Thanks to everyone who participated in the marriage polls! Here are the results:
Who would you like to be Haswar's husband?
Volga (Suikoden V): 0
Wasil (Suikoden V): 0
Wilhelm (Suikoden V): 0
Craig Laden (Suikoden V): 3
Gavaya (Suikoden V): 1
Haleth (Suikoden V): 0
Kyle (Suikoden V): 0
Cius (Suikoden V): 0
Shinro (Suikoden V): 0
New Character: 0
Who would you like to be Lym's husband?
Camus (Suikoden II): 1
Miklotov (Suikoden II): 0
Toma (Suikoden V): 0
Sheena (Suikoden I, II): 1
Nick (Suikoden V): 0
Yoran (Suikoden V): 1
Kage (Suikoden I, II): 0
Klaus Windamier (Suikoden II): 0
Shoon (Suikoden V): 2
Koyu (Suikoden II): 0
Kahn Marley (Suikoden II): 0
Shu (Suikoden II): 1
Rikimaru (Suikoden II): 0
Morgan (Suikoden I): 0
Jess (Suikoden II): 0
Zaj Quilous (Genso Suikogaiden I and II): 0
Clive (Suikoden I and II): 0
New character: 1
Part Three
"No, Arin, like this." Jantu stepped forward and adjusted Arin's hands around the hilt of the wooden short sword. "Since you're right-handed, your right hand needs to be higher than your left on the hilt."
"R-Right, I'm sorry," Arin said.
Daunte was leaning on the rail surrounding the arena, watching Jantu give Arin his lesson. It seemed surreal that it wasn't long ago that Arin was bed-ridden and on the verge of death. Now his little brother was up and about and participating in physical activity.
It's because we came here that he was able to get better. I'm thankful to the Liberation Army…for this, at least.
It'd been four days since he'd been suspended for disobeying Bearyl's orders and going to Agameru. He was relieved at least that this new round of suspension didn't involve orders for him to be confined to his room. Or at least if there were, then nobody was enforcing it. But it still bothered Daunte that he kept getting suspended at all, especially since he was being suspended for helping people.
I just don't understand Bearyl Lutis. He leads an army called the Liberation Army, and yet he doesn't seem to be doing any actual liberating. Well he did liberate Zinnia, but that town didn't seem to want to be liberated anyways. I don't believe anything I've done has been harmful for the Army, yet I keep getting punished!
"Daunte."
Daunte stood to attention as a uniformed Army soldier approached him. "Lord Bearyl has summoned you."
"O-Okay," Daunte said, though he wondered why Bearyl would summon him. Is he going to lift my suspension? Daunte waved to Arin in the arena. "I'll be right back, Arin! You're doing great!"
"Thanks, Daunte!" Arin called back to him.
Daunte followed the soldier upstairs to the war room. While it would be nice if he was reinstated, Daunte had a sinking feeling that his summons had nothing to do with it. I hope he doesn't throw Arin and me out for my defiance. I don't know what we would do if that happened.
As they crossed into the main hall and descended the stairs, Daunte caught sight of Liron. The young lady was surrounded by people, and based upon the masculine voice emulating from an elderly woman's mouth, he could tell she was showing off her Sound Rune. She seems much happier having the sound set. I wonder though, since that box had the number 2 on it, if there's other sound sets out there she can play with?
"I've brought Daunte," the soldier called out as they entered the war room.
"Thank you, that will be all," Bearyl answered him. The soldier saluted him and departed. Bearyl was leaning with his back against the war table. Varnaz was contemplating the figurines on the map, and Gunther was leaning against one wall and waved to Daunte.
Caesar was also present, but…the strategist was frowning with disapproval. The expression only made Daunte more nervous. This…This must be bad.
"I have an announcement," Bearyl said, and Daunte noticed for the first time that the Liberation Army leader looked excited. "I sent correspondence to Falena three days ago asking for their assistance in our cause. Seeing as how they have me to thank for rescuing the Royal Family, I felt it was an opportune time to call them in on the favor they owe us."
Daunte kept his face expressionless, though his stomach was churning on the inside. Call them in on the favor they owe us? Did I miss something? Did Lord Bearyl somehow make favors with the Falenan Royal Family? Because as far as I'm concerned, he wasn't present when the Commander of the Queen's Knight took his family home! He was too busy trying to conquer a Garrison he had no business conquering!
"This morning we received their reply," Bearyl continued excitedly. "Falena's Parliament is going to be hosting an official assembly where they will discuss our potential alliance. They've invited me to the capital, Sol-Falena, to speak to the Parliament and to the Queen about forging an alliance!"
"T-That's incredible!" Daunte gasped. He was beyond excited by this news. Is Falena going to enter into an alliance with us? Maybe Surya will join us as well!
"However we obviously can't make a true diplomatic showing in Falena because of the fact that we're a rebel army," Bearyl continued. "It would draw far too much attention to us. So what we must do is sneak out of Nagarea and sail up the coastline until we reach the inland of Nagarea. Because of this I must travel in a small group. So in lieu of bringing soldiers, I'm only going to bring four people with me."
"I see," Daunte said, nodding.
"After careful deliberations I've selected the four people who will go with me; Caesar, Varnaz, Gunther…and you."
"Me?" Daunte exclaimed, pointing to himself.
"Yes, you," Bearyl confirmed. "Is that a problem?"
