Camera shows GR tying Eliwood up in a dandelion chain. Eliwood is struggling, obviously losing.
GF: Saaaay it…..
Eliwood: NEVER!!!!
GF: Oh Hectoooooor…..
Hector: draws Wolf Beil
Eliwood: hisses No…keep away the sharp nassssssty steeeelll……. hisses again like Gollum
GF & Hector: '';;
Eliwood: Fine. See the prologue.
GF: Cheater.
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Gone Though not Forgotten
Chapter 1: From Ashes to Abyss
Three of Arcadia, warriors fair
One of a maiden with navy blue hair
Two to take refuge from lackey's den
To take on the journey to the World's End;
Two from the palaces of Pharae
One will go and one will stay
A noble fighter of Kyrren's Glen
To take on the journey to the World's end;
And one, for last, a tactician sure
With mind and heart as her hair is pure.
Nergal paced around his greatest creation…his miracle. "You've grown these past two years…." He nodded to Limstella, who placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. No more the shuddering, he remained entirely still.
An entity of earth and water, swathed in black save for two cold eyes. "One last time…who are you?"
"My name does not matter, nor does who I am," the boy said in a dead tone. "The one thing that matters is my Master's wish. Should it be questioned, I will slay the inquirer without hesitation."
Limstella nodded. He spoke the truth.
"Good, good…I trained you well. What is your past?"
"I have no past other than what my Master tells me. I was betrayed by those who called themselves my friends; that is all I need to know." Another nod from Limstella.
Neural was ecstatic. "What is your ambition?"
The boy's eyes narrowed. "I will aid the rising of the dragons," he murmured, his tone taking on a dangerous edge. "I will be the blade that cuts, that fights along Lady Limstella. And should anything cross my path, I will die for you, Master, without hesitation."
Limstella nodded. "He speaks the truth, at last," the morph said, looking at Nergal. "You did well with him, my lord."
"Not quite." He turned again to Eliwood, evoking the image of a girl. "What do you feel for this girl—"
He was silenced as a blade whipped past his face and into the wall, the metallic clang of metal on stone echoing through the halls of the Dragon's Keep. Nergal smiled cruelly.
"Now he is ready…."
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
"Oookay…how about heads I win, tales you lose?"
Matthew waited with bated breath as Guy made the bet with the huge beserker who they had been dealing with. "Guy, this won't work, I'm telling you…" he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Relax, buddy. You'll see…."
"Guy, are you off your rock—"
The beserker grunted, shoving a huge pile of gold their direction. Matthew blinked. It had…worked?
Guy grinned. "Any other takers? No? Okay then…here we go!!!" Guy flipped the coin with his thumb, watching it twirl in the air, airborne for but a second…
Then it landed on the table, twirled a moment, and landed on the insignia of the Ostia household.
"Tails…I am so sorry, sir!!" Guy took on an exaggerated pout as he swiped the gold into a large sack on the floor. "Better luck next time, eh?"
Matthew stared in wonder as the beserker marched off, scratching his head in bemusement. "Guy, did you just…hustle him, or was that just me?"
"Want me to lie?"
"Please tell me you did not just hustle him…."
"Um, no, I didn't?"
"Oh god, Guy…." Matthew rubbed his temples. "Yer my friend and everything, Guy, but…damn, do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we're found out?"
Guy shook his head. "Matthew, Matthew…you're talking about a guy who's lived on the streets since he was six. I know how to hustle, who to do it to, and when to do it." He slung a carefree shoulder over his best friend's shoulder. "Who could possibly notice?"
A new cloaked figure took a seat in front of the couple. "The Lord Hector of Ostia is sitting in the corner, and has been watching your every move along with the healer and his bodyguard. He plans to arrest you as soon as you make to leave here."
Matthew blinked. That voice…it was unmistakable…. But no. It couldn't be her…she had been banished, received death threats from Hector if she ever showed her face….
"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously, leaning over the table. And he caught a glimpse of green-blue eyes and knew…knew she had come back…
"Oh, god…."
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Oswin was a knight of Ostia's high guard; he was used to giving unquestioning, unwavering loyalty to his lords and those higher up than him. Even more crucial than that, he felt, was the bond between the guard and the guarded, the friendship that he and his Lord Hector shared. Hector treated him with respect, had given him refuge. As a result, Oswin treated him with respect, never questioning his sometimes impulsive master.
