AN: Sorry to anyone that liked this story's prologue for my long absence. Full excuse (feel free to skip that) and notes can be found in my LJ account. Now let's continue this epic tale of Nephenee beating up guys with her manly stick and Tauroneo's awesome mustache of awesomeness. Yeah!
Enjoy!
Chapter 1
I wondered what sort of person this Prince Pelleas would be. Would he be like his father? If Prince Pelleas was anything like his father, I would have no choice but to leave this place and forget about liberating Daein from the Begnion Empire. It would be highly hypocritical of me to fight for someone who is just like the man I fought against three years ago. Even though someone like Ashnard would be exactly what Daein would need to gather up morale and strength to build a mighty army, but on the long run, another Ashnard on the throne would just bring the very same misery Daein is going through at the moment. Although, not all of King Ashnard's traits were bad, in fact, I always considered him as one of the most brilliant rulers Tellius has ever seen.
During the two decades Ashnard ruled over Daein, the country experienced radical changes to point that I've served two very different Daeins during my service to my country. Before King Ashnard, Daein distinguished itself by having an army filled with the toughest soldiers in Tellius and for its lack of tolerance of Laguz. By comparison, Crimea seemed more pleasant than Daein, both economically and socially. But after King Ashnard inherited the throne, Daein went through a period that I used to think of as Daein's golden age. I could understand if most people judge King Ashnard's rule as a dark age and that the only accomplishment that the Mad King ever brought was a powerful army that he destroyed by giving foolish orders, but building that army wasn't as simple as just recruiting a few thousand Laguz-hating citizens and send them to battle.
No. He morphed – although some would say twisted – Daein to his will. Birthrights and political status had no place in Ashnard's Daein, those who were skilled and strong had the chance to ascend in Daein society. So much talent emerged from the masses when King Ashnard disregarded the traditional political system: architects, smiths, scholars, artists, and soldiers... many, many soldiers. King Ashnard managed to bloom our society, but he poisoned the minds of our people even further. How could the people not love and worship this man? I don't think I could've blamed my people when they followed King Ashnard into the depths of his own madness, after all, he brought so much to us that anyone in Daein could've claimed that Ashnard was just as blessed by the Goddess as an apostle of Begnion.
If only... if only he hadn't brought war to Tellius, King Ashanrd would've gone down in history as one of the most enlightened rulers of our time; I was sure of it!
I did not care when he stripped me of my rank as Rider of Daein, I didn't mind that he made me earn my family's fortune once again when he rose to the throne, and I didn't even flinch when I witnessed some of the monstrous things Ashnard did to the poor Laguz the had the misfortune of being captured by him. But when he sold the soul of my country for his damn dream! I-I had to throw everything away to stop him. I took an oath to protect and serve, not to seek and destroy.
And that is what I wanted as I waited to meet Prince Pelleas, another chance to serve Daein. But if this boy turned out to be just like his father, I wouldn't hesitate to stop him before he ever set foot in Nevassa, and find some other way to free Daein from Begnion's rule. I didn't know if it was possible to fight against Begnion without a descendant of the Daein Royal Family holding our banner, although I had my doubts about the authenticity of Prince Pelleas' royal heritage – it was one of those things that were too good to be true.
In fact, the only reason I dared to believe that Ashanrd did have a son was because Lord Izuka mentioned Lady Almedha in his letter. Only a handful of us knew of her existence, and majority of us that had knowledge of her importance to Ashanrd thought she had died – or killed by Ashnard – when we had stopped seeing her in the shadows of Daein's court.
I heard echoing footsteps from one of the halls that lead to the room I was in. Lord Izuka had called the 'throne room', but of all the throne rooms I've visited in my life, both foreign and domestic, this one was by far the most pathetic of all. I thought that maybe Izuka wanted to give Prince Pelleas a feel that he was indeed part of the nobility by giving him this makeshift throne room. Like a real throne room, the place was large and spacious, but it lacked the necessary decoration anyone would expect from the room where kings delivered his commands, save for a red carpet with the Daein shield engraved on it and a simple light throne at the far end of the room. Despite this being an important place for our supposed future king, to me it still looked like any other room in the structure, fragile.
