Fan Fiction ❯ Shielded in Broken Armours ❯ Part 3: Rise of the Phoenix ( Chapter 17 )
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Fantasy / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.30.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.0K | Visits: 170 | Status: Completed
by Alice Montrose
completed July 31, 2004
Chapter Seventeen
The travel party arrived in Mnemon, Angelia's capital, on a heavily clouded day in the month of Ghrius. After more than a month of travel, it should have felt good to be back at home. It did, in a way; or at least that was what Marzio Zain-Reil thought. He had missed his homeland and his family, and yet...
It had taken them more than two weeks of travel to reach the Mauri Confederation, a union of three cites that made trade between Angelia and Demonis easier. Part of the road, from Aquiline and Gheest, had already been known to him, and from there a portion of the road to Tulse. Still, transition from summer to nearly winter had made the road hard to recognize. And where there had once been endless forests and waterfalls, now everything was preparing for the cold season, and the peaks of the Black Mountains were already covered in snow.
As they had gradually descended toward Mauri's plain, the temperature had risen a little, but not by much. Soon, the familiar sight of the three riverbank cities had greeted them, and they had said their farewells to the Demon escort which had accompanied them. For Marzio, who had befriended most of the riders, it had been a sad leave-taking, for it meant leaving behind Demonis and all that it had meant for him, and most importantly Ignis - Ignis, who had been with him in spirit for the entire trip.
In Tulse, another escort had awaited them, this time of the Angelian cavalry. Most of these men knew Marzio and had greeted the High Commander with an open heart, if not even relief he was now free from Demon imprisonment. The general had found it hard to explain to them why he was not as content as he should have been, or at least as content to go to Mnemon as the Lords of the War Council were.
Unfortunately, Ceni Mah-Kel, Marzio's Second-in-Command, had not been able to come greet them himself, which had left Marzio brooding for the rest of the trip. There were very few people he trusted, and Ceni was one of his closest friends and confidents. He would have liked to share with him all he had experienced, but now it had to wait for at least another two weeks. The only good thing about it was he could probably get away easier by speaking to both Ceni and Princess Selena at the same time.
The only major break in their journey had been made in Scyris, the centre of the province Scyria; the rest of the trip had been another chain of inns and guest houses, and the general could now easily compare them to their Demon equivalents. He had had many things to consider, this time, and a different approach on things. It had been strange, to find he had changed quite a bit in the past few months. Or, perhaps, not surprising at all...
At any rate, the moment they reached Mnemon he did feel a certain relief, even if it would be a short-term one.
Unlike the Demon capital, Mnemon had pretty much maintained its initial aspect of a citadel and at its centre was the ancient castle that had served as home for the Royal Family since the beginning of known times. Around it rose the equally ancient city walls, compete with defence towers that were still in use. The only difference from the original plans in this area were the streets, which had been widened sometime in the seventh century.
Around this core newer buildings had been built as the city had developed until the sixth century, when Angelia had faced an attempted invasion of the desert tribes and another fortification belt had been built, this time in stone rather than clay bricks and wood. Then came the newest part of the city with the final fortifications added not a century before Marzio's birth. All in all, the city consisted of three concentric circles each containing its own share of buildings, from which the newest section was Marzio's favourite. He even owned a small house there, to get away from the castle when he felt like it.
It was just past noon when they entered the city, and the people who had dared venture out were more than they would have been had it been raining. It was only natural for them, therefore, to stop whatever they had been doing and look at the carriage directed towards the castle, even more so because there were so many guards escorting it. From there, it was just a matter of time until somebody recognized one of the hooded riders as General Marzio Zain-Reil, and a roar erupted from the crowd as the name passed from mouth to mouth.
Marzio let out a small sigh of relief when the crowd did not start throwing things at them; on the contrary, the people seemed actually happy to see him. That didn't change the fact that, if he was there, they would also know who was in the carriage - namely the Lords Kelan, Elssi and Angus. He was extremely thankful that the crowd didn't try to storm the carriage until they reached the castle.
Still, he found it harder and harder to explain the relieved looks on people's faces; his mind told him they were happy the Demons had not harmed them, but his heart protested against that notion. More and more he had been divided between the old beliefs that had been instilled into him his whole life and his recent revelations.
He needed more time to think, to find a balance between old and new - but he couldn't afford that right now. He had to see King Teh-Kai first, go through various discussions he generically named 'interrogation sessions', and then take care of various military issues that undoubtedly required his immediate attention. (Envisioning his desk filled with piles of paperwork didn't do much for his morale.) But hopefully it would all be done in a month or so, and he would be able to take a vacation around Midwinter, in which he was planning on going back to Meralda and spend a few weeks with his family. By the gods, he needed it badly!
