Author's Note: Wow it took me quite a while to get back to working on this again. I've had a few new fics bite my writing muse since this was written, but I've made a pretty decent amount of plot progress.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Final Fantasy franchise.
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Chapter 3: Birth of Legends
Drake sighed as he climbed up into the Invincible again. It had been a week since meeting the dryad, and they hadn't found a single summoner since then. Edgar had insisted that they map the location of Figaro, though there hadn't been much to look at from the sky. At the very least, Drake's muscles weren't protesting anymore. Mapping the Caledonia continent was taking a great deal longer than it had taken to map the Mist continent.
His skin was a fair sight darker than it had been before leaving to bring the cartographer around the world, thanks to his sunburn. He hadn't gotten burnt enough to peel, although his tan lines were a bit awkward when he was wearing different clothing, or when he didn't bother to wear a shirt.
Most of the group switched around, but Drake was always part of one of the roaming groups. About the only person that he hadn't spent a whole lot of time with lately was Zidane, and that was because his blood brother was too busy with flying the airship. When they weren't off on other duties, though, they spent a fair amount of time together, even if it was just griping together.
At least he had managed to talk to Odette about how he viewed her. He'd had a few illusions about her shattered, certainly, but at the very least they now understood each other better. And he knew when to reach over and tell her not to do something, which would help her to control her own temper, and she knew when he wasn't being serious, even when his face didn't change expression. She'd already been figuring out where his own tempers frayed.
A wet cloth smacked into his face with a slap, and he grunted before peeling it off and glaring at Edgar, who was grinning a little. He was setting down a tub of water with cloths in it by the door. Drake kept glaring at him, even though he was starting to feel better for the blessed coolness on his face.
"Zidane realized that the dust is messing with the mechanical part of the ship a bit, so everyone has to wipe down when they come back in from outside, at least for now." Drake blinked at him, then down at himself. He sighed and shook out his arms. Sand cascaded down to join the pile that was building at his feet.
"Right." Odette was already wiping down the skin that had been visible, shaking off sand as she did so. Drake paused for a moment and leaned forwards, pulling his hood down and ruffling his hair. As he had thought, sand fell from his scalp. He kept rubbing until he figured he had gotten most of it out, and shook out the rest of his clothes.
Seeing Vivi with a broom instead of a staff was almost enough to make Drake laugh, but he was still hungry and irked from the lack of progress. He found his way to the bunks and flopped down on his, heaving a sigh before sitting back up and dumping his bedding on the floor to shake the sand out of it.
Sabin brought Drake a sandwich that Quina had sent along to give to the archer, and Drake glumly at it, picking at it in between just because he needed something to do with his fingers. He was careful not to let the crumbs land on his bedding.
Going to sleep without seeing the others didn't strike him as odd anymore, not when they all were grumpy and wanting to be done with this errand. Drake was among the worst at that, mostly because he was the one that was supposed to find the summoners and couldn't find any. He usually didn't sleep deeply after a worthless day.
Except today he did. Deeply enough to wake up on the battlefield, at that. It was almost eerily quiet, no sound of battle anywhere. When Drake looked down at himself he realized that while he wasn't fully visible anymore, he wasn't a black shadow like he had been before, either. He could see edges of purple and skin, though they weren't very defined. It was still more than what he had been able to see on Edgar or Sabin, though.
"Hoy, about time you showed up again." Drake jumped a little at the call, and turned to look. Cid the First was walking over to him, a wry grin on his face. "We were all waiting for one of ya to show up so we could actually give you our answer finally." Drake scratched at the back of his head.
"I wasn't expecting to stay away so long, to be honest. We are busy on the other side of things. Trying to find summoners from amongst the non-humanoids." Drake winced a little at how awkward that phrasing was, but he couldn't take back words at all. "It's slow going, though."
"I imagine. There aren't too many amongst what most would call monsters that bow to the Constellato. At any rate, you'll have help from the Einherjar, with that bastard from Terra. Maybe not with that thing the Constellato are making you do first, no one here wants to tangle with an Eidolon, even one that's forgotten itself." Drake grimaced a little.
"None of us want to either, but we seem to be the only ones qualified to handle it." Cid clapped Drake on the shoulder, a sympathetic look on his face. "That's probably always been the case for Chosen, hasn't it?"
"Much to the regret of every single one of us. You've more than earned your place here, though. We'll be keepin' a place cleared at the table for ye, but gods forbid ye join us too soon." Drake smiled, and nodded to Cid.
"I'll do my best to arrive an old man." Cid laughed at that and tugged Drake along towards where the rest of the Einherjar were. There were still a few arguments here and there, but no one looked like they were about to escalate things into battle again.
Cid ignored most of them, leading Drake through the crowd. The living man did notice that some Einherjar from other classes glanced at him, though none of them addressed him. He had to wonder if they saw him as a shade, or a mere suggestion of a person.
The people that Cid led him to had a rather even mixture of classes. Cecil was among them, and greeted both of them. Drake shot a surprised glance at Cid, who merely grinned at him and slung an arm around the shoulders of a grumpy-looking geomancer.
