Chapter Three: The Fall of Garland
Morning arrived and Thol grumpily rolled over and got out of his sleeping bag, his back stiff from sleeping on the uncomfortable ground. Alone in his tent, he had shed his robe and the spell that kept his face cloaked in shadow. Clad only in a simple white sleeveless shirt and a pair of tan trousers, he pulled a small mirror from his pack and turned his face toward it.
His first thought as he gazed at his reflection was that he'd have to shave soon. His eyes had remained their stunning silver color, though they looked a little sad and pensive as he looked into them. Most people who knew him assumed that the silvery glow of his eyes was part of the same spell that hid the rest of his face, but it wasn't. For some unfathomable reason, he'd been born with his eyes as they were.
His gaze then moved to the… Thing that covered the majority of the right side of his face. His eyes suddenly went hard and he threw the mirror away from himself, disgusted at the sight of it. He sat glaring at the mirror for a few moments before standing and clothing himself, finishing by pulling his hood up over his head, the spell that hid his face activating once again, hiding his shame. He packed his things, including the offensive mirror he'd thrown across his tent, and went out into the open.
It was still early, the sun having just begun to peak over the horizon. Thol shuddered at the sight of the temple being backlit by the rising star. He walked over to where Tor was checking over his armor, making sure everything was properly secured and in good condition. He was the only other one up at the moment.
Tor spared his friend a glance. "Morning, Thol."
Thol nodded in response. "You're up early."
"You know me. Can never sleep in right before a major battle."
Another nod from Thol. After watching Tor's ministrations for a little while, he posed a question.
"How's Vala coming with her sword fighting?"
"She learns quick. I can only teach her so much though as her sword is quite different then mine. I think she should stay back when we battle Garland. She can probably handle the local monsters, but if Garland is as good as they say he is, she'll just get hurt if she gets involved."
"Hmm," Thol said, nodding again. "She and Melira can hang back and be ready with their magic if… When, rather, one of us is hurt."
"Hopefully they'll be okay," Tor said, concerned either of them might be hurt.
"Goro will be watching them, as will the rest of us no doubt."
As if on cue, Goro emerged from his own tent, nodding at both of them before beginning his morning exercises, loosening up for the battle ahead. The others had soon woken as well, each doing their own thing to get ready for the upcoming battle. Tor had joined Goro in running through a few practice exercises and Vala was chatting quietly with Keza, watching him as he checked to make sure he had everything he'd need. Just as Thol had predicted, after Keza's little talk with her she'd been staying closer to him and Keza had taken it upon himself to look after her. Thol nodded his approval and let his gaze wander else where.
His eyes rested on the form of Melira, kneeling somewhat outside of camp with her back to the temple, obviously in some sort of prayer. Thol was curious to which god she prayed too, but knew that even if he were to ask, she likely wouldn't tell him in light of their current standing with each other. Thol sighed and closed his eyes to concentrate, doing his own thing to ready himself for the battle. Soon, his thoughts were clear and he gazed at the world through the eye in his mind.
Thol was wrong though. If he'd have asked her, she would have told him, for as angry as she was at him, she only wished to help him, so when she prayed, she not only prayed that they all remain safe through the up coming battle, but also for Thol to somehow get over whatever demons plagued him.
Within the hour, they had all gathered around the weak fire they had going, each of them ready for the task ahead as best they could be.
"Alright, this is it. Within the next hour, we'll be facing Garland, supposedly the best knight in the kingdom. As we all know, not only is he a skilled knight, but he is also proficient in magic, making him a doubly dangerous adversary," Thol said, looking around the circle of friends. He was pleased to note that when his gaze fell upon Melira, she returned one that was merely interested in what he was saying as opposed to the angry glances she'd given him the day before. He continued on. "The basic plan is, Tor and I will hit him with alternative sword and magic, hoping to keep him off balance enough that he can't cast a spell of his own. Goro, you're to keep to Garland's flank and basically keep him distracted enough so Tor can score decent strikes. Keza, I want you to use that agility of yours and harass him from every possible angle, but try not to miss aim and hit one of us with those throwing daggers of yours."
"Hey, don't worry about it, boss. I never miss," he said confidently.
Thol nodded, knowing that he likely didn't miss often. "Melira, you and Vala try and keep back out of his sight and be ready should one of us go down. Try not to stay in the same place either, that'll just make him notice the two of you easier. In the event that he does notice you and tries to attack, we'll be there to stop him. Everyone okay with all that?"
The others nodded.
"Good. We might as well get this over with then," Thol said, moving toward the seemingly deserted structure.
As they passed the threshold, Thol stepped in beside Goro and whispered to him.
"I'm assuming you know the layout of this place fairly well?"
"Indeed. While I trained here I took it upon myself to become familiar with this structure as more of an amusement then anything."
Thol nodded. "What can you tell me about this place then? Do you have any idea where he might have taken her?"
"Well, the stairways to the upper levels have long since either collapsed or have been buried under centuries of rubble, so there's only the ground floor here to worry about." He thought for a moment. "The only place I can think he would have taken her is to the old altar room at the center of the building. The rest of this floor is nothing but hallways and old statues."
"Alright, we'll stop there first and see what happens from there. Lead on."
As they entered the main antechamber, they were attacked by a group of undead which included a trio of skeletons and a collection of various zombies. Tor immediately lunged forward to confront the rushing horde and Thol began a medium level fire spell to burn the offensive and foul smelling group to ashes. Before he had the chance to finish the spell, however, a nearly blinding ray of light suddenly streaked forth and eradicated the entire undead mob within seconds.
All eyes turned toward Melira, who still stood with her hands extended. She blushed shyly as she realized everyone was looking at her.
"Well done," Tor complimented her.
She smiled slightly and looked down at the ground and muttered an embarrassed, "Thank you."
Thol let his gaze linger on her for a few more seconds, thinking again what an incredible mage she'll make one day. He then turned back to Goro and motioned for him to continue.
They were unchallenged further upon arriving at the large double doors of the altar room, Melira's spell sending the other creatures of the temple into hiding. There was a light shining from underneath the doors and they could clearly hear someone chanting within.
