Chapter 18 – The Lucky Ones

In Solis 460, Shieldsdei, the 6th of Mai:

Dear Diary,

I would not want to be a Matilda Knight right now. I think Apple would seriously try to murder the next Matilda Knight she meets. Their message says they withdrew because Highland attacked their border, but I don't think that's going to mitigate anything in her eyes. Instead of a crushing, decisive victory that would end this war, all we got was a few days respite for Muse. Worse than that is the implication that the Matilda Knights won't be able to reinforce Muse as quickly as we'd hoped. The next reinforcements, from South Window and Greenhill, are more than a week away.

Riou and Jowy are recovering. I think the power of their True Runes -what else can they be but the Sword and Shield- came as a surprise even to them. They have become something more than mere sergeants in the eyes of the men. Especially Riou, who they see almost as an angel of mercy. I've even started hearing whispers of Genkaku's name out of some of the senior sergeants. I had hoped -I still hope- to shield them from all of this, somehow.

I learned the other day that Nanami has taken up a water rune to assist Tuta with the healing. Not only that, but she'd acquired a double-beat rune somewhere. I had not thought of her as the type to accept runes so readily, but it seems conflict changes all of us. It's strange, almost all of the Battle of Waldron is a blur in my memory, but I can still clearly see the shattering of Cherri Ellisbard's grave. When they write the histories of this war, no one will even note that, but I shall always remember.

Will they even recall the Battle of Waldron, when it finally comes time to write the histories?

Flik rubbed his temples and set his diary down on the table, squinting as the morning light filtered in through the windows of the tavern.

"You shouldn't have had so much to drink last night at the victory party," Leona scolded him with a smile, as she set down a plate of sausage, scrambled eggs, and warmed peach slices in front of him.

"I didn't see you trying to stop me," he replied wearily.

Still smiling, she continued. "Not my job. You're a grown man, you're supposed to be able to take care of yourself."

Flik might have groaned, but at that moment, Viktor staggered down the stairs, making enough noise for five men. His hair was a tangled mess, his face was unshaven, and his clothes still had beer stains on them. Eyes unfocused, he plopped down into the chair across from Flik and mumbled out, "Get me a beer…in the largest container you can find. And one for Flik, too."

"Not until you've had something to eat," Leona scolded. Viktor stared up at her with glazed eyes, unable to work out any argument to counter. "You shouldn't drink on an empty stomach. And no, I'm not going to give you beer out of the largest container I can find." She departed, returning after a moment with a plate similar to Flik's and two small cups of beer. Viktor frowned. "Eat well," Leona said. "You'll need your strength to keep beating the Highland Army back."

Flik was just polishing off the last of the sausage when Riou, Jowy, and Nanami came down the stairs. The two boys looked in better spirits than they had at any time since the battle. Nanami, too, seemed exuberant enough, but she kept casting worried looks at her brother and Jowy when she thought they weren't looking.

Viktor glanced up from his food and greeted them with, "Oh, you two. It's good to see you both up and walking about."

"I'm here too," Nanami exclaimed.

Viktor squinted, then put a hand over his eyes, slowly craning his neck as if thoroughly examining the room. "Yes, I guess you are here. Just didn't notice you." Nanami stuck out her tongue. Viktor, after chuckling, continued. "So, you're going to see Anabelle today, aren't you? You can give her the full report; just make sure to mention what a great job I did, okay."

"Who did a great job?" Nanami asked mockingly. "All you had to do was get near them, and they ran away because of your stench."

Flik snorted, and the beer in his mouth burst up into his sinuses. Viktor mimed sniffing at his armpits. When Flik had recovered the use of his vocal faculties, he warned, "Just don't leave the city. We don't know what the Highland Army is going to do next, but their patrols could certainly be nearby."

They nodded. Jowy, sounding both excited and nervous, said, "Let's go, Riou. You want to hear about Master Genkaku, right? And then they were gone, though Flik could hear them babbling boisterously as they set off down the street.

He looked down at his empty plate and cup, then back up to Viktor. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Flik asked.

Viktor smacked his lips on the last of the peach slices. "Well, I plan on taking a nap later on, and then I'm going to go see Anabelle tonight. It turns out that Leona saved a bottle of Kanakan Red, so I thought we'd do a little celebrating."

