Chapter 2
Rune and Leena were now faced with a new problem: finding a boat. Upon
reaching Termina, Rune found that he'd been assigned to guard Viper Manor, and
that he couldn't take a military boat out. Frustrated, Rune left Porre's HQ and
explained the dilemma to Leena. He was very vocal on how much he hated Porre,
and how it seemed that even after all these years, they were still screwing him
over. Leena only smiled and promised that she'd find a boat for them, and that
they should head to Viper Manor to humor Rune's superiors. Still frustrated,
Rune reluctantly agreed, and the two made off for the manor. Leena spent most
of the trip explaining to Rune how she, Serge, and Kid had snuck into the Viper
Manor only about a month before at the start of their adventure. She also
explained that it was the first time they'd met Lynx. Rune was intrigued that
they were able to leave the encounter unscathed, but he was certain it was
because Lynx had wanted Serge alive. He also explained some things to Leena,
mostly about Guardia and its history. She was extremely interested in the tales
about the heroic young king of Guardia, who had helped fight for the future.
"Did that really happen?!" She exclaimed with excitement.
Rune nodded.
"That's what I was always told." He sighed. "He, the queen,
and his friend Lucca traveled to the future and defeated a fearsome monster…"
Leena blinked.
"Wow. All of that, and Lynx was able to overtake them…"
Rune quickened his pace, and Leena had to jog a bit to keep.
"Yeah, well…" He said lowly. "Lynx fought dirty. I'm sure
of it."
"Rune, your father was a knight, right?"
Rune nodded. Leena continued.
"Did he fight for the future? You know, like the king did?"
Rune paused as if thinking.
"No." He said finally. "My father was part of the militia
that protected Truce before he served in the army. He knew the king's mother,
though."
"Really…?"
Rune nodded.
"Yeah."
Leena smiled.
"That must have been neat."
Rune shrugged.
"He wasn't a prince always, you know. He was just normal,
and clumsy. Kinda like me."
Leena grinned, poking his arm.
"Ah, so you share some qualities with a king? That's a good
thing, right?" Rune scoffed.
"Don't tell me that I have anything in common with him." He
said sourly. "I don't. I told you I'd never live up to that greatness."
Leena blinked.
"No… You told me that you wouldn't live up to your father.
You didn't say anything about the king."
Rune blushed a bit.
"Oh. Well, same thing. They were both heroes."
"And you will be too if you get rid of Lynx. The people of
El Nido will love you, and I'm sure that the people of Guardia will be glad."
Rune nodded.
"I hope so."
They reached Viper Manor, and Rune checked in with his
superior officer. He introduced Leena, explaining that he was being paid to be
her bodyguard in light of the events in El Nido. His commander understood, and
agreed that Leena could stay in the manor, but only that she could only stay on
the first floor. All of the other areas were off limits. Rune decided that that
was good enough. He explained it to Leena, who moaned.
"That'll be boring!" She cried in dismay. "What will I do
all day?!" Rune shrugged.
"I dunno. Take up sewing?"
"Very funny." Leena said flatly.
"Aw, come on. I got you a good room." Rune said, smiling a
bit. "It belonged to one of the Dragoon Divas. It's supposed to be nice." He
wrinkled his nose. "At least you don't have to bunk with forty of those Porre
slobs."
Leena giggled.
"You really hate them, don't you?"
"Let's put it this way…" Rune explained. "I'd rather lose
an eye than team up with one of those idiots." Leena sighed.
"You're hopeless. But I guess I'd be the same way if… You
know…"
Rune shook his head.
"Maybe not. You might be a little more mature than me." He
sighed. "Though I'm not surprised. All we men care about is killing… So the
want for revenge is natural."
"Kid's a girl, and she wants revenge." Leena reminded him.
Rune shrugged.
"Well, Kid's special. That is—" He added with a weak grin.
"If you consider her a girl."
Leena put her hands on her hips.
"Rune! That was mean!"
Rune laughed a bit.
"No it wasn't. You'd have no idea how many times she's
called me a girl."
Leena sighed.
"Boy. You two must be good friends if you pick at each
other like that." Rune shrugged again.
"Well, I guess you could say that." He opened the door to
Leena's room, and lead her inside. "We've been friends since before I can
remember."
Leena leaned into the room, and her face brightened up.
"Wow!" She exclaimed, the grin on her face broadening.
"This is great! Look how big it is!!"
Rune blinked in surprise.
"Whoa. I knew this was up class, but WOW." He crossed the
room and felt the drapes. His eyes got a far away look in them, and memories
crossed the silver fields of his mind. The memories… He'd been so small back
then… He remembered it so well though. His father, the man that he'd grown to
resemble as if he was his twin, had left that night to fight for the future of
Guardia. By the end of that hellish night… His father had been a totally
different person. And so had Rune. There had been so much blood… He pushed the
drapes out of the way, gazing out of the window to the sea beyond. Seagulls
flew past the window, and Rune felt hot tears on his cheeks.
