Long Ago
The Tale Of A Dead Mother
Inspired completely by a fanfic entitled "Thoughts On A Forbidden Romance" by Lady Nephenee Ranulf. I must give this writer credit. Just from reading this story it has given me the inspiration to write this fanfic. I don't own Tales Of Symphonia or its characters, just wanted to write something about them. SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED THE GAME DO NOT READ THIS FANFIC! Finish the game first and be a good little fan. SPECIAL THANKS TO LADY NEPHENEE RANULF, TAKAMINEROCKS, KRATOS WILDER, Lyra the Sorceress of Scholars, Scaff, Sunfrost, Vincent's Angel of Chaos, Tabatha is Martel, Fehize, WindRyu Hyroko, Servant of Mother Earth, Sapphire-luna232, kopakanuvafan20, RedDiamondWarrior, Lloyd-forever, ToS.Lover5, kaiaurion, burnstar, Alaia Skyhawk, Kranna 25, -SnapAshandarei-, Twilight Ilia, SilverFinDragon, Sarinna, Brendan Aurabolt CBK, andy, Hiddenwaveprincess, Rydia Asuka, Ashyx, eyes of the infinite galaxy, Arisu TsuranuGoddess of LunarHigh Priest of DuckyShining Peridot Moon, KratosManiac, silverstar's shadow, killerbunbun, kitty-katz-katz, crazyboutToS, crystalwolfberri, kratos fangirl, koyuki-san, dragonflies87, zelda aurion, crazyboutToS, CatMuto, Elenturi AND CLEARHEART FOR REVIEWING!!
(If I missed someone, please tell me!!)
Chapter 29-Separation
Kratos stood,speechless. He had to let the words sink in before he could actually think about any response.
"Kratos?" Yuan question. "Have you heard a word I've said?"
"Lord," The monster bellowed, snapping Kratos out of his bewildered state.
"How long?" Kratos asked in the calmest tone of voice he could muster and still sound believable.
"With how determined he is, 24 hours maximum," Yuan answered, "He will not let—our lord ignore him any longer, and now that there is some sort of proof to his theories...my words will not stop Kvar from taking this entire region for himself."
Anna came up beside Kratos slowly and quietly, wondering what she had stumbled into. Kratos' head jerked to the side, wondering when she had come outside into the stressed but warm air. She placed her hand on his shoulder, hearing some of the words that Yuan had spoken but not all of them.
"What is it?" she asked, seeing Kratos' brown eyes hold too much worry for her to ignore, even in her current state.
Kratos turned back to Yuan, nodding his head once to him and grabbing Anna's hand, pulling her slowly back into the safety, or former safety of the Inn. Yuan, taking the hint and sighing heavily, clambered back unto the monster's neck before yelling back,
"I'll try and buy you as much time as I can! Be careful! Old friend..."
Kratos didn't turn to bid his friend farewell, his head filled with thoughts he could no longer suppress or ignore. This was real now, the danger he had brought down on his family was too great to be forgiven. If he had just let the monster take care of it...if he had just hidden his family until the Desians left...If he...
"Kratos," Anna called in a demanding tone, yanking her hand free from his grip before they entered the Inn's doorway. He stopped with the sudden loss, looking back to her as she stared at him with suspicious eyes. "Kratos, what is going on?"
The monster made the ground thunder under them, Anna setting her hand on his shoulder to balance herself before tumbling against his chest as he caught her. Her head hidden from his face, he whispered,
"We have to leave, Anna..."
She stalled her answer, staying against his chest when the ground stopped shaking under her legs.
"Leave?" she let escape in her breath. "Now?"
"As soon as possible."
The wind picked up around them, the tree branches waving and bobbing as sunlight scattered and darted across them.
Anna held her eyes close painfully, knowing at some point this might come to pass, but so soon? She should have been thankful for the time she got to be with Kratos here, and Lloyd. But now?
She shook her head against Kratos' shoulder, trying to convince her mind that her ears had heard him right.
"I...I know...this is not the time for this," Kratos whispered, "but we have to keep you and Lloyd from being found...Kvar cannot find you, Anna."
"And what about you? You just think they're going to..." she stopped herself.
"Keeping me out of harm's way is impossible," Kratos stated. "You know that."
"So you expect me to run, do you? I can feel it..." she whispered. "I know what you want to do...you want to stay...keep them from getting any further. I know that's what you're thinking--"
"Anna, this is no time to have an argument."
"This is the only time to."
"Someone needs to take Lloyd, and keep him from worrying, and you are in no condition to fight, Anna," he said in a much colder tone.
"Don't make excuses," she growled, but stopped her arguing, mostly for the fact he was right. They stood there in silence for a few moments, before Kratos worked up the courage to speak.