"So this is the living archer, eh?" Drake turned his attention and found himself looking into bright green eyes as the man in dark armor leaned heavily on Cecil. Neither of them seemed to mind. "You threw everyone for a loop, showing up like that. First time I can ever remember of a living Chosen showing up so clear to everyone. Thought you mighta been mistaken about still being alive until you popped out of existence." Drake shrugged.
"I wasn't entirely sure that I wasn't dead myself, to be completely honest." The dark knight's grin increased a little. Drake shifted his weight from foot to foot. "So, uh..." Cid rolled his eyes and shoved Drake towards a rock to sit on.
"Sit, we'll introduce ourselves. Well, those of us you don't already know, at least. Part of the thing we all were arguing about was whether or not each Chosen would be able to summon only those that bow to the same Constellato." Drake blinked a little.
"But that would work fairly decently..." Cecil snorted and rolled his eyes. A young woman with a horn coming out of the center of her forehead reached over and tugged on his ear briefly. He sighed and turned his head to look at her.
"Don't tease him, Cecil." The girl turned her head to smile at him. Drake realized with a start that she was Rydia. "All of the Chosen will be able to summon those who they share a class with, but they will also have the option of summoning a specific group. We are in your group." Drake blinked a few times, bemused, and looked over the group.
Cid, Cecil, and Rydia were the only ones that he could recognize, but there was one of each class present. The dark knight introduced himself as Zeke, and had known Cecil while they were both alive. The thief of the group was a boy named Vaan, and was leaning on the white mage, a girl named Penelo. A dwarf from Conde Petie was the geomancer, though he looked less than pleased to have to help someone from the mountains. A stern looking man named Gala was the monk, along with a dragoon that insisted that everyone just call him Jay. He kept trying to flirt with a redheaded red mage that had hints of blue under her armor. The only way he heard her name, Lyn, was by Jay calling her by it. The other three were too busy having a conversation of their own to greet him. Lyn was talking to them as well, it was how she was ignoring Jay.
Drake spent what felt like hours getting to know the ones that bothered to talk to him. Jay seemed more likely to talk about what had happened since he had died than about his own lifetime. Zeke, on the other hand, spoke freely about training Cecil to be a dark knight before the paladin had discovered his proper path. Most of his tales were about the ridiculous things that had happened during their training, though. Still, as they spoke, he started to get a better feel for them. Cid he'd understood better, but each story told him a bit more about what it was like to be a paladin, dark knight, or dragoon.
He still felt tired when he woke up again, but it was no more or less than he usually felt whenever he visited the battlefield. A few good stretches was enough to work out most of the ache, and the coffee that Quina had in the kitchen was enough to wake him up the rest of the way. Edgar looked about the same as Drake had felt, stiff and grouchy. He fell back to sleep with his head against the table as they waited for Quina to be done with cooking their breakfast.
Eiko seemed to have all the energy that Edgar and Drake lacked. Even Quina seemed a little impatient with her energy. Drake groaned as he realized that he was going to have to bring Eiko with him, because the other groups wouldn't stand for her energy either. Armed with the baked lunches that Quina had put together, Drake shooed Eiko out of the ship ahead of him, Freya and Amarant trudging along behind him.
Midway through the morning, Eiko spotted something halfway up a canyon wall. Drake shaded his eyes and squinted at what it was before slinging his bow over his shoulder and starting to climb. Freya jumped up after him once he shouted down that the ledge was solid, and Drake stepped in, his eyes adjusting to the dark.
Much to his surprise, there were several stacks of books, piled up to the modest ceiling. There was a lantern that gave off no heat, but cast a comfortable amount of light. Drake jumped a bit as he saw something move, and suddenly found himself face to face with an equally surprised peaceful monster.
"Well. I have to say it's been a very long time since I last had any company." Drake blinked a bit more at the creature's voice, and glanced over his shoulder at Freya. She gave him a tilt of his head, and he nodded. He had a feeling this was one of the summoners they were supposed to find.
"We weren't really expecting to find anyone all the way out here, to be honest. I'm Drake." The creature held out a hand to shake, and Drake did so, trying not to stare at the rear end the he could see past the creature's torso. What he had thought was a table was merely something on its centaured lower body.
"I usually go by Jabberwock these days. Have you friends outside as well?" Drake nodded, and glanced over his shoulder again. Freya had moved to the entrance of the cave and was calling down to Amarant and Eiko to call them up.
"Yes. Oh, here, Nymph told me to give this to you." Drake dug in his belt pouch until he found the cut emerald, and handed it to the Jabberwock. The summoner's eyes lit up as he picked it up and admired it under the light of the nearest lamp.
"Oh good, she found one for me! I've been running out of gemstones to study lately, and Nymph is the best I know at cutting and polishing rough stones. A bit bossy, but she does have a good heart." Drake rubbed at the back of his head, and blinked as he suddenly found himself scrutinized. "Though I have never known her to give a gift without strings." Drake shrugged.
"We Chosen need help from summoners with something, and there aren't many left. There's an eidolon that was sealed long ago, enough that no one remembers it, and it's starting to come unsealed. The Constellato have told us we need to kill it, but if it becomes completely unsealed, it'll just be a repeat of the tale of the Eidolon Hunters." The curious look on the Jabberwock's face faded into worry.
