Fleeting Glory
Part V: Bad Omens (Just a Little Bit)
Amelia stared at the steward.
"What?" She said finally. Prince Phil swallowed, then spoke. "Can you bring him here?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'll fetch him," the steward said. During the minute he was away, silence grew in heavy layers. The sound of breathing had disappeared, for all three had stopped breathing almost completely. When the steward returned, a disheveled village man behind him, they all jumped.
"Oh," said Prince Phil. "Come in, come in." The man settled across from them. The steward took his leave.
"Now," said Amelia when the door was shut, "can you tell us what you mean, exactly?"
The man shook his head.
"I can't describe it," he said. His voice was thick. "It's not there. It's.it's."
"What?"
"There used to be villages there! There were people and animals! Farms and families! Stores and-" he broke off with a sob. Prince Phil rose, walked to the man, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"What's there now?" he asked softly.
"I don't KNOW!" The messenger's voice rose sharply into panic at the end. "It's not right! It's there, but not what it was. There are things, living I think, but I don't know, and they aren't what was there! It's gone. It's not right."
Amelia and Firia exchanged a look.
"What.?" said Firia softly.
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." She turned to the man. "Where did you come from?"
"I'm.I was from a village on the border of Saillune and Elmekia, where they border the Desert of Destruction. I had gone with a trading party to the Coastal States for fish. It was going fine, but when we got back, our homes weren't there. Most of the others kept going. As soon as they got close." He stopped. His audience waited, until Firia reached over, and gently said, "Yes?"
"As soon as they got close, they disappeared. So we waited for them- there were five of us left-we waited for them, but they didn't come back. Selvyn, he's a good man, but he's had so much happen in his life.Selvyn went mad. Completely crazy, right off. We tried to keep him, but that night, he escaped when we were all asleep. Meb saw him running out across the desert, and there weren't no way we were going to follow him there.
"So next morning, I go. Or come. The others- they stayed. In case anyone came out. But I don't think. It's been five days getting here. And now I gotta tell you. The world is falling away. Something else is there. It's not like us at all. Or it is.but it isn't. It's not our world."
Princess Amelia looked at Prince Phil. Firia looked at them both.
"I wish Lina were here," said Amelia.
Lina was busy worrying about how to hold up her promise to save the world.
"What am I going to do?" she muttered to Zel and Gourry. Mikechi strode ahead of them.
Zelgadis looked at her in amazement.
"I don't have the slightest idea," he said.
"Why did you say you'd help if you don't know how?" asked Gourry.
"I said I'd try! I didn't even know the problem until half an hour ago!" she exclaimed.
"How do you know?" asked Zel, looking suddenly thoughtful.
"What?"
"How do you know you've only known for half an hour?"
"ZEL!" Mikechi gave them a sideways look, shrugged, and kept walking.
"What?" Zel said sheepishly. " I just meant, how do you know how time elapses here?"
"You mean.?"
"I mean, maybe it feels like half an hour, but it could have been three days, or the length of a yawn." Lina stared at him.
"What's with you? We get over here to Happy Monster Land, and you turn into the court philosopher! Get a grip, Zel!"
"I have a grip," he said, sounding affronted. "I'm dead serious."
"And what brought this on, anyway?"
"I just wondered about it all of the sudden."
"How can you have time to wonder about time--" She heard her words and did a mental double take. "How can you, when it's hard enough thinking about saving the worlds? Just because you almost fit in here, and can actually see straight doesn't mean you have to go off on rants about time! And I'd say we have something else to worry about at the moment! Unless the fate of the world doesn't mean anything to you, in which case I suggest--"
"Lina!" In an uncharacteristic motion, he grabbed her shoulders. Gourry looked toward what passed for ground here.
"Yeah?" Lina said.
"Calm down. It's not like you to panic." She wriggled uncomfortably.
"I just don't feel right here," she said at last. "And anyway, it's not like you to ignore what I say to you." Zel dropped his grasp.
"I wasn't ignoring you," he told her.
'Right,' thought Gourry, still staring fixedly elsewhere. 'You would never ignore her.'
"I just thought of it, and I had to say something about it. I'm not belittling your problem."
"It's not her problem," said Gourry. "It's everybody's, isn't it?"
"Sure, but she's the one Xelas'll kill if she screws up."
"Thanks so much, Zel," said Lina. Paying attention to him, not Gourry at all. "Won't really matter, will it?" said Mikechi suddenly. "If both worlds end, how you die won't make much of a difference." Gourry smiled. He'd thought something along those lines, but if he had said so it would have sounded stupid.
"I guess not," admitted Zel.
"Depending on how Xelas would kill me," Lina added darkly.
"What should we do?" asked Prince Phil hopelessly, once the man had left. Amelia hesitated.
"I think we should go see it ourselves," she said.
A.N.: Do you believe it?! I actually wrote again! It's been four months! This is the first time I've been inspired! Wow! Hope I keep being inspired. By the way, I didn't make up the geography. It's from here:
http://www.inverse.org/e/bkg/world/geo2.shtml
It's a good site overall. Highly recommended. Anyway, please review, since I've had eleven since April. Number's getting old. See y'all!!! 6.~
Amelia stared at the steward.
