Chapter Twenty-one
Three Days Later; Lindblum Castle; Guestroom; Morning
Christmas with Meander, Amarant, and Eiko was not going to be pleasant. Eiko and Meander, apparently, liked Christmas a little too much. Freya and Amarant, on the other hand, wanted to be left to their memories.
Getting that was the trick.
"Come on, Freya! Take a walk! Everyone decorated!" Eiko chirped.
Freya didn't say anything. She was trying her very best to ignore Eiko.
"Why are you grumpy on the holidays?" Meander asked Amarant. "You should be happy because you get lots of food."
"Go away," Amarant growled.
Ah yes, Freya and Amarant were having lots of trouble getting peace and quiet.
"Come on! Why are you so grumpy?" Eiko asked.
"Gee, I don't know," Freya muttered.
"You're disturbing the depressed one," Amarant said to Meander. "Go away."
Meander looked down at Freya. Freya returned his look with her glare.
"Why are you both so grumpy?" Meander asked. "It makes no sense."
"You want to know?" Freya growled. "The Great Dragon doesn't celebrate Christmas in this way. It's a very peaceful time to spend with family and close friends. But my family's dead and my closest friends are as well."
"I'm not your closest friend? Wait a minute!" Eiko screamed.
"Aren't I a friend?" Amarant asked.
"What about me?" Meander asked.
"Oh God," Freya moaned.
"I know I'm a friend! Do you want me to jump on the bed?" Eiko screamed.
Freya looked up at Amarant and mouthed "Help!"
"Come on, everyone, shoo," Amarant growled, trying to wave everyone away.
Meander was now thinking thoughtfully. "Ah, but what if Julius attacks? It doesn't matter if it's Christmas. Demons don't celebrate that anyway."
"Oh Great Dragon, help me," Freya muttered.
"Hey, wait. If demons don't celebrate Christmas, what are you so excited about?" Amarant asked Meander.
"Um, eh, well -" Meander stuttered.
"It's because he has holiday spirit! Unlike you two!" Eiko screamed.
"A demon, with holiday spirit?" Amarant asked.
"Shut up, you," Meander said, but at the end he added a demon word that made Amarant's eyes widen with shock.
"You asshole!" Amarant roared angrily.
"Yikes," Meander muttered. "My bad!"
Meander ran out of the room, Amarant watching him angrily. Eiko and Freya were both looking very confused.
"What was that about?" Freya asked.
"You're a meanie!" Eiko cried at Amarant.
"He called me a fughrack first," Amarant growled. "Demon curses are a lot more insulting than human curses. There aren't even literal translations."
"Well, maybe you are a - a whatever that is!" Eiko screamed.
At this point Amarant threw Eiko out the door and closed it.
"Well, that certainly wasn't nice," Freya said.
"I don't care," Amarant grunted.
"Of course not," Freya said. "Why would the all-caring Amarant care?" She was very sarcastic.
It took a few seconds for the two to realize that the room was quiet. They looked at each other briefly.
"Finally," they said together.
He was silent, naturally. Years of this job had improved his abilities. Burmecians had enhanced senses, but so did demons. Both species had spectacular eyesight and hearing, but demons had better a better nose than Burmecians.
He had inherited this. He sniffed the air, and caught the scents of individuals in the room: his target and a friend. The same friend who had spied on him. The same friend who was a demon hunter.
His job would be harder now. Quietly he padded across the hallway. He took out his crossbow and looked it over. He then loaded it with an arrow. Two guards walked by, but they didn't notice him. He was invisible to them.
Suddenly he heard footsteps. Someone besides a guard was walking down the hall. He sniffed the air, and was shocked. A half-demon! Not Meander. Meander couldn't be here, as he would make the work difficult.
He aimed his crossbow at Meander. Meander stopped stiff.
"JULIUS!" Meander roared.
