A new week begins, and so does a new topic.
Prepare yourselves for Act 2.
###Lasting Scars
The sun rose on the second day of the Festival, the Borran with it, and it wasn’t too long before the sounds of celebration echoed throughout the treetops. Vineon lounged on a tree branch a ways away from the rest of the celebration. He was thinking about the previous day. The new Toa team of course, and he was definitely pondering the identities of the assailants, though he already had a pretty good idea there, but mostly he was remembering his conversation with Grillon.
From the moment he’d met the little sucker, he’d seen something in him. Something that scared Vineon to his core. Grillon was a dreamer, a visionary. An idealist. He had that insipid look of someone of would do something for someone else just to ‘make the world a better place’ or some crap like that. Just like her. And so, he’d taken every opportunity to mock, belittle, and abuse him, doing everything in his power to crush that spark before the fool got burned.
And yet… it hadn’t worked. Just when he thought for sure that the spark had finally died, he showed up on his doorstep with all his new friends and a sparkly plan for peace. Worse, he’d actually managed to sweep the Ironwood Knight along for the ride. Guess you were right after all, huh? He thought lazily, drifting off to sleep…
~
“Come on, Vineon! I know it was over here somewhere!” She yelled over her shoulder, disappearing into the foliage.
“Hey Lyra, wait up!” Vineon called after her, tripping over his feet as he charged headlong into the undergrowth. She was just on the other side of some brambles when he caught up, sitting beside a babbling brook with something in her hands.
“Hey! Don’t run ahead like that!” Vineon gasped out, short of breath, “Who knows what could be hiding here on the ground…” He shivered at the thought. Very little sunlight made it through the many canopies of twisting branches and leaves to the forest floor. Three-story high oaks towered above them, as if greedily devouring the light before it could reach the bottom. Strangely enough, that didn’t stop smaller plants from growing. This was their first time on the ground, and it really shouldn’t have been for another five years, when they turned thirteen.
“Lyra!” Vineon protested again, louder this time, looking nervously about.
“Shush! It’s resting!” Lyra said, turning back to what she had cradled in her hands. It was a small bird, with vibrant green eyes contrasting with deep blue feathers on its body, that turned purple on its four wings. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She whispered, looking at each detail in awe. Vineon’s eyes were drawn to the hole in its third wing.
“You were right, they are using ndege for the target practise exercises.” He gasped. “That’s awful.”
Lyra nodded in agreement. “So, you’re gonna help me sneak it into the bunks, right?”
“WHAT? Lyra, are you crazy? We can’t do that!”
“Well, we can’t just leave it here.”
“We have to! Can you imagine what Pater would do to us if he found out?”
“I’m not going to let it die.”
“WHY NOT? It isn’t a person, it’s just a dumb bird!”
“So? What does that have to do with it? Doesn’t mean birds can’t feel. Doesn’t mean the world wouldn’t be lesser for the loss of it. Doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be an awesome pet.”
“But- I mean-” Vineon sighed in defeat. “Fine. But if we get caught, I’m totally ratting you out.”
“Oh come on, we both know that isn’t true. Besides, the Poisoners won’t care about one little bird.”
~
Vineon snapped awake, jerking around to make sure no one had seen him. As he blinked, he was surprised to feel tears running down the insides of his mask.
“Oh, curse it all. Fire-spitter must be getting to me. Still, I suppose I should probably tell him about the Poisoners… ah well, it can wait till tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Grillon was pacing back and forth in his study, excitedly flipping through the pages in various texts and documents, thinking out loud all the while.
“Alright, this is a one time opportunity Grillon, so don’t blow it. You are now the leader of the six strongest beings on the island―well I suppose there’s Icarax, and any other of those Dyn, but that only makes it more important. I need a plan for tomorrow. I can’t go out there with no idea of what to do. But I have no idea what to do! If only there was a more experienced leader that I could confide in and get some advice from…” He stopped in his tracks as an insanely reckless decision popped into his head. “Wait a minute. I think there is.”
Kerila and Maerkon strode through the streets of Ga-veza, taking in the sights of the Festival.
Kerila’s eyes were wide with wonder as they passed by food stands, toy shops, elaborate puppet shows put on for the children, and firework stands being set up for that night, filled with sparklers, firecrackers, Tay candles, and other wonders. As if the famed city of ships wasn’t grand and exciting enough during the rest of the year. Of course, the pair attracted their own share of attention. After all, Maerkon had been a popular war hero even before the ‘Great War’ had started, and his renown had only grown since then. And Kerila was the mysterious and exotic ally from the north, the famed Mirror Knight.
“Wow, this is all so incredible!” Gushed Kerila, looking like her eyes would fall out of her head.
“Careful now, you’ll lose your air of mystique if you keep being so easily impressed.” Maerkon said, chuckling. “This is nothing to the celebrations that took place before the war, when all the nations would gather in the valley outside the city. Surely you’re not so young that you can’t remember them?”
“Well no, I remember that happening, but… I was never allowed to go.” Kerila said glumly, looking at the ground. “Kind of a shame, if it was as great as you say.”