"N-No, not at all!" Daunte shook his head. "But I'm suspended—"
"I'm returning your weapon to you, Daunte." Bearyl gestured to the table and Daunte saw for the first time his tekko sitting there. "I feel you have worked very hard for the sake of my Army, and despite your questionable choices I can't deny you have produced results for me. I appreciate the hard work you've done, Daunte, and so I would like to honor you with being part of my personal guard for this important assembly."
Daunte saw that both Varnaz and Caesar looked displeased, but Daunte nodded. "I'd be happy to come along on this mission."
"I don't anticipate running into hostility while in Falena, but I would like you to still be on your guard. Because of the urgency of this mission we're going to be leaving very shortly, so go pack whatever you believe you'll need for this mission and meet us out front."
"R-Right!" Daunte bowed and hurried forward to take his tekko before running out of the war room. It was hard to believe that despite the trouble he kept getting into, that Bearyl trusted him enough to bring him along on a mission with a foreign country.
I can't believe it. I'm going to Falena!
"You two get ready as well," Bearyl told Varnaz and Gunther I want to be on route towards the Northern Wharf in twenty minutes."
"Yes, sir." Both men saluted and took their leave.
Caesar folded his arms over his chest and waited until the doors to the war room closed before he spoke. "My Lord, if I may—"
"You're going to speak your mind anyways, Caesar, so you might as well spit it out now." Bearyl opened a satchel and began shoving scrolls into it.
"Why exactly are we bringing Daunte along with us?" Caesar asked him. "I don't deny the work he's done for us, but compared to our other soldiers he's still technically a new recruit."
"What about it?"
"Well, many of our soldiers might consider this to be special treatment for Daunte. After all, you've already publicly punished him twice. Now he's been given the honor of being part of your personal guard on this highly important mission? You've chosen him over many of our allies who outrank him!"
"What exactly are you trying to say, Caesar?"
"Sir." Caesar stepped closer to Bearyl. "Daunte was instrumental in the rescue of the Falenan royals. Are you bringing him with us to help solidify a potential alliance?"
"How little faith you have in my leadership skills, Caesar." Bearyl closed the satchel, but his tone was surprisingly playful. "I'm not doing anything of the sort with Daunte. It had occurred to me just how hard that boy works—harder than most of the men twice his age here—and how little I've commended him for such hard work. I wanted to reward him with a mini-vacation, and what better way to have a vacation than to bring him to Sol-Falena?"
"My Lord," Caesar said hotly. "If you're hiding anything from me—"
"Caesar, I'm spoiling the kid," Bearyl said impatiently. "He's perfectly free to wander around Sol-Falena if he wishes while we have the assembly! I don't need him to secure my alliance, I'm perfectly capable of using my own power to do it! Is it too much to ask for to have a little faith in me?"
"I have faith in you. I've always had faith in you. But you've hidden things from me before, most recently your plan to seize Sloan Faakhir's Garrison. I'm your strategist, and I'm here to make sure your Army wins this war. But it'll be very difficult for us to be victorious if you don't share your plans with me!"
"Caesar." Bearyl took a deep breath and let it out sharply. "Just trust me, okay? I know what I'm doing. Forging this alliance will be difficult enough as it is, but we won't get anywhere if we don't show Falena that we're fully united."
"I understand." Caesar bowed slightly, even as his teeth gritted. Damn it all! What is he trying to do? Is he truly bringing Daunte with us to "spoil" him? Or he going to use Daunte to try and shame Falena into an alliance?
"You're going to Falena?!" Felicity exclaimed. "That's incredible! When?!"
"Very shortly," Daunte said. He counted out some antidotes, medicinal herbs, and one escape scroll and shoved them into a bag. "I just found out about it and we're leaving in twenty minutes."
"I'm so jealous," Roen said, leaning against the wall. "I wish I could go along with you."
"I don't know why Lord Bearyl chose me for his escort for the assembly, but I am a little excited about it."
"You should be more than a little excited," Felicity said. "You're going to Falena! Our only neighboring country, but a country we've had no diplomatic ties to in over a hundred years! Plus you'll be in the capital! You'll definitely be able to see Surya again!"
"Daunte, how does this look?" Arin asked, holding up a piece of paper. There was a small paragraph written in shaky handwriting, but Arin was smiling proudly. "I didn't get to thank Prince Surya for saving me, so I hope he likes this letter!"
"Hey, that's a good idea," Roen said. He hurried over to the desk and pulled out a clean piece of paper. "I want to write Surya a letter too!"
"Me too," Felicity said, also hurrying over. The pair began to quickly scribble on their own pieces of paper a quick message for Surya.
Daunte read Arin's letter carefully. The boy's literacy was improving every day, but he was advancing quicker with his handwriting than with reading. Arin could copy down the words he saw, but he still didn't quite grasp the meaning of the words in his mind. But Daunte smiled at his little brother. "This is perfect. I'm sure Surya will be very happy to receive this letter."
"Thanks, Brother!" Arin stood up and suddenly looked shy. "Daunte…would you mind getting me a souvenir in Sol-Falena? E-Even if it's some little trinket?"
Daunte patted his belt and smiled when he felt the weight of his bag of bits. Last he checked he had 1,500 bits. "Sure I will. Did you have anything in particular in mind?"
Arin shook his head. "I'll be happy with whatever you bring back for me!"
"Here," Roen said, folding up his letter. "Do we have any envelops?"
"I think so." Daunte dug around in the desk drawer. He didn't ask what Roen had written for Surya because he didn't want to invade his friend's privacy. He found a few letters and handed them to Roen and Felicity before folding up Arin's letter to put in its own envelope. "Is there anything else you guys need before I go?"