Flik had no idea what he was going to do, but before he did anything, there was one piece of administrative duty he had to attend to. Getting up from his chair, he walked out of the inn to the street beyond. A group of about one hundred mercenaries and a few attendant sergeants were milling around expectantly. When Flik stepped into view, they all looked at him. "Gentlemen," he began. "You are the lucky ones. You've drawn leave for today. So, disperse, have fun, enjoy yourselves…don't get into trouble. Remember, if you don't make muster tomorrow, you don't get paid. The sergeants have been assigned sectors of the city, but if you do have problems, it's your responsibility to know where the sergeants are and get to them. Don't expect us to come and haul you out if you get in too deep. You are all dismissed, I don't want to see any one of you until tonight." The men cheered and immediately set to the task of grouping up and deciding where to go. The sergeants tersely yelled out their planned locations.

Flik returned to the inn, where he found Viktor in the process of begging Leona for another drink. She adamantly refused him. Flik also noticed Pilika sitting on the bar counter, watching the exchange with an even expression. She still hadn't said a word, though she'd rushed firmly back to Jowy's side when they'd arrived back late last night. He went upstairs, depositing his diary with the others. He took out the one that detailed his life with Odessa, still bearing tooth marks from Bonaparte's attack, and glanced at the entries. He couldn't help but smile sadly; he'd really been a different person back then, impulsive and temperamental. He still couldn't say fully why she'd loved him, only that he knew she had.

After some time, he came back downstairs. Viktor was still at his table, sulking into his empty cup. Leona was wiping down the counter, Pilika carefully mimicking her moves with another dishrag. Flik walked over to Leona, who glanced up at him when he got close.

"I was wondering," he asked, "do you know if there are any libraries in Muse?

"You mean a collection that's open to the public, right?" she responded. When he nodded, she continued. "There's the one attached to the Mayor's office. It's supposedly public, though not too many people actually go there. There are a couple of the richer senators who maintain public collections, but they tend to like people to make appointments. They're also unlikely to look kindly on a mercenary captain, so your best bet is the Mayor's office."

"Thank you. If there are any urgent messages, that's where I'll be." He was about to leave but suddenly Riou, Jowy, and Nanami came back through the inn door. They did not look very happy. "That was fast," Flik said. "You didn't get to see Anabelle?" He guessed this from their faces.

Nanami answered in a frustrated tone, "She was there, but she told us to come back tonight. She was in a meeting; they were all arguing over something."

Flik shook his head. "Well, they haven't seen Luca Blight on the field of battle, so they can't really understand the urgency."

Pilika, meanwhile, rushed over to Jowy, embracing him tightly. He seemed a little uncomfortable at her sudden display of affection. Glancing towards Nanami, he spoke in a subdued manner, "Pilika, I'm sorry, but I've got to go out for a while. Nanami, could you play with her for a bit?"

Nanami looked puzzled but replied, "Yeah, I guess I can. Where are you going?" Jowy did not respond but only turned to leave. Pilika reached out and grabbed him by the back of his blue shirt. Nanami called out, "Over here, Pilika. You can play with me and Riou for a while."

Pilika retained her grip on Jowy, but with a quick swipe of one hand he knocked hers off his back. In a strained voice, he pleaded, "I'm really sorry…Pilika. I'll make it up to you somehow." Then, walking quickly, he disappeared out the door.

There was a melancholy silence in his wake. Somberly, Pilika wandered over to Nanami's side. Nanami hugged the little girl to her; Riou stared at the door intently, dismay evident in his face. Leona clicked her tongue behind her teeth and went over to console both Nanami and Pilika. Viktor was frowning.

Not really sure what he was intending, Flik walked to the door in pursuit of Jowy, but he was already out of sight by the time Flik got to the main thoroughfare. The streets were quiet today, most of the civilians that were out were simply drifting aimlessly. More people waited by the south gates, anxiously trying to get out of the city. The guards had barred the way, refusing to let anyone in or out, regardless of permits. The sky was overcast, but didn't seem to be promising any heavy rain.

