The Last Stand
By Ultima66
Chapter 2
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Some lives are lost, and some are found. We all search for our lives one time or another, and to make our lives whole, we must find them first.
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A breeze blew past my head, lifting up the small feathers on the back of my bird form's neck. Why was my life so difficult? Why was I always the one plagued with more and more difficulties, more and more work that I didn't want yet had to do? I was always under stress in my past life to go on, to do what I felt I had to do, to kill. Now, plagued with all these new difficulties and pressures: to keep Martel safe, to protect Yggdrasil, to keep the forest's mana out of reach of the humans. I already asked Martel for a chance to just die in peace before she made me a guardian, but she didn't allow it. She wanted me there by her side when the whole world turned upside down and no one knew what was really going on.
Did my small life mean anything now? I still have a sinking feeling, a feeling that I had no control. In my past life, even though it was perfectly clear that I had no control, at least I felt that I did. Now that I probably was independent outside of Martel's guidance, I felt that I was under the control of Martel. I had to do everything for her. I didn't understand any more, and I don't think I ever did. Martel commanded me, and I did. I was supposed to do what I wanted on my own, but somehow it didn't work. My duty to Martel was so great I had no real control.
Like now, I was scouting for Martel's purpose. What did it matter to me if the world collapsed into ruin? If I was never made a guardian, I could have avoided this completely. Yet I don't think I could give it up. Perhaps upholding such responsibility redeemed me and made me a real person, not just an incarnation of evil. Perhaps Martel really did have complete control over me. Perhaps it was something else, something that everyone realizes deep down inside yet no one can explain, like the meaning of life itself.
I was like everyone else now, I supposed. Searching and searching for what my life meant, yet never really finding anything.
I descended and glided along the broad plains, wings spread out feeling the wind. When I flew I felt free and no longer under the chains of life, even though I knew that everything was weighing down so heavily right now. Though I was now free, I only felt that way when I truly was soaring through the skies, with no more to worry about but the calm rush of wind around me.
Nothing was happening. After circling around for about an hour, I decided to just go back to the forest. Flying back in towards the edge of the trees, I turned back to my normal state. Being a bird was nice, but I had no choice since I wanted to get back and I couldn't fly through the trees. I walked in to the forests slowly, still thinking like I always did.
Around me everything was serene and peaceful. Birds chirped in the trees, slowly moving back in after the first pack from Midgard caused a bit of trouble here. The forest was alive and buzzing, but still completely calm. Suddenly, I felt a presence near me on the ground. Listening closely, I heard a girl's voice, sobbing quietly.
I walked towards the noise. A young girl was laying down in the thicket face down, her long blond hair reaching to her waist. She wore a long yellow dress, and was lying there with her hands up to her face crying. I slowly waked up to her, knelt down, and put my hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked. She turned around slowly and sat up, her eyes watery and red from her crying.
"Who are you? Please, don't hurt me," she said weakly.
"What's your name? I'm not here to do anything to you. In fact, if you're looking for a safe place, then I would be exactly who you're looking for," I said, "I'm a guardian of the mana tree Yggdrasil. My name is Akar."
She looked down, took a few heavy breaths, and spoke. "Akar, sir, I'm sorry for intruding in the forest, but..." she said, breaking out into more cries of sadness.
"It's okay. Everything will be alright," I said, patting her on the back, "Just tell me your name and what you're doing here." I knew very well she was hiding from something, but I needed to know what, though I had a good guess...
"My name is Karen," she said finally calming down, "I'm from Midgard, but I'm not with the soldiers or the empire. I don't know how to say this, but..." She broke down again. "Look, I... my... THAT EMPIRE KILLED MY PARENTS!" She yelled, before she broke down into uncontrollable crying and wracking sobs that shook me, holding her tight and trying to calm her down.
"I understand. But why are you here? I don't want to tell you this, but as of right now, Midgard soldiers are moving in on this forest, and I'm here to make sure they don't get what they want," I told her, "I promised that to Martel, and I plan to keep that promise, especially when I'm dealing with something as terrible as the Midgard Empire."
She opened her eyes wide at the mention of Midgard invading the forest.