I straightened up and firmly gripped my silver lance, and rested the butt of my lance on the floor. I felt a little anxious the moment I thought I would meet Prince Pelleas, only to see Jill and Zihark come in instead of whom I expected. I was slightly disappointed, not that Jill and Zihark were bad company, but I had been waiting to meet Prince Pelleas since the night before.
"Good morning, General Tauroneo," said Jill.
"Morning," Zihark said curtly.
"Good morning," I replied to them both. "I would beg a question, if I may?"
"Of course," Zihark said.
"Have any of you met Prince Pelleas?" I asked. I figured they must've at least introduced themselves when they offered their services.
"We have, and we've seen glimpses of him every now and then," Zihark said.
Jill scratched the back of her neck. "But before we had a chance to get know him, Lord Izuka cut our meeting short and holed him back into a remote corner of this place with his mother."
"Sometimes I question who is really in charge," Zihark muttered.
"Zihark!" Jill exclaimed.
"We've been getting yelled at by that guy since arriving here. Not once has Prince Pelleas given us an order, and he can't see us unless he has permission from the genius that is Lord Izuka," Zihark said calmly. I figured that he obviously resents something about Izuka, though I was impressed by how he spoke about him with a neutral tone.
"You shouldn't judge him so harshly, he is doing a lot for Daein," Jill said in defense of a man that I thought no one would ever defend.
"I'm sorry, Jill. I've just heard some disturbing rumours about him," he apologized, being slightly dismissive of Jill. I wondered what rumours he heard, because there are a lot of them and none of them flattering.
I figured I should change the subject, the last thing we needed was for Izuka to walk in while we discuss how he operates.
"What was your impression of Prince Pelleas?" I inquired, this time I was more specific about what I wanted to know.
Both of them looked hesitant about answering my question, although I figured it was because they did not want to talk about someone they had barely any contact with. Jill was the first one to break the awkward silence.
"H-he seems well-intentioned." I noticed she was cautious about the words she chose.
"A bit naive," Zihark said, and Jill didn't argue this time. "We don't know about his upbringing, but it's pretty noticeable that he didn't grow up as a noble." I found Zihark's statement odd. I wasn't sure what he meant by what he said.
"Queen Elincia was a humble woman for the daughter of a monarch. Prince Pelleas situation is similar to hers; wouldn't they act alike due to being raised away from the court?"
"It's different," Jill began after glancing back to make sure no one was behind her. "Queen Elincia was respectful of everyone in the Crimean Liberation Army, but she had the mannerism of a noble. Prince Pelleas bowed his head when we met him." She glanced back again. "His dialect, well..."
"He sounded like me, someone from the streets of Nevassa." Zihark finished for her. Jill looked uncomfortable when Zihark spoke, unlike Zihark himself whom had kept his cool. Poor girl must've felt self-conscious about her being raised in a completely different world than Zihark's, not that Zihark seemed to notice this, in fact, I wouldn't have been surprised to find out that he thought of her as an equal.
I found what they said about Prince Pelleas interesting. They got the impression that he was a peasant. For a moment I thought that Prince Pelleas might be a fake. I could imagine King Ashnard hiding Lady Almedha and their son from the public eye to avoid anyone spotting and exploiting his weaknesses, but in that case Pelleas should've been raised by his mother – a proper lady who would've taught her son how nobles behave. Now, if Pelleas had somehow taken away from his mother and lost all connection with his roots, how could we be sure that he was the real prince? Perhaps I was thinking too much on the matter, but something about the whole ordeal didn't add up, then again, some discrepancies were nothing when measured against the future of my country.
I told myself to stop being so paranoid. The similarities between Queen Elincia's and Prince Pelleas stories troubled me, and then I just accepted it as a very convenient coincidence.
