A/N: Woo! Missed my biweekly thing by a single day. Darn. :(
Anyway! This chapters are slowly getting longer (I have a lot of ground to cover). But I doubt they'll be OVER 9,000!
Notes on my LJ account!
Enjoy!
!
Chapter 3
"It's too soon, you fool!" Izuka exclaimed as he threw his scrawny arms in the air. "We may never recover if we lose even a portion of what little we have. Think about this: do you think we'll get supporters if we lose our first battle because we rushed things?"
I believed it was amazing how a kind-hearted man like Prince Pelleas would cling to Izuka's words, although the worst part of it all was the fact that Ashnard's son would permit this madman to speak his mind so freely and openly. I was starting to have troubling thoughts about Izuka's influence on the young man that would hopefully sit on Daein's throne. Having Izuka on Daein's side was comforting for I knew the man could get results, but he was poison, and while using poison is one of the most effective methods against one's enemies, it could still be used against the wielder.
"We may never get another chance like this," I said. "If Soldat's information is accurate, then General Jarod is in critical state, therefore the Occupation Army is unorganized. We cannot let this chance slip by us. I beg you, Your Majesty, give me the order to move out and I'll retake whichever territory you wish."
I was trying to make my case to Prince Pelleas. He sat in his makeshift stone throne with his mother to his left and Izuka to his right. He wasn't looking at me; instead he was staring at his boots. I couldn't see his face on account of his messy blue hair, but I knew he must've been deep in thought and struggling to decide whether he should order me to attack or to continue waiting until his advisor told him, the would be king of Daein, when it was the proper time to declare war on our oppressors. I could feel that this was the right time. Without Jarod in control, the Begnion forces shouldn't be able to react appropriately to an attack from an unknown enemy. I just needed Prince Pelleas to see that.
"For all we know, Soldat's information could be false. It may be a trap to lure us out," Izuka said.
"With all due respect, Lord Izuka, but my information is trustworthy," Soldat began. He had been standing a few feet behind me, apparently waiting for the opportunity to speak. "After General Jarod's sudden incapacitation, communication between the different platoons have been shaky at best. It seems his officers are incapable of maintaining order, and it won't be long before riots start spreading all over the country."
"Whose side are you on?" Izuka hissed, fingering a dark-coloured tome he was trying to conceal with his cloak.
"Y-yours, of course," Soldat answered with a muffled stutter. "I simply wanted to let everyone know that my information was accurate."
I continued speaking before Izuka could start arguing with his follower right in the middle of our discussion. "For some reason, Governor Numida has yet to find a replacement."
"Your Majesty!" I said loudly, making him look up instantly. "It would be most prudent to strike before they have a chance to find someone like or worse than Jarod, or wait until he recovers."
"It is still too premature to do anything," Soldat said. "We barely have more than a hundred soldiers, and that's counting the one we have here and our informants."
"What we lack in numbers, we make up for it in skill," I argued. I scowled at Soldat. "And what are we supposed to do? Keep sending secret invitations until we think we have enough? Someone is going to find out about us, we should at least utilize the element of surprise while we still have it." I just needed a little faith from Prince Pelleas. It was very unlike me to rush things, or to even argue for very long, but lady luck decided to grace us a little for a change, and I'll be dammed if I had just left this opportunity pass us by without trying to convince our leader to take immediate action.
"My dearest Lady Almedha," Izuka began. The concubine of Daein's late king shifted her attention from her son to her son's advisor. "Should anything go wrong, your precious son would be in danger. Maybe the entire wrath on Begnion would fall upon him."
You vile snake! First you fill his young mind with lies, and now you would use his own mother against him.
Almedha's eyes widened the moment Izuka's words reached her. "Pelleas, surely there is no need set the revolution in motion just yet," she said sternly, yet motherly at the same time. "The people of Daein are your subjects, you shouldn't rush for them, but they should wait for you instead."
