http://ca.geocities.com/therealsilentnova/

_________________________________________________________________
Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*   
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail


-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: ffmldob02.txt

Dear Old Blade

Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy Tactics, its settings, and
its characters are the creations and property of
Squaresoft.

***

Chapter Two

It was a long trip to Limberry, as Wiegraf said nothing to
his older brother, who in return left Wiegraf alone.

Scenery bled away, time passed, and silent thought, which
he forgot about since it only quickly passed away with the
countryside, dominated Wiegraf's energy.

He was surprised though, upon reaching his family mansion,
the Ruglia estate in Igros. He also inwardly despaired, so
he waited until his brother had exited the carriage and
entered the mansion, before deciding to get down out of
the coach himself.

Slowly, Wiegraf climbed out of the carriage. He bid for
the driver to wait, wanting to see the chocobo team. 'I
delay going to Father...' he thought, as he approached the
closest chocobo.

As he reached to pet the giant bird, which towered over
him, he was almost surprised when the chocobo opened its
mouth, as though threatening to attack.

"Young sir, you must be careful," said the carriage
driver. "Chocobos are wild even in their souls. You can
take 'em from the wilderness, but they never really leave
there."

Wiegraf, his hand held unthreateningly out in a paw-like
fashion, slowly crept towards the giant bird.

Cautiously, as though using all its senses as council, the
chocobo seemingly decided not to bite Wiegraf.

"They're intelligent," said Wiegraf, looking into the eyes
of the beast, as he touched, and then stroked the soft
yellow feathers of the great bird.

"Very much so, sir," replied the driver. "And they're
strong. Such a combination of strength and intelligence is
dangerous even to the most skilled of Mediators."

The chocobo snorted. As though deciding Wiegraf was
uninteresting, the beast turned away its head.

The driver said, "I hope you don't mind, sir, but I must
bring the team to the stables. You may visit after, if you
wish."

"Okay then, you may go," replied Wiegraf, hiding
disappointment.

As he watched the carriage slowly leave, Wiegraf felt a
little hesitant to proceed inside.

He heard the mansion front door open. Turning, he saw a
young man step outside, closing the door behind himself.

Although at the sight of the young man, he felt relieved,
Wiegraf also felt guilty. 'He'll be angry at me.'

"You _are_ here," said the young man. "I thought you
already snuck off since I didn't see you come inside with
Eberhart." The young man's voice wasn't filled with anger
nor judgement, as Wiegraf had presumed it would be. "I'm
really glad that you're here! I've got good news! Our
sisters are coming back!"

Wiegraf felt instantly elated. However, his joy was
tempered by the knowledge the girls were returning only
because Lord Ruglia was ill. "Weslee, how is my father?
I've only heard he fell this morning." he asked the boy.

"I was told that he's been sick for awhile..." said
Weslee. "But he hid how sick he really was from everybody.
Nobody knew a thing! Until now." He stopped to consider
something, and then shrugged. "Although no one's actually
told me, I bet Lord Ruglia is very sick."

Wiegraf suddenly asked, ignoring the urge to run to his
father's room, "Are you angry with me, Weslee? It was
because of me that you got kicked out."

"No, I don't blame you. I can't. Don't got the right,"
replied Weslee.

"I'm very selfish." Wiegraf shook his head. "If I didn't
keep sneaking off, then you wouldn't have been kicked
out!"

"Nah. Those people were looking for any excuse to get me
out of there!" Weslee grimaced. "If it weren't you
sneaking off, then it'd probably be some other stupid
reason for me getting kicked out! Besides, it's done.
Nothing to be done about it." He turned and opened the
door. "We should go inside."

Inside, Wiegraf was almost taken aback at how much his old
home hadn't changed.

He entered a large room, which was memorable due to a
strikingly shiny chandelier hanging from the centre of the
ceiling, two stories up. Two dual large staircases on the
room's other side led upstairs to a balcony, which circled
the room, allowing people above to see down to the
entrance of the mansion.

He wondered why he expected the mansion to look different,
as he knew any changes to his old home would be expensive;
he also knew his father hated spending on unnecessary
acquisitions.

A servant, whose name wasn't readily available to
Wiegraf's memory, approached. The servant bowed to
Wiegraf, before saying, "Young master, we've had someone
go to fetch some of your clothing from the school, so you
needn't worry for anything to wear." He pleasantly smiled,
before saying, "Your room is ready. Do you wish to see
it?"

"Not now, unfortunately, but you have my thanks," replied
Wiegraf.

"Are you in need of any particular favour, young master?"
the servant asked. "You seem to not have eaten..."

"Right, perhaps you could..." Wiegraf said, his voice
fading, as though hinting to the servant to immediately
see to the favour.

After the servant departed, Weslee suddenly and
unexpectedly asked Wiegraf, "Why did you always leave for
the plains? I always wondered..." He shook his head in
disapproval. "Alone, in an area where monsters live... And
you always forced the school to send us poor students to
find you. We did have some sword fighting, but not enough
to save you, or even ourselves if a monster decided we'd
make a nice little snack."

