Book 1: A dragon flaps its wings
Chapter 8: Goddess' Messenger
23th day of the Pegasus Moon of Imperial Year 1176
XxX
"And you are sure that we can catch a Goddess Messenger here?" a young girl with light emerald hair asked while she was walking through the streets of Kelpie, a town at Rhodos' coast.
"Of course, Lady Flayn." her female companion answered.
"How often do I have to tell you, Enya, you don't have to call me Lady. After all, I'm not from a noble family." Flayn replied, a small frown on her face.
"And how often do I have to tell you that I don't believe it?" Enya replied, her voice sounding playfully. "After all, not only do you and your uncle possess enough money to stay at my family's inn for a whole week. And you used magic to heal my father when he cut himself with the kitchen knife." the girl raising one finger for each argument she made.
"Flayn?" The third person of the group, a brown-haired, middle-aged man, stared at the emerald-haired girl. "Is there something you didn't tell me?"
"No, nothing, Uncle Alois." Flayn answered too quickly. However, seeing the raised eyebrow on her uncle's face, she let her head hang low. "I'm sorry, but the cut on Mister Finn's hand was really deep and there was a lot of blood. I couldn't stand by and do nothing. Especially since he and his family have treated us so kindly these last few days."
"Fine, but only if you two promise to keep it a secret. Especially from your brother."
"And reason number three that you are a noble." Enya counted. "I mean, who else would try to keep a low profile except a noble that doesn't want to be found."
"A bandit?" supplied Alois but was promptly ignored by both.
"It's not like that." Flayn protested once more.
"Fine, then tell me your brother's name." her female companion requested. "This is like the one thing you two manage to keep a secret."
"And it will stay that way." Alois answered. "After all, like the anemone he prefers his anonymity." For a moment the man waited for a reaction, but neither girl seemed to get the joke. "Anemone and anonymity. Come on, that was one of my best ones yet." he lamented.
"Let's hope that your fishing skills are better than your puns." Enya said, while the buildings at the side of the road gave way to the sandy beach of Rhodos Coast.
"You will see that I lack neither of these skills." Alois replied.
Many fishermen had already gathered at the shore to fish, so the trio had to walk for a bit before they came to a good spot.
"Prepare yourself, Goddess Messenger." Alois called out to no one. "Because today you have found your master. I, Alois Rangeld, will hear the goddess word's out of your mouth today."
With the help of the two girls the preparations were quickly finished and shortly thereafter the man threw the hook of his fishing rod into the water.
The hours passed, but they had no look. And even though Alois managed to catch multiple different fishes over this timeframe, the desired one wasn't among them.
As the sun approached its zenith, Enya nudged Flayn. "Excuse me, but do you know when you can expect your brother to arrive?" the commoner asked.
The other girl shook her head. "We haven't heard from him ever since we came here." she admitted, before adding "But Alois says that it can't take much longer. The day after tomorrow at the latest."
"I see." The local raised up. "Then we have no time to lose. Come with me." She reached for Flayn's hand, but her friend hesitated. "What's wrong?"
"I am…" Flayn began hesitantly. "I can only be here because I promised my brother to stay near our uncle." the girl from out of town admitted. "I can't simply leave his side."
"Really?" Enya shook her head. "Listen Flayn, it only takes a few minutes. And we won't even leave the main street. And your uncle…" she gave a nod in Alois' direction, who was completely focused on catching the Goddess Messenger. "…won't even notice."
"But why?" the girl in the black dress asked. "If it won't take long, then we can take Alois with us and then return to fishing."
"You don't get it." Seeing how this sudden change in tone scared Flayn, the girl from Kelpie lowered her voice. "What I want to do is a tradition here in town." She then explained. "Many elderly believe that this little ritual strengthens the bonds between two friends, so that their friendship remains intact even if they are thousands of miles apart. I hoped that I could give you another special memory of this place."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that this was so important for you." Flayn replied. She threw another look at Alois, who just pulled in another fish. But to his disappointment, it wasn't the kind of fish he was looking for. Then Flayn made a decision. "Please, lead the way."
xXx
"We have arrived." Seteth stepped through the outer gates of Kelpie, followed by Shamir and Crow. The trio had arrived the evening prior, but on Seteth's order they had rested at a little abbey nearby. The green haired man had then told them that they would leave their horses, which had carried them here from Garreg Mach, and enter the town on foot to prevent a commotion.