Goro looked to Thol as he put his hands on the doors, ready to open then. The mage looked back at the other to see if they were ready. They nodded and Thol gave Goro the signal to open them.
Tor rushed in first, being the only one with any sort of decent armor, Thol and Goro rushing in to flank him with the others right behind. They all paused a moment to take in the scene before them.
Standing with his back to them all was Garland himself. He stood at an impossible seven and a half feet tall, clad entirely in black armor that even Tor wouldn't be able to move in. His arms were currently outstretched toward the ceiling, as if he had been praying to some unimaginable deity. His long crimson cape flowed almost as if it had a life of its own. The man's deadly sword was standing upright, thrust into the stone floor by a powerful force making them all shudder at the thought of it.
The room itself was illuminated by two large braziers that flanked the altar in the center of the room. They're golden light was drowned out by a large floating black orb which cast the room in an ominous blue hue. It stood, seemingly supported by its own power, at the head of the altar, upon which the barely conscious princess Sara lay, chained to the stone object. The large statues surrounding the room seemed to glare down at them evilly, a small group of bats cowering in the corner or the room.
Upon hearing them enter, Garland slowly turned around, his arms falling back to his sides. Through the slits in his large horned helmet, an eerie red glow could be seen where his eyes should be. At first he said nothing, just staring at the intruders with a murderous glance. He was only a step away from where his sword was thrust into the ground, but he made no move for it.
Tor boldly took another step forward and shouted, "Fiend! Release Princess Sara at once!"
Garland tilted his head at the warrior as he had done to the guard he had killed the night of the kidnapping. Still he said nothing.
A look of concern crossed Tor's features. "I said-," he began to repeat himself.
"Silence!" The large knight said suddenly. "Who dare to come forth and interrupt this sacred ceremony?" His voice was dark and evil and seemed almost as if it were two voices combined, the tone promising death and suffering with each word.
"We are the Light Warriors! We're here to see justice served!" Tor shouted back defiantly. "Stand aside or we'll be forced to take you down!"
The large warrior threw his head back and laughed at the smaller warrior's proclamation. The laugh seemed to echo amongst itself, unnerving all of them.
"Light Warriors? Ha, ha, ha… You have no idea what you're dealing with. I, Garland, own this princess now. I will not stand aside and let my destiny slip passed me. It is I who will see you fall before my might!"
With that, he strode forward and ripped the sword from the ground, charging directly at Tor, who had dared speak to him so.
"Spread out!" Thol yelled, dashing to his left and readying a spell for when Tor was clear.
Tor met Garland's vicious downward swing with his own, upward one. The resulting crash of steel nearly deafened everyone, the shower of sparks temporarily lighting up the man's face within his helmet. Though it was only a single handed blow, it nearly knocked Tor to his feet and he struggled to push the man's weapon from his own. It was only through Goro's intervention via a flying kick that he was able to get away. From between the two of them, a carefully thrown dagger found a mark on Garland's armor, merely ricocheting off to the side.
Goro was forced to back off as the full might of Garland's sword was directed at him. Tor stepped in with a strike of his own and the knight was forced to once again concentrate on him. Tor's timely attack was halted when Garland took his sword in both hands and made a sweeping strike which Tor just barely managed to get his sword in front of, even then, the force of the attack sent him sailing into one of the braziers, knocking it over and showering him with burning ash. Melira rushed over with Vala to see if he was alright.
Another dagger from Keza, this time from behind, caught Garland's attention, this one digging into the shoulder joint of his armor. The knight turned, intending to crush the knife wielding flea with his sword, but Thol took this opportunity to unleash a fairly powerful lightning spell that traveled up the knight's sword, causing him to drop to one knee. Goro attacked the knight with a devastating roundhouse kick that, helmet or no, would have seriously harmed any normal man. Garland, being as abnormally strong as he was, was merely knocked over and stunned. Goro attempted to follow up his attack with a leaping knee aimed at his chest, but Garland had recovered and swatted him from mid air with his free arm.
He had only enough time to stand again when a recovered and healed Tor came at him from the flank, scoring a blow to his armor that left a sizeable dent. The knight quickly regained his footing and was able to match Tor's attacks blow-for-blow. Thol snuck around to his flank and tossed a fire spell his way, thinking to catch him off guard. To his amazement, Garland swatted the spell aside without losing a step and continued to press Tor back.
Without warning, Garland unleashed a spell similar to the one he used on the castle guards, throwing Tor clear across the room and knocking Thol from his feet where he slid on his back a few meters. Tor had collided into one of the statues and was out cold. With half the team down for the moment, Keza had no choice but to confront him head on.
"Hey, ugly! Over hear!" he shouted, waving his arms as well.
Garland turned toward the thief and was rewarded for his efforts by a pair of flying daggers burying themselves in his armor, one managing to penetrate through the relatively thin protection around his neck. The knight grunted and ripped the offensive object free with his left hand, tossing it away. He then stormed after the little thief, who nimbly leapt about the room dodging every attempt the knight made to hit him with his giant sword. His luck ran out as he was forced to dive under an on coming attack and ended up crashing directly into the other brazier, nearly knocking it over. Garland used this distraction to reverse his swing and smashed it into the thief as he struggled to regain his footing, sending him and the brazier crashing into the wall, the room now lit exclusively by the floating black orb. Lucky for him, he had been struck by the flat edge of the sword, but even still, he lay there struggling to breathe and surrounded by burning ash.
Melira, still tending to Tor, trying to get him to wake, didn't see him go down. Vala, who had been watching the whole thing so far, unable to do anything, rushed over to the fallen thief with a cry before Melira could stop her.
"Vala! No!" she said, momentarily rising from her work on Tor.
Garland quickly turned around and saw Vala rushing to move passed him. He swung at her with his mighty blade, intending to kill her with one stroke. Vala, thanks to her training with Tor, managed to get her weapon up in time to block the attack, but since she was just a small girl, the attack lifted her off her feet and pushed her back. Melira managed to catch her before she could fall and hurt herself, but unfortunately, Garland's attention was now focused solely on them.