"I like it there," Wiegraf replied, automatically.
However, seeing Weslee's disbelieving expression, he then
chided himself for answering too quickly. He decided to
give Weslee an honest answer, "My mother used to bring my
sister and me to a certain tree by the river. I always
felt happiest in those days..." He thought of Weslee's
comment, 'Monsters are certain to roam there.' He then
bitterly thought, 'You're right.' He then tried to shoo
away thoughts of his mother.

"Wiegraf?" Weslee said, startling Wiegraf from a daze.
"You should go to your dad. He's asking for you."

Wiegraf didn't say anything, hoping to Saint Ajora that
Weslee wouldn't push the issue of seeing to the Lord
Ruglia.

"Wiegraf... You should see your father," said Weslee.

"I... I will wait for Miluda, before seeing to Father,"
said Wiegraf, shame coursing through his body. He wanted
to see his father, but a reason held him from barging to
the room where his father lay, perhaps dying.

"Yeah. Okay then." Weslee's voice sounded sympathetic, and
curious.

'You, like I, want to know why I don't run to him...'
thought Wiegraf. 'But I can't explain. I don't want to
know!'

"Hadwin's coming," said Weslee, quietly. "He doesn't look
happy."

Wiegraf turned to see the man named Hadwin walking down
the stairs.

"Why are you still here?" asked Hadwin. "Father's taken a
turn for the worse! You should be with him! He calls for
Miluda and you, yet you don't show yourself to him!" He
paused to take a breath. "I understand why Miluda doesn't
show! She's not yet here!" He scowled. "However, you are!"
He pounded once but loudly on the stairway railing.

Wiegraf looked at the floor. He felt his face burn with
embarrassment, knowing his brother was right.

"You better not be here when I return," Hadwin said,
walking past Wiegraf to and through the mansion front
door.

Neither Wiegraf nor Weslee said anything.

Eventually however, Weslee said to Wiegraf, "I wonder
where he's going? He was in such a great rush..."

"He's now the leader of Igros' soldiers," explained
Wiegraf, seizing the opportunity to not think of Hadwin's
harsh words. "I doubt Father's using sickness to stray
from his duty of leading the soldiers himself, though.
Those two probably have planned something urgent, which
Father wouldn't allow Hadwin to neglect."

Weslee smiled with pride at Wiegraf. "You know so much!"
He then asked, "But wouldn't it be Eberhart who'd take
over? He is the oldest, right?"

"With Father, duty is the greatest priority. Eberhart
works with the Duke as the Duke's second-in-command. Thus,
not wanting to disturb such a balance, Father would rather
have Hadwin assume his own responsibility, which wouldn't
be too much of a change for the soldiers, since Hadwin's
been Father's second-in-command for almost the past year."

The servant returned, bringing to Wiegraf a sandwich.

Wiegraf took it, but he wasn't in the mood for eating. The
servent then left.

"What will you do then if you're not going to your
father?" asked Weslee.

"I don't know," replied Wiegraf.

The door opened behind him.

It was Hadwin. "I told you to go to Father!" The older
brother rushed at Wiegraf, slapping him on the head,
knocking him to the floor. "Get out of my sight, you
pathetic idiot! I hate you!" He quickly walked past
Wiegraf to the stairs.

Wiegraf refused to cry. Tears formed in his eyes, but a
scowl deformed the rest of his face. He got up, tossed the
sandwich at where Hadwin had been, then turned and ran out
the door.

He was then running without a destination, but his legs
followed an old path, one he had taken in his youth when
running from what he feared above all else. Memories upon
memories of his brothers laughing down on him, scowling at
him, pushing him out the way. All these recollections
gathered together, and began in their growing volume to
weigh him down and slow his run.

When he couldn't carry any more of his pain, he fell to
his knees, then began to pound on the ground.

The ground felt nothing of his anger though, so Wiegraf
fell back, and looked up to the sky, where he sawing
nothing but sky.

"I have to watch him die?" he then asked.

He remembered the day when his mother had taken him to the
plains outside of Gariland, near the river.

"Wiegraf, you must know the history of the Ruglias?" she
asked. "A stranger appeared from nowhere, saving the life
of the Earl of Gariland. Such a noble act could only have
been done by noble blood, because blood always shows
through."

Wiegraf did know.

"It is truly noble blood," she said. "I'm a little worried
though. For before the day when Ruglia blood was revealed,
that man wasn't known to be noble. Where he'd come from is
a total mystery." She said, "My father had a small hunch
though, because of something in passing revealed to him by
Professor Durai. It was only a hunch though, as he never
followed up on his suspicion." She sighed. "There is a
secret though, Wiegraf. A great and disquieting secret,
which Ruglia blood has buried in its memory, deep inside
where the light of remembrance dares not tread." She
frowned at Wiegraf. "The secret of the Ruglia is either
terrible or misunderstood, Wiegraf. I'm afraid a day shall
come when you must unravel the mysteries of your blood."

