Lessons From a Song
I arrived in Bervenia by nightfall. Like before, I rented a room at the Inn and went to sleep. This time though, I didn't have any nightmares. Maybe it was because I was starting to believe in Ramza a little bit more, although I didn't think so at the time.
The second night there was uneventful as well. I just sat around the common room, listening to the gossip. Apparently, Naten assassins took out Larg, and Orlandu betrayed Gotana, and was promptly executed for it. Must be a plan the High Priest devised, but it didn't seem to be working. The armies still wanted to battle each other, even without their leaders.
People can be so foolish sometimes. Look how much was lost in the war in only a little over a year. Imagine if this fighting goes on for several more years. All of Ivalice will be devastated, and all the people will either die in battle or starve. Can't they see all the damage they're causing?
But it does no good to curse out the dead who wanted this or the living that continue to fight despite what has happened. Our only hope is to rally together in order to make Ivalice the great land she once was. Sadly, I don't think we as a people are capable of doing it.
The third night was when everything changed. I knew Ramza would be in town tonight, so I tried to stick to the back of the Inn's common room. Granted, he wouldn't show himself so openly if he could help it, but I guess I was just delaying the inevitable.
It was on this night that a great announcement came from Goug Machine City. Apparently, they had dug up a sound device that dated back to before St. Ajora was born. Most people know that the society back then was highly advanced, and the only clues we have are found by Mechanics. Tonight, they were going to show the common people what they had discovered, and play some of the music they had found buried along with the system.
"All right," the man who'd brought the system in said, "I hope you all have a great time here. Our first song is going to be from a young woman who lived several thousand years ago. It's a song about how you should always listen to your heart, or you might live to regret it some day. So without further delay, here's Aviral Lavigne's Sk8er Boi."
As I listened to the lyrics of the song, I gasped. The girl in the song might very well have been me. Granted, she doesn't have half the problems I do, but she seems to be what I might have been in another time and place.
For those of you who've never heard the song, I will give you the short and sweet version of the story. There was this guy who was something called a punk - - no doubt an ancient term for bard - - and a girl who did something called ballet - - what I gather, she's a type of dancer. Both of them liked each other, but the girl wouldn't admit it because she wanted to be like her friends, who all shunned him. Some time later, he became a successful rock and roll bard, and had found someone who loved him for who he was inside. The other girl was left all alone, holding the bag and regretting her past decision.
I thought I'd never end up like that girl. I'm not in love with Ramza, just confused at whom to believe in any more. There's no point in taking these things to heart. I mean, it's only a song that someone wrote a long time ago for the purpose of what the ancients called entertainment. Those things haven't been around since the days of female bards and male dancers.
I listened to a few more songs, and then decided to go back upstairs and get some sleep. It's just been a late night, that's why I'm feeling so funny. This whole 'I'm going to end up like the girl in the song' thing will go away come morning, mark my words.
Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't have been more wrong. The next day, I sat in the common room sipping some tea when a mercenary ran into the Inn. He began yelling something about seeing Ramza Beoulve leaving town and heading down the road to Zeltennia. Then he began to ask for volunteers to go with him to catch the heretic.
Almost the whole room agreed. The ones who didn't must have either been afraid, or had never held a sword in their lives. I felt sorry for the kid who had tried to rally the men, he now had to choose from a whole group of bloodthirsty warriors.
But that gave me time to go on ahead. I must warn Ramza that his life is in danger. I don't know what had come over me. Chalk it up to that song I heard last night.
In late evening, I arrived at Finnath River. Although I wanted to find Ramza first, it was getting to dark to do much of anything. So I made my camp, and went to sleep.
* * *
I awoke to the sounds of battle. Wondering what was going on, I began to follow it, until I arrived at a clearing. There, I found Ramza locked in battle with the mercenaries that had been gathering in Bervenia's Inn. He stood no chance at this rate, I had to help.
I pulled Save the Queen out of her sheath, and charged the nearest enemy. He was taken by surprise, and fell easily. But I couldn't rest after that, Ramza was still in danger. So I continued killing all of the mercenaries in my path, until the last one had fallen.
"Ramza, are you hurt?" I asked.
Ramza replied, "Not at all. I hope you haven't gotten yourself in too deep now. You know if this gets found out, you'll be branded a heretic too."
I gave him a smile. "I really could care less what they say about me. The only thing that can satisfy me is to know that my brother Izlude is avenged, and you're the one who knows how I can do it. What do you say, partners?"
"Partners," he replied, "Don't worry Mel, we'll avenge Izlude and save Alma, together."
"My life and my sword are in your hand," I stated.
- - - -
Well, that's how I believe a person from Ivalice would define a song from our time. I took the line about how there were airships and other signs of high technology back in Ajora's time, and decided to make that time period being our future. This is the first real sign of Meliadoul falling in love with Ramza mentioned, more will come.