Garland strode forward, each step sounding like a clap of doom. Vala clung to Melira in fear. For her part, Melira could only stare into the knights unholy red eyes and watch as he moved forward, his sword rising up, ready to crush them both. The sudden surge of magic was her only warning as to what happened next.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Thol dived in front of them both with inhuman speed, his staff held up to block the on coming attack. Even braced for the blow and with his weapon magically strengthened, the crushing force of Garland's attack bent the staff and shattered the spell on it. Thol wasted no time and lashed out at the stunned knight with a second lightning spell, this time blowing him back due to the proximity.
"Help Tor!" he shouted, discarding his own, now useless staff and snatching up Melira's, which she had dropped to catch Vala.
He quickly cast a second tempering spell, this time on Melira's staff, and rushed to face off with the recovering Garland. Garland, now furious, attacked Thol with reckless speed, the mage only able to keep up due to the haste spell he cast on himself earlier, but he knew that the magic would be wearing off soon, so he had to do something. A downward slash which he caught with his staff gave him the opportunity he needed. Gathering both his final third level spell and all his first level magic, he sent an incredible current of electricity through the staff that in turn traveled up the knight's sword and in turn to the knight himself. The sudden shock blew them both apart.
Thol was coughing and trying to calm his own shaken nerves enough to stand when Melira rushed over to him, having done all she could for Tor for the moment. She quickly cured him enough to stop his shaking so he could stand and she helped him up. His hood had fallen off and though his face was still completely cloaked in black, Melira could clearly see that he was bleeding from his temple.
She gasped and touched his face lightly near the wound, but he removed her hand.
"No, it's nothing. Don't worry," he said.
Melira looked as though she was going to protest, but Thol's eyes suddenly widened and he shoved her aside only to be leveled by a blast of pure magic that sent him skidding across the floor once again. He had foolishly assumed that Garland would be down longer then that and he'd paid for it. Though Garland had been unarmed by the massive lightning spell, he'd recovered in short order and had retaliated with a spell of his own. He had been lucky enough to have seen it in time to clear Melira from its path.
He'd have probably been killed had Goro not just now returned to the battle. He managed to hold his own against the knight despite not being able to move very well due to his leg being injured from his landing. Not being a novice himself, Garland took advantage of that and managed to strike his wounded leg, causing it to buckle and he unceremoniously fell to the ground, unable to stand for the moment.
Garland gazed down at him for a moment, seemingly calm as if he wasn't in the middle of a life and death battle, before sweeping the room with his eyes. Spotting his weapon, he marched over to it and picked it up, returning to where Goro was now attempting to regain his footing. Before he could reach him, Tor, finally awake, flew at him and knocked him back several steps with a series of blows that further dented the larger man's armor. With a final upward swing, he removed the knight's helmet from his head, knocking him over with the force of the blow.
Able to see his opponent's face for the first time, Tor took in the man's features. His face was harsh and angular, the lines on his face showing that he was more used to frowning then smiling. His hair was black as his armor and fell to about his shoulders. Though now disheveled from battle, it looked well taken care of. It was his eyes that disturbed him and caused him to falter though. Gazing into his glowing red eyes, he could find no trace of a soul, only malice and hate.
It only took Tor a moment to take that all in, but it was a moment too long as Garland wasted no time in lashing out with his sword, the blow rending Tor's armor in half and making him crash to the ground. Turning back toward where Goro had last been, the knight was assaulted once again by the man. This time he had been ready for him and he caught Goro by the throat and held him aloft, meaning to run him through with his sword.
A knife suddenly struck his wrist at the joint, piercing the armored gauntlet. The nerves in his hand severed and useless, he dropped Goro, who landed on his injured leg and collapsed. Garland, seemingly unaffected by the crippling attack, simply looked over the where a burnt and battered Keza stood, poised with both his daggers, ready to face the man if he had too. Vala, who had used what little magic she was capable of to get Keza back on his feet, dragged Goro away from Garland as he was distracted by the thief.
Just as Garland started to stomp toward the blue haired man, an angry voice stopped him.
"Garland!"
The knight turned to face the voice where he saw Thol being supported by Melira.
"Burn!" he yelled, using the last of his strength to unleash his most powerful spell at the man. As it had done out in the open, the fire spell's concussive blast knocked everyone off their feet, Garland disappearing in a veritable inferno. Thol all but passed out after the spell. Having spent the majority of his own energy, it was all he could do but lay there being supported by Melira. The sudden scrape of metal on stone caught their attention however.
To their horror, Garland had survived the spell, though he was hideously burned and probably in more pain then most would be able to stand. He dragged himself onto his knees, his armor no doubt burning his flesh as he did so, only to look up and see Tor standing over him, holding one hand to his bleeding chest. Tor stared down at him for a moment then, as Garland's hand twitched toward him for who knows what sort of attack, he thrust forward with both hands, the sword easily piecing the heat-weakened metal of his armor and not stopping until it hit the stone of the floor.
The hand Garland had extended convulsed into a claw and began to lower as the strength was lost. Tor removed his sword from the knight's chest and he slumped back to the stone floor, dead. Exhausted, Tor also fell backward to the stone floor, breathing heavy and relieved it was over. After a few moments, he stood and walked over to the altar where princess Sara was now wide awake, her eyes wide with fear.
He kneeled as he got to the altar and addressed her. "Your highness, we are the Light Warriors and we've come to rescue you. You needn't be afraid, you're safe now," he said. He then stood and used his still bloody sword to shatter the chains holding her to the stone altar. He'd have Keza remove the cuffs later, but for now, he just wanted to get out of there, as he was sure everyone else did as well. The princess, immediately upon having been freed, pounced on Tor and kissed him passionately.
"Oh, thank you so much!" she said upon finally breaking the kiss. "You have no idea how horrible it was!"
A red-faced Tor picked her up off the altar and carried her over to where the others had gathered, Keza helping Vala with Goro as he was unable to walk after landing on his already injured leg. Thol, standing mostly with Melira's help, looked at the others, most of them battered, bruised, and bleeding from several abrasions.
