Waai...Chapter 4! This took longer than I thought... some parts sounded weird and all, but anyways, hope you all like it XD Oh, and thankies to Suiko Warrior for another review, I appreciate it

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden, but Yzak is a random character I made up...

Glistening Stardust

#4 In This Corner of the World

The boy stared out at the ocean. What a boring town. Sure, there were people, there were entertainers, there were shops, but there was no ACTION, except for maybe the occasional dodge-the-seagull-before-it-gives-you-a-present. Where are all the swordsmen or mercenaries or even pirates? Sigh…

He had just moved here with his father. His mother had left a long time ago, and his father was always traveling for his job for long periods of time (this happened in the previous town he lived in too…and the one before that…). He had one sibling, but she was gone…perhaps she went with his mom? She wasn't home often either, so he didn't really remember her. And so the boy was left all alone the first day on his arrival into this city, with nothing to entertain him whatsoever.

SO…what was fun around here…hm…there was a really big fancy house that way, but the gate's locked, and big houses like that usually keep big fierce dogs that rip you apart the moment you get near. No real point going that way, though the house was rather pretty with all the white roses. Ahead was the center…nothing really good there except for a fountain and the main building, but to a kid of about 6 or 7, those things really don't present much of an interest, which leaves…thataway! And so the boy headed right, closer to the port.

As he got closer, the lull of the crowd grew louder and louder. He finally reached the source: a giant marketplace. The boy walked over and had to stretch his back his highest in order to peer over the counters. There were food and random other goods. These didn't interest him especially, although a specific blue fruit made him stare for quite awhile. What did capture his interest, however, were the instruments. They especially amused him. They were quite rare to be sold publicly in a marketplace, since not many knew how to play and it was generally considered a business flop. Looking through the various objects laid out before him, the boy could not suppress the urge to try playing one of them. There was that wooden box-like thing with strings, hollow tubes tied together, and even a simple hollow stick with holes on it! How great it would be if he could brag to his father that he played one of these things when he got back! He reached his hand forward slowly…

And got a sharp smack from the shop owner. "Where do you think you're putting your grubby little paws?" she yelled. The boy jumped. "Go! Shoo, shoo!" He moved a few steps, but stopped and slowed and turned back. An iron pot hit him smack in the face. "Go, you little brat! Get away from here!" And another shower of various objects fell. The boy ran to get out of the area, but not before turning back and grabbing a couple carrots that also happened to be thrown, resulting in subsequent whacks by a dowel.

"Hmph…" the boy mumbled unintelligibly (perhaps for the better…) "I wanted to try playing it too. Wonder what it'd sound like…" He took a bite out of the carrot with wrath. "Shoot…I forgot to wash it. I think Mom always told me to do that before I eat anything…" He looked around for any source of water (except for the ocean, unless he wanted to drown in an attempt to wash a carrot with salt water; great news that would make though…"The Boy who Drowned Trying to Wash a Carrot"). Spotting an inn, he stuffed the carrots in his pocket and made for the door.

Opening it, he saw that it was more than an inn. Not many inns had so many tables in one room with so many chairs. And there were so many adults drinking some sort of funny-smelling liquid. A word clicked in the back of the boy's mind. What was it…a "bar"? His father seemed to have once told him about a room where adults gathered to drink…drink…something. Was this it? Curiosity seized the boy and he just stood in the doorway, gazing slowly from the left to the right, wanting to take in everything. Suddenly, he was knocked to the floor.

Picking himself up quickly, the boy jumped back. The man that had bumped into him was massaging his behind. As his comrades lifted him up and dusted him off hastily with worried looks, the man glared at the boy angrily. "Why you…what do you think you're doing, getting in the way?"

"Why don't you watch where you're going!" The boy retorted.

"You…little…brat!" The man grunted as he tried to rush forward as his companions held him back. "Leggo of me! I'll show him who's boss!" He reached to his side and drew his sword, which the boy had failed to notice when he had first bumped into him.

"Stop it, Yzak! This isn't the place…"

"Shut up! I'll teach him right here, right now not to mess with the Knights!"

The boy froze. What else could he do? All he had with him were a few carrots, hardly a suitable weapon. He stepped back, stumbled and fell to the floor. His eyes focused on the raised weapon.

"Haa!" The man swung the weapon down.

The boy shut his eyes tight. After a few seconds passed, he slowly opened one. Another man had stepped in front of the boy and was holding off the man's sword with his own. He pushed back the blade with ease, knocking the man off guard. Then he stepped forward, swung his arm back, and gave him the hardest punch the boy had ever seen, sending the man flying backwards onto his friends. "You draw your sword against an innocent boy, and you call yourself a knight? Go, before I find out who your commander is and report this to him!" After the gang had ran out at full speed, the man sheathed his sword, turned around, and pulled the boy up from the ground. "Those idiots, getting all fired up over nothing. Are you all right?"

The boy silently nodded. "Y-yeah. M…may I ask…who you are?"

The man smiled roguishly and ruffled the boy's hair. "Hmm…Let's just say I'm the greatest-Zexen-Knight-to-be. I have to go now, so take care." He left the inn, his golden hair shining under the sun.

The boy stared at the retreating figure. He had found his idol. How cool was he, just suddenly appearing out of nowhere, drawing his sword and saving his life! "I've decided. I'll be a knight just like him in the future!" he thought. He ran out of the inn after the man.

At the intersection, the boy looked around, but he couldn't find the knight anywhere. He had no idea where to go, and so he took to wandering the streets while chomping on his dirty carrot. Then he heard a large crash come from an alleyway. He quickly ran over to the source of the noise to find another boy, covered by boxes and sticks and tarp. He pushed the stuff off the boy and helped him up. "You okay?"

"Y-yeah…I just slipped, that's all."

"What were you trying to do with all this?"

"…I'll tell you, but don't laugh, okay? I was thinking of trying to build a fort."

"A fort?"

"Yeah, like the ones knights would use."

"Knights? You like the knights?"

"Yeah, I think they're awesome! They're so brave and handsome and…but you'd probably think they're boring…"

"No, no way! I want to be a knight when I grow up! They're the coolest people in the world, with their swords and all!"

"You think so too? Say, want to help me build this fort?"

"Sure! What's your name?"

"Elliot. What's yours?"

"Melville!"

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