"Oh dear, oh dear. Oh, I wish that theory of mine hadn't been proven I this way." Drake blinked, and the Jabberwock rummage through his stacks of books before looking through the baskets hanging off of his lower half. "Ah, here we go. One lovely moonstone cabochon, lacking a setting." Drake blinked again as the stone was handed to him. "There's a lovely young feather circle, talented sort, lives on the coast not far from Esto Gaza. Give them this stone, and tell them what you told me. They're bound to not only help but give you directions to other very strong summoners." Drake repeated the information to make sure that he'd gotten it right, then shrugged and tucked it into his belt pouch.
"Hopefully it won't take us as long to find them as it took us to find you. Though Nymph did mention that you're a hard sort to find anyhow." Jabberwock shrugged. "Oh, uh...I keep forgetting to ask, but how are you going to know when to help...?" The Jabberwock chuckled, and Drake frowned.
"Oh, we've got our ways of keeping an eye on the world. You won't have to worry about that, once you're ready to begin the fight, we'll be there, one way or another. Now, would you all like some tea? I'm sure I have some somewhere in here." Drake noticed the baffled look that Amarant was pointing at him and shrugged.
"Some tea would be nice, I think. We wouldn't want to impose on you too much, though." Jabberwock laughed and flapped one hand at Freya's answer, already moving through his stacks of books. Drake leaned over to peer past the corner, and blinked as he saw that it was only this section of the cave that was covered in books. There was a tidy little kitchen that Jabberwock was making his way to.
"Oh, it's no trouble, no trouble at all. Let's see...Ah, yes, here we are. Good Caledonian tea, pity that it's so hard to get ahold of, it's not like any other. Just a moment, let me put some water on to boil, it shouldn't take long." Jabberwock turned to look at them, and gestured for them to walk over to him. "Please, there's no need to cluster in my library, there's plenty of room for everyone to sit over here."
True enough, there was a rather cozy little sitting room, with plenty of space. Drake gave what he thought was a cloth bench an odd look until Jabberwock settled himself onto it comfortably. There were a few books scattered on the low tables I the sitting room, though more than books there were stones of all sorts. Some were cut and polished, others were rough, and there were even some that he were sure weren't worth much aside from acting as paperweights.
"So what did you mean about having a theory proven right? You mentioned something about that earlier." Drake ran one finger over his earcuff, tracing the spine of the metal dragon that was wrapped around the shell of his ear. He almost regretted asking the question as Jabberwock started to prattle on about it. Most of it went over his head, but Eiko seemed to understand what he was talking about.
"So the wall in Madain Sari does more than just remind us of what Eidolons chose to bless my clan, it actually anchors them in reality? If their images got damaged and sealed, maybe eventually they'd go the way of Ozma as the centuries passed." Drake heard the teapot whistling, and glanced at their host before realizing he was having too much fun speaking to another summoner.
Freya and Amarant seemed as amused being spectators to the highly technical conversation as Drake was, thanking him quietly as he handed them mugs of still-steeping tea. Jabberwock didn't even seem to notice, even as Eiko picked hers up and sipped at it, still listening to him.
Drake spaced out as the two summoners rambled, letting his eyes drift closed. He didn't quite fall asleep, but he was feeling awfully peaceful. He blinked his eyes open as he heard his name mentioned, and realized that Jabberwock was frowning thoughtfully into his mug.
"Ah, I apologize. I often forget about things when I get excited, I didn't mean to do so with visitors here." Drake shrugged as Jabberwock bowed slightly to him. "It's the height of rudeness, I deeply apologize." Drake smiled a little and shook his head.
"I'm not offended at all. You were having a wonderful time talking to Eiko, and it's not often that she gets to talk to another summoner, besides the other one that has been traveling with us. I didn't want to interrupt you." Jabberwock frowned, still looking concerned, but nodded slowly, accepting that he wasn't upset by it. "You said this tea is Caledonian tea? Where does it grow? I grew up there and the only teas I've ever had were herbal."
Distracted by the new topic, they chatted for quite a while. Drake was almost sad that they had to leave after another couple of hours, but it was a long walk back to where they needed to be to meet back up with the ship. At least they knew where the next summoner was, finally.
Everyone else was cheered up by the news that they'd found Jabberwock, and another bit of good news was that the cartographer was done with this continent. They would leave for Esto Gaza in the morning, allowing Drake to continue on to the next leg of the search for the summoners.
Dagger was fascinated by whatever it was that Eiko was telling her; more likely than not it was what Jabberwock had chattered on about for a few hours earlier that day. Edgar looked exhausted still, stirring his food listlessly with his spoon as he stared into space.
"If we get help from the Einherjar after we defeat Ozma, will they be able to help us against Kuja?" Drake blinked at the question and shrugged. He stretched and leaned back, groaning as he felt his back pop several times.