"Just a moment," Felicity said, writing as fast as she could. "I'm almost…there!" she didn't bother proofreading the letter and quickly folded it. "Please try and get our letters to Surya, Daunte! Hopefully he'll be in Sol-Falena when you arrive!"
"After he got kidnapped, I can't imagine the Queen of Falena sending him out of the city for a while," Roen said.
"Just be careful, Brother," Arin said, giving him a hug. "I know you'll work hard to get this alliance with Falena!"
"I don't know about that," Daunte said. "Lord Bearyl said he was just bringing me along because he felt bad about not appreciating my hard work. He'll probably just leave me at the inn or something while they go to the assembly."
"So this is a reward for you?" Roen asked suspiciously. "How come? Sure you're working hard Daunte, but so is everybody else."
"It's probably because Lord Bearyl keeps suspending Daunte for idiotic reasons," Felicity said, smiling. "Well then have fun in Sol-Falena, Daunte."
"I will."
"—rotten shame."
The hairs on the back of Daunte's neck stood up on end and he looked over his shoulder. A group of soldiers were standing together, and immediately snapped to attention the minute Daunte looked at them. Daunte slowly turned around and started to walk away, and the whispers began again immediately.
"Why does he get to go to Falena? It's not fair!"
Daunte knew it was inevitable. He was still technically a new recruit to the Army and he kept getting into trouble. Yet Bearyl had selected him for this highly important mission. People were bound to be jealous and angry with him.
I'll just have to work hard to make this mission a success.
He walked to his destination, which was a cubbyhole room right beside Gizli's appraisal shop. He remember the strange urn he'd found and how he'd wanted to appraise it, but he also remembered that the same urn was in Ichirou's vault. There would be another opportunity to have it appraised.
"Ah, Lord Daunte." Oboro beamed at him as he entered. Oboro was sitting at a desk, and looking at a document with a magnifying glass. "What can I help you with today? Were you pleased with your report on Jantu?"
"Yes, of course," Daunte said, sitting across from him. "It felt strange though to launch an investigation on Jantu. I felt like I was invading his privacy."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. A lot of the information I gave to you was in fact information that Jantu himself had given to me."
"A-All right."
"So." Oboro set down the magnifying glass. "What would you to use my services for? I can investigate another of your companions, or I can look into rumors of potential recruits for the Army."
Remembering the scolding he'd gotten from Bearyl over not finding warriors during his recruitment mission, Daunte sat up straighter. "Yes, I would like you to look into these rumors. How much will that be?"
"Well, you're already aware I charge 100 bits per secret for my investigations. My rumor hunts are a bit pricier however, at 300 bits per person."
"300 bits?" Daunte pulled out his bag of coins and counted out 300 bits on the desk. It meant less money to spend on a souvenir for Arin, but this investigation was also very important. "All right, Oboro, I'd like you to locate a potential recruit for me."
"Excellent," Oboro said, scooping the coins into his palm. "By the time you all come back from Falena, I'll have the information you need."
"Y-You came from Falena, correct?" Daunte asked him. "Would you like me to pass along any letters to your family while I'm there?"
"You will most likely not see my family in Falena, as you'll probably be taken straight to Sol-Falena, and at the moment they're nowhere near the capital. But I appreciate the offer, Lord Daunte."
"All right. Good luck with the recruitment quest."
"Thank you. Good luck with Falena."
Daunte left Oboro's makeshift office and headed upstairs. He met the same level of derision amongst the soldiers and civilians in the main hall, but there was something…different too. Something that disturbed Daunte more than the anger he was receiving.
"Isn't it suspicious that Lord Bearyl chose you for this mission? This is quite possibly the most important mission we've ever faced as an Army, and yet he chose you? You, with whom he keeps complaining is causing trouble?"
"I would be on my guard if I were you. Since you were the one who personally saved all the Falenan royals, Lord Bearyl may use you as a bargaining chip to win the favor of Falena's Queen."
That was also a possibility that occurred to Daunte, but Bearyl had framed the trip in such a way to make it seem like they were giving Daunte a much-needed vacation. If Bearyl wanted him to speak to Falena's Parliament on behalf of the Liberation Army, why didn't he just come out and say it?
I don't want to risk angering Lord Bearyl any further, but Caesar should definitely have answers. I'll ask him about it.
Outside on the steps leading up to the castle he saw Bearyl and the others waiting. Bearyl and Varnaz were buying last-minute supplies from Cairoh, and Gunther was looking at a pair of gauntlets hanging up at Gusoku's shop. Caesar was watching them from the stairs and Daunte hurried down to him. "Caesar?"
"Oh, Daunte." Caesar smiled at him. "Are you ready to go?"
"Can I ask you why Lord Bearyl chose me for this mission?" Daunte asked. "Compared to other people that are here, I'm hardly qualified for this."
"I have asked Lord Bearyl this myself," Caesar said. "And he told me we're taking you with us as a way to repay you for all your hard work."
"Really?" Daunte asked.
"That is what he told me."
"O-Okay." It hardly made sense to Daunte why he was being given sudden special treatment, when Roen and Felicity were working just as hard as he was and they weren't getting this opportunity.
Well I'll make the best of it. Although this means I probably won't be able to meet with Surya, then…
"We're all set," Bearyl said, approaching them. "Are you ready, Daunte?"
"Yes," Daunte replied.
