gag Halfrunt and tell me. *Glow ominously*
Rand: Look! Someone's coming! *Travels out*
Wise One: *Sees Agatio and Karst with Mars Star* Hm. Maybe now I can stop Alchemy from being released. Well, back to the old grind.
(In the FreekLair (c) )
Freek: I have no clue where Rand is, and I haven't been updating because of my new policy. It's in my bio, if you'd like to check.
Nyaneve: No, that's fine. Anyway, here's the disclaimer: 8BTFreek does not own, has never owned, nor will ever own, Golden Sun. He does, however, own his story, his version of AU, the rights to membership of FoGS, and the ability to dig up trivia.
Freek: Ya damn right! On with the fic!
**Chapter 12: Glory, Honor, and Justice**
(In the Desert)
The Lizard looked at them with what could only be described as a hungry grin on its face. Garet gaped at the tall beast. Before he could act, Alex cried "Waterspout!" A jet of water shot under the tall beast, and it crashed to the ground. Getting up, it grinned before launching itself at Hama. She tried to dodge, but the beast ended up scratching her leg.
Felix stood, concentrating. Suddenly, a gigantic rift opened in the ground beneath the lizard. Hundreds of small rocks flew out before a boulder hurtled into the monster's stomach and sent it flying. The beast landed again, only to be spun in a whirlwind by some quick casting by Sheba. Garet said nothing, but he gripped the hilt of his axe tighter. Finally, he could bear it no longer. "Inferno!" he shouted, launching hundreds of fireballs into the air. All of them crashed down on the Lizard, which let out a shriek of pain. It swiped at Garet, but he ducked just in time. It spun around, blowing up even more dust.
"Sonic Slash!" yelled Hama. Purple blades spun through the air. They came into contact with the thing before disappearing. Felix concentrated again.
{Just a little harder. I just have to focus more...} Vines sprung up around the creature. The earth bucked under it. Gigantic spears of rock crashed down on its skull. Several large boulders ripped out of a chasm in the earth. It all targeted the lizard. As the dust cleared, the lizard's body lay trampled in the dust. In a puff of smoke, it vanished. Felix wiped his gloves on his shirt. "Well, that was easy enough, eh? Is anyone hurt too horribly?" Hama shook her head, but it was obvious that she was in pain. He motioned to Alex, who cast Ply on the injured Jupiter Adept. "Now then, is everyone else alright?"
"Yeah, General. We're just drained." They appeared tired. Garet was leaning on his axe, using it as a cane; Sheba looked like she would collapse if it weren't for her staff. As for Alex... Felix didn't know where that one got his strength from. He shook his head. "We'll camp out in the Suhalla Pass. After that, we make for the Lighthouse." The others nodded in agreement. "It's settled, then. We'll head for Suhalla Pass, rest for the night, and then continue to Venus Lighthouse. We'll beat them there, meet them at the top, and force them to give us the Elemental Stars."
(Venus Lighthouse)
Felix stared at the entrance. It didn't want to open. Upon further notice, he saw a sign etched on the door. The sign read, "None are to enter Venus Lighthouse without the permission of the Venus Clan of the West. By order of Kyle, son of Alexis, son of Isaac, Patriarch of the Venus Clan of the West."
Alex was there, too. "Damn. We manage to make it to the lighthouse, and they pull a fast one on us. The Venus Clan of the West has been dead for years. This 'Kyle' was probably the last of the line. There's no way anyone could break through the door without a battering ram or something." Alex's mind was focused on war and sieges for some reason. "If only we could gather about ten or twenty villagers. There's bound to be a strong enough tree around here."
Hama was near the door, too. "Or we could use the Ki orb that you got in Fuchin Temple. You know-that thing you go on and on about." Felix shook his head.
"This is different. I have a feeling these people are alive. We should try Lalivero. Maybe they have some answers. The three trudged back to Garet and Sheba, both of whom were at the base of the lighthouse, talking with each other about the ones they loved. There would be a trek to Lalivero in their future.
(Champa)
Isaac stood in his manacles. Mia knew they were hard to wear - in the last few days, even she and Ivan had been placed in separate cells for being "too hard on the judge." The little runt was now standing next to her, asking questions. His curiosity was driving her insane. "Madam Obaba, we wish to go free."
"Nothing doing, Madam Hail. You will just have to wait for judgement to be passed." Her gaze turned to Ivan. "And if you do not stop asking questions, Master Breeze, you will be returned to your cell and placed under heavy supervision." His voice halted in mid-word.
{Thank you,} Mia thought. The voice from the bench drifted down again.
"And as for the Laliverans, Master Flint and Madam Arred, you have yet to have judgment placed on you for your other crimes. Master Flint, you are charged guilty for attempted attack on a Judge of the High Court. The penalty: you must face off against our most skilled warrior, Briggs, in a duel when he returns. Madam Arred, you are accused of trying to demolish the courtroom. The penalty is this: You are to clean the courtroom, and you have a fine of seven hundred coins for repairs. Any fines you cannot pay will be paid for by repossession of items you own." Their heads sank glumly. "And as for all of you, your punishment for murder will be determined by the test. But it can only be performed when Briggs has returned, for reasons I will not state here." Mia hung her head.
"It's been decided," she whispered to Isaac. "They've decided we're guilty of murder without hearing our side of the story." Isaac nodded grimly, then stood up.
"Madam Obaba, I do not flinch from the penalty for attacking you. I earned it. But I protest your decision to call us guilty of the crime of murder when you have not heard our story. Do you deny this?" She shook her head. "What kind of justice is it, when the people are not heard? Is it justice at all, or is it merely revenge? I ask you this, because we are the victims of your arbitrary court. If you do not grant us our say, then you truly are a vicious tyrant, just as I would not have believed." The logic of his argument echoed through the courtroom. She shook her head.
"It is not merely that. There are six dead, and the families call for punishment. This cannot be ignored. If your father were killed by a Champa sword, would you not cry for vengeance?" Isaac did not nod, but he did not shake his head, either. "Answer me, boy. Or are you afraid that even you, with your high ethics, would still seek blood?" Slowly, Isaac's head rose. He stared Obaba in the eye, her seeking eyes meeting his stone gaze.
"If he were killed in battle, then no. I would not cry if my father fell honorably. But if he were killed in the dead of night, by a knife that slit his throat, like my grandfather, then, then o lady of Champa would I cry for the blood of the enemy. To fall honorably is a grace, and it does the family good. But to be killed by the foe in the dead of night, while you sleep? This is murder. To attack an unarmed person? That is wrong. And what if you are right in doing so? It is still murder. If you wish to kill us, at least let us die in battle!" Before she could respond, the guard rushed in.
"Yore Graice, sumfin's cum ap!" She stared at the guard.
"And what would that be?" she asked, her voice hard and cold as stone.
"Th' 'oigh an' moighty Lord Juj Briggs 'as returned." At that moment, the door swung open.
***
Freek: Well, that's a wrap!
Nynaeve: With the story?
Freek: No, with the chapter, idiot! The chapter's all finished!
Nynaeve: Oh. Say, when are you going to get the next chapter finished?
Freek: Uh, I haven't begun writing it yet.
Nynaeve: Really? Well, you'd better get to writing it, or I might just have to yank RM from his duties and force him to get you.
Freek: Uh, right! Just as soon as I put this chapter up and get some reviews! So review, or you might get a knock on your door from Nynaeve!
Nynaeve: And I won't be selling cookies.
Freek: Right. Just review, please!