FicWad

Shadows Under the Oak Tree


(C) Intelligent Systems and Nintendo


-0-


3. Three Days: Song of the Sitting Room

(/Elements. Hey baby, what's your affinity?/)


The fire, crackling merrily from the hearth, sounded faint to Canas' ears; indeed, for a while now it simply hadn't existed to him. It paled in comparison to the words of that great 6th century sage, Aerys of Etruria, who wrote an absolutely thrilling dissertation on the properties of the anima spell tomes in his famous Elements. Canas had read it six years ago, in no less a place than Aquleia's famous library, but he was more than happy to return to it. It was a very old copy, and the many annotations Lily's ancestors had written only made it all the more enjoyable to read. Lily had several comments strewn about, all focusing on the fragility of spell tomes and innate magical strength; in fact, most of the generational commentary seemed concerned with this area. Making a mental note to ask Lily about this, he continued to read.


After some time, he was jolted by a sudden clatter. He lowered the book to find Lily on the other side of the table, on which she had placed a teapot and two teacups. Smiling, he greeted her with, "Ah, Lily. What a coincidence, I had just thought about you."

She was smiling as she served him tea. "That's nice to hear. I hope I'm not interrupting," she replied, moving to serve herself. With a speed he hadn't even known himself to possess, he shook his head in adamant denial. Since yesterday, when the blizzard started, Lily had been occupied with preparing cures for the ailments sure to arise after the storm. With a small chuckle, she gestured to his cup. "I hope you'll like this blend. It's meseri leaves with tinin stems, good for aiding concentration."

"Meseri? That's an herb native to Etruria, is it not?" He took a sip, amazed at the body of the tea; it was very full, almost creamy, and yet there was a bit of a bite to it. "It's simply wonderful, like usual. I've never had anything quite as exquisite as these blends," he said, and he meant every word. His mother knew how to make any tea that contained the following characteristics: hot and bitter. 'Cooking' was something his mother attempted grudgingly.


"Mm, it is." Lily took a sip of the tea before she looked at him. "My family helped create a network between herbalists so that we are all properly supplied. Of course, there are some areas that can't be reached...but most of the time it's good enough."

"I see. That sounds like an effective system." Canas glanced down at the book in his lap. "Do you communicate with other anima users as well?"

"To some extent...mostly to Etrurians," she replied, smiling in such a way that struck him as odd. Being a relatively easy person to fluster, he thought he saw something of those same symptoms in her. "What about shamans?"

"Err...what about them?"

She waved one hand in a gesture he recognized but could not define. "Do you communicate with them?"

He had to think about it. "In a way of speaking. My mother is more predisposed to such a thing than I." Or my brothers/, he thought with an inward sigh. /Though, that wouldn't be terribly difficult.

"I'm surprised."

"By what?"

"Well..." She took another sip of tea and he remembered that he hadn't touched his cup in a while. "You would seek out an anima user, but not someone who practices your own type of magic?"

Finishing off his cup in one gulp, Canas tried to organize his thoughts. Truth be told, it wasn't a favorite subject of his, but for Lily's sake he would try. "While I do study elder magic, I find I'm rather more interested in how the other magic systems work at the present moment. Once I've become more proficient in understanding how anima and light magic work, perhaps I can use that knowledge to unlock some of the deeper secrets of elder magic."

"Ah." He blinked at the wide-eyed look of wonder on Lily's face as she leaned over to pour him another cup of tea. "I'm impressed. I would've thought the systems to be diametrically opposed and therefore incomparable."

"Really? I cannot imagine why. After all, they all rely on both innate magical strength as well as their respective tomes."

"Oh, certainly. But their individual systems are much more complicated than that, don't you think?"

"Certainly so. However, they all come from a greater source than their parts."

"That's...not very complex." A realization seemed to strike her, judging by the surprised expression on her face. Canas was fascinated by her willingness to engage in such a debate and eagerly awaited her next words. "But what about staves? Is that also considered light magic, since its users are mainly of Elimine's flock, or is it its own magic since nonbelievers of the Church can use them? Or do we even consider it magic in the sense that staves aren't used for direct attacks?"

His eyes widened at the new sphere of thought. What Lily just asked was something he had never truly considered. He had even studied for a time at a monastery in Lycia--though he was quickly ushered out once the priests discovered his lineage's history with magic that was anathema to them--and had seen the sisters and priests with their staves while acolyte monks wielded holy tomes. Yet, his own mother could use staves, but she was disgusted by the Elimineans' blind faith and inability to seek true knowledge.


