"The well-trained mage is always taken by surprise." *Precepts of Sarhn the Seer* (N.B. The commentaries on this one brief precept alone now fill seven volumes in the Mage Library at Lindael. ) ----------- Ravenspire Studios presents a Rocketarian Pictures production in association with Improfanfic Suikoden: Distant Shores created by Todd Harper and Illyria Part 7: The Refuge by Lirazel ----------- An hour's brisk walking from the point where they encountered the robbers brought Reid and his small band to the outlying districts of Bristow. Woodland began to give way to pasture, small herds of animals could be seen in the distance, and the rough track on which they walked broadened and began to show signs of ruts. As they topped a small rise, Reid raised his hand for a stop. Lierni was secretly glad of it. The fight with the bandits had drained her of mana, and the pace that Reid and Kyrina had set since then had given her little chance to recuperate. However, it would not do to appear weak. "Why are we stopping?" No one replied. Lierni heard Tavia's breath catch in her throat, and followed her eyes, looking to the left. "It--it looks just like--home," Tavia whispered. A small brook meandered delicately through a meadow, and the ground, which sloped gently down from the hill on which they stood, rose up on its other side with only a slight increase in pitch. At the top of the meadow, against the forest, stood a little farm. Small house with smoking chimney, larger barn, a few more outbuildings, a large garden, a small orchard, haystacks. And all so perfect, so complete in every detail, from the protective red markings on the chimney to the bundles of sweet herbs drying over the door, that it looked improbable, like the illustrations in a storybook. From a copse of trees near the stream, the lowing of cows and gentle clang of bells could be heard. It was a dream of peace. Lierni looked at her companions' faces. Tavia was staring as if she could never look enough, and probably was unaware that tears were forming in her eyes. Reid and Kyrina both looked troubled, though Reid's trouble was making him clench his jaw in a very grim manner, while Kyrina looked as though she had bad news for a dear friend and was not enjoying having to give it. Alaric and Alyssa Mytelene merely looked puzzled. "So," said Reid, without taking his eyes off the little house. "Anyone know who lives here?" "N-no." Tavia seemed to shake herself free of whatever was getting to her. "I never came into Bristow by this route." "I have no knowledge of this place," said Lierni. "And we need to keep moving. Send a messenger out to them from Bristow, once we get there, if you think we ought to warn them." Kyrina seemed about to speak, then stopped and pointed suddenly. "Look!" Around the corner of the barn, two small figures stepped in unison. It was too far to tell who they were and what they were wearing, at least to Lierni's eyes. She reached up her gloved hand and called Arrano, then sent him out to see what was going on. "They're Heimdall cadets, by their uniforms, stated Kyrina. Everyone looked at her. "Well, there are a few benefits to being part Elf... Look, there's more!" Another pair of figures swung around from the back of the house, stepped smartly through the orchard, and met the first pair half-way between the house and the barn. A few brief words, and the pairs separated, going back the way each had come. "Guard duty!" exclaimed Tavia. A keening cry announced Arrano's return. "He says there are seventeen of them!" Lierni exclaimed. "That's all he could see outside, anyway. Let's go!" She began to run towards the house, only to be stopped short as Reid grabbed her arm. "I remind you, Miss Totorika, you are pledged to assist Senrou and his followers in defending Bristow against the Wind Children. You are still our prisoners, you and Miss Reinschild." Lierni shook herself free. "Defending Bristow is part of my duty as a Heimdall cadet." she announced, folding her arms and staring firmly into Reid's face. "I intend to fulfill that duty to the utmost. And I don't need a renegade like you to teach it to me." She glanced over at Tavia, who was looking remarkably uncomfortable. Tavia spoke slowly. "We did make a promise, Li. I'm not crazy about helping Senrou, but we can't defend Bristow without him, even if we find and recruit all the cadets. We can't just run off and join our friends. We have to work together to survive the Wind Children's attack." Lierni was fuming. "You talk as if the destruction of Heimdall should be completely forgotten. Well, I'm not forgetting it. We have to tell the cadets over there who they'll be fighting for, as well as against. What do you think they'll say, hmmm?" "We can make our own case," said Kyrina, stopping Reid as he opened his mouth. "All we ask is that you let us do so. We can figure out who owes what to whom after the battle." Lierni struggled against various feelings. It would be so easy to turn these oafs over to whatever group of cadets was sheltering at the farm and walk away while justice was done. That Tavia should side with them, making it a matter of honor, was unbearable. That she, Lierni, should be second-guessed in this way, in front of mercenary cast-offs from Leirstam, was even worse. But a promise was a promise. Breaking promises had... consequences. Lierni could just imagine what her father would say if he found out she broke a promise, even a promise given to an enemy. For a long, long moment Lierni stared into their faces. Reid. Kyrina. The Mytelene