There was a snap. Meander fell. But attention had been gathered. He would have to be quick. He put his crossbow away and drew his sword. Doragon would aid him.
"Julius?" Freya muttered, looking toward the door.
"Julius," Amarant confirmed. "You stay there. I'll handle this."
"Amarant -"
"Shut up, okay?" Amarant snorted as he drew his claws. "You need to concentrate on having your leg heal. I'll concentrate on nailing Julius."
The door was rammed open, and a man silently walked in. Immediately Freya noticed that he wore nothing to hide his face. It was bony, with sharp cheekbones, a narrow nose, and a smooth chin. His eyes were pitch black. His hair appeared to be completely on fire, though it was merely its color. His skin was extremely pale and almost white. He wore no gloves, and his hands had the familiar slits that held claws. In his hands was a sleek black sword.
It could only be Julius. Amarant stared coldly at Julius. Julius returned the stare with no fear.
"Now, demon hunter, show me what you can do," Julius said in the demon tongue.
"You're asking for it," Amarant replied coldly in demon.
Amarant said something in demon, and his claws began to turn crimson. Julius rushed forward, sword ready to strike. Amarant dodged the attack and slashed his crimson claws across Julius' arm. The slashes were considerably bigger and more severe than an average attack's. Julius brought his sword to the side and slashed Amarant lightly in the thigh. He then dropped his sword, for his injured arm would not hold it.
Amarant backed up, holding his hand out. He said something in demon tongue. Nothing seemed to happen, and Julius began to prepare a fire spell.
A woman outside the room screamed, startling Julius into burning his own hand. A large demon tromped into the room. It walked on strong hind legs and bulky 3-toed back feet with massive claws. It had a long, whip- like tail. It was about seven feet tall. It had small front arms with tiny claws on useless "hands." It had a small head in comparison to its body, with two three-foot-long tusks protruding from its mouth. It located Julius with its beady black eyes and roared.
Freya and Julius both looked shocked, while Freya was on the edge of terror. The demon hissed and charged toward Julius. It rammed its tail into him, knocking him over. Julius rolled out of the way of its massive tusks. The demon then stomped one of its large feet into Julius' stomach, pinning him to the ground. Freya then watched with shock as the demon slashed Julius in the shoulders with his powerful tusks.
Julius disappeared into thin air, as expected. The demon hissed and lifted its head. It stared at Freya and snarled. Freya's eyes were full of fear, and she cowered. Amarant said something to the demon in its language. It sounded like praise. The demon looked at him, then walked over, hissing. Amarant began to scratch its long neck, and it growled happily.
"What the?" Freya began.
"How else do you think it got in here?" Amarant asked, continuing to scratch the demon's neck. "I called it."
"But weren't you a -"
"Yes, I was. But I learned a few things the others didn't bother with," Amarant said.
"Can you make it do anything?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Amarant said. He then told the demon to do something in its own language.
The demon looked in Freya's attention. It then walked over and licked her on the cheek.
"Ugh!" Freya spat, hiding under the blanket as the demon tried to lick her again.
"Don't like it?" Amarant asked.
"His tongue is all slimy!" Freya groaned, still hiding under the blanket. "Ugh!"
The demon was nosing at the blankets, trying to find an opening.
"All right, all right, stop kissing her," Amarant said in demon. "She doesn't like it. Go sit by the fireplace. I'll get you some food."
The demon looked up at Amarant. It then hissed with disgust at Freya and padded over to the fireplace. Amarant chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Freya asked, poking her head out from under the blanket.
"He thinks you're extremely rude to think of his friendly gestures as disgusting," Amarant said with a smirk.
"I think he's rude for licking me in the first place," Freya muttered.
Amarant relayed this opinion to the demon. He hissed angrily at Freya, and Amarant chuckled. Before Freya could ask what the demon had said, however, Amarant had left.
