Author's Notes
So, this one actually took a lot less time than I expected, because it didn't take much for me to link it in with something I'd already written. I added many new things, too, though, so this ended up being a longer chapter. I hope you enjoy the lore I made up—and that I didn't mess it up. XD It's been a long time since I've seen the show. I re-watched a few Lacroa-centric episodes recently to make sure there weren't glaring contradictions, but I may have missed something.
Actually, on a side-note, I may have messed some things up in the previous chapters. Is it "Vatra" Sword or "Vatras" Sword? You'd think I'd know, but all along I heard "Vatra" Sword in the dub until reading the Gundam Wiki, and now I don't know which it is! If someone could clarify for me, please do!
Disclaimer: All of the characters and settings in this chapter belong to Bandai and Sunrise, except for Aleda. I'm not making any monetary profit on this fic. I'm not selling it at all.
Chapter 5: Legends and Ladies
It turned out that lunch came from Keiko's pork buns and not Sayla's cakes, because the hard-working mother was home early, and Sayla was unavailable. Zero and Baku were marginally disappointed.
"A terrorist attack on a grocery store, of all things," Keiko sighed as she set a plate of pork buns in the midst of her ravenous guests. "And right after the suburbs were burned. Everyone was so frightened, that school ended early."
"Sayla's mom picked her up before early release," Shute said.
"I'm not surprised," said Keiko. "It's dangerous. I'm shocked that you came to visit with all the ruckus."
"We're very strong and capable, Miss Keiko," Zero said. "We're not afraid of any thugs."
"So you say," Keiko replied with a worried look.
The five friends sat on Shute's porch around a circular table: clockwise, Captain, Shute, Aleda, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru. Fenn purred in Aleda's hands. Baku shoveled a handful of pork buns into his mouth. Zero handed a couple of buns to Aleda before taking some himself. Shute snatched what pork buns he could before Baku could eat them all. A few times, he was too slow and growled as his hand hit the quick metal fingers.
Fenn sniffed a pork bun that Aleda was eating with one hand, and his tummy rumbled loudly. "Oh, cute!" Aleda gushed. "Zero, I think he wants some."
"I expected as much. Here is one for you, Fenn," Zero said, holding out a pork bun. "Leave Lady Aleda so that she may eat."
Fenn stared at the tempting treat as if deliberating whether it was worth leaving his cozy spot. "Fenn, please," Zero insisted. "You are bothering the lady." Fenn looked up at Aleda with wide eyes.
"No, he's not bothering me," Aleda quickly said.
"Well, Fenn, the lady has her hands full and cannot feed you, so you must come to your food." Zero set the pork bun on the table in front of the fluffy Spirit. Fenn finally rose, yawning, and ruffled his fluff before slinking to the table and taking a bite of pork bun. "Good boy," Zero said. Aleda watched the fluffball eat while she herself munched on her food and smiled at the cuteness.
"What is your name, again? Aleda?" Keiko asked the Gundamess.
Aleda nodded. "Yeah."
"Would you like some water?"
"Sure." She beamed.
Keiko smiled, then asked the group, "Would anyone else like water, too?"
"I would! Thanks."
"Yes, please, Miss Keiko."
"Sure. Thanks, Mom."
"No, thank you, Miss Keiko. I am not thirsty."
"Okay. I'll be right back." Keiko opened a sliding door and entered the kitchen.
"I wuf desh!" Baku said in between bites.
"Show some manners, Baku," Zero sighed.
"Hearing you guys talk about Sayla's cakes kinda made me want to have some," Shute said. "But, this is the next best thing."
"Nutritionally, this is the preferred meal," Captain said.
"I guess."
"Who's Sayla?" Aleda asked.
"She's my classmate," Shute said.
"Princess Sayla is a pure-hearted and skilled cake baker," Zero said. "Her creations are as beautiful as they are delicious!"
"Oh. I hope I get to try one, some time."
After they had had their fill of pork buns and chatter, the Gundam Force, minus Zero, stayed at Shute's house to wait for Gunbike so that they could start another tough training session. Zero, forbidden to participate until that day's injuries had been given time to heal, made to return to White Base. "I guess I'll go, too," Aleda said to her grounded companions.