"Let's get the Hell out of here," he said finally, gaining unanimous approval from the entire group. . . .
X X X X
They made camp a fair ways away from the horrid temple and Melira and Vala fixed everyone up as best they could with their remaining magic and a healthy number of potions, even still, they would need a few days rest to get back to full health and they would need to purchase some new equipment when they returned to the city.
Later, as Thol sat leaning against a nearby tree simply relaxing from his spell casting ordeal earlier, he watched as Tor sat chatting with the princess, neither of them being able to take their eyes off each other. If he remembered correctly, the princess had only once even let go of his friend since he'd rescued her and that was only so Melira could bandage up his chest. Tor suddenly caught his glance and blushed fiercely causing Thol to laugh in amusement even though it hurt like mad and he soon found himself coughing thanks to that energy spell of Garland's he took pretty much directly to the chest.
He was joined not long after by Melira, who sat beside him and also leaned against the tree.
"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.
He coughed again and replied, "I've been better, but I'll live."
She smiled lightly and her gaze also fell on the Tor and the princess. "I see Tor and Sara are getting along well. She seems quite taken with him."
"It'll do Tor good to have something to worry about other then what happened with his brother," Thol commented.
"He mentioned something about his brother before. What exactly happened?" she asked.
"Well, from what I heard, sometime after he and I partnered up and began roaming around the continent, a pirate vessel captained by a man named Bikke attacked his hometown. I'd never heard of him before that, but apparently, he was the most ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate to have ever sailed. Anyway, they attacked at night, first storming the port and destroying most of the vessels that were docked. Tor's brother, Madon, was a guard at the docks. He tried his best to stop the pirates, but they someone managed to take him down and imprisoned him." Thol paused for a second before the next part. His voice got quieter all of a sudden. "They said that the pirates tortured him for hours before blinding him and throwing him into the sea strapped to a cannon ball to drown. A warrior is supposed to die a clean death, one with honor. There was no honor in what they did to him, only cowardice."
"That's so sad," Melira said, tears in her eyes as she tried to imagine how Tor must have felt after hearing the news.
Thol nodded. "We were just leaving Elfland when the news caught up with us. Tor broke down and wept upon hearing what they did to him. It's disheartening to see a man usually so strong and proud on his knees like that. His sorrow quickly turned to anger though and he swore that if it was the last thing he did, he would bring Bikke to justice. After he'd calmed down a bit, we parted ways. That was about a year ago. I ran into him again in Coneria the same day all this started. He'd run out of leads in that pub, the bartender saying last he heard, Bikke's ship having gone down in a violent storm. Having nothing to do now that he'd run out of leads, we decided to renew our partnership. We met Keza shortly afterward and you know the rest from there."
Melira was smiling at him when he looked at her, having finished his story.
"What?" he asked, somewhat confused.
"You know what I think, Thol? All your abrasive behavior toward most people is just a sham."
"What makes you say that?" he asked, a little confused.
"You often act like you don't care about anyone, but I can tell by the way you told that story that you really do care, so obviously you don't mean all the nasty things you say about people."
Thol just sat there staring at her for a moment. "Well congratulations, but what's the point?" he asked finally.
"It's just that I think I'm finally starting to understand you," she said, and paused for a moment before reaching up with her hand to touch his face. For once, he didn't flinch back or yell, but simply let her touch him. "And why you feel the need to hide yourself."
Thol sighed. "You're so gods damned persistent," he said in quiet and almost sad voice, not being able to look at her in his moment of weakness, staring at the ground in front of him instead. Slowly, he reached up with his own hand and also touched his face, his fingers brushing hers momentarily before he moved them away quickly, as if afraid the curse he had would infect her as well. "This… Thing I hide… It's done nothing but cause me scorn and ridicule my entire life. I'm deformed, ugly, a freak. How else could I have broken the magic thread so easily? I'm not even human," he said in a broken voice, not really knowing why he was telling her all this, but unable to stop himself.
"Thol, I'm here for you," she said to him, moving to embrace him.
Thol said nothing but merely embraced her in return, grateful for her presence right now. He held her tightly for a few moments until he was able to calm himself again, and happened to glance down at the sleeve of his robe. Pulling away from her, he frowned as he looked down at the shredded, singed, and bloodstained remains of his robe.
"… Guess I'll be needing a new robe then," he remarked offhandedly.
Melira laughed at his comment, glad he was feeling better, but worried deep down inside that he was just putting on a front to hide from her how he was really feeling. "Thol, you can come talk to me anytime you need to. I'll always be here to listen."
"Thanks… And sorry I yelled at you again. I know I was just being foolish. I just…" he said, unable to continue.
"I know. I'm sorry too. You just frustrate me sometimes," she paused for a moment, "And thank you for protecting me back there, Thol, Vala too."
Thol shook his head. "It was nothing. Any of the others would have done the same had they been able to."
Melira simply smiled, knowing that arguing would be pointless and that it was just his way of dealing with a compliment. They were both silent for a while, each thinking different thoughts.
"I should go check on Goro's leg. You stay here and rest. That much spell casting so close together has exhausted you," she said, standing.
"Of course, but don't over do it yourself. I'm certain you're almost drained too."
"Right as always," she said. "See you later, Thol."
Thol grunted and watched her walk over to Goro before closing his eyes to rest. He had no idea how long he sat there, just enjoying this time relaxing and listening to the wildlife in the forest which was just a stones throw away. The sound of soft footsteps tore him from his peaceful half slumber and he figured it was either Keza come to lift his gil as he rest or Vala. He opened his eyes to see that it was the former that made her way to sit next to him, exactly where Melira had sat only a little while ago.
"I see you've fixed things with Melira," she said with a knowing smile on her face.
"I was being a little silly about the whole thing," he admitted.
"And yet still you hide your face," she commented.
"You know why. It's not that simple," he said, looking away from her.
"I know, and I haven't come here to remind you about it."
He turned to look back at her again. "Oh?"
