As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
Dwarven Vow #85
Is iomadh urchair tha dol san fhraoch.
Many a shot will miss the target.
50-
The Joint Parliament was a group of fifteen individuals, nine appointed by Tethe'alla's king and six by Sylvarant's Governor-General as a reflection of population size. Kratos was familiar with all the members by this point, some more than others. Most of them were generally welcoming to him, though a few always held looks of disdain when he arrived unannounced.
"Captain Kratos Aurion will now address the parliament," the chairman announced once they had agreed to suspend current business, taking a seat and motioning toward him. "You have the floor, Captain."
"Thank you, Madam Chairman," Kratos answered with a nod and looked out to the group. "I am here with two orders of business that require your immediate attention. This morning, a group that included a researcher from the Palmacosta University and the Chosen of Sylvarant made a discovery regarding exsphere use in the restricted zone. Their initial tests indicate that people who have equipped exspheres are able to freely enter the NV Zone with no immediate adverse effects."
A murmur of interest sounded through the group, though no one spoke up to interrupt him and Kratos continued as though he hadn't just revealed a ground-breaking discovery.
"The village of Mizuho also reached out to me this morning with a proposal. They would like permission for their summoner, Sheena Fujibayashi, to approach the Great Tree seeking a pact with the spirit Martel. With the ability of exspheres to protect their wearer from the effects of the NV Zone, it is possible for her to approach the Tree. The Chosens have agreed to accompany her as support, and I have approved their entry into the restricted area. However, this will require a majority vote from the Joint Parliament for an exemption from the magic ban." He lowered the sheet of paper he was holding and cleared his throat. "Whereas the establishment of a pact between the spirit Martel and the summoner Sheena Fujibayashi may be a step toward restoring the Great Tree to its former state, I move that the council offer the following individuals, Sheena Fujibayashi, Colette Brunel, and Zelos Wilder, a twenty-four-hour exemption from the ban on magic outlined in amendment six of the Treaty for the Protection and Preservation of the Great Tree."
He looked then to the Chairman, who nodded and stood again to address the parliament.
"Does the motion have a second?"
"I second." The voice came from the back of the room, a deep, serious tone that fit the unbothered look on the man's voice. He made eye contact with Kratos for a brief moment in which he expressed unspoken support. Of course- if anyone knew the power of Sheena's summoning abilities, it would be someone who'd seen them firsthand.
"Then," the chairman spoke up again, "is the parliament ready for the question?"
There was a pause, and for a moment, Kratos wondered if the question would really go to a vote without debate. But, as always, there was someone who had to argue for the sole purpose of making things difficult for him.
"Madam Councilman," one of the men began after he'd stood up and gotten a nod of approval, "I am immediately wary of any motion which would exempt someone from a portion of the Treaty for the Protection and Preservation of the Great Tree. Chosen or Summoner, there is no reason for anyone to be exempt from the rules that have been laid out to prevent historic tragedy. It is not that I doubt the intentions of those in question, but no matter the status of the recipient, granting such an exemption would set a precedent that we would be unable to reverse. I am afraid that the social implications may outweigh the potential benefits. And besides that, how can we be sure that the summoning attempt will not be harmful or perceived as a threat by the Great Tree? I think the matter is too rash of a decision to be made so lightly. "
He sat down, and the room went quiet. The members glanced back and forth between one another, and before anyone else could, Regal stood up.
"I do agree that this could be a dangerous precedent to set. However, I am also familiar with Miss Fujibayashi and her summoning abilities. The claim that this is a decision made 'lightly' is not consistent with what I know of the dedication needed to establish a summoning pact. The pact requires a summoner to stake their life on their vow, which is why the method of proving themselves often takes the form of a physical fight. But none of the summon spirits was ever harmed in their attempts to test Sheena's resolve. On the contrary, each fought with their own technique, expressing their own method of measuring the pact-maker's will. Therefore we must logically assume that the spirit Martel will find a way of testing Sheena's will that does not pose any harm to the Great Tree. Even if a pact is not established, just being able to speak to the spirit Martel to ask about the Tree's wellbeing would be victory enough to justify the risk we take in granting this exemption. We must be willing to take that risk."