"They're... coming here?" she said weakly, "Sir, let me explain this all to you. You see, my mother was an elf, and my father a researcher. We lived in Midgard for a while, yes, and then the empire started its campaign for mana. My parents knew that it would be a disaster if they succeeded, and they held protest against the empire and tried to directly stop the war machine from functioning. Of course, with all the fear everywhere, the government didn't want any interference from opponents, before the sad villagers all grouped together against them. They came after my parents..."
She looked down and I felt a few more sobs shake her.
"They... they came after my parents. They came, with swords and cannons and chains. My parents... they didn't fight it. They knew... they knew they were... I'm sorry but I can't go on. I feel sick..." she said.
"It's okay, like I said," I told her, "Here, let me help. And please, don't call me sir. Just call me Akar."
My hand on her back started glowing, as a white energy flowed through her.
"This should ease your pain," I said.
"Thank you, sir... uh, Akar," she said, in a less panicked voice, "Well, my parents knew what they were doing. They were going to be a symbol of the evil going on in Midgard, or that's what my mom told me. They dragged my parents off to the jail. I never saw them for a week..." She stopped and hung her head with closed eyes. She breathed deeply again, and tried to continue. "A week later, the soldiers came and asked me if I wanted to see my parents. I didn't know what I could say or do, but I wanted them back. When I was taken to the jail, I did see them. They were chained up against the wall in different cells, but the cells were next to each other. They were thin and weak. I could barely tell they were the same people as the strong man and woman that fought against Midgard's evil. Their arms and legs had whip marks from them being tortured daily. I cried at the sight of them... I cried out for them. Oh my god..."
She continued crying.
"Let it all out, Karen. It'll all be better. Please, continue," I said.
"Akar, I feel so hurt saying this. I want to just forget everything. The memories hurt. They hurt bad..." she said, "Well I'll continue. I sat there crying for a while, when one of the soldiers in the jail puts his hand on my shoulder and yanks my up. He tells me 'Come on, bitch. Get your last good look at your parents, what's left of them at least.' I spring up in surprise, as my parents, weak, notice I'm here and look at me. My mom says 'Karen... remember, it was... all worth it... As long as Midgard falls... we'll have done our job...' Then the guards of the cells walked in and held up their swords. I felt the whole world spin around in my head then... I was shocked, and could only look up at the horror that was taking place in front of me..."
She buried her crying face in my shoulder, and held her gloved hands and grabbed my back.
"I know it hurts, but..." I said.
"I'll tell you. Those cell guards... they held the swords up to my parents. Then together, with me paralyzed in shock and staring at them, the guards stabbed my parents. Straight... through... their... chests... I'm sorry. I'm scared. I don't want them to get to me," she cried.
"I see. So Midgard isn't settling with the forest. They'll brutally torture and kill anyone just to get what they want. They're a terrible empire, and all the people leading it deserve to rot," I said in anger, "But Karen, how did you end up here?"
"Well, I was still crying, and everything around me was a big mess, but I heard one of them say, 'So, you little bitch. Your parents are gone, and if you don't want to end up like them, you better get the hell out of Midgard. We have orders no opponent of the empire will be allowed to stay in here for any longer, so you better get out. Especially when you know what will happen if you're stupid enough to stay.' He... I felt him press the broad side of a sword up to my stomach, and I jerked back. And then... he moved it up to my neck and pressed it there without actually cutting me. I'll never forget that feeling. The cold steel against my neck, the rush of the fact that I could die in a split second if I moved too much," she said, "So I did what he said. That was the last encounter with humans I ever had, until just now. Right after he released me, I ran screaming out of Midgard. They sent a few people after me, and I just ran and ran. I couldn't do anything else but run, and they chased me all the way to Totus, where I hid out from everyone. Then, when they gave up, I ran all the way over here crying. I miss my parents, Akar, I miss them..."
"Karen, that's a really sad story to hear. I'm sorry for everything that happened to you, and I can only tell you one thing: I'll help you avenge your parents. How would you mind staying with me in the forest?" I said.
"I don't want to be a bother... This is my loss, no need to make it yours too," she said to me.
