ToS Challenge fic: distrust.
Title: (Untitled)
Fandom: Tales of Symphonia.
Disclaimer: Symphonia and its characters and places aren't mine. I'm just borrowing.
Date Finished: Late 2007.
Word Count: 1350+.
Written for: tos_100, although I never posted this there.
Prompt: #18, Distrust.
Characters: Yuan, elves of Heimdall.
Genre: General/Drama. Or something like that. I'm bad at classifying these.
Rating: G.
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: Written a long time ago, but I never posted this anywhere because something about it seemed off. I'm unlikely to do anything about it anymore, though, so I just shrugged and went, what the hey, I could at least put it up here.
Summary: After Yggdrasill has been vanquished, Yuan has something to do before he leaves the Renegades to their own devices -- and to achieve his goal, he needs to negotiate with the elves, however much they may hate him.
He landed softly, unfazed and unsurprised to find spears directed straight at his chest. Without a word, he put his wings away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Halt!" one of the guards barked. "You are not allowed into this village!"
"No half-elf may enter Heimdall!" the other added.
"That's why I flew here. The guards back in the woods didn't want to let me through, either," Yuan replied, sounding almost bored. "And, mind you, I could've flown right into the village if I so wished. The only reason I bothered not to go there is that I have no business within the walls of your village. Just get your Elder here, and once I've spoken with him, I'll be on my way."
The second guard snorted in disgust. "Do you really think we would summon our leader for a lowly half-elf such as you? You've got some n-"
"Quiet!" The first guard turned to stare at his companion, hard. "Do you not recognize him? He is one of the companions of Mithos the Half-elf!"
"What? But that's even more reason to not let him in here!"
"If I may remind you," Yuan replied coldly, "I said I have no intention of setting foot within your village. I want to talk to the Elder, now."
The first, older guard nodded stiffly. "I will go ask him if he will grant you an audience. Wait here."
Yuan was left standing near the gate with the younger guard, who tried to glare murderously at the half-elf. It had no effect on Yuan, but he knew he could creep out the elf with his own, steady gaze. True enough, the guard soon shifted uncomfortably and stared off to the side until the Elder approached.
"Yuan. Why have you come here, to our destroyed village?"
"Elder." Yuan bowed slightly. "I have a request I wish to make of you."
"A request?" The Elder leant on his staff, regarding the ancient half-elf warily. "What would a half-elf request from the elves?"
"As you are undoubtedly aware, I'm not only one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim. I'm the leader of the Renegades, those who fought against Cruxis." Yuan paused and glanced over the wooden buildings of the village, most of which were badly damaged. "Many Renegades, though half-elves, have either been born in Heimdall, or one of their parents was from here. They wish to help rebuild this place. I request that you let them into the village for the time being.
"Outrageous! That is completely unacceptable!" The young guard spat venomously. The older one frowned at him but didn't say anything.
Yuan ignored the guards, appealing to the Elder instead. "Please. Grant them this request. You won't need to have any dealings with me later; I'll resign my position as their leader shortly, and personally, I have no business here."
"I see." The Elder scrutinized Yuan. "You, too, will be leaving, then."
Yuan shrugged lightly. "As soon as things settle down and I can appoint someone to take over my duties, yes. Cruxis exists no more; Kratos is back up on Derris-Kharlan with the remaining angels, Lloyd and his friends defeated Mithos, and Martel was finally granted her eternal sleep. There's little point in lingering here."
"So you're the last one of the legendary Seraphim… One of those they called heroes." The Elder nodded to himself. "I understand. Perhaps it's time for us to start interacting with the world around us once more."
Yuan nodded curtly. "Then it's settled. Thank you."
"Elder! Surely you aren't being serious about this!" The young guard was almost shaking with rage.
"'That's the kind of attitude that gave rise to Cruxis'. These are the words of the human hero, Lloyd Irving, the new master of the Eternal Sword." The Elder turned to face the guards. "The world is changing. If we isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, we will not change. However, we cannot always remain the way we are now. Perhaps it's time we changed along with the world."
The guards didn't seem to agree, but Yuan couldn't have cared less. "That'd be a good decision, Elder," he said and gave a mock-bow, which the elven elder couldn't see with his back turned to him. "I'll be taking my leave now. I assume it is fine to send the men here two weeks from now?"
The Elder turned to give the half-elf a level look. It had been a long time since any elf had regarded him as an equal on any terms. Maybe, with this elf's help, the others would be able to overcome their millennia-old hatred of the oppressed rage. One could always hope, at least. "Yes, I will talk to the villagers. I am sure they will understand."
