(Note: I still don't own Final Fantasy 9. All I own are the fan characters in the story.)
Garahan glanced around at the children. They were staring at him, wide-eyed and some of them had their mouths open. He chuckled lightly to himself. He didn't expect such a reaction.
"Wow!" one exclaimed, "He actually met Sir Fratley? THE Sir Fratley!?"
"Indeed." Garahan nodded.
"Wait a minute..." another said, "How could Fratley have told him that? Fratley had lost his memory!"
"I am only telling what I know, my little ones..." Garahan replied, "I do not quite know the full details. Perhaps Fratley knew more than he told originally. In any case, Talyn had heard many things about the Burmecian Dragoon Knight Fratley. And he knew that Fratley was just playing possum... excuse the expression." A few of the children chuckled at that. "In any case, I do not suggest you sell Commander Talyn Resscal short just yet, my little ones. His own name was widely spread as well. Not as infamous as Alexandria's General Beatrix but he was known as a very skilled fighter."
Garahan glanced about again. A few of the older Burmecians had come around to listen to the story. He raised an eyebrow slightly. Never expected this audience.
"Please do continue, sir." a familiar female voice said from the crowd of onlookers.
Garahan looked up slightly, looking for the owner of the voice. No familiar face stepped forward. All he saw were the faces of the children, eager for him to continue the story. He nodded slightly, deciding to find that voice later.
"Very well." he said, "In any case, the rain continued to pour down as Commander Talyn pressed onward toward Burmecia. He had a desicion to make and a small amount of time to make it in."
~*~
BURMECIA
~*~
Before long, he, Talyn Resacal, stood at the gates of Burmecia. The scene already looked as terrible as Sir Fratley had described. The gates had been forcibly opened, more like they had been destroyed rather than opened. Food carts had been knocked over. Buildings had been demolished. Discarded weapons, bones, and half-dead Burmecian bodies littered the streets. His stomach turned as his eyes widened. He remembered that on a day not unlike this one, he arrived at a similar scene in Gearo, a small town that had been plotting to overthrow Queen Brahne. Only, he felt joy and excitement at seeing the lives of blasphemers taken. The thrill of battle once washed over him as he cut down those deemed traitors by the queen.
But, his conversation with Fratley had made him look at it in another light. This light was blood red. Frightening. Sickening. As he examined a dropped spear, he heard a blood-curdling scream eminating from the area in which I speak to you now. He saw them, almost immediately.
Two of them, pointed-hats and all. Two of those 'Black Mages', as the Queen had called them. Two of them advanced on a Burmecian woman and her child. The both of them were cradling the dead body of a Burmecian soldier, whom Talyn assumed was the husband and father.
"KILL!" the first mage exclaimed.
"KILL!" the second repeated.
Both of them raised their hands, intending to strike down the Burmecian woman and her child with their magic. Talyn's heart leapt into his throat. He couldn't let this happen... not now!
"BLACK MAGES, HALT!!" he yelled as he ran toward the scene. The two Black Mages slowly lowered their arms and turned to the Alexandrian commander, silent. The two Burmecians looked to him with some confusion and apprehension.
Talyn looked to the Burmecians and then back to the Black Mages, "You are needed elsewhere. I will handle this situation."
Still, the Black Mages said nothing, but disappeared into small spheres of light and fluttered away. Talyn watched them go and turned to face the Burmecian woman and her child. They still held onto the dead Burmecian man. "Commander Resscal...!" the woman said breathlessly, "Stay away, you murderer!" she cried, backing away from him.
"Madam..." Talyn knelt down on one knee, "Please... I do not wish you any harm. I implore you... I beg of you... please leave Burmecia now... before more of those things come here!"
"...wh...what...?" the woman asked, a look of astonishment on her face.
"Leave Burmecia... find somewhere to hide!" he exclaimed, "I will evacuate anyone else still in the city!" Talyn stood and started heading deeper into Burmecia.
"How can we trust you!?" she spat in contempt, "You are an Alexandrian leader!"
"...I am an Alexandrian leader who knows what is really going on." he replied as he disappeared into one of the buildings. He knew the Burmecian lock system. If he was going to find the king and evacuate him, he'd need to get into the palace. And, sealing that palace was the bell-door, which could only be opened by a doorbell. He would have to find one if he had any hope of getting into the palace.
He started to examine the wreckage of a bedroom when he heard a low groan. A Burmecian soldier was trying to stand from the wreckage, which had collapsed onto him. Talyn glanced down at him and knelt down to assist him.
"Thank you..." the Burmecian replied before taking a look at him. As soon as he did, he stepped back, reaching for his weapon, "Talyn Resscal! What is this!?"
"Easy..." Talyn took a step back, raising his arms to show he wasn't going to attack, "I need to get to the royal palace."
"To assassinate our king, no doubt!?" the Burmecian hissed, "I will not let you!" With that, he grabbed his spear and thrust at Talyn. The commander jumped back as the spear hit a pillar. The pillar fell forward onto the Burmecian soldier, who was just doing his duty to his king and country. The Burmecian's skull was crushed in the fall of the stone pillar. Quickly kneeling beside the Burmecian, Talyn sighed, seeing he was too late. A slight ringing noise caught his ears. A bell. From the Burmecian. Searching the dead Burmecian's uniform, he fished the bell out from a pocket.
"This is it..." he said to himself, "...this will give me access to the palace." Standing, he placed the bell in the inside pocket of his cloak. He knew where his next destination would lie. The Royal Palace of Burmecia. There, he would confront his former commanding officer, General Beatrix, and Queen Brahne herself... He had taken his first steps into recognizing the larger world around him.