"We should get everything ready...you'll be leaving at nightfall."
Anna's mouth opened to object.
"Do not say a word, Anna. The faster and farther you get from this valley, the less likely Kvar will ever find a trail and try to discover you. This is for the best."
Anna's mouth closed about the subject, sitting against his chest harder than before and holding back her sadness as best she could.
"How did I know this...was going to be a dark day?" she whispered to herself, before she heard Lloyd begin to call out for his mother and straightened up in Kratos' grip.
"Lloyd, I should..." she trailed off as Kratos set his hand against the back of her head.
"I will keep you both safe."
"I know you will."
Another call from Lloyd and Kratos released her, letting her go inside and heard her speaking to Lloyd in a pleasant tone as Noishe peeked his head outside, seeing Kratos there and wandering beside him, setting his head under Kratos' arm and whining quietly.
"You will go with Lloyd," Kratos ordered quietly to his companion. "Be his protector...if I cannot be. Do you understand, Noishe?"
Noishe whined, his ears slicked back against his neck before snorting at Kratos. Kratos rubbed his head gingerly, still looking out at the windy valley before him, the sun beating down on the grasses. He walked around the Inn, Noishe following his steps like the even loyal friend he was. He watched Anna's crops blow and wave, thinking back to the time it was just land, wild and overgrown. He looked at the Inn, glancing up to the roof and remembering the time he had to reinforce it from the large amounts of snow piling upon it.
Lloyd's first steps in the snow, was there by the evergreen. Anna's first crop, was herbs and wild plants before she got her seeds.
This was his sanctuary, how could he not try to protect it?
Anna's voice echoed into his ears as she was singing just beyond the window he was standing next to, his eyes closing slowly as he could hear the sadness hiding behind the tones like razors but his son taking it in as a comforting sound. Kratos swallowed back everything, looking back out to the valley before getting the courage to go back into his home.
Packing was slow, Anna trying to keep her face and countenance neutral, as if she was just doing another chore, something that needed to be completed. It meant nothing, packing away her necklace in the small box it came in, strapping the extra sword to her body, placing Lloyd's clothes she had made into the sack, the food, the crops, the blankets.
This was nothing, she was coming back to put it all back in its proper place. She listened as Kratos read one of Lloyd's favorite books to him from the nursery, Lloyd repeating some of the phrases as they came upon them.
What would happen if Kvar had stumbled into this Inn? If he finds the nursery...he would know about a child...or would he just presume it was an Inn with a nursery?
"Kratos," Anna called into the hallway from their bedroom. Kratos shuffled a bit before his heavy footsteps came into the room, Lloyd still in his room flipping through the book and talking with himself.
She turned to him, the large canvas sack packed and the food they had stored for an emergency in another smaller bag.
"What about...what about our home, Kratos?" she asked him quietly, her face worried.
"What about it?" Kratos asked, confused with what she was asking.
"If Kvar comes here, and sees this place and knows we were here, Kratos," Anna replied, "The nursery, it will give away the fact we have a child. What do we do?"
Kratos paused, not thinking that through like Anna had. He shook his head, not knowing what to truly do about the situation. There would have only been one remedy, destruction of this place, or at least the nursery or hiding the items in there in a different place. Within searching the place however, they would have discovered the items one way or another.
Kratos sighed heavily as his thoughts came to conclusion. Anna gave him a scared look, having the same thought inside her mind.
"We have to...destroy it," she whispered, her head falling down as her palm caught it. Kratos stayed quiet, knowing that no matter what sort of response he gave, it wouldn't have made anything easier. "Before Kvar gets here."
"I will do it, Anna," Kratos replied. "Once you have left."
He tried to sound sincere, setting his hand on her back.
"Then you will not have to see it gone."
Anna felt it more then, everything she had worked for these passed three years, going down the drain.
Dressed in poor merchant looking clothes, a cloak draped over her shoulders, she straightened the sack and blankets on Noishe's back.
The night had begun to sneak into their valley, dusk taking over. Her mind clouded, her heart almost breaking for the second time this day at the thought of her husband being captured and taken from his family forever. She decided, secretly, that maybe she should have just stayed at the ranch and died there, then she would have never felt the pain of breaking up her second family. Death seemed a far easier path.
She suddenly realizes she was leaning hard on Noishe's shoulder, Noishe looking back at her with a saddened expression. She stood up straight and breathed in deeply, collecting herself as she turned back to the Inn, Kratos placing wood all around the structure to burn in.
The structure they had made a home together, burned.
Lloyd followed on awkward footsteps, thinking the wood placement was some what a game, and not a goodbye. This was to protect him, to protect them both, she had to keep that in her mind.