"I...I truly do not know," he began, the beginning of a wide smile on his face as his mind began churning out hypotheses and conjectures. "Perhaps you could assist me in finding a plausible answer?"

Lily smiled. "Well, there really isn't anything else to do, is there? Sure, I'd be happy to."

They debated until there was nothing left save a few cold drops in the teapot.


-0-


"There is something that I have just noticed."

Lily, who was carrying a tray with two bowls of winter stew, glanced at Canas. He was sitting as close to the hearth as possible while on the couch, his attention to the walls instead of the book on his lap. "...Oh?" she uttered, making her way to her side of the table to set down the tray. "And does it have to do with my house?"

"Actually, yes." He turned to her, and if it wasn't for the monocle, his open, friendly expression would've made him look young. As it was, it made him look as if he was in the midst of dignified curiosity. Smiling--/well, there goes the dignity/, Lily observed--as he gestured to her bare walls, he stated, "There are no windows in the sitting room."

After a long moment of simply staring at her house guest, Lily remembered to give him his bowl. "Do I...need windows here?" she asked, unsure of what else to say.


"Err..." Holding the bowl awkwardly in his hands, Canas looked to her like he was surprised by the question. "Well, truthfully...I don't quite know. In Etruria and Lycia, every room had at least one window. The homes of the well-to-do were judged on the extravagance of their front windows. They do provide adequate air circulation, and you can see the world outside..."

/Because there is so much to see/, Lily thought as she picked up her bowl. "I've seen snow before. Many times, in fact. And if there was anything else worth seeing, I'd already be outside." Taking a draught of the stew, which was more like a thin broth that she had tried vainly to thicken with dried meats and herbs, she chewed thoughtfully on a chunk of meat before swallowing. "Do you think it's too hard to breathe in here?" Maybe he was trying to tell her something? It wasn't his style to be so subtle, but he wasn't quite as easy to read as her fellow villagers.


He was staring at her after she took another gulp of stew. Then, almost reverently, he took his first sip from his bowl. "Interesting flavor," he commented. "I don't think it's hard to breathe in here at all. The scent of the logs, mixed with the aromas of your teas and meals...it is rather like a true home."

"Oh." She wasn't sure if that was an oblique compliment about her housekeeping skills, or just a polite statement. In the end, it was easier to be gracious. "Thank you. I'll admit that it was more lively in here when my parents were alive, but...a home should be filled with comfortable feelings, not grief."

The glance he threw at her made her frown; it almost seemed as though he had been struck. "Indeed," he agreed, though he sounded distant. It reminded her of his reaction to finding out her parents' fate, and suddenly she wanted nothing more than to move on. A moment of silence stretched into two, then three, while they sipped at their soups and discomfort prickled under her skin. By chance, her attention was drawn to the book on his lap.


"Oh, you're reading Elements," she remarked. After their extensive conversation on magic yesterday, she realized that, while he was completely lacking in common sense, he made it up with a shining intelligence that far exceeded hers.


It's because he's traveled for such a long time/, she told herself while finishing off her bowl. /There are so many things that can only be learned by leaving home, even if materials /are sent to me.../

She cut down that thought. It was an act of mercy; she was too old to think of such things now. And yet--


Iris...

--not all thoughts were so easily controlled.


"Lily?" When she looked at him, shadows and light fighting for dominion on his face, she was struck by another thought: /How appropriate/. "Is something wrong?"

"Of course not," she said, smiling out of habit. Only her parents had known when something was bothering her, even through her smiles, so she was surprised when he actually frowned a bit. "What's that face for?"

"Ah, nothing. Forgive me." There was a pause, then Canas smiled and tapped the cover of the book. "I find that Elements is perhaps the most comprehensive work on the anima system, so I was quite elated to find it on your shelves."

"Oh, you've read it before?"

"Yes, in Aquleia."

Lily had to think about that for a moment; geography was never her strong point. "That would be Etruria's capital, right?"

"Yes, the capital. A truly wonderful place. It is well deserving of its title as Elibe's pinnacle of culture." Shifting a bit, he took another gulp from the bowl before placing it on the tray. "I especially enjoyed their library and magic schools."

Despite the slight sense of wistfulness creeping in her chest, she smiled. "My, that does sound nice. With all those resources, I'm even more surprised that you would come all the way up here just to learn from my parents." Is my ancestry that famous? she pondered, and a light blush warmed her cheeks at the swell of pride that arose with the question. She giggled suddenly. "I mean, if you were in Etruria, you could've even visited, say, their mage general..." Her blush darkened, but she knew it wasn't because of her swollen ego.