But even the extremes he suggested for Guy and Matthew were puzzling to him.
"A-arrest them? B-but Milord…." He leaned forward across the table, as though trying to get a better look at the Lord he thought he knew so well.
Hector stared back at them. "Arrest them," he said, his voice a little shaky with beer but still determined. "Then drag them off to the cells to await judgement."
"This isn't fair, Milord!!!!" shouted a younger, more enthusiastic voice as Serra stood, glaring at the Ostian noble with defiance. "They're only trying to make some money for your coffers!! I overheard them saying tha—"
Hector glared at her venemously. Serra froze, looking terrified, than sank meekly back into her seat. "A…as you wish, Lord Hector," she mumbled, teasing a snag in her white dress as she fought back tears.
Hector nodded. "Even if it was just to help, people will think that I actually endorsed their actions. And—should word of that ever reach Caelin—" He pounded the tankard on the table, his eyes narrowing. "—Then I'll never hear the end of it."
Oswin looked at Serra, hoping for just a glance from her green-gray eyes, something that said that she suffered with him, that they were one on something; but she only fixed her eyes on her dress, brushing away a speck of dust that wasn't even there.
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Getting in had been far too easy…but then again, the Feliad's standards tended to be higher than most of her companions.
Taking a pebble from the earthen ground beneath her, she murmured in song the name of levitation, letting go of the pebble; it floated there, on its own, as if awaiting a command. Aeristos…the Mage's Hand. Not her most famed spell, but soon she would be able to lift heavier rocks.
And all she needed right now was a close call….
"Shuri aenan en huishe." Fly straight as an arrow, she murmured in Arcadian. (A/N: This is actually a language I made up. I'll provide translations, but if interest is up, I'll start posting the essays and stuff for this on my Fictionpress account.)
And with a flick of the wrist, she sent her small projectile flying through the air, just past the man's ear and into the wall…..
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
"WHAT THE HE—!" Hector's outraged cry could be heard well outside the tavern, and several people turned their head to the Lackey's Den to see what the commotion was.
All except one girl, who leaned against the wall, focusing intently on her whittling. Her sharp blue eyes merely blinked; she paused, then went back to what she was doing.
"Sounds like 'ol Amle did her job…again…."
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
People began to gather around the startled lord. There's the ticket, she thought
"Time to go." Without a word, Bethany grabbed the two by the hand and started dragging them to the end of the pub.
"B-But Lord Hector—"
"My money!!!!"
Bethany shushed them, putting a finger to her lips. "Hector's fine," she reassured Matthew before glaring at Guy. "And no, we're leaving the money. We won't need it."
"But I w—"
"Shut up, Guy!!"
"Thank you, Matthew."
"Don' mention it…."
They rounded the counter. "Get down!!!!" Bethany hissed, pulling the two men down behind the counter. "Crouch low, walk softly and don't say a word."
"I'm quite all right!!!!—What the—! MATTHEW AND GUY ARE GONE!!!!!"
"But they left the money…."
"It doesn't matter!!!" Hector's voice was crazed, beserk now. "Find them and bring them to me!!! They can'tve gone far!!!!" It made Bethany cringe. In battle, the cry had been energizing, almost funny….
Now…it sounded wrong….
But it served it's purpose; it filled the tactician with a new resolve. "Come on," she said, grabbing the two. "Let's get out of here."
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Ithilia didn't even look up as the Feliad ran up to her, breathless, along with the other three. "You're thirty seconds late," she said, blowing the dust off the tip of the now-completed arrow. "Not as punctual as I'd hoped."
"Na'en Dymyrr…." (Daughter of Satan….)
"We're sorry, 'Kay?!?!"
"Hey, isn't that Uther's daughter—?"
Ithilia looked up. "The Lady Ithilia at your service," she said, giving him a mischievous grin. "Now come. We must go before you are discovered." Taking Bethany's hand, she guided her along the side of the Lackey's Den and into a quiet and abandoned alleyway. "The guards never come here," she reassured the tactician as they rounded the corner.
Behind her, there were snatches of conversation.