twins. Tavia. Then, she shrugged. A sigh seemed to roll around the group. "Fine, then," said Reid. "Tavia and Lierni, on either side of me. Twins, you take the flanks. Kyrina, keep your bow strung and an arrow handy, but don't notch it yet. You take the rear. Everyone ready? Move out!" And a small but superficially well-drilled military unit moved down the meadow, across the brook, then up the hill towards the farm. As it did so, a cloud of smoke emerged from the chimney of an outbuilding standing at a little distance from the main cluster of the farm. The rhythmic sound of a hammer on metal began to be heard. A smith was at work. ----------- Naturally, Reid's party was spotted as they drew closer. Faint shouts, too far away to hear the words, reached them first. Then the "clink, clink, clinkadata, clink" of the smith's hammer stopped. A growing sense of being observed seemed to affect them all. Kyrina, oddly, was chuckling. Reid frowned back at her as they strode along, then grinned himself. "They seem pretty good to me." "That's because you're not forest-trained." Tavia shot Kyrina a startled glance. "You hear something?" "Eyes front," Kyrina said softly. Tavia snapped her head back around, and her face grew red. "Yes, I can hear your friends tracking us. No need for them to know it, though." Lierni's frown deepened. "I keep telling them and telling them, you can't just avoid things that make noise. You have to actively make not-noise." "Even that can be noticeable," Kyrina responded. "A pattern of no noise where noise should be is just as obvious as, say--" A twig snapped somewhere just ahead of them. "--a twig snapping." Lierni snorted gently. By this time, the six of them had circled the house and orchard, and were moving up the lane that led to the front gate. Reid had decided to do the thing formally. The first sign that they were approaching the gate was a tall post, standing by the side of the lane, bearing a sign. Alyssa read it aloud. " 'Falling-Star Farm'. What a quaint name! And this seems to be some sort of nobleman's crest!" Lierni snorted again. "Nonsense! Aristocrats don't live on farms. Castles, yes. Estates, even. Not farms." Alaric moved to examine the sign with his sister. "Well, this 'non- crest' seems to belong to some 'non-noble' named La Lanterne, or something close to it." As they moved past the post, Lierni caught a glimpse of the crest herself. It showed a hanging lantern in the middle of a shield, a pair of crossed hammers beneath it. Her eyes widened and her step slowed involuntarily. La Lanterne.... For a moment, she was back in her father's house listening with half a bored mind to her father and uncles discussing the glorious past. The little group halted, but Lierni, her mind on other things, kept moving. "Psssst! Li!" Tavia reached forward and tugged her friend's coat. Startled, Lierni looked up. Before them was the gateway to Falling-Star Farm. And before the gateway was a serious-looking group of twenty or so Heimdall cadets. And in their midst, holding an enormous hammer, was what could only be described as an elderly giant. He stood before the rude, wooden gateway, whose rustic arch was crowned by the same crest they had seen on the signpost. Only this hanging lantern was real; Lierni could see that a faint light glimmered from it, even in broad daylight. The old man's shoulders nearly filled the gate from side to side, even though it was large enough to let a full-size farm cart pass. Though he was stooped and his beard was white, it was clear that if he stood to his full height, his eyes would be level with the lantern which now seemed ready to drop its oil onto his bald head. His shirtless torso was covered by a leather apron, leaving his huge arms bare. His legs also were covered in leather. Clearly, he was the smith whose hammer they had heard. Clearly, also, he was in charge here. He glowered at them from under eyebrows that were still black. "Anyone know this bunch?" A voice Lierni couldn't identify spoke from the back of the group of cadets. "I recognize Tavia Reinschild, a warrior, and Lierni Totorika, a mage, but the rest are not from Heimdall." The old giant's eyes seemed to blink when he heard Leirni's name. Reid stepped forward. "We come from Senrou, who is moving in this direction with his army, to warn you of a great danger now threatening Bristow." A murmur ran through the group before the gate. "Army, my Aunt Fanny! They're nothing but a bunch of thugs!" "Yeah, these must be some of the goons who "liberated" the academy!" "But what would Tavia and Li be doing with them?" "Where's that other girl they were always with? You know, the one who was always quoting her family traditions..." "Silence!" roared the old man. "Are you an undisciplined rabble or Heimdall cadets!" He looked at Reid. "I know of no army in these parts, son." Lierni, seeing Reid flush out of the corner of her eye, nearly felt sorry for him, for a moment. "What is this danger of which you speak?" "An attack by the combined strength of the Children of the Wind." "Hmmmm." The old man looked Reid, Kyrina and the twins up and down. Under his gaze, Kyrina looked down at the ground, then suddenly pushed back her hood, revealing the pointed ears that marked her as part Elf. Their interrogator harrumphed in a satisfied manner. He peered closely at the twins, eying their clothing with attention. Finally, he turned away. "Feed 'em, and get their stories, some of you," he said. "I'll deal with them later. I have a sword to forge." He stumped off in the direction of the black plume of