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A Life in Chains

Chapter twelve: The Breath Before the War

I was stuck in that moment, the water all around, cool and comforting. The lights high above me twinkling and dancing blurrily across the surface. Lungs heavy, empty of air but no longer burning, weightless as I just hung there. My head felt all fuzzy and numb, darkness just softly laying around the corners of my vision. That one moment, it just seemed to stretch on forever, peaceful, final, pleasant. Even though I could hear voices just behind me, or beside me, sharp and clear.

"He's in an unstable condition Sir, the Vestals got most of the shrapnel from his shoulder, but they say there's still some embedded, and dangerously close to his lung..."

I knew I was in hospital somewhere, I remember being pulled from the water by something, or someone, I remembered the attack, the Man. The lights dancing above me mimicked his hooded face, firelit and all, I couldn't tear my eyes away, I couldn't move, I as forced to stare up at it.

"We need a respirator! Quickly his lung has collapsed..."

Did I even want to be saved? Hanging here in this moment, whatever it was, was pleasant, I had nothing to live for anyways. My childhood had been torn from me, my family had sold me, my mind broken and body belted. I'd had the briefest of hopes when Virgil had saved me, I thought that was the beginning of a better life.

"He's going into shock!"

I didn't care anymore, I just wanted to die, I wanted it to all go away, everything, everyone, life had been nothing but cruel to me. Giving me a taste of freedom only to snatch it away was perhaps the cruelest thing of all.

"Nothing to live for hm? You don't actually believe that do you?~" came a new voice, direct and melodious, warm and calming. It came from behind me, I tried to look over my shoulder, but all I could manage was a slight tilt.

"Why do you sit here, in this moment, this memory, this prison? You can't decide if you want to die or live?" That voice, it seeped into my ears, bringing warmth with it, and motion, I felt my ears move slowly through the water, my fingers and tail twitch.

"My uncle chose you to be his acolyte, t'would be rude of me to usher your soul off to my warren early~" I felt something on my shoulder, a hand, but it was too soft, like silk, suddenly warmth pulsed violently throughout my body. The water seemed to part, and with a squeak I fumbled for something to hold before I fell sharply a foot or two. I landed hard on a sandy damp surface, uneven and smooth, I blinked rapidly a few times, I tried to breath but I couldn't suck anything in.

"Then again I cannot ignore pain, and you my dear Kaiber are full of it~" I suddenly realised I lay belly up at the foot of a short figure, a rabbit?

I blinked again, was I just hallucinating? Dieing? This couldn't be real yet here he was, plain as day. I gasped coarsely as I sat up and looked around, I was on the ocean floor, the water pushed back somehow to form a hollow dome. I stood, I felt light headed, something in my chest stung and kept me from gaining breath as I turned to meet this figure.

He was short, around my height, a rabbit, nude yet there was nothing actually there, his fur was an unsettling black that seemed to wither like smoke. His ear tips and tail where icy white as was his paws. Though most unsettling of all were the blood red eyes, void of pupil and feature. He seemed to crackle, embers and smoke wafted thickly from him as if he was the death of a fire.

"W-who are you?" I finally managed to croak, his reply didn't come instantly, he seemed to just stand there for the longest time, looking around before coming back to me.

"My name is Inle,what you Advent would call, the specter of Death~" he said, his voice was alarmingly disconnected, his jaw moved but the words seemed to have a delay.

"A-a-am I dead?" I choked out, taking a step back, he took a step forward, moving fluidly up to me, till my nose filled with the smell of woodsmoke. I watched as his writhing fur moved weightlessly with his motions, occasionally revealing bone, icey white and intricately carved.

"Not yet, but you're close to death, I can sense it. You want to let go but you want to fight, you're torn by your pain~" he said, there was no breath from him, just words, but his presence was calming, warm and oddly enough, friendly.

"I... I don't understand..." I said, finally finding my voice, my lungs still felt heavy and full, and now cold with that stinging, stabbing sensation.

"You have so much pain, so much anger, built up inside, you can't think clearly, so much so that instead of fighting for your life, you've trapped yourself here in your head~" He wasn't wrong, even over these last several weeks, every training lesson with Bastille ad been fueled with anger, pain. Every night spent with Thal had been full of pain, those two nights with Seht, though drunk had been fueled again by anger, the only breaks from that had been the wonder and excitement of Caprii and my studying with Virgil.

"...I don't know how to get rid of it..." I said, wincing as that pain in my chest grew, I could taste blood now, sugary yet bitter, like hard candy.

"You need to let go, you can't change the past Kaiber, but the past can ruin you if you hold onto it to long~" He stepped away from me now, walking of to the side, looking around as if he was seeing a different environment then the one I saw. I went to speak but agony shot through my chest and my breath vanished, becoming shallow and difficult.

"The world has life, Valor, Justice and Change, but it needs to learn Patience, something you know all too well~" again I tried to speak but the pain forced me to my knees, blood flooding my jaws and nose now, I was drowning in it. The warm and pleasant darkness began to gently consume my vision as I felt my strength failing me, I didn't want to die.

"It's not your time, Kaiber. Know that I await you patiently, but it is up to you whether you wish to see your tomorrows and what they hold~" With that I felt his paw upon my chest, his arm and head having somehow protruded from the ground under me, like vapor or mist, I gritted my teeth and managed to growl definitely before a brutal pulse sent me flying upward, back into the suspended water, back up toward the flames, the lights.

