Chapter two: First Death
Seven years passed. Cyra had already matured into a fine boy, quickly becoming eager to head off into adventure when he got old enough.
Cyra always spent many hours watching his father train Beecham, who was currently twenty-three. The small boy had been fascinated with swords since the first day he saw his father training the young Beecham. Sometimes, he mother came with him to watch Tyron teaching, and she could always see a twinkle in his eye, showing fascination.
When he wasn't watching his father, Cyra loved playing with the other Karayan children, but the one he loved playing with the most was his close friend Anne, who was only a few months older than him. The two always loved playing together, and had been close friends since Cyra was three.
Currently, Tyron had taken Beecham out on a hunting mission to practice his stealth. Cyra and several Karayan kids, Anne included, were playing a friendly game of tag, as Kelsey and Luce watched. Again, Luce was knitting for a young newborn child as she sat on her chair outside of her hut. Kelsey sat beside her, watching all the children play.
Kelsey sighed and smiled. "Just look at all the kids playing, Luce." She said. "They all have such a wonderful time together."
Luce looked up from her knitting to watch all the children. She smiled warmly and nodded her head. "Indeed. And just look at young Cyra. He looks like he's having the time of his life."
Kelsey nodded. "He's always loved playing with other kids."
"He's going to grow up to be a fine man." Luce said confidently.
"Yes. I believe so, too." Cyra's mother replied. "And the way he's always playing with Anne, I'd guess that they're going to fall in love when they're older."
Luce let out a light chuckle at the Harmonian's words. "Kelsey, I think I agree with you on that. Both of those youngsters are always talking together when they're not playing with the other kids."
Suddenly, Kelsey heard someone approaching. She turned her head and saw an eighteen year-old Lucia walking over to her. Kelsey smiled. "Hello, Lucia." She greeted.
Lucia returned the smile. "Hello, Kelsey. How's everything going?"
Kelsey nodded once. "Fine. Luce and I are just watching the kids playing." She replied.
"Your son simply loves playing with the others, doesn't he?" Lucia asked, cracking a smirk.
Kelsey nodded again. Suddenly, she noticed a long, thin object coiled around a loop on her pants. "Is that a whip?" She asked.
Lucia pulled the weapon from her belt and looked at it. "It is. I decided to take up self-defense." She replied simply. "I'm the future chief of Karaya and I don't want to rely on the soldiers to protect me all the time."
Luce smiled, seemingly understanding what Lucia was saying. "I'm very proud of you, Lucia. You're finally looking out for yourself."
"Thank you, Luce." Lucia said.
The children's game continued for another good half an hour before everyone had to go in for supper. Tyron hadn't come back yet, so Cyra decided to stay outside for a little while more. Anne decided to keep him company and stay outside too. The two kids sat on a hill, overlooking a vast part of Armur Plains. The sun was just beginning to set, but was still high enough to shine brightly on the two kids.
The two were silent for what seemed like an eternity for Anne. Finally, she dicided to speak up.
"The sky looks really neat around this time." Anne said.
"Yeah." Cyra replied. "It's really cool how the sky turns red when the sun goes down. I don't know why, but I think it's neat how we always get a great day if the sky's red at night."
Anne nodded. The two continued to stare off at the sky before Cyra spoke again. "That was a great game we had with the others."
The Karayan girl smiled. "Yeah. Tag's my favourite game to play."
"I wonder who invented it." Cyra thought out loud. His question went unanswered as the two children continued staring at the setting sun.
After another couple minutes, Cyra spoke again. "Whaddya wanna do when you grow up, Anne?"
Anne thought for a minute, then gave her answer. "I dunno. Maybe I wanna own a store of my own, serving anyone who needs help."
"That's cool." Cyra replied as he looked at Anne.
"What about you?"
Cyra was silent. Finally, he replied. "I wanna learn how to fight with swords." He said. "Then, be able to protect someone very special. Just like Beecham is trying."
Anne stared at Cyra with wide eyes. "Wow! That sounds so cool!" She exclaimed.
"Really?" Cyra asked.
"Yeah!" Anne stared at Cyra. "Don't worry, Cyra. I really think you'll be able to do that if you want. You just really need to wanna do it."
"Oh, I do!" Cyra replied excitedly. "And I really think that you'll open up a store of your own some time."
"Thanks, Cyra."
When the two children turned back to the horizon, they expected to simply stare at the sun. But something else caught their eyes. A young man approaching the main area of Karaya, battered and bruised.
Cyra recognized the figure. "Hey! That's Beecham!"
Anne jumped to her feet as Cyra did the same. "Let's go see him! He looks hurt!"
