AN: Yeah I know, it's been awhile, but I am back again. Sorry this is taking so long, I just find myself to be very busy way too often, and these holidays aren't helping. Thanks to my reviewers for sticking with me.

Now then, if you feel like reading, I hope you enjoy. Despite this I also hope you review. Call it a Christmas present to your old buddy Krazy. And now without further ado…

Disclaimer: I own stuff. This stuff includes copies of many movies, videogames, and books. However, I do not own the movies, games, or books that I write about. That includes Tales of Symphonia.

Ch.11 The Imperial City

The great steel doors opened to Lloyd and his companions as they approached the city of Meltokio. They walked in, barely able to hold in their excitement. No matter how often you saw Meltokio, every time you went back, there was always something new.

The moment he set foot beyond the gate and into the main square, Lloyd could feel the very soul of the city. It was everywhere he looked, in the way people walked down the street, how they spoke to each other, how they all carried themselves. This was a proud city, a place in which even the poorest of the poor wore their pride like a badge of honor, just for living here.

On every corner of every street, something was happening. At one such area, a man was standing still as a statue, next to him were a few men playing various instruments. The man would not move a muscle, until that is, a person threw a coin into a box nearby, and then he would dance to the music in perfect rhythm. At another spot, four boys sat in a row behind large buckets of wood and clay and even one of tin. They were all blindfolded and beating on the buckets, as though they were drums, in perfect unison, never missing a beat or faltering. Across the street, a man stood upon a podium declaring the daily news, in a clear loud voice so that he could be heard even by those who didn't want to hear him.

People came and went, in and out of various shops and other establishments, all moving briskly and conversing with friends or acquaintances. Everyone was going somewhere, doing something. This city was alive.

"Wow…" was all Lloyd could manage.

"Wait 'til you see the palace," Sheena giggled, "Then you'll have reason to say wow."

They began to walk along the street, and they had to literally guide Lloyd by the hand, for he was so enamored by the beauty of the cities architecture, that all he could do was look up at the great stone art that was carved into every building. There were angels in there solemn glory, dragons spewing fire, and murals of great battles long past. All were crafted with incomparable precision and looked as if they might jump off of their walls and ask him "Which way to the diner, sir?"

After a few minutes of walking in various directions that Lloyd wasn't paying attention to, they came before the palace. It was a giant structure, built of solid rock. The many towers and spires reached so high that they appeared to be able to touch the clouds. The courtyard was decorated with scattered gardens and statues of numerous types. It was like a giant work of art.

"Okay," exclaimed Lloyd, "can I say wow, now?"

"Yes, you may," replied Sheena.

"WOW!" he screamed, at the very top of his lungs.

They approached the giant door that served as the main entrance. When they were close enough to be addressed, two guards came from either side, and barred their way. Both wore green armor with silver tracings, and carried large poleaxes. "State your business with the king," one of them commanded.

At this, Zelos stepped forward. "I am the great Zelos Wilder, returned from my mission. My companions and I are here to report our success to the king."

"Ah yes, Lord Zelos," the guard acknowledged. "Please come in." He then stepped up to the door and shouted, "Hey Joe! Open the gates!"

"Was Zelos really put in charge of the mission?" Lloyd whispered.

"Only officially," Sheena mentioned. "Shortly after we left, he put all the responsibility on everyone but himself. He gave us all ridiculous promotions. Genis became the 'master chef', Raine was called the 'gorgeous healer', and I was the 'voluptuous tactician, guide, and whatever else he wanted to throw on me'."

"That sounds a lot more believable than him taking charge."

The doors swung open and Lloyd was yet again amazed by what he saw. The floor was made of finely polished marble, with pillars that seemed to reach upward forever. And at the end of the room, sitting on a very large and comfortable looking throne, was a man. He wore a scarlet robe, so thick and heavy, it was a wonder he showed no sign of being overheated. He stared down at them with a pair of deep, searching, brown eyes. At first, he looked bored, as though he had heard whatever they were going to say hundreds of times before. But then, as he took notice as to who was approaching him, he rose and smiled happily.

"Regal, my dear friend," he said in a kind and informal manner, "It is good to see you alive. For a short while I feared I would only receive you in a casket."

"You may have if things had gone the way I had wanted them to originally go," Regal stated gravely, "But I like this way much better."

"Since when is it your style to speak so cryptically?" the King asked. Then noticing the look in Regal's eyes, he understood. "So, it turned out she was dead I'd take it. I'm sorry my friend."

"She wasn't dead, she was far worse than that."

"If it's not too painful, I would hear of what happened."

Regal told his tale in full to the King, and afterwards there was a moment of deathly silence. Then the King spoke again, "You were a fool to act as you did, but you know that much. If there is anything I can do, you need only ask."