The trio followed the streets inward, until they could spot the first merchant stalls. "Excuse me," Seteth stepped forward towards one of the booths.
"Yeah?" the merchant asked with a rough voice. His eyes were focused on a few coins that lay on the table in front of him, the profit of his last sale. But when he raised his head and saw the man on the other side of the wooden table, he suddenly bowed. "I'm very sorry, Sir. Please, excuse my behaviour. Welcome to my humble shop. How can I help you?"
"All I need is information." the right-hand man of the archbishop explained.
For one moment the disappointment was clearly seen on his face, seeing the chance of a good bargain slipping through his fingers. After all, the man in front of him was clad in high quality leather and held himself like a noble. But he wasn't a merchant for nothing. A fake smile appeared on his face, while he offered his help.
"We are looking for an inn, the Nereid. Could you tell us the way?"
"Of course, sir." the local replied. "The Nereid is close to the shore. You walk all the way down this street until you are at the coast. Then you turn right and enter the third street on the right side. And afterwards you just have to go into the second street on the right and you will find it."
Seteth nodded and repeated the directions. After doing so two times, he nodded. "You have my thanks." The green haired man then pulled a small leather bag out of his coat and pulled a gold coin out of it. "This is for your effort."
"You're too kind, good sir." The man bowed while Seteth turned around and he and his companions began walking again.
xXx
"Haven't we gone too far already?" Flayn asked, a little nervous. Even though Enya had promised her that the shop was only a few minutes away from Alois' fishing spot, she couldn't see anything that resembled a place that sold accessories.
"Just a little more, Flayn. The owner prefers his seclusion."
The number of shops at the side of the streets began to dwindle. Flayn assumed that they were leaving the centre and entering the outer parts of Kelpie. "Are you sure?" she asked once more.
"Of course…" Suddenly Enya stopped and stared down the road.
Following her friend's eyes, Flayn noticed the trio immediately. A white-haired man with a strange weapon on his back, clad in a light brown coat was going on the left side. A dark-haired woman clad in green leather armour and armed with a bow was on the right. And in the middle was…
"Brother!" Flayn called out, startling her friend. Without hesitation the young girl ran down the street, throwing her arms around her family member.
"Flayn!" the man replied, relief in his voice. "I'm glad that you are alright." After the sister let go of him, the man turned his head around. "But tell me, where is Alois?"
"He is fishing at the moment."
The green-haired man didn't seem to like this explanation. "I told him that he should keep an eye on you. And now I hear that he is fishing?"
"It isn't his fault." Flayn tried to appease her brother. "Enya told us about this rare fish that can be caught here and Uncle Alois wanted to try to catch one for me. And while we were waiting, she wanted to buy me a good luck charm."
"So you snuck off." It was hard to see which part of her story her brother took worse. Her leaving the protection of Alois behind or the fact that she called Alois uncle. "What were you thinking? Don't you know how dangerous it can be without any protection?"
"So, that is your secret." her friend had apparently found her voice again. "Why didn't you tell me that your brother is Seteth." Enya stepped next to Flayn and bowed. "Please, Lord Seteth. This was all my idea. I wanted to grant your sister a happy memory before she would leave and since her uncle was busy trying to catch a Goddess Messenger, I wanted to do it now."
The man looked down at her, with suspicion in his eyes. "You know who I am?"
"Of course." the local girl replied. "I visited Garreg Mach once with my family." She began explaining. "And we were lucky to see both you and Lady Rhea. Both of you had this special air around you, like knights in stories. The mixture of wisdom and power, full of confidence but at the same time without arrogance. I doubt that anyone that has ever seen you can forget this aura you two exhibit." She then turned to his companions. "Then I assume that both of you must be high ranking Knights of Seiros, right? The best of the best?"
"Sorry to disappoint," Crow replied "But we are just two people who had too much time on their hands and… ouch!" His speech was interrupted by a slap on the back of his head, courtesy of Shamir.
"Forgive his attitude. He is a problem child that has only recently joined the ranks of the Knights. I hoped that I could use this trip to show him the importance of dignity for a man in his position. But as of now I had no success in this regard." Seteth explained, bowing to Enya, before throwing an angry look at his male companion.