"I hope so, for everyone's sake," Yuan replied and shrugged. He wasn't looking around trying to spot the elves who had come to listen to their conversation, but it was obvious there were many pairs of ears listening keenly. "Consider this deal signed. I'll inform my men and leave everything to them and to you."
He didn't wait for an answer before turning and beginning to walk away. The Elder called him back and he stopped, turning slowly but not walking back towards the village.
"Yuan." The Elder seemed to think about his next words for a moment before he settled on saying, "We will do everything in our power to stop the bloodshed and to dispel old grudges."
"You do that," Yuan replied with a nod. He knew what the elf expected him to say, and while it wasn't what he normally would have chosen to say himself, he knew now wasn't the time to place everything he had just worked so hard on to establish in danger. "I wish you the best and will make sure the Renegades do the same."
The Elder nodded sagely. Yuan gave him a level look and let a hint of a wry smile grace his face as he let his eyes wander over to the guards and the more or less hidden elves. "The tale of Cruxis and the Four Seraphim is finished. The world belongs to you again, so make use of it. "
He didn't wait for an answer now either, walking to the edge of the water, not stepping on the wooden bridges. He summoned his wings, hiding a morbid smirk as some of the younger elves couldn't quite contain their surprise and let out soft gasps of shock. He spoke once more. "This is goodbye, then. May you fare well, citizens of Heimdall."<
He took flight, leaving the elves to think upon his words. He glanced back down and noticed a sad smile on the Elder's face. The children were impressed, though a little scared; the youngsters and most adults, including the shaken guard, seemed startled and wary and some, like the elder, didn't show much emotion at all. It was just as well; he didn't really care what the elves thought of him as long as they didn't get in the way of the rebuilding plan involving half-elves.
It was a strange feeling, he mused as he let his gaze sweep over the village once more. Four millennia hadn't changed the village and its inhabitants much. Since the days of the Kharlan War few half-elves had ever been able to enter the village. He knew the elves would need a long time to get over the barriers of distrust and that if the half-elves were expecting an easy truce and peaceful life side by side, they would be sorely disappointed. He let a ghost of a sad smile linger in the corner of his mouth before he decided he was done with bidding the place farewell and teleported away, back to the Renegade base.
It wouldn't be easy to gain the trust of the elves or the humans, but he had little doubt it could be done if everyone seriously tried their hardest. There were lots of young elves and half-elves who could learn to forgive. There was hope of salvation and a peaceful world yet.
End.
Fandom: Tales of Symphonia.
Disclaimer: Symphonia and its characters and places aren't mine. I'm just borrowing.
Date Finished: Late 2007.
Word Count: 1350+.
Written for: tos_100, although I never posted this there.
Prompt: #18, Distrust.
Characters: Yuan, elves of Heimdall.
Genre: General/Drama. Or something like that. I'm bad at classifying these.
Rating: G.
Warnings: None.
Author's Notes: Written a long time ago, but I never posted this anywhere because something about it seemed off. I'm unlikely to do anything about it anymore, though, so I just shrugged and went, what the hey, I could at least put it up here.
Summary: After Yggdrasill has been vanquished, Yuan has something to do before he leaves the Renegades to their own devices -- and to achieve his goal, he needs to negotiate with the elves, however much they may hate him.
He landed softly, unfazed and unsurprised to find spears directed straight at his chest. Without a word, he put his wings away and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Halt!" one of the guards barked. "You are not allowed into this village!"
"No half-elf may enter Heimdall!" the other added.
"That's why I flew here. The guards back in the woods didn't want to let me through, either," Yuan replied, sounding almost bored. "And, mind you, I could've flown right into the village if I so wished. The only reason I bothered not to go there is that I have no business within the walls of your village. Just get your Elder here, and once I've spoken with him, I'll be on my way."
The second guard snorted in disgust. "Do you really think we would summon our leader for a lowly half-elf such as you? You've got some n-"
"Quiet!" The first guard turned to stare at his companion, hard. "Do you not recognize him? He is one of the companions of Mithos the Half-elf!"
"What? But that's even more reason to not let him in here!"
"If I may remind you," Yuan replied coldly, "I said I have no intention of setting foot within your village. I want to talk to the Elder, now."
The first, older guard nodded stiffly. "I will go ask him if he will grant you an audience. Wait here."
Yuan was left standing near the gate with the younger guard, who tried to glare murderously at the half-elf. It had no effect on Yuan, but he knew he could creep out the elf with his own, steady gaze. True enough, the guard soon shifted uncomfortably and stared off to the side until the Elder approached.
"Yuan. Why have you come here, to our destroyed village?"
"Elder." Yuan bowed slightly. "I have a request I wish to make of you."
"A request?" The Elder leant on his staff, regarding the ancient half-elf warily. "What would a half-elf request from the elves?"