"Then could you loan us a few thousand soldiers?" Lloyd asked, not realizing he had spoken out of turn.

"Who are you to make such a bold request?" the King asked, glaring at him.

"My name is Lloyd Aurion, your Highness."

"Aurion… the name is familiar too me. There was once a knight in my father's service by that name, though it was only for a short while. What do you have to do with all of this?"

"I was a slave at the Desian Empire's main fortress, The Human Ranch. I escaped with Regal as well as my friend, Presea."

"I see, well if Regal has befriended you, then I am certain you are worth trusting. Tell me, why do want me to supply you with Tethe'alla's soldiers?"

"Personal reasons."

"Revenge then? Your request is denied."

"Why?"

"Because, Regal's friend or not, I cannot simply give soldiers away to any man who has a problem that can be solved only through force. If I did so, I would not have enough soldiers to wage war with Flanoir."

"You should be more worried about the Desians than your neighbor to the south."

"The Desian Empire has performed no act of war against Tethe'alla in thousands of years, what good would it do me to wage war with them?"

"If I may ask your Highness, when did you last receive word or tribute from Iselia?" Sheena asked.

"It would have been nearly four years by now. Some scouts checked the area, but it was destroyed. We suspected bandits, though we never found them. What does that have to do with this?"

"I am from Iselia," Lloyd announced. "I was taken into slavery almost four years ago. The Desians destroyed my home. Does that count as an act of war?"

The King's face went from questioning, to horrified realization, then to calm and decisive. "It unfortunately does… I have very few troops to spare, but I can supply you with three legions of regular infantry. You said your name was Lloyd, correct? I will place you in command of this force. Among them you shall have several military advisors, you are to take their guidance into account. They will be ready to march by the end of the month."

"Why so long?"

"It will take them that long to get here from the front line, and that's if they march double time the whole way. Continuing, you who rescued Regal from the Desians, your new orders are to escort him to his home in Altimira."

"Actually," Regal interrupted, "I intend to go to war with Lloyd. I also have a few minor loose ends to tie up."

"Very well, then they shall act as your bodyguards. If there is nothing else, you may leave me."

After they had exited the palace and had left the main courtyard, everyone but Lloyd showed a great deal of dissatisfaction for what had happened. "This is shear insanity," Sheena remarked. "How does he expect us to even survive a skirmish against the Desians with those kind of numbers?"

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"He's only giving us three legions," Genis explained. "One legion consists of one thousand five hundred soldiers. We've only got five thousand five hundred against over two hundred thousand Desians!"

"What! He made it sound like a small number, but I was expecting at least something around a hundred thousand. This isn't looking very good. We need more fighters, but where are we going to find them?"

"We could try the arena," Regal suggested. "The fighters who compete there are extremely capable, and if I recall properly, there were a great number of competitors there."

"What makes you think they'd be willing to help us?" Genis inquired.

"The Arena Code. It's been around since as far as I can remember. I used to compete when I was a few years younger. I was even offered a chance to face the champion of the time once though I declined. But the important thing is the code. It states that whoever is champion, commands the respect and obedience of the lower fighters. In the past this code has been used to move the warriors of the arena onto real battlefields. Those were always small battles, not the kind of lengthy campaign we may find ourselves in but they would probably still follow into such a conflict."

"So we are to expect a bunch of arena fighters to lay there lives on the line, and all for some code of honor?" Raine queried pessimistically. "It sounds like a waste of time."

"The fighters have always had a fierce sense of honor. In reality, that is what they fight for, the money they make is only a small bonus."

"About how many fighters are there?" Lloyd asked hopefully.

"The last time I was there, there were maybe ninety thousand, all ready to fight."

"It would certainly help our numbers," Sheena spoke what they all thought. "It would be a good opportunity for you to work on your swordsmanship."

"Then I guess it's decided," Lloyd stated. Then, he looked around, and he noticed something was wrong. "Where'd Capricorn go?"

"She said she was gonna go find a bar," Zelos mentioned. "You were zoned out at the time."

"Do you think we should tell her about the meeting?" Colette asked.

"It would not be wise," Raine cautioned. "If we tell her of our plans, she could find a way to act against them. I still don't see why you keep her around."

"It's because we might be able to keep her out of this," Lloyd explained. "If we can keep her here, she can't get in our way when we don't need her to."

"So we're going to leave her behind," Raine understood. "But what's to stop her from following us?"

"Herself I suppose. I never really gave it that much thought."

"This is going to be a nucience."

"We'll worry about that when we need to," Lloyd decided happily. "Now, which way to the arena?"

AN: And that's the end of this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. Now, go and review please. See you at Ch. 12: The Arena. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and happy whatever else I didn't mention. Laters!