The rest of the day was quiet. The demon ate the meat Amarant gave it, then slept in front of the fireplace. Meander was too busy sulking in a secret area of the castle to bother anyone. Eiko had to go with Cid and Hilda to a party held in the Theater District. Therefore, Amarant and Freya found themselves with silence.
Freya sighed softly, deep in thought. Once again Christmas had come with Fratley not being here. Her mind quickly brought her away from that, and brought her to good memories. Times when Fratley, who could never keep asleep through the morning, would wake her up. Times when they would tease each other, trying to get by life with Ebon as a teacher. Times when Fratley would comfort hurt when she cried, fight for her when she was scared, make her laugh without trying, and make her smile when she thought she couldn't take it anymore.
Those days are over, Freya thought sadly. He's gone. He's been gone for a while.
He had been gone for years now. That time when she had accidentally made him hit his head against a rock made some of his memory return, and she was sure he had loved her and hadn't just wanted to love her. But now, he was dead. Dead forever.
Between a dead Fratley and a Fratley with little memory, Freya would take the one with memory loss as long as he still remembered her. But it still wasn't the same. Nothing was the same anymore.
Freya transformed a choked sob into a sigh. Amarant looked over at her, only to find she was staring ahead, at nothing. Amarant shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to the wall.
He had pretty much always been alone. His father had been a drunkard, always out at the bar, only to come home screaming at his mother, who would run off to escape him. His siblings were nothing more than bullies, and Amarant would find clever places to get away from them. Treno had plenty of hiding places, particularly the Auction House's warehouses.
At 13, Amarant had run away. He had no clue where he was going, and simply rushed across an entire continent and to another. The next thing he knew, he was being taught to hunt demons by a Demon Hunter Village near Tessaih.
Amarant was a quick learner, but he hated any social interactions. Nervous of being hurt, he had stayed away from people without even knowing of his fear. He wasn't afraid anymore, but being antisocial was still one of his traits. It would probably never leave.
He became an expert Demon Hunter, impressing everyone. He even learned from the demons, something no Demon Hunter had ever done. He learned their language, their habits, and their ways. He even made a few demon friends, though he didn't tell anyone. And to think one of these demons still remembered.
Amarant looked over at Oni, who was sleeping near the fireplace. Amarant had saved him from a tortured death. He never agreed with bleeding out a demon, feeling everyone deserved a quick death when it came. Oni had only been a baby, caught when wandering around for food. Miklon had been preparing to bleed it, but Amarant had refused to allow him to do it. Miklon tried to refuse, but Amarant had taken Oni and walked away with him. He raised Oni until it was large enough to survive, but Oni refused to leave completely. He and Amarant had made a deal that the two would help each other. They didn't see each other again until now.
It was nice to know a demon friend was still alive. Amarant wondered where the others were. He stifled a sigh, and Freya looked at him briefly.
"I guess we're both the same," Freya commented quietly.
"How so?" Amarant asked, turning his gaze onto her.
Freya took a deep breath, staring at the pillow.
"Neither of us have good memories," Freya whispered.
"Better than reality," Amarant grunted.
Freya nodded in agreement, eyes closed to prevent tears. Amarant turned his gaze back to Oni. The two of them then returned to their memories.
Sweet sorrow.
-------- Hmm. What is my comment? I don't know! I just think I really stink with keeping Amarant in-character o.0 Anyway, so Christmas has passed, Freya's still being stalked, Fratley still hasn't showed up (though poor Freya thinks he's dead), and I really suck with creating pasts, particularly Amarant's (heh). Oh well. The next chapter will actually bring us somewhere ;)
I recently started a new story based on the game Diablo. I already wrote the prologue and the first chapter. If you're interested, please say. I am also ΒΌ done with the next chapter in Let Fear Propel You Forward. And no one is reading The Purblind Chronicles . (or they just aren't reviewing) Also, no one read Bidding Goodnight! I feel it is one of my best short stories and only one person reviewed it! Could you please read and review it? Thank you =)
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Three Days Later; Lindblum Castle; Guestroom; Morning
Christmas with Meander, Amarant, and Eiko was not going to be pleasant. Eiko and Meander, apparently, liked Christmas a little too much. Freya and Amarant, on the other hand, wanted to be left to their memories.
