The Story Rewritten
NOTE: This is for Yearly Esca's Pic'n'Fic 2021 with the theme "Change" which feels apt given the current global circumstances. It would be interesting to read this after a year to see if anything has changed.
A few details to get out of the way: set in post-war Gaea, Folken has survived because if you know me you know I find ways to do this, and Dilandau is out there somewhere though not sure how much he'll figure in this story. Going to use multiple perspectives so it's up to my artist partner, drk-stars, to make magic with whatever this turns out to be.
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Asturia was changing.
Eries Aston watched the sunrise over the harbor in Palas. She did so every day and what she saw never ceased to surprise her.
This may have been the land of her birth, a country she had never left nor ever imagined leaving, but it was transforming before her very eyes. And strangely enough, this didn't scare her as much as it used to.
The city was quieter these days. Though still a hub of international trade and commerce, there was less of the frantic hustle and bustle in the harbor as before. Not that people moved at a sluggish pace but they had slowed down a bit. The war had taught them about the preciousness of their lives and how each moment ought to be savored, lest it be one's last.
Ships still came and went, and merchants from all over Gaea still plied their trade. The bazaar still opened every day, with exotic products still being displayed. Customers were still haggling over prices and traders were still doing their best to promote their latest offerings.
But all over Asturia, there had settled an inexplicable calm, as if people were no longer in a frenetic rush to get things done and as if they had finally learned to take a breath.
After everything they had endured in the recent years, they deserved this kind of daily peace. Recovery and rehabilitation were long, arduous processes. And while buildings could be rebuilt in time, it was more difficult for broken souls to recover from trauma. But the process of healing had begun, and the people of Asturia were learning to laugh and smile again.
Eries was relieved to see all of this. She was glad that her people were learning to put the war behind them somehow. While they would never forget that tortuous time, they were also learning how to better cope with its effects. They were changing.
And much to her own surprise, so was she.
She had always been one for stability and order, trying to make sense of the chaos around her even if it sometimes threatened to overwhelm her. Of the three sisters, she was the one to be relied upon to stay the course, to do her duty. She would always do what was expected of her.
Only in one aspect did she veer away from the life of a princess but she had her reasons and even her father could not question her.
She was a stalwart example of how her country could face adversity with dignity and much had not changed.
But gradually, she had learned to adjust to the unpredictability of her circumstances, and she no longer resisted as vehemently as before. She found that, in some instances, it was simply better to bend so as not to break.
Like the city, Eries was learning to stand still and to take deep breaths. She no longer felt bound to be constantly alert and consistently productive, never letting her guard down. That had been exhausting but that had been all she had ever known. But now, she knew better than to run herself ragged. It would do no one, herself least of all, any good, after all.
So she found time every morning to simply watch the sunrise and to be grateful for being alive.
"Dare I ask what's on your mind this morning, sister?"
Eries smiled as she turned to look at her younger sister. Millerna was well aware that she had interrupted her elder sister's reverie and she had hesitated to do so. But she was also eager to spend some time with Eries. They had grown closer after the war, having reached a better understanding of each other, and Millerna found that she often sought her sister's company even in idle moments.
"A number of things, Millerna," Eries replied honestly.
"Then, tell me just one," Millerna suggested.
Eries pondered on this for a moment. "The sun shines brighter over Asturia these days. I think there might be happier days ahead."
Millerna looked at her sister curiously. "Why, sister," she remarked slyly, "I've never known you to be so hopeful. It's a refreshing change."
Eries laughed, prompting another surprised reaction from her younger sister.
"Thank you, I suppose I have changed," the older Aston admitted, "After all, it wouldn't do well to be left behind by the rest of the world, don't you think?"
"As if you would ever be left behind," Millerna teased, "But I'm glad to see you so cheerful. And that's a word I never thought I would use to describe you. But it's a brave, new world, as I am sure you would agree."
"So it is," Eries replied with a smile.
She was eager to share the morning's musings with a certain correspondent, miles away but sharing the same sentiments.
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Fanelia was changing.
