Chapter 13: Divided

"Astos wears a disguise and lurks in seclusion."

Final Fantasy I

Astos watched the Agama, a viper tongued, red-skinned minion of Kary, the Fire Fiend, bow low, and then slither on all four feet out of the Elfland castle. All fiends, it seemed, had the most exotic and strange pets for their uses, Astos thought, looking at the furnishings of the castle with awe.

The throne room in Elfland was a place of exquisite granduer, with its high arched ceiling and fountains of bubbling springs of water. It was, Astos reflected, the place any elf would desire: with the smell of the sea intermingled with the green forestry of Elfland, for the Aldi and forests were home to all elves.

The man in Prince Elles' form shifted uncomfortably, the leaner and taller Prince was too unlike Astos. But he had been acting as Elles for a few weeks now, and uncomfortable as it had been, the profit for his Dark Elf clan had been enormous. And now...he watched as the Agama slipped out of the room, there was this interesting proposition.

For the weeks he had taken Elles' form and locked the Prince in a deep draught, he had led the kingdom of Elfland in an uproar of the southern continent, sending armies to conquer the neighboring villages and expanding an empire. It was dangerous, he knew; the war mongering was one reason his clan was expelled hundreds of years ago. His clan, pariahs of the elves, were forced to wander until they evolved their magic in the southern forests by the marsh cave, becoming the Dark Elves, holding potent magic in their grasps. Magic so strong it allowed Astos to become Elles in the first place.

And now the Dark Elf Clan was back in power, holding the throne of Elfland.

But this did not mean much.

For now, like much of the world, empires and kingdoms were crumbling, disintegrating like dry leaves. Empires were rotten meat, stinking and letting everyone know of its rot with its wretched stink. The stink the kingdom of Elfland was letting off was no exception.

The seas were almost too wild for even the biggest and heaviest of Elven craft to sail, while their green homeland slowly filled with shadow spawn. Whispers of the end, not only of the kingdom, but of Gaia, spread. The Alatari were loosened, and unlike the last time blood soaked the seas, no Tari were to be, to save them.

And so when their Prince ordered the southern continent cleaned from evil, the Elves gladly complied. But more than just Imps were being slain, as villages, once inhabited by human farmers, were uprooted and destroyed, and some of the small fiefs that minor lords controlled were burned to the ground. But Elles had said it was for the good of Gaia, and his hosts complied.

But Elles was gone, replaced only by his body, not his soul.

Astos contemplated the Fiends' offer, presented by the Agama.

So this is their concern, Astos though. The Betar. The prophecies of the Tari were kept in the dark basements of all Elven minds, never fully considered, and feared even more than humans. The last apocalyptic war had destroyed the civilization of Alanni's creation, and they feared the next such one would completely destroy it.

But these four youths were in his grasp, he was told by the Agama, and finding these youths would mean that Elfland would not be troubled by either the Fiends or Light Warriors.

Astos knew that the Fiends were again loosened from the orbs, but he was surprised to learn that the Fire Fiend, Kary, was residing less than five hundred leagues away from Elfland, in an ancient volcano.

But where had the four warriors come from?

Certainly not from the sparse human population in the southern continent. But really, how could a ship travel the thousand leagues to Elfland, in these times, and why?

Whatever the reasons, Astos did not worry about them for long. Kary's offer to leave Elfland alone was tempting, and he would find these warriors.

The nightmare came again. Aki tried to scream, to stop it, but it came and went, leaving her bones chilled.

Blinking her eyes open, she looked at her surroundings. She was lying on a cot. The ceiling of the house she was in was thatched with straw covering, crude for even a Conerian village house. The floor was dirt, the walls, wooden logs. Her cloak was gone, replaced by heavy, leather boots, not hers, but new, trousers, and a long sleeved, linen shirt. She was wearing clothes of a man, the mage reflected, in surprise.

Where am I? Dead? Drowned? Where is this place? Am I still dreaming?

"Your clothes were wet, so Ginnie dressed you in drier things. I apologize for the lack of consideration my sister took."

A man, sitting on a bench by the fireplace, tossed a stick and turned to the white mage, standing.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Emien Taylas. And you are-"

Aki winced as she got to her feet, not forgetting manners.

"Akian Arkya. Of Coneria."

"Coneria? Then you have sailed many leagues!"

Of course! Aki thought. The distinct feeling of waves of water rushing over her came back, as she remembered what happened. The Everlasting had capsized, just as Aki began to chant a simple spell, learned in childhood. Once, almost drowning from a simple swim in the river, her father had taught her the bubble spell, which let one form a bubble around themselves and float. It was childish, a spell meant to entertain friends. But Aki, in the last attempt to prevent the ship from sinking, began to form a massive sphere surrounding the ship, as the wave deluged it under the ocean. Using all her strength to form the bubble as she gasped for breath under the cold water, she felt relief flooding into her as the lumpy bubble struggled out of the water, enclosing the sleek ship within it, as she passed out.