A few others stood up, expressing agreement with Regal's perspective. The first councilman seemed satisfied despite the disagreement, and once the room fell silent with no one standing to continue the debate, the chairman continued the proceeding.
"The vote will be taken with a show of hands. All those in favor of granting a temporary exemption from the magic ban found in Amendment Six of the Treaty for the Protection and Preservation of the Great Tree to Sheena Fujibayashi, Colette Brunel, and Zelos Wilder please raise their hands at this time."
Hands went up all over the room. Eleven, according to a quick count from Kratos- an overwhelming majority. He gave a sigh of relief as the chairman continued the vote to tally one opposed and two abstaining.
"Then, with a vote of eleven in favor, the council moves to grant these three individuals the aforementioned exemption. Please continue with your address, Captain."
Kratos bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Madam Chairman. My second order of business is also in relation to the recent discovery surrounding exspheres and the NV Zone. While the evidence does suggest that exspheres protect their wearers from the harmful effects of the NV Zone, this evidence is extremely limited and does not take into consideration the potential long-term effects of such close-range exposure to the unstable mana field. My proposal is, therefore, a seventh amendment to the Treaty for the Protection and Preservation of the Great Tree, which would ban all exspheres from the restricted area. Anyone entering the restricted area with an exsphere equipped would be required to surrender it into the care of the militia for the duration of their time spent within the boundaries."
There was a silence. Looks of unease were exchanged between members, and the chairman glanced over at Kratos with a frown.
"You do realize, Captain, the work that goes into passing an amendment on a treaty as important as this one?"
"With all due respect, Madam Chairman, the fifth and sixth amendments were passed and approved by both governments within only a week. I realize this was because of the recognition of the urgency of the situation, but I believe that this is just as urgent a situation and that the Joint Parliament is intelligent enough to understand this as well. The safety of those visiting the restricted area and studying the NV Zone could be at risk if people decide to blindly use exspheres to cross into the NV Zone without a full understanding of the long and short term consequences."
The chairman considered his statement for a moment, glanced across the faces of the parliament, and then looked back to Kratos. "Alright. Proceed."
Kratos cleared his throat. "Whereas the use of exspheres to enter the NV Zone is poorly understood and may pose severe risks to health and safety, I move to draft an amendment to the Treaty for the Protection and Preservation of the Great Tree with a ban on the use of exspheres within the restricted area established in amendment five of said treaty."
"Does the motion have a second?"
Silence.
Kratos looked around, waiting for someone- anyone- to offer some support. Regal, out of everyone here, had to agree with the danger of relying on exspheres. But when Kratos made eye contact with him, he kept a stern frown on his face and made no move to speak. Most of the others were looking down at their desks or at the chairman or the far wall… anywhere except at Kratos, it seemed.
No one said anything.
The chairman let out a sigh- one that sounded a little too much like relief to Kratos- and broke the silence. "The motion dies for lack of a second. Thank you, Captain. If you have no further business to bring before this parliament, you are dismissed."
Kratos tried not to let his frustration show. He gave nothing but a brief nod and gathered his papers, trying to figure out what he was going to do while he waited for the parliament to adjourn in what would likely be another few hours. However, as he was going, he heard a voice call out behind him.
"Madam Chairman! May I request personal privilege to speak to the captain directly?"
"I will grant you two minutes. Is this acceptable, Captain?"
Kratos didn't need to look back to know who'd spoken, but he turned back around so that he could face Regal. "Yes. Thank you, Madam Chairman."
"Captain, I know I can't speak for everyone here. I can only speak for myself. But I at least wanted to offer some explanation as to why I didn't feel comfortable seconding your proposal."
"You don't owe me anything," Kratos replied, "but I appreciate the courtesy."