"I… Wanted to ask you… How did you combine all those spells like that?" she asked, almost as if she was afraid to.
"Mainly, practice, but it's got to do with how you weave your spell. You see, normally when you weave mana threads, you're concentrating on just a single spell. Over the years I've developed the control to chain these threads together into combinations and sequences. It's a little bit more taxing, but it's worth it in the end. Lukahn told me long ago that it was a special talent I had and that it's the reason I was able to learn so quickly."
"And why one day you'll be known as the greatest mage to have walked the planet," she commented.
Thol was quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I don't want to be known as the greatest mage ever… I'll just be feared the world over then instead of wherever I go."
"Oh, Thollatos… One day I know you'll come to terms with your gift and you'll realize that your fears have been unfounded all these years, and it will be soon, I promise you."
"Well I'm glad you have faith in it, but I don't."
"Even after all the prophecy has shown you, you still don't believe me," she said, making it a statement as opposed to a question.
"Twenty years cannot be undone in a week," he said simply.
She gave up trying to convince him that everything would turn out alright and instead took to watching the others as they moved about the small fire they had going.
"You and Keza seem to be getting along well," Thol commented after a while. Her face visibly lit up at the mention of his name.
"Keza has been so helpful to me. The vision makes it hard to remember things and stay focused, but he's been there the whole time keeping me anchored to the present. He has so many interesting stories to tell."
Thol nodded. Yes, I bet he does, he thought to himself. "Keza is very talented," he openly admitted. "He's also had less time to pester me since you've come along."
She laughed mildly. "Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if in the end, you and Keza end up being quite good friends," she remarked, again with that knowing smile of hers.
"I highly doubt that," he said. "Speaking of which, I think you should get back over there and rein him in before he tries to steal something. Looks like he's setting Tor up for the kill."
Vala glanced up to see Keza covertly reaching for the larger man's gil pouch and smiled despite the thief's unsavory habits. "Perhaps I should. Sleep well tonight, Thollatos."
"You get some rest as well. You did a lot of spell casting, not to mention getting smacked around by a rather large sword."
Vala gave him a conceding bow and left him alone to rest.
Thol watched as Vala exposed Keza's little game to Tor and Tor's face taking on first an incredulous look, then one of mild irritation as he snatched his gil pouch back from a shame faced Keza, who was explaining to both him and Vala that he was only trying to keep in practice. Thol shook his head and closed his eyes, wondering how he ever got himself mixed up with such a group of people to begin with. . . .
X X X X
The journey back to Coneria was surprisingly uneventful and it only took then 2 days to reach the city gates. By then, the majority of their wounds had healed, only Goro showing any external signs of the battle as he still sported a limp. Thol still had a nagging cough that Melira assured him would be gone before long and he'd only managed a few minor repairs to his trusty robes.
There was a grateful crowd awaiting them as they returned, rumors of the Light Warriors spreading since they had left, thus when the guard at the top of the wall yelled down that the Light Warriors had returned and that they had successfully rescued the princess, it didn't take long for both a crowd of cheering civilians and a regiment of the Royal Guard, led by General Cid himself, to gather.
"Light Warriors!" General Cid called to them as they entered the gate, "Thank the gods you have returned with the princess! Come! His majesty no doubt wants to thank you personally!"
A great cheer sounded out as they rode down the main street toward the castle. The six of them all had different reactions to the crowd. Tor rode proudly with the princess smiling widely in front of him, they having decided back at the temple to share a horse. Keza grinned widely as well, basking in the glory he was reaping at the moment. Melira too smiled, but had a slight blush on her face, being more embarrassed then anything. Thol, riding beside her, was quite uncomfortable with the crowd and pulled his hood down further over his face, wishing that they'd all just go away, though deep down, he was rather proud to be a part of it all. Goro rode beside Tor and the princess his usual calm and peaceful self, only sporting a slight smile, glad to finally see the people happy again as they had been quite upset since the kidnapping. Only Vala seemed to be unhappy, riding beside Keza with her head bowed as if lost in her own world, and indeed she was as the vision had taken this opportunity to come down on her full force.
The king practically leapt from his throne at the sight of his daughter and nearly crushed her in his embrace, muttering her name over and over again. Her mother, Queen Jane, fainted with relief when she arrived in the throne room moments later to see that her daughter was safe, her other daughter, the younger Princess Tia, managed to catch her before she fell, and was so happy that she burst into tears.
So happy was the king that he declared that there would be a city wide celebration to honor the Light Warriors. They were then whisked away into another part of the castle so that they could get cleaned up and dressed for the ceremony later and also to give the reunited family some time alone.
Thol chased out the over zealous butler that insisted that as a royal guest he was to be bathed by the staff. A few low-level lightning spells quickly convinced him that he was perfectly capable of washing himself. Later, after he had finished bathing and had dressed himself in the robes he had been given to wear, he stood looking at himself in the full length mirror and debated on whether to wear the silly hat or not. Trying it on experimentally, he decided that unlike the ridiculous looking hats black mages typically wore when traveling which tended to flop over under its own weight, the ceremonial hat he had been given to wear made him look rather mystical.
A discreet knock at the door announced the butlers return, telling him that it was time to assemble for the ceremony. Quickly grabbing the staff that had been provided to him by the king from his own personal armory, he followed the butler to where they were to wait.
Keza was already there, fidgeting in the suit he was given to wear and looking completely out of place. Having spotted Thol, he walked up to him and looked him over.
"Well I'm glad one of us looks alright in these fancy clothes," he said, still fidgeting. "I for one can't wait to get out of this damned monkey suit."
"Oh? Afraid someone might mistake you for an honest citizen?" Thol teased.
"Ha, ha," Keza replied dryly.
Goro had entered next, clad in a very expensive looking master's gi. He'd placed aside the bandana he usually wore in favor of the mao-zi traditionally worn by a master as well. He looked rather nervous in the outfit as he approached the other two.
"Goro, your master would be proud of you right now," Thol commented.
"I hope so," he said, shifting his weight to his good leg.