"I don't see why not. If you get to the battlefield, though, you can ask them yourself. I think I was told that the meadhall doors wouldn't open up again until conflicts on both sides of the veil have been wrapped up. I should hope it happens soon, I'd wager at least half of the quarrels now are frustration over that." Edgar blinked at Drake, tilting his head to the side.
"Hadn't thought of that. What do you make of the thing they mentioned, about being able to summon people?" Drake shrugged. He was still a little bemused about being seen by more than just the archers, even if he had returned to looking like a shade.
"Haven't tried it yet. I think I'm gonna go to bed." Drake covered a yawn as he carried his dishes over to where they'd end up getting washed. Then he found his way to his bunk and flopped on it, cringing a little as he hit his head, but fell asleep easily enough despite the small ache.
Interestingly enough, his dreams were a mix of Earth and Gaia. He ran from his lodge in Caledonia because he was late for school, and tugged on the loop of Cass's backpack to get her attention before their classes turned into a blur, melding into each other until he found himself lying in a field with Cass on one side, plaiting wildflowers into a string, and Edgar and Sabin on the other, roughhousing. He simply laughed as Cass scolded them for crushing the flowers.
He woke up, feeling more rested than he had in a while, and stretched. His bunk wasn't long enough for him to stretch properly, so he did so again when he was standing. The little clock that someone had gotten while they were in Alexandria told him it was well before dawn. He shook his head at that and found his way to the bridge, where there was enough peace and quiet for him to simply sit and meditate a little.
The sound of Quina setting places in the galley brought Drake out of his thoughts, and he stretched before pushing himself up onto his feet. He blinked at the view that was afforded him outside the ship, unaware that they had been traveling with the sun. It was barely dawn, but he must have been sitting there for at least an hour. The snow on the fields around Esto Gaza looked pale blue, with just a few dashes of gold where the light struck it.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Drake turned, and realized that Zidane had been at the controls of the ship for a while. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. Maybe when this is all over and done with I'll try to get a role as captain of one of Regent Cid's new airships. This thing shouldn't be used, I think." Drake walked over to stand next to Zidane.
"Probably not, no. Not that any of us know how to refuel it, anyhow. Or would want to. Once we're done with Kuja, should we let the regent look at it?" Zidane shrugged, and Drake sighed. "To be honest, the feeling I get from this airship isn't too far off from what I've felt about some of the weapons Earth has. I'd rather that it not exist, but since it does, better to have it in the hands of someone who won't use it." Zidane turned his head to give Drake an odd look.
"Just what sort of weapon is it that you and Odette keep referring to?" Drake shook his head. Zidane rolled his eyes and groaned, looking back forwards. "You are right about this sort of power being in the hands of someone who doesn't like it, though. ...Maybe it would be better if we lost it somewhere, or destroyed it somehow." Drake shrugged and headed back to where the galley was, hearing the sleepy chatter of the rest of the crew.
Odette smiled at Drake as he sat down next to her, and then turned her attention to Eiko, who was attempting to eat her pancakes without the use of a fork and knife. Edgar passed Drake a mug of coffee and pointed to where the sugar was before turning back to bicker at Sabin. Drake couldn't help but chuckle as he scooped a couple of spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee before stirring it with his own spoon.
If not for the fact that they were on an airship, Drake could have been forgiven for thinking that he'd just sat down to a family gathering of some sort. It would definitely be a very strange one, seeing as Freya was reaching something for Vivi, who was sitting next to her, and Amarant was half off his end of the bench, trying to pretend that he wasn't anywhere near Sabin, who now had Edgar in a headlock.
"I'll miss this," Drake murmured to Odette. She blinked at him and tilted her head to the side, and he made a gesture towards the whole group. "Once we're done with Kuja, there won't be too many times like this anymore." Odette blinked and looked around thoughtfully.
"I guess you're right. Though I suppose it doesn't help you much that what's waiting for you in Treno is significantly different to what's here." A sour look crossed Drake's face, and Odette smiled softly. "I know how to run that estate, you won't need to do much with it if you don't have to."
"If you two are done billing and cooing like lovebirds, could you pass the fruit salad?" Edgar had managed to get free of his brother's armpit, and didn't look at all impressed by the tender moment that Drake and Odette had been sharing. Drake rolled his eyes at his blood brother and shoved the bowl of chopped fruit into his hands.
Eiko ended up trailing after Drake and Odette as they went looking for warm clothing to wear outside, with Freya already at the trunk that held the cloaks and gloves. She tossed a set that looked like it would fit Eiko to the girl without even asking if she wanted to come with.
Drake grimaced as he stepped off the ship, feeling the cold bite at his nose. He had his bow slung over his shoulder, keeping his cloak off of his drawing arm, but he'd dressed warmly that morning, anyhow. He had never been quite so happy for woolen clothing before, not even in the depths of Caledonian winter.
Being by the shore was no respite from the bitter winds, either. More than once, he adjusted his bow and had ice fall off of it, which made him worry a little. He wasn't sure if this bow had been treated to withstand cold properly. He just had to trust in Andreas and Torres.