I lacked Lavega's righteousness, Bryce's unquestionable loyalty, or Gawain's amazing strength and skill. Why was I the one still alive? Anyone of them could've handled this situation much better than I.
XXXX
"If you follow this road, you should reach Kisca in half a day. When you reach Kisca, head east and you should reach a town relatively close to the desert in a week if you decide to go on foot." A man named Nolan told me as we both stood in the middle of the stone roads that lead to county of Kisca. "But if you don't find your friend there, I suggest you turn back and forget about it. I've heard terrible things about the desert, going there alone sounds like suicide to me."
"Thank ya very much," I said bowing my head quickly.
Nolan sighed before speaking. "Are you sure I can't convince you to stay with us for a while longer?" This had been the third time he tried to persuade me from leaving. "I know that it's hard to believe what we've told you about the Begnion Empire, but please believe this, it's dangerous to be alone."
Unlike his younger companions, Nolan was much more calm and thoughtful. He was much, much thoughtful than Edward when I told them that I had to leave. Edward was disappointed because he thought his "Dawn Brigade" lost a fellow fighter, while Nolan was worried about my well-being as a lost and uninformed foreigner. I considered the fact that Nolan's the leader of this band of freedom fighters as a great thing because they'll live longer if they were going against the most powerful country in the continent - I hoped long enough for them to reconsider this foolish quest.
"I appreciate yer concern, Nolan," I said. "But I doubt the rest of ya'll would be happy to spend more time with me."
He chuckled. "Don't worry about Edward. He'll get over the fact that you beat him, in fact, it was good thing because it should humble him a bit."
Edward didn't bother me at all, actually, I liked him. "I got three brothers like him. I..." I decided against saying what I was about to say. "I just don't want to intrude, me bein' Crimean and all," I lied, not wanting to speak ill of the person that bothered me during my short time with the Dawn Brigade.
"Oh, you noticed?" He looked down for a moment. "She was acting strange, but I'm sure something else was bothering her. Please don't think badly of Micaiah." Something else? The silver-haired mage of the Dawn Brigade kept looking at me as if she was expecting me to pull a knife and stab someone!
A blind cow would've noticed that my presence bothered – maybe even irritated – Micaiah. Sothe noticed it too and whispered something in her, but whatever he said didn't stop her discomfort.
"Miss Micaiah wasn't bothering me." She was rapidly getting on my nerves.
Nolan must have seen through my lie when he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Nephenee, you don't have to fight with us should the situation call for it, but going on alone can be dangerous. We're even going in the same direction. Just give us a few hours to prepare and we'll go with you."
I shook my head. "I'm very sorry. I have to reach the desert as soon as I can." I bit my lower to stop myself from continuing speaking.
"Is that all?" he asked. I got the feeling he already knew, so I decided to tell him.
"I can't be with you guys," I admitted after a few moments of hesitation. I looked away. "You fight against Begnion... and I and every Crimean owe a huge debt to them for helpin' us during the war. I just can't believe that the people fought and gave their lives for my country could be capable of all the horrible things Sothe described to me."
Torture? Imprisonment? Kidnapping? Murder? How could I believe that there's an evil side to the country that helped liberate Crimea without any strings attached?
"Of course," he began. "I had trouble believing King Ashnard was a murderous tyrant." And I thought someone as smart as Nolan would've figured that out with ease. "Think about this, if you will. You didn't hear what the Begnion has been doing to Daein from Edward, Leonardo, Micaiah, or me. Instead you heard it from Sothe, someone who served with the same people you did, and someone who has seen that very same good side of Begnion you saw."
"I..." I was speechless. Everything he said made sense. I could doubt everyone in the Dawn Brigade except Sothe. I wasn't Sothe's buddy during the war, but General Ike trusted him, and Ike's a great judge of character. "I still can't."