smoke. The "clink" of the hammer resumed shortly thereafter. "Yes sir, General!" a few of the cadets shouted after him. Then eight of them stepped forward, forming a hollow square around Reid's party, and began marching them up the lane towards the farmhouse. Lierni scarcely noticed. Even after they landed in the farm-house kitchen and a motherly woman with a baby clinging to her skirts was handing them bread and stew, Lierni barely paid attention. Her mind was too busy with what it had heard. General La Lanterne! One of the few nobles who had held his ground at Gen's Crossing, one of the only nobles her father always named with respect. Living on a farm, working as a blacksmith! True, it seemed to be a very well-maintained farm, but still... What in the name of wonder was he doing here? Lierni came out of her daze to the sound of Reid's laughter. Kyrina and the twins were grinning broadly, while Tavia looked faintly ashamed. In front of Tavia were *two* bowls, both of which obviously had recently held stew. And in front of herself there was none. "Well, I was hungry--and this is the best food we've had in days! Besides, Li doesn't like stew." "It's Lierni, Tavia." She picked up the bowl somewhat ruefully. "Sorry. I was thinking. Do you suppose that kind woman might have another bowlful?" ----------- Presently, a short boy in a fighter's uniform came in and stood by their table. Lierni recognized him as a certain Daniel Hightien, a recently-enrolled junior cadet. "So, you guys ready to talk?" Reid frowned at him. "This seems to be an awfully informal interrogation." "Oh, I'm not interrogating you. You just tell me what it's all about, and I'll tell the General." Lierni interrupted Reid's forthcoming outburst. "Suppose you tell us how you all come to be here." Daniel favored her with a cheeky smile. "When the Academy was attacked, we all came boiling out to protect the gates, and quickly found we couldn't do much. Someone got off a huge magic attack on the west side, but the rest of us were pretty helpless." Tavia and Lierni were both glaring at him. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I don't even have a weapon chosen yet. They only admitted me to the Academy a few months ago, and since then I've been mostly stepping on my own feet." Tavia glanced sideways at Lierni, who gave one of her trademark contemptuous snorts. It was true what the boy said, though. The first few months of warrior training were extremely frustrating, as the student struggled to control talents and tendencies, selecting a weapon and learning the rudiments of fighting alone and in groups. "Anyway, my family lives near here, and I was pretty sure the old General would protect us. So, a few guys came with me, and told him what was going on. The General's a good guy, for an old man. He sent out messengers to all the villages near here, saying that any cadets who were looking for each other should come to Falling-Star Farm.... He doesn't run things, though. We set up guard rosters, and schedules, and pickets along the road, and all like that." "And when an enemy comes, you all pour out into the road to meet him?" Kyrina was amused. "Naw!" The boy was insulted. "We knew you weren't enemies. You had cadets with you, walking free. We'd sure like to know what you're doing, though." This time, Tavia and Lierni looked daggers at Reid, who had the grace to look abashed. "You're right. We aren't enemies. Well, not exactly. You see, it's like this..." ----------- When Reid (with assists from Kyrina, Tavia, and Lierni) had explained in detail who they were and what they were doing, Daniel was far more serious. "You're telling me you and your boss' army tore down Heimdall Academy, the main defense of Bristow, and now you want our help to defend it against an immediate threat? A threat that wouldn't be there if not for your actions?" "Ummm--yes. Of course, we could have just left Bristow to its fate, but that didn't seem fair." "Fair!" For a moment, it seemed as if Daniel would explode where he sat. Lierni looked at him curiously. Now that he was well and truly angry, she began to sense that he could, in fact, develop into a dangerous fighter. Then, to her surprise and the surprise of the others, Daniel brought his anger under control. "I will inform the General of your statements, and your requests." He bowed and left the room. "I don't get it," Alaric remarked. "If this General's just an old coot with a nice place in the country, why are all these cadets so subservient to him? And, if he's more than what he appears, why is he not preparing his stronghold for war, instead of tinkering around with an old fireplace poker and a pile of charcoal?" "And a hammer, brother dear," added Alyssa. "Don't forget the hammer." Her brother rolled his eyes. "All right, and a hammer." He turned to Lierni. "He seemed to recognize you, Lierni. Do you know this guy?" "I know of him." Lierni was disinclined to say more, but the others kept on looking at her until she continued. "My--my father and he... They fought on the same side. In the last war, it was." They were still looking at her. She frowned and glared back. "And that's all I'm saying on the subject." "All right, all right, keep your underwear on," said Alaric, rudely. "No one wants to probe your family secrets." Alyssa biffed him lightly on the head. Lierni's retort was stopped by young Daniel's return. "The General's compliments, and he would appreciate a moment of Captain Arondight's and Miss Totorika's time in the Smithy." Reid and Lierni exchanged glances, and followed