Chapter 3 The Consol
As Vaan approached the city gates it became very clear that something was
wrong. For one thing there were a lot of people, carts and tradesmen. All
were complaining and no one was moving. This could only mean that the gates
had been closed, Now how was he going to collect his reward? He was
storming about in the back of the line when he noticed Kytes.
"Oh well," He said to himself. "If I'm gonna be stuck, I may as well be stuck with
company."
"Hey Kytes!" He yelled over the arguements. The boy turned around and his face
lit up.
"Vaan, I guess I'm not the only one locked out of the city." He waited for a response
but Vaan was busy scanning the crowd.
"Where's Penelo?" He asked. Kytes grimaced and shuffled his feet.
"Well I told her about the mark you were going after," He began. Vaan grinned,
saying he had gone outside the gates to hunt wild beasts would have sent
her into a fit. "So I guess I got her worrying." Kytes continued. "And then the
two of us went out looking for you. Then as soon as we stepped outside the
gates closed on us and I havn't been able to find her since. Maybe she got
trapped on the other side." Vaan looked at the gate. Perhaps Penelo being
on the other side of it was a good thing right now. He was about to talk to
Kytes but was interupted by a loud,
"Wark!"
Startled he looked behind him to see a white chocobo in resplendant ceremonial
armour being led by a small nervous looking tamer.
"Move aside boy." Stuttered the tamer. "Got to get through the gates you know."
Vaan stepped aside and sniggered to Kytes, as if they were going through the gates.
At present the gates were being guarded by a unit of soldiers in full armour
brandishing spears at the crowd if any got too close.
"No one gets through until the ceramony is over do you hear?" barked gate
captain Groms, considerably more stubborn than when he and Vaan last met.
Suddenly the white chocobo and his owner reached the front of the line. Vaan
saw the two talking, money being exchanged and then to he horror, that gate
was opening to let them through. The crowd surged forward to reach the city
but the line of soldiers held firm. The chocobo was ambling forward through the
surge as if boasting, a pity the same couldn't be said for his owner. However
as they neared the gate a young boy broke free of the crowd and blocked their path.
"Wait a second," he pleaded to the captain. "How can you let these chocobos
through the gate and not us?" In the crowd there were shouts of agreement. Groms
shuffled in his armour, he was loosing his aulthority, and besides this kid looked
awfully familiar.
"This here, is a pedigree parader boy," He began trying to sound tough. "Cost tens
of thousands of gil this one did. A prettier price than a hundred of you provintials would fetch."
Good, he thought to himself, supremely confident and an insult at the end. Time for the final blow.
"Keep clear of it would you, we don't want the chocobo's stinking of peasant." The
crowd laughed at Vaan as he growled at the imperial. He was brutally pushed out of the
way to make room for the parader chocobo, and as a final insult his lillies had fallen out
of his pocket and had been trampled by the enormous bird. Vaan sat in the dirt, quivering with rage.
He had had it, no more lying down and taking this. He reached for his knife.
"Ho ho ho a fine chocobo you have there," came a raspy voice from within the gate.
Vaan froze his hand on the hilt of his still bloodied dagger, wondering whether or not to
draw it as Migelo hobbled out of the gate with Penelo at his heel. Migelo seemed to notice
this and gave him a look. Vaan nodded and let go of the weapon. "Yes, tchita downs stock
if I'm not mistaken." He continued to the bemused imperial. "Change the soil change the chocobo
thats what I always say." While Migelo distracted the guard Penelo ran over and attached herself
to Vaan's arm. "Yes different soil means different boquete too." Migelo rambled on. "Take a Dalmascan
barose wine," He thrust a large bottle at the captain. "It may lack the flavour and depth of
some of your Archadian wines, but it has a certain strength of character. It's not bad
really once you get used to it." he added. The captain considered for a minute, then snatched the wine.
He knew a bribe when he saw one. He spoke quietly to his liutenant.