Mother… Father… Big sister… He looked up towards the
clouds, as if pleading to them. Just wait a little longer… I've finally
gotten strong enough to avenge you, and all of the others who were killed! I'll
make you all proud… In just a little while… Everything will be set right again.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned around, coming eye to eye with
Leena. She looked at him seriously, and he gazed back.
"Leena…" He said softly. "Tell me… What do I look like
right now…?"
Leena looked up at him, her eyes sad.
"Like someone who had their childhood stolen… Like someone
who was once a scared little boy, who saw things that no little boy should see.
I see man with blond hair, and blue eyes, who looks normal at first glance, but
who actually hides a great secret in his soul… That's what I see."
Rune sighed sadly.
"Blond… Never mind." He shook his head, and grinned weakly.
"I'm getting tired. I'm saying things that don't make sense."
Leena shook her head.
"No, I understand." She said softly. "When I was little, my
father disappeared at sea… And then Serge also died at the hands of the sea…
You could say that I came to hate the ocean. I hated that it took my loved ones
from me, and gave me no sympathy in return…" Tears began to roll down her
cheeks. "I hated the way that it could just keep rolling in and out again as if
nothing had happened… I understand the feeling inside of you, Rune. But you
can't give into it. Don't let your life be led by your hatred, or your sorrow,
or you'll become someone just like Lynx. Someone bitter and cold, who lives to
harm others."
"Leena…" Rune whispered softly. He wiped the tears away.
"Do you know what it's like to be told to love the murderer of your parents? In
Porre, Lynx is a hero. There are no memorials for the heroes of Guardia. No…"
He turned away. "Do you know what it's like to go to the standing place of the
old castle, to the old shrine, where the kings and heroes of Guardia were
buried, and find statues of Lynx? Do you know… What it's like… To hear your
father's named cursed…? To hear of him as if he did something wrong…? All he
did… All he ever wanted… Was peace…" He bowed his head, and Leena bowed hers as
well.
"In Arni," She started. "We were told to love the sea… But
I never was faced with what you must suffer when you're on the Mainland… Why
would they curse you're father…? Wasn't he just a soldier…?"
Rune started, tensing up. He turned around, then nodded.
"When they curse the "Guardian rebels", it is the same as
them cursing my father." He explained. Leena nodded.
"That must be awful."
Rune looked down to the bracer on his left arm, and he sighed
heavily.
"Leena, I want to tell you—" He was interrupted when the
door opened. Rune whirled around to see Commander Norris standing in the
doorway. The commander held his hands up.
"Sorry. I should have knocked." He apologized. "I didn't
scare you, did I?"
Rune shook his head.
"No sir." He said. He wiped at the tears in his eyes, then
smiled a bit. "It's dusty in here." He explained. Norris sighed.
"I see…" He walked in, followed by a girl in a harlequin
outfit, and a very familiar character… Rune's eyes widened, and tears of anger
filled them when he set eyes on the object of his hatred. He brought a
quivering hand to his sword, his blue eyes narrowed. He felt energy building
around him, but he suppressed it. His bracer sparked. Though he was shaking
with hate, he managed to speak through clenched teeth.
"Lynx…" He growled. At the same time, Leena let out a
surprised cry.
"Serge!" She exclaimed, hurrying to him. She stopped about
two feet away though, as if she had lost her nerve. The demi-human turned to
her, and spoke in a tone that Rune had never heard the dark man use before. It
was one of fondness.
"Leena…" He said gently. "A week ago you said that you were
done fighting." He smiled. "I'm glad to see that you changed your mind." He
looked to Rune, and then sighed. "You must hate me, right…?"
Rune drew his sword, bringing it up. Leena let out a cry.
"Rune! Don't!"
Norris stepped back in confusion.
"Rune—what are you doing?!"
Lynx shook his head.
"Norris, Leena, let him do what he wants." He walked to
Rune, laying his weapon on the ground. "If it'll make you happy to kill me,
then go ahead. I know that this form carries a terrible darkness with it, and
that darkness and evil now belong to me. If Lynx—Serge, I mean, caused you any
pain in the past… I'm…"
Rune shook his head. His rage had made him completely
forget about Leena's story about how Lynx and Serge had changed bodies.
"You can never understand the pain you caused me, Lynx…" He
said lowly. "And the only way that you will understand, is if I ram my father's
sword into your black heart!!!" Rune brought his sword up, and swung forward.
But he froze before his sword stabbed the demi-human. The harlequin let out a
cry of distress.
"Monsieur Lynx!!!"
Lynx shook his head.
"Don't worry, Harle." He looked into Rune's eyes. "Listen…
I know that you're hatred comes from seeing this body. But listen—I'm not Lynx.