“Kind of a shame? Kind of a shame? Kerila, it’s sacred law that all try their best to attend the Festival! What do you mean you weren’t allowed?”
“I dunno, I just… wasn’t, I guess. The war starting was my first time leaving Kothe.” Maerkon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Part of him wanted to march all the way to Kothe and give someone a piece of his mind, but the ragged tone in her voice warned him that it was best to drop it. He quickly looked around for something to change the subject.
“Hey, what do you think of, uh…” His mouth slammed shut. Oh dear. Not exactly the best thing to lighten the mood with.
“Huh? What’s that?” Kerila asked, pointing to a statue of an armored Galin.
“Ah, that’s the heroes monument, where the names of all the greatest heroes in Galis are carved.”
“Really? That’s awesome! Is your name on it?”
“Not yet, little one. Y’see, it’s only for the very greatest heroes. Here,” he pointed at one name, “Halden, for example. We were Shieldbrothers, and he saved my life from a vicious sea serpent that attacked the coast when we were still young. Sadly, he didn’t escape the serpent’s gullet. And here we have Johtun, another of my old pals. He and five others were stranded in a cave full of mata-ra. For six days they held out, slew almost half of the beasts. It was only through his Valor that even one of them made it out. Galatia was a Spearmaiden, a little younger than you are now, and placed under my command little over nine months ago. We marched out… and met Yeela.”
Kerila looked on in awe, scanning the list of names.
“I get it… this is a memorial for soldiers who’ve fallen in battle.”
“Indeed, little one. One of five in Ga-veza, each dating back eight hundred years, and divided by clan.”
“Wow… you know a lot of these names, huh?”
Maerkon laughed, but it didn’t sound half as cheerful as it normally did.
“Kerila, I’ve been a soldier since I was fourteen, and lived with the army five years longer. Most everyone I’ve ever known are on one of these statues, and more every day.”
Kerila looked at him sadly.
“I-I’m sorry for bringing up sad memories.”
“Ah, never you mind. Sure, it gets me down at times, but that’s only because I was so dang happy when I was with ‘em. It balances out, yeah? I’ve got more than enough good to bear the bad. Now come on, there’s so much more to see! We can’t waste our time being depressed, we’re here to have fun!”
Elsewhere, the Leta celebrations were in full swing. The sounds of partying echoed through every caravan in the desert, but none more so than the tent of Allya of clan Tamu. It had been many a long moon since Brahn had been able to return from the front, and many laughingly said that Allya had been literally glowing with happiness the day before.
“Mom! Pops!” Briata yelled, running through the door. “Friana’s back!” She was then promptly pushed out of way by the Toa of Air.
“Alright, I can announce myself, thanks.” Brahn looked up from where he’d been sitting next to Allya.
“Hey there, ifanca. Good to see you when we’re not on the battlefield for once.”
“Hey Pops. Hey Mom.” Friana said, smiling so wide her face actually hurt. “It’s good to see you again.”
Briata nudged her in the back.
“C’mon Sis, I can see how tense you are trying to resist the urge to tackle hug them. Just go ahead and get it over with, ya big baby.”
And so she did.
The four laughed, played, talking long over lunch and later supper. Briata showed Brahn how she’d learned to weave cloaks that would blend in perfectly with both the sand of the desert and the sparse underbrush of the border. Brahn showed everyone a new musical instrument he’d been working on in his spare time (“It’s based on a Kona instrument called a sitar. It’s still awfully off tune…”), and all the while, Allya and Brahn never left each other’s side.
When the sun was setting in the sky and the first stars were becoming visible, Briata and Friana both decided to take a long walk. They left the tent and walked around the caravan a couple of times, till finally they came to a stop by the spring, leaning against the few trees that grew there. And there they sat in silence.
“Hey Sis, where were you yesterday, anyway? Brahn came back around midday, and we had no idea where you were.”
“Oh yeah, I was taking a hike with Yeela. I guess we lost track of time. Sorry for being late, but… I can’t bear to think of Yeela being alone for the Festival.”
“Well, that was nice of you… hey, you remember the good old times, when you and Brahn weren’t always away fighting, there wasn’t even a thought of war, and it was like this all the time?”
“Oh yeah, ‘course I do. You, me, Yeela, Hafu, Eryr, Frind, and Leif. Back when it didn’t matter that Leif was Galin, when Hafu and Eryr were still alive… we were inseparable, and we thought nothing would ever change that. Those really were the days.”
Briata sighed, looking up at the sky. “Do you even know where Leif is right now?”
“Nope. To be honest, I just hope he’s not in the army. I mean, I’ve fought Galis before… what would I do if I’ve killed him? Or Yeela?”
The two sisters were silent for a time, looking up at the night sky, lost in their own thoughts.
“Well aren’t we the sunshine and smiles brigade today!” Friana said, bursting into laughter.
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s the Spring Festival, we should be celebrating or something.”
“Don’t worry, chera ifanca. Something tells me the war won’t last too much longer.”
So there you have it: the first chapter of Act 2! More to come!