Getting that was the trick.
"Come on, Freya! Take a walk! Everyone decorated!" Eiko chirped.
Freya didn't say anything. She was trying her very best to ignore Eiko.
"Why are you grumpy on the holidays?" Meander asked Amarant. "You should be happy because you get lots of food."
"Go away," Amarant growled.
Ah yes, Freya and Amarant were having lots of trouble getting peace and quiet.
"Come on! Why are you so grumpy?" Eiko asked.
"Gee, I don't know," Freya muttered.
"You're disturbing the depressed one," Amarant said to Meander. "Go away."
Meander looked down at Freya. Freya returned his look with her glare.
"Why are you both so grumpy?" Meander asked. "It makes no sense."
"You want to know?" Freya growled. "The Great Dragon doesn't celebrate Christmas in this way. It's a very peaceful time to spend with family and close friends. But my family's dead and my closest friends are as well."
"I'm not your closest friend? Wait a minute!" Eiko screamed.
"Aren't I a friend?" Amarant asked.
"What about me?" Meander asked.
"Oh God," Freya moaned.
"I know I'm a friend! Do you want me to jump on the bed?" Eiko screamed.
Freya looked up at Amarant and mouthed "Help!"
"Come on, everyone, shoo," Amarant growled, trying to wave everyone away.
Meander was now thinking thoughtfully. "Ah, but what if Julius attacks? It doesn't matter if it's Christmas. Demons don't celebrate that anyway."
"Oh Great Dragon, help me," Freya muttered.
"Hey, wait. If demons don't celebrate Christmas, what are you so excited about?" Amarant asked Meander.
"Um, eh, well -" Meander stuttered.
"It's because he has holiday spirit! Unlike you two!" Eiko screamed.
"A demon, with holiday spirit?" Amarant asked.
"Shut up, you," Meander said, but at the end he added a demon word that made Amarant's eyes widen with shock.
"You asshole!" Amarant roared angrily.
"Yikes," Meander muttered. "My bad!"
Meander ran out of the room, Amarant watching him angrily. Eiko and Freya were both looking very confused.
"What was that about?" Freya asked.
"You're a meanie!" Eiko cried at Amarant.
"He called me a fughrack first," Amarant growled. "Demon curses are a lot more insulting than human curses. There aren't even literal translations."
"Well, maybe you are a - a whatever that is!" Eiko screamed.
At this point Amarant threw Eiko out the door and closed it.
"Well, that certainly wasn't nice," Freya said.
"I don't care," Amarant grunted.
"Of course not," Freya said. "Why would the all-caring Amarant care?" She was very sarcastic.
It took a few seconds for the two to realize that the room was quiet. They looked at each other briefly.
"Finally," they said together.
He was silent, naturally. Years of this job had improved his abilities. Burmecians had enhanced senses, but so did demons. Both species had spectacular eyesight and hearing, but demons had better a better nose than Burmecians.
He had inherited this. He sniffed the air, and caught the scents of individuals in the room: his target and a friend. The same friend who had spied on him. The same friend who was a demon hunter.
His job would be harder now. Quietly he padded across the hallway. He took out his crossbow and looked it over. He then loaded it with an arrow. Two guards walked by, but they didn't notice him. He was invisible to them.
Suddenly he heard footsteps. Someone besides a guard was walking down the hall. He sniffed the air, and was shocked. A half-demon! Not Meander. Meander couldn't be here, as he would make the work difficult.
He aimed his crossbow at Meander. Meander stopped stiff.
"JULIUS!" Meander roared.
There was a snap. Meander fell. But attention had been gathered. He would have to be quick. He put his crossbow away and drew his sword. Doragon would aid him.