Garahan glanced around at the children. They were staring at him, wide-eyed and some of them had their mouths open. He chuckled lightly to himself. He didn't expect such a reaction.
"Wow!" one exclaimed, "He actually met Sir Fratley? THE Sir Fratley!?"
"Indeed." Garahan nodded.
"Wait a minute..." another said, "How could Fratley have told him that? Fratley had lost his memory!"
"I am only telling what I know, my little ones..." Garahan replied, "I do not quite know the full details. Perhaps Fratley knew more than he told originally. In any case, Talyn had heard many things about the Burmecian Dragoon Knight Fratley. And he knew that Fratley was just playing possum... excuse the expression." A few of the children chuckled at that. "In any case, I do not suggest you sell Commander Talyn Resscal short just yet, my little ones. His own name was widely spread as well. Not as infamous as Alexandria's General Beatrix but he was known as a very skilled fighter."
Garahan glanced about again. A few of the older Burmecians had come around to listen to the story. He raised an eyebrow slightly. Never expected this audience.
"Please do continue, sir." a familiar female voice said from the crowd of onlookers.
Garahan looked up slightly, looking for the owner of the voice. No familiar face stepped forward. All he saw were the faces of the children, eager for him to continue the story. He nodded slightly, deciding to find that voice later.
"Very well." he said, "In any case, the rain continued to pour down as Commander Talyn pressed onward toward Burmecia. He had a desicion to make and a small amount of time to make it in."
~*~
BURMECIA
~*~
Before long, he, Talyn Resacal, stood at the gates of Burmecia. The scene already looked as terrible as Sir Fratley had described. The gates had been forcibly opened, more like they had been destroyed rather than opened. Food carts had been knocked over. Buildings had been demolished. Discarded weapons, bones, and half-dead Burmecian bodies littered the streets. His stomach turned as his eyes widened. He remembered that on a day not unlike this one, he arrived at a similar scene in Gearo, a small town that had been plotting to overthrow Queen Brahne. Only, he felt joy and excitement at seeing the lives of blasphemers taken. The thrill of battle once washed over him as he cut down those deemed traitors by the queen.
But, his conversation with Fratley had made him look at it in another light. This light was blood red. Frightening. Sickening. As he examined a dropped spear, he heard a blood-curdling scream eminating from the area in which I speak to you now. He saw them, almost immediately.
Two of them, pointed-hats and all. Two of those 'Black Mages', as the Queen had called them. Two of them advanced on a Burmecian woman and her child. The both of them were cradling the dead body of a Burmecian soldier, whom Talyn assumed was the husband and father.
"KILL!" the first mage exclaimed.
"KILL!" the second repeated.
Both of them raised their hands, intending to strike down the Burmecian woman and her child with their magic. Talyn's heart leapt into his throat. He couldn't let this happen... not now!
"BLACK MAGES, HALT!!" he yelled as he ran toward the scene. The two Black Mages slowly lowered their arms and turned to the Alexandrian commander, silent. The two Burmecians looked to him with some confusion and apprehension.
Talyn looked to the Burmecians and then back to the Black Mages, "You are needed elsewhere. I will handle this situation."
Still, the Black Mages said nothing, but disappeared into small spheres of light and fluttered away. Talyn watched them go and turned to face the Burmecian woman and her child. They still held onto the dead Burmecian man. "Commander Resscal...!" the woman said breathlessly, "Stay away, you murderer!" she cried, backing away from him.
"Madam..." Talyn knelt down on one knee, "Please... I do not wish you any harm. I implore you... I beg of you... please leave Burmecia now... before more of those things come here!"
"...wh...what...?" the woman asked, a look of astonishment on her face.
"Leave Burmecia... find somewhere to hide!" he exclaimed, "I will evacuate anyone else still in the city!" Talyn stood and started heading deeper into Burmecia.
"How can we trust you!?" she spat in contempt, "You are an Alexandrian leader!"
"...I am an Alexandrian leader who knows what is really going on." he replied as he disappeared into one of the buildings. He knew the Burmecian lock system. If he was going to find the king and evacuate him, he'd need to get into the palace. And, sealing that palace was the bell-door, which could only be opened by a doorbell. He would have to find one if he had any hope of getting into the palace.
He started to examine the wreckage of a bedroom when he heard a low groan. A Burmecian soldier was trying to stand from the wreckage, which had collapsed onto him. Talyn glanced down at him and knelt down to assist him.
"Thank you..." the Burmecian replied before taking a look at him. As soon as he did, he stepped back, reaching for his weapon, "Talyn Resscal! What is this!?"
"Easy..." Talyn took a step back, raising his arms to show he wasn't going to attack, "I need to get to the royal palace."
"To assassinate our king, no doubt!?" the Burmecian hissed, "I will not let you!" With that, he grabbed his spear and thrust at Talyn. The commander jumped back as the spear hit a pillar. The pillar fell forward onto the Burmecian soldier, who was just doing his duty to his king and country. The Burmecian's skull was crushed in the fall of the stone pillar. Quickly kneeling beside the Burmecian, Talyn sighed, seeing he was too late. A slight ringing noise caught his ears. A bell. From the Burmecian. Searching the dead Burmecian's uniform, he fished the bell out from a pocket.
"This is it..." he said to himself, "...this will give me access to the palace." Standing, he placed the bell in the inside pocket of his cloak. He knew where his next destination would lie. The Royal Palace of Burmecia. There, he would confront his former commanding officer, General Beatrix, and Queen Brahne herself... He had taken his first steps into recognizing the larger world around him.