"Let these carts through then close this gate as ordered." He muttered, then more to himself
than his subbordinate "My mail's choked with this sand."
Vaan breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone could talk someone to death it was Migelo. The old
Bangaa rounded on him.
"Don't give me a scare like that." He snapped at Vaan's grin. "Your lucky that ended where it did."
Vaan was about to retort when he felt something pulling on his arm.
"Right." Said Penelo, clearly wanting this over and done with. "Now's our chance to go through."
Vaan nodded grudgingly, however as he was walking through the colossal gates he heard a
bell ringing. Everyone in the crowd looked around for the source of the noise, but Vaan knew exactly
what it meant. The ceremony was begining. With one smooth motion he slipt away from
Penelo and ran of towards the main streets. If this man was going to be the caretaker of his country
he wanted a good look at him.
The atmosphere of the parade was an odd one. There were certainly plenty of brightly coloured floats
and plenty of people, but no-one cheered as the great machines rumbled past. There was only an eerie
silence as the consol glided past on his float waving respectably. However the atmosphere did nothing
to lessen the aura that came from the consol. As Vaan watched his float sail by he ran alongside it, wondering
what it was that drew him. The consol was a tall man who looked barely out of his teens. He was wearing
shining resplendant armour and his long black hair was brushed over half of his face. His face was long
and sharp, like a hawk or some other predatory bird. Vaan admitted he looked a little odd compared
to other imperials but nothing special. He stopped chasing the float, there was only a hundred metres
to the podium anyway. He watched sadly as the float came to a stop. All that fuss for nothing. Suddenly he felt
something on his arm, Penelo had caught up and was watching the procession anxiously. Vaan sighed,
"Girls." He thought, as the spokesman began his speach.
"We will have order." He barked to quiet the crowd. "I give you your new consol. His imperial royal highness,
Vayne Solidor of the commandant of Archadia's Western armar... Your excelency!" Vaan
struggled to see over the crowd but it seemed as though the consol had stepped down
off his float and into the crowd. As he walked gracefully through them every single one looked
ready to attack him, but his etherial aura held them at bay. He calmly stepped up to the podium and
gently gestured the spokesman away. He faced the crowd and took two deep breaths.
"People of Rabanastre." He began. His voice was commanding yet was soft and flowed like water.
"Is it with hate you look upon your consol? Is it hate with which you look on the Empire." There was a
moments pause, then someone broke the spell and shouted. Over the next few seconds the whole
crowd started hurling insults at Vayne. The consol shook his head and held up his hand for silence, slowly
the crowd stopped. Even Vaan felt compelled to hear what he had to say. "Indeed, there was little point in asking."
Said Vayne gravely. "But know this, I harbour no idle hopes of frustrating that hatred. Nor shall I ask your fealty, that
is the due of your fallen king and rightly so. King Raminas loved his people, strove to bring you peace, his was truely
a rule worthy of your devotion. Even now he remains among you, protecting you." The crowd was at a loss for words.
Often the imperials had tried to win them over by expressing false admiration for their king
but this man was speaking from the depths of his soul. "His ardour and will for the peace of Dalmasca falters not.
I would ask only that you do your king honour, together let us embrace the peace his majesty would surely desire.
Two years now divide us from war's bitter end, yet still it's shadow looms over all, stiffling the infant peace,
a pall only you may cast off." It was almost as if he was pleading with them. Something no imperial had ever
done. "Achieve but this one thing and your hatred of me and the Empire will grieve me not. I will stand fast,
I will endure your hatred, suffer your slings and arrows, I will defend Dalmasca. Here I will pay my debt, I swear it now.
Though King Raminas and Lay Ashe be gone they stand ever at the side of their people. In honouring peace you do
honour to them and to Dalmasca. What I ask I ask plain, my hopes now rest with you." He clutched his sternam
and gave a low bow. The silence from the crowd could have been cut with a knife. Rabanastre held it's breath.