I rubbed my temples, and tried to avoid sighing. What Almedha said was the type of political nonsense I wished the new potential monarch wouldn't be exposed to, but it was ridiculous of me to hope for the impossible. All I could do was wish for Prince Pelleas to disregard such an egocentric way of thinking, and to believe that a kingdom without subjects makes a pretty pitiful country indeed. Daein needed a new way of thinking, not the same rubbish that lead it to losing to a weaker country, and later subjugated to the whim of the most corrupted group of individuals in the continent.
Pelleas hesitantly looked at his mother. I could see he wanted to argue with her, but was not brave enough to say what was on his mind – just knowing he disagreed was more than enough at the moment.
"Your Majesty, surely you haven't gone mute on us, right?" Soldat said with mock concern. He stepped forward and stood next to me, he had a hand on his armoured chest. "I know that whatever you decide upon, you will have the citizenry in both heart and mind, and know that I will support you fully should you side with the man that betrayed Daein during a crucial moment of the war or with them man that has worked tirelessly to not only find the last heir of the but to bring a bright future to us all."
I wanted to choke the life out of Soldat for trying to demonize me, and making Izuka look like a saint by comparison. I showed no signs of being disturbed by his word, for I did not regret my actions – even though a few doubts did haunt me in my sleep.
"I would usually tell my... follower to shut up, but I'm afraid he's making a lot of sense." Izuka grinned at Soldat, whom nodded in response.
"And where would we be had we allowed King Ashnard to continue on?" I challenged, gripping my shield and lance as tight as I could. "Had we lost after bringing more conflict, we would have received a more severe punishment, one that Governor Numida wouldn't need to hide from the public eye."
"But we would've ruled the world had we won," Izuka countered.
"And earn ourselves billions of enemies..."
"Enough!" Prince Pelleas finally spoke. Soldat, Izuka, Almedha, and I turned our attention to the awkward prince. "We shouldn't fight amongst ourselves when we should be fighting Begnion." The tone of his voice was low, but he was loud enough for all of us to hear.
"General Tauroneo," he addressed me, and I straightened even further out of habit of doing so whenever my liege would speak directly to me, "I know you mean well, and I can only think highly of you. It brings me a lot of joy to know that someone such as yourself cares so deeply for the people, because when I lived on the streets during Begnion's occupation, I believed that no one cared for us anymore..."
"Then I have your leave to head out." I dared to hope.
"It saddens me to tell you that I believe that Izuka is on the right." My heart ached when I heard those dreadful words. "I would want nothing more than to grant your request, but only if Izuka approves – I very much trust in his good judgment."
I did not look away, I showed no signs of disapproval nor did I try to argue even further, for I was too disappointed in his ruling to do any of those things. Had he asked for time to ponder on his options, then I would have been more at ease. I could see that Soldat wasn't the only puppet Izuka had, but the difference between Soldat and Prince Pelleas was how unaware the boy seemed to be of the fact that his strings were being pulled by a lunatic, while Soldat seemed more than happy with being Izuka's lapdog. Yet the worst part was of it all was that I visibly saw how unhappy Prince Pelleas seemed with his decision.
I guessed that he knew that it was the perfect time to strike, but he couldn't break free from the clutches of his own 'advisor'.
"As you wish," I said, trying to mask my disappointment with obedience. I lowered my head, for I could no longer bear to look at the boy's pained expression.
It was my own damn fault – I couldn't blame the boy - for not only requesting permission to move up the revolution, but for actually believing things might be drastically different with Prince Pelleas. I was an old war veteran with almost five decades of experience, what was I doing filling my head with foolish thought only a naive squire would have? At least I still believed Prince Pelleas had the makings of a good ruler, perhaps an excellent ruler if he started making his own decisions.
"I'm so glad to see that you are already making wise rulings, my boy," Izuka said delightfully. "And remember, soldiers are for fighting and not for thinking. You will start hearing your generals speak nonsense once you become king, but remember that my council is always wise and that I am your most trusted confidant. I live to serve you."
I saw Prince Pelleas give Izuka a small bow, when it should've been the other way around.
I felt nauseated at the thought of me indirectly serving Izuka, which it seemed to be what reality dictated.