They found a place that was sheltered from the ocean spray and the wind and stood out of the wind to drink the hot tea that Quina had told Drake to put in his belt pouch. It didn't last long, but there were a few other canteens of hot tea still in Drake's belt pouch. The tiny fire that Odette set in the calm part of the dune they had found helped, though it didn't last long. Still, it was a warm bubble against the desolate landscape.
There weren't many plants growing along the shore, and those that did grew gnarled and twisted into grotesque shapes that would likely have struck terror in him were they seen by the light of the moon. There were fewer creatures than there were plants, even monsters seemed to shun the coastline.
"Where did Jabberwock say we could find that Feather Circle?" Drake paused to look back at Freya, adjusting the scarf he'd taken from its place around his hips to settle over his nose a little better. "I can't imagine anyone living in this sort of location." Drake shrugged.
"On the coast near Esto Gaza, is what I remember, but how near, I don't think he mentioned. At least we don't have to go into that city again and deal with the holier-than-thou troupe." Odette snorted a little at that, but looked distracted by something else when he turned to look at her.
"There's a fight over there." Drake frowned at that, but trotted to the top of a hill. He jerked a little, and ducked as the rotting corpse of a sky whale nearly took his head off. He slipped his arm out of his bow as the whale zombie banked and headed back along the way it came. Freya was by Drake's side with her spear at the ready before the whale zombie's shadow had even left the dune.
"Eiko, cast life on that whale. Make sure it's not over anything before you do so, though." Drake pulled a quiver from his belt pouch and hooked it onto his belt without taking his eyes from the fight going on below. Several things that looked like fat, flying fish were chasing after a light teal Feather circle.
Drake was only aware of a thing that looked like an octopus wearing a turtle shell when Odette hit it with a Thundara., but he hadn't been too worried about it anyhow. His attention was on the green Vepals, picking them off one by one as he walked after the fight. He paused only when the whale zombie crashed into the surf. He could hear Freya and Odette right behind him as he focused on the Vepals, pausing with an arrow to his bow when he was looking for another to kill only to realize that they were all gone.
"Phew! Thanks for the save!" The light teal feather circle floated over to him. He couldn't tell if it had a gender, and its voice certainly wasn't giving anything away. "What luck that you were out here just when I needed help! So what are you all doing out here?" Drake looked over his shoulder at Odette as she sheathed her swords.
"Looking for you, actually. Here, a gift from Jabberwock that he entrusted to me to deliver to you." Drake pulled the moonstone out of his belt pouch and held it out to the feather circle, who had gone very still.
"Oh. Is that a moonstone?" Drake nodded, wondering a little at the feather circle's behavior. "I see. In that case..." The feather circle shook hard, and there was a clatter as a stone fell from its feathery-furry covering to land on the rocks below it. The stone was scooped up with the feather circle's tail and offered to Drake. "There's a Garuda that lives on Popos Heights on the Mist Continent. You'll recognize him, he's very colorful. Give this to him, he'll be able to direct you to where Yan is." Drake blinked, and exchanged the moonstone for the tear drop shaped lapis lazuli stone that he was being given. "I'd heard from Nymph that summoners were needed, but I didn't think I would be one of them..."
"If Dagger and I could handle it on our own, we would," Eiko piped up, sounding a little sad. "We're the only of our tribe left anymore. They all died out when I was little." Odette frowned down at Eiko and knelt to hug her somewhat awkwardly.
"I'm not offended by being asked to help, it's just... I don't do well under pressure." The heart shape on the feather circle's flat side turned a little darker in what Drake realized was something of a blush. "I tried to summon just a little while ago, and failed, that's why I was getting chased."
"I'm sure the others will be willing to help you. You won't be alone, and I'm sure that with enough summoners around, even if you mess up a bit, someone else will pick up the slack so everything goes smoothly." Drake grinned and tilted his head at Freya. "That's the nice thing about working as a team. You've got someone to help clean up after your mess."
The feather circle giggled and did a loop-the-loop in place. Freya shook her head a little at Drake's claim that she helped him to clean up his messes, while Odette stood back up to draw her cloak closer to her body to try to keep warm.
"Might we continue this conversation somewhere out of the wind? My fingers are going numb despite the mittens." Drake blinked at Odette and frowned. She did look a little pale. He realized he still had his bow in his hand and slung it over his shoulder, blushing a little. Freya had gone to pick up his arrows, which he hadn't realized until she nudged him with them.
"Oh, thank you Freya. Yes, let's go find a cave or something along those lines." The feather circle hovered for a moment and then began to fly inland a bit. They all followed it, Drake pausing to glance back at the fallen whale zombie. Already it was crawling with crabs that were tearing it apart. He grimaced and trotted to catch up to the others.
The feather circle led them to a very comfortable looking cave, with a stack of firewood safely out of the way of any moisture. Drake stacked the wood up to make a fire as the feather circle dragged out some blankets from under a tarp. They smelled a little musty, but they kept them warm enough once Odette had used a small Fire spell to set the wood alight.
Drake gauged it to be about noon, and pulled out another still-warm canteen of tea to pass around, as well as several pasties that still steamed when they were bit into. There was enough even to share with the feather circle, who exclaimed over the food as if it had never tasted anything like it before. Drake made a mental note to try to talk Quina into making a feast for all the summoners once Ozma was taken care of. He was sure they all would enjoy it.
