"Why wouldn't any of the Burmecians believe that he was on their side?" one
of the children asked, interrupting the story. Most of the others turned
to rebuke him, to tell him to keep quiet.
"Now, now…" Garahan said, calming them, "This young lad brings up a good point. The reason is because, though Talyn wasn't trying to kill them, the Burmecians didn't think he was there to help them either. It would be very hard to accept that an Alexandrian leader would actually be helping their cause and trying to evacuate the civilians."
"They should have at least heard him out…" the female voice again returned. Garahan, again, looked up to see whomever it was that was speaking to him. But, still, not a familiar face to be seen in the ever-growing crowd.
"Keep going, Garahan!" another child exclaimed.
"Right." Garahan nodded and continued on with his story, "With the door- bell in his possession, Commander Resscal searched the destroyed city of Burmecia for the entrance to the Royal Palace. When he did find it, he was met with an unpleasant surprise…"
~*~
EPIPHANY
~*~
"Impossible…" Talyn whispered to himself, as he remained hidden in the shadows, peering at the bell-door. He had found his way through the wreckage of a Burmecian home and came upon the entryway to the Royal Palace of Burmecia, but he did not make it there first. There were three others there, standing before the bell-door, not yet aware of his presence. One was a man…at least he thought it was a man. He was not sure. The other two were easily recognizable. The fat and ugly one was none other than Queen Brahne and the other woman was his superior officer, General Beatrix.
"It is no use, highness." Beatrix sighed as she set the point of her sword on the ground, "The door will not open unless we have a door-bell."
"Then FIND a door-bell!" the queen growled, "The king of those rats will NOT escape me!"
"Our Black Mages have been ordered to retrieve any bells and bring them to us." Beatrix said, "It is only a matter of time before-"
Suddenly, the chilly dampness of the rain and the temperature turned against Talyn. He felt something coming but was not able to hold it in. Before he knew what had happened, he sneezed loudly, giving away his position. Beatrix swung around to face the shadows, sword up and ready to defend Brahne.
"Who goes there?" she demanded, pointing the sword toward the figure drenched in rain and darkness. Talyn sighed, figuring that it was too late for stealth and stepped forward to reveal himself to the three. Beatrix slowly lowered her sword, "Commander Resscal. It's about time that you showed up. Where have you been?"
Talyn shook his head, "Never mind that. …I have not come for the reasons that you may think."
Brahne fixed a cold glare on the young man, "And what have you come here for, if not to serve your country?"
"I came here…" Talyn took in a deep breath before unsheathing his sword, "I came here to stop you! This country need not be dealt such severe blows as you would have given them!"
Beatrix's mouth turned upward in a small smirk, "So, the Commander is a turncoat. It is ironic that you would have been promoted to General soon enough. Tell us, Commander, why have you decided to stop us?"
"This is not the way of the Alexandrian army!" Talyn exclaimed, "I joined to protect the country, not to wage war against a neighboring kingdom!" He pointed to Brahne, "You're in a mad quest for power and I won't stand for it!"
"No matter!" Brahne snapped, "Beatrix! Deal with the traitor!"
Beatrix pointed her sword toward Talyn, "With great pleasure." Immediately she charged at Talyn, who reflexively dodged to the side and clashed his sword with hers. The battle between the two warriors ensued. Every time their swords clashed, it was as if another bolt of lighting filled the sky, the clanging of the sword like thunder. Unlike the battle with the Burmecian Dragoon Knight, however, it was Talyn who fell before Beatrix.
Talyn stumbled away from her, leaning on the railing of the balcony for support. Putting his hand to his chest, he took it away slowly, revealing the blood that leaked. Beatrix approached him and grabbed his throat, squeezing it.
"You can die with the rest of the traitorous vermin!" she hissed and grabbed the bell from his trenchcoat pocket. Talyn reached for the bell, to save it from her grasp, but Beatrix pushed him backwards, sending him over the railing and off of the balcony, landing on the cobblestone ground below.
The pain that Talyn felt was immense. He thought he felt his head was cracked open, his bones broken, his body in a mangled mess. He tried to concentrate on keeping his eyes open, for he feared that if he did indeed close them, he would never again open them in this lifetime. He did not want to die. He had too much else planned for him to die.
However, fate was not playing his way that day. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open, to grasp onto the bits of life that he had left. As his vision dimmed, he saw two figures standing over him. They were unrecognizable but he remembered one of their voices.
"That's him…" it was the voice of the woman he had saved from the Black Mages, "He's the one that sent those demons away."
"This is Talyn Resscal, the Alexandrian commander…" the other figure, male, spoke, "He fought Beatrix to defend this city…come, help me with him. We shall bring him to Cleyra and give him rest. I hope we are not too late."
"Are you certain that this is a good idea?" the woman asked, "He could very well be nothing more than a spy and a puppet for the Alexandrians!"
"If he is, then we shall deal with him then. As for now, we must bring him to Cleyra if we hope to save his life."
Talyn opened his eyes a bit further, "…No…they'll get into…the palace…the king…"
"Worry not about the king, warrior." The male Burmecian soldier replied, "He has been evacuated, like most of the citizens here, to Cleyra."
"…good…" Talyn sighed in relief, "Brahne…and Beatrix…they're…" But, he could not say another word as the pain returned to his body and he passed out.