"I do owe it to you, though." Regal stepped around his desk so that he could approach Kratos rather than calling across the room. "It's just too easy for us to make decisions here in the comfort of our council room while your soldiers struggle every day to protect the Great Tree. Traveling with Lloyd taught me more about that than I ever would have imagined. But when I hear of a movement to ban something just because we don't understand it, I'm immediately skeptical. We were so quick to establish the restricted area for public safety because we knew that people were likely to flood the Great Tree out of curiosity. But we made sure to put provisions in place for researchers to access the NV Zone. We didn't want our quest for understanding to suffer in the interest of public safety."
"I'm grateful for your acknowledgment," Kratos broke in, "but you have to understand that to me, this just sounds like saying 'we're willing to sacrifice people for our knowledge.' And I can't allow that kind of sacrifice for some intangible end goal. Not again."
Regal considered the statement briefly, his expression unchanged and yet the look in his eyes growing darker. "There are already safety measures in place. Tethe'alla's Exsphere Reclamation Initiative has significantly reduced the number of exsphere users over the past five years, and the few who are left are all registered on the public record. The process for getting approval to enter the restricted area is rigorous enough that there isn't any reason to create more bureaucratic work to further complicate it-"
Kratos slammed the papers he was holding down onto the table in front of him. "So then you're going to saddle the soldiers and universities with that work?! We're already the ones doing all the work to protect people!"
"And how can we truly say we're protecting people if we remain ignorant of the threats we're trying to protect them from?"
"A healthy amount of caution does not equate to ignorance!"
"But at what point does healthy caution turn into biased fear-?!"
"Two minutes is up, Duke Bryant. Please return to your seat."
The voice of the chairman cut through their argument, and Regal stepped back. "Thank you, Madam Chairman," he said with a polite nod and glanced back over to Kratos. "And thank you, Captain, for your perspective."
Kratos sighed and moved his hands away from the papers on the table. "If you have no more questions for me, I'll take my leave-"
As he picked up the papers again, he noticed an unfamiliar smudge on the righthand corner of the top sheet. It was dark red and textured as though it had been stamped on by a piece of cloth. Unsure of where it had come from, Kratos looked down at his right hand to see if he'd somehow stained his glove with ink without realizing it. He couldn't feel anything like that, but since the events that morning, he hadn't been able to feel much in that hand besides a numb, tingling sensation.
When he focused on his glove, however, his whole body froze.
The dark purple fabric hid the stains so well, he hadn't noticed them at first. His fingertips that protruded from the ends of the gloves were the same greyish color they'd been that morning, but upon closer inspection, he noticed that there were cracks along the skin and specks of red along the edges of his nails where the dead skin had peeled away. In a few places along his hand, wrist, and forearm his glove was stained a darker, deeper color, and the stains were growing.
"Captain? Is something the matter?"
The chairman's voice broke through Kratos' thoughts, reminding him that he was still in the council room. He stammered a quick "n-no, ma'am," and retreated back into the hallway.
There was a dispatch to send to Mizuho now that the Joint Parliament had officially approved the exemption for Sheena and her friends, but… Kratos' first priority was to find a doctor.
"Watch yer heads. Th' ceilin' gets low up haur-"
"Ow!"
Lloyd hit his head on a low-hanging ledge as the three of them continued making their way upstream through the creek. He wasn't sure exactly how long they'd been walking, but they had already reached the fork in the streambed and turned north, so the village couldn't be much further. Dirk had continued with stories about his Dwarven childhood, though he hadn't gotten very far with Lloyd and Anna interrupting every few minutes to ask questions. The sudden change in the cave ceiling provided a break from the conversation, however, and Lloyd slapped a hand over his forehead while Anna laughed.
"Sorry, Lloyd. I'm afraid you're not a Dwarf just yet."
"You laugh, but you're not a Dwarf either! You're just a short human!"
"Oh, you be quiet! All my height is going to the baby right now."
"I, uh, don't think that's how it works, Mom-" Lloyd stopped in his tracks, looking up at the path ahead. "Wait a minute! Over there, is that a light?"
Anna and Dirk looked up. Dirk turned back to the other two, holding up his lantern.
"It looks lik' th' lights frae th' village. I was thinkin' we were almost 'ere."