"That's Uther's daughter? Damn she's sexy…."
A whack on the head and a muffled yelp. "Daematen en mae dasen." (Literally, "Your foolishness no longer." Translated, it would be, "Stop your foolishness.")
"What did she say, Matthew?"
"No idea…."
A hiss from Amlekaraku, and they were silent.
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
"Well now…."
She hadn't expected much resistance from the group at all. Maybe some minor setbacks, a run-in, but then she could've invoked her blessing to protect them. She only wanted them to make it to Uther's keep. Then they would be worthy in her eyes.
Now, as they neared the castle without a single run-in, she knew they weren't only worthy, but the only ones who could possibly pull this off….
"M…Milady."
She turned around to face her servants; one, an Elf like her, with a sharply angled face, fierce blue eyes, and long golden hair that reached her waist. "Ah, Evanflaed, Sylph. Just on time, as I expected."
"What else could I have done, Milady Lina?"
The Elf smiled. "My, Evanflaed, always the loyal one. Heh…you make me laugh." She turned to the portal. "But now is not the time for laughter, most unfortunately."
"Shall I go now then, Milady?"
"….." Lina was silent, contemplating for just a moment.
"…yes. Now is as good a time as any. You know the mount you must climb?"
"Aiyuh."
"…Go, then."
She heard a cryptic muttering behind her, the sound of time and space fabric being ripped open…and then silence, and the half-Elf knew that Evanflaed was gone.
The second servant stepped up to her shyly. Younger, she was a smaller, more frail child, with a lithe figure, emerald eyes, and long red hair. "Mi—Milady Lina…would you have me go with her?"
Lina looked into those sad green eyes for a moment. She thought of how the child looked so much like her father, and of how those sad green eyes took her back to a time before the Scouring….
" Nae, child." A graceful white hand took the child's shoulder, pulling the Cleric against her hip. "No. Watch the portal, child, and instead I will tell you a story…."
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Ilia was best known for the knights it bore, brave riders on Pegasi who would risk their life and limb for their cause. The Pegasi warriors and the Falcoknights; but even they were susceptible to the biting cold, the numbing freezing of joints and the cruel, frostbitten winds, bitter with snow….
No matter. Sleet, hail, snow, rain…it bothered the Elf child not.
Standing on the highest peak of Ilia, Evanflaed was certain she was a spectacle to any in the area, standing there in nothing but a cashmere tunic and a green cloak, with a leather jerkin and wyrven-hide boots. Not Ilia clothing.
It didn't matter; the sun neared her area, peeked at her face as it broke through the clouds below. It was the hour.
Now was the time….
"I looked to where I've walked before," she began, murmuring the beginning of the spell. "And I have seen what Fate has in store…."
The sun began to shin on her fully; the winds picked up, swirled around her as she removed prayer beads from a leather case at her side. They made musical clinking sounds as she brought them above her head, twirling them, murmuring musically the incantation.
"'Tis not my place but yours to mend…the rift time's made for you to rend…."
The air around her became almost still. The winds were gathered. Now the body of the spell.
"No'en Ostia, Kyrier en Aermal." Lord of Ostia, Armads-wielder. A wind rushed past her, and off into the southeast, sparkling a little.
"Na'en Verat, Kyrier en Mane Katte." Maiden of the Plains, Mani-Katti wielder. The spell rushed past her, to the southwest, glittering green and carrying the smell of the plains with it.
Evanflaed turned around, putting all her magic into this last calling. He would need it…if he did not hear it, his heart must…it was imperative to the plan.
She closed her eyes, feeling nausea settle around her. Sensually, tenderly, she murmured the last of the summons….
No'enPharae…Kyrier…e-en…Duran…dal……."
The last wind rushed past, pushing her into the snows. She did not think, and she gratefully let sleep devour her.
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Aesch raised his head as a gentle breeze blew past. It sang in his ear.
It didn't speak…but, somehow…he understood.
He turned his blue eyes turned to a big mountain on the horizon, as though searching for an answer to something long gone.
Unsatisfied with what he found, he went back to sharpening his knife.
();;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Hector: Where's Eli-sama?
HL: I ATE HIM!!!!!!!
Hector: Oo
HL:….yeah, bad chappie I know. Please review anyway!!!!