"Oh, that is true. However, I was fairly young when I visited, not even eighteen." Through the haze of her happiness, she dimly noted that Canas seemed a bit out of sorts. "I was traveling the continent to hone my skills in elder magic, but I, err, was sidetracked. Either way, at the time Etruria's mage general was a rather gruff man who cared little for visitors, or so the students of the schools had told me."

Not even eighteen? she wondered, but she was too focused on her train of thought to care. "Well, now the mage general is a very young man, around twenty or so. He's the count of Reglay..." How fortunate that the only light in here is from the hearth/, she thought as her heart happily thudded in her chest, /it wouldn't do to look so smitten for a man younger than myself. A married one, at that! Embarrassed, she waved a hand about, trying to downplay her feelings while she said, "W-well, my friends in Etruria tell me so much about their news, and any news about an anima user is always of interest to me!"

./..That was a little obvious/, she fretted to herself.


"My, really? That is young. He must be quite talented, but..." She noticed his flustered expression and raised an eyebrow. "Can he cast magic without holding the tome?"

Ah. I was wondering when he would ask again. "Probably not," she answered quietly, her good humor draining away as she anticipated his questions with the grim determination of someone facing brigands. She was the last of her lineage. She would not do her family a disservice by showing that she forgotten their lessons, their history...no. Canas was intelligent, but anima was her lifeblood.


As long as it is just about casting magic, it's fine. At least he only knows about that.

His voice was soft, anticipation crackling through like the fire through the logs in the hearth. "You told me before that your family's talent was not inherent memorization. I recall you saying that the words become one with your...soul. That sounds like the Elimineans' method of casting their light magic."

"It's much different. The Elimineans put their faith in the belief that they are guarded by some divine spirit. I've talked to many spirits, but I've never spoken to a divine one." Pursing her lips, she looked at his face and only saw rapt attention. "What I'm talking about goes beyond the categories of magic, but rather the method of casting itself.


"As you are well aware, casting magic comes from both the spell power of the tome as well as our own innate magical power. That is how we cast magic today, that was how it was cast during the dragon-human war. But before that, before there were even books...how was magic cast?" Lily spread her arms. "Once, magic was cast using nothing more than our own control and strength. My bloodline is dedicated towards finding out why we can't do that anymore, and a way to do it. To that end, we're trained from birth to memorize the incantations before we're allowed to learn how to read them. The written word only gets in the way."

The look on Canas' face changed from interest to a bewilderment Lily had, up to this point, only associated with very young children a second after a favorite toy was taken away. Thankfully, he didn't start bawling; instead, he gaped at her like the gutted fish she had once seen at a festival in Edessa. "I-is that...err, that is...could it be.../possible/?"

She shrugged. "Like I just said, it was once."

"To cast magic without a tome..."

"Mm-hm."

It struck her that he usually seemed to be fluctuating between shades of confusion, bewilderment, and bemusement, which was odd considering how devoted he was to learning. Ah, it's probably because he learns too much/, she thought. /Father always did say that focusing on too many things at once was bound to lead someone astray. Or was that Mother? Well, in their last years they were almost like echoes of each other.

Finally, something happened. Canas smiled widely. "My/...if this is true, your family could be at the forefront of magical theory! Not just the forefront, but you could be the key to discovering new forms of magic, completely demolishing old constrictions...you could revolutionize Elibe--no, perhaps even /that is too minor--"

"Please, please, let's not get carried away here," she said, waving her hands in an emphatic way, as if that would cast a spell to silence him. "We aren't doing it for that! Honorable Albion only wanted to hone that skill to bring relief to Ilia. All we have ever wanted is to able to nuture crops, not, not any of that other stuff." It appeared to Lily that he didn't understand when he stared at her in a perplexed manner. For what it was worth, she couldn't understand him either. "Revolutionize Elibe? It's doing fine as is, isn't it?"

Scholars/, she grumbled to herself. /You give them an herb, and suddenly they want an apple tree!

"Err...yes, yes it is. But a common thread I have observed while studying the last five hundred years of magical theory is its stagnation due to the unfortunate belief that we have learned all that we can out of tome-usage." It occurred to Lily that Canas was probably in his own mad little world, and she wasn't sure whether to feel responsible for it or annoyed. "Now, your proposal opens up a whole new dimension of theory. Perhaps with it we can discover the inner workings to magic itself, and not just how to manipulate it."

Annoyed. It had to be annoyance. Now she fully understood why honorable Albion had left Edessa to create his own sanctuary. Never mind that people followed him once they had heard of his dream, but they had been inspired by hope. She wasn't sure what Canas was being inspired by, but she knew she didn't want to have any part of it. "And what will you do with this knowledge? I mean, other than tearing down the foundations of magical theory for the sake of inspiring new thoughts? You think all the time, so why do you need new ones? Are you going to save Ilia from centuries of destitution? Will playing with theories and conjectures save lives?"