"My name is Crow Armbrust." The young man introduced himself, following Seteth's example and bowed as well.
"And I am Shamir Nevrand, a mercenary in the service of the Church of Seiros." The final member of the group spoke up.
"What an honour. I am Enya. My father is the owner of the inn where Lady Flayn and Lord Alois have been staying." The local inhabitant replied.
"That explains why you two know each other." Seteth mumbled so quietly that nobody else could hear it. "You said that you wanted to grant my sister a happy memory before she leaves. Would you kindly explain to me, what exactly you had planned?"
"Enya wanted to gift me a bangle." Flayn began explaining, but her friend interrupted her.
"It is more like half of a bangle." The daughter of the innkeeper said. "The full bangle shows a picture of a Goddess Messenger, a very important fish in the history of this town. Once the right bracelet is chosen, the picture is cut in half and each half is made into its own bangle, one for each friend to wear." Enya explained the tradition. "Legend say, that the bond of friendship becomes unbreakable as long as both parties wear their respective part of the bracelet."
For a moment both Shamir and Crow looked at Seteth, who had listened to the explanation. "I remember hearing about such a practice in this area, but I didn't expect for my sister to find someone to perform it with." he said after a few seconds of tense silence. He then turned to Flayn "You said that our uncle was fishing?"
The answer he received was a nod.
"Shamir, please go to the coast and inform Alois about our arrival. Go to the inn afterwards and begin preparations for our departure. Crow and myself will accompany my sister and her friend. Afterwards we two…" he pointed at himself and Flayn "…will have to do something alone." The right hand man of the Church of Seiros turned towards Enya. "Would it be possible that you bring Crow to the Nereide, so that he can meet up with Shamir and Alois?"
"Of course, you can count on me." The young inhabitant replied excitedly.
"You have my thanks. Then let's make haste."
xXx
Alois laughed. "Finally. You may have been a worthy opponent, but in the end, you couldn't match my proficiency with the fishing rod." At the end of the fishing line a big creature of the sea, the target of his hour long endeavour. "Lady Flayn will be happy to see you." the Knight mused, preparing his catch for transport.
"Here you are, Alois."
"Hello Shamir. Does that mean that Lord Seteth is also here?" Finishing his task, he turned around to face the Sniper. "See, Lady Flayn will be very happy to finally meet him. Isn't that right, my Lady?"
There was no answer.
A shiver went down Alois' spine when he fully turned around. The place where Flayn and Enya had waited was empty. And on his other side stood a very displeased Shamir.
"Please, let her tell me that Lord Seteth isn't here right now." Alois prayed silently to the goddess.
"It seems like the person that you should have kept an eye out for isn't here, Alois."
Was it his imagination or did he hear some sort of enjoyment out of Shamir.
"Where is she?"
"Ähm… well… She asked me… right here…" Alois was looking for words.
The sniper let out a deep sigh. "You don't need to worry. We found Lady Flayn and her friend walking down the main street."
Hearing these words lifted a huge burden from Alois, but only for a moment before he went over the words one more time. "We?" he asked cautiously.
"Myself, Crow Armbrust…" Alois remembered that name from the letters that Lord Seteth had sent to him during this mission. "And Lord Seteth of course."
The brown-haired man collapsed. Not only did he leave Lady Flayn unsupervised, but the Archbishop's Advisor himself had been the one to find her. There was no way that he would go unpunished for this misdemeanour. He threw a look at the Goddess Messenger he had caught. "Message heard loud and clear, though it seems I received it too late" Seeing Shamir's surprised face, he added "Many people believe that this fish is capable of seeing the future and can spread the goddess message far and wide. This belief actually gave this fish its name by the way."
"And?" Shamir waited for the punchline.
Alois raised the fish and showed the dead face towards the sniper. "Well, imagine what is going to happen to me once Lord Seteth is done with me."
All Shamir could do was smirk.
xXx
The sound of the waves crashing against the shore accompanied Seteth and Flayn while they walked towards a lonely tombstone on a sandy hill. The girl had a few flowers in her hand which she had picked up on their way here, knowing that the person resting here would have loved them.
"You want to go first?" Seteth asked the girl beside him.