He put his hand on my armoured shoulder, and I looked up to see him with a small smile. "I understand, but do take care of yourself." He sighed again. "I'm sorry if I sound like a patronizing old man." He rolled his eyes. "I get that a lot from Edward." I put my hand over my mouth to suppress a chuckle. "I just don't want to hear something bad happened to you and have that on my conscience."
I nodded.
"Wait!" shouted the blonde archer of the Dawn Brigade from the nearby forest. When Leonardo came into view, he was breathing heavily and sweating. "Nolan, we can't let her leave." He pointed at me.
"No one said she was joining us, Leonardo."
"I know that! She knows our faces, our location and where we are going." He looked at me with an emotionless expression, but his voice had a slight hint of anger. "She can't leave because it's dangerous for us."
Nolan frowned. "You have a point." He took a step away from me and closer to Leonardo. "She's a threat, isn't she?" I detected some sarcasm in his voice.
"Y-yes. And with Begnion on our tail..."
"What do you suggest we do?" Nolan asked sternly.
"Umm, I-I, well..." Leonardo said shakily.
"Should we tie her up?" Leonardo's eyes widened and shook his head. "You're right. A veteran like her would get away easily. Kill her?"
"Nolan! No! I would never suggest such a thing. That's something..."
"Begnion would do?" Nolan finished for him. "I thought we're fighting against them and what they've done to us." Nolan didn't sound angry or mad, instead he sounded like a parent explaining his kid the difference between right and wrong.
Nolan looked back. "Take care of yourself," he said before going back to the woods.
Leonardo was blushing and looking at his feet. "I didn't mean... I'm just worried."
"It's okay," I told him reassuringly. "Goodbye." I pulled my cloak's hood over my helmeted head for further warmth
Leonardo was still looking down when I left a moment later. I only spent a few hours with the members of the Dawn Brigade, but I doubt Nolan wanted to embarrass his friend. They kind of reminded me of the Greil Mercenaries because they seemed like a very close bunch, and apparently they didn't mind the overwhelming odds against them. I also got the impression they were very nice, even Micaiah. Maybe Micaiah's reaction towards me was completely natural – maybe the acceptance of the other members was weird. Back when Jill joined General Ike's mercenary company, everybody treated her differently – including myself – for being from Daein, and being a Daein soldier didn't help; but after months of fighting with her, we all noticed that she was just as dedicated as everybody else and maybe more than most.
They called us brave when we took on the Daein Army with the numbers we had before reaching Begnion, but taking on Begnion with a mage, rogue, fighter, archer and myrmidon? I think they have crossed the fine line that separates bravery from stupidity.
I groaned very un-lady like out of frustration. I just wanted to come in, fine Meg and drag her back to Crimea if I had to. I did not know if I was close or not to finding my friend's daughter, I did have an idea of what was happening in Daein – something I did not care for before and after I crossed the border. For some unknown reason to me, I kept ending up in situations that practically forced me to face the fact that Daein was miserable... but it didn't mean that Begnion was the cause for Daein's troubles. Maybe the Dawn Brigade blamed Begnion because they couldn't blame their own country for its own sad fate.
As I kept walking in solitude through Daein's cold weather, thoughts of the state of Daein and the Dawn Brigade thankfully started to leave my head. Everything was going rather smoothly and uneventful until I spotted soldiers clad in crimson armour patrolling the roads. Although, of all the patrols I've seen in my life, this one looked pretty aggressive. They held their weapons tight, ready for battle. I realized that these guys were probably looking for the Dawn Brigade, and I also realized that the Goddess must not like me very much if I had to run into these guys after only meeting their targets a few hours earlier.
I desperately wanted to head back, but they had seen me before I could entertain the idea of running away unnoticed. And even though I'm confident that with my speed I could outrun them before they get too close, running would look suspicious. Not to mention that by retreating, I might've lead them straight to the Dawn Brigade.
I started to feel very nervous as six of them approached me. Why? I wasn't sure why. Why was I afraid of Begnion soldiers? These people helped liberate my country, they're allies... right?