"What?" She said finally. Prince Phil swallowed, then spoke. "Can you bring him here?" he asked in a low voice.
"I'll fetch him," the steward said. During the minute he was away, silence grew in heavy layers. The sound of breathing had disappeared, for all three had stopped breathing almost completely. When the steward returned, a disheveled village man behind him, they all jumped.
"Oh," said Prince Phil. "Come in, come in." The man settled across from them. The steward took his leave.
"Now," said Amelia when the door was shut, "can you tell us what you mean, exactly?"
The man shook his head.
"I can't describe it," he said. His voice was thick. "It's not there. It's.it's."
"What?"
"There used to be villages there! There were people and animals! Farms and families! Stores and-" he broke off with a sob. Prince Phil rose, walked to the man, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"What's there now?" he asked softly.
"I don't KNOW!" The messenger's voice rose sharply into panic at the end. "It's not right! It's there, but not what it was. There are things, living I think, but I don't know, and they aren't what was there! It's gone. It's not right."
Amelia and Firia exchanged a look.
"What.?" said Firia softly.
"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." She turned to the man. "Where did you come from?"
"I'm.I was from a village on the border of Saillune and Elmekia, where they border the Desert of Destruction. I had gone with a trading party to the Coastal States for fish. It was going fine, but when we got back, our homes weren't there. Most of the others kept going. As soon as they got close." He stopped. His audience waited, until Firia reached over, and gently said, "Yes?"
"As soon as they got close, they disappeared. So we waited for them- there were five of us left-we waited for them, but they didn't come back. Selvyn, he's a good man, but he's had so much happen in his life.Selvyn went mad. Completely crazy, right off. We tried to keep him, but that night, he escaped when we were all asleep. Meb saw him running out across the desert, and there weren't no way we were going to follow him there.
"So next morning, I go. Or come. The others- they stayed. In case anyone came out. But I don't think. It's been five days getting here. And now I gotta tell you. The world is falling away. Something else is there. It's not like us at all. Or it is.but it isn't. It's not our world."
Princess Amelia looked at Prince Phil. Firia looked at them both.
"I wish Lina were here," said Amelia.
Lina was busy worrying about how to hold up her promise to save the world.
"What am I going to do?" she muttered to Zel and Gourry. Mikechi strode ahead of them.
Zelgadis looked at her in amazement.
"I don't have the slightest idea," he said.
"Why did you say you'd help if you don't know how?" asked Gourry.
"I said I'd try! I didn't even know the problem until half an hour ago!" she exclaimed.
"How do you know?" asked Zel, looking suddenly thoughtful.
"What?"
"How do you know you've only known for half an hour?"
"ZEL!" Mikechi gave them a sideways look, shrugged, and kept walking.
"What?" Zel said sheepishly. " I just meant, how do you know how time elapses here?"
"You mean.?"
"I mean, maybe it feels like half an hour, but it could have been three days, or the length of a yawn." Lina stared at him.
"What's with you? We get over here to Happy Monster Land, and you turn into the court philosopher! Get a grip, Zel!"
"I have a grip," he said, sounding affronted. "I'm dead serious."
"And what brought this on, anyway?"
"I just wondered about it all of the sudden."
"How can you have time to wonder about time--" She heard her words and did a mental double take. "How can you, when it's hard enough thinking about saving the worlds? Just because you almost fit in here, and can actually see straight doesn't mean you have to go off on rants about time! And I'd say we have something else to worry about at the moment! Unless the fate of the world doesn't mean anything to you, in which case I suggest--"
"Lina!" In an uncharacteristic motion, he grabbed her shoulders. Gourry looked toward what passed for ground here.
"Yeah?" Lina said.
"Calm down. It's not like you to panic." She wriggled uncomfortably.
"I just don't feel right here," she said at last. "And anyway, it's not like you to ignore what I say to you." Zel dropped his grasp.
"I wasn't ignoring you," he told her.
'Right,' thought Gourry, still staring fixedly elsewhere. 'You would never ignore her.'
"I just thought of it, and I had to say something about it. I'm not belittling your problem."
"It's not her problem," said Gourry. "It's everybody's, isn't it?"
"Sure, but she's the one Xelas'll kill if she screws up."
"Thanks so much, Zel," said Lina. Paying attention to him, not Gourry at all. "Won't really matter, will it?" said Mikechi suddenly. "If both worlds end, how you die won't make much of a difference." Gourry smiled. He'd thought something along those lines, but if he had said so it would have sounded stupid.
"I guess not," admitted Zel.
"Depending on how Xelas would kill me," Lina added darkly.
"What should we do?" asked Prince Phil hopelessly, once the man had left. Amelia hesitated.
"I think we should go see it ourselves," she said.
A.N.: Do you believe it?! I actually wrote again! It's been four months! This is the first time I've been inspired! Wow! Hope I keep being inspired. By the way, I didn't make up the geography. It's from here:
http://www.inverse.org/e/bkg/world/geo2.shtml
It's a good site overall. Highly recommended. Anyway, please review, since I've had eleven since April. Number's getting old. See y'all!!! 6.~