"Ah, okay," Shute said. He, Captain, and Baku waved at her. "See you later!"
"See you!" Aleda waved back with her brace-encased elbow as she drifted to the politely waiting Knight Gundam.
"Are you ready, milady?" Zero asked.
Aleda nodded. "Mhm."
Fenn joined them in flight towards White Base. After a few moments of quiet, Zero asked, "How are your injuries?"
"You can't really call them injuries," Aleda said. She gently extended her arm. "I'm a bit sore, but that's it."
"I am sorry to have exposed you to danger, my lady," Zero said shamefully.
"You didn't do that," she protested. "I wasn't listening when you said not to go near Preston. I did it to myself." Though I don't regret it.
"You were defending me," Zero said, the wall of his confident blue eyes momentarily leaking guilt. "Were you not?"
Aleda blushed. "It was instinct."
"I am grateful for your courage and loyalty. Thank you."
"Y-You're welcome."
"But, Lady Aleda, please do not endanger yourself, again," Zero said, firmly but kindly. "You could have died."
Aleda nodded meekly. "I'll be careful."
They arrived at White Base and flew down the main hallway. Aleda cradled a purring Spirit.
"What will you do, milady?" Zero asked.
"I'll find something to do," Aleda assured him. "I have a few things I carry around in case I get bored."
"So, you are not particularly occupied?"
"Um, no." Aleda slowed so that they could speak properly, and Zero followed suit. Fenn opened his eyes.
Facing her, the Winged Knight asked, "Would you like me to tell you more about Lacroa?"
Aleda's wings perked slightly. "Y-Yeah," she said. "Sure."
"Then, milady, let us go to a comfortable place." Zero smiled.
Aleda nodded. Behind her mouthguard, her grin was so wide it felt to her as if her cheeks would snap.
Fenn, stirred by the excitement emanating from her, slipped out of Aleda's hands and floated between the two Lacroan Gundams. "This way." Zero led them down a side passage.
...
"Thanks, Kao Lyn," Guneagle said as he flexed his mechanical wings.
"You're very welcome!"
The door to Kao Lyn's lab hissed open. A particular green-faced person entered. "Chief Haro, sir!" Guneagle immediately straightened and saluted.
"At ease. Kao Lyn, may I speak to you in private?"
"Guneagle, run some tests in the flight simulation chamber," Kao Lyn ordered. "I'll be there ASAP."
Guneagle nodded and, with an inquisitive look at Chief Haro, walked out of the room. The door slid shut.
"It's about the Gundamess," Haro began.
"What did you decide?"
"Our external surveillance has observed that she's lived independently for over a year. She demonstrates advanced maturity for her age, and, as we saw today, she can handle herself well in emergency situations. Given that and the rare opportunities her presence presents us—including another source of repairs for Zero and Bakunetsumaru—I've decided to allow her to stay indefinitely."
Kao Lyn danced. "Woohoo! I'm glad you decided that! Now, I get the chance to observe her more closely! This could help me advance the social and physical functions of our Gundams." He paused in his jig. "What are you going to tell her parents?"
"Nothing, for now. They gave her permission to leave home. If she is mature enough to live on her own, Aleda can decide for herself whether to inform her foster family of her current living arrangement."
"Hmm~! I'll let you do that. We'll keep her safe, after all." Kao Lyn punched his fists in the air. "I'm so excited for the upgrades I'll make!"
"What are you thinking of?" Chief Haro asked curiously.
"Emotional expression, for one! Guneagle has the most advanced emotions of any of my works so far, but with Aleda here, I can possibly even add romantic expression. And with enough time I could finally figure out how to make females—!"
"Wait," Haro said, holding out a hand as if to reel in the spastic scientist, "you said, 'romantic expression'? How are you planning to use Aleda for that?"
Kao Lyn stopped his wild movements and looked at Haro. "Why, I don't plan to do anything except watch! She's already been giving me excellent data!"
"Explain."
"Look at the footage." Kao Lyn bounced to a computer, clacked away at the keyboard, and soon had the screen display an image of a certain red-caped Gundam and a winged Gundamess.