"Quickly! We must hurry!" the Burmecian soldier replied as he and the Burmecian woman gently picked him up and carried Talyn out of the city.
"Now, now…" Garahan said, calming them, "This young lad brings up a good point. The reason is because, though Talyn wasn't trying to kill them, the Burmecians didn't think he was there to help them either. It would be very hard to accept that an Alexandrian leader would actually be helping their cause and trying to evacuate the civilians."
"They should have at least heard him out…" the female voice again returned. Garahan, again, looked up to see whomever it was that was speaking to him. But, still, not a familiar face to be seen in the ever-growing crowd.
"Keep going, Garahan!" another child exclaimed.
"Right." Garahan nodded and continued on with his story, "With the door- bell in his possession, Commander Resscal searched the destroyed city of Burmecia for the entrance to the Royal Palace. When he did find it, he was met with an unpleasant surprise…"
~*~
EPIPHANY
~*~
"Impossible…" Talyn whispered to himself, as he remained hidden in the shadows, peering at the bell-door. He had found his way through the wreckage of a Burmecian home and came upon the entryway to the Royal Palace of Burmecia, but he did not make it there first. There were three others there, standing before the bell-door, not yet aware of his presence. One was a man…at least he thought it was a man. He was not sure. The other two were easily recognizable. The fat and ugly one was none other than Queen Brahne and the other woman was his superior officer, General Beatrix.
"It is no use, highness." Beatrix sighed as she set the point of her sword on the ground, "The door will not open unless we have a door-bell."
"Then FIND a door-bell!" the queen growled, "The king of those rats will NOT escape me!"
"Our Black Mages have been ordered to retrieve any bells and bring them to us." Beatrix said, "It is only a matter of time before-"
Suddenly, the chilly dampness of the rain and the temperature turned against Talyn. He felt something coming but was not able to hold it in. Before he knew what had happened, he sneezed loudly, giving away his position. Beatrix swung around to face the shadows, sword up and ready to defend Brahne.
"Who goes there?" she demanded, pointing the sword toward the figure drenched in rain and darkness. Talyn sighed, figuring that it was too late for stealth and stepped forward to reveal himself to the three. Beatrix slowly lowered her sword, "Commander Resscal. It's about time that you showed up. Where have you been?"
Talyn shook his head, "Never mind that. …I have not come for the reasons that you may think."
Brahne fixed a cold glare on the young man, "And what have you come here for, if not to serve your country?"
"I came here…" Talyn took in a deep breath before unsheathing his sword, "I came here to stop you! This country need not be dealt such severe blows as you would have given them!"
Beatrix's mouth turned upward in a small smirk, "So, the Commander is a turncoat. It is ironic that you would have been promoted to General soon enough. Tell us, Commander, why have you decided to stop us?"
"This is not the way of the Alexandrian army!" Talyn exclaimed, "I joined to protect the country, not to wage war against a neighboring kingdom!" He pointed to Brahne, "You're in a mad quest for power and I won't stand for it!"
"No matter!" Brahne snapped, "Beatrix! Deal with the traitor!"
Beatrix pointed her sword toward Talyn, "With great pleasure." Immediately she charged at Talyn, who reflexively dodged to the side and clashed his sword with hers. The battle between the two warriors ensued. Every time their swords clashed, it was as if another bolt of lighting filled the sky, the clanging of the sword like thunder. Unlike the battle with the Burmecian Dragoon Knight, however, it was Talyn who fell before Beatrix.
Talyn stumbled away from her, leaning on the railing of the balcony for support. Putting his hand to his chest, he took it away slowly, revealing the blood that leaked. Beatrix approached him and grabbed his throat, squeezing it.
"You can die with the rest of the traitorous vermin!" she hissed and grabbed the bell from his trenchcoat pocket. Talyn reached for the bell, to save it from her grasp, but Beatrix pushed him backwards, sending him over the railing and off of the balcony, landing on the cobblestone ground below.
The pain that Talyn felt was immense. He thought he felt his head was cracked open, his bones broken, his body in a mangled mess. He tried to concentrate on keeping his eyes open, for he feared that if he did indeed close them, he would never again open them in this lifetime. He did not want to die. He had too much else planned for him to die.
However, fate was not playing his way that day. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open, to grasp onto the bits of life that he had left. As his vision dimmed, he saw two figures standing over him. They were unrecognizable but he remembered one of their voices.
"That's him…" it was the voice of the woman he had saved from the Black Mages, "He's the one that sent those demons away."
"This is Talyn Resscal, the Alexandrian commander…" the other figure, male, spoke, "He fought Beatrix to defend this city…come, help me with him. We shall bring him to Cleyra and give him rest. I hope we are not too late."
"Are you certain that this is a good idea?" the woman asked, "He could very well be nothing more than a spy and a puppet for the Alexandrians!"
"If he is, then we shall deal with him then. As for now, we must bring him to Cleyra if we hope to save his life."
Talyn opened his eyes a bit further, "…No…they'll get into…the palace…the king…"
"Worry not about the king, warrior." The male Burmecian soldier replied, "He has been evacuated, like most of the citizens here, to Cleyra."
"…good…" Talyn sighed in relief, "Brahne…and Beatrix…they're…" But, he could not say another word as the pain returned to his body and he passed out.
"Quickly! We must hurry!" the Burmecian soldier replied as he and the Burmecian woman gently picked him up and carried Talyn out of the city.