The guards on duty at the castle's gate saluted him merrily, which helped lessen his dark mood by a few degrees. There was an official reception awaiting them that evening, if one were to judge by the great fuss of pages and servants webbing through the courtyard. A small welcoming party awaited them near the main entrance, and another jolt of happiness ran through Marzio's heart as he noticed Ceni Mah-Kel was one of the people there. He had missed his best friend during all these months, and he was the captain had made it home all right.
There was a short commotion when the Lords of the War Council left their carriage - Kelan threw him another poisoned glare but Marzio pretended not to see it as he dismounted - and the general caught words of worry, reassurance and even happiness among the highborn gathered there. He wondered what would happen when they noticed he was there while removing his hood and handing the reins of his horse to one of the stable-hands, but Ceni was quicker than anyone.
"You made it!" his Second-in-Command exclaimed excitedly. "I never thought it would be so good to see you again!"
Marzio was pulled into an enthusiastic embrace that nearly crushed the air out of his lungs and gave his friend a mocked glare as he was released.
"That is hardly a good reason to asphyxiate me," Marzio pointed out, but couldn't hide the smile that came freely to his lips. "But I'm glad to see you as well." He gave Ceni a look over, noticing the slightly different uniform. "Lieutenant-Colonel, is it? Well then, I suppose things can't be too bad after all."
Ceni shook his head as he impatiently pulled Marzio after the already departing herd of courtiers. "No, but His Majesty wants to see you as soon as possible. Thankfully he's had plenty of time to mellow down. It seems there are plenty of highborn who didn't approve of this war, and they all spoke in favour of a peace treaty with Demonis."
"I know. Lord Roland Bela-Fer told me about it before we left Aquiline. He seemed very enthusiastic to start working on it; almost as enthusiastic as Ig- Prince Sagni-Dor." He hid his slip behind a cough; he'd have to get used to not calling Ignis by name, at least in public.
Ceni kept a blank expression at the mentioning of the Demon sovereign, though Marzio knew his friend was dying to find out more details about the prince. But it would have to wait until later on.
King Raresh Teh-Kai, an elderly man with whitening light auburn hair and amber eyes, received them in his private office rather than the Throne Hall. Marzio was thankful for it, and of the fact he went in before Lord Kelan. It was a short meeting, and the king looked suspiciously detached; he could only hope the meeting he would have with Kelan Loreh-Ven later on wouldn't change his mood too much. He was asked about how they had been treated by the Demons, if he had learned something useful during his stay, and so on. Then he was politely dismissed, and the king's secretary informed him there would be a council meeting in two days to discuss their defeat in the war. Marzio, having agreed with Ignis that what happened had not been an actual war - a single battle couldn't be called that - but regretfully a slaughter, nodded emphatically and asked the secretary to make sure Lord Kelan gave King Teh-Kai the letters the Prince of Demonis had entrusted to him, and then gracefully and quietly retired, hoping to finally catch up on his rest.
The following day, Marzio organized a quick inspection of the troops stationed in the castle, mainly to reacquaint himself with such duties, gave his office a quick dust-over, glared at the pile of official documents that waited for his attention, which was actually smaller than he had expected, and sent someone to track down the now Lieutenant-Colonel Mah-Kel to ask him about it.
Ceni showed up and they went to lunch, during which he informed Marzio that he had indeed taken care of some paperwork in his stead, because otherwise they would have threatened to overflow not only the general's desk, but probably the floor as well. The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence from Marzio as he listened to a quick review of what had transpired since they had parted ways nearly four months before.
Still, he refused to give in to his friend's inquiring looks until after lunch, when he got up and motioned for Ceni to follow him, taking the shortest route toward the small garden that had been created near the castle. The weather was still bleak, which meant there would be very few people who would come take a walk in the garden; besides, most of the highborn were having their afternoon rest at that hour.
"Ask away," he said when the occasional guards saluting them and congratulating Marzio on "escaping the Demons' hold" became rarer and he was fairly certain nobody would hear what was being said by either of them.
Ceni's face lighted at this, but Marzio's somewhat nostalgic expression kept his voice from being too enthusiastic.
"So, how was your stay in Aquiline?"
Marzio couldn't help a small smile. "Very good, thank you. I was fed, clothed and spoiled rotten. I was even taken out hunting and enjoyed it, unlike a certain moody advisor."