"I beg your leave," I said with my head held high.
"Sure..."
"Wait!" Izuka blatantly interrupted. "Why haven't you investigated the cause of that tremor? I told you to head out into the desert and hunt down whatever caused it."
"It has been a week since then and nothing attacked us. It could have just been a short earthquake," I explained. "Besides, it would have been a waste of time and resources."
"I know better than you, soldier!" Izuka spat. "It could have been those awful sub-humans, maybe it was them that caused Lady Almedha's guest to be injured."
"Milord, the boy was fine, his clothes were just bloodied up. I don't think he was harmed," Soldat informed.
Blast! He noticed.
"Shut up, Soldat! Important people are talking!" Izuka fumed, giving Soldat a venomous look. "As I was saying, those beasts could have followed him here, and are now plotting to kill us as we speak."
"Was that simple enough for you to understand," he continued, "or should I repeat myself, but slower this time?"
I gritted my teeth. Listening to the Mad King ramble on about strength was far more bearable than hearing Izuka utter a single word.
"I take my orders from Prince Pelleas," I challenged through my teeth.
"My orders are his orders! When will you understand?" Izuka looked at Pelleas, who was watching the entire scene before him with a look of horror. "Tell him, so that he'll stop his meaningless resistance."
"I-I..." he stammered. He ran a shaking hand through his messy hair.
"Come, Pelleas," Almedha said. She grabbed his arm, and pulled him away from his seat. "Being around this uncivilized bunch is also making me uneasy." She dragged her son away.
Izuka followed her, trying to reason with her. She kept ignoring him until I could no longer hear his voice.
"My mother was like her," Soldat said. For some reason, he decided to curse me with his company. "Although I don't think she could take on Lady Almedha – hell, I would think twice before giving her a funny look."
"I'm surprised you aren't choking to death. Just how long is your leash?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Soldat laughed. "I'm afraid our bad habits are rubbing off on you, General Tauroneo."
"Leave me be." I walked past him.
"Lord Izuka and I both believe that this is the right time to stick it to Begnion." What he said shocked me.
I turned around swiftly. "What? Then why postpone it? What's the problem?"
"You are the problem." I scowled. "You see, you're not exactly the hero-type Lord Izuka wishes for the people. What did you call yourself when you confronted King Ashnard? Was it the king killer? I was bleeding to death at the moment, but I'm positive I heard that right- not that you could've scratched our beloved and dearly departed King Ashnard."
"Just make your point," I said irritably.
"Now, I'm a simple ol' soldier that knows squat about politics, but that doesn't sound like the man I want leading the liberation."
"I agree. That doesn't sound like the hero the people need," I said solemnly. "Nevertheless, he's better than a corpse-looking man."
"Oh, I'm not interested in your position." He waved his hands dismissively. "Lord Izuka tells me to stay in the shadows, and quite frankly, it's quite cosy working from places people cannot see you."
"Then why tell me?" I inquired.
"I just wanted to inform you of your position in the world." I'm sure he must've been smiling under his muffler. "You're simply plan b. Should we find someone more... appealing, Lord Izuka won't think twice before reducing you to a mere footsoldier, but I'm sure you are used to that."
"You sure do bark a lot," I said deadpanned. "It would be for the best if someone new were to take my place. You and I are relics of old Daein, I believe it's time for people without haunting old sins to bring about a new age for us." While my mind believed what I said, my heart betrayed all rational thought. Part of me wanted to be Daein's hero and liberator, despite my shady past and many wrongdoings.
"We shall see." He moved back and sat where Prince Pelleas had been a moment ago. "Now, General Tauroneo." He rested his chin on top of his fist. "It's quite obvious that you aren't getting along with Lord Izuka, but regarding the scouting mission he... requested – maybe. I would kindly ask you to go along with this one."
"Why should I?"
"Sub-human hunting is an excellent stress-reliever." He paused. "My apologies, I forgot you went righteous on us and no longer find pleasure in one of Daein's greatest sport."