It took a moment for Lloyd's eyes to adjust to the new light source, but once they did, he could see the point of light very clearly. Excited by the idea that it was the illumination from a true Dwarven village, Lloyd scrambled forward, passing his father as he ran. His boots splashed through the water, and though he slipped a few times, he was able to keep his balance by pressing one hand to the roof of the tunnel.
But as he got closer, something about the light ahead didn't seem… right.
In Lloyd's imagination, the illumination of a Dwarven village would be warm and flickering with a reddish tint, like a candle or a fire in a hearth. But this was a strong, solid light, without any particular color to it. It was almost like… like…
Sunlight.
Lloyd emerged from the tunnel into a large open area, where the stream was meandering over the flat surface around a series of rock piles that were still blurry in his adjusting vision. He closed his eyes to give him a chance to acclimate. When he looked up again, he found himself staring into the sky, a pale blue with just the slightest hint of pink along the edges of the clouds. His gaze strayed down along the edges of the cliff sides, down to the floodplain he was standing on. The piles of rocks that he'd given only a passing glance earlier suddenly seemed to be arranged in a gridlike pattern.
"This place has streets… this is…"
By that point, Dirk and Anna had emerged from the tunnel into the clearing and were looking around as well. Anna had her eyes turned up to look at the sky, but Dirk was looking around at the remains of what Lloyd now realized had been houses at one time. He began to walk down the widest of the 'streets,' almost as if he were in a daze. Lloyd walked behind him, keeping a safe distance but trying not to let him out of his sight. Eventually, Dirk stopped in front of the remains of one building, standing quietly and staring.
"...Dad?" Lloyd spoke. "...are you okay…?"
"Well, Lloyd, if ye e're wanted tae see a real, original Dwarven smithy, now's yer chance."
Lloyd stepped in beside his father, examining the remains of the building in front of them. The stones along the outside were still generally in place, and while it looked like the roof had once been thatched, that thatching was long gone by now. Dirk entered through the doorway, having to step over the stones that had collected along the uneven floor. Lloyd ducked down under the low doorframe and followed him.
"Wow, it looks pretty rough on the outside, but the hearth is still intact. Was this a smith's workshop?"
"Aye. Ye can still see whaur th' anvil sat. An' look at th' design ay th' hearth. Thaur's still traces ay coal right here…"
Dirk continued showing off the features of the hearth to Lloyd, who followed along with rapt attention. He had studied images of Dwarven smithys that his father had drawn up and memorized the layout of both his father's and Altessa's workspaces, but this was his first time seeing one within a true Dwarven village- or, at least, what used to be a Dwarven village. The realization finally made it through Lloyd's head that this was the village they'd been looking for. All their excitement and nervousness about meeting other Dwarves had led to this.
Nothing.
"Dad…" Lloyd finally began again during a pause in Dirk's monologue. "...I'm so sorry."
"Huh? What're ye talkin' abit?"
Lloyd gestured vaguely at their surroundings. "This isn't what we thought we'd find here at all. Mom and I were so excited, we got your hopes up for a real, living Dwarven village. Not… well, this."
Dirk laughed. "Ye 'hink this is a disappointment? I'm relieved! Min', I was pure terrified ay meetin' other Dwarves down haur. Nae I donnae have tae worry."
"But you were excited too."
The statement caused Dirk to pause, the smile on his face wavering. "...aye, 'at's true tay. But there's nae use worryin' o'er it. This place's been abandoned fer at least a few centuries."
"Yeah, I guess they had to leave when the roof caved in, huh?"
Dirk was quiet, looking up at the sky and then back around at the conditions of the workshop around them. "Nae… I'd say thes place was already abandoned lang afair th' cave-in happened."
Lloyd frowned and tried to follow Dirk's line of sight. "What makes you say that?"
"Look at th' condition ay th' workshop. There's nae a thing left, e'en th' anvil. Whate're reason these people had fer leavin', they didnae dae it in a hurry. Thes village was abandoned in a lang, slow process. If it had been th' cave-in 'at caused 'em tae leave, they wouldnae have had th' time tae take all this with 'em."