"Ohh... Marzio, Marzio!" Ceni tsked, his good humour restored at Marzio's positive reaction to his question. "You didn't take too much advantage of Prince Sagni-Dor's generosity, did you now."
"Ceni, curiosity never became you. Although I think Ignis could say the same about me. But I did not have to take advantage of his generosity, because it was all freely offered, and I even had to refuse certain things. If you think my uncle's hospitality is great, then you should spend a week as Ignis' guest and I can guarantee you will quickly change your opinion."
"And? Anything else I should know?"
Marzio groaned, knowing well what he was asking about, but just as he was about to reply a high-pitched female voice called out, "Marzio! Wait for me!"
Marzio knew the young woman running down the hallway, a concerned older woman on her trail, very well. Princess Selena had matured a little since he had left, but she had the same pale blue eyes and wheat-blond hair he remembered, and her joyous voice filled the sober corridor as she threw herself at the general.
The general opened his arms to catch her and hold her still at the same time, and laughed heartily as she hugged him. "Oh, Marzio! You're back! I was afraid we had lost you to that horrible Prince of Demonis. Lord Kelan says he is such a cruel being!"
Marzio was not surprised that Kelan would spread vicious rumours concerning Ignis. He wondered what the old man had to say about him, though. He would probably have to defend his honour and family name when he set foot at Court again.
He was now seriously considering going home to Meralda after he concluded all his business in Mnemon for that year.
The old nurse caught up with her ward, which was still hugging Marzio, and made an angry face at them. "Your Highness, it is not proper for a Princess to run like that through the hallways. Not to mention throw yourself at a man in such an unbecoming manner."
Selena Teh-Kai pouted, slipping away from Marzio's arms. "And what business is it of yours? I am in my free time now, and I am not a little girl anymore so stop following me around!"
Marzio grinned at the nurse over the princess' blonde head. "Don't worry, Elissa, you know she's safe with me. I'll keep any vicious courtiers away from Her Highness and bring her to her rooms unharmed."
Elissa threatened him with a finger. "You'd better take good care of my angel, General Zain-Reil, or you will not hear the end of it!" Then she turned and walked back the way she came, shooting glances behind her when she thought the three were not looking.
Selena quickly straightened the skirts of her gown with a hand and took on a proud stance. "Welcome back General Zain-Reil," she said gravely and offered Marzio her small hand.
The general took it in his and kissed it reverently, smiling at his young friend. "It is a pleasure to be back, Your Highness. I am glad to find you in such good health."
Then he grinned and grasped her around her slim waist, spinning her around once while she cried out in surprise. Setting her back on her feet, he offered her his arm which she kindly accepted like the well-bred princess she was supposed to be. They started walking through the corridor, Ceni one step behind. For some reason, Ceni and Selena had never gotten along quite well, but for as long as he was there they would likely not try to insult each other in any way. Besides, he had gotten his wish: he wouldn't have to answer the same questions more times than necessary.
Mnemon was much warmer than Aquiline, especially in winter, so the three found a deserted bench and sat down so Marzio could give them all the answers they wanted in relative privacy.
Selena was the first one to question him. "So tell me, did they really keep you closed in your rooms and only let you out every now and then? Lord Kelan said he's had such a horrible time, not being able to breathe without anyone watching!"
Marzio gave her a worried look. "Is that what he says? Because I was under the impression he was as free to roam the castle as I was, and I never saw one guard following him."
"Then Prince Sagni-Dor didn't keep you locked up? He didn't force you to betray Angelia?" she asked, looking at him with widened eyes.
Marzio shook his head. "Ignis had no need to interrogate us, he already knew all he wanted to know through his spies. Quite the contrary, he was a very kind person who tried to make our stay there as pleasant as possible."
Ceni chuckled at this, and Selena looked at both to see what was so funny. "And he's not a cruel tyrant?"
"No, he is a wonderful human being. I think you would really like him if you met him."
"Yes, princess, you probably would," Ceni intervened. "Marzio seems to have liked him quite a lot."
Selena jumped up at the words and turned to the general. "Really? He and you? That is so romantic! But... does father know?" she asked cautiously. "Marzio, say you haven't told father! He would be extremely furious!"
"No, princess, I haven't told your father; nor am I planning to. And I trust you will keep this little secret."
She smiled up at him. "Oh, Marzio, of course I will. There is nothing more romantic than forbidden love!"