Cyra nodded as the two children turned around and ran through the village. They quickly came upon the young man standing at the front path, most of the villagers surrounding him. It was indeed Beecham. He had scratches on several parts of his face, his hair was messed up and his clothes were ripped in several places, but it was nothing too major. He breathed heavily as he tried to keep himself standing upright. As Cyra and Anne reached the crowd, Lucia spoke up.
"Beecham! What happened?!" She cried.
"We were attacked." Beecham said in between breaths. "By several strange soldiers." He breathed in once to calm himself down. "These guys were unlike anything I've ever seen. They're not Zexen or Calerian." He gulped. "Master Tyron and I tried fighting them off, but they were really tough. By the time I killed the last one, I was barely standing."
Kelsey looked around. After a few seconds, she turned back to Beecham. "Where's Tyron?"
Beecham was silent. He looked down as a shadow covered his face. Kelsey instantly realized what had happened. She gasped and covered her mouth, tears starting to form under her eyes. "No! No! He can't be!"
Beecham sighed. "It was a cheap shot. Master Tyron was fighting one of the soldiers while another sneaked up behind him. By the time Tyron saw what was going to happen, it was too late." He looked up and stared at Kelsey, tears running down his face. He walked towards the Harmonian woman and held out an object. "Before he died, Master Tyron asked me to give this to you."
A tear-stained Kelsey looked down at the object in Beecham's hand and saw a Karayan sword. Tyron's sword.
"He also said to give it to Cyra when the time was right." Beecham continued. He lowered his head again. "I'm sorry about this, Kelsey. He was a great man."
Kelsey looked at Beecham and forced a weak smile behind her heavy tears. She couldn't get words to come from her mouth, so she nodded at Beecham.
Suddenly, Kelsey felt a tug on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw her teary-eyed son staring up at her. Kelsey got down on one knee and embraced her son, both of them crying heavily. Just looking at the two cause even the toughest Karayan in the crowd to become misty-eyed.
That day, the whole village was in remorse, as they had just lost a great man. To Cyra, however, he had lost much more than that.
He had lost a father.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Okay. Sorry if this chapter is short, but I tried making it as long as I could. Eventually, as the story progresses, I'll explain why Samus says that he comes from a town by the sea and why he denies being a Karayan. My next stop is my one-shot Nadir fic, which I'll have up as quick as I can. Please read and review!
Seven years passed. Cyra had already matured into a fine boy, quickly becoming eager to head off into adventure when he got old enough.
Cyra always spent many hours watching his father train Beecham, who was currently twenty-three. The small boy had been fascinated with swords since the first day he saw his father training the young Beecham. Sometimes, he mother came with him to watch Tyron teaching, and she could always see a twinkle in his eye, showing fascination.
When he wasn't watching his father, Cyra loved playing with the other Karayan children, but the one he loved playing with the most was his close friend Anne, who was only a few months older than him. The two always loved playing together, and had been close friends since Cyra was three.
Currently, Tyron had taken Beecham out on a hunting mission to practice his stealth. Cyra and several Karayan kids, Anne included, were playing a friendly game of tag, as Kelsey and Luce watched. Again, Luce was knitting for a young newborn child as she sat on her chair outside of her hut. Kelsey sat beside her, watching all the children play.
Kelsey sighed and smiled. "Just look at all the kids playing, Luce." She said. "They all have such a wonderful time together."
Luce looked up from her knitting to watch all the children. She smiled warmly and nodded her head. "Indeed. And just look at young Cyra. He looks like he's having the time of his life."
Kelsey nodded. "He's always loved playing with other kids."
"He's going to grow up to be a fine man." Luce said confidently.
"Yes. I believe so, too." Cyra's mother replied. "And the way he's always playing with Anne, I'd guess that they're going to fall in love when they're older."
Luce let out a light chuckle at the Harmonian's words. "Kelsey, I think I agree with you on that. Both of those youngsters are always talking together when they're not playing with the other kids."
Suddenly, Kelsey heard someone approaching. She turned her head and saw an eighteen year-old Lucia walking over to her. Kelsey smiled. "Hello, Lucia." She greeted.
Lucia returned the smile. "Hello, Kelsey. How's everything going?"
Kelsey nodded once. "Fine. Luce and I are just watching the kids playing." She replied.
"Your son simply loves playing with the others, doesn't he?" Lucia asked, cracking a smirk.
Kelsey nodded again. Suddenly, she noticed a long, thin object coiled around a loop on her pants. "Is that a whip?" She asked.
Lucia pulled the weapon from her belt and looked at it. "It is. I decided to take up self-defense." She replied simply. "I'm the future chief of Karaya and I don't want to rely on the soldiers to protect me all the time."