"We'll have some soldiers escorting us to the Northern Wharf, but after we reach the coast we're on our own so be on your guard. Now." Bearyl turned around. "Let's go and secure an alliance with Falena!"
"I look forward to it," Caesar said dryly.
Night had fallen by the time they reached the Northern Wharf. The Northern Wharf was an expansive stretch of gray beachline. It ran from the western side of High Peak Mountains all the way to the perilous Falenan/Nagarean border. There was only one dock on the coast, but it was heavily guarded by the Theocracy's soldiers. So unsurprisingly they were far down the beachline from the dock.
Three soldiers came with them as their escorts, and Daunte benefitted from their presence since neither Caesar nor Bearyl took part in the fights they had with monsters. Daunte was very familiar with Gunther's fighting style, but he was also impressed with Varnaz's style. Daunte had never seen a morningstar be used as a primary weapon, but Varnaz swung it with exceptional skill. At the completion of one battle however, Daunte noticed something on the back of Varnaz's hand. It was a pale blue symbol of several rippling circles around a water droplet. It reminded Daunte of the Water Rune, but this looked a bit different.
"Is that a Water Rune?" Daunte asked him.
"It's a Flowing Rune," Varnaz told him.
"What does the Flowing Rune do?"
But Varnaz walked away from him without another word. Gunther quickly approached Daunte. "The Flowing Rune is a more advanced version of the Water Rune. It has stronger spells."
"Oh."
"It's going to come in very handy for us," Gunther said. Daunte wanted to ask how but didn't.
When they reached the wharf there was a small fishing boat waiting for them. They were quickly packing the boat when they suddenly heard a voice. "Is this the place?"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and quickly snapped to attention. Thirty meters away he could see a trio of people dragging a very small boat onto the sand from the water. In the moonlight he could see that two of them were human, a man and a woman, and the third looked like a Kobold. But…not quite like a Kobold. Whereas Jantu looked like a greyhound, this Kobold looked like a…cat. Like an anthropomorphic calico cat in human clothes.
"Well, it should be the right place," the man said, rubbing his hands together. He looked to be in his late thirties and he wore his jet-black bangs long on the left side of his face, covering one eye. Even from where Daunte was standing he could see that the man was wearing glasses. His outfit however was startling, as he wore a long trench that was canary yellow in color. His clothes were dark underneath the trench coat and Daunte couldn't see anything more of them. "This coastline is the only part of Nagarea that is available on any global map, so this should definitely be Nagarea."
"I wonder why this country is so isolated?" the woman mused. She looked to be in the same age group as the man and she wore sandy brown hair in a bob cut, but her outfit was even more shocking. Her only top was a green bikini top, and she wore a matching short skirt that was surrounding by a white long skirt that was open down the front. Both arms were covered in pauldrons and gauntlets though, and Daunte saw the hilt of a large sword peeking out from behind one of her shoulders. "Sanji, did your sources say anything about why Nagarea hasn't had any contact with other countries?"
"No, Gertrude, they did not," the man, Sanji, said. He was examining his fingernails. "But we're here for a reason so we must make the most of it."
"It smells different here," the cat humanoid complained softly. They had a high-pitched voice but Daunte saw their clothes and assumed they were male. "Something about this place seems off."
"Bax, we've only just landed! We haven't met anybody yet, so let's not jump to conclusions." Sanji looked inland and nodded. "Shall we go?"
"What should we do about our boat?" Gertrude asked, even as Bax and her followed Sanji inland.
"We don't need it anymore," Sanji said over his shoulder.
Daunte watched them leave, and glanced at the others. "S-Should we try to talk to them?"
"They just entered the country illegally," Bearyl mused, shaking his head. "I'll give them points for taking a risk."
"They should be all right," Caesar said. "Since they have a Nay-Kobold with them, I know they've traveled as far as the Island Nation Federation. If the three of them could travel that far in such a small boat, I'm sure they're prepared for whatever they'll face here in Nagarea."
"Nay-Kobold?" Daunte echoed.
"They're a race of feline Kobolds exclusive to Nay Island," Caesar told him. "They're not as common as canine Kobolds. This is actually my first time seeing a Nay-Kobold—I've only ever seen them in books."
"Should we try to recruit them?" Daunte asked. "T-They said they came here for a reason."
"We don't have time to go and recruit them," Bearyl said. He motioned to the others to start pushing the boat into the water. "We're on a time constraint and need to focus on getting to Falena quickly. If we happen to run into that trio again—which I'm sure we will—then we'll go and recruit them."
Daunte saw his point, but he also felt like they were missing an opportunity. But he said nothing as he helped the others push the fishing boat into the water. The five of them jumped inside and quickly got settled. "Varnaz," Bearyl said.
"Yes, sir," Varnaz said. He raised his left hand—the one with the Flowing Rune—towards the boat's transom. The Rune glowed and its symbol filled the air. A circle of pale blue energy surrounded the transom and Daunte yelped as the boat suddenly jerked and left the shoreline with remarkable speed.
"Just a little something I picked up from the Island Nations and the Southern Continent in general," Caesar said, smiling. "Apparently using a Water Rune on a boat makes boat travel significantly easier. We should reach Falena's coast in just a few hours and we should make it to Sol-Falena by late morning."
"Which will be great help to us," Bearyl said. "The assembly is tomorrow afternoon, after all."
"Tomorrow afternoon?" Daunte asked. "Wait, they were able to call back and assemble their entire Parliament in four days? That's incredible!"