Lloyd hadn't thought about it that was. He nodded, taking another look around the remains of the building and then dashing back out through the doorway. "I'm gonna look at some of the other houses! There must be something left to tell us why they abandoned the village! Where did Mom go, anyway-?"
"Here I am!"
Anna poked her head out of one of the windows of the house across the 'street,' her appearance causing Lloyd to jump back in surprise. She laughed at him, and then disappeared into the house only to reappear in the doorway.
"The fact that the roof of this cave chamber could cave in so easily means this was already really close to the surface. A village this small was probably just a setup that helped facilitate trade with Luin. When the Dwarves stopped trading with the surface because of Cruxis, there was no reason to stay here anymore."
"Nae only 'at," Dirk added,"bit it was considered dangerous tae gang anywhaur near th' surface. Dwarves actively avoided it. Th' surface was where one would gang tae escape Dwarven society- a last resort, sae tae speak."
There was a pause. Lloyd had a feeling that he and his mother were thinking the same thing, but she didn't feel comfortable being the one to ask.
"Is that… why you came to the surface, Dad?"
Something unfamiliar seemed to spark in Dirk's eyes when he heard the question. He forced a laugh, patting Lloyd on the shoulder. "Don't look sae nervous! Aye, my sisters an' I came tae th' surface tae escape the political turmoil left behind aifter our faither died. Bit my sisters went back after abit fifty years. I decided tae stay behind because I wanted tae."
"That was almost a century ago. What made you want to stay?" Anna asked.
Dirk shrugged his shoulders and turned back around to face the street. "Eh, I took a likin' tae humans, is aw. Different as we are, I 'hink humans an' Dwarves have more in common than Dwarves want tae admit." He started off again, walking past the smithy and on towards what looked to be some sort of mill. "C'mon. It looks lik' th' sun is settin'. Let's explore more afair we need tae gang home."
Lloyd and Anna both looked up, realizing how much the sky had changed in just the short amount of time they'd been there. "Oh, Kratos will worry about me if I'm out too late!" Anna gasped. "Maybe we should go ahead back-"
"Let him worry!" Lloyd interrupted. "It's not like we're doing anything dangerous. He's just too sensitive about these things."
Anna shook her head, looking down at her feet as she spoke. "Lloyd, your father is… Kratos is hurting. The least we could do is support him by not worrying him even further."
"But-!" Lloyd found himself choking on his words. "I-It wasn't his fault! None of it was his fault! He's the brains of this family, and he can't even see that?"
"It's not that simple, Lloyd. If something awful had happened to Colette at the Great Tree today, wouldn't you have blamed yourself?"
The thought made Lloyd freeze up for a moment. "Th-that's different. I was the one who put the idea into Colette's head-"
"-and Kratos was the one who told Yuan not to wear his Cruxis Crystal."
Anna looked up as she interrupted him, finally making eye contact again. Lloyd took a step back, intimidated by the look in her eyes and averting his own gaze.
"I… I didn't know that…"
Anna took another step toward him, closing the gap between them and reaching up so that she could turn his face back to her. "Encouraging Colette to help the Great Tree was what you thought was best. It was the same with Kratos and Yuan. No one can ever know the consequences of their actions; they can only do what they think is right at the time. But good intentions don't absolve them of guilt if their actions cause pain to others. Kratos has seen that again and again and again, for longer than you, I, or even Dirk can fathom. So please, just… try to be a little more understanding."
"...okay, Mom. I will."
The walk back to Luin was quiet. Dirk could sense that Lloyd and Anna were both deep in thought, and he didn't pry. He just led the way, making sure to help them where needed and stay far enough ahead to be out of their way the rest of the trip.
It was already dark by the time the three emerged from the building, the nightly din of insects drumming over a light drizzle of rain.
"Sorry to cut our time short," Anna sighed, opening her umbrella and moving closer to Dirk so that she could hold it over the both of them.
"Ah, donnae worry abit it. We got a late start, an' it took a while tae figure out those underground passages. If we want tae gang again, it willnae take nearly as lang."