The best thing about befriending the feather circle was that it was able to lead them back to where they had been dropped off by the ship easily, knowing the area well enough to know a few shortcuts. They were able to warm up by the fire in the cave for most of the afternoon, though Drake found himself nodding off to sleep a couple of times before it was time to leave.
Everyone was surprised to see them not shivering and freezing, though the story they told of finding the feather circle over the soup that Quina had made explained why. The news that there were two more to find was welcomed, certainly. Freya even knew of the garuda community on Popos Heights near Gizamaluke's Grotto.
Drake was a little disappointed that they would be staying around Esto Gaza for several more days anyhow, because the cartographer wasn't done yet. Amarant suggested that he train with Sabin a little, and get better at fighting without using his hands. Sabin looked thoughtful at that.
"Could probably make a fighting style that doesn't need the user to let go of what they have in their hands," the monk mused as he stirred the soup in his bowl. "All the kicks that I'm aware of belong to styles that use the hands a fair amount. Wouldn't be a bad thing to contribute, really." Drake lifted his eyebrows at that, chewing a bit of firm meat that he'd scooped out of his soup bowl.
"I'd be willing to give it a try, but chances are that it's not gonna do much for me in the short run. Still, it'd be nice to have it be something to keep our attention for the short term. I know that I'm one of the first archers among the Chosen that has picked up a bit from the monk class. It'd be nice to see if go the other way, too." Sabin grinned at that and nodded.
"Is there much pressure to do something new?" Freya sounded curious. Drake and Sabin both nodded. "I wonder what it is that Fratley has studied..." Drake hid a smile as he sipped the broth of his soup out of his bowl.
"Dunno. Not familiar with the Dragoons. It's only recently that we've been able to talk to those of other classes. There any you know of, Drake?" The archer chewed the dregs of his soup and held up one finger.
"Just the one that's been talking to me. He's kind of weird, tends to flirt at the red mage that's apparently been assigned to work with me. He's not a burmecian, but she is. I haven't talked to her yet, but he's always full of stories about what it's like to be an einherjar. Nothing about his life and how Dragoons fight, only about their antics. I do have to admit, though, his stories of the meadhall do make me look forward to it a little." Sabin grinned at that.
"Aye, that's something alright. You should hear the stories the monks tell, they're the rowdiest, to tell the stories." Drake grinned a little at that. "Though there is one that has a distinct dislike of partying, I forget what his name is..."
"Is it Gala?" Sabin blinked at him before laughing. "Yeah, he's the monk in my group. He's not a talkative sort, that's for sure. But I've seen him training a little with one of the other monks, he's one of very few that can fight as easily with weapons as with his bare hands.
"He's one of the best at that. He ought to be a great help with you. Just wish you'd gotten one that acts a great deal more like the others. He can be a bit of a stick in the mud." Drake shrugged a little. He still had a wry smile on his face.
"Which archer is it that works with you? Any we've stories of?" Sabin nodded, grinning. "Should I guess?" Sabin shrugged and passed Drake a mug of tea. "Hmm...You'd have mentioned sooner if it was Lady Ailbhe. Celach? Edana the Flamebearer? Slaine of the Raven? Alana of the desert folk? Mor of the Line?" Over and over, Sabin shook his head.
"You always did favor the tales of warrior women. Little wonder you trothed yourself to one." Sabin glanced down the table at Odette. "Bran of the Sea." Drake's eyes widened. To Freya, who looked curious, he said, "Bran is a figure of ancient legend to us, a common ancestor to the tribes of Caledonia. Some stories name him as the Morrigan's father, others say he was her lover. All say that he was son to Odin, the great king of beyond the waters. He brought his kin to Caledonia, in a great ship with the head of a dragon on the prow. The lands were a den of great serpents back then. Bran and a great summoner the legends name Fiontan the White Flame worked together to banish them. Bran and his people settled the mountains while Fiontan settled in the place now known as Madain Sari. The clans always had a close tie with the summoners of Madain Sari, but our legends were separate ever since the beginning. I don't know what name Fiontan has with the summoners, but even the clans of the mountains see him as the equal to Bran, the first High King of Caledonia."
"Very few tales mention he used a bow, though. Most of them feature him wielding a spear or a staff like the sort Vivi uses. Though I suppose an unstrung bow could look like a walking staff enough to turn into one over time." Drake cupped the mug between his hands as he smiled slightly. "It's been a long time since I last thought of that tale. You are right, Sabin, I do tend to look to the lady heroes."
"There's very few of them that are mentioned in the legends of the Mist Continent. There are some stories of an archer named Brendan, though, that left across the sea. No mention of Odin in his tales, though." Drake and Sabin looked at each other for a moment, and Drake tilted his head.
"Brendan isn't far from Bran. Leaving to cross the sea, was that the end of his tale from the Mist Continent?" Freya nodded, and Drake sipped at his tea. "It would fit...Only thing to do is ask, really. Could be that neither tale is fully true, that's usually the case with legends." Sabin nodded as well.