"Actually, we just got lucky," Caesar said. "All of the representatives in Parliament were in Sol-Falena anyways for their quarterly assembly. Our meeting is being fitted in before Parliament goes on recess."
"Oh, okay."
"We should rest up," Bearyl said, settling down into the boat. "We're going to make it just in time for the assembly so there won't be time for us to rest then."
"I'll take the first watch," Gunther said. He whistled as he looked at the ocean's horizon. "This is the first time I've ever left Nagarea, so this is pretty surreal to me."
Daunte turned in the boat to look back at the shoreline. It was gradually becoming smaller and smaller the further they traveled away. It was a surreal feeling for him, too. It was still hard to believe that just a couple months prior he was still a prisoner of the Dark Chasm. Now here he was, physically healthier and en route to a foreign country. His imprisonment seemed almost like a horrible nightmare.
Hopefully if we can get an alliance with Falena, that we'll be able to finally liberate the Dark Chasm. Surya is familiar with the Dark Chasm—even if he was only there for a day—so I'm sure the Falenans would be very willing to help us in that regard.
They sailed all night and into the morning, following Nagarea's coastline and up Falena's coastline. Daunte tried to get some sleep but he'd never slept in a boat before (or had even been in one) so he only got a couple hours of sleep.
Dawn broke when Caesar suddenly said, "There."
Daunte looked up. He knew they were definitely within Falena's borders, and he saw the coastline was covered in dark green foliage. There was a sudden break in the foliage however, revealing the mouth of a river. The boat turned towards the river and they were then sailing inland.
Daunte was in awe of his surroundings as they coast up into Falena. This must be part of the Feitas River Surya mentioned. He looked down into the water, and admired the crystal clear appearance of it. He almost wanted to dip his hand into the water to drink. He looked up at sky and it was just—everything seemed so different here. He could see what Bax had meant about Nagarea "smelling" different. Falena was different.
Surya offered us a home in Sol-Falena. Maybe…maybe I should send Arin here? I'm sure this place would help him recuperate better.
"There should be a lake up ahead, according to our invitation," Bearyl said. Indeed, the river opened up into a large lake. "So now we must keep to the south shores and go east."
Varnaz used his Rune to steer the boat in this direction. The boat however only traveled a couple of meters when they heard a shout. "Stop right there!"
Daunte's head snapped up. He gaped as he caught sight of three heavily armed ships sailing right up to them. They looked like warships, but it felt odd to see them on a river like this.
"Don't worry, leave the talking to me," Bearyl reassured everyone.
"State your business here!" the captain of one of the ships shouted down to them. "We of the Hersheville Naval Base will fully examine your boat for any illegal materials, and you will state your business here!"
"I am Bearyl Lutis of Nagarea's Liberation Army," Bearyl called up to them. He held up the written invitation. "We are here as official guests of Queen Lymsleia to speak before Parliament!"
The soldiers did not answer them right away. The soldiers from the main boat boarded their vessel and took the invitation. The captain read it closely while the other soldiers frisked them and searched their bags. It felt intrusive, but Daunte knew that they had their reasons for treating them with suspicion.
After several minutes of this, the captain smiled and handed the invitation back to Bearyl. "Welcome to Nagarea. We are honored to have you here."
"I am honored to be here," Bearyl greeted in kind.
The captain suddenly looked at Daunte. "You…You are Lord Daunte, correct?"
Daunte flushed, and his gaze darted at Bearyl and Caesar. Bearyl's smile had quickly vanished and Daunte fixed his gaze back on the captain. "I-I'm not a Lord, but my name is Daunte."
"Then we owe you many thanks," the captain said. He bowed to Daunte. "Thank you for saving our Princess and the other in the royal family. We are forever in your debt."
"I-I-I really didn't do much," Daunte said, raising his hands slightly.
"That's right," Bearyl said tartly. "As leader of the Liberation Army I'm responsible for the rescue of the Falenan Royals!"
Gunther shifted slightly, but the captain turned to Bearyl. "O-Of course, my Lord, my apologies. Our boats will act as your personal escort into Sol-Falena. Their Police Force will be ready to receive us."
The soldiers climbed back onto their boat and Bearyl gave Daunte a rather brutal glare before signaling to Varnaz to reactivate his Flowing Rune on the boat. The main boat took the lead up the Feitas, and their boat followed. The remaining two boats took to the rear, flanking their smaller boat as they headed towards Sol-Falena. They turned south briefly before turning east again and then north. Daunte saw a massive fortress in the shape of a star—Caesar said it was a city called Doraat—and then further down the river he saw a larger fortress right in the middle of a lake. Caesar said it was probably Agate Prison.
"From what I heard, during Falena's Civil War Prince Freyjadour used underground tunnels to break into the fortress and rescue his chief strategist, Lucretia Merces."
"Someone you know?" Gunther asked.
"I never met the woman," Caesar said. "But she has quite the reputation in Harmonia. There were rumors of her prowess during the Civil War and how she had a very uncanny ability to predict each and every move made by the Godwin's."
"Maybe we should find her to recruit her for my Army?" Bearyl said.
"Oh, I think she would be an asset to the Army," Caesar said. "But Lady Merces didn't remain in Falena after the war. She most likely returned to the Northern Continent and to Harmonia."
"I see." Bearyl didn't bother hiding his disappointment. Caesar for his part didn't look offended by the sudden favoritism his commander showed to another strategist.