Well, Marzio honestly didn't see it as romantic as she did, but he supposed young women should be allowed to dream, especially in Angelia where they rarely could do anything else. However he was certain she would not say a word, although she would squeeze every little detail out of him. Unlike her father, Selena had a quick and inquisitive mind, and had she been born a man she would have become a great sovereign. As it was, he could only hope that things would either change in Angelia, or that her husband would listen to her advice.
"So, what's he like?" she asked, peering up at him from under lowered lashes. "If you liked him, he can't look anything like those silly gossips at Court describe him. He has no eyes that burn your soul, right?"
"Well, that is perhaps the only half-true thing they say about him. He has incredible eyes, dark burgundy in colour, and he does have the ability of reading people very easily. But that is all. And he is very, very beautiful. Ceni saw him, so he can confirm this."
Ceni nodded from next to him. "He would look very Angelian, if he had white wings and no accent."
"Really?"
"Yes," Marzio confirmed. "He has waist-long red hair and very pale skin. I thought he was a half-breed at first, but apparently there is no drop of Angelian blood in his veins. And he is everything a true prince should be like; which is probably why he has such an impact on everybody. The women are crazy about him - it was a bit embarrassing for me at first."
"And you and he... you know?" Selena asked.
Marzio blushed. "Yes, we did," he confessed.
"I knew it!" Ceni declared. "I knew you would!"
"But isn't that bad? I mean, you were his hostages and he was the enemy and..."
Marzio smiled. "Easy, Selena. All that is good and true, but Ignis is not the type to force information out of someone that way. In fact, I was repeatedly assured he doesn't mix business with pleasure and warned not to take advantage of his kindness. Hell, General Neri-Lokh threatened she'd kill me if I harmed their precious Prince in any way."
"Hn. She seemed like the type," Ceni mumbled, his comment almost forgotten as Selena wanted to know everything about what Demonis was like, and the discussion turned into a description of the land as Marzio saw it. He took great care to outline the fact that Demons were not too different from Angelians, but that their mentality was very different from what Angelian philosophers and politicians claimed it to be. He could see the princess practically feeding on his words, her youthful curiosity winning over indoctrinated beliefs. Perhaps that was the way to follow, then - showing the younger generation how old-fashioned Angelian mentality was.
"They are extraordinarily open to new ideas," he finally said, "and eager for peace. And yet they would die to protect their homeland from invaders. Ignis in particular told me that the path to peace is hard, and even with a peace treaty they wouldn't stop training soldiers, because that would mean that they would forget how to protect their land. He said that a piece of paper and an empty promise cannot defend a person against a well-aimed arrow or a sharp sword."
Ceni nodded. "He sounds a bit like Lord Tanis Seer-Nis. Too bad your uncle's friend is dead, I'm sure he would have been a useful emissary to our delegation."
Marzio wavered, not knowing if he should tell them that Tanis was still alive, and had been Ignis' teacher. Lord Roland had been thrilled to have Tanis act as an intermediary between Demons and Angelians, but he was the only member of the delegation that knew the old strategist was alive and their collaboration was a well-kept secret.
"There are other pacifists in the Council," Selena informed them merrily. "I'm sure this peace treaty will have plenty of support. But father is still a little upset about the army's failure. I'm not sure he holds you responsible, Marzio; and I think it was Lord Loreh-Ven's fault. But nobody cares about what I think." She pouted a little and stood up abruptly. "It's not fair! They treat women as equals in Demonis! Why don't we?"
Ceni seemed a bit outraged, but Marzio simply shrugged. "With a bit of luck, one day we will. If we open our borders and allow Demon culture to influence us, it will happen. Hopefully we'll all come to work out our differences and become one people again."
"That will be hard," Ceni intervened. "Not everybody is as tolerant as you two. Some of us still see the Demons as inferior, you know..."
"Oh, come on! I know you were in favour of the peace talks!" Selena pointed a finger at Ceni accusingly.
"That has nothing to do with it! Tradition demands that we don't mix with Demons!" Ceni retaliated.
Marzio groaned as they kept on arguing. "Enough! Selena, you shouldn't act like this. You are the Princess Heir of Angelia, after all; you should express your ideas gracefully, not by yelling at people. And Ceni," he turned to his other friend, "you shouldn't defend a position you don't believe in. Selena is right, you supported the peace delegation. And as far as I recall you also practically gloated in knowing that I would have a relationship with Ignis if I stayed in Demonis... so you're not one to talk against mingling with Demons. Besides, don't think I didn't catch you checking out General Neri-Lokh when you thought no one was looking."
Ceni's eyes went wide as Selena burst into laughter.