"Goodbye, Soldat." I turned around once again
"Truth be told, I need your help with this one," he said, and I stayed put. "I spotted the most peculiar sub-humans the other day, and I don't want to go run into them without having someone assisting me."
"Not interested," I said.
"That's too bad, but I'm sure Lord Izuka will be interested in hearing about the girl your friends, Jill and Zihark, are hiding." I clenched my jaw. "He'll be angry that you've allowed them to waste his resources to tend some woman that pretty much fell out of the sky."
I can't believe he's actually threatening me, although I foresaw something like this.
"What woman?" I smirked.
"You damn well know of whom I speak of," Soldat said irritably. "The girl those two traitors have been taking care of."
"You can question them about that imaginary girl once they return." I walked out. I regretted not taking a look at the miffed expression Soldat must've had.
Jill and Zihark had objected to the idea of moving their injured comrade, but I had a gut feeling that said otherwise. I'm glad I told them to get her to the nearest town, for not only had Soldat found out about Nephenee, but the meeting with Prince Pelleas did serve for one purpose: I learned that Prince Pelleas couldn't be fully trusted – not as long as he allowed Izuka to pull his strings.
XXXX
"Are you sure you should be walking?" Kurth asked, probably concerned that my legs would give out on me... again.
"I'm okay," I lied.
I tripped a moment later.
Kurth helped get to a sitting position and dragged me to a nearby building to rest my back against the hot wooden wall. The first thing I did was spit out some sand, and then try to dust off the sand out of the clothes Jill had kindly lent me – a pair of blue trousers, a yellow tunic, and dark boots. I didn't want to ruin them, even though she had said to take them as a gift from her.
"Let's go back to the inn and wait for Jill and Zihark to come back with a doctor or a healer," Kurth said for the fourth time. He stuck me as the overly patient type of guy.
"I just want to get somethin' to drink, ya know, to keep myself hydrated 'cause of the blood loss." That was only half of it. I truly couldn't stay idle for very long, after all, I was used to working day and night. Sitting in a bed and wait for others to do everything wasn't very me-like. Not that I wasn't appreciative of what they were doing for me – I would be eternally grateful to Jill, Zihark, and Kurth for saving me. I just needed to do something... anything!
Kurth and I were near the very center of the village, and I decided to take a good look around. While I could see men a women walking around, the population was still scarce if I compared it to any village I visited on my life. The houses and very few shops I saw were made of dried up wood, and many of the structures looked like they were going to fall apart at any given moment due to lack of maintenance or the harsh weather of the desert – perhaps both. And the heat was only adding more unpleasantness to the whole damn place. At least it was midday, so the heat couldn't get any worse. If had to describe the village of Hackdirt with only one word, it would be sad. I had my doubts about my old comrades finding a doctor or a healer, because this village looked like the type of place the Church of Ashera or any doctor would shy away from.
I had enough sightseeing after just a minute or two of looking around, and I felt like giving that whole walking thing another go. I pushed the ground with my bare hands in an attempt to stand, only to fail and gain a mild headache. I barely had any strength in me, but that certainly didn't stop me from trying to do stuff, even when an overwhelming feeling of dizziness started to creep up to my head. The darnest thing was that my body was in tip-top shape, I even lost some of the nasty scars I had from the war with whatever healing method someone used on me. But Zihark said I shouldn't be moving around too much because I lost a lot of blood, which was the cause of my poor state.
I didn't know much about medicine, and my current situation state of health made no sense to me.
But I was just happy with being alive – and relatively well.
I tried to get up again, yet the result had been the same as before.
"Nephenee, please," Kurth pleaded. He looked at me with concerned eyes.
I hated it, so I looked away. While I was flattered by his concerned, I simply despised being so-so useless and weak. I couldn't be weak; I was the big sister in my household. I'm the one that my family always depended on. The last time I felt so bad about myself was during my time as a war prisoner, but back then I could at least throw a punch.
"Just one drink," I said, still avoiding looking at him.
I heard him inhale deeply. "Very well."
He grabbed my arm and placed it over his cloaked shoulders. "I'll help you walk around."