"We know so," Keza added. "Not only are you a hero for helping rescue the princess, but you're also one of the famed Light Warriors. I'm sure there is no higher honor one can get."
Goro smiled. "I thank you both for your kind words. Yes, I'm sure master would be proud, and I won't let him down."
The three of them sat at a nearby table to await the others, Thol having some difficulty juggling both staff and hat, often forgetting he was wearing it and knocking it off his head with the staff.
They were forced to stand several minutes later as Vala entered the room almost shyly, clad in a long, flowing red dress that, while having sleeves, left her upper arms exposed. On her head she wore a ruby centered tiara as well as sporting a pair of teardrop shaped ruby earrings. Thol noticed that at the sight of her, Keza had first gone sheet white, then alternatively beat red, and finally settling on a nervous pale color. Thol might have laughed but before anyone could say a word, Melira also walked in and suddenly, he found himself unable to do anything but gape at her.
Melira's dress, unlike Vala's, was in fact sleeveless. She wore a pair of silver cuffs from which hung what looked to be silk, which ran all the way back to her dress, making it look as though the dress originally did have sleeves, but that someone had cut them down their length. The rest of it was also made of silk and the purest white he had ever seen, including the cape that hung from her shoulders. She too wore a tiara, but one of pure silver that almost looked like a crown. The stones she wore as earrings seemed to shine with a light of their own, but for the life of him, Thol couldn't figure out what they were. Like him, she also carried a staff, one that seemed to be made of a transparent crystal, topped with a sea blue orb that also seemed to glow.
As he gazed at her, his eyes wide and his heart racing, he couldn't help but think, By the gods… She's beautiful… No, perfect. He tightened his grip on his staff in fear that he would drop it and was again glad no one could see his face as he was sure it must have gone red similar to Keza's only moments before. There was a particular ache in his chest that he wasn't able to identify, but at the moment, he really didn't care to find out.
Keza was the first to recover, donning his trademark grin and stepping forward with an extravagant bow that he'd never be able to pull off in a throne room. "Ladies, you look ravishing, I must say," he commented, standing once again to full height in front of Vala, who smiled slightly and blushed from his comment.
Goro nodded in agreement. "Indeed. I fear I may become blind by such beauty," he said, also bowing to the ladies.
Melira looked toward Thol, waiting to see if he would say anything, but he was still stunned speechless at the sight of her. She blushed noting that his eyes were wider then they were normally and smiled to herself. "Thank you," she said to both of them before walking up to Thol.
He continued to stare at her and began to notice that he was quite nervous as she walked up to him. She stopped in from of him and looked down shyly.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked in a quiet voice.
You're a goddess, he said internally. Still not trusting himself to speak, he merely took her free hand in his and brought it up to lay a gentle kiss on the back of it.
She blushed further and smiled fully. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" she admonished.
Finally able to find his voice, Thol offered his hand. "Come sit with me," he said, wondering if she had noted the slight tremor in his voice. She took his hand, ungloved she noted, and followed him over to sit and wait for Tor's entrance. Thol's eyes were glued on her the entire time, thus he missed the amused look on Goro and Keza's face as well as that all knowing smile on Vala's.
"You look wonderful, Thol. You even manage to make that silly looking hat good on you."
"Thank you. I'm afraid I don't have the words to tell you how you look," he said, wondering what had gotten into him all of a sudden.
Over on the other side of the room, Vala sat beside Keza who, unlike Thol, had yet to run out of things to say about Vala's appearance. Goro calmly sat between the two couples with a content smile on his face, glad his friends were happy, even Thol, who had a tendency to be gloomy all the time.
It was perhaps ten minutes later when Tor finally arrived, clad in a suit of armor loaned from the king himself. It was polished so it had an almost mirror shine to it and behind him flowed a red cape identical to the one Garland had sported, though on Tor it looked regal as opposed to ominous. A golden sword was strapped to his waist, probably more expensive then all of their clothes put together. In addition to the armor, he wore a yellow trimmed red cloth running down his front with the coat of arms of his teacher and master, Sir Zakon, the greatest knight to have ever lived some say. He stood proudly at the entrance awaiting his comrade's response.
Thol stood and could think of nothing more to do then bow to his friend, who at this moment, looked like he could be king himself. Melira stood as he did and curtsied along with him, prompting the others to do the same.
"Princess Sara has announced that I am to be knighted by her hand and become her knight protector," he announced after they had all straightened back up.
"That's wonderful news!" Melira exclaimed from beside Thol.
They all crowded around the soon-to-be knight and congratulated him and exchange compliments on their dress. Soon afterwards, they were told that the ceremony was to begin.
First, the king delivered a rather lengthy speech, mostly talking about the Light Warriors and personally thanking them and stating that if they ever needed the aid of the kingdom, they need but ask. They were then to be announced one at a time to be awarded medals of bravery, save Tor, who would be called last and knighted by Sara.
First to be announced was Keza, who was rather pleased with the whole situation, taking the medal offered to him by General Cid and flashing the gathered crowd his traditional grin and holding his reward aloft for all to see. He winked to the cheering crowd before stepping back in line with the others.
Vala was next, demurely taking the medal and bowing gracefully to the crowd. Most people in the crowd had either never seen an elf or had only on a small number of occasions, so the crowd reacted with awe at her celestial beauty. She quickly retreated back beside Keza, blushing slightly from the reaction.
Goro had the privilege of going next, accepting his medal with a bow to the general, then to the crowd, holding the medal before him to honor it. As Goro was well known and well liked in the city, the crowd cheered loudly for him, his fellow workers at the library cheering loudest and starting a "Goro" chant for him.
Then it was time for Thol to be announced. He hadn't expected much, but he was surprised to find that a few people even clapped for him, most of them only able to stare at him, whether it be out of fear or respect, he didn't know. He accepted his medal and was originally going to just make his way back to the line, but thought better of it and faced the crowd which had suddenly gone silent. He slowly raised his staff and at an appropriate height, slammed it back down on the stone, a carefully prepared lightning spell streaking from the end of his staff to collide with the atmosphere above, exploding into a colorful display not unlike a firework going off. Gawking up at the sky in an awed silence for a moment, the crowd suddenly exploded into cheers for him. Please he had satisfied them, he now returned to his place in line, Melira giving him an approving smile for his display.
