Disclaimer: The author of this fanfiction does not, in any way, profit from the story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
The Reclamation of Paralon
by Pout
Chapter 9: The First Step
Tezuka was already gone by the time the others were just waking. Oishi, who had worried and fretted all night, had been the only one to see him off.
“It’s just like him,” Fuji commented. “He doesn’t like goodbyes.”
“It doesn’t really seem like he likes anything,” Kamio commented wryly.
“We’d better get going ourselves,” Inui said, hefting a small pack over his shoulder.
Fuji tucked the letter of substantiation away carefully. He cast a simple spell on the item to secure it, his sapphire cap glowing gently. Even with the letter, persuading his audience that the prince was yet living would be a difficult task; after all, the entire nation was under the impression that the Heir was already dead.
Eiji yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes. “I wish we could just catch a ship down river.”
“Idiot,” Kamio berated him, “Every port along the way’s gonna be on the look-out for us.”
“But it’s gonna take forever!” he complained.
Momoshiro rolled his eyes. “He’s whiny in the morning.”
“Let me give you some tips,” Kamio was saying to Inui, “Stay sharp; even a seasoned guide can’t guarantee your safety if you don’t watch out for yourself. And don’t pay him anything over 20 gold. And it’s 5 coppers off for every scratch that bleeds. If you’re smart, you’ll toss yourself down a mountain or two.”
“Cut it out, Kamio!” Momo cried, shooing him off.
“Be careful with Yukimura,” Shishido said, taking his turn to advise Inui. “He’s more than likely to choose our side, but sometimes he can be surprising. Be cautious with what you say. We need him.”
The bespectacled statistician nodded and responded with equal gravity: “Take care of our prince.”
“Of course,” was the answering promise.
Oishi stepped forward with haggard eyes and said simply, “Stay safe.”
Fuji smiled comfortingly. “Watch for us.” That said, he mounted his horse, adjusting his staff to rest against his right stirrup. With a simple nod of farewell, Inui turned his horse towards the gates and led the party out. A clattering of hooves and settling of the dust finalized their departure.
Kaidoh stood by his prince as they watched the group disappear down the road. He was not one to say overly optimistic things like, “It will be all right,” or, “Don’t worry, everything will turn out fine.” And he wasn’t particularly sensitive enough to say, “We can only wait, there’s no point in worrying,” or, “It’s out of your hands now, you’ve done what you can.” So instead, he retied his bandana carefully and said over his shoulder, “I’m going for a jog…do you want to come?” and it made Oishi smile even though he declined the offer.
The prince watched his men disappear out the gates and down the road, heading out on the first step towards the reclamation of his kingdom and could not help but feel that he was moving his people into darkness.
The group rode together towards the west border. They broke for lunch, rode another few hours and just before passing out of Ellestor, the group split in two. Kamio, Eiji, and Fuji headed west while Momoshiro led Inui in a north-westerly direction.
Inui cast a wary eye up towards the sun, its rays beating heavily on their necks as they rode towards Berridge. By his estimations, they would reach the outer fringe of the Wilds area, which Momoshiro called The Sieve, within a day and a half. Looking out at the flat, open road before them, he pondered what he might have been doing at that very moment within the walls of the palace had he not chosen to follow the prince. He thought about his associates still there, likely deliberating on what measures to take now that the Royal Heir had escaped.
His thoughts were interrupted when Momoshiro cleared his throat purposefully, an obvious indication of his desire to initiate a discussion. Inui was amenable to dialogue, but was not much of a conversationalist, so he tried his best to respond appropriately when Momo struck up a friendly exchange.
“So, you were an advisor?”
“I was an apprentice statistician to the Royal Advisor.”
“So, not an actual advisor.”
“No.”
“Well, did you like it?”
“It was educational.”
Momo waited, but nothing more was offered. “What was it like living at the palace?”
“Interesting. There were many things to observe.”
They rode on quietly before Momoshiro gave in and asked, “Did you talk to the Regent? Is he ugly?”
This time, Inui turned to look at him, but his strangely opaque glasses made discerning his expression a bit difficult. “No. I never spoke directly to the Regent. As an apprentice, I was not of rank to enter his holiest of holy presences.”
Momo was going to laugh, then stopped, then tried to make a guess as to whether it was a sarcastic remark or not.
Inui faced forward and pushed at the bridge of his glasses. “No, the Regent is not ugly. I saw him at court, from a distance. His portraits are not forgeries.”
“So he really does have that gray streak in his hair?”
“Indeed.”
“Damn. It’s kinda sexy.”
“It’s gone more white than gray.”
“Oh, phew, that’s good to know.”
Silence reigned for a few more moments before Inui asked, “Who is the man that is supposed to guide us through the Wilds?”
“Itsuki? Oh, he’s…he’s an old friend.”
When Momo’s usually unsilenceable mouth lay still of its own accord, Inui pressed for further details. “How is he able to navigate the Wilds?”