"Hey, bloke, pull down that hood of yours," said one of the soldiers in the middle with a rough and deep voice. I did as he told me, hoping they would see a simple country girl that's passing by and nothing else.
One of them grinned. "Awfully pretty for a bloke, wouldn't you say?"
"Where are you from, lass?" Another one asked.
I gulped hard, trying to find the courage to answer. For some reason, I was very intimidated. "Crimea," I answered.
"I'm sure you know this," the same soldier said, taking a couple of steps towards me, "we helped your country in its hour of need."
"I know that," I said. As if my body was acting on its own, I took a step back. "And we are all very grateful."
"Maybe you should show us some of that gratitude."
I started to examine their weapons and trying to figure out a way to fend them off if things got ugly before saying, "What do ya mean by that?"
"What's going on?" Someone behind the group of soldiers shouted.
"Damn! I was hoping that he'd take while longer to get here." The soldier closest to me whispered.
The crimson clad soldiers moved out of the way to reveal who I assumed was their leader, a tall man with burgundy-coloured hair and matching armour. His sharp features and strong build indicated that this man must be one of those blue blood officers that the Begnion Army is filled with – or so I've heard. When I looked up at the burgundy clad soldier I felt almost as intimidated as when I glanced at King Ashnard of Daein from afar in the last battle of the war. It didn't help ease my worries when I saw him holding a steel greatlance.
This man... this man that I knew nothing of was bad news. Somehow I knew that much without truly knowing anything about him.
"General Jarod, we found this girl..."
"Silence! I can see that, you twit." The man eyed my lances. "Lock her up with those other two women we found the other day. She can keep that boy we found company on her way there."
"What!" I almost shouted. "I've done nothin' wrong. Ya can't put me away like some criminal." I was so shocked at what was happening that I was actually talking back to them. I mean, it was utterly ridiculous! He had no reason to put me in jail!
"You see, dear," he said smugly, "you are carrying weapons, and from the looks of it, a very dangerous weapons. That's not allowed here, because I make the rules."
"This are for protection," I said, stupidly trying to reason with an obviously unreasonable man.
Jarod smirked. "Why would you need protection? Me and some of Tellius finest men are here." The rest of the soldiers grunted proudly at Jarod's words. "Enough chit-chat put her in prison to await my pleasure."
One of the soldiers grabbed my armed. Out of instinct, I punched his face as hard as I could and slipped my arm away from his grasp.
"You," Jarod signaled a heavily armoured soldier with a sword, "attack her, but don't kill her."
Without hesitation, I stabbed the soldier Jarod had sent to attack me in the chest when he was in range and right after he unsheathed his sword. The rest of the soldiers retreated a bit when they saw what I did to their comrade. All except Jarod, who quickly approached his dying soldier from behind. Jarod grabbed the man's neck with his shield arm and pushed him harshly out of the way with my lance still in his torso, thus disarming me.
I didn't even get a chance to reach for my spare lance or even to feel fear out of my situation as Jarod stabbed me with his own lance right into my left shoulder.
The pain...
The pain... it was unbearable.
My senses went to hell, all of them. The next thing that I could actually make out of my situation was Jarod right behind me suffocating me with a piece of cloth.
It all went dark.
AN: Two notes I'm putting here and not in LJ.
I am NOT setting Mary Sue... I mean Micaiah to be a sort villain character . I am NOT! Neph won't steal her thunder, nor does Michaia feel any sort of jealousy towards Neph. It's a plot issue that's related to her powers to see the future. The original version of this chapter had a scene that kind of explained why she acted sort of anti-social, but it was a sloppy scene, and there wasn't a decent way to put it this early on.
I know the ending isn't as colourful as it could be. But come on, it first person POV. I mean, when I get hurt I go "Ouch, this hurts". Who goes "And pain jolted through my entire being, especially on where I was hurt. That part of me felt as it was on fire"?