"...I have offended you, haven't I? My apologies. I..." He looked sheepish now, and Lily realized that she had been shouting. "I did get carried away, but it is only because I find what your family has been trying to do so fascinating. The potential implications of such research are overwhelming..."

Embarrassment tumbled in her stomach, and she looked away from his earnest, sheepish expression in discomfort. "No, I was...I can't comprehend knowledge for the sake of knowledge. I like magical theory, and I enjoyed our conversation about it last night, but this is so much more important to me...it isn't something to be trifled with. It's the reason we have toiled away here for centuries..." She smiled wistfully, touched by the lingering fingers of a long-lost dream. "The pegasus knights fight to bring us a temporary solution. I admire them. However, if it's possible, I want to live in an Ilia where lives do not have to be sacrificed so that others may live."

"I admire that way of thinking. It is...truly Ilian." At those words, she stared at him. His smile was brighter than Ilia's sun, and she was strangely affected by its warmth. It was easy to forgive and forget at such simple words, but when he smiled like that...she realized once again, even through the shadows dancing on his face, that his eyes were full of pure understanding.


An intelligent heart that understands and accepts...it's so strange. What is this feeling?


It's so nice.


-0-


Ah, what a wonderful tome/, Canas thought as he finished the afterword of Elements. /Truly, my mother does herself harm by not understanding the value of the anima system. I wonder if Lily would be more open to learning about elder magic, or perhaps even borrowing one of my tomes? It is a small sum towards what I owe her for her kindness, but knowledge /is its own reward. Lily seems to understand that. /

He liked the sound of that. After the last two days, his already high respect for her had grown exponentially. If she chose to understand his family's magic system as he was hers...well!


"What are you so happy about?" Lily's voice reached his ears. Glancing up from the closed tome, he opened his mouth to greet her.


He stared.


Where there was once a thick, loose dress that covered everything between neck and feet, there was now a white dress that tightly encased healthy feminine curves. The hem of the dress only lingered at mid-thigh, where aquamarine stockings met the challenge of hiding the flesh underneath. A stiff aquamarine collar covered Lily's neck; billowy white sleeves floated just above her elbows, leaving pale arms bare. Canas was an Ilian by birth, but he didn't have to be Ilian to know that uniform; the pegasus knight brigade of the Knights' Union of Ilia was famous--or infamous--the continent over.


She had noticed he was staring, though he considered that it would be harder not to; he was quite certain his mouth was still open. "Is it...really so bad?" she asked in a wary tone, her hands clasped in front of her body.


"No." He blinked, then realized he really should avert his attention and reply with something more substantial. "It's...err, rather flattering."

"Really? Thank you. It's something I wear only at home. This is made of the same material as the real uniforms, so it's very comfortable and warm." Sitting down, she plunked an unlabeled bottle and two small cups onto the table.


He tapped a finger against the back cover of the tome as he thought about what she had just said. "It's only a replica? Why would you own something like that?" he finally asked. Lily, as a wing-borne warrior soaring through the skies on the back of a pegasus, made for an easy image in his mind. He imagined that, as long as it did Ilia some good, she could do anything.


A small smile flitted along her lips as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "My mother made it for me a couple years ago, for my twenty-first affinity cycle. When I was a child, it was my dream to become a pegasus knight, but..." She sighed and threw her hands up. "I've learned since then that even serving the smallest places can be just as important as fighting for an entire country."

"Certainly an admirable goal either way," Canas agreed. Twenty-first affinity cycle...a couple years ago? his mind saw fit to alert him. In the pegasus knight uniform, she looked more like a girl in the full blush of maidenhood than her long, formless dresses would have him believe. Now that he thought about it, her personality made her seem older than her features would have him believe. A couple years ago...if that is a literal statement, we are the same age. Yet, she looks rather young...


Not that he looked very old himself, he amended. His mother had quite the fondness of calling him a child whenever she materialized in his life.


"I had thought you to be younger," he said. Lily laughed at this and sat down, pouring something from the bottle and offering a cup to him. "Thank you," he said automatically before taking a sip. Liquid fire raced down his throat and he coughed and sputtered while somehow making sure the rest of his cup didn't spill onto his new clothes.


"Never had 'poor man's fire', have you?" Lily asked with a grin. "The storm's going to break tomorrow morning, so I only carried enough logs for up to this evening. My mother was very frugal, so we would all drink this on the last night." She leaned back, and Canas thought there was something fragile in the way she lifted her cup to her lips. "Iris hated it, and she used to tell me that it was a nasty drink, but...I felt like I was finally an adult when Father allowed me to have some."