With a shrug, Flik set out for his original destination, the library. On the way, he passed a few of his own sergeants who greeted him with nods or salutes, but he saw almost none of the Muse City patrolmen. He wondered how long Anabelle would be able to keep the city calm if it came to riots.

Eventually he arrived at the terraced gardens out in front of the Mayor's office. To his surprise, Jowy was also there, resting on a nearby bench. He seemed utterly preoccupied by something, not even registering Flik's presence. Flik considered upbraiding the youth, but seeing him in such a funk, he reconsidered. After all, they had all been under a lot of pressure recently, and maybe Jowy needed to find recovery in solitude. Flik smiled; wasn't solitude at least part of the reason why he was going to the library?

He slipped past Jowy and up into the columned arcade. He followed this around a corner and saw the library farther back. It was past an ornamental pond with a little fountain and a carefully groomed hedgerow. There were reading benches and shade trees lining the path. Flik walked past all of this, right up to the main door of the library itself. There didn't seem to be any attendants, so he opened the door and stepped in.

Inside it was dim, the only light coming from a few lit candelabras and an open window at the far end of the building. This main room was a long hall, lined on both sides by shelves and cubbyholes that contained disorderly stacks and piles of books and rolled scrolls. There were several small tables randomly scattered about, the closest of which seemed to be in a terrible state. It was covered with books and papers and someone seemed to have thrown an old cloak onto one side.

"Hello," Flik called. The room remained silent; he could hear the echoes of his shoes off the tiled floor. "Anyone here?"

All of a sudden, the cloak on the nearby table rose up, and Flik took a startled step to one side, his hand reaching for the pommel of his sword.

"Tsk, tsk," an old, thin voice spoke. "What can I do for you today?" The speaker was a bent old man, little taller than Flik's sternum. He seemed to disappear into the furry cloak that he was wearing. He made a quick adjustment of his thick glasses to get a better look at Flik and then asked, "So, are you interested in military tactics? I assure you that we've got the complete Strategicon of Julian Silverberg. You could do no better than to study at the feet of the greatest."

"Actually," Flik interrupted. "I'm interested in the True Rune of the Beginning."

"Oh." The old librarian's face fell a little. "Over this way," he said blandly. How he knew exactly where his books were, Flik could not tell, but without wavering, the old librarian led him to one particular book. "Here you go," he said, pulling a fairly thick book out. "This should be just about your speed."

The book was dusty, and it exploded in a cloud in Flik's face as he opened the tome up. After sneezing a couple of times, he read:

"In the beginning was darkness. And darkness cried a tear of loneliness. That tear became the two brothers, Sword and Shield. Sword said, 'There is nothing that I cannot cut,' and Shield replied, 'There is nothing that won't shatter against me.' Then the two brothers fought, to see who was the stronger. Sword smote Shield, cutting him into two parts, one of which ascended to become the sky, and the other that became the earth. But even as Sword struck, Shield shattered him into a million pieces. Those shards flew into the earth, one half raising high mountains and the other half carving out deep trenches that became oceans. The sparks from that battle became the stars. The thirteen jewels on Sword's pommel became the Thirteen True Runes that uphold Order, and the thirteen jewels around Shield's boss became the Thirteen True Runes that uphold Chaos. And the True Rune of the Beginning, ever divided, balances them all."

Flik closed the book, getting rewarded by another blast of dust in the face. When he'd finished coughing, he spoke, "I was hoping to read something a little more…practical. Perhaps you have something that records the actions of previous bearers of the Sword and Shield."

The old man's face lit up again, and he capered excitedly. "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" He snatched the book out of Flik's hands and stuffed it back in place. "You really should be more precise in what you ask for, it'll save you a lot of trouble in life." He wandered towards a side room, and Flik followed behind cautiously. This room, though smaller, was a warren of shelves and ladders arrayed without any obvious logic or reasoning. Just inside the doorway, the old man stopped, looked around, and shouted, "Marianna! Marianna, where are you girl?"

"Here, sir!" Flik looked up and saw one of the many ladders sliding along a shelf. A young woman was perched on the top, long blue skirt and blond hair billowing slightly as the ladder approached. Almost before it stopped, she was working her way down, one arm cradling a pile of scrolls while the other was used for balance. Closer now, he saw that she was wearing a cream-colored blouse and -as appeared ubiquitous in this library- glasses.