With a Rune to guide them, they reached Sol-Falena by mid-morning. Daunte's jaw dropped as they saw the white bridge that stretched for meters straight from the shoreline all the way into the city proper, situated in the center of the river. Sol-Falena was a massive city, definitely worthy of being Falena's capital and the home of the royal family. He looked at the others and saw them in awe as well. Even Caesar looked impressed by the city as they sailed closer to the dock.
"By Nagar!" Gunther suddenly shouted, jumping back. Both Bearyl and Varnaz also stiffened and recoiled, and Daunte quickly looked to see what the matter was. He followed their gazes and his body tensed.
Along the far side of the dock he saw several Dragon Horses lined up.
"Oh, I forgot to warn you all," Caesar said apologetically, standing up. "Sol-Falena has its up Dragon Calvary unit. Please don't be alarmed, they're quite harmless unless you provoke them."
"They're demonic!" Bearyl hissed. He was pale in the face. "Their presence brings bad omens!"
"Well, since the Dragon Calvary created a unit in Sol-Falena, the city has never been more secure. Please believe me when I say they won't hurt us. Remember we have to keep up an appearance of strength."
Bearyl took several deep breaths in order to force himself to calm down. "I will speak with you later about this, Caesar," he hissed.
The group managed to compose themselves long enough to keep up appearances as their boat docked. Daunte saw several uniformed officers lined up to greet them. A man in his late fifties wearing a similar uniform dressed in several military stripes stepped forward. He had a receding hairline, but his face had a lot of youthful vigor and he smiled in such a way that Daunte didn't feel so nervous anyone.
"Dignitaries of Nagarea, we welcome you to Sol-Falena," the man greeted them. "I am Cius, Captain of the Police Force of the capital."
"I am Bearyl Lutis, Commander of Nagarea's Liberation Army," Bearyl greeted him as he stepped off the boat. "This is my chief strategist, Caesar Silverberg. My Lieutenant General, Varnaz Behzadi. Lieutenant Gunther. And Daunte." He gestured to each person in kind.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Cius said. He looked up towards the other boats. "Soldiers of Hersheville, thank you for escorting our guests here safely."
"Not at all," the captain of the main boat called down to him. "It was our honor."
Daunte looked up at the other boats, wondering if he should also thank them or remain silent. After a moment he decided. "Thank you for escorting us here safely!"
"Yes, thank you," Caesar also called up to them.
"Anytime!" the captain called back down to them.
"I will act as your personal escort into the city proper and to the Parliament building," Cius said. "However, for security purposes I must ask all of you to hand over your weapons. You will receive them back when you leave the city."
Daunte wanted to ask why, he saw that no one else looked puzzled by this request. So they removed any and all weapons they carried and handed them over to the police officers. "Thank you for your cooperation. Shall we?"
Their boat was closely guarded as they followed Cius away from the docks and up a flight of stairs. They walked down a tunnel until they found themselves on a small bridge leading into the city proper. Once again Daunte was in awe of the city's splendor. There were people everywhere and everyone was talking. As they walked deeper into the city's square and towards the giant bridge, Daunte picked up on several conversations.
"—Nagarean's really here?"
"Are we creating an alliance?"
"It's so amazing the strides Queen Lymsleia has taken during her reign!"
"Well of course, she is supported by the greater Commander of the Queen's Knights we've ever had—"
"Cius, don't work so hard!"
Daunte craned his neck to see if he could spot a shop where he could buy a souvenir from Arin, but they reached another set of stairs leading up to the bridge and couldn't look anymore. From the stairs they turned right and Daunte's jaw dropped as he caught sight of the Sun Palace.
Everything about this place seems so clean, and…proper, even. The last time I was in Nagarea's capital I no longer felt safe. Well, Mom and Dad were against the government after all…
"Here we are," Cius announced, turning them left and down another flight of stairs towards the Parliament building. It was a massive building, and there were several guards on duty. They all saluted as they walked past them and into the building. "Thank you for your punctuality. The assembly is almost ready for all of you, so I will escort you to a waiting room until we are ready for you."
There were many people inside the Parliament building and there was excited chatter all around them, undoubtedly from the upcoming assembly. Cius escorted them all the way to the back of the building towards a door to the northwest. Cius opened the door for them and gestured them inside. "We have some refreshments for you. Feel free to relax in here before the assembly."
"How long before the assembly is set to start, Sir Cius?" Caesar asked him.
"I was told it will start in a half-hour, so take your time and relax before then."
It was a cozy waiting room with several couches. They were the only ones in the waiting room, and as soon as they were left alone Gunther flopped onto one of the couches. "Wow, this place is incredible! Too bad they're watching our every move!"
"It's to be expected," Bearyl said, sitting down. "We are from Nagarea after all, and our two countries don't exactly have the best history."
Daunte was wandering around the room looking at the fancy furniture when Caesar suddenly said, "Daunte, why don't you go and see if you can sight-see around the city? I imagine you'll want to stretch your legs after being in the boat for so long."
Daunte nodded eagerly and smiled. "Y-Yes, thank you."
"Don't be too long, though," Bearyl spoke up. "The assembly starts in a half-hour and we'll need you then."
What? But I thought I wasn't taking part in the assembly! Daunte looked at Caesar, but he stilled when he saw the look of disbelief the strategist was giving their leader. However it was only momentarily and Caesar quickly recovered himself and forced a smile at Daunte. "We'll see you in a few minutes, Daunte."
"R-Right," Daunte said. He walked over to the door and opened it. Cius was standing outside and immediately greeted him. "Can I help you with something?"