Folken Fanel watched the sunrise over a once-broken land. He did so every day and what he saw never ceased to surprise him.
This was not the country he remembered as a boy nor was it the land he had abandoned as a man. The geographical makeup may have stayed the same but in many ways, Fanelia was something else entirely.
For one thing, the dragons had returned.
Folken was watching one of them basking in the sunlight, curiously turning its head this way and that, but not showing any signs of being a danger to anyone.
Not long after many of the destroyed buildings and other structures had been rebuilt, the people of Fanelia noticed that certain ancient creatures had begun lurking in the woods. After a while, they did not even bother to lurk in the shadows but appeared openly, in the light of day, moving about the land and observing their surroundings.
But for the first time in centuries, there was no hostility between them and the inhabitants of Fanelia. There was fear on both sides, of course, and much apprehension, but no outward enmity.
Initially, the dragons and Fanelians had regarded each other with apprehension and doubt. Van and Folken had even made sure to be present, their swords ready, whenever the large creatures made an appearance. But for some reason, neither side decided to attack. So they would stare at each other in silence until eventually, the dragons would simply leave, sometimes even looking bored by the encounter.
Perplexed as everyone was by this behavior, they were also relieved. There was more than enough work to be done without being constantly terrorized by some ancient threat. But they soon realized, the dragons were no threat to them at all.
They had simply returned to the land of their birth, to live out their existence peacefully. And somehow, it was possible to live in harmony with them, as it had been generations earlier. The Fanelians were going back to a time in their history before the leaders of the world had become obsessed with building guymelefs and other weapons, harvesting energists to forward their goals.
A long time ago, there had been peace among all the races and species in the world. And it had taken a war of destiny to somehow restore that balance.
Folken felt honored to have survived somehow to witness this new era. He still didn't understand how it had happened, how he had escaped what he believed was his predestined doom. But he was slowly learning to simply accept that it happened and to be profoundly grateful for it.
All that mattered now was for him to make the most of this unexpected chance at a new life, to build a better, kinder world.
"Lost in our thoughts again, are we?"
Folken smiled as he turned to face the cat-girl he regarded as a younger sister.
Merle was grinning at him mischievously. She had been one of the first to forgive him and one of his staunchest advocates with Van. Even as a child, she had always been perceptive, and he now knew that she had one of the sharpest minds among those in his acquaintance. While stills subject to the whims and fancies of youth, she had also grown up very quickly in such a short time. War did that to young people.
"May I remind you that we have a long list of things to do today," she teased, placing her hands on her hips authoritatively, "You and Van have to get ready to meet with the emissaries from Chid, and then there's the trade agreement with Daedalus, and one of the villages reported the need for some supplies, and…"
She paused. "I'm sure you know what you have to do today, I just wanted to see if you were all right."
"I am, thank you," Folken replied sincerely, "You always know exactly what to say to cheer someone up."
Merle shrugged. "It's a gift."
The older man couldn't help but laugh at this and Merle looked at him with relief. She knew how solemn he could be at times and she worried that he would allow himself to wallow in darker thoughts. He had already come a long way from what he had been in Zaibach and she didn't want him to forget all that progress.
"I'm glad you're alright," Merle said earnestly, "Things are getting weirder every day but in a good way."
"I couldn't agree more," said Folken, "The world will never be the same again."
"But that's not a bad thing," Merle added.
"Indeed not," Folken said.
"Well, then, that's another profound reflection that you can write to your dear friend in Asturia about," Merle teased, throwing a knowing look at the flabbergasted man.
"How did you…" Folken began before sighing with resignation, "I shouldn't be surprised at this point."
"No, you shouldn't," Merle said, grinning widely, "So go on, I'm sure you're eager to write to her about all you've discovered today."
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Gaea was healing.
The wounds of wars past and a long history of conflict would leave their scars. But worlds have a way of growing past their own pain.
To those who survived, the world would never be the same again. But this was for the best. The only way to truly move forward was to welcome what was new, no matter how uncertain.
Lives can be rebuilt. Stories can be rewritten.