[fic] pull us through
title: Pull Us Through
fandom: Grandia II
character/pairing: Ryudo, Tio, Roan, Elena.
word count: 930
rating: PG-13, I guess?
For 31_days, August 4 prompt -- "collateral damage." Four witnesses to the destruction of Cyrum, four views on what has come to pass, four reasons to keep living.
Ryudo thinks of himself first, of the things he's been through and the people he's lost.
He thinks of the sound Reena's body made when it slid off Melfice's sword and hits the ground, of the look on Gatta's face when he left Garlan. He thinks of the fear in Elena's eyes when he saved her in the sealing ceremony gone wrong, of the desperation in Aira's voice when she thought that even her own mother had betrayed her. He thinks of Mareg's gruff, yet somehow poetic, advice; he thinks of the way Millenia used to smile at him like a cat with a mouse.
He's not incapable of thinking of others; he grits his teeth as the people of Cyrum scream and flee, he burns with anger as Valmar's minions violate even the dead. But nothing he sees in Cyrum resonates within him like the dead look in Elena's eyes as she pleads with a small child to come with them, please, it's dangerous here and your mother would want you to be safe; nothing makes him as angry as the thought that he still might lose her too.
He wants to fix it. He wants to fix all of it, for the people of Cyrum and those who already died in St. Heim Papal State, for Melfice and everyone in Garlan, for Mareg and Millenia, who he couldn't save in time but who he's sure would want him to stop this madness. For Elena, who has suffered so much and still blames herself.
But most of all, Ryudo wants to fix it for himself, to say enough and face Valmar and put an end to the misery they've endured, and an end to the Ryudo who wasn't strong enough or determined enough to stop it from happening.
Maybe then he'll finally be at peace with himself.
*****
Tio thinks of her friends first, of the people who have stood by her side and showed her what it means to live.
She thinks of Ryudo and the odd sense of relief she felt when they did not kill him to corner the Horns, of Elena and the tone she takes when she argues with Ryudo, annoyance somehow tinged with something warmer. She thinks of Millenia's carefree bursts of emotion, the way she makes it seem as if nothing in the world could be more natural, she thinks of Roan and how the young king at her side seems different than the boy who brushed her presence aside after the first battle in Cyrum -- different, and yet somehow very much the same.
But most of all, Tio thinks of Mareg, who placed faith in her from the beginning and taught her so much. She thinks of how much more she wanted to learn from him, and how she'll never have the chance now.
She wants a happy ending, one that will allow her to learn those things from the friends she still has at her side, one that will finally give her time to truly learn what "happy" means.
She's found something to believe in, and she can't let go of it now.
*****
Roan thinks of his people first, of those who have toiled so long under the burden of their past and who had just taken the first steps to letting go of it.
He thinks of the resignation in his father's voice and the shame that tainted every corner of the palace, of how very close they came to lying down and letting Valmar walk over their bodies to take the light away from the world again.
But he also thinks of Menory and every other person in the palace who helped him when he returned, of all of their efforts to contain the secret behind the sealed door, of the subjects who placed their faith in him and supported his efforts when he told them that their kingdom can and would change.
Cyrum will still change, because even if every building in the capital burns tonight, the people will live on. They know how to survive, and this time, they will do so with more hope than they ever had before he took the throne.
*****
Elena thinks of the world first, of how badly she yearned to save it and how close she came -- how close she still is -- to destroying it.
She tells herself not to give voice to the thought, for it would only worry Ryudo and they all have more than enough on their hands, but every burning house, every crying child, and every corpse in the street is another reminder of what Valmar could not have wrought without her compliance, and their escape from the city goes by in a blur of tears cutting trails through the ashy haze in her face, prayers whispered under her breath so Ryudo will not hear her and stop again to tell her that she did nothing wrong, prayers that will never reach their intended recipient.
She doesn't know who else to pray to.
They stop outside the city, and she looks back as the others argue about where to go next. She wants to close her eyes, but how can she do anything but stare what she has unknowingly done in the face? She wants to give up, but giving up would be too easy.
The others are right. To lie down and die now would be to do no honor to what they have all fought to save.
