Author: Liz Luthor
Disclaimer: Skies of Arcadia is not mine. The characters from Skies of Arcadia are not mine. The plot-lines and other ideas from Skies of Arcadia are not mine. Let us rejoice.
Author's Notes: I actually posted two chapters within one month! Be proud, friends! :D
Guilt. What an annoyance.
Loss of sleep. Inability to think straight. And not to mention paranoia that increased every single time Vyse so much as glanced at me.
'He knows,' I thought to myself as I lay in my bunk below Raine's. 'He must know. He's just trying to get me come out with it before we get to Valua.' I rolled on my side, not the least bit tired, but exhausted at the same time. Aika was currently serving her shift at the helm, and Vyse slept peacefully in his own bunk on the other side of our room. I rolled over again, this time on the right side of my body so that I faced his and Aika's bunk-bed.
'Maybe I will tell him...'
My thoughts were interrupted as Raine stormed into the room. I sat up abruptly, but Vyse still slept as calmly as ever.
"What is it?" I asked, pulling myself out of the bed. She signaled me to follow her out of the room. I closed the door softly behind me as I walked into the hallway, where Raine stood with her arms folded over her chest, looking at me as though I'd hanged a fuzzy little bunny rabbit. "What?!" I whispered defensively.
"I overheard a radio conversation between a couple of sailors," she replied with distaste, as though I should have known from that what it was I'd done wrong. I stared at her until she continued. "Fine, then, you go ahead and play the innocent. Maybe I'll just tie you up and give you to King Enrique." My expression only became more confused. She looked exasperated. "Alright, alright! ...I heard news that there was a body found in Nasrad with a message to the King. A threat, actually- and it was signed from the black merchant." We were both silent as we stood in the hallway; she was expectant, and I was just plain shocked.
"...You don't think I..." I paused, then hissed in a lower tone, "You don't really believe I would kill someone, do you?!" Raine looked deep into my eyes, like there was some sort of answer there for her to read.
Finally, she declared, "No."
I rolled my eyes and replied, "Then what's that look for?? You know I didn't murder anybody!"
"Not directly, you didn't, but the body being found wasn't just a rumor. Talis, if you would only drop your stupid make-believe and wake up, none of this would be happening! All you have to do to solve this is tell Vyse who you are, then we can explain the whole thing to them! I've told you a thousand times, you'd still be just fine sustaining yourself without going around, helping thieves make a living. Especially after today."
"What does that mean?" I asked carefully, following her out onto the deck.
"It means-" she started, but couldn't seem to finish it. She took a breath and looked me in the eyes again. "It means that your competition is dead. The body was identified as Mr. Tane."
Vyse awoke quietly and stretched before looking around to see if anyone else was in the room. He was alone. Quickly he stood and exited the living quarters, making his way to the bridge.
"Hey," he said casually from behind Aika. She waved without turning around and kept her concentration on the vast expanse of sky stretched before her. Vyse paused to yawn, then decided to leave her to the helm. He spotted Talis and Raine on the deck and smiled, walking over to join them.
"That's not fair, I couldn't control that! You know I didn't-" I stopped talking immediately when Vyse approached. Raine turned back toward the sky, troubled.
"...Did I, uh, interrupt something here? I didn't mean to cut in on your conversation," Vyse apologized. I shrugged and rolled my eyes. Vyse chuckled, reading from my expression that Raine had gotten on my case about something. "Would you like me to leave, Miss...?"
Raine sighed. "My last name's Serell, but please don't call me that."
I glanced at Vyse and he glanced back, both of us curious but not quite that brave.
"...No, I don't mind if you stay." As Raine turned around, she glared at me again before smiling pleasantly at Vyse. "Sorry, it's been a long day...for all of us."
"No kidding," Vyse grinned. His optimism was unmatched, despite everything that was occurring all around him. He didn't know the half of it. "I never imagined I'd meet up with you like this," he said to me. "My father never heard anything about you surviving after... Well, you know." I nodded. "But I think this whole thing was meant to happen. You two, Enrique, me and Aika...maybe even that Black Pirate! We were all supposed to meet..." He nodded wisely as he spoke.
'Meant to be? Hardly... More like I made a mistake and POW! Whaddaya know, it's in my face...' Still, I laughed politely.
"To tell you the truth, I don't think I would've lasted much longer without some sort of crisis working its way around my neck." Vyse looked at the sky reflectively, then continued, "People are ironic that way, aren't they?" He chuckled one more time before turning back toward us with a smile.
"I guess so," Raine said partially dryly for me to catch.
Vyse looked at the bridge and waved at Aika, then declared, "I think Aika's getting ready to change shifts. Are you next, Raine?" She nodded.
The three of us walked back inside, Vyse following Aika back into the living quarters to get some more sleep before we docked, and myself staying back with Raine.
She spoke in a detached tone (it was actually a little bit creepy): "I think you should get some rest, Talis. But before you go I want to tell you something. The longer you hide this, the more likely you are to get accused of false charges- like murder. You may not have killed anybody, but word spreads quickly back in Nasrad. People know we're missing. People know you were rivaled to Mr. Tane. People tend to put two and two together."
"...What are you trying to tell me? 'Cause I'm not really getting anything out of this," I replied bitterly.
Raine turned toward me, frustrated. "I'm trying to tell you that Vyse has been through a lot more than either of us, and putting this in his hands would be a much safer decision! But you're so thick-headed, Talis, that you refuse to believe in anything that requires you to give in! What I'm saying is- if you don't tell Vyse what's really going on here, then you and I both know you'll only get yourself killed."
I rolled onto my back on the lower bunk to glare at the bottom of Raine's mattress. She was still in the bridge, fulfilling her turn.