That is all Wiegraf wanted to remember.

Over his face and arms, throat and chest, he felt
scratches from the many branches he had barged through
flaring into life, forcing him to acknowledge he could not
go any further. He didn't want to go anywhere else anyway
though, for he found himself standing at the bottom of a
rock bluff he in his youth had used as sanctuary.

There had just been him, and a small lunch, left alone for
at least a little bit of time, away from the house.

His father, the Lord Marquis Harvey Ruglia, leader of the
city of Gariland. Wiegraf smirked, remembering from his
childhood a rumour he had heard of his father, where his
father was at least eight feet tall and able to defeat
entire armies on his own, with just a single dagger.

He was proud of his father, and felt lucky for his
distinction of being the son of the greatest warrior in
the whole of the West of Ivalice. But he hated being
himself, because he wasn't good enough to be the son of
the hero of Ivalice.

He wondered, quietly even though only he was the only one
who could hear himself think, if he should've taken
Eberhart's offer to be sent to the country, out of the
way. It could be for the best, he felt.

He sat at the top of the bluff, looking over trees to
where his father's home was. He would go back, he quietly
decided, and he'd tell his father he didn't want to become
a knight. He couldn't be a knight, because he'd only fail.

Climbing down the bluff, slowly and carefully, he felt a
bit lighter. Through the brush and past the trees, he
arrived back at the yard to the mansion, and saw ahead of
him Weslee walking intently towards the mansion. He called
out to him.

Weslee unrestrainedly ran to him, his face concerned, and
almost on the verge of panic. "Wiegraf! It's your father!
He's calling for you!" He stopped in front of Wiegraf,
almost panting. "I was told to say that he's... he." He
looked at Wiegraf, almost on the verge of despair. "The
doctor says there's nothing that can be done! He's... he's
leaving us. But he wants to see you before he goes."

Wiegraf grabbed Weslee's shoulders to support him. "What
room is he in?" he asked, gently.

"I'll show you," said Weslee.

The distance to the mansion was long, but both were there
within moments, inside the mansion, and up to the room
that Wiegraf recognised to be the same as the one his
parents had shared in a past long gone. And it was inside
where his mother had slept her final sleep.

It was a cold room of silence and reflection, Wiegraf had
always felt. Entering, slowly, he felt the room had only
grown even more dark and mysterious.

The mystery was born of his father's ponderings over the
years, Wiegraf felt. Ever since his mother had passed
away, his father had stayed in the room they had shared,
writing and reading with only the light of a candle. Then
the war had started, and his father had to leave for the
front line, but part of Wiegraf was sure that his father
had left something important to him in this room. This
room, which he felt was the first step on a path into a
dark land where there was no sun and light, but led to a
place, which was always different to each person who
arrived there. And Wiegraf wondered how long everyone
close to Lord Harvey Ruglia, including himself, had always
thought how the important pieces that made up Harvery
Ruglia were already dead.

He saw, standing at the side of his father's bed, all his
siblings. Eberhart, a stern and unmoved expression.
Hadwin, his eyes closed, and his face in a scowl as though
holding back great and thunderous emotion.

And there was Miluda. She stood, watching Wiegraf. She
smiled with relief, but tears also ran down her face. She
held in one hand a cloth, which she used to wipe dry her
tears, and in the other her ponytail.

He watched Eberhart lean down to whisper to Harvey, who
then called out for Wiegraf.

The voice. That voice! Wiegraf had never heard such a
piteous moan out of his father's throat.

"Wiegraf! Come to me, my lad! Please come to me!" cried
the general of a hundred thousand soldiers. "My lad!" said
Harvey, laying eyes upon Wiegraf. "My lad, please come
closer to me!"

Wiegraf leaned down to his father, but almost recoiled
when his father sat up to lean towards him. He heard his
brother Eberhart say to their father, "You mustn't sit,
Father!"

But if Harvey had heard Eberhart, then he made no retreat
back to the bed. Instead, he brought his mouth directly to
Wiegraf's ear. He whispered, "My lad. Come to me. Come to
me, my lad. Please stand in front of me."

Wiegraf closed his eyes, and remembered once, long ago, he
had been beckoned to his father, whom stood aside his
mother. He had called Wiegraf forward to stand in front of
him. He beamed down at Wiegraf, and he proclaimed proudly
to Wiegraf's mother how fine a man his lad Wiegrad was to
be. He had picked him up, and he had shown to Wiegraf's
mother what such a fine young man he was to become.

And now, his father whispered into Wiegraf's ear, "Oh my
lad. My lad is to be a fine man." Harvey wrapped his arms
around Wiegraf, and Wiegraf felt there was so little
strength in the man who once had driven the Ordalian army
from Dogola Pass to Limberry in just a week. "Oh my lad.
Be a fine lad."

And then he whispered his last words, "Become a fine
knight, my lad."

***




             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'