"I'll try to remember to do so next time I see him. Time spent on the battlefield is...different. Things on this side of the veil don't seem to be quite as important, and any conflicts are momentary at best." Drake nodded, and sipped at his tea again.
"Legends born in Caledonia seem brighter compared to the stories of the Mist Continent," Odette said as she sat next to Sabin, a mug of tea in her own hand. "What was that one about the seal-folk? I remember hearing that one over the winter, but I must have been half asleep because I don't recall much of it." Sabin and Drake met eyes, and Drake gestured towards him.
"You tell that one better than I do." Sabin sighed and rolled his eyes but accepted a mug of steaming tea. Everyone else accepted a refill. About the only thing that Drake felt was missing was a crackling fire. There were rough woven blankets draped across everyone's shoulders, well-worn wood beneath his hands and rear, and he was surrounded by people that he trusted and loved.
"There are people of the sea who live as seals whilst the sun is out, and as men and women 'neath the moon. Oft-times they are known as selkies, gray seals whilst 'neath the foam an' bearin' cloaks an' hoods of seal fur while on land. Now there's many a tale of a selkie lass bein' trapped on the land by a fisherman as stole her hood to keep her as 'is wife. Ne'er a man, though. No, the men only e'er come ashore to find wives amongst the landwalkers in the legends. Or rather, they used to. Like the dwarves of Conde Petie, they quarrel wi' the mountain folk now. No one's seen 'em for at least a century, but they're the reason why the folk o' the mountains refuse to go to sea when they can help it.
"A long, long while ago there was a king o' the selkies known as Idris. Now 'e was a lad when Lady Ailbhe was bein' courted, but she'd 'ad a daughter that were only a few years younger'n him. It were her he lusted after, but he didn't dare chase after her while 'er ma was about. Lady Ailbhe was right fond of 'er daughter, only one she had. So one night, the lass, Gemma, went down t' the water's edge with some of 'er friends to wash an' play in the waves. Idris was watchin', an' while 'er friends' backs were turned, 'e took 'er, pulled a magicked seal hood over 'er shoulders, an' whisked 'er off to sea with 'im.
"Lady Ailbhe was enraged, 'o course, once she'd been told that 'er daughter was seen wi' the selkies on their rocks far off from shore. Gemma 'erself was doin' none too well, pinin' after the mountains and forests she'd taken to ridin' in as a lass. It's said that Idris 'imself was with 'er night an' day, chivvyin' her to eat for fear she'd starve 'erself to death.
"Five weeks it were, Gemma stayed with the selkies. She wasted away until Idris feared for 'er death. He allowed her to return to land after makin' her promise to return to him, bearing the fur hood he'd given her. Her ma fretted over 'er an' coaxed the story out of 'er as she nursed 'er only child back to health. Gemma had made the promise to return to the sea, but Lady Ailbhe refused to let 'er go once she'd returned to a portion of 'er former health.
"Idris was furious, o' course. 'Is bride had left 'is lands and 'er mother refused to give 'er back. On Samhain, 'e traveled up from the coast, wearin' 'is cloak of seal fur. As 'e walked 'e smutched it wi' dirt, hidin' the dappled pattern all seals 'ave. Lady Ailbhe wasna fooled by 'im, though. In the midst of the ceremony o' the Horned Child, she stopped and cried out that there was a man as came for 'er daughter, to starve 'er of the earth once 'gain. The young warriors o' the clans fell 'pon 'im, rode 'im down wi' their horses, weildin' sticks an' stones, chasin' 'im down to the edge o' the sea.
"Now some stories vary on whether they killed 'im or not, but Idris was ne'er seen by the folk o' the land e'er 'gain. But seals snarled at the folk o' the mountains each time they came to the shore, an' any ships as were sent out to catch fish failed to return, o'er and o'er and o'er again. Gemma gave birth to a child eight months after she returned to 'er ma's side. Some say that the child was born disfigured, other that it was stillborn. All say Lady Ailbhe was horrified by it, and none have the child livin' to adulthood. As for Gemma, she ne'er married and became an herbalist sought after by all the clans for 'er skills. Some say that durin' those five weeks she spent wi' the selkies she learned their secrets o' medicine. Other say she 'ad a touch o' magic, meybbe e'en was Chosen o' the healers. All's I can say is no one as was born in the mountains will willingly cross the sea on a boat."
Drake had to keep from laughing at the disconcerted looks on Odette and Freya's faces. Even Sabin was grinning. They were used to the more morbid legends that were known in the mountains. The one that Sabin had just related wasn't even the worst of those that had to do with the selkies, let alone the worst overall.
"That's horrible." Odette had a hand to her chest. Sabin patted her shoulder because Drake couldn't reach. "That sort of story is told to children?" Drake shrugged a little.
"It's a warning to stay away from the sea, same as that little poem I told the regent when we returned his wife to him is a warning to not follow strange lights at night. The mountains are full of dangerous things, and children are easy to pick off. It's better to scare children enough that they pay attention than to lose them."