She wasn't able to say anything to him at the moment, however, as it was her turn to be announced. She curtsied to Cid and then to the crowd, who showered her with cheers, applause and a healthy number of wolf whistles and cat calls as she too was well known and well liked in the city. She blushed, grinning embarrassedly and almost ran back to her place beside Thol.
Cid stepped down from where he had been delivered the medals and was replaced by Princess Sara who announced to all that she had chosen a knight protector and that he would be knighted during this very ceremony. Cid stepped forward again momentarily to announce Tor and the crowd cheered louder then they had all evening as he stepped forward and kneeled in front of the princess to be knighted. The princess did what was required of her and Tor stood, drawing his sword and saluting the crowd with it. Cheers broke out again as Sara pulled him toward her and kissed him for all to see.
After the knighting, there was a handful of boring speeches from other important people and then they moved onto the feast that had been prepared. The feast was followed by a grand ball with music and dancing.
Thol was relaxing in the chair he'd been provided with, content now that he had eaten and was enjoying a goblet of wine. He looked about the room for his friends, easiest of which to spot was Tor, who sat with his new found love, Princess Sara, chatting idly with the rest of the royal family. He had earlier taken a few spins on the dance floor with his beloved and they were rewarded with a round of applause from all the on lookers.
Thol's gaze then moved to Goro, who stood chatting with the mayor of the city, no doubt discussing issues the citizens of the city had. A few other visiting dignitaries also listened in, piping in with their own questions, which Goro would answer honestly and to the best of his ability, no doubt passing them some useful advice on dealing with the people.
He then caught sight of Keza and Vala dancing with each other and for all purposes looking like the rest of the world didn't exist to them. Thol wondered if they even realized how they really felt about each other. He was also glad to see Keza was interested in something other then stealing, as he had a hunch that if it wasn't for Vala, he'd be making his rounds of the people and relieving them of the burden of their valuables.
He smiled and looked around some more. Try as he might, however, he failed to spot Melira in the immediate vicinity. She had excused herself sometime ago saying that she'd like to go see her father, but she hadn't returned yet. He found that he was rather disappointed as he had grown accustom to her being at his side these past few hours. She's probably off having fun somewhere. After all, why would she want to hang around a bore like you? he thought, frowning at his own internal monologue. He took another sip of wine and tried to dispel the thought form his head.
He continued to scan around the room for any sign of Melira, but again failed to see her. He remained sitting for another ten minutes or so, berating himself internally for being a foolish idiot, then, finishing off his drink, stood and decided he'd seen enough of the crowd. Finding an unoccupied balcony, we walked up to the edge and leaned against the railing with his free arm. He had no idea how long he stood there gazing up at the stars before a voice behind him brought him back down to the planet.
"So this is where you've been hiding," said a voice he instantly recognized to be Melira's.
He turned from the railing and was again taken by just how utterly beautiful she was, especially in the moonlight. Again he had to fight for his words as he gazed upon her. "I… Thought I'd like to look at the stars for awhile. It was getting a little too crowded in there for me," he said.
She walked up to him and stood beside him, looking up at the stars for a moment just as he had been doing only moments before. She smiled and said, "They are beautiful, aren't they?"
Not when you're around, he thought, unable to take his eyes off her again. What in the world is wrong with me? You act like you've never seen a girl before. He continued to watch her stare at the stars for a few moments, his mind constantly assaulting him with berating thoughts. Finally able to tear his eyes from her, he turned to look out across the city. "Shouldn't you be inside having fun with the others?" he asked quietly.
She looked down from the stars and then at him, still smiling. "It's not much fun in there. I have no one to dance with," she said, hoping he'd catch on to what she was saying.
"Oh, I'm sure you could find someone in there. With the reaction you got when they announced you, there's probably a whole mob of men who'd be willing to go a round with you on the dance floor," he commented almost bitterly.
"But I don't know any of them. What fun is it to dance with a total stranger?" she countered.
Thol merely shrugged. "Then what about Goro or Keza? I'm sure even Tor would dance with you if you asked him."
"They're all busy," she said. "Keza has Vala and Tor is with Sara. Goro, well I happen to know that he can't dance to save his life oddly enough and I doubt he'd want to anyway with his leg still causing him pain. So who does that leave?" she asked with an impish smile.
Thol looked at her suddenly. "You're not serious?" he asked, incredulously.
"Please dance with me, Thol," she pleaded, grabbing his free hand with hers.
"You want to dance with me?" he asked, still stunned at her request.
"Yes. Will you?" she asked, looking up at him.
She could have very well have asked him to murder the king at that moment and he wouldn't have been able to refuse. "Of course I will, I'd be honored," he said in a reverent tone. The look on her face alone was worth it, he decided.
"Yay! Come on, Thol! It'll be fun, I promise!" she said, practically dragging him back inside.
"Whoa! I can walk on my own, you know," he said, his words falling on deaf ears. They stopped just long enough at their table to drop off their staves before Melira dragged him, to his dismay, right to the center of the dance floor.
I'm probably going to regret this, he thought as he moved closer to her. "How well can you dance?" he asked as he neared her.
"Pretty good I guess. Why?"
"If I'm going to make a fool of myself, I might as well do it well," he replied. "Follow my lead."
"Okay," she said as the music started up again. At first, his movements were slow and uncomplicated, as if he were testing her, but gradually, he began to perform more complex steps which she matched perfectly.
After some time, Thol came to a decision. Either she's the greatest dancer on the planet, or she's familiar with the dance I'm leading her into, he thought. I'm guessing it's the former. Much to his delight, as he launched into the full dance, she did in fact know what she was doing as was evident from the smile on her face.
Something had caught Tor's eyes as he was chatting with the king and he was forced to halt his conversation to see what was going on.
"What's that over there?" the king asked.