"Julius?" Freya muttered, looking toward the door.
"Julius," Amarant confirmed. "You stay there. I'll handle this."
"Amarant -"
"Shut up, okay?" Amarant snorted as he drew his claws. "You need to concentrate on having your leg heal. I'll concentrate on nailing Julius."
The door was rammed open, and a man silently walked in. Immediately Freya noticed that he wore nothing to hide his face. It was bony, with sharp cheekbones, a narrow nose, and a smooth chin. His eyes were pitch black. His hair appeared to be completely on fire, though it was merely its color. His skin was extremely pale and almost white. He wore no gloves, and his hands had the familiar slits that held claws. In his hands was a sleek black sword.
It could only be Julius. Amarant stared coldly at Julius. Julius returned the stare with no fear.
"Now, demon hunter, show me what you can do," Julius said in the demon tongue.
"You're asking for it," Amarant replied coldly in demon.
Amarant said something in demon, and his claws began to turn crimson. Julius rushed forward, sword ready to strike. Amarant dodged the attack and slashed his crimson claws across Julius' arm. The slashes were considerably bigger and more severe than an average attack's. Julius brought his sword to the side and slashed Amarant lightly in the thigh. He then dropped his sword, for his injured arm would not hold it.
Amarant backed up, holding his hand out. He said something in demon tongue. Nothing seemed to happen, and Julius began to prepare a fire spell.
A woman outside the room screamed, startling Julius into burning his own hand. A large demon tromped into the room. It walked on strong hind legs and bulky 3-toed back feet with massive claws. It had a long, whip- like tail. It was about seven feet tall. It had small front arms with tiny claws on useless "hands." It had a small head in comparison to its body, with two three-foot-long tusks protruding from its mouth. It located Julius with its beady black eyes and roared.
Freya and Julius both looked shocked, while Freya was on the edge of terror. The demon hissed and charged toward Julius. It rammed its tail into him, knocking him over. Julius rolled out of the way of its massive tusks. The demon then stomped one of its large feet into Julius' stomach, pinning him to the ground. Freya then watched with shock as the demon slashed Julius in the shoulders with his powerful tusks.
Julius disappeared into thin air, as expected. The demon hissed and lifted its head. It stared at Freya and snarled. Freya's eyes were full of fear, and she cowered. Amarant said something to the demon in its language. It sounded like praise. The demon looked at him, then walked over, hissing. Amarant began to scratch its long neck, and it growled happily.
"What the?" Freya began.
"How else do you think it got in here?" Amarant asked, continuing to scratch the demon's neck. "I called it."
"But weren't you a -"
"Yes, I was. But I learned a few things the others didn't bother with," Amarant said.
"Can you make it do anything?" Freya asked.
"Yes," Amarant said. He then told the demon to do something in its own language.
The demon looked in Freya's attention. It then walked over and licked her on the cheek.
"Ugh!" Freya spat, hiding under the blanket as the demon tried to lick her again.
"Don't like it?" Amarant asked.
"His tongue is all slimy!" Freya groaned, still hiding under the blanket. "Ugh!"
The demon was nosing at the blankets, trying to find an opening.
"All right, all right, stop kissing her," Amarant said in demon. "She doesn't like it. Go sit by the fireplace. I'll get you some food."
The demon looked up at Amarant. It then hissed with disgust at Freya and padded over to the fireplace. Amarant chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Freya asked, poking her head out from under the blanket.
"He thinks you're extremely rude to think of his friendly gestures as disgusting," Amarant said with a smirk.
"I think he's rude for licking me in the first place," Freya muttered.
Amarant relayed this opinion to the demon. He hissed angrily at Freya, and Amarant chuckled. Before Freya could ask what the demon had said, however, Amarant had left.