"So, you are not particularly occupied?"
"Um, no."
The two figures in the hall slowed down and faced each other. "Would you like me to tell you more about Lacroa?"
"Y-Yeah, sure."
Kao Lyn jabbed a button, and the scene paused. "There! Look at that!" Haro leaned in closer to see. "Look at her face!" Aleda's shy face seeped with joy and bore a slight rosy tinge on her mouthguard. "And look at her posture! Here, it's better when you see her moving!" Rewinding it a bit, both men could clearly see how her wings lifted ever so slightly at the Winged Knight's offer, and how she sent sidelong glances at him as they floated along.
"Does she react this way to the other Gundams?" Chief Haro asked.
"Nope! Nada! She acts shy, but not flustered. This behavior is only for our charming knight! If this isn't a crush, I don't know what it is!"
Chief Haro groaned as Kao Lyn spun around again.
"The expression! I can't wait to replicate it!" Kao Lyn shouted.
"Maybe she's too much trouble, after all."
Kao Lyn eyed him. "You wouldn't dare."
Seeing the fire behind those kooky glasses, the Chief sighed in defeat. "Fine. At least they can't multiply."
"Actually…"
The Haro eyes flashed yellow, and the ears flapped in shock. "What?!"
...
The two Lacroans and Fenn strolled towards the recreational area of the base as Zero began to describe the daily schedule at the Miya Royal Castle. They arrived in a large room with a table, a pool table, some chairs, an air hockey table, Foosball, darts, a few couches, and a huge T.V. screen with a large selection of DVDs and video games stored in a long dresser beneath it.
Zero pulled out a chair from the sitting table for Aleda. "Here you go, milady."
"Thanks, but why don't we sit on the couch?" she asked. "It's more comfortable."
Zero nodded. "Very true, milady." He sat on a green couch beside her, although he left a polite distance between them, which Fenn gladly occupied. Once they had comfortably settled, he said, "What else would you like to hear?"
"How about some mythology or legend? Like Fenn. You said he's supposed to be able to save Lacroa, right?" Aleda stroked the top of Fenn's fuzzy head with one finger, and the Spirit watched her curiously.
"Yes, he is a Spirit that has significant power—at least, that is what I've been led to believe."
Fenn pouted.
"You… don't know what he is?"
Zero dodged her glance. "Er, well, he is a Spirit of Lacroa that can breathe fire and will surely grow into one of the strongest Spirits in existence."
Fenn chirruped happily again after having his ego stroked.
Aleda giggled. "Okay. What are the other Spirits?"
"Griffin, Phoenix, Unicorn, and Jormungandr form the quartet that defends Lacroa, the Sacred Beasts. Feather Dragon and Steel Dragon rank just above that quartet. All of them hold incredible power, but the Feather Dragon is known to rescue Lacroa in its darkest hour. It may yet appear to aid us."
Aleda tilted her head. "Can you tell me one of the stories?"
Zero nodded. "Certainly, milady. I'll tell you about the last time Feather Dragon appeared." He gathered his breath. Aleda shifted on the couch and drew her feet up to get cozy.
The knight began: "The last time he saved Lacroa was a thousand years ago. Another royal family was in power then: the Karlans. The King and Queen were heirless and, try as they might, they could not have a child because any that was birthed died within the week, sometimes before it was even out of the womb.
"It seemed hopeless. But one day, when the Queen was again pregnant with child, a poor witch came to the castle. She said to the King, 'Give me food to eat, and I'll use my powers to make your child live.' The King accepted these terms, and so the witch was housed under the royal roof, fed by the royal chiefs, and even clothed with the royal family's hand-me-downs. The witch in turn sat by the Queen every day and chanted her spells, until the day that the child was born. A girl, Princess Lila, emerged from the Queen's womb. When she lived beyond the first week, everyone in the castle became hopeful. After a month, they were fairly certain the princess would make it into adulthood, and once she turned five, her family was overjoyed. It seemed that the Karlans' heirless days were over.