You have to believe me… Please…" He shook his head. "If you kill me here, it'll
do nothing for you!" Rune pushed his sword forward a bit.
"Don't move! Shut up!!!"
"Please…" Lynx looked at him with pleading eyes. "My name
is Serge. Lynx… He took my body. If you kill me here, he'll still be alive and
young!"
Rune began to shake. Tears of hatred formed in his eyes. He
saw his mother, his sister, and his father, all dead from the attack by Lynx.
He heard his father's words… The tears rolled down his cheeks, and he swallowed
deeply. Lynx continued to stare at him, and Rune tensed up more.
"Why couldn't you just die?!" Rune choked out. "Why did you
do that…?!"
"It wasn't me!!" Lynx cried. Leena was now sobbing as well.
"Rune, please!!! That's Serge!!!" She shook her head. "You
said you'd help him!!!"
Rune continued to stare, deep
into Lynx's eyes. But then he saw something. His eyes widened, and he slackened
his grip on his sword. He had seen blue eyes… Innocent blue eyes on the face of
that monster… He dropped his sword, and fell to his knees tears falling from
his eyes. Lynx let out a sigh, and Harle hurried to him.
"Monsieur Lynx!! Are you alright?!" She cried. Lynx nodded.
"Yeah." He looked down at Rune, and then shook his head.
"Harle, what did Lynx do to this guy…?"
Harle looked at the boy distantly for a moment, then she
sighed.
"Monsieur Lynx did vat he needed to do." She said finally.
"Zere is no more zan zat."
"Really…" Lynx said softly. "I wonder if I'll become a
murderer if I stay in this body…"
Rune shook his head.
"No." He said, standing up. He looked at Lynx again.
"You've got his form, but not the stain on his soul. I could see it…
Your aura… The body's is dark, but yours is light." Leena smiled.
"Thank goodness you finally realized, Rune…" She said
softly, her voice brimming with relief.
Rune looked down.
"Sorry about that…" Harle sighed, shaking her head.
"You are supposed to be dead! Guardian… Hmph!!!" She
exclaimed, vanishing. Norris's eyes widened.
"You're… From Guardia?!"
Rune nodded weakly.
"I joined the Porre army just so that I might be able to
get a ride out here to El Nido… I hate you Porre scum. Don't go thinking that
I'm done defending my country." Norris looked down.
"I am… I'm sorry about what happened… My father was in the
Porre army. He said that he was probably the last person to see the king alive,
other than his assassin, Sir Lynx…"
"Your… Father…?" Asked Rune softly.
Norris nodded.
"Yes. He caught the king and his son trying to escape by
climbing down a trellis… He said that meeting the king changed his life. The
king wasn't concerned with politics; he just wanted to protect his family, and
the innocent people of Guardia. My father was so moved, that he let them go. He
said that he shed tears when he heard that the entire Royal Family had been
slaughtered… The king had fought to his last… My father said that when they
brought his body out, he was so disfigured that if it hadn't been for the royal
crest on his nearly destroyed armor, and the red hair, he wouldn't have known
that was the king. He'd been run through, burned badly, had an eye gouged out,
and God knows what other horrible things done to him… They found the Queen and
the Princess dead in the caverns under the castle, but they never recovered the
Prince. Lynx assured the public that he was dead, that he'd killed him deep in
the caverns in front of the king… My father said that hearing that the little
prince hadn't even made it was like a sledgehammer to the heart. He told me
that he couldn't even imagine the pain in the king's heart after that… After
seeing his wife and children killed in front of him…"
Lynx shook his head.
"God…" He looked at his hands. "These hands did that… These
same hands…" Leena bowed her head.
"The King of Guardia… He must have died so lonely…"
Rune sighed heavily.
"He was only twenty-one when he died. The Queen was twenty…
The little Princess was four, and the little Prince… He would be my age right
now if he were still alive… My father used to tell me that he'd never seen a
more perfect couple then the king and queen…" He turned to Norris, and smiled
weakly. "But… I owe you an apology, Norris… I want you to tell your father
thank you, for me…"
"Why…?"
"Because…" Said Rune softly. "It made my day… Hearing that
someone from Porre spared the king… He must be a hell of a guy…" Norris smiled.
"I will tell him you said that."
Leena looked to Lynx, her eyes confused.
"What are you doing here? I thought that you were out
battling the Dragons…"
Lynx nodded.
"We've nearly done it. All we need is the Sky Dragon's gem,
and then we can finally get the other Dragon Tear. With that, I should be able
to become myself again… Or so I've been told."
Leena gestured towards Rune.
"You should take him with you, Serge." She said. "All he
wants in life is to avenge his family… You'll surely be facing Lynx. You have
to let him help you."
Lynx looked at the ground.
"Leena…" He looked back and then nodded. "Okay. Rune can
come with us, if he wants to."
Leena turned to Rune, smiling at him.
"I think I just found you a ride."