"W-Wait! I don't wanna crush ya." I was much taller than young Kurth. He was also very frail-looking and really skinny.
"I'm stronger than I look," he said reassuringly. "And I have carried you before." That much was true.
"All right," I said. He slowly raised the both of us, carefully trying not to drop me. He softly gripped my wrist, and he put his other hand slightly above my waist.
"Let me know if you want to rest."
"Thank ya," I said as nicely as I could.
While Kurth walked slowly and gracefully, I mostly limped in an attempt to conserve as much energy as I could. We did get a couple of odd looks – not that I cared - by the folks that apparently had nothing to do right in the middle of the day. Kurth was very strong indeed, because practically dragging me didn't seem to bother him in the slightest; he was such an odd boy.
"Um, excuse me, Kurth?" I said tentatively.
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to know why yer bein' so nice to me?" I asked. "I'm just a stranger and all."
"You did save me." I wasn't expecting that response, in fact, that could have been the only answer I would have never guessed.
"I thought it was the other way around. And just when did I save you?" I thought that maybe he had mistaken me with someone else.
No response came from him. "Kurth?"
"Huh?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry. Nephenee, what's the last thing you recall?"
I thought it was rude to ignore my question, and then ask one himself. "Fightin' some Begnion soldiers, and some creep stabbin' me with his lance," I answered nonetheless. The thought of Jarod made my skin crawl, and the shoulder he injured ached painfully.
I have to get that checked.
"Nothing more?" he insisted.
"It all goes black after that," I responded. I tilted my head slightly to take a good look at his face, he looked awfully thoughtful. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about, and I was feeling like going back to my usual quiet self.
"Hm. Do you mind if I tell you after you feel better?" he asked politely
"It's fine with me." I wasn't the argumentative type to begin with. Besides, I didn't need at the moment to fill my pained head with the details of my survival and how I happened to get to the other side of Daein in a ridiculously short amount of time.
The Desert of Death, I thought. That name is lovely, I wonder if they have a Canyon of Doom.
I was alive and recuperating, I arrive where I wanted to be - almost at the cost of my life-, and I would continue to search for Meg the moment I could walk by myself.
Maybe the worst has passed, I dared to think optimistically.
XXXX
In all of Tellius, there was no grander palace than the Mainal Cathedral, the second largest structure in the world. But Castle Gaddos was a close second. The entire castle was decorated with only the finest tapestries made by the most well-known artists in history, and portraits of the present and past Dukes of Gaddos. The lavender-coloured marble used to construct the massive structure was the same kind that was used for the Mainal Cathedral, for the first Duke of Gaddos thought it would have been a crime to build his own residence with anything less than the best materials in all the land. And the floors had tiles so white and lustrous that one could see their own reflection if they stared at them for a moment. Yes, Castle Gaddos was a fine example of modern beorc architecture, and it was certainly a work of art. At the same time, the capital of the duchy of Gaddos served as a symbol of the Begnion senators' lust and avarice, for Duke Lekain of Gaddos could not allow other palaces such as Daein Keep and Castle Crimea to be better than his home.
Duke Lekain had spent a fortune – with taxpayer gold - refurnishing and remodeling his castle with the singular purpose of not losing to the puppet countries.
Through the lavish and finely decorated halls of Castle Gaddos walked a man clad in carmine-coloured armour. He was a man who had honed his skills in battle and had mastered the lance through his twenty-two years of service, and had become the second finest general in the Begnion military.
His name was Levail.
While many thought he was a good-natured and honest man, he was actually a sinner like so many of the high-ranking officers. He meant no harm, but he did nothing in the face of injustice, despite having more than enough evidence to have his master arrested and tried for corruption. Levail would've liked nothing more than to throw Duke Gaddos in the darkest of dungeon in Sienne, mostly because Lekain forced him to be the leader of his personal army. A man of his skills should have been serving in the Central Army, but Levail had been a victim of Lekain's greed, for Lekain could not get his grubby hands on General Zelgius, so Lekain had to settle for him. Levail truly wanted to have Lekain locked up, yet his sense of duty never allowed him to something his disturbed subconscious considered as an act of treachery.