'No,' I retained stubbornly, 'it would ruin the rest of my life as the Black Merchant. I cannot let my secret out.' Raine's words singed my brain and conscience, which, I'm sure, was exactly what she intended them to do.
'I can't tell him...'
"Vyse, there's something I need to tell you." In the end, Raine had won, of course.
"What is it?"
I looked around the bridge guardedly before whispering, "It's about the black merchant... Uh, he's not after Enrique."
Vyse raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "How could you possibly know that?"
"Because...Because I am the black merchant."
At first I thought he didn't believe me, but his smile quickly faded. He knew I was serious.
"...Why?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?"
"Well, actually, Raine already knows, but..." I sighed, surrendering. "I guess I was just... Y'know- afraid or something. I didn't want to let go of it..."
His expression was grim as he thought about my confession. I wasn't sure how he'd taken it; would he be mad, confused? Disappointed in me?
"Hm," he finally made a sound. "How long have you been doing it? And what for?"
I shrugged and replied, "I've been doing this for about... a year, I guess. I started it just to get some extra cash, but... now I can't get myself to stop..."
Vyse was sympathetic with me; I think, in some manner, he felt the same way I did. He knew there was virtually nothing left for the hero of Arcadia to do, and yet he couldn't keep himself from taking action whenever the opportunity presented itself. "...I guess you don't want us to tell Enrique, then?" I smiled gratefully and he nodded. His look changed to a kind smile in return.
About an hour later, we docked in Valua and compiled the company who would be speaking to King Enrique: Vyse, Aika, Raine and I were the only four to go, and everyone else was told to stay with the ships. We told Aika about my... occupation, and sort of came up with a plan of presentation: we would try to convince Enrique to trust us without telling him who I was.
I discovered how famous Vyse had become as soon as we stepped off the StarWing- he and Aika were met with literally HUNDREDS of screaming, lashing, desperate fans. We were quickly ushered away to the Grand Palace.
The others questioned Raine about her sudden change in hair color (which was now a very yellow-blonde), but she wasn't very willing to discuss it, so I covered for her and told them she didn't know the cause either.
"Vyse!" the King exclaimed as we entered his conference room. "I heard what happened yesterday... How is everyone?"
Vyse smiled and replied, "They're all doing fine. The only problem is either finding them a new place to live or rebuilding the island, but we didn't see what it looked like after the attack." His smile diminished. "My father told me what you wanted to talk to me about." We exchanged glances before he continued, "We came to tell you that- well, you're wrong. The black merchant's not after you."
Another pause. I had sweat gallons. "...Then what of this message I received?" King Enrique asked, pulling a folded piece of paper from his breast pocket and handing it to Vyse. I examined it over his shoulder; it read 'Catch me if you can- Black Merchant'. "The research team found it next to a body this morning in Nasrad. It sounds a little threatening to me." I gulped hard and tried not to let my fear show. Vyse was as shocked as I was; probably even suspicious of me now. 'Oh great...'
"Your highness," Raine interrupted, "I can't explain why, but I can assure you that the person leaving you these threats is not the black merchant. Maybe someone's just using him as bait."
The King bore his fiercely honorable violet eyes into Raine's, and, though her voice leaked tension, her own stare was strong with conviction. I was grateful beyond explanation at Raine's inclination, despite our previous arguments, to stand by my side no matter what. Finally, King Enrique smiled. "...I wouldn't trust your words worth anything, but those eyes are impossible to accuse."
The pressure flooded from the room like it'd been sealed in air-tight, and Raine almost blushed as she gave a quiet "Thank you."
"Who is this girl?" the King asked, interested. I concealed the jealousy hiding deep in my thoughts and remained silent.
"This is Raine Serell," Vyse replied, then pointed to me. "And this is Talis Dremond. You've probably heard the two of them went missing from Nasrad recently- well, they came to visit me. Talis is an old friend." He grinned naturally. I stopped breathing when the Valuan King turned to greet me.
"Nice to meet you," he said politely, offering his hand. I nodded and smiled. "Talis Dremond... I remember something about that name," Enrique paused. "Oh! You were actually- one of my top suspects... I was told that you and Mr. Tane owned opposing weapons' shops."
"Um, well, yes. But I didn't kill him, I've been with Vyse and co. for two days..." My speaking was irregular; if the King had been looking for it, he'd definitely have found a reason to suspect me. "Actually, Mr. Tane and I only met a couple times, and there was no rivalry between us... I mean-"
"Don't worry," Enrique laughed. "I believe you. Vyse is a better judge of character than anyone I know. I'm sure he'd let me know if you were some sort of criminal!" We all laughed nervously. 'That gushed irony,' I thought. "Well then. What is it exactly that makes you all think that the black merchant is innocent of these threats?"
"Enrique," Vyse commenced, "I'm gonna have to ask you to trust me on this one. I'm sorry, but... We can't give you any information." The King was simply perplexed. What in Arcadia would prompt Vyse to keep something from him?
"I trust you, Vyse. You know I do. I'll call off the man-hunt, then. But I must say, it's very hard to believe this without any reason." There was a thick, solemn silence before he spoke again. "Is there anything else you came for?"
"Yes," I answered. "There's something we could use your help with. There's a gang of Black Pirates after Vyse, and we- well, I- want to find out more about their captain."
The others stared at me, wondering. Enrique replied, "Yes, of course. Who is he?"
"Captain Xaer. I don't know the name of his ship, but it's been destroyed anyway. It would seem that his whole crew is dead. And, actually... Well, actually, we're not so sure he's alive, either, but I think there's a possibility..." The King nodded and my very existence gave an internal sigh of relief.
'That was the most illogical thing I've ever done... But at least the King's my ally now.'
Phew! That was certainly a long one. ^^ Well, as usual, please review! And why did nobody review the last chapter?? Do none of you love me??