"I-I would like to buy a souvenir in town," Daunte told him. "Would it be all right if I go into town?"
Cius relaxed slightly and smiled. "Of course. I'll take you back into the city myself. Do you know what kind of souvenir you were looking for?"
Daunte shook his head. "I-I was just looking for something for my little brother."
"Ah, then I know the perfect shop for you!" Cius waved to him. "Here, I'll take you there quickly so you'll be back in time for the assembly."
Daunte followed Cius back out of the Parliament building and up the flight of stairs back onto the bridge. He almost asked if he could go into the Sun Palace and meet with Surya, but he didn't think that would be appropriate. They turned right to head back into the city.
"You're going to love this shop," Cius told Daunte when they reached the main plaza. "It opened up a couple months ago, but it's already caused quite a stir! I'm positive your brother will love anything you buy from here!"
"O-Okay," Daunte said.
They reached the shop in question, though Daunte was momentarily distracted by the positive chatter around them. Nobody had anything back to say about Queen Lymsleia or Commander Freyjadour. The populace seemed to genuinely love their Queen and her Commander.
It sounds like they rebuilt the country after a brutal civil war, even though they themselves were kids. It's pretty impressive.
"Mr. Mooney?" Cius called out as he pushed open the door. Daunte followed Cius inside and looked around. The shop was small but it was lined with display cases. There was a small display case in the center of the room, two along each wall, and one display case at the back where a man in his mid-thirties was standing. Daunte looked into one display case and gasped. All of the cases were filled with up to ten wooden figurines each, each of which was thirty centimeters tall.
"Ah, Cius!" Mooney called out to them. He wore a round pale blue hat on his red head and he grinned at them with gleaming blue eyes. Mooney came out from behind the counter and Daunte's eyes fell to his hands. They were calloused and looked rough, but he held a peculiar knife in his right hand. "A pleasure as always!"
"Mr. Mooney, this is Daunte," Cius introduced them. "He's one of the dignitaries from Nagarea."
"Ah, I've heard about you all!" Mooney shook Daunte's hand and Daunte was startled that they felt as rough as they looked. "Welcome to my shop! Whittling has always been my passion, and so I'm very pleased to turn it into a business that can make me a decent living!"
"Mr. Mooney has been all over the world and has heard many stories about many heroes," Cius told Daunte. "So he set up a shop here in Sol-Falena where he created figurines of heroes from all over the world."
"They're such interesting stories, with interesting people," Mooney told him. "I've made figurines of hundreds upon hundreds of heroes, but most recently I've focused my energy on five specific events in our world history that has shaped the fabric of civilizations."
"Really?" Daunte asked.
"Oh, most certainly!" Mooney walked over to a case close to the front door and put a hand on the top. "In this case I sell the heroes of the Gate Rune War."
Gate Rune War? Didn't that woman—Leknaat—say she had a Gate Rune?
"In this case." Mooney moved onto the case next to it. "Are the heroes of the Dunan Unification War. It's very strange, though. When I first started making figurines of this war, nobody paid much attention. But when I focused my attention on other events and other heroes, then all of a sudden everybody wanted the figurines from this war! I can barely keep up the demand for these heroes as it is!
"Then in this case." He walked across the shop towards the other side and touched the case closest to the door. "Are the heroes of the Second Fire Bringer War."
Second Fire Bringer War? T-That's the War Caesar took part in! Daunte hurried over to this case to see if he could find a figurine of Caesar. To his disappointment however, he couldn't see Caesar amongst the photorealistic faces in the figurines.
"I always wondered, Mr. Mooney," Cius said. "You have figurines of the Second Fire Bringer War, but what about the First?"
Mooney shook his head. "Unfortunately I haven't found out much information about it. When I was in the Grasslands the Second Fire Bringer War was a much more popular topic, so making these figurines was far easier than trying to research the heroes of the Fire Bringer War. It doesn't help matters that the First one was over fifty years ago. Now in this one." He touched the case next to the Fire Bringer one. "Holds the heroes of the Islands Federation War. These, however, are not as popular as the other ones for some reason."
"The Islands Federation War took place over one hundred years ago, right?" Cius asked.
"Yes," Mooney said. "Perhaps that is why these figurines are not so popular."
Daunte wondered how Mooney knew so much about a war from over a century ago and yet didn't know anything about a war from half a century ago, but he didn't say anything about it.
"And lastly, my front display case and most popular one." Mooney gestured to this case. "These hold the heroes of the Falenan Civil War. These figurines always go so fast."
"Yet Lelei's figurine always sells better than mine," Cius grumbled.
"Ah, but the Commander of the Queen's Knight's sells the best," Mooney said. "I always think I've made enough figurines of Prince Freyjadour, but I can never hang onto them long enough."
"It's no surprise," Cius laughed.
"What about this case?" Daunte asked, indicating the smaller case in the middle of the shop. This case only had five figurines in it.
"Those are my best sellers," Mooney said. "A lot of times I just put five figurines of Prince Freyjadour in it and they're quickly gone. But our other popular ones are the heroes Viktor and Flik, both of whom participated in the Gate Rune War and the Dunan Unification War. Because of their high demand their retail price is around 25,000 potch."
"He usually stores his most expensive figurines in this case," Cius told him. "Why don't you look at another case?"
"R-Right," Daunte said. He decided to try the front case that showed the heroes of the Falenan Civil War. Maybe he would be lucky enough to find a figurine of Surya's father?