"As you are undoubtedly aware, I'm not only one of Cruxis' Four Seraphim. I'm the leader of the Renegades, those who fought against Cruxis." Yuan paused and glanced over the wooden buildings of the village, most of which were badly damaged. "Many Renegades, though half-elves, have either been born in Heimdall, or one of their parents was from here. They wish to help rebuild this place. I request that you let them into the village for the time being.
"Outrageous! That is completely unacceptable!" The young guard spat venomously. The older one frowned at him but didn't say anything.
Yuan ignored the guards, appealing to the Elder instead. "Please. Grant them this request. You won't need to have any dealings with me later; I'll resign my position as their leader shortly, and personally, I have no business here."
"I see." The Elder scrutinized Yuan. "You, too, will be leaving, then."
Yuan shrugged lightly. "As soon as things settle down and I can appoint someone to take over my duties, yes. Cruxis exists no more; Kratos is back up on Derris-Kharlan with the remaining angels, Lloyd and his friends defeated Mithos, and Martel was finally granted her eternal sleep. There's little point in lingering here."
"So you're the last one of the legendary Seraphim… One of those they called heroes." The Elder nodded to himself. "I understand. Perhaps it's time for us to start interacting with the world around us once more."
Yuan nodded curtly. "Then it's settled. Thank you."
"Elder! Surely you aren't being serious about this!" The young guard was almost shaking with rage.
"'That's the kind of attitude that gave rise to Cruxis'. These are the words of the human hero, Lloyd Irving, the new master of the Eternal Sword." The Elder turned to face the guards. "The world is changing. If we isolate ourselves from the rest of the world, we will not change. However, we cannot always remain the way we are now. Perhaps it's time we changed along with the world."
The guards didn't seem to agree, but Yuan couldn't have cared less. "That'd be a good decision, Elder," he said and gave a mock-bow, which the elven elder couldn't see with his back turned to him. "I'll be taking my leave now. I assume it is fine to send the men here two weeks from now?"
The Elder turned to give the half-elf a level look. It had been a long time since any elf had regarded him as an equal on any terms. Maybe, with this elf's help, the others would be able to overcome their millennia-old hatred of the oppressed rage. One could always hope, at least. "Yes, I will talk to the villagers. I am sure they will understand."
"I hope so, for everyone's sake," Yuan replied and shrugged. He wasn't looking around trying to spot the elves who had come to listen to their conversation, but it was obvious there were many pairs of ears listening keenly. "Consider this deal signed. I'll inform my men and leave everything to them and to you."
He didn't wait for an answer before turning and beginning to walk away. The Elder called him back and he stopped, turning slowly but not walking back towards the village.
"Yuan." The Elder seemed to think about his next words for a moment before he settled on saying, "We will do everything in our power to stop the bloodshed and to dispel old grudges."
"You do that," Yuan replied with a nod. He knew what the elf expected him to say, and while it wasn't what he normally would have chosen to say himself, he knew now wasn't the time to place everything he had just worked so hard on to establish in danger. "I wish you the best and will make sure the Renegades do the same."
The Elder nodded sagely. Yuan gave him a level look and let a hint of a wry smile grace his face as he let his eyes wander over to the guards and the more or less hidden elves. "The tale of Cruxis and the Four Seraphim is finished. The world belongs to you again, so make use of it. "
He didn't wait for an answer now either, walking to the edge of the water, not stepping on the wooden bridges. He summoned his wings, hiding a morbid smirk as some of the younger elves couldn't quite contain their surprise and let out soft gasps of shock. He spoke once more. "This is goodbye, then. May you fare well, citizens of Heimdall."<
He took flight, leaving the elves to think upon his words. He glanced back down and noticed a sad smile on the Elder's face. The children were impressed, though a little scared; the youngsters and most adults, including the shaken guard, seemed startled and wary and some, like the elder, didn't show much emotion at all. It was just as well; he didn't really care what the elves thought of him as long as they didn't get in the way of the rebuilding plan involving half-elves.
It was a strange feeling, he mused as he let his gaze sweep over the village once more. Four millennia hadn't changed the village and its inhabitants much. Since the days of the Kharlan War few half-elves had ever been able to enter the village. He knew the elves would need a long time to get over the barriers of distrust and that if the half-elves were expecting an easy truce and peaceful life side by side, they would be sorely disappointed. He let a ghost of a sad smile linger in the corner of his mouth before he decided he was done with bidding the place farewell and teleported away, back to the Renegade base.
It wouldn't be easy to gain the trust of the elves or the humans, but he had little doubt it could be done if everyone seriously tried their hardest. There were lots of young elves and half-elves who could learn to forgive. There was hope of salvation and a peaceful world yet.
End.