"It won't be my loss if you help me out. You said your mother was an elf, right? That means that you're a half-elf, so you should be able to use magic. A half-elf..." I repeated, memories of Arche suddenly rushing to my head, along with her gruesome death. Was I no better than the empire? I couldn't worry, though, since I had a girl that needed my help right now.
"I suppose I could, but you don't actually owe anything to me, and I wouldn't do much to help either," she said.
"Which is irrelevant, Karen, because any enemy of Midgard's is a friend of mine," I said.
"Well, I guess that's a nice thing..." she said, finally calm enough to not pause in the middle of her phrases and no longer cry. She was still shaking a bit, but it would be better, "Where can I go?"
"Let me show you to Martel," I said. I pulled her up from the ground, and supported her weight as we walked together towards the venter of the forest. We walked for a while, and then had to pause for her to get some more sadness out of her system. Eventually, we reached Martel.
"Hello, Akar, and I see you've brought a guest," Martel's voice rang. She appeared in front of me, in front of the tree, as Karen shied away a little behind me. Karen seemed a little scared of Martel, but she knew that Martel was a good guy, and not one of the treacherous people in this world that tried to make her life worse.
"Her name is Karen, and she's a half-elf. Her parents were killed in the disaster that befell Midgard. They were opponents of the corrupt government, and were murdered by soldiers, who then forced her to run. This world isn't a safe place any more, and I see it all stemming from that awful abomination of an empire. So she is okay to stay, right?" I asked.
"Well, I suppose we have no choice but to keep her. We have to have people to help, and anyone needing safety from evil is always welcome here. I do have a question, though. Karen, if one of your parents was an elf, then why is it that they were captured together? I thought Ymir was where all the elves lived regardless of whether they had loved ones outside of their own race," Martel said.
Karen spoke softly, a bit shy of Martel, "Well, my goddess, after what happened with Arche Klaine, which you should know about quite well, the elves have changed. They won't show it, but they're more tolerant of humans now, and they are no longer forced to stay in the forest if and only if they have a child outside of the forest. Well at least that's what my mom said. Because of Arche, I'm actually welcome in Ymir, but the elves still hate me and view me as twisted creation, like all the half-elves."
"Yes, Arche must have changed things. Being a hero yet an abomination to the elves let them see half-elves more fairly and made them question splitting up Arche from her mother. The people of Ymir are still secretive, however, and even I don't meddle in their affairs. The elves are arrogant, but they know they're still mortal. I still don't want to mess with them, since it will never accomplish anything," Martel said, "Anyways the history of the elves is irrelevant right now, and we should just worry about Karen. It's getting a bit late, and we need to figure out how Karen is going to stay here." She looked at the darkening sky, a dark red and blue haze covering the sky, moon out, and a few stars showed through the trees.
"Do you think anything will happen tonight?" I asked.
"Well, there's the chance, but it shouldn't make a difference. You're much more ready to fight at night than the human soldiers of Midgard. I am a bit worried about Karen though," she said, "Will she be okay through this war going on? Maybe we should find a decent place for her tomorrow."
"No, I'll be okay. I'm a half-elf, I can use magic. Besides, I've lived through the torn Midgard, and I lived through my parents' deaths. Nothing will happen that I can't handle," she said.
"Karen, I agree with Martel," I said, "You don't know what you're dealing with. This is an entire empire we're talking about, and Martel and I are immortals. You're just a half-elf girl."
"What do you mean I don't know what I'm dealing with? I lived in Midgard, if anyone should know what we're dealing with, it should be me," she said, in a tone that told me she would do anything to stay, "Besides, I have to do this. For my parents..."
"I'm not going to convince you otherwise. Do what you will. We'll see soon enough whether or not you're ready," I told her. And the deal was settled.
"So where am I going to stay?" she said.
"Uh... well the thing is, we're immortals, so I rest in the branches of a tree as a bird and Martel is part of the tree so she returns to the tree, and she essentially doesn't actually sleep. But you..." I said, "Well, we have to find a place near Yggdrasil for you. You think we should just clear the ground nearby?"
"But I can't live here... this isn't working out so well..." she said.