And Elena may be many things, but this time, she refuses to be a coward.
fandom: Grandia II
character/pairing: Ryudo, Tio, Roan, Elena.
word count: 930
rating: PG-13, I guess?
For 31_days, August 4 prompt -- "collateral damage." Four witnesses to the destruction of Cyrum, four views on what has come to pass, four reasons to keep living.
Ryudo thinks of himself first, of the things he's been through and the people he's lost.
He thinks of the sound Reena's body made when it slid off Melfice's sword and hits the ground, of the look on Gatta's face when he left Garlan. He thinks of the fear in Elena's eyes when he saved her in the sealing ceremony gone wrong, of the desperation in Aira's voice when she thought that even her own mother had betrayed her. He thinks of Mareg's gruff, yet somehow poetic, advice; he thinks of the way Millenia used to smile at him like a cat with a mouse.
He's not incapable of thinking of others; he grits his teeth as the people of Cyrum scream and flee, he burns with anger as Valmar's minions violate even the dead. But nothing he sees in Cyrum resonates within him like the dead look in Elena's eyes as she pleads with a small child to come with them, please, it's dangerous here and your mother would want you to be safe; nothing makes him as angry as the thought that he still might lose her too.
He wants to fix it. He wants to fix all of it, for the people of Cyrum and those who already died in St. Heim Papal State, for Melfice and everyone in Garlan, for Mareg and Millenia, who he couldn't save in time but who he's sure would want him to stop this madness. For Elena, who has suffered so much and still blames herself.
But most of all, Ryudo wants to fix it for himself, to say enough and face Valmar and put an end to the misery they've endured, and an end to the Ryudo who wasn't strong enough or determined enough to stop it from happening.
Maybe then he'll finally be at peace with himself.
*****
Tio thinks of her friends first, of the people who have stood by her side and showed her what it means to live.
She thinks of Ryudo and the odd sense of relief she felt when they did not kill him to corner the Horns, of Elena and the tone she takes when she argues with Ryudo, annoyance somehow tinged with something warmer. She thinks of Millenia's carefree bursts of emotion, the way she makes it seem as if nothing in the world could be more natural, she thinks of Roan and how the young king at her side seems different than the boy who brushed her presence aside after the first battle in Cyrum -- different, and yet somehow very much the same.
But most of all, Tio thinks of Mareg, who placed faith in her from the beginning and taught her so much. She thinks of how much more she wanted to learn from him, and how she'll never have the chance now.
She wants a happy ending, one that will allow her to learn those things from the friends she still has at her side, one that will finally give her time to truly learn what "happy" means.
She's found something to believe in, and she can't let go of it now.
*****
Roan thinks of his people first, of those who have toiled so long under the burden of their past and who had just taken the first steps to letting go of it.
He thinks of the resignation in his father's voice and the shame that tainted every corner of the palace, of how very close they came to lying down and letting Valmar walk over their bodies to take the light away from the world again.
But he also thinks of Menory and every other person in the palace who helped him when he returned, of all of their efforts to contain the secret behind the sealed door, of the subjects who placed their faith in him and supported his efforts when he told them that their kingdom can and would change.
Cyrum will still change, because even if every building in the capital burns tonight, the people will live on. They know how to survive, and this time, they will do so with more hope than they ever had before he took the throne.
*****
Elena thinks of the world first, of how badly she yearned to save it and how close she came -- how close she still is -- to destroying it.
She tells herself not to give voice to the thought, for it would only worry Ryudo and they all have more than enough on their hands, but every burning house, every crying child, and every corpse in the street is another reminder of what Valmar could not have wrought without her compliance, and their escape from the city goes by in a blur of tears cutting trails through the ashy haze in her face, prayers whispered under her breath so Ryudo will not hear her and stop again to tell her that she did nothing wrong, prayers that will never reach their intended recipient.
She doesn't know who else to pray to.
They stop outside the city, and she looks back as the others argue about where to go next. She wants to close her eyes, but how can she do anything but stare what she has unknowingly done in the face? She wants to give up, but giving up would be too easy.
The others are right. To lie down and die now would be to do no honor to what they have all fought to save.
And Elena may be many things, but this time, she refuses to be a coward.