Gracefully she descended the ladder, placing one shoe on the ground, and then she promptly rolled that ankle. The scrolls that she was carrying flew into the air as she toppled. Flik managed to snatch one just before it hit him in the face. Another unrolled up against his foot.

"Oh! Sorry, sir," she said, abashed, as she crawled around on her hands and knees, trying to collect the documents. The head librarian shook his head, but made no other move. Flik, on the other hand, knelt down to help her with the mess. After he'd grabbed a couple of the papers, he reached out to get one final scroll, and found that she'd slipped her slender fingers around it first. He looked up, seeing her mist blue eyes through the lenses of her glasses. She began to smile under his scrutiny, and then blush.

"Enough," the librarian snapped, and Flik looked away. "Just dump those anywhere. Marianna, I need you to get my notes on Genkaku. This fellow wishes to see them."

"Yes, of course," she replied quickly and scurried off behind one of the bookcases. Flik set the scrolls in his hands in a neat pile at the foot of the ladder and followed the librarian over to a table. Marianna was back quickly, carrying a folder crammed with loose papers. She placed it down on the table, and the old man opened it up.

The interior was jammed with papers of every size and description. Flik tried to read the handwriting, but couldn't make out anything. It seemed that its author was also having difficulty. "Two…gah!" he muttered. "Two heads…of something or other. Confound it! Marianna, what does that say?"

She glanced at the words and cheerfully said, "I believe that it reads, 'Two heads of lettuce.' I think it is a grocery list, sir. The next one is for three mackerel."

The old man chewed on his lower lip. "Of course it's a grocery list, but what's it doing here?" he demanded.

"I wouldn't know, sir."

He crumpled the list and, in a surprising show of vigor for an old man, tossed it across the room. Then he flipped the pages, apparently looking for one in particular. He seemed to find it, for he stopped, muttered a few words, and then spoke:

"There was one time when Han and I discussed the runes. Mine, the Bright Shield, had the power to give life back to any man who had even the faintest flickering of that flame within him, but at every usage, the earth around me would wither and die. The other, the Black Sword, obliterated life as readily as mine restored it, but marked its passage with trees and flowers abloom. I often wish that we had not been lead to those runes, for they seem cursed to bring Han and me into conflict. I can count more than half a dozen times where, on disparate battlefields, we should never have crossed blades, yet there we were, face to face. And each time, I am sure that our two runes desired that we fight. I think that, as soon as the peace agreement is worked out, we shall go back to Toto and try to seal these two runes away. I would not wish their doom on any person."

The librarian stopped reading. "So, that what you're looking for?"

Flik nodded. "Did he say anything else? It looks like you've got reams on him."

"When I was younger, I'd hoped to write a book on Genkaku. He talked about everything: his childhood in Toto, his rise through the ranks of the Muse Army, even his old girlfriends. The only things he didn't really want to talk about were those two runes. This was the most I ever got out of him on that subject in one sitting. Maybe he would've said more later, but he went off to Kyaro and never came back."

"He is dead," Flik explained. "He died in Kyaro a few years ago."

"Is that so?" The librarian sighed. "He was a good man, and we need his like in these times. Ah, but perhaps you know something else. The rumors say that both the Bright Shield and Black Sword are active again. People are even whispering about a son of Genkaku."

Flik paused, trying to decide how much to reveal. "I have seen the Bright Shield in action. As for Genkaku, he adopted two children."

"I see." Incredibly, the old man was scribbling Flik's words down haphazardly across a piece of paper. "I'd like to meet them, if you could arrange it. They probably have lots of stories to tell."

"I don't know how much they'll be able to tell you. Genkaku apparently did not tell them much of his past. Perhaps after the fighting dies down, if they want to, I'll bring them here, and you can talk to them." He looked at the light falling through one of the upper windows. It was further on in the day than he'd expected. "I hope you don't mind, but I must be departing."

The librarian nodded sagely. "This has been a more interesting day than I had hoped for. You, sir, are welcome in my library whenever you wish. Marianna, would you show him to the door?"