He scanned the faces of the figurines inside the case, and saw a couple of the Dragon Horses, but the figurine at the very end caused him to stiffen and his blood ran cold. He stared down into the case, into the angry, frowning face of the figurine, and swallowed thickly. It was strange, so very strange…but it was impossible. It couldn't be true.
T-This…This one looks like my father. I don't remember his face though, or Mom's. Yet how…I feel like this man is my father.
"Oh, do you like this one?" Mooney asked. He reached into the case and picked up the figurine in question.
Cius made a face at the figurine. "I remember him. He was always so angry all the time."
"The price is 200 potch for this figurine," Mooney told Daunte.
Daunte pulled out his bag and poured the coins out. But his stomach turned as he realized he was holding bits in his hand and not potch. Oh no. I completely forgot about this! I forgot that we don't use the same currency as everybody else!
"200 potch?" Cius suddenly spoke up. He pulled out his wallet and counted out the coins. "Here you are, Mr. Mooney."
"Thank you, Cius," Mooney said. He turned to wrap up the figurine and Daunte gaped at Cius. He paid for my figurine, no questions asked? But I don't know how I'm going to pay him back!
"And here you are," Mooney said, handing the sales bag to Daunte. "Next time you visit, definitely stop back in to my shop. As each of these wars has hundreds of heroes, I'm constantly rotating stock. You'll always find something new here."
"T-Thank you, sir," Daunte said, bowing. He didn't say anything to Cius though until they exited the shop, and he immediately rounded upon the man. "I-I'm sorry for putting you in that position, but I will pay you ba—"
"Nonsense," Cius said, waving a dismissive hand. "It's just 200 potch. It's barely pocket change to me."
"Nagarea has a different currency than Falena," Daunte confessed softly. "But I will pay you back someday, I promise."
"It isn't necessary," Cius reassured him. "My paying for your souvenir can never even measure up to everything you've done for us."
Daunte gaped at him for a long moment. "But…I—"
"Ah, there you are!" Both of them stiffened, and Daunte looked over his shoulder. An older gentlemen quickly approached them. Daunte had to guess he was in his seventies, but he looked shockingly youthful. His dark green hair has silver lines running all through it and his face was covered in deep stress lines, but he was moving with surprising energy.
"Ah, Lord Craig Laden!" Cius exclaimed. He quickly saluted the other man. "Did you just arrive from Lunas?"
"When I heard that there would be Nagarean dignitaries in the capital, I knew I had to come down here as quickly as possible." Craig's eyes shifted to Daunte. "You are Lord Daunte, correct?"
"A-Ah, yes," Daunte said. He jumped slightly Craig reached out and seized Daunte's hands in his own.
"You have my thanks," Craig told him sincerely. "I know words are meaningless, but I am in your debt. Thank you for saving my daughters' lives."
Daunte blinked. "D…Daughters?"
"Lord Craig Laden is married to Lady Haswar," Cius explained to him. "He is the father of Lady Archana and Lady Kaylani. Both of whom you personally saved, Daunte."
"I-I…" Daunte felt incredibly embarrassed by the praise he was receiving from both men. "Thank you, b-but it wasn't just me. Many people contributed to their rescue."
"I imagine so, but no one else's name came up more often from my daughters than your name, Lord Daunte." Craig released his hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you. I do not yet know how, but I will repay you. I swear it."
"No, that's not necessary," Daunte said, raising his hands. "I didn't save them expecting repayment! It was the right thing to do! I-If Lady Archana and Lady Kaylani are alive and healthy, that's a better reward than anything else!"
Craig managed a small smile. "You have a good constitution, Lord Daunte. I am certain Nagarea's Liberation Army benefits greatly by your presence."
But I don't have a position of importance in the Army. Daunte forced a smile. "I'm glad you think so, Lord Craig."
"I hate to interrupt Lord Craig, but the assembly is about to start," Cius gently interrupted. "I must escort Daunte back."
"Of course." Craig nodded and saluted. "I will be at the docks checking in on the Dragon Cavalry. Again, thank you for everything."
Daunte nodded stiffly and bowed. It felt awkward for him to receive this amount of praise when he hadn't acted alone. Cius gestured to him and Daunte followed. "Lord Craig Laden commanded the Dragon Cavalry from Sauronix Castle leading up to the Falenan Civil War, and retired after the war. He's still held in high regard, although his sudden marriage to Lady Haswar did take people by surprise."
"How so?" Daunte asked.
"Well, I never saw the two of them interact during the war," Cius said. "Rumors floated around that Lady Haswar had many concerns preserving the lineage of the royal family, especially since Queen Lymsleia and herself were the only female royals left. Then suddenly out of the blue, no sooner did Craig go into retirement, they were announced as being married. As far as I know they didn't even have an official courtship!" Cius chuckled to himself. "But they've had two wonderful daughters and have been married all this time, so they've definitely made it work."
"I-I'm glad to hear it," Daunte said. "Although I feel that I'm getting too much credit for the rescue of the royals…"
Cius stopped suddenly and turned to Daunte. "I just want you to know that all of us are in your debt. We know that many people were involved, but we know that you also put forth the greatest effort in rescuing our royal family. We won't forget that, Daunte. That is a promise."
Daunte didn't know what to say as he followed Cius back to the Parliament building. So…So they know that I did have a big role in rescuing the royals, and Lord Bearyl didn't? Does this mean that they will enter into an alliance with us…or should I worried about how the assembly will go?