Tor smiled as he realized what he was seeing. "It seems as though my friends are putting us all to shame with their dance," he commented, noting that most people had stopped dancing themselves and were watching the two mages whirl around in very intricate movements. Even Keza and Vala broke out of their shell to watch them, Keza with a not-so-mild look of surprise on his face and Vala with her usual smile she used when she was right.
Oh my! Everyone is watching! Melira thought to herself as Thol continued to lead her through the dance that she was mildly surprised he knew. Thol on the other hand was thinking much the same thing but as the music wound down along with the dance, he suddenly became aware of just how close they were and that immediately blotted out any concerns he was having about the entire royal court watching them.
He was forced to make note of how dizzy he'd become and he wasn't entirely sure it was from the dance. Suddenly, the music stopped and the dance was over. They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity before the entire room broke out in applause. Thol blinked and suddenly remembered where he was and to his surprise it was a blushingly embarrassed Melira who removed them from the dance floor.
She led them back to their seats, reclaiming their staves and sitting down. Some people were still looking at them, a mixed reaction, some smiling, some gazing in awe and, to Thol's amusement, there were some glares of jealousy. They spent the remainder of the evening at their table, completely oblivious to anything else.
"Where did you learn to dance like that, Thol? It's not something I would have thought you knew?" she asked.
"My mother taught me. She is the greatest Mysidian dancer there ever was," he said proudly.
"I bet she is if she managed to do that well with you," she commented, and then frowned. "But you mentioned the word 'Mysidian', what is that?"
"Little known fact outside of my hometown, the real name of the city is Mysidia. I have no idea when exactly people in the outside world started calling it just Crescent Lake, but we still refer to it by its ancestral name."
"Wow. They don't even mention that in school," she said, clearly amazed.
"And you? Where did you learn to dance?" he asked, as the dance they had performed was quite rare and notoriously difficult to master.
"I've always been interested in dancing. I learned it from a local woman named Arylon. She's the best in the city."
"I guess we were both taught by the best then," he commented.
She smiled and took a drink from her cup.
"Aren't you still a bit young to be drinking wine?" he asked, noting that the city's legal drinking age was higher then back home.
"Depends on where you ask," she replied.
"Okay, but if you get drunk and can't walk on your own, I'm not carrying you back to your room," he replied, knowing full well that he would if it came down to it.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning on drinking that much. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself or my father with public drunkenness."
"Wise decision," he said, taking a sip of his own drink.
It was quite late when they decided to turn in for the night, Melira practically falling asleep on him as they sat talking quietly. They walked together down the halls of the castle, where they were staying as guests for the time being. They stopped in front of her room, his being right next to hers, and she turned toward him smiling.
"Thank you, Thol. I had such a wonderful evening," she said. After a moment's hesitation, she moved to embrace him, hugging him tightly as if he would disappear if she let go.
Momentarily stunned, he returned her embrace and closed his eyes, savoring the moment. The smell of her hair began to make him dizzy and his thoughts started to get confused as he stood there. After what seemed like an eternity, but also far too soon, she broke away from him and looked up at him.
"Well, good night, Thol," she said.
Thol hesitated a moment, not sure what he was about to say. Eventually, he spoke. "Good night. Sleep well."
She smiled again and wearily turned toward her door, opening it. Thol nearly shouted for her to wait, but stopped himself at the last minute. She waved at him once more before closing the door and leaving him alone in the hallway with his confused thoughts.
What more did you expect? he asked himself. A kiss? You just met her a week ago, you fool, never mind that you're a hideous monster and that no one would want to go near you. That's why you hide your face, remember?
He stood in the hallway, staring at her door, listening to his self-loathing thoughts go on-and-on for several minutes before he put his free hand up to his forehead and closed his eyes tightly.
"Just shut up…" he said quietly to the voice in his head. He opened his own door then and stepped inside. He propped his borrowed staff against the wall and shed his also borrowed clothing, placing them neatly on the dresser that was in the room. As he passed the mirror, he stopped and looked at himself, just as he did earlier in the day. Now stripped of all but his underwear, he dropped the spell hiding his face so he could see the entirety of his deformity. Slowly, he raised his hand to the right side of his face. He stood there for a long time, his fingers tracing the hideous thing. He sighed, his gaze dropping to the floor and his arm to his side.
Blowing out the candle that lit the room, he padded over to the bed and lay down. Because he was exhausted, both physically and mentally, sleep came immediately, and his dreams followed shortly after. . . .
X X X X
They gathered around his bloody, charred, broken body, countless undead which had come in from the open doors. They crowded around, entranced by the corpse lying in a congealed pool of its own blood. The once proud and mighty Garland lay dead in the Temple of Fiends, surrounded by the undead, the ominous black orb still floating silently by the altar.
Suddenly, the orb pulsed, the undead flinching in response. A hand, forever clenched in the shape of a claw, suddenly twitches. Again. Then, the claw digs into the stone of the floor, the hideous sound causing even the undead to back off. Again, there is stillness. Again, silence. The undead close back in on the corpse.
Without warning, the orb veritably explodes with sudden energy and the undead scatter, fleeing in terror. Again it becomes quite and all is still once more, but something is different. A hand, no longer frozen in the shape of a claw, reaches down and picks a sword from the floor. A pair of glowing red, soulless eyes open and regard the black orb with interest.
'It is time,' says a disembodied voice, a voice which one would think would belong to an animal, a dragon perhaps.
'Time to claim your destiny,' says another voice, this one clearly female but filled with such burning hate that it makes the ear bleed to hear it.
'Time to start the cycle anew,' chimed a third voice, one of something so inhuman that it was never meant to have a voice.
'Let the black orb take you to your destiny,' hissed a final voice, it was the voice of death itself, the pure embodiment of evil.
"It is time," Garland says in his double voice, blood from the fatal wound in his chest forcing its way out of his mouth. Stepping toward the black orb, he lays his free hand on the surface of the cursed thing and it reacts with a sudden, violent burst of what one could only call anti-light. When everything has settled, he is gone, only the black orb remaining to continue its silent vigil in the temple.
No, Garland had not fallen, for this was only the beginning. . . .
X X X X