"However, the witch was unsatisfied. She always asked for more food, and her appetite was enormous. She ate enough to feed twelve villages in one day and was still hungry. Some said that she fed all of the food to her pet demons. But, whatever the food was used for, it was too taxing on the kingdom; the peasants were going hungry. The King finally refused to increase the food given to the witch any more, and after Princess Lila's fifth birthday the witch left the castle in a huff. People worried that the curse on the Queen's children would return and kill the princess now that the witch was gone, or that the witch herself would cast a curse on the royal family.
"But neither happened. Years went by, and the princess grew into a fair young lady who was old enough to be married. She was engaged to a prince from a distant kingdom, and Lacroa waited in eager anticipation for the wedding. That was when the invaders came."
Aleda leaned forward, drawn by the dramatic rise and fall of the knight's voice, like a child drawn out by the bob of sea waves on a beach shore.
"Storming in from the north, where the dark mountains rose forbiddingly on the edge of Lacroa, the barbaric invaders slaughtered the men, women, and children of defenseless villages and towns on their way to the royal castle. Knights came from every corner of the kingdom to fend off the villains, but they were defeated because of strong magic. The witch who aided Princess Lila's birth had betrayed Lacroa to the barbarians in revenge for refusing to feed her insatiable gluttony. Her spells made the invaders nearly invincible! They were impervious to the sword, and they healed quickly if they were wounded by fire and stone. The invaders surrounded the royal castle, and all seemed lost, but then the Feather Dragon appeared.
"It was shining white, and its wings were feathered like an angel's. The light it gave off was so great, that the dark night shone like day! The Feather Dragon chose a pure-hearted Knight Gundam in the royal castle to lend its powers to, and that knight was transformed into an otherworldly warrior bearing the Spirit's feathered wings and a sword sharp as the Feather Dragon's claws. This powerful sword cut through the invaders with ease, and the noble knight drove his terrified enemies out of the kingdom, back to the mountains from which they came.
"Some said during the Dark Axis invasion that the mountain-dwellers had finally returned for revenge. It is clear to me now that Dark Axis didn't come from those mountains, but their helpers, including Tallgeese, could have."
Her eyes were rapt with interest. "Where did the Feather Dragon go after that? Does the legend say?"
"After driving the invaders away, the Feather Dragon departed for parts unknown, taking its lent powers with it."
"So the knight didn't have those powers anymore?"
"No, but he had no need for them after that. Lacroa continued to be at peace until long after he died."
"What happened to him after the Feather Dragon?"
"Er…Didn't I just answer that? He died."
"That's not what I meant," Aleda said with a roll of her eyes. "How did he live the rest of his life? Did he marry the princess?"
"Huh?" Zero was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed.
Aleda was confounded. "What did I say?" she asked.
Zero regained his composure. "Forgive me, milady. I don't mean to belittle you. It's only that you said something unusual in Lacroan society. A mere knight would never marry a princess, much less a Gundam marry a human, and I find the idea rather strange."
"So he didn't marry the princess?" Aleda's wings drooped in disappointment.
"No, milady, Princess Lila married her fiancé, the prince. In Lacroa, no one marries a princess but a king, a prince, or at the very least a lord. But the knight was never the worse for it. He found true love from someone else."
"Is there a story for that, too?" Aleda asked eagerly.
Zero the Winged Knight grinned and said, "Yes. I'll tell you.
"On a spring morning, years after his adventure with the Feather Dragon, he spotted a beautiful Gundamess lost in the enchanted woods, and he took her back to the royal castle, where she became a maid and a companion for the princess. This Gundamess was said to be very innocent, compassionate, and forgiving, so much so that she forgave an assassin after he wounded her during a failed attempt to take the princess's life. Don't worry, milady—" he said, seeing the look of horror on Aleda's face, "—the lovely Gundamess survived and healed, and Princess Lila was unharmed. The Gundamess begged for the assassin's life, for he had a family to feed, and her pleas were so moving that they sent him into exile rather than execute him. The heroic knight fell in love with her kind personality, and she with his devotion, and they were married. No one knows where the Gundamess came from, nor where she went after her husband died of old age. Some say she was a Spirit in disguise."