He couldn't help but frown at the tumble of words. "Iris?" he asked. He didn't remember her ever mentioning that name.


"My sister." Lily took a final gulp, then reached to pour herself another drink. "She was five years older than me." She paused, her eyes flickering to meet his before returning her attention to her drink. "She died around eight years ago."

Oh... Bowing his head, Canas adjusted his monocle. Her sister, then her parents...what a sad set of circumstances. I am not accustomed to physical death, so I don't know what to say...I wonder if there is anything to say. "I...I am sorry for your loss," he managed out. At a loss for words, he sipped his drink and winced as it seared down his throat. An oozing warmth spread from his abdomen outwards, and he couldn't help but shudder at the alien feeling.


Lily, almost too young in her very different attire, was staring at him in a haunted way when he looked up again. "It's fine," she said in a hollow voice. "I can't do anything about it. She's the one who left, anyway."

The feeling that he had stepped into something not unlike Caelin's peat bogs was jabbing at him with the same frequency as his curiosity. Sometimes they seemed to be the same thing. "Why did she leave?"

"I don't know." Lily smiled, and to Canas it looked grim. The uniform she wore didn't help; she looked like she was only smiling because it was either that or crying. He had the unfortunate fate of being able to tie an actual memory to the thought; a year before he had witnessed a few bloodstained pegasus knights dragging themselves into the Tanian inn where he had been staying. The innkeeper had thrown them out, no matter their entreaties or that they were able to pay for a room many times over, calling them crows, ravagers of corpses.


/If Iris had stayed, Lily might've succeeded in fulfilling her dream/, he thought, then shuddered. Talons of a vicious thought reached out to him, scraping across his mind and leaving behind a chill. He dodged its full intention, twisting the thought into something more palatable, something he could acknowledge as his own.


I was lucky to meet Lily here, where she truly belongs.

Yes, that was a much nicer thought.


"Oh, this sort of thing isn't something I like to talk about," she announced, looking all at once bashful and irritated. "You're a guest, after all. Didn't you say something? What was it again, please?"

"I, err..." The ease in which she was able to shift back into her usual persona momentarily stunned Canas. Oh, what was it...perhaps it was concerning her affinity month? "What month were you born, I believe." Scant seconds after he said that, he realized he had been curious about her current age, but then his mother came to mind. Mother is sensitive about her age...I think I have tried Lily enough tonight.

It seemed to him that she appreciated the question, judging from her soft smile and the fact that she was no longer throwing the contents of her cup down her throat. "Month of the spear."

"Oh, really? A wind affinity?"

"Mm. And yourself?"

"Month of the pegasus. Err, that would be--"

"I know. Anima, right?" Her smile had mellowed, and even the way she waved down his words seemed slower. Or was that the lulling heaviness that was settling over him? "Aren't you going to drink? The logs are almost charred through."

He had no desire to finish his drink, but out of politeness he took another sip. This one went down more easily than the first or second, and the heaviness seemed more pleasant. "In Cereon's Hidden Traits of Affinities, he mentioned the theory that some months are more analogous than others. For instance, to put a person who was born in the month of the arrow with one born in either the month of the pegasus or wyvern would cause both parties to feel a certain amount of discomfort around each other." After so many words, finishing his cup seemed necessary to soothe his dry throat.


"Hm. That's more the fortuneteller's fare than mine, but that's nice." Shadows scattered over her face as the fire from the hearth began to dim, and to Canas it seemed as though they made her look weary, almost depleted. It's the drink/, he thought distantly, /I don't imbibe liquor on a regular basis, and so it affects me quite strongly...but I do feel warm.

"It is," he thought he heard himself murmur. "After all, our months are naturally compatible."

"Well, they are both common to Ilia." Her voice was drifting around him. Closing his eyes only made the effect more prominent.


"In...indeed." Even during the Lycian summers he had never felt this warm. It was pleasant. "Perhaps there is some truth to it," he might've said. It didn't matter.


"Well, I don't dislike you. In fact, I appreciate your company very much. It helps..."

Perhaps Lily said that, or perhaps not. Perhaps it was all a dream. A wonderful dream without shadows and emptiness and all the dark things his mother wanted him to conquer. Something full of promise, unlike the pale faces of his brothers, deep in their eternal slumbers, or the abyss that yawned before him, ready to devour his mind and identity at the first sign of weakness.


He needed more dreams like Lily's words.


-to be continued...-