Luce smiled, seemingly understanding what Lucia was saying. "I'm very proud of you, Lucia. You're finally looking out for yourself."
"Thank you, Luce." Lucia said.
The children's game continued for another good half an hour before everyone had to go in for supper. Tyron hadn't come back yet, so Cyra decided to stay outside for a little while more. Anne decided to keep him company and stay outside too. The two kids sat on a hill, overlooking a vast part of Armur Plains. The sun was just beginning to set, but was still high enough to shine brightly on the two kids.
The two were silent for what seemed like an eternity for Anne. Finally, she dicided to speak up.
"The sky looks really neat around this time." Anne said.
"Yeah." Cyra replied. "It's really cool how the sky turns red when the sun goes down. I don't know why, but I think it's neat how we always get a great day if the sky's red at night."
Anne nodded. The two continued to stare off at the sky before Cyra spoke again. "That was a great game we had with the others."
The Karayan girl smiled. "Yeah. Tag's my favourite game to play."
"I wonder who invented it." Cyra thought out loud. His question went unanswered as the two children continued staring at the setting sun.
After another couple minutes, Cyra spoke again. "Whaddya wanna do when you grow up, Anne?"
Anne thought for a minute, then gave her answer. "I dunno. Maybe I wanna own a store of my own, serving anyone who needs help."
"That's cool." Cyra replied as he looked at Anne.
"What about you?"
Cyra was silent. Finally, he replied. "I wanna learn how to fight with swords." He said. "Then, be able to protect someone very special. Just like Beecham is trying."
Anne stared at Cyra with wide eyes. "Wow! That sounds so cool!" She exclaimed.
"Really?" Cyra asked.
"Yeah!" Anne stared at Cyra. "Don't worry, Cyra. I really think you'll be able to do that if you want. You just really need to wanna do it."
"Oh, I do!" Cyra replied excitedly. "And I really think that you'll open up a store of your own some time."
"Thanks, Cyra."
When the two children turned back to the horizon, they expected to simply stare at the sun. But something else caught their eyes. A young man approaching the main area of Karaya, battered and bruised.
Cyra recognized the figure. "Hey! That's Beecham!"
Anne jumped to her feet as Cyra did the same. "Let's go see him! He looks hurt!"
Cyra nodded as the two children turned around and ran through the village. They quickly came upon the young man standing at the front path, most of the villagers surrounding him. It was indeed Beecham. He had scratches on several parts of his face, his hair was messed up and his clothes were ripped in several places, but it was nothing too major. He breathed heavily as he tried to keep himself standing upright. As Cyra and Anne reached the crowd, Lucia spoke up.
"Beecham! What happened?!" She cried.
"We were attacked." Beecham said in between breaths. "By several strange soldiers." He breathed in once to calm himself down. "These guys were unlike anything I've ever seen. They're not Zexen or Calerian." He gulped. "Master Tyron and I tried fighting them off, but they were really tough. By the time I killed the last one, I was barely standing."
Kelsey looked around. After a few seconds, she turned back to Beecham. "Where's Tyron?"
Beecham was silent. He looked down as a shadow covered his face. Kelsey instantly realized what had happened. She gasped and covered her mouth, tears starting to form under her eyes. "No! No! He can't be!"
Beecham sighed. "It was a cheap shot. Master Tyron was fighting one of the soldiers while another sneaked up behind him. By the time Tyron saw what was going to happen, it was too late." He looked up and stared at Kelsey, tears running down his face. He walked towards the Harmonian woman and held out an object. "Before he died, Master Tyron asked me to give this to you."
A tear-stained Kelsey looked down at the object in Beecham's hand and saw a Karayan sword. Tyron's sword.
"He also said to give it to Cyra when the time was right." Beecham continued. He lowered his head again. "I'm sorry about this, Kelsey. He was a great man."
Kelsey looked at Beecham and forced a weak smile behind her heavy tears. She couldn't get words to come from her mouth, so she nodded at Beecham.
Suddenly, Kelsey felt a tug on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw her teary-eyed son staring up at her. Kelsey got down on one knee and embraced her son, both of them crying heavily. Just looking at the two cause even the toughest Karayan in the crowd to become misty-eyed.
That day, the whole village was in remorse, as they had just lost a great man. To Cyra, however, he had lost much more than that.
He had lost a father.
To be continued...
Author's notes: Okay. Sorry if this chapter is short, but I tried making it as long as I could. Eventually, as the story progresses, I'll explain why Samus says that he comes from a town by the sea and why he denies being a Karayan. My next stop is my one-shot Nadir fic, which I'll have up as quick as I can. Please read and review!