"Yes, sir!" With one look back at Flik to see if he was following, she walked from the room. Then her foot slipped, the same one she'd rolled earlier, and she started to fall, but Flik lunged forward and down on one knee to catch her before she hit the ground.

"You okay?" he asked.

She was looking right at him again, and blushing. "Just a little dizzy, that's all. My, but it's warm in here. Don't you think so?" She fiddled with her glasses, but didn't seem to be making any moves to get out of his arms.

Flik stood up, half carrying her upright as well. Now securely, at least for the moment, back on her feet, Marianna inclined her head slightly and turned to lead him to the door. As he stepped outside, she said, in a modest little voice, "I hope you come back again soon," and then closed the door before he could even turn to reply.

A warm wind gusted at his back as he stood there. It was very humid and a fine drizzle hung in the air, already dampening his forehead. It was after lunch, and Flik suddenly felt his stomach rumble, so he set out to return to Leona's. Coming around to the front of the Mayor's office, he noted that Jowy seemed to have moved on. With the wind now in his face, he picked up the pace and ducked his head slightly. By the time he'd returned to the inn, he was just beginning to get uncomfortably damp. As he opened the door, he caught the trail end of a conversation.

"-you think it will get to a siege, Leona? One of the maids has a soldier friend who says the Matilda Knights aren't coming."

"I think you shouldn't spend any more time worrying about these sorts of things than you have to," Leona replied. She was at her counter, talking to her friend Emma, the proprietress of the inn. "Viktor and Flik beat the Highland Army just the other day. Even if it comes to a siege, this city has good, solid walls. I think we can ride it out until the reinforcements arrive."

Flik took the moment to shake some of the moisture off him. Emma, caught up in her own concerns, didn't notice, but Leona did, frowning slightly. Then she turned back to listen to Emma, who was continuing with, "But just the thought of the Highland Army that close, it terrifies me. I'm hardly sleeping at night."

Leona embraced Emma, but Flik didn't hear her reply because another voice cried out excitedly, "Reach!"

The speaker was Nanami, sitting at a table across the room. He walked over and saw that Nanami and Millie were playing some sort of game involving tiles. Millie was frowning slightly, clearly not happy with the way things were going in the game. Pilika was sitting to the side, watching the two of them with interest. Bonaparte sniffed curiously at a discarded tile.

"Come on, Millie, make a move," Nanami said, as Millie desultorily rotated a tile in one of her hands.

"I still don't get how to play this," Millie pouted. "But here, I guess I'll discard this one."

Nanami whooped joyfully. "Ron! Ron! Ron! It's a Tir McDohl, and that's Tsumo." She snatched up Millie's piece and placed it with her own. Then she smiled and said, "So, shall we settle the score?"

"What are you playing?" Flik asked, coming up to the table.

All of its occupants turned to look at him, Millie's face brightening considerably when she registered his presence. She answered, "Oh, hello Mister Flik. Nanami bought this game from a traveler earlier today. She's been going around trying to get people to play it with her."

"It's called Ritapon," Nanami lectured. "It was originally from the Island Nations, at least, that's what the guy told me."

Flik examined one of the tiles. "If it's from the Island Nations, why does this tile have Tir's face on it?"

Nanami laughed. "Silly, that's because this edition is from the Toran Republic. Look," she held up another tile. "They've even got you!"

He squinted at the visage on the wood. "That's not me," he answered. "They got the ears way too big, and the eyes…and the hair." He brushed some of that hair away from his eyes.

Nanami turned back to face Millie. "So, you want to play again?"

Millie grimaced. "Maybe later." She got up, collected Bonaparte, and walked towards the stairs.

"What about you, Flik?" Nanami asked. "I can teach you the rules."

He was spared having to answer when Barbara entered the room, took one look at the table, and declared, "That's Ritapon, isn't it? My idiot husband had a set, all ivory tiles, but he was never any good at it. Stopped playing once I was able to beat him on a regular basis. Here, I'll play a couple of rounds." She sat down in the chair across from Nanami, depositing a load of laundry in the free chair at her side. Nanami seemed happy enough with this new challenge, so Flik backed away.