“Huh? Oh. Well...that’s…erm,” then he mumbled something which Inui was nevertheless able to decipher.
“Did you just say that he was raised by Wild frogs?” A touch of disbelief was coloring Inui’s usually even voice.
Momoshiro coughed a bit and nodded. “Well, just…just for a while. When he was younger.”
Inui adjusted his glasses with a smile. “Fascinating.”
Momo nearly fell off his horse.
It was near dark when Kamio finally led them to an old abandoned barn, half blown down by the gusty winds that slipped off the lip of the valley they had just traveled through. Eiji was massaging his sore rear and making whining noises as he complained and asked to be fed, repeatedly. Kamio threw him the pack of provisions and warned him not to eat too much while Fuji went off to search for suitable fuel for a moderate fire.
When they were seated by the fire, Fuji asked how much farther they were traveling.
“We’re headed for Carrimos,” Kamio said.
“Kawamura’s base is in Carrimos?”
Kamio nodded.
Eiji was slumped down on the ground, a blanket wrapped around him and a piece of jerky hanging from his lips. He was mumbling as he snoozed about chocolate cake and apple pie.
Kamio rolled his eyes, but continued. “They used to be based in Haberia, leftovers from the uprising years back, then they moved around for a bit before settling in Carrimos. All Kawamura’s doing. Before him, the rebels were loose cannons. Kawamura’s the one who pulled everything together, made everyone listen to each other.”
“What exactly is their goal?” Fuji asked.
“The removal of the Regent.”
“And after that?”
Kamio regarded him with even eyes. “It’s not certain. Some want a new government. No more kings, no more of this level lordship crap. Others want to put Kawamura on the throne.”
“Is that Kawamura’s ambition?”
Kamio shrugged. “They say he’s adamantly against it, but he hasn’t backed anyone yet. The number one priority for the rebels is that the Regent be dethroned. The after part isn’t really important yet.”
“That’s very myopic. Complete anarchy isn’t going to be much better for them or anyone. In fact it’s likely to be worse.”
“For most of them, nothing could be worse.” Kamio tossed a twig into the fire and watched it as it transformed into smoky ash. “The rebels all believe in Kawamura. They’ll follow him, wherever he would lead them.”
“Why so much trust in him? Who is this Kawamura anyhow?”
Kamio shrugged again and Fuji was beginning to realize the limits of his use as an informant. The mage let out a carefully controlled sigh before asking, “How is it that you know so much about the rebels? You don’t refer to yourself as a rebel. I assume you’re not affiliated with them. At least not formally.”
The ex-quickest thief in Geddervont took a while to respond. “The base of the rebel population is made up of peasants and working class people in the area, but a good portion of them are low-siders. You could say that the streets back the rebels, unofficially. And like the Lord Ellestor said, all us street rats know each other.”
“So the rebel group is powered by criminal finances?”
Kamio shook his head. “No. Not really. I’ve heard that the rebels won’t take anything unless it was taken from a verified enemy.”
“The lords of the aristocracy, I take it.”
“Anyone that can be proved to have ties to the Regent.”
“Technically, everyone does. He’s the ruler of the kingdom, after all.”
Kamio made a vague gesture.
The corners of Fuji’s lips turned down slightly. “That’s a very loose position for them to take. No raiding unless it’s an aristocrat? It’s a bit duplicitous, isn’t it?”
“Hey, I don’t run the program. You can take it up with Kawamura yourself later. Hopefully.”
A long snore erupted beside them. The piece of jerky had long since disappeared into Eiji’s mouth and now he was humming softly in his sleep, his eyes moving under his lids as he watched his dreams play out.
Fuji observed the sleeping street rat for a few moments before turning back to Kamio. “Were you three originally from Geddervont? You seem to know your way around Paralon pretty well for thieves with a locality.”
Kamio pulled his blanket down around his shoulders and looked off towards the shadow that filled the valley below them with inky darkness. “We met up in Geddervont. I was there first, then Momoshiro and then Kikumaru showed up. That was a long time ago, maybe seven or eight years. We’re all from different places. Between the three of us, we know plenty about Paralon.”
Fuji could have pressed for details, but he was a man of subtlety and left figuring out the particulars for another night when he wasn’t so tired. “So, how much farther until Carrimos?”
“Another two and half days, probably. But it’s a flat ride.”
Fuji nodded and pulled his blanket close. “We’d better get some sleep then. Good night.”
Kamio returned the sentiment but sat there staring into the fire for a few more moments before settling in for the night. And though he would never know it, at the very moment Kamio closed his eyes and let himself drift into slumber, miles away, under the shelter of an old, looming oak tree, Momoshiro and Inui were suddenly awakened by something terrible and awful and deadly.
If you would like to provide feedback on this story, please feel free to e-mail me at: poutonly@gmail.com.