The sun shone benignly down on the freshly rebuilt city of Fanelia, couched securely in a forest guarded by Earth Dragons. For some reason that no one seemed to know, those dragons left the city alone, and had done so for decades beyond count.
Fanelians themselves were a somewhat insular people, only minorly interested in trade. Despite their close to home mentality, they were famed the world over - even in these times of peace - as the most skilled and courageous warriors ever to walk the lands of Gaea. It was fearfully whispered among some of the less than honest citizens of the world that a Fanelian swordsman couldn't be killed.
As Knight Ceali Allen Shezar of Austura looked down on the immense and spotless citadel that crowned the city, he had to admit, privately and very quietly in his own mind, that he agreed with that assessment himself. Even as a young and largely unblooded youth, King Van Fanel had very nearly been his match, and had been so focused as to be practically indestructable, even covered with unhealing wounds and molting feathers like a dead goose.
He smiled fondly. He had long considered Van a good and honorable friend, and they had long ago given up their endless competitions with each other.
His smile faded as he thought back to what they had all seen last night.
Gaddess looked at him, and he saw on his second's face the same shocked and unbelieving look that must be on his own. Allen had shaken his head and looked again, as if banishing the false vision from his eyes, but it had not gone away. Their leisurely visit to Fanelia had just turned a little more serious as the column of light faded away, leaving a ghost in their vision.
"It can't be..." Gaddess said softly, worriedly.
Allen had grimaced slightly, and shaken himself into a more aware state, "Prepare to depart immediately. We will not stop again until we reach Fanelia."
"Load it up, you lazy bastards!" Gaddess immediately roared at the crew that was still staring at the sky. He was all proffessional now that orders had been given, as comforting as a solid shelter in a hurricane, "Prepare to lift off!"
Good natured grumbling and some small jokes had greeted the order, but the men who called Allen and Gaddess their commanders were used to his rough ways, and went about the work with a mostly cheerful attitude. Some hushed and immediately rebuffed mutters, however, were of evil omens and bad luck.
Allen gave himself a moment to brood over the appearance of the column of light. They had not seen it in ten years, and the first sighting had heralded a war that engulfed the entire planet. That thing could be seen for miles around, and he hoped she had come to rest in Fanelia, or they were all in trouble.
Peace in Gaea was still little more than a subtle veneer forced down the collective throats of the various monarchs by the threats of Van Fanel and Asturia's vast and well trained armies. Without caring where she was, nearly ever country would be after the famed Seeress of the Mystic Moon by sunset. She would be unimaginably valuable to them, as the last war had proven, and they would have cheerfully sold their souls to have her whispering her knowledge of the future into their ears....and to have that kind of hold on Van and Fanelia.
Finally they were over the Citadel of Fanelia, landing too slowly in the immense courtyard. An industrious servant abandoned his task of scrubbing the courtyard stones as they landed on the clean swept stones. A fresh faced young samurai, new to his station, came out to meet them as he and Gaddess disembarked.
For some reason that samurai looked a little nervous. For some reason all the young warriors looked a little nervous around him these days. He didn't, however, have time to soothe the man.
"I must see Van at once."
The samurai flinched, whatever greeting he had been about to utter dying on his lips as he temporized, "His Majesty is..."
"We know," Allen interupted, not unkindly, "but we must see him now."
Gaddess scowled, and the youngling looked a little edgier, but turned and led them inside at an almost indecorously quick pace. The flush-faced youngling stopped in front of a rather anonymous door, forzen by indecision and blocking their way. This time it was Gaddess who looked irritated.
"Move it, pond slime!" He roared in the same fashion with which he spoke to the crew. In that moment the hall empty of maids, butlers and even a few nobles, all suddenly in a hurry to be elsewhere, "This isn't a Tea Party!"
The young samurai stood trembling, as if he thought he was going to get chopped to bits as the door opened and a rather nondescript and fresh-faced man looked out, surprised to find Allen and Gaddess standing in the hallway.
"Go on," he said to the samurai, who disappeared as quickly as the maids had. He cast a reproachful look at Gaddess, who grinned, unrepetant as Allen asked the pertinent question.
"Is she here?"
Reyan nodded, glancing over his shoulder before widening the door to let them in. Inside Van sat on the edge of a chair, eyes clouded by too little sleep and filled with worry as he looked at them.
Van may not have changed in the last ten years, but the girl pillowed in the bed had changed a great deal. While no less beautiful than he remembered, she looked very small and fragile in the oversized bed. Her face was almost as pale as the lilies he placed on his mother's grave, almost as white as the clean bandages that were wrapped around her, the parts that weren't stained with blood anyway. Her hair was the same sun-touched aura of gold he remembered, but the fact that her jade green eyes were closed robbed her of mch of her usual vibrancy.
Allen took an almost involuntary step forward. Of all the women he had ever truly loved... She looked as though she were fading away, as if she weren't really there at all. |