"You know, you could just stay in Totus. Of course, I'd have to be there to watch over you, but I know I have a duty to help Cless' father Miguel. Oh, I'm sorry, Karen, I never told you. A long time ago... I was an evil entity. Dhaos' spark was trapped inside me, and I was the one that murdered the ones that killed Dhaos: the heroes of time. You should know about them," I said slowly, expecting an explosion of hate.
"You were the evil one that killed them? I knew it was a big thing, but I had no clue it would be someone I ever met. Well, I'm a bit intimidated, but I know you now, and I don't even believe you," said Karen.
"Martel saved me. You should know the extent of Martel's power. Anyways, let's go to Totus. We'll see you tomorrow, Martel."
"Keep her safe," Martel told me, "The war is just beginning. I know it."
We walked along, her following me through the line of trees. I had no clue a single person like this could tap into my past in such a way. Perhaps it was because I had no real contact with the outside world, but I knew I had to be doing something right. I didn't feel the shock of pain that followed mentioning the heroes of time any more. It was now replaced by a sinking feeling in my stomach, followed by feeling that I had a real duty to fulfill. After walking around for a while, we made it out of the forest and into Totus village. Walking through the lines of houses, I spotted two crosses in the ground. I knew that was where I was heading. We approached the building.
"So... these two crosses," she said, putting her hand on the ground over them, "This is where Cless and Mint lie." She looked around, and across a small bridge a bit of a way away another cross was seen. "And that's Chester's grave, right? I feel so weird. You did this, but you also helped me. You're a bit confusing, Akar."
"Well... I don't know. You know what happened, there's nothing more that needs to be explained. Nothing I say will matter to you right now. Let's just go," I said. I knocked on the door.
A tall man stepped out. He looked a bit surprised at the sight of me and the surprise turned into confusion when he say Karen at my side, who slinked away behind me.
"So... Akar. You're here..." he said, "I don't know what to say to you. I can't respect your past actions, and I can't hate you're change. I can only..."
"Well first of all," I interrupted him, "I'm not here to talk about what you think about me or to give you any impressions of change. I know what I did was wrong, and if you're going to not believe Martel, then go right ahead. I'm here because I found this poor girl out in the forest. Her name is Karen and she came to the forest because the empire of Midgard killed her parents for treason and forced her to flee. She wants to help Martel and I with the battle against Midgard, but she has no place to stay."
"So now you're helping? So you expect me to believe that Midgard is evil and you're good in a kind of seesaw battle?" he asked, "What do you..."
"Miguel, let me tell you exactly what I want," I said, "First of all, I want to stay here nights to watch over Karen. She can stay here. That way I'll be protecting your village from any preemptive strike by Midgard. Besides, you can't argue with me when I'm only doing this to help this girl."
"What can she do? Tell me this isn't some ridiculous idea to take more from me," he said in an annoyed voice.
"Well, she's a half-elf. She already suffered enough anyways. We just need food for Karen and a place to stay during nights. Even if Cless is gone, can you at least give some help to save your world? I can't believe you," I said, Karen slinking even more behind my back to try to get away from the argument, "Karen, stop hiding. It'll be okay. You'll have a place to stay."
"Fine. Do what you will. I can't fight with you any more. You killed my will," he said.
Not wanting to argue any more, I just took the blame and let Karen go in. I glowed and turned into my white bird form and flew into the house, resting on the windowsill in an empty room which I could see was Cless' old room.
"I don't know what I can do with him. I can't oppose him, but I can't like him either. Well, Karen, let's get you some food and get you to bed," said Miguel.
Soon, Karen was on the bed sleeping soundly, her face glowing in the moonlight like an angel. I thought on all the peace and tranquility, and knew in my mind it would all be shattered soon. I wondered long and hard how my life, so many twists and turns, took yet another one. Now I had found another duty; to protect this girl. What could I do? Things would be so much simpler without her, yet I had no choice but to cater to her needs. I definitely wasn't going to have yet another innocent person killed because of me. I had to care, and whether or not that care was actually a good choice, I couldn't do anything otherwise any more. A war was definitely coming, and nothing could be done.
A war. A defense. A last stand. Another person for us against Midgard, but would it really be enough? Nothing was certain any more, but as I looked and thought in the moonlight, I knew one thing; I had a mission.