Walking towards Leona, he saw her catch Millie's attention. "If you're not doing anything, I could certainly use some help with the dishes."

"Phooey," Millie muttered. "That's so boring."

"Boring or not," Leona scolded. "It's something that has to get done. Now, are you going to help out, or not?"

"I want to fight, not do dishes," she whined. Then, noticing Flik's approach, she asked, "Why does Nanami get to fight, but not me? I can use a boomerang."

The truth was that Nanami had forced her way in when Riou and Jowy had joined, but Flik didn't want to give that answer to Millie. Instead, he racked his brains for a suitable excuse and replied, "She knows how to defend herself. She's trained in martial arts for many years under a good master. Besides, she's taken on runes to help the war effort."

Incredibly, Millie smiled. "Nana always told me that I had a strong runic potential. So, if I get a rune, does that mean that I can join the fighting?"

From behind Millie, Leona frowned. Flik answered, "Let's wait and see, okay?"

"And that being that," Leona interrupted. "Now will you help me with the dishes?"

Millie disappeared behind the counter to do dishes, and Flik sat down at a nearby table. After a few minutes, Leona walked over with a bowl of soup, which she placed in front of him. The soup was very watery, with only a few chunks of meat and some pathetic vegetables floating in the broth.

Before he could ask, Leona said, "Sorry about the soup, but some officials were by earlier today. Said they were going to do an assessment of all the food in the place. Apparently they're doing that all over the city. Not only that, but they've stopped letting supplies in, so Emma's getting stingy with the servings. Anyway, eat up." She smiled and went back to help Millie with the dishes.

Midway through his soup, Nanami and Pilika came over to his table. "Want to play?" she asked, dumping the Ritapon tiles down onto the table.

He glanced around the room: Barbara seemed to have gone off somewhere, and Leona and Millie were busy. With a shrug, Flik answered, "Why not?" Nanami got to work arranging the tiles. Flik after another swallow of soup, asked, "Where's your brother gone off to?"

Nanami frowned. "He left a little after you did. Said he was going to find Jowy and talk to him."

"Jowy was outside the Mayor's office earlier, but I didn't see him there when I was coming back."

"Never mind," Nanami said, a little tersely. "Let me teach you the rules."

He played a couple of rounds, but couldn't eke out a win in any of them. The closest he came was when he was one tile short of a Tsumo, and that tile just happened to be his own face. It turned out that Nanami had three tiles bearing his countenance in her own hand, which she gladly showed upon declaring "Tsumo!"

Then Viktor came down wearing a new yellow shirt, freshly shaved, and with his hair slightly more presentable than in the morning. Flik sniffed; Viktor even seemed to have applied some sort of odor…much too liberally.

Viktor sauntered over to the bar and suavely spoke to Leona, "The bottle of Kanakan Red, if you would."

Showing great discretion, she didn't laugh. Instead, she gave him the bottle and admonished, "Don't let her drink too much. Wine's not good for the baby."

Viktor flinched visibly at the mention of the baby. Still, he recovered his composure and confidently asserted, "We'll just have a glass or two. I'm only going up there to talk, anyway, so it's not like we're going to get plastered."

Now she did laugh. "Enjoy yourself, then. Don't keep her up too late."

Walking towards the door, Viktor retorted, "Yes, mother!" And then wisely ducked out.

Flik excused himself from the game and went up to his room to take a brief nap. However, he slept a little longer than he'd wanted, for when he woke up, the sun was setting. When he came downstairs, dinner was being served, in the form of a roast duck, freshly baked bread, and an assortment of winter vegetables. All of Riou's recruits seemed to be there, as well as Apple, Barbara, and Leona. He learned that Riou and Nanami had left not long ago to speak with Anabelle, and Viktor returned from his little engagement even as Flik sat down to eat a couple of slices of meat. Only after he'd finished his second slice did it occur to him to wonder if Jowy had been accounted for.

He was just about to ask Leona when one of Viktor's sergeants burst through the inn door. The conversation in the inn waned as people turned to look at the man's panicked expression.

"What's up?" Viktor said, apprehensively, catching the changing mood.

"Sir," the sergeant responded hastily, "we've got serious trouble."