I arrived in Bervenia by nightfall. Like before, I rented a room at the Inn and went to sleep. This time though, I didn't have any nightmares. Maybe it was because I was starting to believe in Ramza a little bit more, although I didn't think so at the time.
The second night there was uneventful as well. I just sat around the common room, listening to the gossip. Apparently, Naten assassins took out Larg, and Orlandu betrayed Gotana, and was promptly executed for it. Must be a plan the High Priest devised, but it didn't seem to be working. The armies still wanted to battle each other, even without their leaders.
People can be so foolish sometimes. Look how much was lost in the war in only a little over a year. Imagine if this fighting goes on for several more years. All of Ivalice will be devastated, and all the people will either die in battle or starve. Can't they see all the damage they're causing?
But it does no good to curse out the dead who wanted this or the living that continue to fight despite what has happened. Our only hope is to rally together in order to make Ivalice the great land she once was. Sadly, I don't think we as a people are capable of doing it.
The third night was when everything changed. I knew Ramza would be in town tonight, so I tried to stick to the back of the Inn's common room. Granted, he wouldn't show himself so openly if he could help it, but I guess I was just delaying the inevitable.
It was on this night that a great announcement came from Goug Machine City. Apparently, they had dug up a sound device that dated back to before St. Ajora was born. Most people know that the society back then was highly advanced, and the only clues we have are found by Mechanics. Tonight, they were going to show the common people what they had discovered, and play some of the music they had found buried along with the system.
"All right," the man who'd brought the system in said, "I hope you all have a great time here. Our first song is going to be from a young woman who lived several thousand years ago. It's a song about how you should always listen to your heart, or you might live to regret it some day. So without further delay, here's Aviral Lavigne's Sk8er Boi."
As I listened to the lyrics of the song, I gasped. The girl in the song might very well have been me. Granted, she doesn't have half the problems I do, but she seems to be what I might have been in another time and place.
For those of you who've never heard the song, I will give you the short and sweet version of the story. There was this guy who was something called a punk - - no doubt an ancient term for bard - - and a girl who did something called ballet - - what I gather, she's a type of dancer. Both of them liked each other, but the girl wouldn't admit it because she wanted to be like her friends, who all shunned him. Some time later, he became a successful rock and roll bard, and had found someone who loved him for who he was inside. The other girl was left all alone, holding the bag and regretting her past decision.
I thought I'd never end up like that girl. I'm not in love with Ramza, just confused at whom to believe in any more. There's no point in taking these things to heart. I mean, it's only a song that someone wrote a long time ago for the purpose of what the ancients called entertainment. Those things haven't been around since the days of female bards and male dancers.
I listened to a few more songs, and then decided to go back upstairs and get some sleep. It's just been a late night, that's why I'm feeling so funny. This whole 'I'm going to end up like the girl in the song' thing will go away come morning, mark my words.
Wouldn't you know it, I couldn't have been more wrong. The next day, I sat in the common room sipping some tea when a mercenary ran into the Inn. He began yelling something about seeing Ramza Beoulve leaving town and heading down the road to Zeltennia. Then he began to ask for volunteers to go with him to catch the heretic.
Almost the whole room agreed. The ones who didn't must have either been afraid, or had never held a sword in their lives. I felt sorry for the kid who had tried to rally the men, he now had to choose from a whole group of bloodthirsty warriors.
But that gave me time to go on ahead. I must warn Ramza that his life is in danger. I don't know what had come over me. Chalk it up to that song I heard last night.
In late evening, I arrived at Finnath River. Although I wanted to find Ramza first, it was getting to dark to do much of anything. So I made my camp, and went to sleep.
* * *
I awoke to the sounds of battle. Wondering what was going on, I began to follow it, until I arrived at a clearing. There, I found Ramza locked in battle with the mercenaries that had been gathering in Bervenia's Inn. He stood no chance at this rate, I had to help.
I pulled Save the Queen out of her sheath, and charged the nearest enemy. He was taken by surprise, and fell easily. But I couldn't rest after that, Ramza was still in danger. So I continued killing all of the mercenaries in my path, until the last one had fallen.
"Ramza, are you hurt?" I asked.
Ramza replied, "Not at all. I hope you haven't gotten yourself in too deep now. You know if this gets found out, you'll be branded a heretic too."
I gave him a smile. "I really could care less what they say about me. The only thing that can satisfy me is to know that my brother Izlude is avenged, and you're the one who knows how I can do it. What do you say, partners?"
"Partners," he replied, "Don't worry Mel, we'll avenge Izlude and save Alma, together."
"My life and my sword are in your hand," I stated.
- - - -
Well, that's how I believe a person from Ivalice would define a song from our time. I took the line about how there were airships and other signs of high technology back in Ajora's time, and decided to make that time period being our future. This is the first real sign of Meliadoul falling in love with Ramza mentioned, more will come.