Then as Vayne rose from his bow. Someone applauded, then someone joined in, then another. As quickly as
the shouting and insults had spread, soon the whole crowd was applauding Vayne who smiled gratefully
and stepped off the podium and was welcomed into the crowd like family. Vaan stood there in disgust, how could
they be eating it up so easily. Well he'd show this Vayne Solidor. He would take what he thought was his right out from
under him. But how?
Vaan hurried through the crowd with Migelo too see the consol, lets see if he's has friendly in person,
he pondered as he approached the man. He was a lot taller than he seemed, even the bangaa looked
slightly shorter in his presence. The Cptain of the guard was busy introducing Vayne to everyone.
"Ah, and this is the provisioner of tonight's festivities." He said hurridly gesturing to the little group. Vayne
approached, smiling politely. Migelo bowed low.
"I am Migello your highness," He rasped. "It is truely a profound honour to make the aquantance
of our future Emporor. The people of Rabanastre join me in welcom..." But he got no further, for Vayne
had started to laugh. Not in a mocking way but as friend would laugh if his companion had made
some social blunder.
"That's enough your highness." He chuckled. "Archadia decides it's emporer, not lineage. I am an
elected official, nothing more." Migelo stammered and bowed lower.
"I meant no disrespect by it lord consol I just..." Again he was interupted.
"And for that matter." Said Vayne thoughtfully, "I wouldn't have you adress me as Lord consol either."
He squatted down next to Migello to look him in the eye. "As of this day I am a citizen of Rabanastre
like you. Why don't you call me Vayne." Migello blanched and tried desperately to bow lower than Vayne's squat
to his obvious amusement.
"No, no no no I couldn't possibly. It wouldn't be right." He blundered. Vayne sighed and pulled Migello to his feet.
"Then tonight you will sit by me, and we will drink until you call me by name." Vayne shook Megello warmly by
the hand and glided off, leaving the old Bangaa speachless.
"How can he stand and bow to him like that?" Vaan fumed as he and Penelo walked away through the crowd.
Penelo sighed.
"Vaan you just don't get it do you? He's not doing it because he wants to. You know what would happen if
he didn't. Besides, I think this Vayne Solidor is a lot better than being under martial law. At least he has
a sense of humour. Besides what would you do different." Vaan stopped and thought.
"I don't know." He said, "But I'd do something."
"Vaan. Vaan. You havn't heard a single word I've said have you?" During the walk back to Migello's shop,
Vaan had switched off his brain abandoning the conversation Penelo was trying to engage him in to plot
his revenge on the Empire. He had though it through again and again and finally he believed it to be perfect.
He came back to earth just in time too hear Penelo saying. "This place has changed so much, it's like it's not
even Rabanastre any more, like the Empire is swallowing it whole."
"Hey Penelo." He said suddenly. "That feast tonight, think they'll let us in?" Penelo gave him a scathing look.
"Are you crazy? It's in the palace and we don't have an invitation." Vaan didn't seem to have heard.
"So, how are we getting in?" He said sneakily. Penelo sighed.
"I don't know, why not ask Migello to get you in, it's his party after all." She looked at him quizically "Why the sudden
intrest Vaan?" She asked coolly. Vaan shrugged.
"I'm going to take back what's ours." He said dramatically, "Give back to Dalmasca." He came out of his fantasy
to see Penelo staring blankly at him. "Come on, what d'you think?" He protested. "If I find something, and it
fetches a good price, how about I buy you all dinner." Penelo flicked his forhead sarcastically.
"Oh please." she teased, "We all know the first thing you'd buy is an airship." She hopped off the railing she was clinging
to and walked through the door of the shop. "See you Vaan." She called through the opening. Vaan shook
his head exasperatedly.
"Yeah," He said. "An airship. But not through Migello. Time to pay old Dalan a visit."
To my first reviewer Stonehenge, thank you very much for my first review and you'll be happy to know there is much more
on it's way very quickly.