"Let. Go." those words rung faintly in my ears as my eyes flew open, my jaws slackened drawing in a sharp breath as I jolted awake with a cry. It hurt to breathe but it felt good, I could feel the warmth of my own body, though numb and aching. Everything was blurry for a few moments, voices and sounds, sounded distant and muffled.

Slowly it all came back to me, I lay in a simple bed, thin white sheets draped over me, with curtains to match surrounding me, the ceiling above was plain grey stone but there was an open window from which crisp sunlight poured through. I could hear birds chirping nearby, light chatter and some footsteps on stone, my nose picked up the aroma of horses and hay. Breathing slowly became easier, my body felt heavy and stiff from rest. My shoulder still aches softly but other than that I was alive. I sat there, just breathing, listening, smelling, thinking, thinking about Seht and Virgil, Bastille and Tahl, my friends.

Eventual I collapse back in the bed and stared up at the sunlight, watching the dust float gently through it with the wind, I smiled softly and closed my eyes with a relieved sigh.

Epilogue

A tall regal looking gentleman clad in plain red cloth, the fashion that of a toga top, paired with a heavier, almost armoured pair of pants, bearing black and silver markings strode confidently across one of the small garden courtyards of the grand cathedral ward. He bellowed for an older man in similar robes to wait for him.

"Minister Falath!" the man said with boisterous tones, the older gentleman turning and smiling to the man.

"Jordas, greetings, how are you?" the Minister said, his voice old and wise, the two gentlemen began to walk together in the shade of the flying buttresses and roofed pathways.

"Wonderful, thought concerned, I heard about the attack on Siricuse, have you heard from Queen Roasia?" Jordas asked, tucking a scroll under his arm and lighting a pipe which he offered to the Minister.

"No, she's called a council, we're awaiting invitation..." the Minister said with heavy tones as he took the pipe, giving it a few puffs as the two men rounded a corner and came to stop by a more open courtyard, lush and lavish with stone paths and green grass. Sitting upon a stone bench the Minister observed the Vermian whom had only recently awoken from hospital.

"So, he's awake, what now?" Jordas asked, as he took a knee on a similar bench and rested his folded arms upon it.

"I had a message sent to the Prince some week ago" the Minister replied, watching the reptile eat slowly, wincing now and then as he lifted the soup spoon to his muzzle.

"You think that's wise Minister, with the attack?" Jordas said, questioningly, the Minister looked to the man, turning to face him properly and dawning a serious look.

"Everyone knows war is on the horizon Jordas, if we as a race want to mend trust with the advent, we need to do all we can. The Prince will be staying here for some time after his arrival, the Queen has asked us to keep eyes on him." Minister Falath may have looked like some old feeble man but under those robes was the sacred body of a well traveled knight, his mind was that of the same.

"Speaking of visitors, Roderick has returned" Jordas said, breaking the silence after a moment, before nodding past the Minister, to the tall and broad man who approached.

"If you'll excuse me Minister, I'm due to meet with L'ies-Aral, good day, Minister, Roderick." Jordas added a moment later, before merrily marching off across the courtyard, toward the stables.

Roderic was a knight, aged and gruff, a broad shouldered man with the body of a mountain, all clad in Black Church armour. Heavy plate metal, chainmail and leather with vibrant cloth and silks breaking up the draber colours.

"Minister! Greetings!" the knight bellowed, his voice valorous and loud, the Minister let out a huff as Roderic approached.

"Sir Roderic, I trust your trip to Aldoran was pleasant." Falath said, turning back to the grassy courtyard, surveying it keenly.

"Please, it's a cesspit, and unfortunately, we couldn't find any information on our person of interest, we couldn't even locate the family, the farm they lived on was just a smouldering pit of ash." the Knight answered, as he rolled his head, a loud crunching coming from him as bones crackled.

"That's of no matter now, we're more important issues to attend to..." Monister Falath said, the Knight's eyes lighting up with fire.

"Has there been word on Idrils killer? Have we found his location?" Roderic blurted out eagerly, his voice quivered with rage, just barely kept in check, the Minister sighed.

"Our Vestals in the capital of Dragonholme have spotted him..." He said, knowing all to well that Roderic would demand to be sent after the murderer.

"You have to send me with the Executioners! Please!" he bellowed desperately, fists clenching in his leather gauntlets.

"No! The high council wants you here" Faltah watched as the Knights face twisted into irritation, rage bubbling just under the surface as he punched a nearby pillar of stone, cursing in the crude dialect of the north.

"You are a Knight Roderic, not an assassin, not an executioner, you'd lose your Mark of Valor for pursuing vengeance. The council wants you here, to train your new Squire.." the Minister added, The Knight straightened somewhat with those words.

"Brandon?" he asked, once again the Knights face fell as the Minister notioned toward the Lizard off in the courtyard.

"You can't be serious!" Roderic growled, quite clearly beyond irritated, but there was nothing that could be done, the ministers hands were tied.

"The High Minister Orders it, my hands are tied Roderic... I know you don't like them, but they are our allies, which means we have to tolerate things we don't like." Roderic rubbed his temples slowly, as he stared at the ground, muttering under his breath once more in the crude northern language.

"Why me?" he asked with a sigh, looking up at the Minister once again, though his mind was already working, planning.

"Because you're our most renown Knight, you won't have to train him long, the Prince will be arriving within the week..." Minister Falath stated, turning to the Knight for a moment, the old man knew well what It was to be a young Knight in their prime, not wethered by war.

"Grin and bear it Roderic, things are going to get a lot messier soon, we cannot afford to lose favor with our allies." with that Falath strode off, leaving the Knight standing there, staring empty at the Lizard, thinking.