The rest of the day was quiet. The demon ate the meat Amarant gave it, then slept in front of the fireplace. Meander was too busy sulking in a secret area of the castle to bother anyone. Eiko had to go with Cid and Hilda to a party held in the Theater District. Therefore, Amarant and Freya found themselves with silence.
Freya sighed softly, deep in thought. Once again Christmas had come with Fratley not being here. Her mind quickly brought her away from that, and brought her to good memories. Times when Fratley, who could never keep asleep through the morning, would wake her up. Times when they would tease each other, trying to get by life with Ebon as a teacher. Times when Fratley would comfort hurt when she cried, fight for her when she was scared, make her laugh without trying, and make her smile when she thought she couldn't take it anymore.
Those days are over, Freya thought sadly. He's gone. He's been gone for a while.
He had been gone for years now. That time when she had accidentally made him hit his head against a rock made some of his memory return, and she was sure he had loved her and hadn't just wanted to love her. But now, he was dead. Dead forever.
Between a dead Fratley and a Fratley with little memory, Freya would take the one with memory loss as long as he still remembered her. But it still wasn't the same. Nothing was the same anymore.
Freya transformed a choked sob into a sigh. Amarant looked over at her, only to find she was staring ahead, at nothing. Amarant shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to the wall.
He had pretty much always been alone. His father had been a drunkard, always out at the bar, only to come home screaming at his mother, who would run off to escape him. His siblings were nothing more than bullies, and Amarant would find clever places to get away from them. Treno had plenty of hiding places, particularly the Auction House's warehouses.
At 13, Amarant had run away. He had no clue where he was going, and simply rushed across an entire continent and to another. The next thing he knew, he was being taught to hunt demons by a Demon Hunter Village near Tessaih.
Amarant was a quick learner, but he hated any social interactions. Nervous of being hurt, he had stayed away from people without even knowing of his fear. He wasn't afraid anymore, but being antisocial was still one of his traits. It would probably never leave.
He became an expert Demon Hunter, impressing everyone. He even learned from the demons, something no Demon Hunter had ever done. He learned their language, their habits, and their ways. He even made a few demon friends, though he didn't tell anyone. And to think one of these demons still remembered.
Amarant looked over at Oni, who was sleeping near the fireplace. Amarant had saved him from a tortured death. He never agreed with bleeding out a demon, feeling everyone deserved a quick death when it came. Oni had only been a baby, caught when wandering around for food. Miklon had been preparing to bleed it, but Amarant had refused to allow him to do it. Miklon tried to refuse, but Amarant had taken Oni and walked away with him. He raised Oni until it was large enough to survive, but Oni refused to leave completely. He and Amarant had made a deal that the two would help each other. They didn't see each other again until now.
It was nice to know a demon friend was still alive. Amarant wondered where the others were. He stifled a sigh, and Freya looked at him briefly.
"I guess we're both the same," Freya commented quietly.
"How so?" Amarant asked, turning his gaze onto her.
Freya took a deep breath, staring at the pillow.
"Neither of us have good memories," Freya whispered.
"Better than reality," Amarant grunted.
Freya nodded in agreement, eyes closed to prevent tears. Amarant turned his gaze back to Oni. The two of them then returned to their memories.
Sweet sorrow.
-------- Hmm. What is my comment? I don't know! I just think I really stink with keeping Amarant in-character o.0 Anyway, so Christmas has passed, Freya's still being stalked, Fratley still hasn't showed up (though poor Freya thinks he's dead), and I really suck with creating pasts, particularly Amarant's (heh). Oh well. The next chapter will actually bring us somewhere ;)
I recently started a new story based on the game Diablo. I already wrote the prologue and the first chapter. If you're interested, please say. I am also ΒΌ done with the next chapter in Let Fear Propel You Forward. And no one is reading The Purblind Chronicles . (or they just aren't reviewing) Also, no one read Bidding Goodnight! I feel it is one of my best short stories and only one person reviewed it! Could you please read and review it? Thank you =)
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.