A fleet of airships flew over head as a pair of blue eyes watched them. The familiar hum of their old style engines filled the air as banners trailed behind their impressive bulk, proclaiming to the small village that it was a day of celebration and rejoicing. A group composed of nearly every citizen had gathered in the square where a large booth had been constructed, and the leader of the population of less than a hundred stood proudly before a large, overly complex looking device. Sporting a large sheet of thick glass in its center, a group of men clad in dirty clothing hovered over the machinery, checking it to ensure that things would run smoothly.
Near the back of the group the owner of the blue eyes stood impatiently, hoping that things would start soon. She tapped her red shoe clad foot against the cobblestones that made up the square and every road which connected to it, which was in reality all that existed in the village. Crossing her arms across her chest, she took in a deep breath before letting is escape; she didn't have time for this.
"How much longer is this going to take? The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that I'm going to be caught!"
She grumbled to herself as she continued to tap, watching as the men kept on checking things. The fleet of airships slowly began to vanish, their hum all but gone; the murmurs of the group was more easily heard; they were all as impatient as she. She smirked for a moment as she imagined them rioting, demanding that they start the thing already... but then taking part in a riot would get her into even more trouble than she would already be in if she were found.
The smirk faded, only to be replaced by a smile as, finally, the men nodded with one another and left, leaving only the leader, one man and the device. The leader of the village, who was easily in his sixties turned to face the group, a wide smile upon his face as he held his arms out wide, gaining a roar from the crowd. Once they settled down, he cleared his throat;
"My friends, today I am proud to announce that we, the village of Ydora have finally taken the first step into the new era. In but a few moments we shall see first hand the official handing over of power in the once and future capitol of Ivalice!
Rejoice, my friends, for today we will be free!"
The crowd erupted in a second roar of approval as the old man stepped out of the way, allowing all to see the glass of the device. With but a wave of his hand the only one of the group who had been checking the device over began the process of activating it, flipping all manner of switches and ensuring that gauges checked out. Then, with one press of a button the beast of technology groaned as the glass came to life, displaying for the first time an image.
It was the capitol city of Lesalia, or rather the castle in which the royal family had ruled from for centuries. The banners of the seven regions hung from the imposing mason work that had kept the royal blood safe and secure even through times of fierce warfare. Each naturally was a different set of colors, but as the device's image was only in black and white, the people were denied their vibrant color schemes.
But given that they were seeing images from a distance that would take them weeks to travel they didn't have much to complain about.
The blue eyes of the young woman in the back of the crowd focused on the image, an intense interest filling her. She had heard about this event for years; it nearly begun the same year that she was born. Hers was the first generation to be raised with the knowledge that they would no longer have a ruling class, that their fates wouldn't be decided by those whom received their position by blood, but by the choice of the people. She didn't want to miss the official transfer, she didn't want to miss the changing of an era!
So consumed she was that she didn't even realize that she had been found; a swift strike to the top of her head with the head of a staff was the thing that let it sink in. Naturally, she placed her arms over her head to shield it from further damage as she turned, anger in her eyes... which quickly bleed away and turned into a bit of fear as she saw the older woman, clad in a cloak of green with gold trim standing before her.
Swallowing hard, the young woman forced a nervous smile;
"Um... I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here. Well, you see..."
"Save it, Lavian."
The older woman snapped, forcing the girl into silence. With but a motion of a finger the older woman began to walk, and Lavian followed behind, a hand still on the tender spot of her head; she knew that the other arm may very well be needed to defend other parts of her body.
"I can't believe you actually snuck out. What would your father say..."
The older woman began to speak as they put an ever increasing distance between themselves and the crowd, ensuring that they couldn't be over heard. Lavian followed behind, just out of striking distance of the staff that was tucked away inside of her cloak.
"I''m sure he would have understood that this is important. More important than your stupid lessons..."
The young woman mumbled to herself, but it was a bit too loud as the older woman stopped, turned and dug into her with a gaze that sent a shiver up her spine and forced Lavian to look down. Instead of unleashing the staff again, the older woman came close and pressed it against her chin, forcing Lavian's face up to match her gaze.
"Those 'stupid lessons' are a part of your family, and have been for centuries. Just because the royal family is stepping down and history is taking a different course doesn't mean that all the old ways are going to go the same way.
Look at you; you have no respect for the past. You discarded your traditional cloak and garb in favor of a harlot's dress!"
Lavian was a bit put off by that comment. Her dress was in no way something a harlot would wear; granted, the chest may have been a bit too low cut than she would have normally worn, but it didn't show too much; it was a few good inches above the line where it would show any cleavage... if she had any to show, anyway. Her arms were bare, yes, but then showing ones arms in public hadn't been a taboo for nearly a century. Also, the dress still came below the knee; to wear something at knee level or just above was a line she wasn't willing to cross.
"Now listen here... just because I don't have every single inch of my body covered in three different layers doesn't make me anything like those... those..."
She sputtered, angry and shocked that she would even have the world thrown at into her face.
"If you were a proper lady you surely wouldn't show that much skin, and if you were any kind of proper daughter you wouldn't disrespect the ways of your family! Your father had to do the exact same things that you were supposed to do, he went through the same hardships and trials that you were to experience. But instead you cast off your responsibilities, dressed yourself up like a street walker and snuck out!
And for what? To see the royal family fall to the wayside? To see as centuries of tradition fall apart simply because the people are no longer content to know their place?"
The older woman removed the staff from below Lavian's chin, then placed the bottom tip onto the cobble stones. Looking at the girl, she expected her to say something, anything. But Lavian knew better than to say it; she could think it real loud, but saying it would only earn her another blow, or worse, a beating.
"Come along, Lavian; this time you will complete your lessons."
The older woman said as she turned, then began to walk once more. As Lavian followed behind, she looked to the cobble stone path below her, watching as the centuries old stones passed as she walked. Just as time had worn them down to smooth nubs, so too has time worn down the ways that the older woman held onto, the ways that she tried with all of her might to force into the future by making Lavian carry them.
"But I won't. Your era is coming an end, you crazy old hag. And my era... my era is only just beginning."
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