the younger boy out of the farmhouse, across the barnyard, and over to the high-roofed shed, open to the west, that housed the smith's shop. A small stream, tributary to the brook below, turned a little wheel that, in turn, operated a small bellows. This allowed the smith to work alone, and also provided the water necessary for quenching hot metal. The contrast between the bright afternoon sun outside and the darkness within made the old man look even bigger to Lierni's eyes. He was testing the edge of a weapon against his thumb. Lierni could see that the hilts of the great sword were ancient, as was the blade's design; the blade's metal, on the other hand, looked bright and new. A gap at the base of the blade showed where a Rune Crystal should be embedded. "So." The old man's deep voice filled the smithy without effort. "Tell me more about this Senrou and his army." Reid began to speak, rehearsing again the arguments Lierni had already heard. The new rulers were no different than the old bunch. No one was truly free. Success in life was won by deals and compromises. The nobility was corrupt.... His voice trailed off for a moment. Then he spoke again of his own situation, forced into an arranged marriage for his father's political gain. "Humph. Still doesn't seem to be a very valid reason to destroy a major defense against the barbarians, does it?" "I know how silly it sounds now, but we didn't think the "barbarians" were a real threat. I mean, we thought it was Lierstam that Heimdall was defending against." Reid sounded both apologetic and defensive. "And what do you think, Miss Totorika?" Lierni had thought she was prepared for this moment, but still found herself stammering slightly. "I--naturally, I find the rationale for the destruction of Heimdall totally inadequate. There is more to this so-called army than a mere collection of bandits, however." She swallowed. "I believe the threat from the Wind Children is real, and I believe that Senrou and his followers are sincere in their determination to defend Bristow. Whether they can succeed is another question." The old man continued to run his thumb up and down the blade of the newly-forged sword, addressing Reid without looking at him. "You know, boy, I'm one of those corrupt nobles you think are so evil." Reid looked at his feet. "It may surprise you both to hear that I agree with much you have said. I live a simple life out here because the futility and pettiness of living with the aristocrats in the capital is more than I can stand. My grandson, however..." He sighed, then straightened up and faced Reid. "You will have noticed that the Heimdall cadets gathered here are all very young, just beginning their careers. Most of them are untested in battle. A few of them are still unfamiliar with the weapons they have been assigned. If I lead them into battle against the Wind Children, many of them will not survive." Reid nodded. "Before I make such a commitment, therefore, I will ask you to do a small favor for me. I have a grandson who prefers a more sophisticated life to that of the farm. Currently, he is living in Bristow. If you can convince him to join you, I also will join you, with the cadets who have taken shelter here." "But--but--that's irrational!" Reid began to splutter. "It's absurd! Why should your participation in the defense of Bristow, and this farm as well, be dependent on what your grandson does?" "This farm is NOT defenseless!" The General drew himself to his full height. "And that is my only offer to you. You want me and these youngsters on your side, you get my grandson to join you." "But why?" The General bowed with a curiously gallant gesture to Lierni. "Because I, as well as my old friend Totorika, wish to know that my tradition of service to the Nation of Heresha will live on." He turned back to Reid and his eyes grew a little harder again. "And because I cannot ally myself with those who destroyed the Academy for any lesser cause." As they walked back to the farmhouse to collect the others, Reid muttered, "I had no idea that people would feel so strongly about getting rid of Heimdall." "Yes, it seems like there must have been poor intelligence somewhere." Lierni smiled slightly at his angry glare. "You'll have to be more selective in what you overthrow next time." She glanced up at the sky. "If we can get Tavia away from the kitchen, we'd better be moving fast. It's about two hours to nightfall, and we've got an hour's march to Bristow, at least." "You're still with us?" Reid stopped in surprise. "Why? Clearly, you're with friends here. Kyrina and I can't make you leave." Lierni looked at him blandly. "We have promises to keep, remember?" ----------- Author's Notes: I know next to nothing about Suikoden, which is probably glaringly obvious. So I can't tell you what Stars are represented by General La Lanterne or Daniel Hightein. That will be up to Todd! (Many thanks to Todd for pre-reading, and no, I don't know the General's first name.) I signed up for the story because it seemed like an interesting *story*, which is what I hope this is. Also, I did some poking around the Anime Turnpike, and was pleased to discover that it's possible to meet a Star and not recruit it at once, or even to fail to recruit it. I was very surprised to find the old General lurking in my brain, and I hope he hasn't taken over the story, as he was threatening. Also, I couldn't seem to switch over to Adele at any point. She's busy maintaining a thin semblance of sanity amongst the politicos of the capital. More power to her. Lirazel