Disclaimer: I don't own Namco or Tales studios so please don't make the wrong assumption that I own anything.
Chapter 5
Aden couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the object of his search as he neared the entrance to the town of Werites Beacon. The short trek from the port had not been uneventful for there were some monsters that attacked him. But with Feivel on his side, the monsters were no match for their combined attacks.
He stopped a distance away, far enough to not be noticed yet close enough to cherish the sight of the person he had been longing to see. Moses had grown into a man. So different from the boy he remembered five years ago. He had certainly grown much taller; his skin slightly darker and his lean body had become slightly more muscular than before. Aden could almost feel envious enough to compare it with his own built which is the complete opposite of the boy he had admired most of his life. Aden stood there transfixed, until he remembered who it was he was gawking at.
'It's the SelXes, you idiot! How dare you dishonor him that way!' After mentally chastising himself, it was only then that he noticed that Moses was not alone.
"Fine! I'll go! So stop looking like a kicked puppy! Honestly you're more like a dog…"
Aden gasped at hearing this, and felt a surge of anger at the audacity of that person to treat the SelXes that way. 'How dare he! Doesn't he know who he's talking to?!'
Aden moved to make his presence known and reprimand the arrogant boy, but what he saw on the SelXes face made him stop. He had never seen Moses look at someone quite like that. An intimate smile filled with fondness, and more… Suddenly, Aden felt a mix of envy and jealousy at the person it was meant for. As he realized that it was for the brat he saw earlier, Aden felt angry in defense of the SelXes for the insolent boy didn't deserve to be the recipient of it. Too bad he wasn't able to get a good look at the boy's face or else he could hunt him down to teach him his place. He was brought out of his indignant thoughts as he heard Moses shout a sound of triumph, and chose the time to call out his most cherished person's name.
"Moses!"
Aden watched him turn around slowly, and was glad when the SelXes recognized him and remembered his name. Still, he noticed that his beloved was too shocked to do anything else than utter his name, and so Aden made the first move to greet him. As a member of MelOres, the tribe of beast tamers, in deference to his leader, he knelt before him and said, "It is I, SelXes. Your betrothed kneels before you." And as a show of affection to his future husband whom he had missed so much, he smiled and stood up to embrace him, at last.
Moses, being a tactile person that he is, unconsciously returned the embrace. After a while he seemed to come out from his shock enough to remember whom he was holding. Moving his arms to rest his hands on the shoulders of the smaller man, he gently pushed away from the embrace to really look at his old friend.
"It really is you, Aden. I see you're still as scrawny and girly as ever." Moses had this mischievous look in his eyes as he teased the other man.
Aden only replied with a laugh. He knew that teasing and bantering had always been Moses' way of showing affection, so Aden was glad that that aspect of Moses' personality was still the same.
" 'm really glad ta see you, Aden." Indeed, Aden saw the truth his words through his eyes and the friendly smile directed at him. Still there's also another side to Moses that only those people serving him get to witness more often than others. The carefree look of his betrothed can easily turn into one of fierce seriousness in a blink of an eye when a situation calls for it, and so, Aden found himself facing the latter sooner than he expected.
"How's the family back home?" Moses asked worriedly. For Aden to have come to find him himself could only mean that there's trouble brewing in Renawes. Since Aden is the only Eren in their tribe besides himself, it must be really important for him to leave their people in order to find Moses. Since Aden is the best beast tamer of their tribe (second to the SelXes), after Moses claimed him as his betrothed before he left, Aden took his place in protecting their tribe against the intermittent invasion of the HelKes clan while he was gone. For him to have left his position must be because the CyeUres, his adopted father, had sent him. Otherwise Aden would not for any reason do so, knowing the importance of his eres in protecting the welfare of their people.
Seeing the downcast look on Aden's face, Moses replied "Tha' bad, huh?" Aden can only nod in answer. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Moses became silent for a moment as he contemplated what he needed to do. His posture is tense and rigid, yet it sends out an aura of authority and power that can intimidate any man. If the Eren gang could see him now, Norma would certainly faint in shock, and the others might think he has been possessed by a demon. Among them, it was only Jay who was able to see a glimpse of this during the time when they suspected Geit of attacking the townspeople, and in his words, Jay described it as "scary"; too scary a face for a seemingly stupid bandit to have.
Aden could only watch as the lines of worry crease the SelXes face. After a moment, Moses finally turned to him and said, "Sorry, Aden. Ya must be tired from your long journey. I'll take ya to our camp first so you could rest, and not ta mention, eat since 'bout lunch time already. As I've said, you're too scrawny." Moses said with a grin, that mischievous glint back in his eyes.
Aden felt reassured to see the calmness return to his betrothed's face as he looked at him, especially when Moses' words ended in that light hearted tone which relieved his worries. "I guess you're right." he replied with a smile.
True to his prediction, the bandits in charge of protecting the town were just returning from their rounds to have their break. As they saw their chief, they bowed their heads slightly as they greeted him, and Moses asked one of them to take Aden to their camp.
After giving his order, Moses told Aden that he'll return in the evening and they will catch up more then.
Aden turned to walk with the bandits to their camp, preceding their leader, which he knew to be one of the MelOres code of rulers. The leader always protects his subjects' back upon entering a safe haven by putting their lives first before his.
Halway through the entrance to the town, Aden turned his head to look at the SelXes as Moses called to him and said, "Stop your worryin' for now, Aden. Ev'rything will turn out righ', you'll see."
"Yes." Aden replied without hesitation, and he received a reassuring smile in return. He had complete faith in the SelXes, not because he is his betrothed and his subject, but because he is a person who knew Moses well. Now, with Moses by his side, Aden is sure that he could finally free himself from the worries that plagued his mind and truly rest, which is something he wasn't able to do for quite a long time.
'Moses took care of his people'. That's what the elders said in their stories. The Moses then and the Moses now is not that different. 'He is named Moses after all.' With this last thought in mind, Aden felt his hopes rise to the skies.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The origin and meaning of the names based on the old Relares ideographs:
SelXes (Relares) – "great" + "descendant/heir"; literal meaning in Orerines language
CyeUres (Relares) – "shield" + "life/animal" pronounced as Sīü-res"; translated as "Guardian of Life" in Orerines language
Renawes (Old Relares: 'RenWes' – "secret/hidden" + "nature") translated as "Hidde Lands" in Orerines language
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The origin and meaning of the names based on the ancient Orerines texts brought by the first Orerines who arrived at Legendia aboard the Legacy:
Aden (Celtic/Gaelic) meaning "Little Fire"
Feivel (Greek) meaning "Bright One"
In the oldest text brought by the first Orerines aboard the Legacy, there was a scripture that told the story about an infant who was drawn from the water and adopted by a king's daughter. That infant later grew up into a man who became a great leader, and saved his people from their suffering at the hands of their enemy.
Moses (Old Hebrew) meaning "savior"
A/N: I got the Relares from the game's official US website. As to the meaning of the character's names, take a guess where I got them ) Think baby names wink. If you, my dear readers, still have the patience to wait, you'll find out the history and culture of the MelOres tribe as well as the HelKes tribe, and how they will affect the lives of the characters. All the ideas are in my head, I just need to write them all down to form coherent sentences, and then to paragraphs, and then to (hopefully) chapters. Hehe…
Just an afterthought, If I write short chapters, I can update faster (faster being a relative term of course since I can't really say how fast I can find the time and motivation to write) than if I write a long one. For me, I guess 1,500+ words is short and 2,500+ words is already long enough for me. What do you guys prefer?