"We didn't manage to get any renovation work done either," Lloyd added, trying to duck under the umbrella with them. He was practically doubled over to fit, and Anna giggled at the sight.
"You're a little too tall, Lloyd."
"Ugh! First I hit my head in the cave, and now I can't share your umbrella? I thought I had Dwarven ancestry!"
"On my side," Anna pointed out. "Unfortunately, Kratos seems to come from a particularly tall family."
"Ugh, why do all my problems seem to lead back to him…?"
"Lloyd! Donnae talk abit yer faither 'at way-!"
It was all in fun, and the group had a laugh, but as soon as it died down Lloyd and Anna both went awkwardly quiet. Lloyd felt a little self-conscious about his comment, and he could see his mother wrestling with whether or not to make sure he'd been joking. He started to apologize but was cut off as someone down the path called out to them.
"Oh, Miss Anna! There you are!"
All three of them stopped walking, and Lloyd took a step back so that he could stand up straight. The woman was dressed in a militia uniform, and though Lloyd didn't recognize her, Anna seemed to. She handed the umbrella to Dirk and ran over to meet the soldier halfway.
"Joy, what's going on?"
"I've been looking all over for you! The Captain said that you'd be at home and asked me to deliver a message, but-"
"S-sorry." Anna gestured back at Lloyd and Dirk. "I was helping out with some family business. Where is Kratos? Why couldn't he tell me himself?"
"The Captain said that something important has come up, and he has to remain in Altamira for the evening. He has duties early tomorrow morning that he is unable to perform, and has asked you to take his place. This would change your patrol time, but if you switch with Maurice, it should work-"
"Unable to…?" Anna asked. "What does that mean? Did something happen?"
The soldier shook her head. "I don't know. I've told you all that he told me. May I report back to the administration that you accept the lead position on sunrise patrol tomorrow morning? There is a group coming from Mizuho to investigate the NV Zone, and the Captain has asked that you be the one to supervise them."
Anna glanced back at Lloyd and Dirk for a moment before she replied. "...yes, of course. It's an order from the Captain, after all."
"Great. Thank you."
As the soldier left, Dirk and Lloyd moved to join Anna. "Whit an odd request," Dirk murmured, "I wouldnae expect Kratos tae shirk his duties now ay all times. Somethin' must ay happened."
"Maybe it has something to do with his meeting in Mizuho this morning," Anna murmured, ducking back under the umbrella with Dirk. "He may be working with the Joint Parliament on something if he's stuck in Altamira..."
The two walked on ahead, but Lloyd stayed still, looking down at his hands. He couldn't help thinking about earlier that morning when Kratos had reached into the NV Zone to pull him out. The way he'd been holding his hand afterward made Lloyd suspicious, and that suspicion wouldn't leave his mind.
"Hey, Dad?"
Dirk turned around to face Lloyd, who ran to close the distance between them. "Aye, whit is it?"
"Can I go to Altamira? Tomorrow, I mean. I'm worried about Kratos."
Dirk and Anna looked at one another in surprise. "Aye," Dirk began, "I s'pose 'at's fine, bit I want tae gang wi' ye. I'm still nae comfortable wi' ye goin' off on yer own. Besides 'at, th' ferry doesnae travel direct. We'll hae tae travel through Palmacosta-"
"I can take you," Anna offered. "It's on my way, after all."
"Ye sure?"
"Of course! Honestly, if I weren't covering Kratos' watch, I'd go looking for him myself. Knowing you and Lloyd are going helps ease my worry." Anna reached out and nudged Lloyd's shoulder. "But that means you'll have to wake up early. Are you alright with that?"
"Y-yeah, totally!" Lloyd exclaimed. "I'll go straight to bed so that I'll be well-rested for tomorrow!"
Dirk raised an eyebrow. "Without yer supper?"
"Oh… right. Dinner, then bed."
Anna crossed her arms. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Forgetting what?
"Dinner, bath, and then bed."
Lloyd groaned. "Mooom, Daaad! Geez, it's like…" He stopped and sighed in resignation. "...like you're my parents or something."
Dirk and Anna just laughed.