"Lloyd," she choked but kept a smile on her face. "C-come here, baby."
Lloyd excitedly waddled over, giggling with every stride before slamming into his mother's legs. She knelt down to his level, rubbing his head lightly.
"We're—we're going on a trip for a little while," she stuttered. "Just you and I. Daddy," she stalled, looking up at Kratos who had stopped his task to listen. "Daddy has to stay home, to take care of everything here, so we might not see him for a while."
"Daddy no come?" Lloyd repeated with large eyes.
"Daddy no come," Anna whispered painfully but kept her natural smile. "But we'll come back to Daddy, alright?"
"I wan stay wiff Daddy," Lloyd whined, beginning to throw a small fuss.
"Lloyd," Kratos said sternly from where he stood. "Do not question your mother."
Lloyd sobbed slightly, sniffling as his tears watered down his cheeks. She hugged him, trying to calm him down, Kratos setting the wood he had collected down and walking over to the group.
Kratos nodded his head once at Anna, her embrace on her son faltering as Kratos bent down to pick him up.
Lloyd rubbed his eyes, still crying slightly as Kratos leaned him against his shoulder, wiping the child's tears away with his large thumb.
"Lloyd," Kratos said in the same stern tone. Lloyd sniffled, looking up at his father as Anna stood back up. "You will listen to your mother, no matter what, then when I see you again I will know you have been good."
Anna choked back her own tears.
"Your mother will be lonely if you do not go with her, she will be sad," Kratos explained, looking to Anna as she was about to break down. "Noishe will be going too. Will you go without a fuss?"
Lloyd's tears had halted, his eyes focused down on the collar of Kratos' outfit.
"Sess," Lloyd replied quietly. Kratos kissed his forehead slowly and hugged his son, before setting him atop Noishe, pulling Anna away by her shoulders to speak quietly.
"I can't—I can't do this, Kratos," she sobbed, facing away from Lloyd as Kratos stood in front of her. "I can't just leave you here—!"
"Head towards Iselia," Kratos whispered, swiping back her hair gently.
"Kratos!" she growled.
"Anna," he replied in a calm voice. "Lloyd needs you."
Anna swallowed, then her tears began to fall, her crying quiet as Kratos tied her ribbon around her hair to keep it out of her face.
"Iselia, stay there," Kratos whispered. "They have a treaty with the Desians, I do not believe they will enter there to chase you."
"Kratos," she squeaked through her sobs, running her hands up and down his shoulders nervously. He grabbed both her hands with his, holding them steadily.
"My heart will stop if you get hurt, Anna," Kratos whispered to her. "You need to stay safe."
Anna held her erupting tears back, feeling the darkness creep around them.
"You'll find us," she swallowed. "In Iselia."
"Yes," Kratos replied as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She leaned her forehead against his, taking a few slow breaths in and out. She leaned her lips against his mouth needly, his responding in turn with the same need. She pulled back quickly, afraid if she had stayed against him any longer she wouldn't be leaving.
"I love you," Anna whispered. Kratos smiled a genuine smile, something rare.
"I love you," he replied in a soft tone. She kissed him again deeply, peeling away and making her way back over to her son and Noishe.
Stars were winking from above them now, Anna climbing onto the open space between the sack and her son as Kratos touched her leg.
"Run fast, Noishe," Kratos ordered his friend, rubbing Lloyd's hair affectionately. Noishe whined lightly.
"Iselia," Anna stated again to Kratos. He nodded once, stepping back from Noishe.
"Go Noishe," Kratos ordered him. The loyal dog hesitated at first, but moved forward towards the trees and trotted into the night. Anna looked back at Kratos, watching as his figure disappeared between the trunks, the Inn gone in the darkness.
The family was split, and becoming farther and farther apart. Kratos' head fell in the lonely starlight, and his cheeks glistened with humidity.
That was when he smelled smoke.
Turning to the horizon, an ominous glowing was far over the hills of the valley, the smoke coming from the same direction. He flew up to the highest hill, and saw the fires dancing along the prairie just on the outer border of the desert.
With a moment's hesitation, he looked at the Inn, his home, his family's home, the only sanctuary he ever truly had.
He sent a fire ball flying towards the wood pile he set down, it catching fire as the sparks jumped onto some of the other placed pieces.
They would come to the flame, hopefully Anna, Lloyd and Noishe would be farther away when the fires collided, Kvar was coming for Anna, and Kratos would not let that happen.
A rumble, then thunder from the ground shook Kratos again, the monster coming to Kratos and bowing in greeting.
"I will fight beside you, Lord," the monster growled. "This is still my valley, and I want to protect it."
Kratos nodded, happy for the help, he was going to need it...
End Chapter 29