Aleda grinned in delight. "Can Spirits disguise themselves?" she asked.
"Yes," Zero said. "Any being of Lacroa can, with strong enough magic."
"Um, speaking of magic," Aleda said tentatively, "I think I would really like to try learning it, like you said. Could you teach me?"
Zero's eyes brightened at her words. "It would be my delight," he said. "I'm afraid that I tired myself too much for us to start today, but tomorrow I can teach you. Is that acceptable?"
"That sounds good."
"Would you like to hear more about Lacroa, milady?"
"Yes, I'd like that."
The Winged Knight told her about the fine clothes the royalty and nobility wore, the festivals that they celebrated, and the rituals surrounding Mana.
"What is Mana?"
"Mana gives you your magic, milady. Those who are connected with Mana are gifted with this power. But, those who commit themselves to evil, forbidden deeds lose this connection and no longer have this gift."
"They don't have magic, anymore?"
"They can use magic, still, through the Mana of Darkness, a separate entity that desires that evil consume the world."
"Oh. Like a pact with the devil?"
"I suppose you could say that."
"How do I have a connection with Mana? I've had magic since I was a baby, and I never connected myself to anything like that."
"Parents make pacts with Mana for their children as soon as possible so that they can enjoy the benefits of magic," Zero said. "Your parents must have done so before you were whisked away here."
Aleda blinked. "I have parents?"
"I don't understand your question, milady."
"I—We have…biological…parents?" Aleda piqued a digital eyebrow curiously.
Zero nodded. "Yes, we do. All Gundams from Lacroa are born from two parents, a male and a female, and a GunSoul."
The Lacroan Gundamess inspected her armored arms with a new eye. "I guess that makes sense, since my body grew…" She looked at Zero with amazement. "I have parents," she said again in disbelief.
"Yes, milady," Zero said with a smile. "You have someone to search for when we restore Lacroa."
"Wait, my GunSoul, is it…?" Aleda touched the green, round gem in her chest gingerly.
"Yes, that is it. It is your most vulnerable point, where your consciousness connects to your body. It also carries energy through our bodies, like a human heart."
Aleda nodded in response to Zero's words. Her adoptive father had been able to discern the latter function, at least.
"We Gundams are naturally stronger than most other robots," Zero continued. "But, the exposed GunSoul is our most obvious weakness. In the battles that may come, be sure to guard it closely, because Dark Axis soldiers commonly exploit this."
She self-consciously pressed her hand to her gem and bobbed her head in affirmation.
Zero put a hand to his red chin. "What else could I tell you?" he pondered.
"Um… what is it like having a robot family?" Aleda asked.
The knight said neutrally, "I would not know, milady, as my birth parents both died when I was very young, and I was raised by a human couple in the country."
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Aleda said, her eyes darting to her lap. Her shoulders hunched in shame.
"No worries, Lady Aleda. I do not remember my birth parents, so their loss is not a great pain to me." He smiled softly. "Our stories are actually very similar."
"I guess so," Aleda mused. Her shoulders relaxed.
Fenn snuggled closer to his daddy Zero, chirruping consolingly. "My human parents were both skilled mages. They taught me the most important things I've ever learned," Zero said. "I'm grateful to have been raised by them." Aleda nodded in understanding. "Is there anything else you can think of that you would like to know, milady?" Zero asked.
"Um…"
The double-doors to the lounge parted, and Baku peeked in. "Aha! I heard you two were in here!"
Zero groaned. "What do you want?"
Baku sauntered in. "Having fun, are we?"
"We were until you came along."
"Oh, were you?" Baku sneered. "Well, Captain and I are back from our training, and it's time for you to go on patrol, Zero."
The Knight Gundam glanced at the analog clock on the wall. "Yes, I suppose so." He gently nudged Fenn off of his side and rose into the air. "I'll patrol, then, while you laze around."
"Me, lazy? In Ark, I fought 32 hours straight in order to hold a key position from Kibaomaru's men!"
"I'd have never known, since most of your activity here has been eating and sleeping," Zero said snidely.
"That is not true!" Baku objected, stomping his feet.