Taylas eyed her before continuing, finishing the tale she had thought of.

"The half drowned crew of your ship managed to sail the few leagues here, but they could not revive you. You've been asleep for a good four days."

Four days! Aki thought. Before she could say anymore, the crude wood door opened, revealing a thin, tall man.

"Hastel ahya, Emi?" The man asked in an tongue she didn't understand. His golden brown hair, long and in a topknot, couldn't hide the delicate, pointy ears he had. An elf! He turned to Aki.

"Ah!" he exclaimed in the common tongue. I see you have awaken. Greetings, human! My name is Lord Ellya."

Klad coughed, tasting the salty water in his mouth, as he groaned at the prospect of opening his eyes. It was something that took more strength than fighting five men at once; he felt his eyes were glued shut.

"Let me help you," a familiar voice said. A hand wiped away the salt, sand, and grime on his eyes, and the knight hesitantly blink his eyes open.

Those glowing eyes, yellow and unblinking, looked directly at him. The sounds of waves hitting the beach penetrated his ears, then the groaning of another person. He felt for his sword, sighing in relief. It was still there. His armor was still on too, feeling like rocks on his shoulders; his clothes underneath were shrinking, tightly wrapping his breastplate and shoulder plates onto his muscles. Testing his voice, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Take them off." The black mage hurried to oblige while Klad's discomfort increased.

"Jakk! Tanka! Help me find these blasted latches!"

Klad gritted his teeth. If the mage couldn't take them off soon enough, his ribs would be broken from the tightening leather.

The sailor, Tanka, found the first tightly strung laces that held the lower left side portion of Klad's chest armor, while the mage removed the other side. What they found underneath was not swelling leather but a long, sinuous snake, in colors of swirling ocean blue. It lashed out at Tanka, who calmly reached for his knife and cut off the serpent's head. The long body writhed, quivered, and lay still, coils of it loosening its grip on Klad's body.

Jakk ran over, his heavy boots spraying sand on Klad's face as he breathed heavily.

"You're a little late for the action," Bane said, as he watched Jakk fumble with his rapier.

"I'm not a big fan of snakes."

Klad looked at the familiar faces as he painfully and slowly rose. The waves on the beach lapped and waned, producing roar after furious roar, trying to demonstrate its power to the four stranded men. He looked not half a league inland, and saw the lush trees, not tropical, with light brown trunks and jagged palm leaves, but firs and ancient trunks of redwood. This, Klad thought, is Elfland.

Jakk was there, looking now like a shabby lord in soggy clothes. The mage's cloak, among being soft and light, appeared to be water resistant as well, with no salty wetness of the sea touching them.

The hat too, is undamaged, Klad thought.

The fourth man, Tanka, was a broad-chested sailor in a navy blue shirt, white pants, and sailor's cap. He was shivering, but nonetheless respecting the warriors, even after the catastrophes befalling them.

"Where are Aki and Sara?" Klad's voice sounded strange to him, with too much fear and not enough calm. What they needed was calm.

The mage's voice echoed the worry.

"Still on the ship when we were thrown off. I saw it sink before more waves swept me away."

The little comfort that Klad felt was now gone, as the word's struck the young knight.

Gone? Aki and Sara? Both whom he vowed to protect? He ran a hand through his long hair, and his stubble of a beard. It had been scarcely a few weeks since they had all met, but the connection was there, unbreakable. They needed each other, depended on one another for everything. They could have not died, after the things they had done in his short time. No, their tasks were not yet done, and death could not take them. No.

Klad's voice calmed.

"They are not dead. They cannot be."

"A sentiment which I agree with."

"You found no one else?"

"None, missus." Though Mizzam Haust had gained a strong respect for Aki after saving his ship, he was looking annoyed about the pestering the mage was giving him.

The young woman looked away from him, and at the only window in the cottage, watching the sea rage violently against the anchored Everlasting.

Haust softened, placing a grizzled, weather beaten hand on Aki's youthful one.

"Klad, Jakk, Bane, Tanka; their strong lads, missus. They'll be a coming. They've not passed."

Aki gave the captain a rare grin.

"I hope. In my heart, I think you are right."

The captain nodded and got up, limping out. He nodded to Ellyas and Taylas as they strode in.

On the other side of the cottage, in the waning sunlight, Sara finally rose from her sleep after the few days the ship had landed in Elfland. Finally, Aki thought, the last person to wake!

"Finally, your companion awakes!" Ellyas' merry voice echoed what Aki was thinking.

"And who are you, my lady?" he said.

Sara yawned and stretched, blinking at her new clothes and at the people looking at her.

"Princess Sara of house May'ana, of Coneria."

Taylas snorted. "And I am the heir to the throne of Lefein. Come now, who are you?"

"Emi! Mastel nov lan donstrum."

"A soun, Ellyas, a soun."

Sara timidly looked at the mage.

"Aki? Where are we?"