As Sabin nodded, Odette sighed, still looking worried. Drake saw her eyes flick to Eiko, who was yawning into her tea. Sabin noticed as well and smiled wryly. They both were familiar with the reason why Drake's mother had been so worried about Eiko, but the others were starting to see the depths of the reason finally.
"Bed, everyone." Drake and Sabin both blinked at Dagger, who had her hands on her hips. "Vivi and Eiko need their sleep, and if everyone's up and moving around, they won't get the sleep they need." Drake grimaced a little at that, but glanced at the two youngest members of their group. The brim of Vivi's hat was resting on the table.
"Alright, I guess we should, if just for the kids." Drake drained the last of his tea and stood up, stretching. "We can tell more stories another day. Who knows, maybe in a few years we'll be hearing stories of ourselves." Sabin grinned at that.
"Hahaha! The only ones that might get lone stories are you and Odette." Drake swiped a hand at Sabin half-heartedly before heading towards the beds. Sabin didn't even have to dodge, and his laughter followed Drake as he ushered Vivi and Eiko to bed.
That night, he dreamed of being beset by monsters no matter where he went. Dragons swooped t him from the sky, scaled beasts crept out of the Mist to snap and snarl at him, and angry seals, larger than a horse, surged out of the ocean to threaten to crush him. Every time he turned to run, there was another creature there to attack him.
He flailed and fell out of bed, panting as he lay on the frigid metal floor, staring up at the dim golden lights reflected from lanterns near the open spaces. He sat up after he was sure that he was finally awake and wiped the fear-sweat from his skin, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
No one else was awake as he stood and wrapped a blanket around his shoulders to keep himself warm. He paused at the clock and squinted at it. He grimaced as he realized it was 3 AM, because there was no way that he was going to be able to get back to sleep after a nightmare like that one.
Seeing the blue-tinted landscape outside the bridge, Drake sighed with relief. Some part of his mind had been screeching that the dream was warning that they were about to be attacked, but there were still no monsters to be seen. He sat down against the wall and folded the blanket around him.
The terror of the dream faded slowly as Drake meditated, watching the clouds scudding across the sky in front of the moon. There was only one now, all the fragments having long since crashed to the surface of Gaia. He found himself wondering who the last boy to lead the Ride of the Horned Child was. He would have to be sure to find that out once he returned to the mountains.
"At the very least, the record of lads led on the ride will never be broken," he murmured to himself, and took a deep breath in. He tensed all the muscles of his body before relaxing them slowly, and felt the last of his worry about the nightmare fade.
"That it won't." Drake jumped and started to lurch to his feet at the voice, and paused half up as he realized it was just Lady Maria. She smiled wryly at him, and he took a deep breath before sitting back down with a soft thump. She was dressed as a warrior from the mountains, wearing a wolf fur draped over the brown wool cloak. "My apologies, I didn't think to warn you I was here."
"Thankfully I was sitting," he said wryly, and adjusted the blanket around him again. "Did you need something of me, milady?" The Constellato sat next to him, arranging her cloak like a grand lady would arrange her skirts.
"Just to speak with you. I needn't have a reason to wish to speak with my Chosen." Drake dropped his gaze to his lap for a moment. "You've grown wonderfully since I gave you my favor. You've fulfilled every expectation and exceeded them. I've spoken to the other Constellato, and they agree that to take the Chosen away from the common folk would be to remove the hope it gives, and the drive it allows warriors like you." Drake shrugged.
"I feel a little bad about how little time I'll spend as Chosen, though. It's only been a year and a half since I accepted this feather from you as you delivered me to Lindblum." Lady Maria smiled a little at that and offered him a steaming canteen. Drake sniffed it before sipping. He winced, the liquid scalding his mouth.
"The greatest flames burn for the shortest amounts of time. Better that you retire than die. That way you can pass on your skills to the living as well as the Chosen." She accepted the canteen back, and sipped it. "Already tales are being told of you and your companions, both in Caledonia and Alexandria. Some more accurate than others." Next to be offered him was a fruit-studded loaf, which Lady Maria broke in half to share with him. He accepted it gratefully and nibbled on it, looking out over the bridge and the landscape past it.
"I suppose that's to be expected, it is the nature of legends. What no one tells you about adventures is that it's no fun being in the middle of one. The only time it's fun is when you've got the veil of nostalgia between you and the danger. Already, the horror of Burmecia is fading somewhat." Maria let him ramble on, offering him the canteen of tea whenever his throat became dry. When his worries were all vented, she directed the topic towards the problems of the Einherjar.
"The paladins are yet unrepresented, and the last paladin doubts herself. There are no more dark knights to balance the scale anymore." Drake propped his chin on his hand, his elbow digging into his knee. "Once this problem is resolved, only then will the meadhall doors be able to open."
The clatter of Quina in the galley startled Drake into looking, and he swore as he spilled hot tea on himself. When he looked back, Lady Maria was gone, but the other half of the fruit roll and the canteen of hot tea remained. With a sigh, Drake chewed the other half of the roll and stared out over the landscape again.
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End Notes: The next chapter is the last one to concentrate on the friendly monsters, I promise. After that is the Ozma fight, and then we go back to the non-optional part of the story.