Disclaimer! The Suikoden world, characters, etc. belong to Konami. They're very nice people...they deserve a lot more praise than they get...No I do NOT work for Konami...
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Andrew's Story - Chapter Fifteen
Millie-ing Away To Coronet
(Location – Clearing Outside Muse City)
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Andrew felt his body shudder as he awoke again. He had been knocked unconscious by...not Jowy, but Jowy called him Kage. Who the hell is Kage? Wait a second...Jowy! Where is he???
Andrew opened his eyes, and felt the cold feeling of a damp cloth over his forehead. He peered around and saw that he was no longer in Muse City. He thought the clearing looked familiar as he heard the trickling of water. I...remember this place. I used to play here...years ago.
He looked over at the small brook, and saw someone washing her face in the water. Andrew sighed as he realised who it was.
"Hey Millie."
Millie let out a little yelp as Andrew said her name...and she fell in the brook. Luckily it wasn't very deep...but water's still water - and she got very, very wet. Millie spit out some water as she turned to look at Andrew.
"Don't SCARE me like that!"
Millie looked at him again, and Andrew saw realisation dawn on her clueless face. "Oh! You're awake! How are you feeling?"
Millie spoke loudly and quickly, a little too much for the just awoken Andrew. He let out an exasperated sigh. "What happened? Why are we here and not in Muse?"
Millie took off her boots and hat, and poured the water back into the brook. It would be rather comical if her face wasn't one of a somewhat serious nature.
"It's not a nice story...the Highland army managed to get into the city."
Andrew felt his jaw drop. "How? When? Why? What happened Millie?"
He saw a tear drop down her cheek. "Lady Anabelle was assassinated in her own room..."
Andrew's eyes widened...he remembered the scene...
Andrew pointed to the knife in Jowy's hand...the blood stained knife in Jowy's hand.
"What the hell have you done?"
"Oh my god...Jowy assassinated Lady Anabelle."
Millie gasped in horror. Andrew closed his eyes...
But...there's no way...how could he? Why did he....Anabelle......
"I caught Jowy running away from the city hall with a Knife...covered in blood. He had me knocked out...how did I get here?" Andrew glanced around the clearing, and suddenly reality dawned on him. "Where's the groundhog?"
He saw Millie shed a few more tears. "Well...that's the thing. When the soldiers ran in I lost him. I ran out to find him, but I found you by the town hall instead. Luckily a nice soldier and a doctor helped me get you out. We carried you here and the doctor bandaged your head up."
Andrew felt the back of his head, realising there was a bandage there. He grimaced as he sat up for the first time. "So...Muse has fallen to Highland then."
Millie nodded solemnly. Andrew closed his eyes again in disbelief...no...it can't be possible...
Millie wrung out her hat as she walked over. "The soldier and the doctor said we had to head to Coronet when you woke up...we're supposed to meet up with everyone in South Window City." She put her hat back on. "If you're up to it, we should get going soon."
Andrew looked at Millie. Gone was the bright, bubbly teenager who he knew and loathed, she was taking the whole thing seriously. She grabbed her backpack and boomerang, then suddenly remembered she had to put her boots back on. Well, she's still a bit ditzy...but that's okay. As long as the groundhog's not here to bother me....but she seems so downcast without it.
Andrew managed to stand up. Millie handed him his sword. "Well, I couldn't lift you...but I made sure I picked this up. It sure is an unusual sword...it's almost alive."
Andrew took the sword of off Millie. Not sure I trust her with it..."Thanks. Actually, I found it in a cave a few years ago. It is strange, but I never seem to swing a bad stroke with it."
Millie looked at it again. "Maybe it's magical...?"
Andrew looked at her with cynicism in his eyes. "Please. A sword doesn't need to be magical. Just really sharp and pointy."
Andrew replaced the sword in its sheath and looked sideways at Millie. She still looked sad. "Let's head to Coronet then..." Andrew said, noticing Millie sigh. "We'll keep an eye out for the groundhog as we go...he couldn't have gotten far."
Millie looked at Andrew sternly..."His name is BONAPARTE!"
Andrew narrowed his eyes. "Whatever..."
This...is...torture. First Muse falls to Highland, and now I'm travelling with Millie of all people. I wonder if the others got away okay....?
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"Bonaparte?!? BONAPARTE?"
Andrew had a sudden urge for earplugs...Millie had been yelling for the damn groundhog ever since they had left the clearing. He sighed. I'm surprised she hasn't attracted any monsters yelling like a harpy...
He stopped her. "Please Millie, if anything your yelling will scare Bonaparte away rather than attract him."
Millie let the thought run through her mind. "You know, that explains a lot actually..."
He watched Millie walk forward, he slapped his forehead with his free palm and shook his head. Nobody is that stupid surely...?
Then she screamed.... Andrew looked up and saw a group of Sickles surrounding Millie. Sighing, he unsheathed his sword and swung it straight and true at one of them. The Sickle in question never saw it coming, and was quickly felled by the sword strike. It fell to the ground, he turned to swipe at another one but it had swooped away, he looked to see where it had gone. Too late he saw it coming from behind, and it struck him in the back. Andrew fell to the ground in a nasty heap, and the remaining Sickles had gathered above him...Oh great, this has to be the worst day of my life...
"Blue Gate Rune, show me your power...KING'S ROAD!"
A void opened behind the Sickles, and Andrew got a good view of what happened. Millie had summoned the largest knight and horse he had ever seen...they couldn't be real.... Can they? He rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the horse charged at the Sickles, the knight raised his lance - and soon they had sped up to an unbelievable speed. The Sickles were unable to move as the knight tore through them all. They never stood a chance, and they all fell to the ground, very dead. Andrew turned to see where the knight and horse had gone...and that was correct. They HAD gone, vanished into thin air. Andrew blinked and looked at Millie. She looked pretty pleased with herself.
Andrew looked at her in disbelief..."How.... How did you...? Where did you learn how to...what the hell are you?"
Millie pouted a little. "I'm just an ordinary fun loving girl...hee hee."
Andrew couldn't help staring at her as she walked towards Coronet. He realised his mouth was wide open, and quickly closed it. She...is much more than she's letting on. What kind of sorceress is she?
He ran to catch up with Millie, who had begun calling out for Bonaparte again. He couldn't believe this was the same person who had summoned that knight only a minute ago. He looked over the hill, and soon saw the port town of Coronet. They had made it. Now all they had to do was get a boat over to Kuskus, then onto South Window.
I wonder if anyone else is in Coronet yet? I wonder what happened to everyone...Riou...Nanami...Viktor and Flik...
And Elaine...
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You can find out what happened to some of the others in the next chapter.
Incidentally, there is a pun in the title that you might not understand, as it is British slang. The term "Milling Away" means the same thing as moseying. Hence why the title is "Millie-ing Away To Coronet." Just thought that needed clarification.
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