Once Levail reached the deeper parts of the castle, he left his shield and weapon with a soldier on guard duty, for he could not be armed if he wanted to go any further. Duke Gaddos had gained many enemies in the underworld, and had become ever so paranoid in his old age. It made Lekain feel safer to know that no one near him had a weapon, but Levail thought such orders were foolish, for how could his men protect him from an assassin's attempt on his life without a weapon?
It wasn't very long before General Levail reached the entrance to Duke Gaddos' office. Levail knocked three times on the caoba door.
After a moment of waiting, Levail heard Duke Gaddos say, "You may enter." With a small feeling of dread forming in the back of his head, Levail went inside to meet his master.
Levail kneeled before Lekain once he spotted the heavyset blonde noble working behind his document-filled desk.
"Your Holiness," Levail greeted.
"What is it, Levail? I'm a very busy man," Lekain grunted, not bothering to even look at the man before him.
"You summoned me," Levail reminded. The young general knew he hadn't forgotten out of senility, Lekain was simply forgetful regarding matters that didn't directly benefit him – it took him years to memorize Levail's name.
"Ah, yes. My long-time friend, Duke Numida, requested my help." Lekain pushed his chair back, and stood up. "The leader of his forces has met an unfortunate accident." A feeling of disgust grew on General Levail's stomach at the mention of Jarod. "Now the Occupation Army finds itself struggling to control the rebellious people of Daein."
Lekain circled around the still kneeling Levail. "It is in everyone's best interest to try to maintain control of that barbaric country, so I volunteered your services until General Jarod is back on his feet."
"Understood. If I may ask, Your Holiness, what happened to Jarod?" Despite Levail's dislike for the burgundy-haired officer, he still recognized him as a competent fighter, and was surprised he was incapacitated.
"He apparently won't say. But we have reason to suspect some fortune-teller he was tracking might have been the cause of his injuries," Lekain said. "But that is unimportant."
Levail was thrilled to receive a chance to leave Gaddos, even if it was only for a short period of time. Though he admitted to himself that it was odd that Duke Gaddos had decided to 'lend' him to help Numida considering Lekain wasn't the type to share anything.
"You may rise," Lekain said.
Finally, Levail thought as he stood up once again.
"I have a gift for you, Levail. Consider it as a token of my appreciation for all your years of service," Lekain said, getting a large and thin sliver case from a nearby table.
It wasn't my choice to serve you for so long, Levail wanted to say.
Lekain handed the case to the head of his army. "Open it."
Levail's eyes widened in surprise after opening Lekain's gift, inside the case laid the mightiest of spears ever forged, the Wishblade. The black and dark-blue spear was simply stunning. Levail had heard tales of the Wishblade, and had often dreamed of seeing it with his own eyes. Now, the spear he would have been content with just seeing was his, he was very overjoyed. He wanted to test the weapon's weight, but he knew Duke Gaddos would disapprove, so he closed the case to avoid any further temptation to hold his new toy.
Levail felt like a squire whom had been given his first mission.
"My good friend, Numida, gave me this spear and a powerful tome. Both had been treasures of Daein he..."
Stole?
"Acquired," Lekain emphasized, "from the vaults of Daein."
"When should I leave?" Levail asked.
"Right away," Lekain answered. Lekain was making his way back to his desk to continue working on whatever he was doing before General Levail interrupted.
"As you wish." Before he left for Daein, Levail wanted to ask something to his master – although he already knew the answer, but he felt inclined to hear it anyways. "Your Holiness, why me? There are many qualified officers that could do this job, and I have many responsibilities here in Gaddos."
"Tsk, tsk," Lekain shook his head as he sat down. "You should know by now what truly makes you special, and the only one I can trust with this task. It's not your skill or your experience." Lekain grinned maliciously. "It's that you can keep a secret."