"If that is ok with you?" was her response.
"Thank you… father." Since they were alone now, there was no need to keep the charade up. And even if it would be only for a fleeting moment, Flayn enjoyed the feeling of being able to call the man beside by that name.
She stepped forward and laid down the assortment of flowers. "It has been a long time since we last talked, hasn't it, mother?" Flayn began quietly. "You always said that I had a tendency of oversleeping and… you were right. I bet that you would scold me now, saying that I can't let life run past me." She laughed. "It is strange. The world is at peace now, we are capable of making friends without any fear for our lives. I know that you are watching over us from the goddess' side. So, I want to tell you that we are fine. Father even made a few friends, even though he calls them subordinates. I'm sure you would have loved them. Alois is overall a funny person. And Crow and Shamir seem to be nice, even though I only met them not too long ago. There is also Enya, a girl from Kelpie, the place we are staying at." Flayn touched the bangle she now wore on her left arm. "And I am sure that I will meet lots of new friends once we reach Garreg Mach Monastery." She became silent for a moment. "What I want to say is that we are doing fine. And that I will have a lot to tell you when we meet again."
She kneeled before the gravestone for another moment, before she stood back up and took a step backwards, making the way free for Seteth. The man stepped forward, but instead of kneeling down like his daughter had done, he kept standing.
"Hello Ain." His voice cut through the sound of the waves crashing against the shore much clearer than Flayn's. "It has been a long time since we talked to one another. Work at the Monastery has kept me busy and I can't see my workload decreasing anytime soon, especially with Flayn around." He then lowered his voice, so that Flayn wouldn't be able to hear the words. "A lot has happened this last month. I fear that the peace that we fought so long and hard to obtain is in peril and I am afraid that we will be unable to protect it this time. I don't want to lose Flayn or Rhea. I don't want to see the world burning again." For a moment he stopped. On the one hand, it felt wrong to visit his wife's grave just to talk about his fears about an uncertain future. On the other hand, it felt liberating to simply speak these fears out loud. His voice got louder again. "The days at Garreg Mach are pretty monotonous, I'm sure that it would bore you if I talked about them. But allow me one request: Please watch over Flayn."
"What about you?" his daughter said.
"Excuse me?"
"You only asked her to protect me, but what about yourself? You are just as important as I am to her." Flayn argued. "So, please, ask her to protect you as well."
Seteth looked at the worried face of his daughter, before he smiled. "What do you say, Ain?" he asked nobody in particular. "Can you do your daughter this favour and protect both of us?"
A cool breeze stroked over the cliffs, flowing through their green hair, feeling like a gentle caress.
xXx
It was late in the afternoon when the brother and sister duo returned to the Nereid inn. Once they entered the building, the first thing Seteth noticed was the fact that the three remaining members of their group were sitting together, talking to one another with hushed voices. Once the door slammed shut, the attention of the trio was caught immediately and they all looked up. The right-hand man of the Archbishop felt his stomach twisting once he saw the expression on their faces.
"Lord Seteth, Lady Flayn." Shamir greeted them while standing up and coming towards them. "Lady Flayn, there are a few things I need your help with when it comes to the preparations for our departure."
Flayn looked at her brother, unsure how to react.
"There is nothing to worry about." He ensured her, having seen through Shamir's goal of separating Flayn from the rest of the group. "And if you hurry, we may be able to eat whatever Alois has caught."
"I understand." With these words, the two women left the room.
Seteth sat down next to Alois. "What has happened?" he asked.
The brown-haired man pointed towards a letter that was lying on the table in between him and Crow.
Seteth raised the piece of paper to read the content, but the very first sentence made his blood freeze.
The King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, has been assassinated while on a diplomatic mission in Duscur-...
xXx
This chapter was beta'd by Infinite Zangetsu. Thanks for all your work.
Welcome back. In this chapter the group meets Alois and Flayn for the first time and we have the first big event that influences the story of Three Houses, the tragedy of Duscur, happening. Which means, that we will meet other characters from the game soon.
And since the last chapter, Three Hopes was released and playing it is a blast. Even though I only just started, there are a lot of potential plot ideas I can see with the events of Three Hopes, so I'm really looking forward to including some of them into the story.
Until next time and stay healthy
ZMusok