"Fenn, stay with Lady Aleda while I'm away," Zero said with pat on Fenn's head.
"Are you ignoring me?!"
"Sure, sure. Let's go, sissy samurai." Zero started floating to the door.
"Hey, I don't have to go anywhere! I'm done with my shift! And I'm not the sissy one!"
The door closed.
"That egotistical jerk!" Baku fumed.
Aleda chuckled, a tad nervously, and hugged Fenn to her chest.
Baku sighed. "Well, I'll get him back later." He glanced at Aleda. "I would ask what you were talking about, but I only make fun of Zero."
The samurai's calmer, casual tone relaxed her. Aleda giggled at his remark and said, "We were just talking about Lacroa and Gundams. There's a lot I don't know."
"I'd say so. What did he tell you?"
"Um… that Gundams in Lacroa are born, not made. They have families."
"Yep. That's the way it is in Ark, too."
Aleda peered at Baku over Fenn's fuzzy head. "What kind of family do you have?"
"A great one! I've got four siblings, two brothers and two sisters, and an honorable mother and father," Baku bragged. "And as the oldest son, I'm the pride of the family: Bakunetsumaru, the Blazing Samurai, one of the strongest warriors in all of Ark!"
"Is Ark very different from Lacroa?"
"Of course! Ark has stronger Gundams, and it doesn't have weird things like magic and Spirits!" Baku waved a hand dismissively. "We don't deal with that stuff."
Aleda could feel the rumble of Fenn's purr on her chin. "What kind of things happen in Ark?"
"Glorious battles, huge feasts, and great festivals!"
The Gundamess smiled and braced herself for another wave of enthusiastic story-telling. "Tell me more."
"So, one time, Lord Buritenmaru challenged an opposing general to a duel…"
Author's Notes
Hope you enjoyed that legend and lore I made up, and Zero's little backstory. By the way, if I made something in the lore that clashes with what the show said, please point it out to me. There was so many little world-building moments that I don't remember all of them. I was surprised to rediscover recently that the natural healing due to nanobots was actually something that SDGF explicitly said Musha Gundams could do. It's been a very long time.
Zero's family I originally did differently, because I was under the impression from the show that, with the Spirit Tree, Knight Gundams didn't always need "biological" parents, if at all. (Though maybe they don't… weren't all the Gundams in Lacroa wiped out? Surely they didn't expect Zero to repopulate them all?) Zero's surprise at the revelation that Musha Gundams can have kids also supports a view that Knight Gundams don't. But, the ability of Deed to fall in love suggests that Knight Gundams can procreate. So, I tried to make a happy medium between the two. I had it so that all Lacroan Gundams came from Spirit Eggs, but some would find their way into a Gundamess first and receive the traits of the parent Gundams while others would just turn into Gundams once they found a worthy caretaker. I also concluded that Zero was surprised because he simply didn't think that the Musha Gundams would share the reproductive trait with Knight Gundams. And then I read on Gundam Wiki that the Spirit Tree is also a feature of the older SD Gundam cartoon series that took place in Lacroa, and its thing was that "all things born" in Lacroa got their spirits from the Spirit Tree. So, that would mean the humans, animals, etc., too? The Wiki says humans, Gundams, and Spirits definitely got their spirits from the Spirit Eggs. So, because we know that humans reproduce even in Lacroa (Rele has a mom and dad), the Spirit Tree was probably only supposed to generate souls and not bodies. As you can see, now I'm confused, and instead of having Zero be a non-procreated Gundam that was raised by humans as I originally planned, I've decided to change it so that his progenitors died. Though I'm still confused, it's honestly easier if everyone in Lacroa is born the same way: procreation for the body, Spirit Tree for the soul. And, it gives something else for Zero and Aleda to have in common (the human adoptive families, not the dead biological parents. I'm not that mean . Or am I? You'll have to wait to find out :) ).
Well, Zero's info is a lot for Aleda to digest. We'll probably get more of her thoughts on everything, soon. And we'll continue to see Chief Haro's thoughts on it as time goes on. XD
Be sure to review :) Tell me if the chapters are too long.
-Penelopi