XXXX
Hackdirt's tavern was unsurprisingly low of patrons, and the few drunkards that were sitting around were either too drunk or far to focused on their silly gambling games to notice Kurth and I enter. The place wasn't very big, even Calill's medium-sized bar was much larger than the almost run-down tavern.
Kurth and I went up to the counter, where a nasty-looking burly man stood behind it, cleaning a mug with a filthy piece of cloth. My young companion helped me sit on a stool, which sadly had nothing to help support my back. I had trouble not falling back, but I held on to the edge of the counter to help balance myself. Kurth took another stool and sat beside me, close enough to catch me if I fell backwards.
"What can I get ya, strangers?" the man behind the counter asked, putting the mug down.
"Ya got water?" I wasn't looking for much, and this whole drinking trip I was taking was just a clever excuse to move around.
"Ha! Water, she says," the man snorted. "Sorry miss, only alcohol in here. The only way ya'll get clean water 'round here is if someone kindly gives it to ya. Word to the wise, people are a bit frugal nowadays."
I wasn't very excited about drinking alcohol in a strange village, not that I was a stranger to it since I've worked on Ohma's vineyard and had tasted the wine I made there, but I wasn't about to go back after making poor Kurth drag me around an entire village.
"Then give me whatever's cheapest." I looked at my companion. "Kurth, do ya want somethin'?"
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
"The cheapest thing I have is beer from Nevassa," the man said.
"I ain't picky."
"Suit yerself." He served me a yellow-coloured and foamy drink on a dirty glass mug. Needless to say, I thought the service was terrible. "Three silvers."
I reached in my coin pouch and paid him the amount he asked.
"Nice knowing ya, miss."
I shouldn't have ignored his warning. The moment I took a sip from my drink, my gag reflexes kicked in – at least that was working stupendously. The thing was bitter, stale, watery, and quite frankly, the sand tasted much better. I had to close my eyes and pinch my nose to force it down my throat. I couldn't believe they didn't serve this junk while I was a prisoner.
"Don't drink it if you don't like it!" Kurth exclaimed. "You're recovering, after all."
"Ma said never to waste food," I sadly said. For the first time in my life, I was inclined to disobey my mother.
I closed my eyes hard, and drank the entire rancid beer with quite a few forced gulps. When I finished, put the mug back on the counter... hard.
"I never thought I see the day someone would finish that," the man said, giving Kurth and I an almost toothless smile. "Wanna know what people call that beer?"
"Bad?" My head collided with the counter, now both my head and stomach were sore.
"The Pig's Piss," he said laughing. I would have to agree with the person that said called it that.
Someone behind us sounded like he was... emptying the contents of his stomach. "Damn it, Gary! Why do ya always ruin my already screwed-up floor?"
The burly man left to tend to his other patron.
"Kurth?" I called, head still down.
"Yes?"
"This was a bad idea." Kurth laughed, and I wish I could've joined him.
I realized it was all a bad idea.
All of it!
Leaving my good life back in Ohma was the stupidest thing I've done! Not only was I following a probably nonexistent trail, but I just kept going like some naive girl. I was chased out a few villages, almost got killed by soldiers that were supposed to be my allies, and I lost my lances and armour...
My armour... my custom-made armour General Ike had commissioned just for me during the Mad King's War. I had grown attached to the thing. I always received a bittersweet feeling out of that armour. I never wore it for pleasant occasion, but it was simply mine, it would only fit me and no one else, and now it was just scrap metal.
I was very tempted to order a few more rounds of beer, just to try to wash away my thoughts.
But something else was bothering me more that my near-death experience and the loss of my armour.
"It's my fault," I whispered. "Daein's like this because of me."
"Excuse me?"
"I just wanted my home to be free."
"Nephenee, what are you talking about?"
"I didn't know this would happen."
I couldn't play ignorant anymore, and I couldn't see the world in black and white. I was just as responsible for Daein's state as General Ike or Queen Elincia. I kept blaming myself, even if I was just a soldier in the last war, I still thought myself responsible simply for playing a role. I didn't know... I didn't know saving my country meant dooming another one.